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墨書 Inktalez
Zhou Xuanyu had already called to check in, and hearing him say that made Junxi feel a bit more at ease.
She hoped that after a night of drinking, the shadows surrounding Zhou Ziyan would lift. After this storm, he would surely encounter brighter landscapes and people.
“Why don’t you come over to my place tonight?” Zhou Xuanyu suddenly changed the subject when he noticed Junxi was silent.
“I’m not going. I still need to help Jun Xuan with his homework tonight,” Junxi firmly rejected him.
“Then I’ll come to your place,” Zhou Xuanyu quickly replied, as if Junxi's refusal was expected. It seemed like he had only said the first part to set up for this response.
Junxi couldn't help but laugh softly; it was clear that he just wanted to be with her.
“You can come over, but you have to behave yourself.”
Given Zhou Xuanyu's recent risky behavior, Junxi felt it necessary to lay down some ground rules beforehand.
Zhou Xuanyu raised an eyebrow. “Depends on the situation.”
What did he mean by “depends on the situation”? Did he really think he could act inappropriately in front of Jun Xuan?
“You really are…”
“Really what?” Zhou Xuanyu asked playfully, clearly enjoying how flustered and helpless Junxi looked because of him.
“Really two-faced,” Junxi said bluntly.
Zhou Xuanyu pulled her closer and pressed her down onto his lap. His hand gripped her slender waist, ready to slip beneath her clothing at any moment.
“You might…” Zhou Xuanyu whispered as he placed a teasing kiss on Junxi's neck, his breath warm against her ear. “You might need to rethink what ‘two-faced’ really means.”
He spoke, already touching Junxi's sensitive area.
Junxi couldn't help but let out a moan, and then, as if electrocuted, she jumped up from his knee and fled far away.
"Mr. Zhou, please have some self-respect!" she reminded him, her face flushed.
Zhou Xuanyu's lips curled into a smile as he watched her stumble out. His amusement deepened, and finally, at the moment she burst through the door, he laughed heartily.
When Junxi reached her own spot, she still felt the tremors coursing through her body. She knew that if she stayed in Zhou Xuanyu's office any longer, he would definitely find a way to make her willingly submit to him. He understood her body too well—this understanding surpassed even her own.
"Junxi, why were you in there for so long?" Xiaolin approached with concern. Seeing Junxi's tense expression made her worry even more. "Did Mr. Zhou give you a hard time because of Zhou Gongzi?"
Junxi shook her head. "No."
"Then why do you look so strange? And your lips have no color at all." Xiaolin fretted.
The reason for her odd complexion was Zhou Xuanyu's teasing, and the lack of color in her lips was because he had kissed away all her lipstick!
The culprit was that man.
Junxi turned around and rummaged through her bag until she found her lipstick. She stood up and headed toward the restroom.
Xiaolin sighed behind her and said to a colleague nearby, "Mr. Zhou must have given Junxi quite a hard time."
Junxi suppressed the thunderous beating of her heart.
Yes, he truly had given her a hard time.
?
Junxi was unsettled by Zhou Xuanyu's "flirting" all morning and only gradually found her work rhythm by the afternoon. She was busy until it was time to leave.
Waiting for Zhou Xuanyu to head home together, Junxi didn’t leave right after work.
Colleagues in the office gradually departed, but the lights in Zhou Xuanyu's office remained on. Junxi wanted to ask when he would finish, yet hesitated, fearing she might interrupt his work.
After about half an hour, Zhou Xuanyu finally turned off the lights and stepped out, holding his coat in one hand and his laptop in the other. He paused when he saw her still there.
"Why haven't you left?"
"You said you were coming to my place, right?" Junxi replied as she gathered her things and stood up.
Zhou Xuanyu walked over, resting his elbow on the partition of her desk, watching her pack up leisurely.
"I didn’t ask you to wait for me."
Junxi glanced at him; he was smiling.
"Oh. Then I won’t wait next time."
"Not allowed," Zhou Xuanyu interrupted firmly.
"Why not?"
"Because it feels nice." He leaned over the partition and kissed her cheek. "And once you've waited for me, I've gotten used to it."
Junxi shot him a playful glare, knowing he was being cheeky. Yet, why did his mischief make her heart flutter so?
They took the elevator down together. He went to the parking lot to get his car while Junxi waited at the street corner outside the building.
After a while, Zhou Xuanyu’s car still hadn’t appeared.
She tiptoed to peek inside the parking lot, where a license-less Maserati slowly emerged.
Junxi glanced over, completely uninterested in the luxury car, unlike Zhou Ziyan, who would eagerly try to take in every detail of a vehicle at first sight.
Just as she was about to lower her head and call Zhou Xuanyu to ask why he was taking so long, the window of a Maserati suddenly rolled down, revealing Zhou Xuanyu sitting inside.
"Why did you change cars again?" Junxi stood there, staring at the brand-new car that looked completely devoid of any personality.
"Weren't you the one who said you'd never ride in my car again?" Zhou Xuanyu replied seriously.
Junxi suddenly recalled her complaint from last night after he had put her through quite a bit in the car. She had said it casually, without thinking, and didn't expect him to take it to heart.
"What about your old car?"
"It's parked in the garage."
Junxi opened the door and got in. "So are you planning to get rid of it?"
"Of course not."
In fact, he intended to keep it well-preserved.
Seeing his ambiguous expression, Junxi immediately decided to stay quiet and not ask any further questions, lest she provoke him.
Before heading home, Junxi made a quick call to ask Jun Xuan what he wanted for dinner. Jun Xuan coolly replied, "Anything."
What did "anything" even mean?
As she pondered what ingredients to buy for dinner, Zhou Xuanyu sitting beside her generously suggested a few dishes.
"This is what I want to eat," he said.
"No one asked you."
"Is this how you treat your guests?"
"Where do you find guests who order their own dishes?"
Zhou Xuanyu frowned. When Jun Xuan returned, he felt like he had lost even the right to choose what to eat. His status had fallen too quickly.
That said, Junxi still considered Zhou Xuanyu's preferences when buying groceries.
When they got home, Jun Xuan was a bit surprised to see them return together.
"What’s wrong? Aren't you welcoming me?" Zhou Xuanyu ruffled Jun Xuan's hair. They both had the same neat hairstyle, which was what Junxi liked.
"Of course not." Jun Xuan grabbed Zhou Xuanyu's hand. "Xuan Yu Uncle, you're just in time. I have several math problems I can't solve. Teach me."
"Math problems, huh..." Zhou Xuanyu took off his coat and followed Jun Xuan to his desk.
Junxi overheard Zhou Xuanyu asking Jun Xuan, "Why not let your sister teach you?"
Jun Xuan replied, "My sister's math skills are only good enough for elementary school; she probably wouldn't even understand high school problems."
"That's true; her math has always been poor."
...
These two really shared a mutual understanding when it came to teasing her.
Junxi started washing rice and vegetables. When he came out looking for an apron, he saw Zhou Xuanyu with his shirt sleeves rolled up, quietly jotting down calculations on a piece of draft paper.
Jun Xuan leaned over the desk, watching intently as Zhou Xuanyu wrote out the steps on the paper.
"Why is this solved this way?" Jun Xuan pointed at one of the calculation steps and looked at Zhou Xuanyu.
Zhou Xuanyu's pen glided across the paper, tracing the steps that Jun Xuan had pointed out. He casually grabbed another sheet of draft paper and began to explain it to him in detail.
Junxi recalled how, during her studies, Zhou Xuanyu had once explained problems to her in the same way.
Her love for him had gradually seeped into her bones from that time.
His beautiful hands, the way he held the pen, his serious expression… everything about him made her heart race. But back then, she couldn't tell him anything.
All her deep affection could only be quietly written in her diary at the end of each day, slipping into sleep along with the night. And when she woke up the next day, she still had to pretend not to care, clinging to him like a child.
Junxi was not good at math, but she was grateful for her struggles in the subject.
Because only when he explained problems to her could she truly feel that he belonged to her. His time, her thoughts, his gaze… everything about him was hers.
Lost in thought, Junxi seemed to catch Zhou Xuanyu’s attention as he suddenly turned his head.
Feeling as if her secret had been discovered, she quickly turned away, grabbing her apron and retreating back into the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?” Jun Xuan asked, looking at Zhou Xuanyu, who had suddenly stopped. Following his gaze, he saw no one behind him; the kitchen door was gently closing.
“Nothing,” Zhou Xuanyu replied, continuing to focus on the problem at hand, though a hint of a smile lingered at the corner of his mouth.
The difficulty of this math problem was indeed considerable, but with Zhou Xuanyu's analysis, Jun Xuan found it all became clear.
“You're amazing, Xuan Yu Uncle!” Jun Xuan exclaimed as she wrote down the steps in her workbook, giving Zhou Xuanyu a thumbs-up.
Zhou Xuanyu truly was impressive.
Many people returned all the theoretical knowledge they learned in school as soon as they graduated. It was rare to find someone like him who could revisit a problem after so many years and write out the solution so clearly and neatly.
Such memory is truly astonishing.
Jun Xuan spoke sincerely, but Zhou Xuanyu seemed a bit distracted. He glanced at Jun Xuan's desk and then scanned the magazines on the tea table.
Jun Xuan noticed that Zhou Xuanyu seemed to be looking for something. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "Uncle Xuan Yu, are you looking for my sister's diary?"
Zhou Xuanyu ruffled Jun Xuan's hair again.
This little guy was not only smart but also had excellent observational skills.
Seeing that he did not deny it, Jun Xuan covered his mouth and laughed, "I knew it."
"Where is it?" Zhou Xuanyu asked softly.
Jun Xuan put down his pen and tiptoed toward the storage room. When he reached the door, he turned around and beckoned to Zhou Xuanyu with his finger.
Zhou Xuanyu was amused by Jun Xuan's sneaky expression. He stood up and walked over to Jun Xuan, deliberately lightening his footsteps so as not to alert Junxi in the kitchen.
The storage room was small, filled with boxes that Junxi had brought back from school.
Jun Xuan squatted down, opened one of the boxes, and proudly pulled out a plain white notebook, presenting it to Zhou Xuanyu.
Zhou Xuanyu took a glance at it.
He remembered this notebook; years ago, while he was on the streets of Prague, he had seen a street artist selling such special notebooks next to the Wishing Well. The first person he thought of was Junxi.
The artist had said that she designed these notebooks herself. They were not only beautiful and pure but also full of spirit—perfect for recording a girl's thoughts.
Moreover, the artist stated that for every notebook sold, she would toss a coin into the Wishing Well, hoping that the girl who received her notebook would have her wishes come true...
When Zhou Xuanyu gave it to her, he never imagined that one day Junxi would write his name in that notebook.
No wonder, when he helped her move a while ago and accidentally stumbled upon the notebook, she had rushed over so nervously to snatch it away... It turned out she was afraid he would discover those thoughts related to him.
"Xuan Yu Uncle, do you want to see it now?" Jun Xuan asked hesitantly.
Although it was he who had inadvertently revealed his sister's secret to Zhou Xuanyu, he truly had seen it without knowing.
Now, knowing that this was his sister's diary, it probably wouldn't be right to look at it again.
Zhou Xuanyu shook his head, cradling the diary in his hands as if it were a treasure.
"I will wait for your sister's consent before looking at it."
Jun Xuan sighed in relief. "That's good."
Zhou Xuanyu placed the diary back in the box and wrapped an arm around Jun Xuan as they walked out of the room.
"You finish your homework first; I'll go help in the kitchen," he said, patting Jun Xuan on the shoulder.
Jun Xuan nodded, completely unaware that Zhou Xuanyu's so-called "help" might actually cause more trouble.
?
Junxi had just poured water into the frying pan and covered it with a lid when she heard the sound of the kitchen door opening and closing.
She turned around to find Zhou Xuanyu standing right behind her.
"Is Jun Xuan's homework done?" Junxi asked casually.
Zhou Xuanyu leaned down, resting his chin on her shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"No."
Junxi shrugged her left shoulder, which he was pressing down. "Then how did you get in here?"
Zhou Xuanyu took a deep breath, straightened his hunched body, and changed his position to hold her more comfortably.
"I'm hungry. I came in to help."
Junxi glanced down at the arms tightly wrapped around her waist.
"Are you sure you're here to help?"
"I'm not so sure anymore," Zhou Xuanyu replied honestly. As he spoke, he pressed down on her shoulder and turned her around. "The moment I saw you, I couldn't think of anything else but causing trouble."
As soon as he finished speaking, he captured Junxi's lips with his own.
His kiss mingled with the fragrant aroma wafting from the pot, wild and passionate.
"Weren't we supposed to avoid this? Why are you acting like this again?"
Junxi pushed Zhou Xuanyu away and turned to turn off the stove. Honestly, he was such a nuisance in the kitchen; didn't he realize it could be dangerous?
She lifted the lid of the pot and gently scooped a spoonful of soup into her mouth. She had no idea how well the dish was cooking or if it tasted right after Zhou Xuanyu's interference.
Fortunately, after tasting it, she found it wasn't bad at all.
"How is it?" Zhou Xuanyu asked.
"What?"
"The flavor of the dish."
"Just wait and you'll know for yourself. Now go outside," Junxi said, pushing him away in a hurry, fearing he might act recklessly again.
"But I want to taste it right now."
He leaned in to kiss her again, sticking like glue, impossible to shake off.
Junxi felt her tongue go numb from his relentless teasing; she wouldn't be able to taste the dishes that followed.
"What do you want me to do for you to leave?" she asked, pressing against his chest in a pleading manner.
Zhou Xuanyu released her, as if he had been waiting for her to say those words all along.
"It's not hard for me to leave. Just promise me one thing," Zhou Xuanyu said, looking at Junxi with a glimmering light in his eyes, a trait unique to someone who was clearly business-minded.
"What is it?" Junxi asked cautiously.
Zhou Xuanyu paused for a moment before saying, "Your diary."
"My diary!" Junxi exclaimed in shock. "How did you know I have a diary? Did you read it?"
"Shh!" Zhou Xuanyu placed a finger on Junxi's lips. "Keep your voice down; Jun Xuan is out there doing homework."
Junxi took a few seconds to process this and suddenly realized, "Jun Xuan! That guy told you, didn't he?"
That little traitor! Her own sister was no match for Zhou Xuanyu, who had only helped him with a few math problems! How could she betray her like this?
"Zhou Xuanyu, what you're doing could get you sued for invading my privacy!" Junxi glared at him with flushed cheeks.
Zhou Xuanyu tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and gently pinched her puffed-up cheek. "I haven't looked at it yet; I'm just discussing this with you."
"You're not allowed to look!" Junxi firmly refused. This was her secret for so many years; how could she let him see it just because he asked?
"But that's a notebook I gave you, filled with things about me. How can you say I can't look?" Zhou Xuanyu feigned innocence.
"I don't care. The original author is me, and if I say you can't, then you can't!" Junxi's attitude was resolute.
In this relationship, she was already at a disadvantage. If Zhou Xuanyu held her last line of defense in his hands, how would she ever turn the tables?
At the very least, she needed to know how much Zhou Xuanyu loved her before she revealed her cards.
Zhou Xuanyu thought for a moment, and seeing her insistence, he had no choice but to compromise.
After all, knowing her little secret was enough to satisfy him.
He pulled her into an embrace. "Then, when the opportunity arises, tell me about it. Okay?"
Zhou Xuanyu's gentle voice slipped into her ear like an enticing charm.
Years of secret admiration finally found a chance to express itself; that was certainly wonderful.
Junxi nodded.
"Okay."
Zhou Xuanyu smiled with satisfaction.
"Can you leave now? I still have a dish to cook," she gently pushed him away.
Zhou Xuanyu released her and casually took the apron from her waist, tying it around his own. The cartoonish apron added a touch of warmth to his tall figure, making him even more charming.
"I'll do it," he said.
"Mm?"
"It's been a long time, so it's my turn to take action." Zhou Xuanyu winked at her, then swiftly served the dishes from the pot onto a plate. "You go ahead and serve the rice, let Jun Xuan clean up a bit. It's time to eat."
Zhou Xuanyu washed the pot, wiped it clean, poured in some oil, and heated the pan... a series of actions flowed smoothly and perfectly.
Junxi opened the kitchen door and stood in the doorway. She first glanced back at Zhou Xuanyu, who was focused on the frying pan with a spatula in hand, then looked at Jun Xuan, who was diligently working at the desk... The warm light in the room cast tender shadows of the two men.
Suddenly, her eyes became moist.
Finally, the beautiful life she had hoped for was all realized on this night.
"Zhou Xuanyu!" Junxi called out to him.
"Mm." He responded naturally without turning around.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"What?" Zhou Xuanyu didn't hear clearly and turned to look at her.
"Thank you!" Junxi raised her voice.
Zhou Xuanyu blinked but didn't ask what she was thanking him for. Instead, he changed the subject and asked, "If you're grateful, can I stay tonight?"
"..."
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