Chapter 13. Chapter 13. We took a different, wider path.

Because I changed my mind at the last minute and didn't make an appointment in advance, I had to wait a while for a table.

The restaurant has a quiet and serene atmosphere, with an antique and elegant lamp above each table and a row of floor-to-ceiling windows facing south, offering a superb view of the city at night.

We ordered some roasted meats and vegetarian dishes, as well as two dim sum dishes.

He Yanzhou poured a cup of Tieguanyin tea and placed it in front of Zhu Xu, saying, "This is He Xi, 11 years younger than me. She never liked studying from childhood to adulthood, and later dropped out of school and started a shop, which she does all day long." He took a sip of tea and looked at Zhu Xu, "You're right, she looks like my mother, but I inherited more of my father's looks from her."

Zhu Xu nodded, thinking that his younger sister was quite unique: "It seems that your names aren't very similar."

"I changed it myself because I thought it was too troublesome to write due to the many strokes."

Zhu Xu noticed a hint of helplessness on his rather indifferent face and couldn't help but laugh.

He Yanzhou slightly raised her eyes. Her very brief laughter was drowned out by the soothing background music. Perhaps due to the passage of time, she looked much brighter, and her complexion and condition were completely different from before.

He ate his food and said, "Is your injury fully healed?"

Zhu Xu put down her chopsticks and subconsciously touched the scar on her neck. The wound wasn't big, but it had some spurs. "Yes," she said. "Dr. He is a very kind person. He comes with the ward round doctor every day to check on my recovery. He has helped me a lot."

"It's nothing to worry about him taking a few extra steps."

"Thank you too."

He Yanzhou smiled and said, "Of course not."

She joked, "I almost died, but thankfully it's all over now."

He Yanzhou was moving a bowl of soup in front of her when he heard this and looked up. He had always disapproved of her actions; nothing was more important than ensuring her own safety. But for a young woman in such a desperate situation, her extreme courage was also admirable.

She was fragile and even contemplated suicide.

They were also more tenacious, which led them to find a new path and take a wider route.

He Yanzhou looked at her with a normal expression and said, "Actually, I promised to help you solve it, but you didn't listen."

Zhu Xu did not understand at first.

He Yanzhou pointed to the soup bowl in front of her and changed the subject: "Try it, it'll get cold later."

"good."

He paused for two seconds: "So, they're divorced?"

Zhu Xu nodded, put down the porcelain spoon, and casually pinched his earlobe.

Her hair had grown a bit longer, draping softly over her shoulders. Today she wore a large round-neck knit sweater, revealing her beautiful shoulder and neck lines. The pure black color made her skin appear exceptionally fair.

He Yanzhou placed his chopsticks on the chopstick rest, picked up the cup and handed it to her, tapping it against her teacup on the table as if it were wine. "Congratulations."

Zhu Xu reached out and gently touched the cup, then picked it up and took a small sip. The Pu'er tea was mellow, with seven parts bitterness followed by fragrance, and a sweet aftertaste. "He might go to jail."

"Of course."

Zhu Xu didn't mention Liang Haiyang again after that, and instead casually discussed some unimportant topics.

Today, He Yanzhou had an unusually good appetite. He asked the waiter for the menu halfway through the meal and ordered a pork tripe and chicken dish and a baked pumpkin dish.

The pumpkin is soft, sweet, and juicy inside, with a crispy outer shell covered in egg yolk, making it savory and delicious.

Zhu Xu couldn't resist eating two more pieces as well.

Midway through the meal, she excused herself to go to the restroom, intending to settle the bill first, but was told that the gentleman at the same table as her had greeted her when he entered and that he would pay the bill.

Zhu Xu had no choice but to return to the dining table without making a sound.

The waiter came over and refilled the teapot.

It was getting late, but the lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows were dazzling.

Under the moonlight, the sea to the east shimmered, and the lighthouse standing in the shadows looked somewhat lonely.

He Yanzhou turned to look outside for a moment, then turned back to ask Zhu Xu, "What are the plans for the next few days?"

"I was just trying to relax, so I thought I'd just wander around." Zhu Xu remembered a place: "There's an island nearby with a tiny temple on it, surrounded by hawthorn trees. I went there once when I was 15, but I don't remember it well now."

He Yanzhou's fingers twitched slightly as he held the teacup, but his expression remained unchanged as he looked at her and said, "Yoshima."

Zhu Xu asked in surprise, "You know?"

He Yanzhou smiled slightly: "Strictly speaking, I am from Beidao. It's quite a coincidence that I lived on Jidao from birth until I was 15 years old."

"Then you went to high school in Lincheng?"

He Yanzhou looked at her intently for a few seconds. Her expression was completely genuine, as if she believed that the two of them first met when they entered high school.

His expression softened slightly, and he nodded.

Zhu Xu didn't notice and opened the ticket booking software to search. There were two ferries to and from Jidao Island, at 10:00 AM and 8:00 PM.

She glanced at it twice and quickly put down her phone: "If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have remembered it at all. The name 'Yishima' is quite unfamiliar to me. Maybe my memory isn't very good."

He Yanzhou slowly turned his teacup and joked, "It is a bit inappropriate."

The streets were still bustling when I came out of the restaurant.

A singer was performing a ballad in the square next door, and on both sides were vendors selling balloons and flowers, as well as various food stalls.

He walked back to the tattoo shop to get his car, which was parked in a parking space across the street; it was a black Mercedes.

Zhu Xu hesitated for a moment, then walked towards the passenger side.

"Is it easy to get in? Shall I drive it out a bit?" He Yanzhou asked.

"OK."

He Yanzhou watched her get into the car before walking towards the driver's side. As he opened the car door, he glanced naturally in the direction of the tattoo shop, but then paused, putting his leg down again.

He waved his hand in the distance, and soon a tall figure strode towards them.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

Zheng Zhi had a cigarette in his mouth, took two quick puffs, and then took it out when he walked up to He Yanzhou, extinguishing it with two fingers as he held it by his side.

He smiled and said, "Xiao Xi asked me to come and move some things."

"What are you moving?"

Zheng Zhi scratched his head: "It's just some old, broken tables and chairs in the storage room that are taking up space. I'll throw them away."

He Yanzhou frowned: "What kind of nonsense is this, having to do it so late at night?"

Zheng Zhi felt a pang of guilt and lowered his head slightly, only managing a wide grin. As he considered how to respond, he heard He Yanzhou say, "Mind your own business from now on; she's just causing trouble."

Zheng Zhilian said twice, "Then I'll take you there."

"No need." He sat down sideways. "You can go back now."

Zheng Zhi stepped forward to close the car door, and glancing down slightly, he spotted Zhu Xu sitting in the passenger seat. He had just heard He Xi complain about his ambiguous relationship with a woman, and wondered why his boss, who was usually quite self-disciplined, was like this.

We were acquaintances, and I had intended to chat with them, but I dismissed He Yanzhou with a few words.

The drive back wasn't far; it took about fifteen minutes to reach the parking lot in front of the hotel.

After parking the car, the two went inside.

The lobby is still as bright as day at night, but much quieter; you can even hear the echo of shoes walking on the marble floor.

After pausing briefly, He Yanzhou asked Zhu Xu, "Where do you live?"

“B block,” she replied.

"Shall I call you an electric scooter?"

"No need, I want to take a walk." Zhu Xu looked up at him. The warm-colored crystal chandelier above his head acted like a filter, softening the sharp features on his face. His heroic spirit remained, but he looked even more gentle.

Undeniably, he has a very good appearance.

She seemed a little distracted while speaking, and quickly asked, "You live in Building A, right?"

He Yanzhou nodded. He didn't explain anything in particular.

"When are you going back to Lincheng?"

“Long-term job loss,” he said.

Zhu Xu nodded and waved to him, "Goodbye."

He had just turned around and taken two steps when He Yanzhou said, "Wait a moment." He followed him a little and said, "If you want to go to Jidao, could you wait for me for a day? I'm free the day after tomorrow and would like to go there for a visit."

Zhu Xu remained silent for a moment.

He Yanzhou gave a plausible reason: "I have relatives over there, so I'll go visit them while I'm at it." Seeing her hesitant look, he joked, "Free guide, but if you think about it for too long, you won't have the time."

moment,

"Okay." Zhu Xu smiled, "Then I'll trouble you, Mr. He."

"It's an honor." He smiled slightly.

Zhu Xu walked back to Building B, and wandered around the commercial area for a long time along the way.

She went into her room, took a hot shower, dried her hair halfway, and felt thirsty. She opened a bottle of mineral water, sat on the swing, and slowly drank it.

The swing is shaped like the moon, and after a little research, I found it to be quite sturdy.

She lay half-reclined inside, gently swaying. In her hazy state, she suddenly remembered what He Yanzhou had said at the dinner table, which startled her and instantly brought her back to her senses.

Upon careful recollection, she realized that she had confided in him that day, telling him she wanted a divorce. He did offer to help, but she was in a bad mood at the time and thought it was just empty talk.

Now that I think about it, why would he be so kind-hearted?

Zhu Xu was not an overly slow-witted person.

She turned her head, but the slight pain in her arm pulled her back to reality. She had tried to avoid the tattoo area while showering, and the area wrapped in plastic wrap was still a little damp.

She took it off, cleaned it briefly, wrapped it in new plastic wrap, silenced her phone, and went to bed.

The next day, she had something more important to do.

Having made the decision, I don't want to drag it out any longer.

The information sheet given to her by the receptionist had a business contact number printed on it. She called the number, but no one answered. So she had to find Building A according to the address marked on the sheet.

The eighth and ninth floors of Building A are office areas. After explaining her purpose, the staff led her to a small meeting room. It was a separate space partitioned off from the lobby, with two tempered glass partition walls and a window overlooking the sea.

Not long after she sat down, a representative from the investment promotion department walked in and asked, "Madam, what is your surname?"

"His surname is Zhu."

"Hello Ms. Zhu, are you looking to rent a shop in the commercial street?" the other party asked.

"Yes," Zhu Xu nodded.

He said, "I'm sorry, someone has already paid a deposit."

Zhu Xu was taken aback and quickly asked, "Could you please confirm this for me again? I really want to rent this shop."

The man shrugged regretfully: "The contract is still in my drawer. If you had come two days earlier, you would have had a chance."

At that moment, the door to the conference room at the end of the corridor suddenly opened, and several well-dressed professionals filed out.

The corridor echoed with footsteps and low, hushed conversations.

Zhu Xu subconsciously glanced to the side, then turned back after a moment, but paused and looked out the glass partition again.

She seemed to have caught a glimpse of a familiar figure, but in the blink of an eye, everyone had already gone far away.

Guessing she was seeing things, she looked away, wanting to try again: "Now that I've paid the deposit, is there any possibility of backing out?"

"No, generally not."

"Are there any other vacant storefronts?"

The other person shook their head.

In the end, Zhu Xu returned home disappointed.

Back in my room, I felt as if all my energy had been drained, and I couldn't muster any spirits.

Unable to adjust her mood for the time being, she went back to bed to sleep.

I don't know how long it was before I vaguely heard the phone ring. I took it out of my pocket and answered it. The person on the other end was the investment manager I had just met that morning. He asked me if I was still interested in that store.

The other party said, "Coincidentally, right after you left, the previous client suddenly broke the contract, and the contract became invalid."

Zhu Xu had doubts and confirmed them again and again.

The person on the other end patiently explained, providing a very detailed and reasonable account of the cause and effect.

After hanging up the phone, Zhu Xu let out a long sigh of relief.

Her mood fluctuated wildly within a few hours.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, we arranged to meet in person that afternoon.

I thought it would be over quickly, but after discussing the price, signing the contract, and submitting supplementary materials, it took until evening.

She ordered takeout for dinner, and after finishing, she searched for information online and made a table using the hotel's sticky notes.

Before we knew it, dusk had fallen.

Looking up casually, I saw a breathtaking sea of ​​oranges outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

Zhu Xu opened her camera to take pictures when He Yanzhou's message popped up, asking her succinctly: "Leaving tomorrow morning?"

Zhu Xu then realized that he hadn't bought a boat ticket yet.

She typed: "Could you please tell me your ID number? I'd like to buy a ticket."

Not long after, He Yanzhou sent a photo over.

Zhu Xu clicked on it, and it showed his ID card.

Her gaze inadvertently fell first on the frontal photo on the right.

The photo was probably taken many years ago. He was wearing a light blue striped shirt, his hair was short and smooth, and he looked handsome and refreshing. His features were the same defined and sculpted look he had in his youth, but compared to now, they were slightly less rugged.

Although she stared blankly at the camera, her eyes were much more direct and straightforward.

For a moment, Zhu Xu was somewhat dazed.

He Yanzhou from this period seems somewhat familiar.

She tapped her head, and some fragmented thoughts suddenly popped into her mind.

It was the third month of high school, late autumn to early winter. The classroom was well-heated, and a large number of students fell asleep during the political class after the afternoon physical education class.

The air in the enclosed classroom was very dry.

Zhu Xu rolled up his sleeves high, manually opened his eyelids, and tried his best to follow the teacher's rhythm.

My deskmate was Jiang Rao, who was quite energetic, secretly holding a romance novel and smiling sweetly yet strangely.

She was in high spirits and turned to Zhu Xu, saying, "Why don't you take a nap? I'll keep an eye on the teacher for you."

Zhu Xu said, "After listening to this part..."

Jiang Rao turned back to continue reading her novel.

Zhu Xugai propped his cheeks up, and before long, his eyelids began to droop, and his body tilted uncontrollably outward. He was startled awake and tried to support his heavy head.

For a time, the drowsiness was impossible to shake off.

After shaking a few times, just as her eyelids finally closed, there was a sudden "thump" behind her. She felt a hand block her outer shoulder and push her tilted body back into place.

Zhu Xu instantly regained consciousness, and not only her, but several people lying in front of her also sprang to their feet.

The sound of desks and chairs colliding wasn't actually loud, but it was very jarring in the quiet classroom.

The politics teacher was an old man in his sixties with a Northeastern accent: "He Yanzhou, why are you making such a fuss?"

Zhu Xu was taken aback and turned around. Liu Chuang, who had been sitting behind her, had switched seats with He Yanzhou at some point.

He Yanzhou was still leaning slightly against the table, his usually steady and orderly personality mimicking the teacher's tone: "Nothing, teacher, I just dropped my pen and picked it up."

Some students secretly laughed.

The old man adjusted his glasses and put his hands on his hips: "Shut up, don't disturb the students sleeping in front of you."

"Okay, sure."

The old man was even angrier: "You're quite obedient! Look at the learning atmosphere in your class, it's only been a few months since school started? Sleeping here is worse than going home, you'd be much more comfortable lying in bed. Get up, all of you!" He pointed to the window: "Open the window to let some fresh air in."

The student by the window opened the window.

A rush of fresh air dispelled the stale, lukewarm air in the classroom, instantly dispelling drowsiness.

Seeing that the students had straightened their backs, the old man walked back to the podium and continued his lecture.

Zhu Xu turned to the corresponding page in her textbook, scribbled a few notes in the blank space, thought for a moment, leaned back, and glanced back slightly. Just then, He Yanzhou's gaze shifted from the blackboard back to the textbook, and he looked at her midway through.

Zhu Xu shushed and said, "Thank you for earlier."

He Yanzhou: "You're welcome."

Zhu Xu pursed his lips into a straight line and gave a very faint smile.

Just as he was about to turn back, He Yanzhou said, "Your clip is quite unique."

Zhu Xu, not understanding, turned to look at him again.

He Yanzhou tapped his temple.

The boy had hands with distinct knuckles, long index fingers, and the rest of his fingers slightly clenched into fists, which he held for a long time before letting them hang down, his arms dangling between his legs under the desk. He leaned back in his chair, his shoulders uneven, his features broad yet somewhat bony. His expression as he looked at her was somewhat nonchalant.

Zhu Xu looked away, subconsciously touching the side of his hair. Afraid the teacher would hear, he answered in a very low voice, "It's a pen cap."

He Yanzhou leaned forward slightly and took a closer look.

Her hair only reached her neck, was fluffy and smooth, and had a very good texture. She had some bangs in front of her forehead, which she clipped back with a transparent pen cap, revealing her smooth and full forehead.

He Yanzhou found it amusing: "The pen cap has this use too."

Zhu Xu said, "It works very well."

He Yanzhou picked up the cap of the carbon pen on the table, held it up to his short hair a couple of times, but couldn't quite get it right, so he shrugged.

Zhu Xu turned around a bit more, watching his movements, and couldn't help but smile slightly, but he was still wary of the teacher on the podium. He glanced at him again and then turned completely to the front.

...

The floor-to-ceiling windows were open, and the sea breeze wafted freely through the room.

Zhu Xu leaned against the balcony railing, a cigarette still half-smoked between her fingers. She slowly inhaled, piecing together the fragments of her mind into a small, complete piece.

That should have been the first time she and He Yanzhou crossed paths.

At the time, I only felt that this boy had a kind of listless laziness, but now, more than ten years later, he is more serious and unsmiling.

Time really can change a lot of things.

In the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, Zhu Xu felt the sea breeze chill him to the bone.

She stubbed out her cigarette and turned to go back to her room.