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墨書 Inktalez
"I'm sorry." He released her.
It was a belated apology, but it still needed to be said.
Junxi found Zhou Xuanyu somewhat strange; the sudden intimacy and the proactive mention of the past were things the old Zhou Xuanyu would never have done.
But today, he seemed determined to draw a clear line between the past and the future.
"You..." Junxi hesitated.
"I'll go out first."
Zhou Xuanyu turned away, not forcing her to respond.
"Wait." Junxi grabbed his arm.
Zhou Xuanyu turned to look at her, patiently waiting for her to continue.
"I don't care what happened back then; I always believed you wouldn't just leave me behind for no reason."
Her voice was so firm and sincere, even carrying a hint of an unyielding authority that left no room for his rebuttal.
Zhou Xuanyu remained silent, offering no explanation.
Junxi didn't need his explanation. Because for all these years, that was how she had always believed.
The kitchen was quiet. He reached out and patted her head before moving on without lingering.
Junxi stood there for a moment, holding the knife in a daze, before she slowly began to chop the vegetables. It was still early; she didn't need to rush.
Whether cooking or in her life, there was no need to hurry.
Zhou Xuanyu did not come back in afterward, and Junxi found joy in her solitude. Women often cherished the kitchen, and cooking for someone they loved brought an entirely different flavor to the experience.
She began to gradually understand the layout of his kitchen, figuring out where the oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar were kept, and where the pots and pans belonged.
One dish after another was stir-fried, and the aroma of the food wafted out of the kitchen.
Just as the empty plates were filled with a variety of mouthwatering dishes, it was time for dinner.
"Come in and help," she called out to the man quietly flipping through a newspaper in the living room.
Zhou Xuanyu looked up at the sound. When Uncle Fu was around, there would be similar sounds of cooking and delicious smells in the house, but no one ever called him to help.
Yet he didn’t mind this so-called help at all.
The mutual blending yet distinct roles—this was what a home should feel like.
He stood up, neatly folding the newspaper in his hands, and walked toward the kitchen.
Just as he took two steps, the doorbell rang.
"Who is it? Is Zhou Ziyan here?" Junxi asked as she came out of the kitchen holding two dishes. Although Zhou Xuanyu had said he wanted just the two of them, she couldn’t bear to leave Zhou Ziyan out like that.
Zhou Xuanyu went over to open the door, knowing it wouldn’t be Zhou Ziyan. Zhou Ziyan knew the code to get into their home.
When he opened the door, Jia Man stood outside.
“Surprise!” she said sweetly to Zhou Xuanyu, then raised the takeout box in her hand. “How do I look as a delivery girl?”
Before Zhou Xuanyu could respond, she caught a whiff of the food and immediately let out a disappointed sigh. “So you’ve got a hidden chef at home.”
“Come on in,” Zhou Xuanyu said, pushing the door open wider for her to enter.
Jia Man changed her shoes in the entryway and casually handed her takeout box to Zhou Xuanyu.
“You bought so much?” Zhou Xuanyu weighed it in his hands.
"I came over to eat with you. I haven't had dinner yet," Jia Man said as she changed her shoes and stood up. Turning around, she saw Junxi standing in the restaurant. She paused for a moment, then smiled brightly, "So it's such a beautiful girl from the countryside!"
"Hello, Manager Jia," Junxi greeted her.
"We're not at the office, so just call me Jia Man," Jia Man waved her hand casually.
Zhou Xuanyu walked over and placed the takeout boxes on the table.
Now there were steaming dishes on both sides, and the atmosphere was far from as lighthearted as Jia Man's smile suggested.
"Let's eat together," Junxi said. "There are still a few dishes in the kitchen; I'll go get them."
"I'll help!"
Jia Man eagerly followed her into the kitchen.
One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, and one kitchen cannot hold two women. Junxi suddenly felt that the spacious kitchen seemed a bit cramped.
"Did you come specifically to see Mr. Zhou?" Jia Man asked casually.
"Yes. After all, Mr. Zhou got hurt because of me yesterday, so I should come and check on him," Junxi replied.
"That's true," Jia Man nodded, glancing at the beautifully presented dishes. "Did you make all of this?"
"Yes."
"I wouldn't have guessed you were such a good cook."
"You only know if it's truly good after tasting it."
"You're really modest."
Junxi smiled lightly and picked up two plates to carry them out of the kitchen.
"Crash!" Suddenly, the sound of shattering dishes echoed from the kitchen.
She immediately put down the vegetables in her hands and rushed back, followed closely by Zhou Xuanyu.
"What happened?"
"I'm sorry, I broke the plate." Jia Man crouched on the floor, her lips drooping as she looked at the mess scattered around her with guilt.
What had shattered was the onion scrambled eggs.
The recipe for onion scrambled eggs wasn't complicated, but it was undoubtedly the most labor-intensive dish Junxi had prepared today.
While peeling the onions, her eyes had uncontrollably shed tears several times.
"I didn't mean to," Jia Man said as she reached down to handle the broken pieces on the floor.
"I'll do it," Zhou Xuanyu interjected before she could.
"I'm really sorry, Junxi. I wasted your hard work," Jia Man stepped aside for Zhou Xuanyu and looked at Junxi.
There were so many apologies today; for the first time, she found those three words quite jarring.
"It's fine." She walked to a corner, found a broom and dustpan, and handed them to Zhou Xuanyu. "Be careful with your hands."
"You two go outside. I'll take care of this," Zhou Xuanyu said.
Jia Man seemed like she wanted to say something else, but Junxi turned and walked out without looking back.
Saying that she didn't mind was certainly a lie; she wasn't that magnanimous.
She just didn't want to put Zhou Xuanyu in a difficult position.
A meal suddenly became complicated with the addition of Jia Man, and Junxi found it hard to distinguish the main focus. She understood why Zhou Xuanyu had mentioned wanting to be alone with her.
However, she would have preferred another Zhou Ziyan instead of Jia Man.
"Are you feeling any better?" Jia Man casually picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it in Zhou Xuanyu's bowl, doing so effortlessly.
"I'm fine," Zhou Xuanyu replied.
He didn't comment on Jia Man's familiarity.
"I wasn't planning on coming over. I just got used to eating with you these past few days, and now at mealtime, I find myself wanting to look for you."
Jia Man spoke freely without regard for Junxi's presence, expressing her thoughts without hesitation. Her spoiled demeanor was likely a result of Zhou Xuanyu's indulgence.
Junxi averted her gaze and focused on her food.
Had her cooking really regressed? Why was it so hard to swallow? As she struggled to eat, a chicken leg suddenly appeared in her bowl.
Junxi looked up to see Zhou Xuanyu watching her.
"Eat more. Why are you only having rice and not any vegetables?" His gaze was gentle.
"I feel like my cooking isn't as good as it used to be," Junxi replied dejectedly.
Zhou Xuanyu picked up a piece of her dish and savored it, chewing thoughtfully before finally saying, "It's very good."
His brief and seemingly unenthusiastic praise made Junxi doubt whether he was just trying to comfort her.
"Really?"
"Really." He answered in his usual calm, emotionless tone.
Junxi pouted slightly.
“At least taming me is more than enough,” he added, and although his expression remained unchanged, Junxi felt his sincerity.
In that moment, she found herself caring about nothing at all.
“Mr. Zhou is quite picky; that’s a high compliment,” Jia Man pointed out with a hint of jealousy, gesturing to the lunchbox she had brought. “Look, he only picks at what you made. He hasn’t touched anything I bought.”
“Well then, you should eat more yourself,” Junxi replied without hesitation.
Jia Man was momentarily speechless, while Zhou Xuanyu, who had maintained a poker face the entire time, unexpectedly curled his lips into a slight smile.
Junxi realized her jealousy was showing a bit too clearly; her face felt hot.
“Have some winter melon soup,” Zhou Xuanyu casually served her a bowl of soup. Just as Junxi reached out to take it, she noticed him staring at her flushed cheeks and said, “It cools the heat.”
Junxi felt embarrassed and instinctively lifted her foot under the table to kick him.
Zhou Xuanyu remained outwardly calm, but he trapped her foot between his knees. She struggled but couldn’t free herself from his grip.
“Hey!” Junxi involuntarily exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?” He feigned ignorance, setting down his chopsticks and looking at her curiously alongside Jia Man.
“Nothing! I just bit my tongue!” Junxi replied through gritted teeth.
She straightened her leg, burying her small foot between his legs in a way that felt more strenuous than yoga. The meal became increasingly tasteless.
The dishes piled up after the meal.
Jia Man volunteered to wash the dishes, and Junxi didn’t argue with her.
The sound of running water filled the kitchen as Zhou Xuanyu continued reading the newspaper he hadn’t finished that morning. Junxi paced by the window to help with digestion.
"Someone cooks for you and even cleans up after you. You really have it good," Junxi said, her gaze firmly locked on Zhou Xuanyu.
However, Zhou Xuanyu didn't lift his head. He merely shook the newspaper in his hands, turned his face to another page, and calmly uttered a single word: "Sour."
"Pfft. I'm not jealous!"
"Well, I never said you were."
He countered her remark, leaving her speechless.
Junxi was so irritated that her teeth itched, while Zhou Xuanyu maintained his posture, seriously reading the newspaper.
"Zhou Xuanyu," Junxi said as she crossed her left leg and sat beside him. "I want to discuss something with you."
"Go ahead."
"Can you at least look at me?" Junxi reached out and snatched the newspaper from him.
With his hands suddenly empty, he naturally lifted his gaze to meet hers.
"What’s wrong?"
"You said that until you recover, I should remember our past feelings. So shouldn’t you show some consideration too?" Junxi raised her chin as she looked at him.
"For example?"
"For example, you can't be ambiguous with other women."
"And you say you're not jealous?"
"That's not the point!"
"This is the key," Zhou Xuanyu said with a light laugh.
For him, nothing was more important than this.
"I can't be bothered with you," Junxi replied, reclining on the sofa.
Zhou Xuanyu pulled her back. "Come on, let me see your tongue."
"What for?"
"Weren't you just biting it?"
"Hey, you know perfectly well what you're asking!"
Junxi swung a fist at him.
Zhou Xuanyu caught it steadily and, taking advantage of the moment, pulled her into his embrace and kissed her, capturing her tongue…
When Jia Man came out of the kitchen, Junxi was sitting on the sofa catching her breath while Zhou Xuanyu sat beside her reading a newspaper.
This combination seemed strange yet oddly harmonious.
"I still have some things to take care of; I need to go," Jia Man said as she wiped the water off her hands, addressing Zhou Xuanyu.
Zhou Xuanyu nodded.
"Junxi, how about you? Do you want to come with me? I can give you a ride," Jia Man asked Junxi.
"No thanks." Zhou Xuanyu spoke up to decline for Junxi. "I have a few emails upstairs that need translating. She can't leave until they're done."
"Alright then. Take care, see you tomorrow."
Jia Man waved at Zhou Xuanyu and smiled at Junxi before turning to leave.
The sound of a car starting soon echoed from outside.
"Everyone's gone, aren't you going to see them off?"
Junxi intended to tease him, but to his surprise, Zhou Xuanyu really put down the newspaper and stood up.
"Hey!"
Junxi quickly grabbed him.
"You actually plan to see them off?"
"You're being insincere." He smiled. "I just got up to get a glass of water."
"…"
After Jia Man left, Junxi immediately jumped up from the sofa and ran into the kitchen.
"What are you doing?"
"Just tidying up a bit more."
"What, do you think she didn't clean well enough?"
"Of course not."
"Then why?"
Zhou Xuanyu leaned against the doorframe with a cup of water, watching her deftly take the clean plates from the first shelf of the cabinet and place them on the second shelf… even rearranging the positions of Oil, Salt, Sauce, and Vinegar.
"Women tend to be obsessive about cleanliness in the kitchen," Junxi said seriously.
This obsession with cleanliness, beyond just the concern for the external tidiness, was more about firmly refusing to allow other women to come in and disrupt the arrangement of things that were placed according to her habits.
Although it was Junxi's first time cooking in Zhou Xuanyu's kitchen, she had already regarded this space as her territory. Jia Man must have had a similar mindset, which was why she arranged everything in the kitchen according to her own habits before leaving...
Zhou Xuanyu nodded, somewhat understanding.
"So, you mean you'll be using my kitchen often in the future."
"I..."
Junxi wanted to say no but realized he was making a statement.
"Don't worry about it. Not just the kitchen; I could give you this whole house."
Zhou Xuanyu came in and unceremoniously pulled her out.
"Where are we going?"
"Upstairs to check the mail."
"Is there really mail?"
"What do you think?"
"I thought you were just making up an excuse to keep me here," Junxi admitted frankly.
Zhou Xuanyu chuckled, "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing... nothing at all."
Junxi avoided his meaningful gaze, her face heating up again.
The computer in the study on the second floor was on, and Zhou Xuanyu's email had automatically received many messages. Junxi glanced at it and became convinced that Zhou Xuanyu truly had no ulterior motives; she had been overthinking things.
She calmed herself and opened a few emails he had marked, reading them carefully and translating the general meaning for Zhou Xuanyu.
As Zhou Xuanyu listened, he took notes, sketching out ideas and writing down solutions in a simplified manner.
Junxi took the opportunity to browse his study while he was deep in thought.
His study resembled a library. The beautifully crafted shelves were lined with all kinds of books, from extensive encyclopedias to... fairy tale books?
Junxi pulled out a copy of "Andersen Fairy Tale Book" and opened the cover page, where her own crooked handwriting caught her eye.
This was her book.
When she was young, her favorite pastime was listening to Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. One year, her mother bought her this book, and she cherished it so much that she was afraid of losing it, immediately writing her name inside.
She had just learned to write and was still cautious with her strokes. Thus, her not-so-complicated name appeared particularly "complex."
Later on, this book traveled around; whoever told her stories would get the book handed over to them.
Thinking back, the person who told her stories the most could never have been Zhou Xuanyu. He had been so busy at that time, flying around and hardly staying in one place.
He had only told her one story—the story of "Thumbelina."
That story eventually became her favorite.
Partly because he had told it to her, and partly because when he recounted it, he said, "Junxi, if you were Thumbelina, I could take you anywhere."
Ah, memories... so many of them.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing her standing motionless in front of the bookshelf like a robot paused by an invisible button, Zhou Xuanyu couldn't help but walk over.
"You still have this book!" Junxi exclaimed, raising the storybook in her hand.
Zhou Xuanyu took the book and flipped through it, noticing a page with a folded corner. He paused, his heart inexplicably softening at the illustration of a thumb-sized little girl.
He remembered how she had to listen to stories in order to fall asleep when she was younger. Unfortunately, his stories were not very vivid. But she loved to hear them.
"When I was tutoring a child before, she also enjoyed listening to my stories," Junxi said, a gentle smile playing on her lips and in her eyes.
Zhou Xuanyu recalled how she had once told that child a story in his car.
"She particularly loved the story of Thumbelina because she wished she could be like Thumbelina. That way, her father could take her along whenever he went on business trips," Junxi reminisced about Minya, the little princess who had everything but felt empty inside.
A hint of sadness crossed her face.
Zhou Xuanyu sensed her sudden shift in mood and took her hand, leading her out of the study.
"Where are we going now?"
"To tell a story."
"At this hour? What kind of story can we tell when it's not time for sleep?"
Zhou Xuanyu stopped in front of his bedroom door.
"Right now is perfect for a nap."
He opened the door and pulled her inside. This wasn't Junxi's first time in Zhou Xuanyu's bedroom, but for some reason, she felt a bit nervous this time.
Unlike the last time when she had hoped something would happen, this time she felt as if something was indeed about to occur.
His bed linens had been changed, but they still offered a sense of security with their dark colors.
Zhou Xuanyu propped up the pillows and patted the soft mattress.
"You sleep, and I'll tell you a story."
Junxi had not slept well the entire night, and as he spoke, a wave of drowsiness washed over her.
She obediently lay on his bed, the sheets carrying his unique scent.
Zhou Xuanyu sat at the edge of the bed, flipping open a book, ready to begin. However, Junxi reached out and covered his mouth.
"Shh!"
"What is it?" Zhou Xuanyu looked at her.
"Don't talk."
She was no longer the little princess who needed bedtime stories to fall asleep. During those five years, she had suffered from immense mental pressure, leading to a nervous breakdown. The slightest sound would keep her awake, and with such poor sleep quality, there was no room for a beautiful fairy tale.
Yet, she wouldn't share this with Zhou Xuanyu; she didn't want him to feel nothing but pity for her.
"Don't want to hear a story?"
Junxi shook her head. "Will you just stay with me while I sleep?"
Zhou Xuanyu remained silent, simply watching her, not moving for quite some time.
Feeling embarrassed by the lack of response, Junxi turned over on the large bed, avoiding his gaze and facing away from him.
Within seconds, she felt the mattress sink behind her, and then someone wrapped their arms around her from behind...
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