Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Three people dining together made the table feel much livelier.
Jun Xuan and Zhou Xuanyu seemed to have a connection that was either instant or built over time. They had known each other for so long, yet only now were they slowly becoming familiar with one another.
Junxi could tell that her younger brother really liked Zhou Xuanyu. This fondness was comparable to how he felt about Zhou Ziyan, but it was different in nature.
One was a friend, while the other was a friend who inspired admiration.
Jun Xuan was talking to Zhou Xuanyu about his favorite basketball star, someone Junxi had never heard of. Her brother's tastes were always a bit unique and niche, and she worried that Zhou Xuanyu might lose interest. To her surprise, Zhou Xuanyu responded enthusiastically, sharing stories about the star's exploits on the court.
This was the first time Junxi had seen Zhou Xuanyu display such passion for something outside of work. Jun Xuan was thrilled, and the two shared an instant connection that felt both harmonious and long overdue.
“Xuan Yu Uncle, I know that team has a game tonight. Why don’t you stay and watch it with me?” Jun Xuan invited Zhou Xuanyu.
This was exactly what someone wanted!
“Jun Xuan, Xuan Yu Uncle has a lot of work to handle tonight. You shouldn’t disturb him,” Junxi interjected before Zhou Xuanyu could respond.
“No worries, I’ve already finished my work for today. I can stay to watch the game,” Zhou Xuanyu said, disregarding Junxi’s warning and readily accepting Jun Xuan’s invitation.
“Really? That’s great!” Jun Xuan exclaimed joyfully.
Junxi kicked Zhou Xuanyu playfully under the table, and he raised an eyebrow at her with a smug expression.
After dinner, Jun Xuan still had some homework to finish, so Zhou Xuanyu accompanied Junxi in the kitchen to wash the dishes.
"Do you really have no other plans tonight?" Junxi asked. Although Zhou Xuanyu jokingly said he wanted to stay, Junxi knew he had a lot of emails to handle that evening.
"A child is happy; it's okay to skip things occasionally."
"So you're not leaving tonight?" Junxi looked up at him.
"Do you want me to leave?" he asked while wiping the dishes she handed him with a drying cloth.
"Whether you leave or not doesn't depend on me," Junxi mumbled, turning up the water to drown out their increasingly ambiguous conversation. She didn't want her brother to overhear.
Zhou Xuanyu smirked. "Wrong. Whether I stay or go depends solely on you."
Before Junxi could respond, her brother suddenly called from outside, "Xuan Yu Uncle!"
"He's calling for you. Go on," Junxi nudged Zhou Xuanyu with her elbow.
Zhou Xuanyu glanced outside, slowly set down the drying cloth, and turned back to place a kiss on Junxi's lips before stepping out.
Junxi pressed her lips together, feeling the warmth he left behind. She could hear her brother saying, "Xuan Yu Uncle, I don't understand this problem either. Can you explain it to me...?"
It felt as if they were already living the life of a family of three, and that sensation was truly wonderful.
Junxi placed the dishes neatly and stepped out of the kitchen. Zhou Xuanyu was still sitting beside Jun Xuan's desk; the topic had already been covered, and Jun Xuan was wrapping things up while Zhou Xuanyu casually flipped through Jun Xuan's textbook. Hearing her come out, he glanced back.
"We're about to watch the game, so you should take a shower and rest. Don't worry about us," Zhou Xuanyu instructed.
Junxi walked over and gently tugged at Zhou Xuanyu's hand.
"If the game ends late, you can stay over."
Zhou Xuanyu's eyes suddenly brightened.
"We'll sleep on the floor together," Junxi added.
Zhou Xuanyu raised an eyebrow. He wanted to tease her a bit but, with Jun Xuan present, he couldn't do anything and could only nod obediently.
Jun Xuan was quite eager: "Xuan Yu Uncle, I have two blankets in my room; we can sleep together."
Zhou Xuanyu ruffled Jun Xuan's hair.
"Sounds good."
After Junxi finished her shower, she sat with the two men for a while. However, she couldn't muster any interest or energy for the game. Seeing her yawn repeatedly, Zhou Xuanyu kept urging her to go to bed. Eventually, unable to hold on any longer, she headed to her room to sleep.
As soon as she left, Zhou Xuanyu turned down the volume of the television in the living room significantly.
Junxi closed the door but did not lock it. She thought it was very likely that Zhou Xuanyu would come over to sleep, as he had mentioned more than once that he was not accustomed to sleeping on the floor.
Jun Xuan's room still lacked a bed. Although Junxi had wanted to buy one for Jun Xuan after getting her own, he insisted he didn't want it. He claimed he preferred sleeping on the floor and refused to accompany Junxi to the furniture market to look for a bed. Unable to persuade him, Junxi could only feel a mix of pity and resignation as she allowed her brother to sleep on the floor.
After returning to her room, Junxi quickly fell asleep. Perhaps it was because there were two men in the house, but she felt particularly secure and slept soundly.
In a daze, she lost track of time until she felt a kiss on her forehead. She opened her eyes and, with the faint light from the living room, saw Zhou Xuanyu standing by her bed.
"Is it over?" Junxi asked as she tried to sit up.
Zhou Xuanyu gently pressed her back down.
"It’s over. Jun Xuan is already asleep; I’ll head back now."
"Are you not staying?" Junxi looked at him with sleepy eyes; she was still quite tired and struggled to form words.
Zhou Xuanyu shook his head.
Although he really wanted to stay and hold her tightly for a good sleep, he didn’t want to give Jun Xuan a bad impression or make him think that he approached love so hastily.
"You should sleep," Zhou Xuanyu said, placing another soothing kiss on her forehead. He stood up and tucked the blanket around her before turning to leave.
Junxi heard him gently close the door, and after a moment, she heard the sound of a car starting downstairs.
She picked up her phone to check the time.
Oh my, Zhou Xuanyu actually stayed up until dawn watching the game with Jun Xuan. Jun Xuan has the day off tomorrow and can sleep in all day, but Zhou Xuanyu has to go to work.
Although she didn't want to dampen Jun Xuan's spirits, this was quite a bit of indulgence.
No wonder Jun Xuan is so fond of his Uncle Xuan Yu.
When Junxi arrived at the office in the morning, Zhou Xuanyu was already there. He had changed his clothes and looked surprisingly energetic, showing no signs of fatigue from staying up late.
Junxi went to the break room to prepare coffee for him and brought it over.
Ever since Galen assigned this task to her, she had tried to reduce the number of times Zhou Xuanyu drank coffee, as much as she could persuade him.
But this morning, she felt he definitely needed a cup.
When she entered, Zhou Xuanyu was on a call. His expression was not pleasant as he listened to whoever was on the other end.
"I understand. Let's leave it at that for now," Zhou Xuanyu said sternly before hanging up. When he saw it was her who had come in, his expression softened slightly.
"Coffee, no milk, no sugar," Junxi said as she pushed the coffee cup toward him.
Zhou Xuanyu smiled faintly when his fingers brushed against the rim of the cup.
"Why are you allowing me to drink coffee today?"
"You must have been tired last night," Junxi asked with concern.
"Tired? How could I be tired last night?" Zhou Xuanyu looked at her, his tone suggestive. "I clearly didn't do anything."
Junxi knew he was being deliberately flippant and shot him a glare. Remembering the phone call from earlier, she asked, "Is there something bad going on?"
Zhou Xuanyu understood she was referring to the earlier call and shook his head.
"Nothing's wrong."
Junxi didn't press further, fearing it might affect his work. She turned and left the room.
The work hours had long passed, yet Zhou Ziyan still hadn't arrived. Given the situation, it seemed unlikely he would show up today. Junxi felt a bit troubled.
The atmosphere in the office gradually became strange; everyone seemed to tread lightly around the topic of Zhou Ziyan.
After all, it had been two days since he confessed his feelings and he hadn’t come to work since. Although no one had explicitly mentioned it, it was easy to guess that things hadn't turned out as they had hoped.
After much contemplation, Junxi decided to call Zhou Ziyan. However, his phone was turned off, and she couldn't get through.
This guy really was a cause for concern.
She spent the day distracted, and when Zhou Xuanyu had to stay late for a meeting, Junxi didn’t wait for him.
She planned to visit Yatian to see Zhou Ziyan, but she didn't tell Zhou Xuanyu, fearing he would get jealous again.
Junxi took a taxi to Zhou Ziyan's residence in Yatian, only to find that Zhou Ziyan was not home.
Uncle Fu, seeing her arrival, furrowed his brows and said with concern, "He has been going out every night lately, not returning until dawn. The next morning, he is always sent back in a drunken stupor. During the day, he sleeps all day long, and at night, he disappears again."
"Do you know which bar he went to?"
"I don't know." Uncle Fu shook his head. He had asked Zhou Xuanyu about it when he called him that morning, but he had no idea.
Junxi thought for a moment and asked, "So, did the person who brought him back call you to confirm the address?"
"Yes, they did."
Uncle Fu quickly pulled up his call log on his phone.
Junxi dialed the number and confirmed the address of the bar before heading there from Yatian.
The bar was called Midnight, located not far from Yatian. It was rumored that Midnight had a high level of consumption, making it a place where ordinary people rarely sought entertainment.
In other words, it was a gathering spot for the wealthy.
As Junxi looked at the luxury cars lined up outside the bar, she knew the rumors were true.
Before entering, she went straight to the bar counter and mentioned Zhou Ziyan's name. The bartender pointed to a bottle that was tipped over on the counter and said, "Young Master Zhou was just here; how could he disappear in the blink of an eye?"
Junxi paused for a moment before hearing someone say, "Miss, take a look down at the floor. Isn't Young Master Zhou lying there again? We've been dragging him out from under the table every day for the past few days."
The bartender was joking, but Junxi felt particularly uncomfortable about it.
Was Zhou Ziyan really making such a mess of himself every day?
There was no one under the table. Junxi adjusted Zhou Ziyan's wine bottle and turned to scan the area. Suddenly, she spotted Zhou Ziyan in the center of the lively dance floor.
He was clearly drunk, his entire demeanor far from normal as he stumbled around, swaying to the music and occasionally bumping into nearby girls.
To an outsider, it might have seemed intentional.
Fortunately, he was handsome, and in a society that valued looks above all else, even when he carelessly collided with someone, the girl would turn around, see his striking face, and smile as she reached out to steady him.
Junxi stepped onto the dance floor.
Compared to the young ladies and gentlemen dressed in extravagant outfits around her, Junxi's attire was rather plain. Many people glanced her way, and a few men approached her, trying to pull her into a dance.
Junxi pushed them all away, keeping her gaze fixed on Zhou Ziyan.
"Zhou Ziyan!" Junxi called out.
But the bar was too noisy; Zhou Ziyan did not hear her.
Junxi gave up shouting and walked up to him, reaching out to grasp his arm and giving it a shake.
“Zhou Ziyan!”
Only then did Zhou Ziyan turn to look at her.
“Junxi?” He seemed to shake his head as if trying to clear his vision.
“It’s me.”
“What are you doing here?”
“You need to come outside with me; it’s too noisy in here!” Junxi tugged at Zhou Ziyan's arm, trying to pull him toward the exit, but he stood still, refusing to budge.
With him not moving, she naturally couldn't pull him along.
“Can we talk outside?” Junxi glanced back at him.
Zhou Ziyan forcefully shook off Junxi's hand. “I’m not going outside; we can talk right here!”
They were both raising their voices in a back-and-forth exchange. Although their volume was insignificant compared to the music blaring around them, several people nearby had already turned to look.
“Let’s go outside!” Junxi insisted.
“I said I’m not going! Can’t you understand?” Zhou Ziyan, slightly intoxicated, pushed her away with a hand. He had lost the awareness to control his strength, and as a result, Junxi was sent tumbling straight to the ground.
"Ah!"
A gasp escaped from the crowd, and those who were unaware of the situation thought there might have been a fight or someone fainting.
Junxi felt a sharp pain in her lower back, but thankfully, she managed to brace herself with her hands and avoided falling harder.
Zhou Ziyan, seeing her suddenly collapse, finally snapped out of his daze.
"Junxi..." He intended to lean down and help her up, but someone grabbed him by the collar from behind.
Junxi looked up.
Zhou Ziyan turned around.
The person who had seized Zhou Ziyan was Zhou Xuanyu. He had entered without anyone noticing, not even Junxi.
"Get out!" Zhou Xuanyu pushed Zhou Ziyan forcefully.
Zhou Ziyan stumbled a few steps before being steadied by a bartender who rushed over.
Zhou Xuanyu exchanged a glance with the bartender, who immediately understood and helped Zhou Ziyan out of the crowd.
"Are you okay?" Zhou Xuanyu squatted down to check Junxi's injured joint.
"I'm fine." Junxi pressed against Zhou Xuanyu's arm as she stood up.
"Who told you to come to a place like this?"
Zhou Xuanyu asked after helping her up, his tone lacking any warmth.
"I was just worried about Zhou Ziyan..." Junxi defended herself, but her voice lacked conviction.
Fortunately, Zhou Xuanyu didn't press the issue further. He took her hand and led her out of the dance floor.
Zhou Ziyan was already slumped over the bar. It was unclear whether he had truly passed out or was simply pretending to be asleep to avoid them.
"Zhou Ziyan." Junxi gently nudged his arm.
Zhou Ziyan didn't move.
"Zhou Ziyan, wake up!" Junxi pushed his arm more forcefully.
Zhou Ziyan remained unresponsive.
Junxi suddenly recalled the saying: you can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep.
The once attentive Zhou Ziyan had now become someone who would feign sleep around her, and it felt so bittersweet.
"Let's get him home first." Zhou Xuanyu fished the car keys from Zhou Ziyan's pocket and tossed them to the bartender.
"Yes, Mr. Zhou."
The bartender responded and called over three or four colleagues, who then carried Zhou Ziyan out.
Seeing Zhou Ziyan being taken away like that, Junxi wanted to chase after them, but Zhou Xuanyu grabbed her wrist firmly.
"They will take him home."
"But..."
"No buts. I'm taking you back."
Without giving her a chance to argue, Zhou Xuanyu led Junxi out of the bar. His new car stood out prominently among the luxury vehicles.
"Get in," Zhou Xuanyu said as he opened the car door for her.
Junxi obediently got into the car and watched as he walked around to the driver's side and sat down.
"Are you angry?" Junxi asked cautiously.
"Yeah," Zhou Xuanyu replied honestly without a second thought.
"Is it because you're jealous?"
"No," he denied outright.
"Why is that?"
"Because you came to a place like this all by yourself," Zhou Xuanyu said as he drove out.
So that's the reason, Junxi thought, feeling inexplicably relieved. It seemed that in Zhou Xuanyu's heart, there would no longer be any distance between them because of Zhou Ziyan.
Was it the influence of that diary?
"I'm not alone; you came too!"
Zhou Xuanyu fell silent.
Uncle Fu had already called him that morning about Zhou Ziyan's late nights and her smoking and drinking habits. He had originally planned to find Zhou Ziyan that evening, but he got delayed by a meeting.
Little did he know that halfway through the meeting, he suddenly received a call from Uncle Fu saying that Wen Junxi had gone looking for someone.
He knew that although Junxi had been smiling at him these past couple of days, deep down, she was still worried about Zhou Ziyan. Zhou Ziyan was truly disappointing, making people worry like this.
Zhou Xuanyu abruptly called off the meeting and rushed out.
As soon as he entered the bar, he saw the scene where Zhou Ziyan pushed Junxi down, and he was furious. He wanted nothing more than to rush over and knock Zhou Ziyan down himself.
Sigh... but she was just a drunken mess; what could he do?
"From now on, you’re not allowed to come to places like this alone," Zhou Xuanyu instructed coldly.
Junxi leaned back in her chair, neither saying anything good nor bad.
Zhou Xuanyu found a less crowded spot and pulled the car over to the side.
"I'm talking to you, can you hear me?"
Junxi nodded, "If you're not coming, then don't! Why are you being so fierce?"
Zhou Xuanyu reined in his intensity and softened his tone, "I'm just worried about your safety."
There were no decent men in this bar, and with someone as dazzling as Junxi, he couldn't bear to let her attract so much attention from so many people.
Junxi didn't have the energy to argue with Zhou Xuanyu; she turned her face to look at him.
"Look at Zhou Ziyan, she's in so much pain..." She hesitated, unsure of how to continue.
"What do you want to say?"
Zhou Xuanyu looked at her as well.
"I was thinking, for Zhou Ziyan's sake, maybe we shouldn't be together..."
"Stop talking nonsense!" Zhou Xuanyu immediately interrupted Junxi, leaning in and gripping her chin fiercely. "Try saying that again!"
"Okay, okay, I won't say it anymore." Junxi pulled away his hand and gently stroked Zhou Xuanyu's face. "Don't be angry; I was just thinking out loud."
"Don't even think about it!"
"How can you be so domineering!" Junxi pouted and chose to ignore him.
Zhou Xuanyu fell silent for a few seconds, then eased his tone. He grasped Junxi's shoulders and turned her to face him.
Jun Xi Bai looked at him.
Zhou Xuanyu pulled her into an embrace.
He carried a faint scent of tobacco and coffee, likely having smoked and drunk quite a bit before the meeting.
Junxi felt a pang of sympathy for Zhou Ziyan, as well as for Zhou Xuanyu, who was so busy handling so many trivial matters.
She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Feeling her response, Zhou Xuanyu finally relaxed his tense body.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of things with Zhou Ziyan. You are not allowed to overthink or entertain any thoughts of leaving; it's best if you don't have any at all."
Junxi smiled. "Okay."
Comment 0 Comment Count