Chapter 20

20

They booked a Cantonese restaurant for dinner in the evening, but for some reason something went wrong. When they arrived, the restaurant staff said they had not received their order and that the private room was no longer available.

Lin Ju and Zhao Xingcan were walking at the end. Wu Wangfeng came over with a frown and told them that there was some problem with the private room they had booked, so he deliberately wanted to change restaurants to eat.

But it was dinner time, and all the better restaurants were fully booked.

Zhao Xingcan pondered for a moment, then took a step forward and said with a smile, "I have a friend in the catering business. Don't rush to change. Let me give him a call and try."

A few minutes later, Zhao Xingcan put away his phone and said to Wu Wangfeng and the others, "You can go in now."

As soon as he finished speaking, the restaurant manager came out trotting and greeted them with a smile. Upon seeing them, he immediately said, "These distinguished guests are friends of Mr. Feng. Mr. Feng has reserved a private room for you all."

This restaurant is doing really good business. The rows of seats at the door are all occupied by people waiting in the lobby. They were greeted by the manager and walked around the crowd and straight in.

After entering the private room, Lin Ju's colleagues all thanked Zhao Xingcan. When pouring the wine, Wu Wangfeng asked Zhao Xingcan if he wanted some. Zhao Xingcan smiled and waved his hand, "Thank you." He stood up and picked up the wine glass with both hands.

Lin Ju watched from the side. After he sat down, she leaned over and asked, "Can I drink? Don't you have to drive later?"

"It's okay, honey, you can call a designated driver." Zhao Xingcan's "honey" was a casual word, but it made Lin Ju stunned. Her ear felt like it had been bitten, numb and tingling. She shrank her neck and said nothing.

She originally thought that Zhao Xing would be out of place at this meal.

Unexpectedly, he and his colleagues got along very well. After the meal, Wu Wangfeng and his colleagues were already close friends.

After three rounds of drinking, everyone was tipsy. Wu Wangfeng blushed and squinted his eyes, pointing at Zhao Xingcan and saying, "It's not easy for my junior sister. You have to treat her better."

Lin Ju was originally absent-mindedly staring at Zhao Xingcan's fingers holding the wine glass, but when she heard this, she suddenly looked up.

Her eyelids twitched and she looked over quietly. Zhao Xingcan turned his head away, with a faint red under the corners of his eyes. He lowered his eyebrows and glanced at her.

They looked at each other, and Lin Ju felt as if his heart was being pinched and pressed tightly by an invisible hand.

She couldn't breathe and there was a buzzing noise in her ears. She could only make out what Zhao Xingcan said by his lip movements.

His lips were slightly open, the tip of his tongue pressed against his upper teeth, and the corners of his lips were pulled into an upward arc.

He said, "Of course."

The hand crushing her heart slowly loosened. Lin Ju took a deep breath, grabbed the cup on the table, and emptied it into her mouth. A burst of spicy and bitter taste of heartburn exploded in her mouth. She stuck out her tongue, frowned, and coughed.

Zhao Xingshen immediately poured her a glass of water and patted her back gently. He glanced at the wine she had finished in one gulp and frowned slightly, "Lin Ju, you drank from the wrong glass. This glass is full of wine."

Lin Ju hummed, she couldn't drink. Her snow-white face and neck were flushed, her eyelashes were trembling, and she looked at Zhao Xingcan drunkenly and stupidly.

Zhao Xingcan didn't want others to see her like this.

Lin Ju and several of his colleagues heard the noise and looked over at them.

Zhao Xingcan picked up the hat she had placed behind the chair, put it on her head, pressed down the brim, and covered half of her face.

He smiled and explained to everyone that Lin Ju had drunk from the wrong glass and was feeling unwell, so he had to go back first. Everyone expressed their understanding and waved their hands, telling him not to worry.

Zhao Xingcan hugged Lin Ju and left first, walked to the front hall, and paid for the food.

After drinking the whole glass of white wine, Lin Ju felt a burning sensation spreading from his stomach to his throat.

The brim of her hat blocked a large part of her vision, and the whole world was dim. She let Zhao Xingcan hold her hand and followed behind him, staggering.

Zhao Xingcan in front of her suddenly stopped. She didn't react in time and bumped into Zhao Xingcan's back.

After a sob, Zhao Xingcan turned around, held her shoulders, and lifted her hat. "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Lin Ju squinted her eyes, and under the dim light, Zhao Xingcan's face slowly began to double. She stood on tiptoe, opened her arms and hooked them around Zhao Xingcan's neck. She raised her lips to his ear and asked vaguely, "Zhao Xingcan, how did you become two?"

The lights in the road parking lot are not very bright, and the dimness makes people sink.

Zhao Xingcan knew she was drunk, and without any impatience, he had already reached the car. He leaned against the parking space, his right arm around her waist, and his other hand gently rubbed her neck. "Yeah, how come there are two of me?"

He repeated her question and listened to her say, "I like both of you."

Zhao Xingcan's fingers paused, and his fingertips circled on the warm and delicate skin.

Lin Ju must have felt itchy and shrank her neck.

She hummed twice and asked sullenly, "Zhao Xingcan, do you think I'm annoying?"

Zhao Xingcan's hands played with her long hair from time to time, and he tilted his head and asked, "Why would I bother you?"

Lin Ju moved her body without looking up, "I always send you messages... asking you what you are doing... want to see you..." Her voice was intermittent and unclear, but Zhao Xingcan understood it all.

Missing someone is the most normal thing in a relationship between a man and a woman, but in Lin Ju's eyes, it has become a shackle and a nuisance to Zhao Xingcan.

He pursed his lips slightly and realized that Lin Ju was not as calm as she seemed. She was just hiding her panic.

Zhao Xingcan said no, but I didn’t feel annoyed.

Lin Ju said "Huh" and raised her neck slightly. Her face and eyes were red, like a little apple. She looked at him eagerly, "Why don't you think I'm annoying? I think I'm annoying myself."

"Because you are my girlfriend, I feel good about this." Zhao Xingcan poked her soft face with his fingers, just like teasing a kitten.

Due to the influence of alcohol, Lin Ju was slow to react. She frowned and slowly leaned her head on Zhao Xingcan's shoulder again. She exhaled, as if she had given up thinking, and her body softened.

Zhao Xingcan held her with one hand, opened the car door with the other hand, and carried Lin Ju in.

As soon as Lin Ju sat down, she fell directly into Zhao Xingcan's arms. Zhao Xingcan called her a few times, but all he got in response was the little girl's impatient humming.

"Don't bother me..." Lin Ju muttered, raising his hand to push Zhao Xingcan away.

Fortunately, Zhao Xingcan dodged in time, otherwise the slap would have hit him in the face.

Zhao Xingcan stared at Lin Ju's sleeping face and laughed in silence. What a little bastard. He was the one who was crying and asking him if he was annoying, and now he turned over and fell asleep. He should stop bothering him.

Zhao Xingcan left Lin Ju in a corner and ignored her. The car was quiet for three seconds. He turned around and hugged her in his arms.

Lin Ju slept uneasily. She felt like she was on a small boat, with the wind and waves rising and falling all around her, and her boat was swaying.

She was shaking so hard that she curled up, holding her stomach, her face pale.

Zhao Xingcan noticed that something was wrong with her and touched her face, his hands covered in cold sweat.

Lin Ju frowned, and breathing became difficult. Zhao Xingcan lowered his head and asked her if she was feeling unwell.

She opened her eyes slightly and uttered a weak sound, "My stomach hurts."

Zhao Xingcan immediately asked the driver to go to the nearest hospital first. When they arrived at the hospital, the driver wanted to get out of the car to help, but saw that Zhao Xingcan had already pushed open the car door, picked up Lin Ju and ran into the hospital.

After a check, Lin Ju was found to be completely sober. She curled up in the hanging chair, wearing Zhao Xingcan's coat, like a kitten that had done something bad, waiting to be scolded by her owner.

Zhao Xingcan held the checklist, frowned tightly, tightened his jaw, opened his eyelids, and stared at Lin Ju.

This was the emergency infusion room, surrounded by people. Zhao Xingcan placed one hand on the chair behind her, leaned forward, and whispered in her ear, "Lin Ju, didn't I tell you to eat well and not eat when you're hungry? Don't you take your health seriously at all?"

It was the first time she saw such a cold and serious expression on his face. He hid his face in his coat, leaving only his eyes exposed, staring at Zhao Xingcan.

She tentatively reached out and grabbed Zhao Xingcan's fingers on the side of her thigh, held them carefully, and slowly swung them to both sides.

"I was wrong, Zhao Xingcan, don't be angry."

Zhao Xingcan lowered his eyes, and Lin Ju wrinkled her nose and made a face at him.

Zhao Xingcan was so angry that he laughed. He couldn't help but pinch Lin Ju's chin and shook it twice, "It's already like this, and you're still making trouble."

It was already late at night when we came out of the hospital. The driver was asleep in the car outside. When he heard the noise, he got up in a hurry.

Zhao Xingcan helped Lin Ju get into the car. After getting in, the two of them sat next to each other. Both looked extremely tired and soon fell asleep.

The car drove towards Peninsula Villa. When they arrived, the driver was still thinking about how to wake up Zhao Xingcan.

Looking back, Zhao Xingcan's face was clear and he had obviously woken up.

He lowered his hand to the driver, got out of the car, picked up Lin Ju and walked into the house.

The lights in the house were on. Zhao Xingcan stood at the door, took off Lin Ju's hearing aid and put it in his pocket.

When he opened the door, he saw a woman sitting in the living room. She had short, neat hair, a well-maintained beautiful face, and her expression was exactly the same as Zhao Xingcan's.

They looked at each other, and Zhao Xingcan nodded slightly while hugging Lin Ju under the woman's gaze.

Jiang Yin stood up and examined Lin Ju in Zhao Xingcan's arms. "Zhao Ke told your grandfather that you had a girlfriend in China and you were willing to stay in Hai City for her. Is that her?"

Her voice was neither light nor heavy, echoing in the empty living room.

"A woman like this is just for fun. No matter how much effort you put into her, she will eventually break up with you. It's better for you to spend more time with that young lady from the Qiao family." Jiang Yin looked indifferent. She glanced at the person in Zhao Xingcan's arms and saw that she didn't move at all and was still sleeping soundly, as if she didn't hear what she said at all.

The shadows of the trees are scattered outside the window, and the rustling sound of the wind can be heard.

Zhao Xingcan turned sideways to block Jiang Yin's gaze, then tilted his head and looked at Jiang Yin.

"You've crossed the line."

Jiang Yin was stunned, frowned, and wanted to speak, but when she met his gaze, the words on her lips stopped abruptly.

He had handsome features, and usually appeared indifferent and reserved in front of others, with a strong sense of distance between them. At this moment, with a cold glance, this feeling was even stronger, and the sharpness between his eyebrows became even sharper.

Jiang Yin looked at him as if he was looking at a stranger.

Her marriage to Zhao Xingcan's father was purely a capital marriage, and after giving birth to this child, they began to live their own lives. Over the years, her relationship with Zhao Xingcan has always been very distant.

She was about to speak when Zhao Xingcan turned and went upstairs. Jiang Yin was anxious and couldn't help but shout, "Xingcan, there is no so-called freedom in the Zhao family. Everything you have now was given by the Zhao family. If you want to break it, you must pay the price."

Lin Ju probably couldn't hear anything at all. She was sleeping soundly, curled up in the barrier given to her by Zhao Xingcan.

Zhao Xingcan paused slightly, turned his head quietly, and looked down at Jiang Yin, "The driver will take you back."

Zhao Xingcan carried Lin Ju back to the room and gently placed her on the bed.

As soon as Lin Ju touched the bed, she curled up into a ball. Zhao Xingcan picked up the quilt and covered her with it, then sat sideways on the edge of the bed and touched her hair.

Lin Ju opened her eyes, and Zhao Xingcan placed the hearing aid in his pocket on the head of her bed. Her eyes followed his movements and finally fell on his lips.

Zhao Xingcan asked, "Does your stomach still hurt?"

Lin Ju shook his head slightly, raised his hand to take out his cell phone and type.

What's wrong with you? You don't look happy.

Zhao Xingcan stared at the words and smiled slightly. He wasn't very proficient in sign language yet, so at this moment, communication could only be through text. He simply kept silent, picked up his phone, and leaned against the bedside, typing.

【Maybe I’m a little tired.】

[Do you want to come to the bed?] After she typed this line, her brows slightly furrowed. Just as she was about to delete it, Zhao Xingcan took the phone away.

The man hugged her, her chin resting on his shoulder, perhaps laughing, his chest shaking. As he held her from behind, Zhao Xingcan held his phone in front of her and typed.

What are you doing on the bed? Just lying there?

The tip of Lin Ju's chin was almost touching her collarbone, and her face was burning. She was about to pick up her phone to reply, but her fingers touched Zhao Xingcan's fingers, and it felt like they were touching something hot.

She subconsciously looked up and looked into a pair of black eyes filled with smiles.

The soft, moist touch on her lips, the wormwood and the smell of alcohol on his body made her feel intoxicated even by breathing.

She called Zhao Xingcan's name tremblingly, but no sound came out.

Zhao Xingcan raised his head and held her face. In the frighteningly quiet world, she saw Zhao Xingcan say, "Lin Ju, don't be afraid. It's just a kiss."