Chapter 89. The two people's focused gazes...
After delivering the items, He Yan hurriedly rushed down the mountain.
The monk hadn't seen him for a while, and when he heard he was coming, he even prepared tea. But the monk turned around and left without a second thought of catching up.
Going uphill is fast, but going downhill is even faster.
He returned to the car shortly afterward. The inside and outside of the car seemed like two different worlds. Wen Xue was sitting in the passenger seat, studying diligently, and did not immediately notice his arrival.
It was the sound of He Yan opening the car door that pulled her back to reality from the world of the book. She turned her head and met his gaze.
"So fast?"
"Aren't you in a hurry to get back to school?"
His tone was indifferent, but when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that she wasn't wearing anything around her neck, he frowned almost imperceptibly. "Don't you like it?"
It was a seemingly random question, but thankfully Wen Xue knew what he was asking.
Her heart started racing uncontrollably, and she whispered back, "I like it."
Those two words were like a reassuring pill, and He Yan's serious expression relaxed. "Then why didn't you wear it?"
He used the lighter she gave him right away.
In fact, He Yan was also unwilling to define the necklace as a gift.
It doesn't need to be given any special meaning. She saw it, liked it, and he bought it for her. It's that simple.
"..." Wen Xue was silent for a few seconds before answering frankly, "I can't fasten it, I'm afraid I'll tear it."
The chain of this necklace wasn't very long, and it hung down to her collarbone. She tried it on, but couldn't see the clasp clearly when she looked down, so she could only rely on her sense of touch. However, she was worried that the clasp would break, so she decided to ask her roommate to help her put it on when she got back to her dorm.
He Yan reached out and said succinctly, "I'll do it."
Wen Xue wanted to say "no need," but when she saw his strong and cold eyes, she swallowed her words and took out the box from her schoolbag to give it to him.
A thin, shimmering chain wrapped around his well-defined fingers. He leaned closer, so close that she could smell the faint scent of sandalwood on him, likely from the temple. She couldn't help but move closer to him, sitting slightly to the side, brushing her hair aside to reveal the back of her fair neck.
He Yan stretched out his long arm, almost encircling her.
He put the necklace on her and carefully fastened it. It was just two simple actions, but his palms were sweating.
"alright."
He spoke in a tense voice.
Wen Xue raised her hand and touched the pendant with her fingertips, a smile playing on her lips.
“I forgot to tell you,” he changed the subject, “that pair of bracelets and the safety lock are things I’m planning to give to Zhou Zhan’s unborn child.”
Wen Xue was still secretly delighted by the necklace when she paused for a moment, then looked at him in surprise, "Is it his child?"
"right."
He Yan had thought it over. He couldn't tell her everything, but he wanted to put her mind at ease. "His wife is in the US preparing for childbirth, and her due date is at the end of July."
Wen Xue immediately calculated the date in her mind.
After calculating it, she stared at him blankly. So, if he hadn't saved Zhou Zhan last November, would that mean that a woman in this world might have lost her lover and a child might have lost their father?
"So, I didn't just save him."
He Yan's thoughts were a jumble of emotions, revolving around the people and events of his past life.
"I see..." She also fell into deep thought, a few strands of hair falling down her cheeks.
"I'm telling you this to tell you that Zhou Zhan has a wife and children, and he knows what he's doing." He paused for a moment. Zhou Zhan has a wife and daughter, and he has her; no one would value their lives more than they do.
“Many people have helped him, and I am nothing among them. At most, I am just adding icing on the cake. So don’t worry, something like last year will not happen again.”
Wen Xue listened to everything he said.
Actually, before this moment, no, right up to this moment, she had never accepted his risky behavior. It was impossible for her to accept it. All she could do was not stop him and stay with him.
Just like Si Yi once asked her, if she had known that He Heng would die unexpectedly at the age of twenty, would she still like him and be with him?
Yes.
It's the same now. She doesn't know what the future holds. All she can do, and all she wants to do, is record that sentence on his phone that snowy night: as long as he needs her, she won't leave.
“He can’t repay kindness with enmity,” she said in a muffled voice after a long pause.
He Yan chuckled.
"why are you laughing?"
"Continue." He leaned back. Since she wasn't in a hurry to go back to school, he wasn't in a hurry either. "Say whatever you want."
Wen Xue pondered for a moment, then lowered her voice and asked, "Why would his brother do such a thing?"
Aren't they brothers?
Even if they are not relatives, but unrelated people, they should not do such an inhumane thing.
He Yan suppressed his smile and pondered, "Zhou Zhan has been abroad all this time. If he returns to China, he will definitely occupy a very important position. In that position, he will climb higher and higher, constantly accumulating his own network of connections and supporters. Rather than spending all our energy fighting him openly and covertly in the future, it's better to—"
It would have been better to solve it from the beginning.
This is exactly what Zhou Xian was thinking.
The only two possible deviations are that either Zhou Zhan has no ambition for the chair at Wanbo and lives a peaceful life abroad, or someone happens to save him on the day he has the accident.
Otherwise, what happened in the past life will still happen in this life.
He Yan stopped there.
Wen Xue felt goosebumps rise on her arms. She would never understand how such people thought. "But Wanbo Group is so big, and their family has so much money that they could probably spend it all in several lifetimes. Is it necessary to fight to the point of losing their conscience and humanity?"
So what if we win?
Human lifespan is limited, but money can never be spent.
She muttered to herself, "Can money really make people this terrible?"
He Yan's hand, which was resting on his knee, twitched. He really wanted to touch her hair and hug her, but he restrained himself and said what was on his mind in a joking tone, "I don't know about other people, but you definitely wouldn't."
In her past life, Zhou Xian offered her everything to share, but she was not moved and still wanted to escape.
Wen Xue glanced at him and then coaxed her.
She composed herself, pursed her lips, and said, "Let's not talk about other people's business."
Although it's a summer heat-relieving wonder, she became a little scared and annoyed after hearing about it so much.
He felt relieved to hear the word "others".
Indeed, she and Zhou Xian will never have any relationship in this life; they will only be strangers.
-
With the exam week over, Wenxue has also ushered in another summer vacation.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will be her last summer vacation as a student.
The first thing to do is to rent a place.
Yang Siyi discussed it with her parents and sister and decided that she didn't want to stay in the provincial capital where she lived for her internship. She wanted to come to Xicheng to try her luck. Firstly, there were obviously more opportunities for her computer science major in Xicheng, and secondly, she wanted to be with her best friend.
Wen Xue had been looking forward to it for a long time.
As soon as I finished the exams, I couldn't wait to find a real estate agent to look at apartments.
During her senior year, she also had to find a job and internship, so she couldn't stay in the dormitory and had to rent a place and move.
He Yan was worried about her safety looking for a house alone, so after finishing his work that day, he drove her to meet the real estate agent. He was unusually silent today, and she noticed his hesitation and found it amusing.
She always felt she could hear his innermost thoughts.
He must be thinking of having her move into the house he's currently living in, since it's big enough and has plenty of rooms.
But she couldn't possibly agree to that.
She's not alone; she has Siyi too.
The real estate agent was a young woman who was sincere and enthusiastic. Seeing Wenxue and Heyan looking for a house, she habitually assumed that they were a couple renting a place. After looking at several houses, Wenxue was not very satisfied and she was a little discouraged.
After they left the residential area, the real estate agent quickly went to a small supermarket to buy water.
Seeing that Wen Xue's cheeks were beaded with sweat from the heat, He Yan leaned down and said, "How about—"
He only said two words, but she guessed what he was going to say next and interrupted, "No."
He couldn't stand her being so anxious and busy about something as trivial as renting an apartment.
Actually, the solution is quite simple: either he lets her live in his current house, or he rents one for her, or he can buy one.
"You're going through too much trouble," he said tactfully.
Based on the rent budget she and Siyi discussed, the only places they could rent were either far from the city center or pitifully small.
Before the agent returned, Wen Xue looked him seriously in the eyes and said, "Most graduates go through this process."
She doesn't like to suffer.
However, while she could cherish his memory, she couldn't allow herself to become too dependent on him.
He Yan could only remain silent, his face grim.
There's no way around it. If it were his younger brother who was being stubborn with him, he would have already started cursing. If it were his younger sister, he wouldn't curse, but his expression wouldn't be pleasant, and he would forcefully rent a house for her.
But unfortunately, Wen Xue is neither He Heng nor his younger sister.
He couldn't bring himself to scold her; he couldn't bring himself to be cold towards her.
He dared not rent a house for her without her consent.
In his view, love is not only useless, but it also restricts one's actions.
…
Wen Xue looked at houses for a few days, and He Yan was depressed for a few days.
Eventually, the weather cleared up.
Wen Xue managed to snag a bargain, renting an apartment for 200 yuan less than the market price, and this apartment was very close to his trading company.
How close is it?
It's about a ten-minute walk.
In response, Yang Siyi, who was still enjoying her last days of vacation, sent a teasing message: "See you every day, anytime, right?"
Wen Xue lowered her head, which was taken as tacit agreement.
-
Not long after renting the apartment, the university drama festival arrived. This wasn't organized by Xida University alone, but in conjunction with other schools. The venue was a theater, and since there were many members in the drama club, each person only received one ticket.
Wen Xue handed the ticket to He Yan, somewhat embarrassed, "I don't have many lines... If you're busy, give the ticket to Yue Jiang or Nana..."
He Yan took it and said seriously, "I will go."
Her mood became even stranger.
She wanted him to go, but when he agreed to go, she wished he wouldn't.
After all, she has no talent for acting. She doesn't know what the president was thinking when she got the chance to perform and even get a few lines.
…
The theater was not small, and the audience gradually filled up.
This drama festival featured not only plays, but also musicals and dance dramas, and the backstage area was bustling with activity.
Wen Xue sat in a corner, her makeup on, quietly waiting to the side, nervously breathing in and out. She also sent a message to He Yan: "Our program is scheduled for later in the schedule, so if you're busy, you don't need to rush over^^"
She was afraid her lipstick would smudge, so she carefully drank water through a straw.
He Yan quickly replied: [On my way]
Wen Xue gripped her phone tightly, her voice trembling with nervousness.
What should I do? I feel like I'm going to embarrass myself. I'm starting to regret giving him the ticket.
He Yan arrived on time before the performance started, found a seat, and looked around. Seeing only a few empty seats, he looked away and started chatting with her: "We're here."
After the first performance began, the audience gradually quieted down.
The students on stage, though young and inexperienced, were all incredibly focused. The lights in the audience area dimmed. Zhou Xian arrived late; a few days earlier, his grandfather's assistant had received a ticket from the president of the Xida Drama Club while sorting through the mailboxes and handed it to him. He hadn't initially planned to come; to him, intrigue was more interesting than fate.
If Wen Xue had approached him with ulterior motives, he might have been able to devote a lot of attention to her.
Available information suggests that the three meetings were indeed purely coincidental.
The only reason I came here today is because I remembered that cup of honey water.
On the performance list, Xida Drama Club's "The Gem" was listed later. Zhou Xian's patience ran out, and he was about to get up and leave early when it was Xida's turn. He sat down again and watched with renewed focus. He had visited the drama club last time, so he knew in advance what the play was about.
Many people are vying for a priceless gemstone.
Some people are ruined, some gain and then lose, and some suffer mental breakdowns.
In the end, it was picked up by a passerby who had no idea of its value, took it home, and casually used it as a decoration.
Wen Xue plays this lucky passerby; she is the only one among everyone who has no greed.
Her appearance signifies the end of the play.
A few rows away, He Yan stared at her, trying not to laugh, while Zhou Xian rested his chin on his hand and chuckled softly.
Their focused gazes fell on the same person.
Everyone else in the room was looking at the characters, but they were the only ones looking at Wen Xue.
…
A perfect ending.
"call……"
"Oh no, did I say the wrong line? You scared me to death! My heart was about to jump out of my chest!"
After the curtain call, Wen Xue hurriedly returned backstage with the others. She felt her palms were cold and didn't dare to look at the audience properly, for fear of panicking and forgetting her lines.
After finally calming down, she received another message from He Yan: "[You acted very well]."
What?
She didn't believe it, but her face began to burn.
She replied: "You can come to the back office after you've finished watching."
Wen Xue put down her phone, took the makeup remover pads handed to her by her senior, and wiped off the slightly heavy makeup on her face. The backstage dressing room was noisy, and suddenly a junior came over and called to her, "Senior Wen Xue, someone is looking for you outside!"
She quickly got up and walked outside.
He Yan stood tall at the doorway, smiling as he watched her approach, his eyes filled with boundless tolerance.
In that instant, the noisy lounge fell silent. Wen Xue could hear no other sounds; all she could see was him.
"Excellent," he praised again.
Wen Xue looked up at him, her eyes smiling, "I didn't see you."
It was packed with people.
She didn't dare to look.
He chuckled, opened his mouth, and wanted to continue praising her.
Her gaze shifted from his face, past him, to the corridor, and she said in surprise, "Mr. Zhou? You're here too."
Mr. Zhou?
who?
He Yan turned around. People were coming and going in the corridor. A young man dressed in white shirt and black pants walked over with a bouquet of flowers. Others, afraid of bumping into the flowers, subconsciously moved aside.
The two men looked at each other.
Upon recognizing the person, He Yan's mind went blank, and the smile on his face instantly froze.
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