Cowardly Brave

The setting sun melts gold, dyeing the villa's floor-to-ceiling window frames into warm amber.

Wen Lingyi walked into the bathroom first, and the sound of water soon rang out, isolating herself from the outside world.

Lunch was skipped and we went straight to dinner.

Zhou Jianxing dragged his heavy legs downstairs and headed for the kitchen. The refrigerator door opened, and the cold air rushed in, illuminating the monotonous contents inside: several bottles of expensive wine, a few cans of sparkling drinks, neatly arranged bottles of Evian mineral water, and a few lonely pieces of imported dark chocolate.

Just as Wen Lingyi said, it was empty.

Zhou Jianxing's fingers unconsciously stroked the cold inner wall of the refrigerator, feeling bitter that Wen Lingyi was not well taken care of.

The refrigerator can reflect a person's happiness index, and Wen Lingyi is obviously unhappy.

She couldn't help but wonder what Wen Lingyi usually ate. Did she eat out or order takeout? Was she often hungry, like a plant left unattended?

·

While I was daydreaming, Wen Lingyi came out wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair dripping with water, and her cheeks were faintly flushed by the heat.

"Go wash up." Her voice was as lazy as usual.

Zhou Jianxing walked into the steamy bathroom, the warm water washing over her body and clearing away her chaotic thoughts. Sweetness and bitterness, like two different pigments, stirred and smudged repeatedly in the pool of her heart, eventually settling into an indescribable sour and swollen feeling.

When she came out after drying herself, Wen Lingyi had already blown her long hair dry and was combing it in front of the mirror.

Zhou Jianxing walked silently behind her, and the mirror reflected her wet hair and somewhat confused eyes.

She looked at Wen Lingyi's slender back, her fingers curled up, the urge to touch leaped at her fingertips, but in the end they just fell down weakly and shrank back to her side.

Wen Lingyi saw her in the mirror, without turning around, but pointed to the dressing stool beside her without hesitation: "Sit down."

Zhou Jianxing sat down as he was told.

The next second, Wen Lingyi naturally picked up the hair dryer, and the warm air and slender fingers fell on her damp hair at the same time. The movement was gentle and delicate, and the fingertips occasionally brushed against her scalp, bringing a pleasant slight numbing sensation.

She played with Zhou Jianxing's wet hair, her expression focused, as if the rejection and cold words in the bedroom just now had never happened, as if there had never been an invisible rift between them.

The sudden, almost deliberate tenderness, like a thin layer of sugar coating, wrapped Zhou Jianxing's sour heart. She even had a feeling, a feeling... that Wen Lingyi might... really like her a little bit.

She let Wen Lingyi play with her hair, but her eyes were fixed on the mirror, staring at Wen Lingyi's face without all makeup.

Without the embellishment of makeup, Wen Lingyi's facial features were exceptionally plain, her skin revealing an almost translucent whiteness, with a faint bluish shadow under her eyes. Her usual carefully crafted allure had faded, and now between her brows lay a genuine, defenseless vulnerability.

It was as if all the disguises were washed away by the water along with the makeup.

What is Wen Lingyi thinking about?

·

The hum of the hair dryer stopped. Zhou Jianxing finally spoke, his voice tentative: "What do you want to eat? Shall we go out for dinner?"

"No need." Wen Lingyi put down the hair dryer and said calmly, "I ordered takeout."

The takeaway arrived quickly and the exquisite lunch box was placed on the table.

The silent storm in the bedroom seemed to have been put on hold for the time being. The two sat opposite each other and began to eat under the warm yellow light of the restaurant.

Zhou Jianxing was like a curious child, constantly asking:

"Sister Wen, what's your favorite food?"

"Is there anything you absolutely won't touch?"

"How many meals a day do you usually eat? What time do you eat?"

“…”

Wen Lingyi, with rare patience, answered each question one by one. Perhaps it was because she had exerted too much energy today, or perhaps it was because Zhou Jianxing's focused, childish satisfaction while eating had infected her, but today, for the first time in her life, she ate half a bowl more than usual.

The sky outside the window finally darkened completely, the inky blue night swallowing up the last ray of sunlight. The warm yellow light in the restaurant was like a small, safe cocoon, enveloping them.

Wen Lingyi put down her chopsticks and looked quietly at Zhou Jianxing across from her. She ate very seriously, her cheeks slightly puffed up, and occasionally she squinted her eyes in satisfaction when she tasted something she liked.

A strange, heavy sense of satisfaction quietly grew in Wen Lingyi's heart.

She seemed to suddenly understand the feelings of the elders when they watched their children eat.

That kind of uncontrollable, almost instinctive "spoiling" makes you want the other person to eat more and more, as if the other person's satisfaction is your greatest comfort.

After the meal, Zhou Jianxing took the initiative to clear the lunch boxes from the table. Her movements were slow, as if she was waiting for something.

Every stacked lunch box and every wipe of the table carries a silent expectation.

However, Wen Lingyi didn't say a word until she tied the last garbage bag.

There was a soundless silence in the air.

Zhou Jianxing's heart sank little by little.

That's right... Today, I'm exhausted, both physically and emotionally. What good would it do to stay? It would just make things awkward.

"I... should go back." Zhou Jianxing said in a low voice.

Wen Lingyi's fingers holding the water cup paused for a moment, then looked up at her, seeming a little surprised.

She subconsciously wanted to say something, her lips moved slightly, but in the end she just nodded: "Well, okay."

She wanted Zhou Jianxing to stay, but when he offered to leave, she couldn't find a suitable and decent reason to keep him. She still remembered the cold words she said and the action of pushing him away when they were intimate in bed today.

Wen Lingyi watched Zhou Jianxing's figure disappear behind the door. The slight sound of the door closing was particularly clear in the empty living room.

·

As soon as Zhou Jianxing left, the villa was instantly filled with a suffocating sense of emptiness.

The cold air from the central air conditioner seemed to suddenly increase in strength, causing a layer of tiny bumps to form on Wen Lingyi's forearms exposed outside her bathrobe.

She walked to the window and looked out at the carefully tended garden. The lush greenery and vitality of the day seemed lifeless under the shroud of darkness, like a frozen, gloomy backdrop.

Wen Lingyi walked upstairs barefoot and returned to the bedroom.

The air still held the scent of Zhou Jianxing, mixed with the smell of lust, which only made the moment even more desolate. He opened the drawer of the bedside table and took out a box of slender ladies' cigarettes and a silver lighter.

The cool touch of the metal made her fingertips tremble.

"Click." A faint blue flame leaped up, lighting the cigarette. Wen Lingyi took a deep breath, the pungent nicotine rushing into her lungs, bringing a brief dizziness and numbness, barely suppressing the emptiness and inexplicable irritability surging in her heart.

Smoke swirled around her fingertips as Wen Lingyi leaned against the head of the bed, her eyes blank.

Strangely enough, she always seemed to avoid letting Zhou Jianxing see her smoking. Was she afraid of ruining her "perfect" image in his eyes? Or was she afraid of seeing a hint of disgust or disappointment in those clear, focused eyes?

A cigarette burned out, its gray butt extinguished in a crystal ashtray. Her emotions seemed to be temporarily buried by the ashes, calming down a bit. She lay down on the empty bed, the silky sheets cold against her skin.

·

However, physical fatigue does not bring sleepiness.

In the darkness, the image of Zhou Jianxing rolling over and pressing her down that afternoon emerged with incredible clarity. The weight of that body, its scorching heat, and those eyes, gleaming with ingratiation and desire...

Even though she had already done it twice by herself in the shower, at this moment, in the boundless night with only the cold air from the air conditioner as her companion, the feeling of emptiness was infinitely magnified, even pushed to a cold and sharp peak, but she was unable to do it by herself.

Wen Lingyi suddenly had an idea.

What she needs is never simple, mechanical physical comfort.

What she needed was Zhou Jianxing's body temperature. It was the warmth that dispelled all the coldness when that body pressed against her without reservation.

It's the feeling of being truly and forcefully embraced.

The phone screen lit up in the darkness, the dim light illuminating her somewhat unfocused eyes.

It was a message from Zhou Jianxing, just two simple words.

"good evening"

good evening?

Wen Lingyi's lips curled into a bitter arc. Before she met Zhou Jianxing, her nights were just empty, routine sleep. But after she met Zhou Jianxing, her nights were filled with uneasy tides, burning memories, and cold loneliness.

His fingers unconsciously stroked his body, imagining that it should be Zhou Jianxing's warm hand.

However, the thirst inside the body not only did not subside, but instead became like an awakened vine, tightening and winding.

Finally, she sat up suddenly, scratched her hair irritably, and got out of bed barefoot.

Another drawer of the bedside table was pulled open with a harsh friction sound. She fished out a small medicine bottle, poured out two small white pills, and swallowed them with half a glass of cold water on the bedside table.

The bitterness of the pill spread across her tongue, just like her mood at the moment.

·

In the Zhou family's living room, under the dim light, Zhou Jianjun and Zhou Shufen slumped on the sofa, facing the flickering lights on the TV screen.

As soon as Zhou Jianxing came back, he went into the bedroom, but the old couple's worries finally settled down.

Their daughter's condition had visibly improved. She came home every day with a smile on her face, and she would make a point of dressing herself neatly and beautifully. Even her walk had become much more brisk. This made them feel more at ease than any other panacea.

Zhou Jianjun's eyelids began to twitch, and the sound from the TV became a vague background noise.

Just as his head was nodding and he was about to fall asleep, Zhou Jianxing's bedroom door creaked open.

Zhou Jianxing brought a small stool and sat silently on the carpet at their feet. She lowered her head, her cheeks slightly puffed up, as if she was brewing some important decision.

"Dad, Mom," she finally raised her head, her voice carrying an unusual solemnity, "I want to tell you something."

Zhou Jianjun's sleepiness was instantly awakened. He sat up straight and exchanged a puzzled and slightly nervous look with Zhou Shufen.

How long had it been? How long had it been since my daughter spoke to them in such a serious tone?

"What's wrong, Xingxing?" Zhou Shufen's hand naturally fell on Zhou Jianxing's shoulder and patted it gently, her eyes fixed on her daughter's drooping eyes.

"Hmm..." Zhou Jianxing took a deep breath, as if he had finally mustered up all the courage in his life.

She looked up and looked directly into her mother's eyes, and put one hand on Zhou Shufen's knee, as if to draw strength.

"That's right, from now on... I might not come back to stay overnight sometimes." She paused, a blush spreading across her cheeks, but her voice was clear and firm. "I'm dating someone."

The living room instantly became quiet, with only insignificant advertisements still playing on TV.

Zhou Shufen turned her head abruptly and exchanged glances with Zhou Jianjun. Both of their eyes were filled with shock and a hint of realization.

"Huh?" Zhou Jianjun opened his mouth, unsure how to react. Was his daughter's recent behavior really due to her falling in love?

Although he suddenly felt a complicated feeling of "his juicy cabbages were eaten by pigs from nowhere", compared with all the dark speculations they had about their daughter some time ago, this was really great news.

It’s good to be in love! Zhou Jianxing has long reached the age where he should get married, but he has never come to the point. He and his child’s mother often complain and worry behind his back.

But... for a traditional family like theirs, it is a bit unusual for their daughter to stay out all night before settling down.

But on second thought, it was precisely because my daughter trusted and respected them that she chose to talk about this matter openly instead of sneaking out at night.

This honesty and trust instantly turned Zhou Jianjun's discomfort into the tolerance of an old father.

"Okay, I understand." Zhou Shufen accepted this fact faster than her husband. She reached out and gently touched Zhou Jianxing's furry head with love and a little bit of worry, just like when she was a child.

"But, Xingxing," she lowered her voice, carrying the caution of someone who's experienced it, "your dad and I... aren't in a rush to become grandparents yet. You... need to be aware of this and take good care of yourself."

Zhou Jianxing's face instantly turned red, and he shook his head like a rattle: "No...Mom, I promised you."

His eyes were so determined that he looked like he wanted to join the party.

Zhou Jianjun nodded, cleared his throat, and tried to put on his fatherly authority. "Okay, Dad knows about this. So... when can you bring the boy home so we can take a look? We can then check him out for you."

He was still a little worried. His daughter had never been in a relationship and was very simple-minded. He was afraid that she would be cheated.

Bring Wen Lingyi home...

Zhou Jianxing's heart skipped a beat. She wanted so badly to introduce Wen Lingyi to her parents openly and tell the whole world that this was the person she loved.

But... the cold words "I don't want others to know about our relationship" immediately echoed sharply in her ears.

Like a basin of ice water, it extinguished the flames that had just ignited. What's more, Wen Lingyi already had a husband.

She can only unilaterally regard this as love. Secret love is also love, isn't it?

Moreover, they had already done everything lovers could do. Their physical intimacy had already surpassed the boundaries of an employment relationship.

Finally, Zhou Jianxing nodded and forced a smile, his voice trembling slightly. "Yeah. Okay. When the time is right, I'll bring her back. But right now, our relationship isn't very stable."

This... shouldn't be considered a lie, right? She thought to herself silently.

Although Wen Lingyi may not like her that much now, is not ready to accept a "romantic" relationship, and even resists her touch, she will try her best.

She will try her best to make Wen Lingyi like her, like her very much.

Like her so much...I am willing to break all the rules and constraints for her.

Then, they can walk hand in hand in the sunshine like all ordinary couples, introduce each other to the most important people, and have a legitimate love affair.

This thought was like a faint but persistent light, penetrating the haze in my heart.

It turns out that she has always been a love-brained person, but she just had never met Wen Lingyi before.