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墨書 Inktalez
The meal was only halfway through when Zhou Xuanyu stood up, saying he was going outside for a smoke.
A few guests were having a great time with Jia Man, and they waved Zhou Xuanyu off, signaling him to hurry back. He grabbed his cigarette case and stepped out, while Junxi lifted her gaze and noticed his lighter still on the table.
“Lighter…” Junxi turned to call after him, but Zhou Xuanyu had already gone outside.
She stood up and took the lighter with her as she chased after him.
The hotel corridor was wide, and the thick carpet felt like walking on clouds, making no sound at all.
Zhou Xuanyu was standing by the window, just pulling a cigarette from his case and placing it in his mouth. He began searching for his lighter in his pockets but couldn’t find it. Frustrated, he tossed the cigarette case onto the windowsill.
“What are you looking for?” Junxi approached him.
Zhou Xuanyu glanced back at her but remained silent. He continued rummaging through the other pocket.
With a flick of her wrist, Junxi opened the lighter, and a blue flame flickered to life. She held the lighter, along with the flame, out toward Zhou Xuanyu.
He paused for a moment, then leaned closer, holding the cigarette toward the flame.
The cigarette quickly caught fire. He took a puff, and the smoke obscured Junxi's view of his face.
“Go back inside and eat. Leave the lighter here,” Zhou Xuanyu said, tapping the windowsill with his fingers, indicating she should place the lighter and his cigarette case together.
“Is that how much you don’t want to see me?” Junxi tightened her grip on the lighter.
“No,” he denied.
“I don’t believe you. You’ve been deliberately avoiding me today.”
She stared at him intently while Zhou Xuanyu took several deep puffs of his cigarette, which quickly burned down to nothing.
"No." He repeated those two words in the same tone.
"You see, you're just brushing me off! Fine, I'll leave!" Junxi was getting angry. She threw the lighter onto the windowsill and turned to walk away.
The corridor was so quiet that she could hear her own deep breaths, but there was no sound behind her. After taking several steps, Zhou Xuanyu still didn't call out to her.
This man really left her no way out.
Junxi wanted to look back, but she couldn't. If she turned around, she would lose the upper hand. This time, she hadn't done anything wrong; she didn't want to back down first.
"Don't go."
A deep voice came from behind her, and Junxi felt her wrist being grabbed.
She turned around to find Zhou Xuanyu standing right behind her, his large hand holding her wrist firmly.
"Stay with me for a while longer." His tone finally carried a hint of emotion, no longer as stiff as before.
"Weren't you the one who said you didn't want to see me?" Junxi retorted, turning her head away stubbornly.
"When did I ever say that?" He released his grip.
"Just now," Junxi accused him, then added defiantly, "Your silence means agreement; denying it is just a roundabout way of agreeing. In short, ignoring me today is completely wrong!"
Zhou Xuanyu sighed lightly and pulled her back to the window, lighting another cigarette for himself.
"You can't smoke!" Junxi grabbed his arm and snatched the cigarette from his hand.
What could he do without smoking? He was filled with frustration and needed something to distract himself and relieve some tension.
Junxi stuffed the cigarette back into the pack and took control of both the pack and the lighter in her palm.
"Are you going to manage me now?" Zhou Xuanyu looked at her.
"What's wrong? Can't I?" Junxi shook her hand. "These aren't good for you. The more you smoke, the worse it is for your health. If it's for your own good, I have to intervene."
Her tone was so assertive that it was genuinely moving.
Suddenly, Zhou Xuanyu reached out and pulled her into his embrace.
"What are you doing! We're in public; someone will see us!" Junxi pushed against him.
But Zhou Xuanyu only intensified his actions, leaning down to cover Junxi's lips with his own. Before she could react, his tongue, carrying the scent of smoke, swept over her taste buds.
It felt as if he intended to consume her right there.
Before long, Junxi found herself gasping for air.
She pushed him harder, as if struggling to escape drowning. Most importantly, she was afraid someone would see them. After all, they were out for work today. Moreover, the clients in the private room could come out at any moment... In short, being seen in this situation would have negative repercussions.
"I can walk by myself!" Jia Man's voice echoed from the hallway. From the tone and content of her words, it seemed she had come with someone.
Junxi finally broke free from Zhou Xuanyu's grasp. She fanned her face and pretended to be calm as she stood beside him. Zhou Xuanyu didn't try to take the cigarette back; instead, he lazily leaned against the windowsill.
Jia Man was drunk, and the person helping her was an Italian guy named Oss. The two were standing close together, looking quite intimate.
This woman's grip was much stronger than one would expect.
"Manager Jia is drunk," Junxi glanced at Zhou Xuanyu.
Zhou Xuanyu stepped forward, trying to take Jia Man from the client's hands. However, the client waved his hand in refusal, insisting that he would personally take Jia Man to the restroom to wash her face.
Jia Man giggled and refused to let Zhou Xuanyu touch her. She swayed over to him and tugged at his hair, questioning him, "What gives you the right to manage me? What exactly gives you that right?"
"You're drunk," Zhou Xuanyu replied calmly in front of the tipsy woman.
"I’m not drunk, I’m definitely not drunk. It’s you who’s drunk, that’s why you think I am," Jia Man said softly as she leaned against the client, then pointed towards the restroom. "Let’s go-go-go!"
The Italian client steadied her and quickly spoke to Junxi in Italian, "Don’t worry."
"What did he say?" Zhou Xuanyu immediately looked at Junxi.
Junxi squinted, sizing up Zhou Xuanyu.
His brows were slightly furrowed, looking a bit concerned.
"He said you don’t need to worry with that frown on your face," Junxi replied, then muttered quietly, "If you’re really worried, you can go with her!"
"Stop joking." Zhou Xuanyu patted Junxi's forehead. "Jia Man is an employee of the company. Since I brought her out for a meal, I naturally can’t let anything happen to her."
Is he explaining himself? She didn’t ask him to explain.
Junxi smiled.
"I get it now; you should go check on her."
"The ladies' room isn’t appropriate for me to go into." Zhou Xuanyu wrapped his arm around Junxi's shoulders and spun around. "Come on, I’ll go take a look."
Junxi deliberately stood still.
"I’m not going to help you check. You think I’d want to watch over women? What do you think I am?"
"The future Boss Lady," Zhou Xuanyu answered without hesitation. "If you marry me, my employees will be your employees too."
Zhou Xuanyu said it so naturally that Junxi felt a bit shy.
"Who would want to marry you?"
Just as Junxi finished speaking, a loud bang echoed nearby.
The sound echoed harshly in the corridor.
"What is that noise?" Junxi asked, looking at Zhou Xuanyu.
Zhou Xuanyu turned to glance, uncertainly replying, "I don't know which private room it's coming from."
"Bang!" Another loud thud followed.
"Ah!" The scream of a waitress pierced through the air.
"It seems to be coming from our private room," Junxi said.
Zhou Xuanyu paused for a moment before quickly running toward the direction of the room. Junxi hurriedly followed him.
"Guests, please stop! I beg you, don't fight!" The waitress's pleading voice came from inside.
Zhou Xuanyu swiftly pushed the door open.
As soon as the door swung open, Junxi was taken aback. Zhou Ziyan was grappling fiercely with one of the customers from earlier that day.
"Zhou Ziyan!"
"Zhou Ziyan!"
Both Junxi and Zhou Xuanyu shouted simultaneously.
People around them tried to pull the two apart, but they were entangled too tightly.
Zhou Xuanyu stepped forward and grabbed Zhou Ziyan by the collar. He intended to pull Zhou Ziyan away, but this action gave the customer, who had been lying on the ground and taking hits, an opportunity.
Suddenly, the customer flipped over and without hesitation threw a punch at Zhou Ziyan.
The punch landed heavily, leaving both Zhou Ziyan and Zhou Xuanyu stunned. Junxi covered his mouth in shock.
Zhou Ziyan's mouth quickly stained with blood as he turned his head and spat, glaring at Zhou Xuanyu. "Let go of me!"
Zhou Xuanyu pulled him aside, intercepting a guest who was about to charge at them, immediately apologizing to the person.
Several other guests who were not involved expressed their dissatisfaction with Zhou Ziyan's actions, and one had already taken out his phone to call their boss.
"Are you crazy?!" Zhou Xuanyu pinned Zhou Ziyan against the wall.
Zhou Ziyan forcefully pushed Zhou Xuanyu away, pointing at him in exasperation. "You're the one who's crazy! Only a lunatic would do business with these scoundrels!"
Zhou Xuanyu stepped forward again, restraining Zhou Ziyan once more.
Seeing that the two men were about to come to blows, Junxi quickly stepped in to separate them.
"What’s going on?" Junxi asked, looking at Zhou Ziyan.
The bloodstain at the corner of his mouth made him appear somewhat disheveled.
"Get away, it's none of your business!" Zhou Ziyan coldly shoved Junxi aside.
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