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墨書 Inktalez
“Zhou Ziyan…”
Junxi opened her mouth, but could only softly call his name.
She clearly had so much to say, yet at this moment, no words could express the helplessness in her heart.
Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, a group of colleagues, including Xiaolin and Dalin, suddenly rushed out from the entrance of the rooftop.
It seemed this was a “well-planned” confession; Zhou Ziyan had long prepared for this moment, and everyone who needed to know was already aware. Even those who shouldn’t have known were in on it.
No wonder the air had been filled with a subtle sense of amusement all day; it turned out everyone was laughing about this.
Cheers and whistles began to echo around her, leaving Junxi even more flustered. The issue between the two of them suddenly felt like it had become a matter for the entire group.
With the support of everyone around, Zhou Ziyan steadied his nerves and continued, “Junxi, if you’re willing, will you be my girlfriend?”
Will she? Of course not, because her heart had already been given to someone else. That title of girlfriend had long been assigned to another.
Yet now, she couldn’t bring herself to reject him so cruelly.
Caught in such a predicament, she felt trapped. To agree would betray her own heart; to refuse would betray Zhou Ziyan’s feelings.
“Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!”
The colleagues around them were enjoying the spectacle and urged her on.
Noticing Junxi's distress, Zhou Ziyan turned back to calm his colleagues' excitement. He waved his hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down.
Once everyone settled, Zhou Ziyan looked at Junxi again.
"You don't have to answer me right away; I can give you time to think."
This was a way out, both for her and for himself. He was smart enough to know that they needed to leave each other an escape route.
In her flustered state, Junxi nodded. She looked into Zhou Ziyan's eyes and softly said, "I'll think about it."
Zhou Ziyan patted her head and handed her the flowers he was holding.
"Take the flowers."
After a moment of consideration, Junxi decided not to refuse. With so many eyes on her, rejecting Zhou Ziyan's flowers would be akin to rejecting him outright.
After all, Zhou Ziyan was the heir of Hengfu Group. Not agreeing to his proposal on the spot was already quite disrespectful; if she were to refuse his flowers as well, it would make it difficult for him to hold his head high in the company in the future.
The Marguerites in her hands emitted a faint fragrance, yet she felt as if she were being poisoned, struggling to breathe comfortably.
"Thank you, everyone. You can all disperse now."
Zhou Ziyan turned and winked at his colleagues in the office. In truth, even without this scene unfolding, everyone already saw them as a couple.
Zhou Ziyan's affection for Junxi was evident to all; only Junxi herself remained oblivious.
The colleagues wisely began to leave.
Junxi was still lost in thought until Jun Xuan grabbed her arm and gently said, "Sister, let's go back."
"I'll see you off," Zhou Ziyan offered.
"No need, my sister and I will walk back," Jun Xuan replied, giving Zhou Ziyan a knowing look.
Zhou Ziyan understood that Jun Xuan meant that Junxi needed some time to calm down. But looking at him, she feared that calming down would be impossible.
"Alright, just be careful on your way," Zhou Ziyan said before turning to leave.
The spacious rooftop fell silent again, as if nothing had ever happened.
Jun Xuan stood silently beside Junxi, not saying a word.
Junxi took a few steps toward the wind.
"Sister, what are you thinking about?" Jun Xuan followed her and draped his jacket over her shoulders.
Junxi took off the jacket and handed it back to her brother. She felt restless all over; the cold wind didn’t feel chilly at all but rather quite comforting.
"I'm thinking about what to do in the future," Junxi gazed far into the horizon. The sky was on the verge of darkness, beautiful enough to take one's breath away, yet such beauty only added to her sorrow.
"Sister, just follow your heart. You don't need to think too much. I believe that since Zhou Ziyan made this decision, he must have considered all the consequences."
Junxi remained silent. Had he really considered everything? If he had truly thought it through, how could he bear to test a love with such slim hope against their years of friendship?
"Anyway, I came here today, but that doesn't mean I'm on Zhou Ziyan's side. I just don't want to miss any important moments in your life. But whether or not you agree with him ultimately depends on how you feel."
"Are you not afraid that because of this, Zhou Ziyan will become distant from us in the future?" Junxi asked softly.
From now on, they would no longer be able to meet each other's gaze calmly, unable to joke freely, and everything would require careful consideration... They could never return to how things were before.
"Listening to you ask that, I can tell you actually plan to reject him," Jun Xuan said with a light sigh.
He had expected this outcome; Zhou Ziyan must have anticipated it as well. He was fighting a desperate battle, likely just seeking to avoid any regrets.
"To me, Zhou Ziyan is the same as you. I love him, but it's not the kind of love between a man and a woman..." Junxi paused and shook her head. "Forget it, you're still young; you wouldn't understand even if I told you."
"I understand. But understanding doesn't help. The key is for Brother Zhou Ziyan to understand."
Jun Xuan hugged Junxi. Her face was cool, and her hands were cold; she felt so fragile in his embrace that it made his heart ache and left him feeling helpless.
"Let's go home," Jun Xuan said, taking his sister's hand and rubbing it in his palm.
Junxi smiled faintly.
If Jun Xuan hadn't been by her side today, she truly wouldn't have known what to do. After all these years and all these emotions, no one else could understand her like Jun Xuan did.
As the siblings chatted on their way home, night had already fallen.
Junxi casually placed the flowers she held on the coffee table and prepared to go inside to change clothes. Understanding her mood was low, Jun Xuan volunteered to cook dinner.
"When will you learn to cook?"
"I learned when I lived with Grandma," Jun Xuan said while scrubbing pots and pans in the kitchen.
They say that poor children grow up quickly. She and her brother had once lived a life of comfort and ease, and if it weren't for the sudden hardships they faced, they might have remained oblivious to the value of basic necessities for their entire lives.
From another perspective, hardships could also be seen as a form of wealth.
"Hey, sis!" Jun Xuan called out from the kitchen.
"What is it?"
"You said this morning that you wouldn't be back for dinner tonight. What's going on?"
Junxi paused for a moment, then slapped her forehead.
Oh my gosh, with everything going on with Zhou Ziyan, she completely forgot about her date with Zhou Xuanyu!
Junxi hurriedly ran out to search for her phone in her bag. To her dismay, there were no missed calls! This only made her more anxious. She quickly dialed Zhou Xuanyu's number.
However, the notification on Zhou Xuanyu's phone indicated it was turned off.
"I'm stepping out for a bit!"
As she spoke, Junxi grabbed her coat that she had just taken off, opened the door, and rushed outside. Jun Xuan was still calling after her, but she didn't look back.
The agreed time had long passed by over two hours. She wasn't sure if Zhou Xuanyu would still be waiting for her there, but she had to go find him.
Junxi got into a taxi and, after giving the address of the restaurant, proceeded to call Zhou Xuanyu.
However, the call was always out of service.
She couldn't help but worry. How angry must he be to not contact her and to prevent her from reaching out?
The restaurant they had agreed upon was called "Red Bird." It was newly opened, and the environment was particularly clean and tidy. Even though it was past meal time, there were still many customers inside.
Junxi rushed in and looked around the lobby, but there was no sign of Zhou Xuanyu.
"Miss, are you looking for someone?" A friendly waiter quickly approached her.
"I'm looking for someone."
"The front desk will have guest registrations; you can check there," the waiter pointed towards the front desk.
Junxi thanked him and hurried over. She reported Zhou Xuanyu's name, and sure enough, there was a registration.
"Mr. Zhou left half an hour ago," the receptionist said, pointing at the registration information on the computer screen. She then glanced at Junxi. "Mr. Zhou waited for over two hours and left without eating anything; all the dishes he ordered were untouched."
Junxi pondered for a moment, thanked her, and turned to walk out.
He had waited for her for more than two hours without calling, perhaps not wanting to rush her, certain that she would come?
But she had let him down.
"Junxi!"
Suddenly, a man's voice came from behind.
Junxi paused for a moment, turning around in surprise...
In the night, there was not just one person, but a group of people behind her.
It wasn't Zhou Xuanyu calling her; it was Brother Daling.
"Junxi, why aren't you with Young Master Zhou? Are you here all alone?" Dalin asked.
The confession earlier that day had stirred their emotions, yet Junxi, the person involved, seemed too calm about it.
"I have something to take care of," Junxi replied, forcing a smile. "What about you guys? Have you eaten?"
"Yeah," Dalin and a few colleagues laughed. "We ran into Mr. Zhou on our way here."
"Mr. Zhou?"
"Yeah, we told him about Young Master Zhou confessing to you. He seemed quite surprised. Did Young Master Zhou not tell his uncle about such a big event?"
Although she knew Brother Daling and the others meant no harm, Junxi felt an overwhelming sense of dread at that moment.
It felt like the roof was leaking just as the rain started pouring—an awful situation indeed.
"So what did Mr. Zhou say?" Junxi asked cautiously.
"Mr. Zhou just smiled and asked, 'And what happened next?'"
"What happened? What did you say?" Junxi stared intently at Dalin.
Dalin seemed to realize something was off. He paused for a moment, hesitating before saying, "Isn't the result that you agreed to Zhou Gongzi?"
"Who said I agreed to him!" Junxi was on the verge of tears.
This man could be more terrifying than a woman when he started talking.
"You accepted his flowers; doesn't that mean you agreed?"
"…"
The city was shrouded in deep night, and everyone hurried along, while she suddenly found herself unsure of where to go or what to do. It turned out that Zhou Xuanyu not only hadn’t waited for her but had also heard such heavy news.
She had stood up Zhou Xuanyu but ended up with Zhou Ziyan. Zhou Xuanyu must be furious.
Junxi stood in the cold night wind, with nowhere to hide. After thinking it over, she dialed Galen's number.
Fortunately, Galen answered. He seemed somewhat surprised to receive a call from Junxi during his personal time.
"What's wrong, Junxi?" His voice showed no hint of impatience.
"Manager Gao, I know this is a bit abrupt, but I still want to ask if you know where Mr. Zhou went?"
"Mr. Zhou... he should be on a plane right now."
"Didn't he just return from a business trip?"
"Yes."
Speaking of which, Galen found it strange.
Zhou Xuanyu's schedule in J City was originally set for two days. Besides today's meeting, there was another one early tomorrow morning. The General Affairs Office had already booked a hotel for the traveling personnel, but Zhou Xuanyu insisted he wouldn't be staying there and needed to rush back to Qingcheng.
He handed over all the planned dinners and social engagements to Jia Man... even the meeting tomorrow morning was entrusted to her.
Because he said he might not make it back.
Not even in one night? Everyone understood; when Mr. Zhou returned, it must be some personal matter, certainly involving a woman. Time is money...
But just a moment ago, when Galen was packing up to head to J City, Zhou Xuanyu called and said he would attend that meeting personally.
His mood wasn't great, and Galen could tell, so she didn't dare ask too many questions. She quickly changed his flight and arranged everything else for him.
Now, receiving a call from Junxi, she suddenly understood the source of Mr. Zhou's fluctuating emotions—it all stemmed from this little woman!
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