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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Seven: Reeds and Rushes
Junxi had not yet reacted when Zhou Xuanyu walked over to his Mercedes. He casually tapped the car door and said, "However, the opportunity for the front passenger seat has already passed."
His expression was serious, not resembling a joke at all, but Zhou Ziyan burst into laughter.
"I don't have any strange cleanliness obsession," she muttered.
"Then get in the car."
He opened the door for her.
"Get in; I won't feel at ease if you go back alone."
Zhou Ziyan pushed Junxi into the car.
The door slammed shut with a thud, and she heard Zhou Ziyan instructing, "Uncle, you need to drop her off at the dorm entrance after passing through the North School Gate construction..."
Junxi didn't see how Zhou Xuanyu responded; she was busy admiring the interior of the car. The configuration was undoubtedly top-notch. Although it wasn't a new car, everything inside was very tidy, and the scent of the car perfume was pleasantly fragrant—she instinctively felt it reflected a woman's taste.
She wasn't the first person to sit in the front passenger seat, nor would she be the first woman.
Zhou Xuanyu circled around to the driver's side and got in. Zhou Ziyan waved at him, and he nodded in acknowledgment.
The door closed, and the cabin fell silent; even the sound of him fiddling with the car keys was distinctly audible. She pressed her small bag tightly against her knee, opened her side window, and pretended to gaze outside.
"Is it hot?" Zhou Xuanyu turned his face to stare at her temples dampened by fine sweat.
It wasn't the heat; she was just nervous.
Without waiting for Junxi to respond, he turned on the air conditioning, setting it to a comfortable temperature, and closed the window that Junxi had opened.
The faint scent of tobacco lingered in the confined space, pleasant yet making her sit up straight.
She remembered that he used to not smoke.
The car merged into the flow of traffic, and the city's lights streamed through the sunroof, cascading down between them. Although their hands were close together, it felt as if they were separated by a galaxy.
Aside from that earlier question, "Are you hot?", he had no more words to spare. He was never one for chatter, and now she wasn't either.
While waiting at a red light, Minya, who had been obediently texting her, suddenly called. Zhou Xuanyu paused for a moment when he heard the child's high-pitched voice coming through the receiver.
Junxi patiently comforted Minya as usual.
Minya was particularly talkative today: "Sister Junxi, you're still awake so late; you must be with a man."
Junxi's face flushed as she softly scolded Minya, "Where did you learn such things? I never taught you that."
Zhou Xuanyu leaned his elbow against the car window, resting his chin on his hand, his lips pressed into a thin line as if he hadn't heard anything.
"That's exactly it. If Dad is still awake this late, he's definitely with a woman."
"Minya..."
"If you get a boyfriend, you have to tell me first. Or you could be with my dad..."
“Minya!” Junxi interrupted her, “It’s late, you should go to sleep.”
“Auntie is sick today. Please tell me a bedtime story. I can’t fall asleep without one.”
“…”
The traffic light turned from red to green, and Zhou Xuanyu steadily accelerated.
Junxi switched the phone to her other ear and began telling the story of Thumbelina, one she knew by heart.
On the other end of the line, Minya quieted down, and Zhou Xuanyu remained silent beside her. It felt as if Junxi was telling the story to herself, yet she spoke with sincerity.
Halfway through the story, Minya’s phone was taken back by the nanny; Minya had already fallen asleep. The nanny apologized to Junxi for disturbing her so late…
She glanced out the window; it was indeed late, and most of the lights in the school dormitory were off.
“Just drop me off here.”
Junxi pointed at the sign at North School Gate that prohibited vehicles from entering and quickly unbuckled her seatbelt.
Zhou Xuanyu pulled over to the side of the road.
“Thank you, I’ll head in now. Goodbye.”
“I’ll walk you in.”
“No need, I walk this way often.”
"Is it okay that there are no streetlights?"
Junxi paused for a moment. Due to the road construction, the power lines in this area had been affected. Looking around, it was very dark, and she had indeed been afraid of the dark in the past.
"It's fine..."
Zhou Xuanyu ignored her and directly pushed the door open to get out of the car.
Junxi stood still as he walked over, tilting his chin slightly to signal her to lead the way.
With poor visibility in the dark, she walked slowly. The surrounding silence was unsettling, but the steady sound of his footsteps beside her made her feel at ease.
When they reached the dormitory entrance, there was finally a bit of light.
"Meow~"
Suddenly, a wildcat sprang out from the bushes on the left side of the road. Its jewel-like emerald eyes glanced at them before it brushed against Zhou Xuanyu's pant leg and darted to the other side.
"Uh!" Zhou Xuanyu let out a muffled sound and instinctively leaned closer to Junxi's arm.
He was clearly startled by the sudden appearance of the little creature.
Junxi smiled.
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