Chapter 100. "Let's discuss a business deal..."
Wen Xue learned about Cheng Lao's passing in the early hours of yesterday morning through the drama community group.
This matter originally had little to do with them, but Zhou Xian had previously sponsored it in Cheng Lao's name. The president of the association thought about it for a long time but had no idea what to do, so he simply asked for their opinions in the group chat, whether everyone should chip in to buy a wreath and send it to the funeral home to pay their respects.
Wen Xue remained silent.
The president did not message her privately.
In fact, everyone in the drama club could tell that Zhou Xian treated her differently, and even the so-called sponsorship might have ulterior motives. Not only did she not express her feelings, but she also acted distant towards Zhou Xian. So, even the most oblivious person would know that she had no feelings for Zhou Xian, and naturally, no one would tease her.
Wen Xue's feelings were complicated.
Regardless of anything else, the death of someone, even someone unrelated to her, will still leave her feeling bitter.
She told He Yan about it.
He Yan remained indifferent. Compared to his previous life, Old Cheng's life had been extended by more than half a year because Zhou Zhan hadn't gotten into trouble. Judging from the investigation data, Old Cheng's death had a significant impact on Zhou Xian, and it was after the old man left that he became increasingly reckless in his actions.
Are you alright?
For some reason, Wen Xue always had a very depressed feeling.
It's as if something big is about to happen.
She hoped it was just her imagination, her overthinking, but she also knew clearly that this day would come sooner or later. "It's okay."
He Yan looked down at her, his gaze softening considerably.
Wen Xue could only pretend to be comforted and smile at him. It had been almost half a month since Old Cheng passed away, and she hadn't seen Zhou Xian since. Occasionally, she couldn't help but fantasize that with Old Cheng gone, Zhou Xian seemed to have no reason to frequently travel to Xicheng. Perhaps they would never meet again.
When she told He Yan about this wonderful guess, she clearly saw the gloom between his brows.
He Yan quickly composed himself, casually patting her hair without saying a word.
Did Zhou Xian give up at this point?
How could that be? When he deliberately appeared at the Xida Drama Club, it meant that he had already made up his mind. Zhou Xian may seem carefree, but everything he does is purposeful. Every minute he spends on Wen Xue is precious to him. He will not accept this if he does not get the result he wants.
It was the same in my past life, and it will be the same in this life.
…
Zhou Xian stayed in the cemetery until sunset before leaving.
In half a month, everyone else had moved on from the funeral and were eating and drinking as usual. Even Cheng Jun, the daughter, after crying several times, took a private jet to an island for a vacation, ostensibly to relax.
He sat quietly in the back seat of the car. He had traveled between Huacheng and Xicheng many times in the past six months, so he was quite familiar with the city's routes. He glanced at the sign and said to the driver, "Let's drive around near Xida University."
Driver: "Yes, Mr. Zhou."
As for why it's Xida University...
A figure flashed through his mind.
It would be a lie to say he liked her that much, but undeniably, she's now the only person left who has left an impression on him in this city.
The area around Xida University was bustling, and Zhou Xian looked around listlessly.
Suddenly, from a short distance away, he recognized Wen Xue walking on the sidewalk.
She walked towards me with a smile on her lips. It was mid-to-late September and the temperature in Xicheng had dropped. She was wearing a loose white sweatshirt, and her long, smooth hair was tied in a ponytail. The sunset painted the earth with a clear light, making her eyes appear bright and her whole being gentle.
"Follow her," Zhou Xian suddenly said.
The driver paused for a moment, looked outside, and saw Wen Xue.
Even in a crowd, she stands out.
But this was a straight lane, so he couldn't drive backwards. He glanced at the map and saw that he could make a U-turn a few hundred meters ahead, so he quickly accelerated forward. But when he turned around and came back, Wen Xue was nowhere to be found.
The driver was trembling with fear.
Zhou Xian propped his forehead up and said coldly, "Useless."
He told the driver to pull over.
After all that commotion, Zhou Xian got out of the car and looked at the unfamiliar, ordinary faces. He immediately felt bored and lost interest in seeing Wen Xue. Since the weather was nice today, he wandered around aimlessly.
Whenever she has free time, Wenxue takes Shitou out to socialize.
Stone now has several friends, but they don't see each other every day. She took it to their usual park to play on the lawn.
It had no playmates today, so she played ball with it.
Soon after, he was panting heavily.
Stone was tired, and she was about to give it water before going to retrieve the ball when a shadow fell in front of her. She subconsciously looked up and met a pair of smiling eyes. Zhou Xian suddenly appeared in front of her. Her body reacted more honestly, wanting to back away, but she accidentally fell and sat down on the grass.
Zhou Xian chuckled briefly and reached out his hand to her.
Wen Xue's heart skipped a beat. She avoided him, stood up, and brushed the grass off her clothes.
Zhou Xian's hand awkwardly froze in mid-air.
"Thank you," Wen Xue said softly.
I thank him for retrieving the ball.
Zhou Xian slowly suppressed the smile in his eyes, lowered his head, and tossed the ball to Shi Tou. After drinking the water, Shi Tou was full of energy and continued to frolic.
Wen Xue stood silently to one side, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.
He observed her every move. Knowing that she wasn't entirely unmoved by his presence, he felt inexplicably much better.
"I used to have a dog too."
Zhou Xian and her gaze fell on the frolicking puppy, her tone wistful, "It's just an ordinary country dog. My grandfather saw that I liked it, so he asked someone for one. It was very small and obedient. Later, I brought it home."
Wen Xue listened quietly.
He glanced at her sideways. “Not long after, my brother started getting sick frequently. The doctor said he was allergic to dog hair. My dad was very upset. A few days later, when I came home from school, they had thrown the dog away. I didn’t believe it and went to look for it. I found it on the side of the road down the mountain.” He paused, smiled silently, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “It had been run over by a car long ago.”
Wen Xue could imagine that scene because she had seen it too.
I saw a kitten that had been hit and killed on the road.
But what did he mean by telling her all this? Did he want her to feel any pity or sympathy for him?
No, it won't happen.
She knew he was staring at her, so she took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye.
"What?" Zhou Xian leaned closer to her, trying to see into the depths of her eyes. "Do you think I'm pathetic?"
He was the strangest person Wen Xue had ever met.
People who like her and have feelings for her usually have simple thoughts: they want to be good to her and get closer to her.
Zhou Xian is not.
He had a destructive streak.
So she could understand why He Yan was so nervous. Out of instinct and also out of caution, she took a few steps back, trying to get away from the dangerous aura emanating from him.
Zhou Xian stared at her intently.
After a few seconds of silence, Wen Xue shook her head and calmly answered his question, "You're not pitiful, that dog is."
The dog, not the person, lost its life.
People are not pitiful.
The smile on Zhou Xian's face gradually disappeared until his expression became blank.
Only he knew that his heart was pounding, as if the Zhou Xian of years ago had received a response on the same frequency. At that time, his mother held him and cried, saying how pitiful they were, and the housekeeper who took care of him also looked at him with concern, as if he were the one who was pitiful.
He is not pitiful.
He could easily control the life and death of others; even Zhou Zhan was no different from an ant in his eyes.
The one who's pitiful isn't Zhou Xian, but that dog.
Wen Xue gazed at the horizon and politely said goodbye: "Mr. Zhou, it's getting late. My boyfriend is still waiting for me, so I'll be going now."
Zhou Xian stared at her intently, then suddenly smiled.
Wen Xue's fingertips were slightly cool, but her expression remained unchanged. She took it as his consent, stepped forward and took Shi Tou's hand. She really didn't want to see him again, so she deliberately took the same route back. As they walked, she lowered her voice and urged Shi Tou, "Run."
Stone obeyed the order and started running.
She was spurred on and ran until the powerful gaze behind her could no longer catch up with her.
-
Night had fallen.
He Yan took a break from his busy work and glanced at the time in the lower right corner of his computer screen. It was already past 10 p.m. He unlocked his screen, opened his chat window with Wen Xue, and stopped at a message she had sent two hours earlier: 【Back to the dorm [hug]】
He got up, shut down his computer, grabbed his car keys from the desk, and left the office.
Everyone else in the company had left work, so he turned off all the switches one by one and knocked on her phone in the dark: "Are you asleep?"
She replied quickly: "No, I'm hanging clothes out to dry."
A boyfriend who works overtime until this late can be unreasonable once in a while. He walked out of the company and dialed her number.
A few seconds later, the call connected, and her hushed voice came through: "What!"
She was probably a little annoyed.
When school started, she made a pact with him: if someone was next to her after 10 p.m., they could only send messages and not have long phone conversations.
"You dialed the wrong number."
He stubbornly insisted.
"Then I'll hang up."
“No.” He drawled, “We can only chat for ten minutes.”
Five minutes.
Eight minutes.
"If you try to haggle any longer, you only have three minutes left," she said seriously. "You're just getting off work?"
"So pity me, okay?" he chuckled.
Upon hearing the word "pitiful," Wen Xue's smile froze. She thought of Zhou Xian and felt very uncomfortable.
He Yan noticed her unusual behavior and immediately asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong?"
"No..." She couldn't hide it from him, "I ran into Zhou Xian while walking the dog today."
The office building on this floor was empty except for the overhead lights. He Yan suddenly stopped in his tracks, gripping his phone tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. He knew Zhou Xian wouldn't let it go so easily, but he still couldn't stand this person getting so close to him again and again.
If Lin Baizhou's appearance brought jealousy, Zhou Xian brought him hatred, and a desire for this person to disappear immediately and forever.
"He Yan, are you alright?"
Wen Xue couldn't hear his voice and asked worriedly.
"It's nothing." He Yan's expression was gloomy. Fortunately, she wasn't in front of him, so he didn't need to pretend.
He arrived at the elevator lobby but forgot to press the down button, staring intently at his reflection in the elevator mirror.
The two fell silent.
Wen Xue changed the subject, admitting the truth: "Just so you know, I drank a can of beer from your fridge."
"What?"
"I just wanted something cold, but all you have in the fridge is beer," Wen Xue complained, feigning annoyance. "And the yogurt's expired."
Okay, that was her mistake.
It's because He Yan doesn't drink yogurt at all. She knows that, but she can't resist when she gets to the supermarket. She always feels that buying a whole strip is much more cost-effective than buying a bottle, but she always forgets that she's drinking it all by herself and can't possibly finish it.
He Yan's focus was completely different from hers. He frowned and asked, "You mean, you drank a can of beer at home and then walked drunkenly back to your dorm alone?"
Wen Xue was stunned.
Drunk?
She blinked: "How could I get drunk from just one can of beer? Besides, I didn't even finish it..."
What does it mean to walk at night? When she got back, it wasn't even completely dark yet.
It's a perfectly normal thing, so why does it sound so strange coming from him?
"You're not drunk?" he asked back.
“I am perfectly sober!” she emphasized.
He Yan paused, then said in a low voice, "Then tell me who I am."
Wen Xue stood on the balcony. The evening breeze was cool, as if it had taken them all back to this time last year, to that night.
He still minded about that matter.
How could he not mind? At that time, he was already suffering because of their impossible relationship.
She took the initiative to hug and kiss him, and when he overcame his inner barriers to respond, thinking it was the beginning of happiness, she actually mistook him for someone else.
"He Yan." Her reply was like a breeze, drifting into his heart.
"I didn't hear you clearly."
Wen Xue chuckled: "Didn't you hear about the reckoning?"
She moved her phone away and looked at the screen. "There are only twenty seconds left in five minutes. I'll hang up when the time is up."
She is a very principled person; if she says five minutes, it's five minutes—not a second more, not a second less.
"Next time we'll go to the supermarket and buy some pineapple beer, so you can drink that whenever you want."
"Go away, I don't want it, pineapple beer is a beverage." She suppressed a laugh.
Can I say it? Although what he's doing now is dangerous, and although she sometimes feels depressed, she truly feels that life with him now is peaceful, hopeful, and full of the future, with her and him.
"I'm about to hang up," she said. "He Yan, He Yan."
After calling his name twice, she no longer hesitated and ended the call.
He Yan stood in the elevator lobby and pressed the screen light up again. He had changed the screen long ago; it now showed two hands clasped together.
With Wen Xue's voice no longer "disturbing" his mind, he finally remembered to press the elevator button.
The underground parking lot was spacious and quiet.
A black sedan was blocking the jeep's path, and a man in a suit was waiting beside it. When He Yan approached, the man greeted him with a smile and handed him a black business card with gold lettering. "Mr. He, this is my boss's business card. He would like to meet with you."
"Let's discuss a business deal."
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