Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Are we going or not?"
Zhou Xuanyu walked behind Junxi and, as usual, reached out to gently pat her head.
It seemed that this was all he could do now—approach her casually, like a friend or an elder, pretending to be nonchalant when she was unguarded.
Junxi looked up and didn’t push him away; she simply smiled and pointed to one of the photos, asking him, "Do you remember this one?"
Following Junxi's fingertip, Zhou Xuanyu glanced at the photo she indicated. It was probably the most unflattering picture of Zhou Ziyan among all the photos. In it, a young Zhou Ziyan was wearing sportswear, sitting on the ground and crying uncontrollably. He couldn’t quite recall what had happened at that moment.
"That day was the kindergarten sports day," she reminded him.
Zhou Xuanyu nodded; her words sparked a faint memory.
"During the long jump, a chubby kid from the next class tripped me. Zhou Ziyan couldn't stand it and ended up fighting with him. But he couldn't win, and in his frustration, he ended up looking like he does in this photo," Junxi said with a smile tugging at her lips.
"You have a great memory."
"No, I don't. Over the years, I've forgotten many things that I should have. The only thing I can't forget is how good others have been to me." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she looked up, clarity shining through them. "Zhou Ziyan has never been a remarkable knight, but he has never neglected his duties. He did everything he could to give me a sense of security. Yet when I came to my senses, I realized there was nothing I could do for him."
"Why are you overthinking again?"
He pulled her over to the sofa and gently pressed her down into it. He poured her a glass of warm water.
Junxi didn’t take it; instead, she grabbed a cushion and hugged it tightly, like a child clinging to their last source of comfort.
"Today, I handled the discharge procedures for Zhou Ziyan. On my way back, I overheard him secretly asking Jason if he still had any hope of returning to the field. At that moment, I realized that his playful demeanor over the past few days was all just to put my mind at ease."
"What did Jason say?"
"Jason gave him no hope at all."
"I think Jason is right. False hope is worse than none."
"Then tell me, what can I do for him?" Junxi looked at Zhou Xuanyu. "I mean, what do you men want from women when you're feeling down?"
Zhou Xuanyu blinked.
Is this question really directed at him?
Of course, he hoped she wouldn't do anything at all.
But he couldn't selfishly tell her that; just her gentle gaze on Zhou Ziyan made his heart ache.
"You’re doing well as you are."
"Huh?"
"Being there for him when he needs you is enough."
?
Because of Zhou Xuanyu's words, Junxi spent almost all her time this month focused on Zhou Ziyan. She was probably the least dedicated newcomer in the entire company; her probation period hadn't even ended, yet her time off far exceeded her working hours.
Xiaolin said that because of her dreadful attendance record, she was trembling when she took the attendance sheet to Mr. Zhou for his signature, fearing that if the president was displeased, he might fire her on the spot.
"Fortunately, Mr. Zhou just glanced at it lightly, said nothing, and signed without hesitation," Xiaolin said while mimicking Zhou Xuanyu's writing style to Junxi.
Seeing Xiaolin's dramatic portrayal, Junxi pretended to breathe a sigh of relief, placing her hand on her chest.
"But!" Xiaolin took a deep breath and made a turn: "Mr. Zhou must be angry. You have no idea how heavy-handed he is when he writes; the pen tip actually tore through the A4 paper I printed out! So you better watch out, or Mr. Zhou might put you on his blacklist, and then it will be hard for you to turn things around."
Xiaolin's advice was quite practical. After hearing it, Junxi immediately returned to the office to cancel her leave. She was worried that her lazy work attitude would put Zhou Xuanyu in a difficult position.
After all, with so many colleagues watching, as a leader, he couldn't be too lenient with anyone.
When Junxi officially returned to work, she happened to run into the company's quarterly training session.
Though called training, it was essentially a company mobilization meeting. The HR department invited some well-known figures and professional speakers from society to give lectures to both new and old employees in batches, regularly boosting everyone's morale.
Galen had drafted a list of invited guests, with the first being the famous streamer Infant Water Spirit.
Having witnessed Infant Water Spirit's lecturing skills firsthand, Junxi set aside any personal biases; she had to admit that Infant Water Spirit was quite adept at controlling the atmosphere. Without relying on any support from university leaders, she could quiet down a raucous auditorium within a minute and keep everyone engaged throughout the entire process without any dull moments.
Very few people could achieve such success; at least Junxi had never seen anyone do it like that. Therefore, she admired Infant Water Spirit quite a bit.
The lecture was scheduled in the company's largest conference hall. Since this was the first lecture for the entire company, to show how much they valued such events, Zhou Xuanyu personally took the stage to give an opening speech. After finishing, he didn't leave but instead sat in the audience and listened until the very end.
Perhaps it was because Zhou Xuanyu was present in the audience; either way, that day, Infant Water Spirit performed even better than during Junxi's previous hosting.
Most of the people sitting below were seasoned veterans, and ordinary motivational speeches could hardly nourish them. However, after the lecture by the Infant Water Spirit, everyone was giving a thumbs up.
Junxi sat in the back row, listening to those praising the Infant Water Spirit in front of Zhou Xuanyu.
"Miss Ying is not only beautiful but also eloquent."
"Mr. Zhou truly has hidden talents around him."
"If we’re talking about hidden talents around Mr. Zhou, that’s certainly true." The Infant Water Spirit, who had been quietly accepting compliments, suddenly spoke up. As she spoke, her gaze landed directly on Junxi in the back row. "Did you all know that Mr. Zhou's new translator, Miss Wen, is actually the daughter of the former Director of the Bureau of Literature and Defense?"
Junxi felt as if a sharp arrow had pierced her heart, causing her entire body to tremble.
"Wen Wei?"
"Which Wen Wei?"
"The one who was imprisoned for corruption?"
"…"
The conference room erupted into chaos, and for a moment, all eyes turned toward her with deep scrutiny. Junxi felt as if something was gnawing at her insides, making her feel like she was about to go insane.
The Infant Water Spirit smiled at her from a distance, seemingly pleased with the effect she had created.
"Oh my, Mr. Zhou, this isn’t hidden talent at all; it’s clearly raising a mountain wolf."
A wave of murmurs began to ripple through the crowd.
Junxi turned to look at Zhou Xuanyu, who was staring coldly at the person who had just spoken. With a dismissive gesture, Zhou Xuanyu pointed at Junxi and said, "Apologize to Miss Wen immediately."
"Mr. Zhou, are you out of your mind? Why should I apologize? Don't take it the wrong way; I'm just speaking the truth. Haven't you heard about the disgraceful things Wen Wei did back in the day? Like father, like daughter..."
With a sudden movement, Junxi stood up from her seat.
"Junxi."
Xiaolin timidly called out to her, but she ran out without looking back.
Footsteps followed closely behind her, but Junxi didn’t turn around.
She reached the Elevator Entrance, but the elevator was still on another floor. Without hesitation, she turned and dashed down the hallway. She felt like she couldn't breathe; she needed to get away from this floor and those people immediately.
"Junxi!"
After just a few steps, someone grabbed her hand.
"Let go of me!" Junxi struggled fiercely but still didn’t look back.
Zhou Xuanyu held her in place and moved in front of her. She bit her lip tightly, keeping her head lowered.
"Look at me," Zhou Xuanyu gently lifted her chin.
Junxi's eyes were red, tears swirling in her eyes as if they could fall at any moment, but she fought to control them with all her strength.
"My dad didn't... He didn't..." As soon as Junxi spoke, tears streamed down like pearls from a broken string, splattering onto Zhou Xuanyu's hand.
Zhou Xuanyu looked at her face, which was instantly wet, and his heart felt damp as well.
"Be good," he said, raising his hand to brush aside Junxi's bangs, which were damp with sweat. "I'll take you home."
"No, no, no." Junxi shook her head while stepping back. "You don't need to worry about me. I just want to be alone for a while."
"Junxi." At such a critical moment, Zhou Xuanyu couldn't bear to let her be alone. "I'll take you."
Junxi raised her hand to cover her distressed face, her voice choked with sobs. "I beg you, I want to be by myself."
In her current state, she couldn't even face herself, let alone Zhou Xuanyu.
Zhou Xuanyu hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, guiding her toward the Elevator Entrance. "Then I'll take you down."
Junxi wanted to refuse again, but the elevator doors opened.
He pulled her inside without hesitation.
The elevator was empty, and Junxi still didn't want to face him. She struggled free from Zhou Xuanyu's grip and retreated to a corner.
Seeing this, Zhou Xuanyu firmly pulled her back. Just as the elevator doors were closing, he gently pressed her against his chest.
Comment 0 Comment Count