Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Oh."
Everyone nodded in understanding, but only Junxi felt quite disappointed.
She didn't know if Zhou Xuanyu really had a dinner appointment, but she was certain that even if he didn't, he wouldn't agree to let her ride with him.
After all, she had just mentioned his "cold-bloodedness."
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Zhou Xuanyu headed straight for the parking lot. Junxi followed her colleague Dalin in the same direction. Since Dalin walked slowly, by the time they reached the parking lot entrance, Zhou Xuanyu's Cayenne had already pulled out.
The windows of the Cayenne were tightly shut, just like Zhou Xuanyu's heart that no longer opened to her.
Junxi sighed heavily.
Dalin chuckled, "What's wrong? Are you so disappointed that you couldn't catch Mr. Zhou's ride?"
Junxi quickly shook her head. "Brother Daling, not at all. Your car is much more comfortable than the Cayenne."
Dalin laughed, "This girl talks as if she rides in a Cayenne all the time."
"…"
When they arrived at Yatian Zhou Ziyan's house, Junxi found that everyone was already there.
Zhou Ziyan and a few others were sitting in the living room watching a car race. When they saw Junxi enter, they all nodded at her as a greeting.
Zhou Ziyan patted the spot next to him and said to Junxi, "Come sit down; dinner will be ready soon."
Junxi glanced into the kitchen.
"Who is cooking?"
"Liu Xianghan," Zhou Ziyan replied.
Junxi set down her bag but did not sit on the sofa; instead, she headed straight for the kitchen.
The kitchen door was slightly ajar, and there were no sounds of cooking or running water.
"Dad, you are simply unreasonable! I told you I wouldn't agree!" Liu Xianghan's agitated voice came from inside.
Junxi's hand froze on the doorknob, caught in a moment of indecision—whether to enter or retreat.
Fortunately, after that statement, Liu Xianghan hung up the phone.
Junxi pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Hi!" she greeted Liu Xianghan casually, pretending she hadn't heard anything.
Liu Xianghan glanced at her and turned her head away.
Junxi noticed tears glistening in her eyes, almost ready to spill over. If Junxi hadn't entered suddenly, Liu Xianghan would surely have cried in that kitchen.
"I'm here to help," Junxi said softly.
"No need, just go outside. I'll handle it," Liu Xianghan replied, wiping her eyes with her sleeve as she spoke to Junxi.
Junxi pressed a hand on her shoulder, wanting to comfort her but unsure of what to say. So she decided not to confront the situation directly.
"Why don't I take care of it? You go outside," Junxi suggested, pointing to the door. "They're watching the car race, and I don't understand it or have any interest. You should go enjoy it."
Xiang Han's body trembled slightly, and Junxi could sense how fragile she was at that moment. He wondered what troubling matters she was dealing with. It was hard to fathom her feelings, especially since she had come to cook for Zhou Ziyan despite her own distress.
Women... such delicate yet strong beings.
After a moment, Liu Xianghan calmed down a bit. When she turned back, her eyes were slightly red, but the tears had been wiped away.
"I'm not going out either. Let's cook together," she said, placing a handful of greens into the sink. She turned on the faucet, and the sound of water splashing against the green leaves filled the air as her hand rested in the water, lost in thought.
"Then you wash the vegetables, and I'll chop," Junxi quickly grabbed the knife. Given Liu Xianghan's current state of mind, handling a knife was too dangerous. If she accidentally cut her finger or worse, it would be a disaster.
Liu Xianghan nodded obediently, accepting Junxi's arrangement.
A faint scent of sorrow lingered in the air.
Both of them were somewhat distracted.
Although Junxi and Liu Xianghan didn't engage in much conversation throughout their cooking, they worked together quite harmoniously. Soon, a table full of dishes was ready.
Zhou Ziyan brought out all the alcohol from the house, and several men were happily drinking back and forth.
Liu Xianghan hung her head low, focused on eating her vegetables with little enthusiasm.
"Do you want to have some wine?" Junxi asked Liu Xianghan.
When feeling down, while drinking might not solve the underlying issues, it could at least provide temporary relief.
Liu Xianghan kept her head down, seemingly unaware that Junxi was speaking to her.
“Xiang Han,” Junxi called out.
Liu Xianghan snapped back to reality.
“Hmm?”
Junxi raised the bottle of wine in her hand.
Liu Xianghan smiled at Junxi. “I won’t drink; I still have to drive them all home later.”
“Xiang Han, if you want to drink, just go ahead. We can always sleep at Zhou Ziyan's place tonight,” Dazhong said, as if sensing her mood, pushing a bottle of beer toward her.
Liu Xianghan glanced at Zhou Ziyan.
Zhou Ziyan was pouring drinks for the guys and, upon hearing this, nodded. “Women sleep in the bedroom, men in the living room. Just drink freely. Come on!”
Liu Xianghan bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then picked up the bottle and tilted it back to drink.
Junxi was startled by this boldness but thought about it and realized it made sense. This girl who raced cars was naturally more carefree than most girls, especially since she was feeling down.
Compared to herself, Junxi envied Xiang Han even more. At least Xiang Han could drink freely, while she had too many concerns and had to tread carefully in everything, never daring to let loose, especially when it came to her own feelings.
Soon enough, Xiang Han joined everyone in drinking. Junxi, who wasn’t very familiar with the men, poured herself a glass of red wine and quietly slipped out to the terrace while they weren’t paying attention.
There were no stars tonight; the sky was dark and only a crescent moon could be faintly seen. She sat on the ground, placing her wine glass beside her as she stared blankly at the horizon.
Zhou Xuanyu wondered if he had returned yet...
"This place is so dark, what are you looking at?" Suddenly, Zhou Ziyan's voice came from behind.
Junxi turned around and saw Zhou Ziyan had come around and sat down beside her.
"What are you doing out here too?"
"Everyone is too drunk to continue, it's halftime right now," Zhou Ziyan said as he glanced back.
Junxi crossed her legs and changed her sitting position.
"You must be feeling cooped up at the police station these past few days."
Zhou Ziyan shook his head. "Not really. I don't regret giving that jerk a beating at all."
Junxi smiled, feeling warmth in her heart.
"You've always been so good to me; your future girlfriend will get jealous."
"What's there to worry about? At worst, you can just be my girlfriend," he said, the last word coming out softly and lightly, as if it could melt someone away.
Junxi blinked.
Zhou Ziyan patted her on the head. "Alright, I'm just joking. Let's go back in and drink."
As he said this, he was about to stand up. Junxi wanted to ask him something else; she reached out and grabbed his arm. "Wait a minute."
"What's wrong?" Zhou Ziyan turned back.
"Ah!" Junxi felt a chill wash over her and looked down to find that her wine glass had been knocked over by Zhou Ziyan.
Zhou Ziyan hurriedly pulled Junxi up from the floor, but it was too late. Red wine had already stained her clothes and pants.
"It's pitch dark down here; who told you to put the glass on the floor?" Zhou Ziyan complained, quickly running over to grab some paper towels and handing them to Junxi to wipe herself off.
However, the wine had already seeped into her clothes, leaving her feeling both cold and fragrant.
Junxi couldn't help but shiver.
"You should go upstairs and change your clothes," Zhou Ziyan said, turning to Uncle Fu. "Uncle Fu, please get my sportswear for Miss Wen to change into."
Uncle Fu acknowledged with a nod.
Zhou Ziyan gave Junxi's shoulder a gentle push. "You go upstairs first and wait. Come down after you've changed."
As Junxi went upstairs, Uncle Fu had already placed Zhou Ziyan's sportswear on his bed. She took the clothes and went to the bathroom to change.
Zhou Ziyan was tall and broad-shouldered, so naturally, his clothes didn't fit Junxi well. She rolled up the sleeves and pant legs several times before managing to wear them.
Feeling embarrassed about going downstairs in such oversized attire to drink with everyone, she decided to hide in the study on the second floor and read a book instead.
Zhou Ziyan's study was not as eclectic as Zhou Xuanyu's. His bookshelf held only a few books, nearly all of which were related to cars.
Junxi didn't know much about cars, so she picked a book with plenty of pictures and casually flipped through it.
Suddenly, a postcard fell out from between the pages. Judging by the scenery on the postcard, it was from Munich, Germany. Junxi remembered that Zhou Ziyan had gone to Germany for a semester as an exchange student during his freshman year. This postcard, which had no postmark and looked somewhat old, must have been from that time.
The reason Junxi didn't immediately tuck the postcard back was that she noticed the recipient's name written on it—her own.
The postcard contained just one sentence: "I'm here, and no matter how much I think of you, it never feels enough, yet I feel that holding you when I return will be enough."
It was signed by Zhou Ziyan, and the handwriting was unmistakably his.
Junxi's hand trembled slightly, a girl’s innate sensitivity stirring within her. Suddenly, she felt a wave of unease wash over her.
Could it be that Zhou Ziyan's feelings for her were not as simple as just being good friends?
"Junxi!" Zhou Ziyan's voice echoed down the hallway.
Junxi quickly tucked the postcard back into the book, returned it to its place, and pulled out another one, cradling it in her hands.
"I'm in the study," she called out loudly.
The door to the study swung open almost immediately.
Zhou Ziyan stepped inside, casually flicking on all the switches on the wall. The study brightened a bit more. His gaze landed on Junxi.
Dressed in his oversized sportswear, she resembled a cat lounging against the bookshelf on the carpet. Her long hair cascaded down, a few strands falling onto her chest, exuding a lazy yet captivating charm.
Zhou Ziyan glanced at the book she was holding.
"What are you hiding here for?"
"Have they all left?" Junxi placed the book back on the shelf.
"They're gone."
"Then I should go too."
"Wait for me to grab a jacket to take you home," Zhou Ziyan said as he turned around.
"No need," Junxi quickly grabbed his arm. "You've been drinking; I can take a taxi back myself."
For some reason, she felt a bit flustered, perhaps because of the postcard she had seen earlier. A mix of emotions swirled within her, and at that moment, she found it hard to face Zhou Ziyan calmly.
"I'm not comfortable with you going back alone at this hour."
Junxi waved her hand dismissively, trying to sound composed. "Do you want to get arrested for drunk driving right after coming out?"
"Who said I'm driving? I'll take a taxi to drop you off, okay?" Zhou Ziyan playfully patted Junxi on the head as he usually did. "Just wait for me downstairs."
Junxi stood there like a puppet, unable to utter a single word for a long while.
She went downstairs and sat on the sofa, repeatedly reassuring herself that it was just a postcard and didn't mean anything. Even if it did, it was something from many years ago...
"Ding dong. Ding dong." The doorbell rang.
Junxi turned her head to see Uncle Fu tidying up the mess left on the table. She stood up and walked over to open the door, thinking it might be someone who had forgotten something and returned. But when she opened the door, she was surprised to find Zhou Xuanyu standing outside.
Zhou Xuanyu held a bag in his hand, from which the fragrant smell of tofu wafted out. It was a custom in Qingcheng that upon being released from the police station, one must eat tofu.
Junxi stepped aside, wanting to let him in.
But Zhou Xuanyu didn't move; his piercing gaze was fixed on her.
It was then that Junxi remembered she was still wearing Zhou Ziyan's clothes.
"I... am not what you think."
"Who is it?" Zhou Ziyan ran down from the second floor. Upon seeing Zhou Xuanyu at the door, he halted in his tracks. "Uncle, is there something you need at this late hour?"
Zhou Xuanyu handed over the bag he was holding. "I just came back from home. Your father asked me to bring this to you."
Zhou Ziyan glanced at it but did not take it.
"Just leave it there. I need to take Junxi back."
As Zhou Ziyan spoke, he wrapped an arm around Junxi's shoulders and started to walk outside.
Zhou Xuanyu rubbed his nose thoughtfully. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Junxi's arm, but his gaze remained fixed on Zhou Ziyan. "You've been drinking. I'll take you home."
Comment 0 Comment Count