Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Galen placed Zhou Xuanyu's coffee cup beside him and walked to her own seat, opening her notebook to review the PowerPoint presentation for today's meeting.
Zhou Xuanyu was engaged in conversation with the finance manager, completely unaware that his coffee had been stealthily swapped. It wasn't until about fifteen minutes into the meeting that he suddenly reached for his cup.
Sweet, a cloying sweetness... It should have been bitter.
Galen held her breath, her gaze fixed intently on Zhou Xuanyu. Although he only took a small sip, that tiny taste was enough for him to sense something was off. She blinked, bracing herself for the hint of anger she expected to see in his eyes.
But Zhou Xuanyu did not react; he simply set the cup down without shifting his attention from the PowerPoint presentation.
Galen couldn't help but smirk.
Perhaps she was overthinking it.
A man like him, who exuded an air of calm even in the face of great challenges, could hardly be rattled by a mere cup of sweetened water.
It was she who had been too rigid for too long, only daring to act out of line today because she had Wen Junxi backing her up. How useless that felt.
The meeting lasted for over an hour before concluding. Zhou Xuanyu occasionally took a sip, and by the end, he had finished the entire cup of brown sugar water. Galen was surprised; this was someone who usually insisted on no sugar in his coffee.
What was going on today?
As everyone began to file out of the conference room, Galen did not rush to leave. Having committed her "misdeed," she naturally waited for the inevitable call to account for it.
“Manager Gao.”
Sure enough, Zhou Xuanyu called out to her.
“Yes?”
“Aren't you going to explain my coffee?” Zhou Xuanyu tapped his empty cup.
Galen suddenly recalled a phrase: dead without witnesses.
“Isn't Mr. Zhou drinking coffee?”
“Manager Gao…” Zhou Xuanyu raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that the usually serious and stern Galen would dare to make such a joke with him.
After laughing for a few seconds, Galen quickly composed herself.
“This isn't Manager Gao's idea, is it?” Zhou Xuanyu asked.
Galen knew that she didn't need to confess; nothing could be hidden from Zhou Xuanyu. She nodded.
“Yes. This was Junxi's suggestion.”
Zhou Xuanyu remained silent, his expression revealing no hint of anger or joy.
“She is doing this for your own good,” Galen added.
Zhou Xuanyu furrowed his brows, and after a moment, he packed up his things and stood up. “Let’s go.”
With that, he walked out.
Galen hurried to catch up with him.
“Mr. Zhou, I take half the blame for this. I shouldn’t have…”
“I’ve already said it’s for my own good. There’s no need to discuss right or wrong,” Zhou Xuanyu interrupted Galen.
“Then you’re not angry, right?” Galen asked cautiously.
Zhou Xuanyu remained silent.
Galen followed him nervously for a while, wanting to explain further but unsure where to start. The president's moods were too difficult to gauge; she really shouldn’t have tested him so easily.
“Manager Gao.” As they reached the office door, Zhou Xuanyu suddenly called out to her.
“Yes, Mr. Zhou?”
“Go tell Wen Junxi that since she enjoys making decisions for others so much, from now on, she will be in charge of preparing my coffee.”
“This…”
"Did you not understand?" Zhou Xuanyu's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.
"I understood."
"Good, it starts tomorrow."
Galen conveyed Zhou Xuanyu's message to Junxi. She truly hadn't expected Zhou Xuanyu to take such a step. Now, her already chaotic mornings would become even more hectic with an additional person to attend to.
But then again, she had meddled in affairs that were not her own; his punishment was justified.
However, this punishment seemed a bit like using public office for private gain. It meant they would have more time alone together each day.
Looking at it from another perspective, Junxi found this punishment rather humane.
After finishing the emails on her desk, she began to contemplate arranging a meeting with Zhou Xuanyu to discuss the matter. This was more urgent than anything else; as long as they weren't honest with each other, the weight on her heart wouldn't lift.
She had already asked Galen about Zhou Xuanyu's schedule. Due to Zhou Xuanyu's numerous personal engagements lately, Galen couldn't pinpoint when he would be free or busy.
Junxi watched the man in the President's Office, who was busily spinning like a top, and couldn't think of any way to communicate with him. After a while, she picked up a sheet of A4 paper from the photocopier.
"What are you writing?"
Xiaolin couldn't help but lean over and ask as he noticed her deep in thought.
"Nothing much. Just doodling out of boredom."
Xiaolin didn't believe it. "It looks a lot like you're writing a love letter."
"Who writes love letters?!"
To prove her innocence, Junxi handed over the blank sheet of paper in her hand.
Xiaolin took a glance at it.
The paper only had a few lines on it, resembling a fill-in-the-blank exercise, and it really didn't look like a love letter at all. Finding such a dull thing uninteresting, Xiaolin wrinkled her nose and turned away.
Junxi pressed the tip of her pen against her chin, thought for a moment, and added a few more words before slipping it into the document that needed Zhou Xuanyu's signature.
Once she had prepared everything, she stood up to knock on the door.
Zhou Xuanyu took a long time to answer. Once she entered, he didn't even lift his head, engrossed in his own work.
"Mr. Zhou, could you please sign this document?" Junxi pushed the file forward, with the paper tucked right in the middle.
"What document? Briefly explain," Zhou Xuanyu said without looking up as he casually flipped through the file. The paper fluttered slightly before being tucked back inside; he hadn't seen it at all.
"Aren't you going to take a look?" Junxi felt a bit disappointed.
"I don't have time to read it," he said.
"You..." How could he be so irresponsible?
Junxi swallowed her words and obediently summarized the contents of the document.
Zhou Xuanyu stared at the computer screen, seeming to listen but also appearing distracted.
"Mr. Zhou, I'm done," Junxi reminded him.
Zhou Xuanyu nodded, finally willing to tear his gaze away from the screen to look at her. "Do you think there are any uncertain issues?"
"No," Junxi replied instinctively.
The questions she could think of had already been filtered out when she first noticed them; there was no way she would leave those questions for her superior.
"Good." Zhou Xuanyu looked trusting and made a move to sign below.
"Wait a minute," Junxi quickly reached out to stop him.
"What is it?"
"I think I remembered an uncertain issue. Could you take a look? It's on the third page." Junxi pointed to the document, indicating that he should turn to the third page.
Zhou Xuanyu flipped through the pages.
"Hey, there's nothing on the third page."
"It's the fourth page, it's the fourth page," Junxi corrected herself.
"Which page is it, then?" Zhou Xuanyu asked, growing impatient.
As he flipped through the documents, a piece of paper suddenly slipped out.
Zhou Xuanyu caught it. He glanced at Junxi.
"What is this?"
"Just take a look yourself!" she replied, her tone softening involuntarily. It was no longer the tone of a work report but rather a playful tone between lovers.
Zhou Xuanyu's tense expression finally relaxed a bit.
He lowered his head and seriously examined the neat handwriting on the A4 paper.
__Month__ __Day__ __Hour__, dining at _______ (restaurant name), please approve, Mr. Zhou.
"You want me to fill in the blanks?" Zhou Xuanyu said, both amused and exasperated as he pointed at the spaces she had left.
Junxi eagerly nodded.
"I thought you were busy, so..."
"Did I promise to have dinner with you?" Zhou Xuanyu casually set the paper aside, quickly signing the documents before handing them to her. "You can go out now."
"Hey!" Junxi raised her voice.
"Mr. Zhou!" Jia Man happened to walk in.
"What is it? Speak quickly, I have another meeting soon."
Zhou Xuanyu looked at Jia Man for the first half of his sentence, but his gaze shifted to Junxi for the latter half.
Junxi pouted, realizing he was trying to rush her out. She turned and walked out, hearing Jia Man ask Zhou Xuanyu as she closed the door, "Are you free for dinner tomorrow night?"
Junxi didn't catch how Zhou Xuanyu responded... She regretted not just asking him directly like Jia Man did.
Xiaolin and the others entered the conference room to start the second meeting with Zhou Xuanyu. By the time the meeting ended, it was already time for dinner. Just as Junxi was about to head to the restaurant, she saw them coming out.
Seeing Junxi about to leave, Xiaolin hurried over.
"Mr. Zhou gave you some documents; he wants you to help translate them this afternoon." Xiaolin casually placed a stack of papers on Junxi's desk.
Junxi found it strange; she had already completed her recent translation tasks, and there was no way Zhou Xuanyu could conjure up so many new ones out of thin air. And it had to be done this afternoon?
Suddenly, she remembered something and quickly turned back, flipping through the stack of papers. Sure enough, the note she had written for Zhou Xuanyu was tucked inside.
The blank lines on that paper were already filled in by Zhou Xuanyu.
Tomorrow night, it's tomorrow night! He rejected Jia Man's suggestion to set the time for tomorrow night!
Junxi felt a flicker of joy in her heart.
"Let's go, it's time to eat," Xiaolin nudged her. "Are you starving? Why are you smiling like that with so much work to do?"
Junxi shook her head and quickly put the A4 paper into her drawer before running over to Xiaolin.
Xiaolin glanced at her.
"What are you smiling about? Did something good happen today? Why was Mr. Zhou also smiling during the meeting?" Xiaolin muttered.
"Mr. Zhou?"
"Yeah, we were all seriously reporting our work, and he was just sitting there scribbling away, not even sure what he was signing. After we finished summarizing and waited for his feedback, guess what he said?"
"What?"
"He actually looked up and asked us if there were any new restaurants in Qingcheng that were worth trying." Xiaolin had a look of disbelief on her face. "Then the second half of the meeting turned into a restaurant recommendation session."
Junxi stifled a laugh; no wonder she had never heard of the restaurant he mentioned—it was new.
Well, she was quite satisfied with this answer sheet.
The next morning, Junxi began to feel excited.
Before heading out, she stood in front of her wardrobe, trying on the few pieces of clothing she owned.
Jun Xuan watched her while eating breakfast.
"Sis, do you know something is going to happen?" he asked cautiously.
"What do you mean something is going to happen? What are you talking about?" Junxi replied absently, gazing at her reflection in the mirror.
Jun Xuan shook his head.
"Then why are you dressing up so nicely?"
"Can't I look a bit better?" Junxi turned around, holding up two outfits, one in each hand. "Which one do you think looks better?"
"I think you look good in anything, so you don't need to worry about it," Jun Xuan said, pointing lightly at the clock on the wall. "Besides, I think you're going to be late."
Only then did Junxi realize.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier!"
"I've reminded you many times; it's just that you never listened to me and still have the nerve to say that."
As Jun Xuan was rambling on, Junxi had already dashed out.
She ran while saying, "You can go out to eat by yourself tonight. I won't be back for dinner."
Jun Xuan watched her slam the door shut with a bang, feeling a strange sensation in his heart. He walked over to the sofa and picked up the landline to call Zhou Ziyan.
"I can't shake the feeling that my sister knows about your plan."
"…"
While catching the bus, Junxi couldn't help but smile; it felt somewhat like the sweetness of "absence makes the heart grow fonder." They were clearly already together, yet after a little quarrel, going on a date again was exhilarating.
Zhou Xuanyu wasn't at the office today; Galen mentioned he had gone on a business trip to a neighboring city.
Upon hearing this, Junxi couldn't help but worry whether he would make it back in time for their date.
She sent him a text message, reminding him not to forget their appointment tonight. Before long, Zhou Xuanyu's reply came through.
"Remember."
Just those two short words felt like a reassurance for Junxi.
She worked with great enthusiasm throughout the day. She didn't even know what she was doing; it was she who had suggested taking some time apart, yet now she was the one eager to reconcile.
Ah, the heart of a woman is truly unpredictable, even to herself.
She couldn't tell if it was just her good mood, but in her eyes, everyone seemed to be smiling at her. That meaningful smile made her wonder—did everyone know that Zhou Xuanyu had asked about the restaurant to have dinner with her?
No way...
"Junxi."
As the workday came to an end, Zhou Ziyan, who had been aimlessly wandering around all day, called out to her.
"Don't bother me; I have plans tonight. Let's talk about it tomorrow," Junxi interrupted him hurriedly as she packed her things.
But Zhou Ziyan was determined to intervene. "Don't go yet. Come with me to a place first."
"Brother, I'm in a hurry."
"Just give me ten minutes," Zhou Ziyan pleaded earnestly.
Junxi hesitated, but before she could respond, Zhou Ziyan had already grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
"Where are we going?" Junxi asked, following him reluctantly.
Zhou Ziyan led Junxi into the elevator and pressed the highest button on the panel.
"What are we going to the top floor for?" Junxi's unease grew stronger.
"Shh!" Zhou Ziyan made a mysterious gesture with his finger to his lips.
Suddenly, Junxi felt an impulse to escape, but the elevator had already arrived, leaving her no room to run.
"Ding!" The elevator doors opened.
Zhou Ziyan pulled open the door to the rooftop and immediately pushed her forward.
On the vast rooftop, there was nothing but the biting wind. Nothing at all, which meant it was safe, right?
Just as Junxi let out a sigh of relief, music suddenly blared from the rooftop speakers. Accompanying the melody, a multitude of vintage musical theater performers sprang out from both corners of the wall. They sang and danced in harmony, their expressions lively and joyful. Sometimes they held hands in unity, and at other times they spread out in an orderly fashion; from a distance, they resembled a blooming Marguerite Flower.
The grand scene before her reminded Junxi of the movie "Rooftop Love" that she had watched with Zhou Ziyan during their university days. She had almost forgotten the plot by now, but the utopian dance performances in that film left a deep impression on her.
She remembered saying back then, "If such a scene were used for a confession, no woman could resist it."
"Zhou Ziyan, you..."
Junxi turned her head, and the sight before her felt dreamlike to the point of dizziness. She wanted to grasp something real from Zhou Ziyan, but he had somehow disappeared from her side.
Taking a step back with the intention to flee, she was suddenly grabbed by someone around her shoulders. The person's arm was strong, like a tightly woven net that left her nowhere to escape.
"Sis." A familiar voice blossomed beside her.
Junxi turned around and saw her brother standing next to her.
Jun Xuan had come too! What on earth was Zhou Ziyan up to?
Junxi felt increasingly confused.
Jun Xuan, however, wore a knowing expression. He patted Junxi on the shoulder and said seriously, "Just wait until it's over. You can avoid the first day, but you can't escape the fifteenth. It will happen sooner or later."
Junxi still didn't grasp the meaning behind Jun Xuan's words as the performance on the rooftop gradually approached its conclusion. Just as the music was about to end, the dancers, shaped like Marguerite flowers, retreated to the side.
Suddenly, Zhou Ziyan appeared in the path they had cleared. He held a large bouquet of Marguerite flowers and walked slowly toward Junxi.
"Don't..." Junxi silently murmured, her brows furrowing tightly.
She could already guess what was about to happen, especially with that postcard wedged in Zhou Ziyan's book. She had been pretending not to see it, but no matter how much she tried to ignore it, some things simply existed.
What surprised her was that after all this time, the writing on that postcard had nearly faded, yet Zhou Ziyan's feelings remained as clear as ever.
"Junxi, I know you're surprised right now."
Zhou Ziyan stepped closer, his tall figure looming before Junxi like a massive mountain. Even just his shadow felt heavy enough to take her breath away.
"Zhou Ziyan, please don't..." Don't say anything about love or ruining our friendship, please!
Junxi choked on her words; she opened her mouth but couldn't articulate anything, only feeling an inexplicable sadness wash over her.
"You can be surprised, but don't be afraid. I'm not asking you to promise me anything; I just want to express my feelings."
Zhou Ziyan wasn't as calm as he appeared; his nervousness far surpassed Junxi's by countless times. Yet he still needed to speak; he had prepared for this moment for so long just to wait for today.
He knew that some words, if not spoken now, might never have the chance to be said again.
“Zhou Ziyan!…”
“I like you.” Zhou Ziyan extended the Marguerite in his hand. “For many years, just like the meaning of this flower, I have had a crush on you for a long time.”
A faint smile lingered at the corners of Zhou Ziyan's mouth, as if he himself felt shy when he uttered those words.
A crush… The two words lingered in her mind, causing her eyes to sting.
She never expected that such delicate feelings could arise from this big, carefree boy who seemed to care about nothing.
She truly had no idea about Zhou Ziyan's feelings for her.
All she knew was that during her struggles against the current, it was Zhou Ziyan who had always been by her side. He was her childhood friend, her knight, her companion, her family… one of the most important people in her life.
But she had never thought that one day Zhou Ziyan would become her lover.
Comment 0 Comment Count