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墨書 Inktalez
“Zhou Xuanyu…”
She stood on her tiptoes, their bodies almost touching.
“The boat is about to dock.”
He turned his face away, gently stepping back while taking her hand, smoothly handing over the oar as if nothing had happened, leading her to sit at the back of the boat.
The boat continued to sway, and Junxi’s heart raced like a ball being bounced up and down, unable to settle after being struck hard.
His hand held hers tightly, not hot, but somewhat cool. His complexion was not good.
“Are you going to be sick?”
Zhou Xuanyu remained silent. For some reason, this small flat-bottomed boat felt even more dizzying than a yacht today.
“You mustn’t be sick!”
She raised her hand to cover his lips with her palm, looking domineering.
Zhou Xuanyu frowned; whether he would be sick was beyond his control, and she had even less control over it.
“Why can’t I be sick?” He grasped her hand and pulled it down.
“If you throw up right after kissing me, how am I supposed to maintain my reputation in the world?”
She said it with such seriousness that he couldn’t help but chuckle in exasperation. In the end, it was all about her own image.
“Where are you mixing?”
“Hmm?” Junxi pouted. Zhou Xuanyu had been quite accommodating these past few days; no matter how she spun her tales, he played along. She thought for a moment and proudly boasted, “Qingcheng and Florence both have my market.”
Zhou Xuanyu nodded slightly: “So your market value is this high.”
"Of course! So don't think I'm not serious about this; there are plenty of men behind you waiting for their chance."
He squinted, "Where did I not take you seriously?"
"That kiss you just gave me was so perfunctory; that's not taking me seriously." Junxi looked into his eyes and deliberately said loudly, "You are truly the most insincere man I've ever met."
Zhou Xuanyu's expression turned stern. "What? Have many men kissed you?"
"Of course, I'm an adult now. What's a few boyfriends?"
"Really?"
"Really!"
Though Junxi answered fluently, she still felt a bit guilty and avoided his gaze.
Zhou Xuanyu's eyes suddenly turned cold. He stopped speaking and no longer had the leisure to admire the scenery on either side of the river. The person in his arms was causing him great distress.
"Do you understand?" Junxi shook Zhou Xuanyu's arm. "I'm no longer the little girl you knew. I'm an adult now, a woman, and I will never be the kind of woman who clings desperately to a romantic game."
"What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm saying is that when we return to Qingcheng, you'll still be the president of Hengfu Group, and I'll still be the president's translator. These three days we spent together in Florence won't change anyone's life."
"Junxi, that's not what I meant."
"It doesn't matter what you meant. I will forget these three days... So please, don't treat me dismissively."
Her eyes were clear and bright; even when meeting his deep, unfathomable gaze, she remained sincere and earnest.
Time slipped away in their silent standoff, and the Ferry Man rang a bell, signaling that their boat was about to dock.
Junxi disappointedly curled her lips as she prepared to pull away from him when Zhou Xuanyu suddenly pressed her head back and kissed her deeply.
She was momentarily startled, forgetting to close her eyes, unsure of how to time her response to his intrusion. All she knew was that his warm breath was slowly consuming her inch by inch...
"We've arrived!" the Ferry Man shouted, completely oblivious to the moment.
The boat came to a gentle stop, and Zhou Xuanyu released her.
Junxi's lips were a vivid hue, her face blooming like a peach blossom. She appeared dazed, with only the flickering light in her eyes proving she was not a mere statue.
Zhou Xuanyu took her hand, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Wen Junxi, are you sure you've been with countless men?"
She snapped back to reality, realizing that Zhou Xuanyu was blatantly questioning her kissing skills.
"Of course I have..."
"Come on, let's get off this boat," he said.
"..."
Jokes aside, Zhou Xuanyu was genuinely feeling seasick.
After returning to the hotel, Junxi couldn't shake off her concern for him. With a fever and seasickness, he had certainly had a rough day.
After taking a shower and tidying up her belongings, she went across the hall to knock on Zhou Xuanyu's door.
She pressed the doorbell for quite some time, but it remained unanswered. A bad feeling surged in Junxi's heart—what if he had fainted inside?
Her fingers seemed glued to the doorbell, pressing it faster and faster.
"Zhou Xuanyu!" she called out softly, careful not to be too loud for fear of disturbing the guests in the neighboring room.
Inside, there was still no response.
Just as she was about to turn around and find a hotel staff member to help her open the door, it suddenly swung open.
As soon as the door opened, Junxi froze. Zhou Xuanyu stood there shirtless, his muscular frame glistening with a sheen of water. The only thing covering him was a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Why did you come to the door without getting dressed?"
Junxi averted her gaze and stepped inside, hearing him close the door behind her.
"You knocked so urgently; I barely had time to wrap this towel around me," he said as he walked toward the bathroom.
The bathroom door closed, and the sound of running water echoed from within.
Junxi sat on the edge of his bed, waiting for the water sounds to stop. After a while, he finally emerged. He had changed into a white T-shirt and light-colored linen pants, looking completely at home.
"Did you need something urgent?"
"No, I just came to check on you," Junxi replied, standing up and reaching out to touch his forehead. "Good, the fever hasn't returned. But you still need to take your cold medicine."
She walked over to the bedside table, poured him a glass of water, and prepared the medicine that was right next to her.
Zhou Xuanyu took the medicine from her hand, tossed it into his mouth, and then drank a sip of water.
Junxi frowned. She was used to taking a sip of water first before swallowing her medicine, which was the opposite of how Zhou Xuanyu did it. She wondered if he found it bitter.
"Is your head still spinning?"
"Not anymore." He grabbed a towel and wiped the droplets of water from his forehead before glancing at her. "Why did you come over with your hair still wet?"
As he spoke, he tossed the towel over her head. He stepped closer and gently began to dry her damp hair ends.
Junxi quietly enjoyed the moment of tranquility, but Zhou Xuanyu's phone rang at an inopportune time.
"Speak," he answered, his movements slowing slightly.
The voice on the other end was not a woman's.
Zhou Xuanyu responded with a brief "Mm" before hanging up.
Junxi looked up at him; he was already dialing another number.
"We need to head back tomorrow morning," Zhou Xuanyu said, addressing Junxi.
"What's wrong?" Junxi asked.
Someone on the other end picked up, and Zhou Xuanyu gestured for her to wait a moment.
Junxi heard him instruct, "Manager Gao, change the flight tickets for tomorrow night to the earliest flight in the morning."
Galen's loud response came through, and Zhou Xuanyu hung up the phone.
"The test results are out. Zhou Ziyan may need surgery on her leg. I have to go back to the hospital to sign some papers," he answered Junxi's earlier question.
"Is it that serious?" Junxi pressed, holding onto the towel tightly as she turned to look at him.
Zhou Xuanyu furrowed his brow; though his expression was calm, Junxi could still see the worry in his eyes.
"We'll talk more about it when we get back."
He composed himself and continued drying her hair, his touch alternating between gentle and firm, revealing his distracted state of mind.
Junxi fell silent. She knew that saying anything now would be pointless. Yet her heart felt suspended, leaving her feeling empty and unsure of what to do next.
Zhou Ziyan's leg—after all, it was the leg used for pressing the gas and brake pedals. All of his dreams resided there; it was a leg that could not afford even the slightest mistake.
The next morning, they had an early flight at around seven, so they got up around six to rush to the airport for check-in.
Their originally planned three-day trip had been compressed into two days, and it felt rushed. Zhou Xuanyu felt a bit guilty.
Junxi, although feeling regretful, was more concerned about Zhou Ziyan. She worried that something might go wrong with that guy, and the sooner they confirmed he was fine, the sooner she could relax.
Once they boarded the plane, Zhou Xuanyu opened her laptop. Although she didn’t lean in to look closely, she could see out of the corner of her eye that emails were flooding into his inbox one after another.
He must have delayed a lot of work for her over these past two days.
The sound of Zhou Xuanyu typing on the keyboard brought her back to reality from the dreamy days of the past two days. She closed her eyes and quietly sat beside him, not daring to disturb him any further.
Before long, her consciousness began to fade until she felt someone draping a blanket over her.
She opened her eyes and saw him pulling his hand back.
“Are we there yet?”
“Not yet.” He smiled and ruffled her hair. “Go back to sleep for a bit.”
She shook her head, took a sip of water, then turned to look at him. “Are you done?”
“Not yet.”
“Then keep working.”
Junxi turned his face back to his laptop, but Zhou Xuanyu’s hand reached over and grasped his hand that had just set down the water bottle.
In that gentle grip, she suddenly felt a wave of emotion. She had thought that once they boarded the plane, it meant their three days together were coming to an end. But his hand covering hers felt so real and warm that she didn’t want to let go.
“I’ve handled the urgent emails.”
His explanation sounded more like an invitation, inviting her to disturb him.
Junxi smiled, her crescent-shaped brows and eyes radiating warmth. She gently leaned closer to him, resting her head on Zhou Xuanyu's shoulder.
At that moment, she didn’t want to think about anything else; she just wanted to enjoy this time when he still "belonged" to her a little longer.
"Thank you," she whispered softly in his ear.
These past two days had been the happiest she had experienced in many years. She didn’t have to be the relentless Wen Junxi, nor did she have to bear the weight of being the Eldest Daughter of the Wen Family. She could laugh freely when she wanted and cry in his embrace whenever she felt like it.
He made her feel loved again.
This feeling was wonderful yet dangerous.
Now, it was time to wake from the dream.
The weather in Qingcheng was beautiful, and the plane landed right on schedule.
Junxi had just finished collecting her luggage with Zhou Xuanyu when she spotted the Infant Water Spirit waiting at the exit.
"Xuan Yu!" she waved from a distance.
Zhou Xuanyu hadn’t looked up yet, but she was already jogging towards them. Wearing sunglasses, she pushed them up onto her forehead as she ran, revealing her Water Spirit-like eyes.
"Xuan Yu." She stopped in front of Zhou Xuanyu, catching her breath with an endearing expression as she pressed a hand against her stomach.
"What are you doing here?"
"I knew you were coming back today, so I specifically asked Manager Gao for your flight information. I wanted to surprise you. How are you? Tired?"
"Not tired," Zhou Xuanyu replied, glancing back at Junxi.
Following Zhou Xuanyu's gaze, she noticed that there was someone behind him.
The smile on her face turned cold for a moment. "So Miss Wen also went to Italy. I didn't hear Manager Gao mention that."
"Does Manager Gao need to report such things to you?"
Zhou Xuanyu replied coldly, causing Infant Water Spirit to panic slightly.
"That's not what I meant. Manager Gao didn't tell me anything."
"I know she's not one to gossip." Zhou Xuanyu nodded towards Junxi. "Let's go, the car is waiting outside."
Junxi nodded. Just moments ago, she had worried about being unable to detach from her journey in Florence, but seeing Infant Water Spirit now dispelled all her concerns.
This woman was like a shot of adrenaline, piercing through her flesh and making it impossible not to wake up.
"Are you hungry? Shall we go eat first?" Infant Water Spirit walked closely beside Zhou Xuanyu, constantly looking up at him with bright eyes, clearly revealing her intentions.
"I need to stop by the hospital first."
"Oh! Right, you’re going to see Zhou Ziyan, right? His mood has been terrible lately. When I visited yesterday, he flipped the dining table over in his hospital room. The nurses were too scared to breathe around him; his temper is nothing like yours..."
As Infant Water Spirit spoke, they had already reached the airport's entrance where the Hengfu Group's car was parked.
"Since you visited yesterday, let's skip it today. Let's head back," Zhou Xuanyu said as he turned to look at Infant Water Spirit.
Junxi stayed out of their conversation, dragging her suitcase around to the trunk where the driver got out and loaded both her and Zhou Xuanyu's luggage inside.
As she got into the car, she heard Infant Water Spirit pouting about how long it had been since they last met and why he was rushing her away as soon as they reunited.
Junxi didn’t catch what Zhou Xuanyu replied as she settled into her seat.
After a while, the rear door of the car opened, and Infant Water Spirit entered with a bright smile on her face.
It seemed she had won, perhaps Zhou Xuanyu had not firmly rejected her after all.
Zhou Xuanyu took the passenger seat.
"Miss Wen is going to the hospital too, right?" the Infant Water Spirit initiated a conversation with her. "I remember your relationship with Zhou Ziyan is quite special."
Junxi knew that the Infant Water Spirit was referring to the incident at the restaurant when Zhou Ziyan's ex-girlfriend had attacked her.
She smiled slightly and did not deny it. "It is special."
"Lovers?" The Infant Water Spirit asked cautiously, with a hint of expectation, as if Junxi nodded in affirmation, she would be pleased.
"Not at all."
The Infant Water Spirit huffed lightly. "What other kind of relationship can exist between a man and a woman besides being lovers?"
Junxi raised an eyebrow. "I see that Miss Ying and Mr. Zhou have a special relationship too. Are you two lovers?"
"You!" The Infant Water Spirit was at a loss for words. She looked exasperatedly at Zhou Xuanyu, but his attention seemed completely elsewhere.
Junxi blinked and turned her gaze to the window.
It had been a long time since she had engaged in such a sharp exchange with anyone, but the Infant Water Spirit easily provoked the hidden sharpness within her; she did not want to lose to this woman.
Not at all.
Zhou Ziyan was indeed in a bad mood. The three of them arrived at the hospital together, but he refused to see anyone. Junxi peered through the glass of the ward door and only saw Zhou Ziyan leaning against the hospital bed.
He had changed doctors.
The new doctor wore black-rimmed glasses, his features were refined where they needed to be, and imposing where they should be, visibly mixed with at least three different ethnicities.
They waited outside for a while until the mixed-race doctor walked out.
“Jason! Long time no see.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while! Ken, you look even more handsome.”
The mixed-race doctor opened his arms and hugged Zhou Xuanyu. From their conversation and gestures, it was clear they were old friends.
“How is it?” Zhou Xuanyu threw a glance toward the hospital room.
“The bones are shattered inside; he needs surgery.”
“Is there a risk with the surgery?”
Jason nodded, somewhat helplessly saying, “After the surgery, your Zhou Ziyan probably won’t be able to race anymore.”
Junxi’s body trembled, and she nearly dropped her phone on the ground; she steadied herself against the wall.
“What do you mean he can’t race? He can’t drive?”
Zhou Xuanyu furrowed his brows, his mind still clear at that moment. Unlike Junxi, who was in a daze and couldn’t think straight, she kept asking herself what would happen to Zhou Ziyan.
Racing had always been more important to Zhou Ziyan than life itself. If he lost that, wouldn’t it mean losing everything?
“Driving won’t be a problem; it’s just that after the surgery, his sensitivity will decline, making it impossible to win races. Generally, even professional athletes who undergo such surgeries end up being forced to retire,” Jason shrugged. “Your Zhou Ziyan isn’t ready to accept that yet, so you need to talk to him.”
“He won’t accept it that quickly.” Zhou Xuanyu looked at the lonely figure on the hospital bed and said with certainty.
In Zhou Ziyan’s world, dreams were his only refuge. He had said that only when he sat in the car and felt the Mercedes on the track could he truly feel his existence.
That was a sense of security no one else could provide him—not even his family…
"He won't accept it any longer; there's nothing in this hospital that he can't smash."
"Let me go talk to him." Junxi stepped forward.
As she said this, her gaze fell on Zhou Xuanyu.
"You are..." Jason glanced at Junxi, then turned his attention to Zhou Xuanyu. "I recognize Water Spirit, but who is this young lady? Why don't you introduce her?"
"My name is Wen Junxi." Junxi confidently extended her hand to Jason.
"I know!" Jason exclaimed excitedly as he grasped her hand. "The Mountain Has Trees has no branches, and Junxi, you must be the one that Junxi doesn't know, right?"
Junxi smiled slightly. "Yes, your Chinese is very good."
"Just okay; it's all Ken who taught me." Jason gave Zhou Xuanyu a meaningful glance.
Zhou Xuanyu did not meet Jason's gaze and simply looked at Junxi.
"Alright, you go talk to Zhou Ziyan," Zhou Xuanyu said, then added, "Speak nicely; no fighting allowed."
As Junxi was about to push the door open, hearing Zhou Xuanyu's instructions made her suppressed heart feel a bit lighter.
She stuck out her tongue and, disregarding the presence of Infant Water Spirit and Jason, said, "If we have to fight, then we will."
Infant Water Spirit watched as Junxi knocked on the door. Without waiting for a response from inside the ward, she pushed the door open and boldly closed it behind her.
She couldn't help but wonder, "Can she handle it?"
Zhou Xuanyu remained silent, watching as the girl quickly walked to Zhou Ziyan's bedside and casually sat down on the edge of his bed... If she couldn't do it, then no one could.
The atmosphere in the ward was tense. Junxi tried to keep her footsteps light.
“Zhou Ziyan!” she called out to him, then sat down at the edge of his bed before he could shoo her away. Casually, she patted his shoulder. “Look at you, becoming a big shot after just a few days. You even know how to shut your doors to guests now. Should I make an appointment next time I want to see you?”
Zhou Ziyan pushed her hand away. “I’m not in the mood for jokes.”
“Who’s joking with you? I’m serious. If you kick me out today, don’t expect me to make soup for you again.”
He frowned. “As if anyone cares about your soup.”
Junxi jumped up. “Fine! You said it. I’ll leave!”
Zhou Ziyan sighed lightly, seemingly indifferent, and pulled her back. “Since you’re here, you might as well stay.”
Junxi smiled. “I knew you were just pretending; deep down, you really appreciate my soup.”
He fell silent, as if all words had been taken by her, and he could simply listen, his restless heart calming a bit.
“As long as you support me, I’ll make some soup for you tonight and bring it over. How about that?”
Junxi grinned, even knowing it would be a one-woman show; she still had to perform with deep emotion.
“Wen Junxi, just say what you want to say,” Zhou Ziyan replied evasively.
How about that?
When had Wen Junxi ever spoken to him so gently and thoughtfully?
Her unusual demeanor annoyed him; he didn’t like the feeling of everyone around him treading carefully.
It was as if he had truly become useless, and everyone was cautiously trying to win his favor because he had turned into a weakling who needed sympathy.
“I have nothing to say; I’m waiting for you to speak,” Junxi said, her smile fading. “I know you have a lot on your mind, a lot of grievances to vent. You need someone to listen or argue with. I might not be the best listener, but Zhou Ziyan, we can argue—any way you want. Just let it out. After all these years of arguing, we’ve never really fallen apart.”
Zhou Ziyan’s brows remained furrowed as he watched her earnestly propose this idea; he felt a pang of reluctance. This cautious demeanor from Wen Junxi was unfamiliar to him.
He had become so unfamiliar with himself; how could he expect her to feel any different?
"I haven't wanted to argue with you for a long time. It's you who keeps wanting to fight," Zhou Ziyan said, lowering his head, his gaze flickering.
"This isn't an important issue. What matters is you, Zhou Ziyan. Tell me what you're thinking right now."
Junxi leaned in closer, wanting to observe his expression more closely. She was best at reading emotions from his face.
"I..." He managed to utter a word but fell silent. After a long pause, he finally spoke again, "Junxi, I can't race anymore. I'm done for!"
As he said the words "done for," the pillow beside him flew across the room with a whoosh.
Junxi jumped in surprise.
In the hallway, Zhou Xuanyu was watching the commotion in the hospital room intently. When Zhou Ziyan suddenly threw a pillow, he couldn't help but worry about whether the atmosphere inside had spiraled out of control.
He reached for the door, but his hand was stopped by the Infant Water Spirit.
"Don't go in there. Look..." the Infant Water Spirit pouted and gestured inside.
Zhou Xuanyu looked up and saw Zhou Ziyan holding Junxi tightly.
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