Chapter Twenty: The Past (1)

Chapter Twenty

Wen Zhuo met Wen Zhaoye's gaze with a questioning look.

He glanced at her sideways, his expression failing to convey the expected surprise at the video.

Wen Zhuo sensed something was wrong and started to panic.

Can it really be true?!

The phone in her hand was snatched away, zoomed in on one of the people's faces, and then placed back in Wen Zhuo's hand.

On the phone, the woman lowered her brows and frowned as she looked up at the man. Her slender fingers were tugging at his tie. She seemed not to notice that the man had his arm around her waist, and the dark shadow of his arm blended into the two of them. He also frowned, but still followed her lead and lowered his head, looking down at the person in front of him.

Wen Zhuo: "..."

It really is her, haha, look at the mess this has made.

She frantically fiddled with her phone a few times, causing it to revert to the screen saver. Wen Zhaoye pushed her head: "Getting angry out of embarrassment? You dare to do it but not admit it?"

Wen Zhuo tilted his head back to avoid Wen Zhaoye's hand: "Don't touch me. Hurry up and delete this kind of thing. Don't you have any shame?"

Wen Zhaoye paused for a moment, then pressed down hard on Wen Zhuo's head. Wen Zhuo was pushed back a few steps and looked up at him expressionlessly.

"Look, your hair is a mess." Wen Zhaoye's hand movements changed, and he suddenly gently tidied her messy hair, his fingers lightly rubbing her scalp. Wen Zhuo felt a chill run down her spine and avoided him.

She couldn't accept Wen Zhaoye's overly intimate behavior after that day. Although they had been very close before, she always felt something was wrong. Like now, Wen Zhaoye would fix her hair before, but he would never pinch her cheek after fixing her hair, and his thumb would accidentally brush against her lips.

Wen Zhu shook her head violently, knocking Wen Zhaoye's hand away as well. Oblivious to the pain, she complained, "That's so cheesy."

Wen Zhaoye watched coldly as she distanced herself, then asked him with a curious look, "Who are those people in the video? Why are you kissing?"

Wen Zhaoye watched as she skillfully distanced herself from him, feigning intimacy while maintaining a safe distance that made it difficult for him to catch her.

He laughed: "You know each other, so how did you two kiss? Isn't it obvious?"

He leaned forward, his tall figure enveloping Wen Zhuo. The dark shadow seemed to melt onto Wen Zhuo, making her appear shrouded in darkness. He stared at the trace of panic that Wen Zhuo had concealed well beneath her expression, then lowered his head and forcefully pulled her back as she jumped to run away.

Wen Zhuo found that this person's hands were like pliers, gripping her hand painfully. Her human rationality told her that she should immediately shake off Wen Zhaoye and curse him for being shameless, actually doing such a thing to her own sister. However, she was not human. Even though she had human memories and some human emotions, she was still a wild ghost, and her curiosity still prevailed.

She stared at Wen Zhaoye, who was getting closer and closer. What was he thinking? In her memory, Wen Zhaoye was very strict with her and seemed like the kind of person who would never do such a thing. Did the seven years since her death really affect him that much?

Just as his lips were about to touch hers, Wen Zhaoye stopped: "Is this how we kissed? You're not pushing me away, are you trying to continue?"

Wen Zhu blinked: "Did you not push me away back then because you wanted to continue?"

Wen Zhaoye paused for a moment, then tilted his head slightly, his lips brushing against her cheek. Their skin pressed tightly together, the two contrasting temperatures of heat and cold colliding suddenly. Wen Zhaoye's voice drifted in the air: "Maybe."

*****

"Wen Zhaoye, don't you think you're meddling too much?"

His younger sister looked up at him. Ever since she left home, she had never been kind to him. In the week before she left, Wen Zhaoye did not go to see her, wanting to wait until both of them had calmed down before talking things over.

Unexpectedly, he found her in a bar.

He suppressed his anger and stomped into the noisy place. The stage and the top of the dance hall were lit with ugly colored lights, like reflections in a plastic cup. A group of people dressed in revealing clothes were crowded together below the stage. He could almost imagine the disgusting, slippery feeling of touching other people's bodies.

He frowned, his aura becoming even heavier, his eyes scanning the interior of the bar. He was very tall, dressed in a sharp suit, looking like he had just come out of the office to arrest someone, completely out of place in the bar's environment.

Someone nearby curiously peeked out a few times, then sat back down with shining eyes, calling to their friend, "Wow! There's a handsome guy over there, super handsome! But he doesn't seem very approachable." She sighed with some regret, "He really is handsome, but his face is really gloomy."

"Really? There can be such a handsome guy here?" Wen Zhuo peeked out from behind her.

Wen Zhu nudged her friend with her shoulder: "Zhou Wenxuan, didn't you say you were going to take us to see something exciting? This isn't all, is it?"

Zhou Wenxuan bumped back, looking at Wen Zhuo with a serious expression. Wen Zhuo was a little confused for a moment, but didn't think much of it. She approached her solemnly and heard her say, "Keep your voice down. Is this something to be proud of?"

Wen Zhuo was taken aback, then jokingly scolded her a few times before bursting into laughter. Zhou Wenxuan, who had been trying to keep a straight face, couldn't hold back either, and the two of them instantly started laughing together.

She said seriously, "Of course not. Do you know what's on program here today?"

Wen Zhuo: "What?"

Zhou Wenxuan complained, "How can you be such a good straight man? It's not professional at all."

"Alright, so what's next?"

Zhou Wenxuan said mysteriously, "There's a pole dance tonight."

Wen Zhuo looked at him with a 'That's it?' expression and said, 'I don't like this kind of thing.'

"Tsk, what do you know! This bar just hired a bunch of handsome, muscular guys, and they're all just waiting to show up and attract customers today!"

Wen Zhuo raised an eyebrow: "Is that so? You've seen it?"

Zhou Wenxuan sighed and shook her head, looking very regretful: "I've seen him, he's incredibly handsome!"

Wen Zhuo: "When does the show start?"

"You two sound like you know this place very well. Could you tell me about it?" A deep, gentle voice suddenly appeared behind them. Wen Zhuo, who instantly recognized the voice, broke out in a cold sweat.

How could Wen Zhaoye be here!

Shouldn't he be peacefully working at the company, spending time with his younger sister? Why is he suddenly here? She noticed that Wen Zhaoye's hands were resting on the sofa behind her, his face turned to the side as he spoke to Zhou Wenxuan.

"Huh? You're that handsome guy from earlier! There seems to be pole dancing here tonight, you probably aren't interested." Zhou Wenxuan stared at his profile, her hand gripping Wen Zhuo's hand tightly underneath, pinching her so hard it hurt and her face contorted.

Wen Zhaoye's gaze swept over Wen Zhuo: "What do you mean?"

Zhou Wenxuan looked embarrassed and was about to say something when Wen Zhuo stopped her: "We're leaving soon, so we don't know the specifics."

Wen Zhuo didn't turn around, but just turned his face slightly to the side. Wen Zhaoye peeked over from the other side and said sarcastically, "Is that so? Didn't you want to see a handsome, muscular man doing pole dancing?"

Wen Zhuo: "......" I heard everything, why ask?

Wen Zhuo became irritated. She turned her head and glared at Wen Zhaoye: "You're here to cause trouble, aren't you!"

"What does this have to do with you?"

Zhou Wenxuan suddenly realized something, her eyes flashing with a bright light as she scanned them like laser beams.

Well, Wen Zhuo, you've been eating alone behind my back, haven't you!

Wen Zhuo: "..."

Wen Zhaoye said coldly, "You come to a place like this and you won't let me say anything? Do you think they're clean?"

Wen Zhuo was confused. What was all this about? "What's wrong with me having a few sips of wine? What's wrong with me glancing at men? Even if I slept with them today, it's none of your business, right?" Wen Zhuo said irritably.

Wen Zhaoye's face immediately darkened. He walked around to Wen Zhuo and, under Wen Zhuo's panicked gaze, pulled her up from the sofa. He said gently to Wen Zhuo's friend, "I'm sorry, I'm her brother. I need to talk to her for a while, and I might not be back."

Zhou Wenxuan also stood up. She stared intently at Wen Zhuo's expression and saw that Wen Zhuo's irritability was getting worse. She wanted to stop her, but Wen Zhuo shook off Wen Zhaoye's hand and kicked him in the shin. In the end, she walked in front of Wen Zhaoye instead.

Zhou Wenxuan withdrew her outstretched hand and murmured, "What's going on here?"

In the alley outside the bar, Wen Zhuo stopped and turned to look at Wen Zhaoye: "Whatever it is, just say it here. I'm in a hurry."

Are you in a hurry to see the poached chicken dance?

Wen Zhuo: "..."

You know nothing about skinny, handsome guys.

Wen Zhuo: "If you have nothing else to say, I'm leaving."

She was about to turn and leave when Wen Zhaoye blocked her way. The alley was very narrow, and the two of them could completely fill it. The dim yellow streetlights couldn't shine in at all, and Wen Zhaoye was backlit, so Wen Zhuo couldn't see the expression on his face.

Why not go back?

Wen Zhuo looked at him strangely: "Why do you want to go back?"

Before she left, her family tried to persuade her to stay, saying that the Wen family could afford to raise two daughters. Wen Zhuo secretly complied and slipped away. She herself felt uncomfortable staying there, and since she was going to university in another city anyway, she simply left first.

Wen Zhaoye took a deep breath: "Just because there's one more person doesn't mean the house isn't your home anymore."

Wen Zhuo remained silent.

Wen Zhaoye quickly suppressed his change in expression, his voice cold: "I went to your rented apartment. You live there? It's not even as big as your walk-in closet?"

Wen Zhuo said impatiently, "What's it to you?"

Wen Zhaoye continued his nagging: "I've noticed you've been buying a lot of fast food and takeout lately. Aren't you afraid of ruining your stomach by eating this all the time? Your health isn't good to begin with, and you still have to eat this junk food."

"Wen Zhaoye, are you ever going to stop? If you really care about me, just send me the money directly. Stop with this nonsense." Wen Zhuo pushed him away and took a few steps to leave.

Wen Zhaoye stopped her: "You're just using my family card, aren't you? Did I stop you from spending it?"

Wen Zhuo: "Didn't you freeze me? Are you out of your mind? Do you have Alzheimer's?"

"Wen Zhuo, if you don't want to use it, don't make up such a stupid excuse."

Wen Zhuo: "..."

He was still blocking the alley entrance. Wen Zhuo was so angry that her face turned red. She forcefully pushed Wen Zhaoye's arm away and was slammed hard against the rough wall.

What's wrong with you?

"Now you don't even call me 'brother' anymore? You have no respect for elders."

He started acting like a parent again, running his fingers through her disheveled hair: "Coming to a place like this, isn't it dirty? And who knows if those men are clean or not? Don't you care about your own safety?"

Wen Zhuo raised her head, forcefully slapped his hand away, her face as cold as ice: "Wen Zhaoye, don't you think you're meddling too much?"