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墨書 Inktalez
Zhou Xuanyu arrived in J City at three in the morning. It took him another half hour to reach the hotel, and by the time he finished his shower, dawn was just beginning to break.
He had no desire to sleep anymore.
His phone had been turned off during the flight at the insistence of the flight attendant. He had been waiting for Junxi's call all along.
She didn’t show up; at the very least, there should have been an explanation…
Zhou Ziyan confessed his feelings, a piece of news that came as a surprise yet was somewhat expected.
Watching his colleagues animatedly describe the scene, he could imagine how meticulously Zhou Ziyan had prepared for this moment, how touching it must have been.
Reflecting on his own situation, he had rushed into a relationship with Junxi, and her agreement had come just as hastily. Now, as she witnessed the emotions Zhou Ziyan evoked, would she waver?
Zhou Ziyan had chosen his timing perfectly; they were currently apart. Even if she felt conflicted or regretted her decision, it would be understandable.
Zhou Xuanyu felt increasingly troubled.
He turned on his phone and waited for a moment as several messages flooded into his inbox. He glanced through them: two were advertisements, one was a meeting arrangement, and the remaining three were from Junxi.
She asked where he was, apologized for not being able to meet him, and said they could talk when he returned… Was there still a need to talk? Did that mean he still had a chance?
Zhou Xuanyu sat in his room holding his phone for a while but ultimately resisted the urge to call her back.
At this point, she must have been sleeping soundly, and he didn't want to disturb her rest. After some consideration, he decided not to reply to the message. She was a light sleeper, and the sound of a text notification might wake her up.
Soon, dawn broke.
Early in the morning, Jia Man came knocking on his door. He had only leaned back for a moment and hadn’t actually fallen asleep; he had spent the night awake, yet he still felt quite alert.
"Weren't you supposed to be gone? Why are you back?" Jia Man asked with a cheerful smile, her expression one of mischief.
"The matter was resolved sooner than expected, so I returned," Zhou Xuanyu replied calmly.
"Resolved? Are you sure about that?"
"This is my personal business; I don't need to report to you."
"Why be so stingy? I'm just curious," Jia Man said as she rubbed her face.
She hadn't put on any makeup yet; her bare face looked clean but lacked a bit of vitality.
"Hurry up and get ready," Zhou Xuanyu said as he put on his jacket and packed his laptop into his bag. "We'll head back to Qingcheng after the meeting."
Jia Man pouted. "Are you that eager to see her again?"
"Just hurry!" Zhou Xuanyu didn't answer but raised his voice slightly.
With a huff, Jia Man turned on her heel and walked out.
The lengthy meeting had finally concluded by the afternoon. Following the schedule set by Zhou Xuanyu, he and Jia Man wasted no time and hurried to the airport.
With plenty of time before check-in, they settled in the airport lounge to wait.
Jia Man was engrossed in a game, while Zhou Xuanyu found it too noisy. He grabbed his laptop and moved to a quieter corner to handle some emails.
“Cold coffee left the coaster
I hold back emotions that linger behind
Desperately trying to reclaim the past
Still clearly visible on my face
The most beautiful isn’t a rainy day
But the eaves where we once sheltered from the rain…”
Suddenly, a melody reached his ears. The lyrics sounded familiar, prompting Zhou Xuanyu to pause his work.
“Perhaps fate's signature only allowed us to meet
Only let us fall in love this autumn season
Only after it falls do we realize these fragments of happiness
How am I supposed to pick them up…”
Zhou Xuanyu remembered that this was the song Junxi had sung while taking shelter from the rain at Florence Cathedral.
He looked up at the television screen in the lounge, where a talent show was playing. A young girl, not much older than a child, was singing the same song. Her brow was furrowed, and her expression was sorrowful, presenting the song in a completely different way than Junxi had.
Zhou Xuanyu glanced at his watch and closed his laptop. He focused intently on the subtitles on the screen. Finally, he learned that the song was called "The Secret That Cannot Be Told."
Who is Junxi's "The Secret That Cannot Be Told"? Is it him? Or Zhou Ziyan...
He couldn't wait to find out the answer.
Junxi had thought about it all night. She felt that she couldn't delay Zhou Ziyan's confession any longer.
Although it felt somewhat hurtful to reject him after only one night of consideration, if the outcome wouldn't change no matter how many days she pondered, there was no need to keep him waiting for so long. It was better to end it quickly than to prolong the pain.
Jun Xuan saw that Junxi woke up in the morning with two deep dark circles under her eyes and couldn't help but feel more distressed.
"Sis, who did you go looking for last night?" Jun Xuan asked.
"No one. It's none of your business, kid," Junxi replied, patting her brother's head and forcing a smile as if to prove she was fine.
"I know even if you don't tell me," Jun Xuan said with a mysterious expression.
Jun Xi Bai shot him a glance. "Stop overthinking things. I asked you to clean up yesterday; why did you only do half of it? When I come back today, I want to see the house spotless..." As she grabbed her coat and walked out, she continued, "I'm leaving now!"
"Bye! Bye!" Jun Xuan waved his hand.
Who said he wasn't serious about cleaning? If he weren't serious, how could he have discovered her secret?
...
Just when Junxi wanted to clarify things with Zhou Ziyan, Zhou Ziyan surprisingly didn't come to work that morning. Junxi waited all day but still didn't see him.
The behavior of these two, disappearing without a trace from time to time, was quite similar.
As the workday was coming to an end, Junxi called Zhou Ziyan.
It turned out there was an issue at Dazhong's car dealership, and he had gone there to help out, which was why he skipped work.
Junxi asked if he was free to go out for dinner after work, and Zhou Ziyan responded, "Have you thought it through?"
"Yeah. Let's talk when we meet."
Zhou Ziyan fell silent for a few seconds before agreeing. The dinner location was chosen by Junxi; she went straight there after finishing work and was surprised to find that Zhou Ziyan was already there.
Junxi walked over quickly, set down her bag, and sat across from Zhou Ziyan.
The waiter brought her a glass of water. She gulped it down and wiped the water stains from the corners of her mouth before looking up at Zhou Ziyan. "Have you been here long?"
Zhou Ziyan was lost in thought, and when she forgot to respond, Junxi asked again, prompting her to shake her head repeatedly.
"No, I just arrived not long ago."
Junxi acknowledged her with a simple "mm," without any unnecessary small talk, and boldly pushed the menu in front of Zhou Ziyan.
"Let's order first."
Watching Junxi's decisive demeanor, Zhou Ziyan fell silent for a few seconds before suddenly laughing. However, there was a hint of bitterness in her smile.
She showed no trace of the bashfulness one might expect from a girl facing her lover.
"Should I order a few more bottles of wine?" Zhou Ziyan asked.
Junxi took a few seconds to realize what Zhou Ziyan meant.
She grasped the crumpled napkin beside her: "Zhou Ziyan, you know what I'm about to say, right?"
Zhou Ziyan pressed her fingers against her temples. "I really don't want to guess, but Junxi, I can't deceive myself."
Her voice barely concealed her disappointment.
Junxi furrowed her brows; in such cold weather, her palms had already begun to sweat lightly. The napkin pressed against her palm grew softer and softer.
"I'm sorry, Zhou Ziyan."
Zhou Ziyan forced a smile. He had clearly prepared himself for this answer, yet hearing it still felt like a piece of flesh had been ripped from his heart.
"Waiter, bring the drinks," Zhou Ziyan waved at the server.
"Don't do this..."
"Shh!" Zhou Ziyan cut off Junxi. "If you're not my girlfriend, you can't tell me what to do."
"Zhou Ziyan..."
Zhou Ziyan opened the bottle of alcohol the waiter had brought, not bothering to pour it into a glass, and took a swig straight from the bottle.
Junxi was taken aback by his demeanor. She knew there was no point in trying to persuade him. After a moment's thought, she opened a bottle of her own.
"Don't drink!" Zhou Ziyan stopped her firmly. "You should go home. I want to be alone right now."
Seeing her made his heart ache; being around her only brought him pain. This kind of meeting was better left unmade.
"No way, I can't leave you alone like this."
"I said I want to be alone!" Zhou Ziyan suddenly raised his voice.
Junxi was once again stunned into silence by his intensity; she couldn't find the words to respond.
Realizing that his attitude might be a bit harsh, Zhou Ziyan took a deep breath, downed another gulp of his drink, and softened his tone. "Just listen to me. Go home for today. Let me cool off for a bit, and I'll come find you later."
Junxi knew that it was pointless to remain in this stalemate. She was the least qualified person to comfort him, as she was the one who had hurt him.
Since she couldn't bring him any solace, there was no need for her to stay here and irritate him further. She believed that with Zhou Xuanyu's experience in navigating the complexities of life, this emotional turmoil was nothing significant. Perhaps if she let him drink tonight, everything would be fine by tomorrow... She was also somewhat deceiving herself.
Junxi picked up her bag and stood up. Just as she turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something and stopped, looking at Zhou Ziyan.
“Zhou Ziyan.”
Zhou Ziyan looked up and nodded patiently.
“Is there anything else you want to say?”
“Can we still be friends in the future?” she asked cautiously.
Zhou Ziyan fell silent for a few seconds before smiling. “If you think we can, then we can.”
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