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墨書 Inktalez
Shen Yunchong nodded.
"It's easy to meet him, but persuading him to come out is a different story."
Junxi smiled wryly. "I know. Once he's gone in, he won't be easily persuaded by anyone."
"What about you?"
"However, I can't just not try to talk to him because I know he won't be convinced." Her eyes held a hint of determination and stubbornness.
"Alright, once I have everything arranged, I'll give you a call."
"Okay."
Shen Yunchong stayed for a moment before taking Minya downstairs. Junxi was unwell and needed rest; he didn't want Minya to disturb her too much.
Minya was very understanding, but after they went downstairs, her little face looked gloomy, as if she were also feeling unwell.
"What's wrong?" Shen Yunchong asked as he lifted her into the car, fastening her seatbelt and gently pinching her cheek.
In his memory, he rarely showed such affectionate gestures toward his daughter, but Junxi loved it. This girl had a closeness with Minya that transcended the typical teacher-student relationship; it felt like they were old friends at first sight.
Minya had had many tutors, but none of them lasted long. Most of them were simply not to her liking, and a few had behaviors that he found unacceptable.
Shen Yunchong noticed Wen Junxi purely by chance.
That day, the housekeeper had taken a day off, and he was so busy with work that he momentarily forgot there was a child at home waiting for him to bring back food. It wasn't until he got hungry himself after missing mealtime that it suddenly dawned on him.
He quickly set aside his work and hurried home.
The lights were on in the house, and as soon as he pushed the door open, he caught a whiff of instant noodles.
The instant noodles had been prepared earlier at his request; sometimes when he worked late into the night, he would cook himself a bowl. However, after his stomach started acting up, the doctor strictly forbade him from eating them, so he had stopped altogether.
Who was giving Minya instant noodles?
As this thought flashed through his mind, he felt a surge of annoyance. He would never allow his daughter to touch such junk food.
He strode into the kitchen but froze upon entering.
Minya was sitting on a high stool, happily eating from an exquisite lunchbox. Beside her was a girl with delicate features, slurping a steaming bowl of instant noodles. Her long hair was tucked behind her ears, and perhaps due to the spicy seasoning, her nose, eyes, and ears were all slightly red.
Caught off guard by his sudden return, the girl looked somewhat flustered. She awkwardly held the noodle bowl in her hands, unsure where to put it as she greeted him.
Before he could say anything, Minya eagerly chimed in to tell him how delicious Sister Junxi's homemade lunch was and even scooped up a spoonful to insist that he take a bite.
Perhaps at that moment, he was truly starving and couldn't bring himself to refuse his daughter's suggestion. The lunch that Wen Junxi prepared was indeed delicious.
From that day on, he remembered this girl who gave her dinner to his daughter while she settled for instant noodles.
Having spent so long in the bustling marketplace, Shen Yunchong knew how rare it was to find someone who genuinely cared for his daughter in this cold world.
So, whether in the past or now, he had always been grateful to Wen Junxi for treating Minya as her own child.
Shen Yunchong settled into the driver's seat and fastened his seatbelt.
Minya didn’t respond to him; she simply turned her head away and gazed out the window at the scenery, seemingly lost in thought.
“Minya. What’s wrong?” Shen Yunchong asked again.
“Dad. I’m really happy that I’m going to have a mom soon,” Minya said, her little face looking dejected as she quietly glanced up at Shen Yunchong. “But Sister Junxi doesn’t seem happy. In fact, I think she looks a bit sad.”
Shen Yunchong frowned.
“Minya, you…”
“Dad!” Minya suddenly interrupted Shen Yunchong, her eyes glistening with tears, shining like jewels. “If Sister Junxi doesn’t want this, please don’t force her, okay?”
“Dad didn’t force her.” He didn’t force her; he never had a habit of forcing women, not ever.
Minya nodded, showing no signs of doubt regarding Shen Yunchong's words.
“I know, I’m just saying what if. Anyway, I don’t want to see Sister Junxi sad,” Minya said, turning her head away. “And I’m okay. I’ve gotten used to the feeling of not having a mom.”
Shen Yunchong’s hand on the steering wheel suddenly trembled.
Minya’s innocent voice pierced his heart like a sharp blade, leaving him speechless with pain.
“Minya…” Shen Yunchong released one hand from the steering wheel and gently ruffled Minya’s hair.
It was him; he was sorry for the child.
“Dad, look! That flower shop is so beautiful!” Minya seemed to realize the topic had become too heavy. She suddenly changed the subject, raising her hand to point at a store by the roadside.
The flower shop had a unique name.
One World.
“One flower, One World; one leaf, one Bodhi…” It felt as if a light and ethereal voice echoed in his ears.
Shen Yunchong slowed down the car, turning his head to take a glance.
The entrance of the flower shop was adorned with numerous wooden and iron barrels, filled with a variety of flowers. Some were wrapped in floral paper, while others were loosely clustered together. From a distance, although the types of flowers were indistinguishable, their colors were beautiful.
He did not like flowers.
Shen Yunchong reminded himself.
As he was observing, a woman suddenly stepped out of the flower shop.
She wore a white shirt, her long hair swept over her left shoulder. In her hand, she held a watering can, and a deep brown apron was tied around her slender waist. Sunlight fell upon her as she lazily bent down to "tend" to her flowers.
Shen Yunchong gripped the steering wheel tightly, almost twisting it off.
“Dad, do you think we should buy a bouquet when we go to the hospital to see Brother Junxuan?” Minya suggested cautiously.
Shen Yunchong looked at the woman's graceful figure and nodded meaningfully.
“Of course we should buy one.”
...
Shen Yunchong kept his word; he quickly took care of everything and even sent a driver to pick up Junxi from the police station.
After a few days apart, Zhou Xuanyu showed no signs of weariness; instead, it was Junxi who appeared pale before him.
"I knew you would find a way to come see me. I just didn't expect it to be so soon," Zhou Xuanyu said calmly, his demeanor betraying none of his emotions.
Junxi felt a surge of anger. At such a critical moment, how could he remain so composed?
"Have you lost your mind?" Junxi cut straight to the point, glaring at him fiercely.
"Aren't you the one who's gone mad?"
"…"
Junxi understood that Zhou Xuanyu was still brooding over her promise to marry Shen Yunchong.
"Don't change the subject," Junxi said, locking eyes with Zhou Xuanyu. "Tell me, are you really willing to destroy yourself over this?"
Zhou Xuanyu furrowed his brows but did not answer her.
Everything he had done was merely to help her escape from this cruel fate that had driven her mad.
For five years, he had not been there to share in her pain; now, he wanted to taste the bitterness of downfall himself, to understand the heartache and suffering she had endured.
He would endure the rumors and accusations—only then would he be qualified to say he truly empathized with her.
“Zhou Xuanyu, no matter what you think, I absolutely will not allow the tragedy that happened to my parents to repeat itself with you,” Junxi said firmly.
Zhou Xuanyu nodded. He had anticipated that Junxi would say and do this; he understood her too well. So today, even though he knew she had come to see him through Shen Yunchong, he agreed to meet her.
Because he didn’t need her determination.
“This is my own choice. I hope that after your parents are released, you won’t interfere in my affairs anymore,” Zhou Xuanyu softened his tone.
“No. The one who did wrong is not you; why should you bear this blame?”
“The one who did wrong is very important to me.”
Junxi coldly raised an eyebrow. “Is this how your good brother loves you? Can he bear to see you suffer for the mistakes he made?”
“He doesn’t know I’m doing this,” Zhou Xuanyu explained.
“Doesn’t know? All the major radio stations and newspapers in Qingcheng are broadcasting your scandal as headlines. Even if your brother hid on Mars, he should have heard something by now.”
Junxi coldly pierced through Zhou Xuan Yong’s facade. It was likely that even if he knew Zhou Xuanyu was taking the blame for him, he wouldn’t immediately step forward to help his brother out of trouble.
Zhou Xuanyu remained noncommittal to Junxi’s words.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, “Do you know who fears death the most?”
“……”
“He is a man on the verge of death,” Zhou Xuanyu answered himself.
Thus, he did not blame his elder brother at all, even if he truly knew that his brother was unwilling to stand up for him despite taking the blame.
Zhou Xuanyu understood all of Zhou Xuan Yong's weaknesses at this moment.
“But a person's mistakes should not end in death,” Junxi insisted stubbornly.
Zhou Xuanyu nodded.
These questions still led to the same answers.
Based on human emotions and familial ties, they were not wrong, yet they were all at fault. Not everyone possesses the capacity for empathy, and this issue could not be resolved through mere perspective-taking.
“Regardless, I beg you to respect what I wish to protect and not involve my brother.”
“And what about me?”
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