Chapter Eighteen: An Ambiguous Embrace

The car was turned off, and the air conditioning was off. In this place where there were no buildings around, the cold wind seemed to have found its target. The temperature inside the car was getting lower and lower. Although I am a person who pays attention to keeping warm, as a girl, I still have a last bit of stubbornness, which is not to wear long underwear. At this moment, I feel that my legs are already frozen. I regret it very much now. Why didn't I wear that super long down jacket? Why did I choose this super short one?

It was dark inside the car; the moon seemed to have hidden behind some cloud. I could hear Chu Zhen's even breathing; he must be asleep. Sigh... First day of undercover investigation, no progress at all. Am I going to freeze to death here? No, absolutely not! Right, friction generates heat. I rubbed my hands together, then my legs, and it really did feel a little warmer. Wait a minute, my legs aren't warm; the warmth is coming from my body.

"Aren't you cold?" I looked up and saw that Chu Zhen had taken off his clothes and draped them over me. The fresh scent of jasmine was the same as the smell of his bed sheets.

Haven't you heard of men having a strong temper?

I took off Chu Zhen's clothes and covered her legs with them. Wow, she really looks different.

"Aren't you girls not afraid of the cold?"

"Who says girls aren't afraid of the cold? It's just that they want to look good and leave a good impression on you men, so they tough it out. Do you know how many layers we wear in the dorm?"

"A woman dresses up for the man she loves? Is that what it means?"

"That's one way to understand it!"

"So you dressed like this today to please me?"

And just like that, I was successfully led astray by Chu Zhen once again.

"I'm traveling light so it will be easier when I escape."

"So you were prepared to run away alone!"

I'm certain there's a generation gap between Chu Zhen and me. He's an older, cunning man, while I'm a lamb to the slaughter. In his presence, I've lost all my ability to outwit him and am led by the nose.

"Go get some sleep!" Chu Zhen sat up straight, picked up her phone, and started browsing the web.

"It's okay, I'm not sleepy. I'm used to this upside-down lifestyle." I slept all day to prepare for tonight's work, so I'm wide awake right now.

"Chu Zhen, why didn't you stay in Colombia?" I asked. This was a mystery that had always remained unsolved in my heart. I felt that it couldn't be as casual as he made it sound, that he could find a better job back in China.

"Why did you choose journalism and media?" Chu Zhen didn't answer my question, but instead asked me one.

"I don't know. Maybe it was during the Wenchuan earthquake that journalists were able to go to the front lines, and that moment made me determined to become a journalist so that I could report what was happening on the front lines to everyone. Or maybe it's because I want to do what I'm doing today, to expose the dark side and show it to everyone."

"That sounds quite righteous!"

"And what about you?"

"Because of my grandfather."

"Was your grandfather a journalist?"

"Yes, he was a war correspondent who participated in many battles and left behind a lot of wartime news. However, I only saw it in the photos he left behind. He sacrificed himself in one battle to protect his camera."

"I'm sorry!" I couldn't see Zhen's face clearly, and I didn't know if he was thinking of his grandfather when he was telling this story.

"It's nothing. My dad was still young when my grandpa passed away. I only heard this from my grandma."

"So in times of peace, you prefer to devote yourself to social news."

"Yes, I just want to make a show that lets people know all the untold stories."

"Yes, I support you!"

"Then will you come to my show's production team to help me again next year?"

I didn't expect Chu Zhen to say that. During this time, we were just helping each other out, which is why we were able to get along like friends. But if we go to the program crew, he will become my boss again, and I don't know how to get along with him.

"I don't want to go. I want to focus on my studies."

"Is this what you call support?"

Chu Zhen was a conversation killer; he couldn't have a proper conversation at all, and the car fell silent again.

The sky finally began to lighten with the first light of dawn. Using the light, I looked around. We were on a small cement road, surrounded by fields filled with green seedlings. It was quite nice to see such vibrant greenery on this cold winter day.

I got out of the car, stretched, and loosened my limbs. Chu Zhen also got out and was on the phone with someone. His down jacket was long, reaching all the way to my ankles, but I wasn't cold at all standing outside.

"Chen Weiqi will deliver the oil later. There are no gas stations around here!" After hanging up the phone, Chu Zhen walked to my side.

"Could you ask him to come to my place and bring me a down jacket?" This was a perfect opportunity for Huang Yanyan.

"He doesn't like your roommate's type, don't waste your time!" Sure enough, Chu Zhen saw right through him.

Do you know what type of person Yan Yan is?

"At the very least, he doesn't meet the criteria in terms of drinking."

Oh dear, Chu Zhen encountered Huang Yanyan drunk both times. Moreover, Yanyan has mentioned several times that she got drunk at parties, wanting to confess her feelings while drunk, but each time she ended up being carried home.

“It’s not a big problem, and she doesn’t like drinking.”

"Contact Huang Yanyan from your company and ask her to get Lin Dang a down jacket to bring over." The two-faced guy still sent a voice message to Chen Weiqi.

"You can wear this. You won't be cold if you jump around outside now." Seeing that Chu Zhen was outside wearing only a wool sweater and his hands were already red from the cold, I took off my down jacket and handed it to him.

Chu Zhen didn't refuse and put on the down jacket.

"Come here!" He beckoned to me, and I obediently walked over to him.

Suddenly, he hugged me from behind, a down jacket wrapped around both of us. Feeling his breath on my head, my face was burning red.

"Now we won't be cold anymore!"

But what does this mean? He's never confessed his feelings to me, and I'm not his girlfriend. This behavior seems a bit improper. I tried to break free, but his grip was tight, and I couldn't move. Oh well, what era are we living in? This kind of behavior is perfectly normal. I tried to convince myself, but I could clearly feel my heart racing. All I could do was pray that Chen Weiqi would bring the oil over quickly.

We stood quietly by the fields in the countryside, but it really wasn't cold at all, especially my back. Even through the down jacket, I could still feel the warmth emanating from Chu Zhen. I decided that I wasn't going to wash this down jacket.