Chapter 32

32

Lin Ju counted for more than a thousand seconds and fell asleep during that time. When he woke up, he forgot where he had counted to, so he guessed and found a number to continue.

Zhao Xingcan rushed to the hospital and saw his secretary sitting on a bench in the corridor. When he saw him, he immediately put down his phone and stood up.

Zhao Xingcan slowed down as he approached the ward and glanced at the closed door. "How is she? Is she okay?"

The secretary looked a little embarrassed. He was left behind to look after Miss Lin, but he went in several times and Miss Lin was either sleeping or counting sheep. He didn't want to disturb her rest, so he didn't follow Zhao Xingcan's suggestion and specifically asked her to get up for dinner.

The secretary answered truthfully, and after hearing it, Zhao Xingcan actually showed a smile on his face.

He heard Zhao Xingcan's relaxed tone as he said, "I understand. Please order me a bowl of fish congee from Dingji, and remember to leave out the cilantro and ginger. There's nothing else to do, so go back and rest... Oh, and clear my schedule for tomorrow."

The secretary listened with a calm expression, but was actually quite surprised. She agreed, "Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

Ding Ji is a Chinese restaurant in Paris. Its fish porridge is its specialty. Zhao Xingcan sometimes eats here when he feels stomach discomfort.

After giving these instructions, Zhao Xingcan was about to open the door when he heard a clang sound from inside.

He immediately pushed the door open and walked in. There was no light in the room, so it was a little dark. Lin Ju was lying on the ground against the wall near the door, with an overturned chair next to her.

Zhao Xingcan closed the door, turned on the light, and picked up Lin Ju.

"Why did you fall?" Zhao Xingcan asked with his head down.

In the bright white light, the panic on Lin Ju's face was clear. She avoided Zhao Xingcan's gaze, lowered her eyelashes, and said softly, "I heard your voice. You were talking to someone, and I wanted to get closer... I didn't see there was a chair next to you."

"Are you eavesdropping on me?" Zhao Xingcan said with a smile in his tone, tilting his head to look at her.

Since everything was revealed, Lin Ju simply stopped trying to hide it and said frankly, "Yeah."

Zhao Xingcan held her in his arms, but instead of putting her on the bed, he placed her on the sofa and half-knelt in front of her.

He looked up and she lowered her head, and each other's eyes were filled with each other's shadow.

Zhao Xingcan asked, "Why do you want to eavesdrop on me? Lin Ju, are you also reluctant to leave me?"

He used the word "also" as if he himself was reluctant to do so.

A complicated look appeared in Lin Ju's eyes, and she deliberately avoided his expectant gaze.

Feeling bitter and depressed, she recalled when she was a child, her parents quarreled and her mother pointed at her father's nose and scolded him.

Words like "cheating", "mistress", "extramarital affair" were heard intermittently by her not-so-good ear.

She was afraid and even disgusted by such words, and she never thought that she would touch them one day.

Lin Ju exhaled lightly and said self-deprecatingly: "Zhao Xingcan, I can't bear to leave you and can't forget you, but what's the use of all this? You will marry someone else."

This is the most realistic problem. Lin Ju can't possibly be his mistress. Although this kind of thing is not uncommon in powerful families like theirs.

"I won't marry anyone else."

Zhao Xingcan never looked forward to his marriage. Before, when he didn't look forward to it, he just let his elders do whatever they wanted, and it didn't matter who he married.

But after he broke up with Lin Ju, every morning when he woke up, the image of Lin Ju sleeping beside him would involuntarily appear in his mind.

His phone is full of photos of Lin Ju. He can't forget her, nor does he want to forget her.

Zhao Xingcan raised his head, his neck slightly tense. He was rarely so nervous. "Lin Ju, I rejected the Qiao family's marriage proposal. This will never happen again."

"Before, I wasn't good enough, I ignored you. Can you... give me another chance?"

After separating from Zhao Xingcan, Lin Ju met him in Suzhou.

At that time, an international summit was to be held near where Lin Ju lived, and some roads were blocked and vehicles were prohibited from passing.

She was going to the supermarket to buy some things, and she had to ride her bicycle in a big circle. When her bicycle turned the corner, she saw a man coming out of the opposite building and a tall woman beside him.

The man's expression was the indifferent and distant look she was familiar with, but when the woman next to him approached, the corners of his mouth twitched and he smiled.

The weather was slightly cool at that time. The leaves of the roadside tree had turned yellow, and the branches were full of red capsules. The wind blew away the branches and leaves.

Lin Ju looked at it, almost like dementia.

Afterwards, she went to the supermarket and walked around and around, but she didn't bring anything out. On the way back, she fell off her bicycle and scraped her knees and arms on the ground, leaving a large bloody wound.

The injury still leaves a faint mark, and has become an indelible demon in Lin Ju's heart.

And now, the inner demon that made her panic, unable to sleep at night, and ashamed was easily resolved by Zhao Xingcan in front of her.

She was a little speechless, "Zhao Xingcan, you..."

She wanted to say something but stopped herself. Zhao Xingcan looked at her silence and clenched his hands hanging by his side little by little.

Lin Ju's thoughts were a little confused. After a long while, she regained her composure and said slowly, "We will separate like before."

She and Zhao Xingcan are not from the same world at all. It seems that any little disturbance could make Zhao Xingcan give up on her.

Just as Zhao Xingcan was about to speak, someone knocked on the door.

He lowered his eyes, smiled self-deprecatingly, and then stood up. However, because he had been squatting for too long, when he stood up, his steps staggered and his body swayed slightly.

Lin Ju subconsciously wanted to help him, but the hand she offered was wrapped in his palm. Then she felt a heat in her ear, and she heard Zhao Xingcan's voice. The other party asked: "Lin Ju, can I pursue you again?"

Lin Ju was shocked and opened her mouth. Although she was wearing a hearing aid, she couldn't make any sound.

After Zhao Xingcan said this, he turned around and walked to the door.

Lin Ju watched him open the door, take something in from outside, and then come in front of her.

He dragged a small table over from the side, placed the food bag on it, unpacked it, took out a red and white lunch box, opened the lid, and the aroma of food filled his nose. He then took out a small bowl from the side, wiped the edges carefully with a tissue, scooped out two small spoonfuls of porridge, and pushed it to Lin Ju's hand.

Normally, he was served by others, but at this moment, he served Lin Ju with a series of actions that were as smooth as flowing water.

When Lin Ju lived with him, he basically took care of her in this way, so she didn't think it was a big deal and took the small bowl of porridge as a matter of course and started drinking it.

The hot porridge touched her taste buds. After eating white food for several months, this familiar Chinese delicacy made her stunned. She tilted her head and looked at Zhao Xingcan who was sitting casually on the bed opposite her.

She drank and asked slowly: "How are you going to pursue me?"

Zhao Xingcan got off the bed on one foot and sat down next to her.

A year later, the scent of the man beside her enveloped her again. She couldn't help but hold her breath and subconsciously moved to the side, but the sofa had no armrests. She was distracted for a moment and fell to the ground.

Her vision was upside down, and she was in a trance. A large hand appeared on her waist, and her arm tightened. By the time she realized what was happening, she had already fallen into Zhao Xingcan's arms.

Zhao Xingcan had a faint smile in his eyes. He rested his chin on her shoulder and asked her in her ear, "Is it okay for me to pursue you like this?"

Lin Ju's face flushed red, extending from her ears to her neck. She used her hands to push away Zhao Xingcan's touch, but as soon as she moved, her expression suddenly changed.

She grabbed one of Zhao Xingcan's hands. When she fell down, the porridge in the bowl splashed onto the back of Zhao Xingcan's hand.

A large red spot immediately appeared on Zhao Xingcan's hand, which was particularly obvious against his jade-colored skin.

Lin Ju's eyes instantly turned red. She lowered her head and looked at Zhao Xingcan's hand, her voice a little hoarse, "I'll go call a doctor."

Zhao Xingcan pulled his hand back and said nonchalantly, "It's just a little red, it's okay."

He picked up the bowl of porridge on the ground and said, "I'll give you another bowl. You haven't eaten much."

Lin Ju took the small bowl from his hand directly, with a stern face, holding his hands tightly with both hands, and dragged him out, "Let's go see a doctor first."

Zhao Xingcan had no choice but to get up and let her drag him out.

There were several bodyguards standing outside the door. When they saw the door open, they immediately looked over.

Lin Ju grabbed Zhao Xingcan's arm and walked towards the nurse's station in front of everyone with an expressionless face. Her fingers were tense and her knuckles were white, as if she was afraid that Zhao Xingcan would escape if she relaxed a little.

Zhao Xingcan had initially found it amusing, but seeing how serious she was, the smile gradually faded. He stared blankly at Lin Ju's taut back as she walked to the nurse's station. The nurse didn't understand English, so she pulled out her phone and struggled to communicate in awkward French.

Zhao Xingcan sighed lightly, placed one hand on Lin Ju's shoulder, and gently pulled her towards himself.

He spoke fluent French. To Lin Ju, it seemed that Zhao Xingcan had only said a few simple words. The nurse smiled and nodded, came out from the nurses' desk, and took them to another room.

When Zhao Xingcan walked into the room and was examined by the doctor, the red marks where he had been splashed with porridge had disappeared.

The French doctor stared at it for a long time but couldn't see any problem. He looked at Zhao Xingcan speechlessly.

Zhao Xingcan raised his hands, shrugged his shoulders, and said something in French. The French doctor looked at Lin Ju's face and then smiled ambiguously.

Lin Ju was stunned, turned her head slightly, and met Zhao Xingcan's smiling eyes.

Perhaps to reassure Lin Ju, Zhao Xingcan asked the doctor to prescribe some ointment for him.

Coming out of the clinic, Lin Ju couldn't help but ask, "What did you guys say?"

Zhao Xingcan raised his eyebrows slightly, looking very pleased. "He asked me, why did you come to the hospital with such a small injury?"

"I told him that my girlfriend was too protective of my body and didn't want me to get hurt in the slightest."

Lin Ju stared at him in astonishment, her face flushing red, as if rouge had fallen into the water, staining the entire pool red.

She walked quickly in front, while Zhao Xingcan chuckled softly behind her.

Strangely enough, her not-so-good ears could hear everything clearly at this moment.

After returning to the room, Lin Ju quickly climbed onto the bed and pulled the quilt over her head.

Zhao Xingcan followed leisurely, half bent over and looked at Lin Ju on the bed, "Are you angry?"

He asked tentatively. After a while, Lin Ju slowly pulled back the quilt, sat up and glanced at him, "I'm not angry about this."

There were still two red spots on her cheeks, and her lower eyelids, nose tip and even lips were all bright red. The collar of her loose clothes was loose, half of her shoulders were exposed, and her hair was scattered in wisps, looking like snow against her skin.

Zhao Xingcan turned his head slightly, raised his hand, grabbed her clothes and pulled them up.

Lin Ju reacted, grabbed her collar, and dodged his hand.

Her reaction made them both stunned.

Zhao Xingcan lowered his eyes and withdrew his slightly stiff hand. Lin Ju heard his sigh, but it was so light that she thought she had misheard.

Seeing him like this, Lin Ju pursed her lips and said, "Don't look like that, as if I bullied you."

Zhao Xingcan raised his eyes, a hint of disappointment still etched across his handsome features. "Didn't you bully me?"

Lin Ju sat up straight. She felt that after not seeing him for more than a year, Zhao Xingcan seemed to have become childish.

She didn't want to pay attention to him, but after a few seconds she said, "Give me your hand."

Zhao Xingcan obediently handed over his hand. Lin Ju took a look at it, then turned sideways and took out the ointment that the doctor had just prescribed from his pocket.

Zhao Xingcan's body was a little stiff, but he still cooperated and did not move. Instead, he lowered his head to look at the little head resting on his chest.

After just a few restrained breaths, Lin Ju sat back, squeezed the ointment at an extremely fast speed, and applied it to Zhao Xingcan's skin where the porridge had just splashed.

The ointment had a faint herbal smell, somewhat similar to the wormwood on Zhao Xingcan's body. She couldn't help but lower her head and smell it.

Zhao Xingcan said nothing, staring at her profile.