Chapter 119 Extra (Part 4): It all depends on how much rationality he has left.
September.
With the lawyer's arrangement, Zhou Zhan met with Zhou Xian.
The scene is ironic: two blood-related brothers calmly stare at each other through glass, under the watchful eye of a tall, serious police officer.
Zhou Xianyi appeared calm and composed, as if he were on vacation.
As he said, after settling the bewildered Cheng Yun for the last time, he ignored her and refused to see her even when she repeatedly asked to meet him, making it clear that they would never see each other again in this lifetime.
Perhaps because he didn't care about anyone or anything, Zhou Xian remained calm and composed in the face of a series of outcomes, as if he didn't care even if his life were taken away, and had an indifferent attitude that he could take it away at any time.
"What charges has your legal team brought against me this time?"
Zhou Xian leaned back, looking at Zhou Zhan with amusement.
There are plenty of people who want his life, and Zhou Zhan, who is number one, will naturally do everything he can to save it. Well, it's better for his life to be saved by his own family than by outsiders. It can be considered as his contribution to the Zhou family.
"No rush, take your time calculating."
Remembering the purpose of his long journey across borders, a complex emotion flashed across Zhou Zhan's eyes.
He realized that he didn't really know his younger brother very well.
From April to August, for four whole months he and his men racked their brains trying to figure out where Zhou Xian would put the money, but to no avail. Just when he was about to give up, Wen Xue asked He Yan to make him go to Xicheng as soon as possible, no matter what.
He went.
There was an unexpected gain.
Zhou Xian smiled nonchalantly: "Then what are you doing here? You didn't come here just to laugh at me, did you?"
There's no need for that.
Zhou Zhan looked at him quietly for a while, then took out something Wen Xue had given him a month ago from his pocket: an inconspicuous plastic gemstone, very light, yet very heavy.
Upon seeing this gem, Zhou Xian, who had remained calm throughout, suddenly changed his expression slightly.
“I’ve thought about it before, whether you would give the only clean money you’ve ever earned in your life to Wen Xue.”
Zhou Zhan did have his doubts at first, but he didn't dare ask He Yan to analyze them. After all, the thought only existed in his mind for a few seconds before he dismissed it. "Impossible, right? To be honest, I never thought you were serious about her before."
Zhou Xian dropped his nonchalant expression and looked at him indifferently.
“True feelings for someone shouldn’t be expressed like this,” Zhou Zhan sighed. “At the very least, you shouldn’t hurt her, right?”
Hurting the people she cares about is also hurting her.
Zhou Xian remained silent for a long time before asking, "What did she say?"
“She didn’t say anything,” Zhou Zhan smiled.
"So clever."
Zhou Xian spoke in a low voice, as if talking to himself.
He had thought she would find the money someday, but he never imagined it would happen so quickly, much faster than he could have imagined.
“She won’t take your money.” Zhou Zhan paused, then asked, “What do you plan to do with it? Give it to Aunt Cheng?”
"Whatever."
Zhou Xianman said nonchalantly.
“Okay, then I’ll donate it for you. Consider it an act of kindness.” After saying this, Zhou Zhan got up to leave.
"She discovered something that you couldn't even imagine, no matter how hard you racked your brains."
Zhou Xian spoke slowly, and these words made Zhou Zhan pause and look at him calmly.
Seeing him look over, Zhou Xian slowly stood up and said in a low voice, "So she knew everything."
What others think of his "sincerity" is none of his business.
This is one of the questions he set.
Only Wen Xue can solve this.
Once she knows his "true feelings," she will discover what's inside the gem.
That's enough that she knows.
Even though she didn't want it, she threw it away like trash.
"It seems you want my life, but He Yan wants it even more. Brother, you'd better not be too slow."
After he was taken away by the police, Zhou Zhan came to his senses and looked incredulous, cursing, "Crazy."
-
With her wedding date approaching, the bride-to-be Nana was busy and nervous every day. Early Saturday morning, she took the subway to the city center to meet Wenxue. They went shopping, had a meal, and finally went to a well-regarded nail salon.
"Wenxue, make one too, it's on me!" Nana invited warmly.
"No, thank you." Wen Xue sat on the sofa and flipped through the plan she and Miao Wenya had made together. "You do it, I'll wait for you."
"Waaaaah, you're so sweet!"
After being moved, Nana started complaining, "What you see on TV is all lies. Weddings are not romantic at all, and there are so many things to worry about. I have to worry about the wedding every day I wake up. Honestly, if it weren't for collecting wedding gifts, I really wouldn't want to go through this ordeal. I would have just had a destination wedding."
Wen Xue smiled and listened patiently to her complaints.
“There aren’t many decent hotels in my hometown county. You have no idea how long I negotiated with the hotel manager to get a satisfactory price… Anyway, Wan Nian and I have agreed that the best rooms will be reserved for you—”
"General Manager Wu and Wang Yuan share a room, Sister Jing and Sister Zhou share a room, and Sister Cai and her husband share a room," Nana muttered. "You and Brother Yan share a room—"
Suddenly, the rustling sound of turning pages stopped.
Wen Xue's fingers curled unconsciously, and the smile on her lips froze for a few seconds. The words stuck in her throat, and she didn't know how to say them.
In other people's eyes, she and He Yan were a close couple, and it was perfectly reasonable for them to stay in the same room when they went out. Even a few months ago, when he was seriously injured and hospitalized, she stayed with him at the hospital. After he was discharged, she moved into his place and took care of him for more than half a month.
"Snowflakes? Snowflakes??"
Nana called her several times while holding the color swatches. Seeing that she looked like a good student, with her head down and seriously looking at the plan on her lap, she raised her voice.
Wen Xue seemed to wake from a dream, a look of panic flashing in her eyes. She feigned composure and asked, "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly. I was thinking about something."
"I'll ask you to help me choose."
Nana leaned closer and glanced casually at Wen Xue's porcelain-white face, asking suspiciously, "Are you hot? Your face is a little red."
"...A little."
Wen Xue raised her hand to fan herself and replied haphazardly, "It's almost October, why is it still so hot in Xicheng?"
Nana wasn't hot at first, but after hearing what she said, she suddenly felt hot too, and asked the shop assistant, "Have you turned on the air conditioning?"
The clerk paused, then hurriedly got up to get the remote control. "The weather forecast said the high today wouldn't exceed 27 degrees Celsius, so we didn't turn it on..."
Wen Xue secretly breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her head guiltily.
-
On the last day of September, every single person from Changya Transportation who could spare the time came to Nana and Wannian's hometown to attend their wedding and witness their happiness.
They arrived in the small town at dusk.
The soon-to-be-married couple treated everyone to local specialties. As usual, He Yan didn't drink alcohol, and Wen Xue also declined the half-glass of red wine that Nana poured for her, citing that she would be driving another car later.
During the meal, only He Yan and Wen Xue did not drink alcohol.
The two looked at each other.
Before He Yan could even glance at her a few more times, she had already picked up her glass and turned her head away to drink her juice, trying to avoid his intense gaze.
What happened now?
He couldn't help but recall what he had done wrong or said wrong that day.
Wen Xue was troubled.
A full week has passed since she accompanied Nana to get her nails done. During this week, she has been conflicted about sharing a room with He Yan during the National Day holiday. Several times when she went for walks with him and walked the dog, she had the words on the tip of her tongue, but then she silently swallowed them back.
How so?
I can't explain it...
Yesterday we waited for today, today we wait for tomorrow, and as we waited, it became imminent.
Wan Nian rented two minivans. Everyone else had been drinking to varying degrees, leaving only He Yan and Wen Xue as drivers. As dusk fell, the group cheerfully prepared to return to their hotel. The two took the car keys, and He Yan pulled her close, asking in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
I ignored him and didn't look at him all night.
He sent her a message under the table, but hasn't received a reply yet.
Under the streetlight, Wen Xue glanced at him hesitantly, shook her head, and whispered, "...It's nothing."
"Are you really alright?"
"Ugh." She got annoyed and pushed him away. "It's nothing!"
He Yan grabbed her hand and glanced around casually. They were standing in a narrow space between two vans. The other lazybones were still waiting at the restaurant entrance, more than ten meters away from them. It was dark, and even with good eyesight, they couldn't see what they were doing.
He lowered his head and kissed her fingers, saying, "It's alright."
Wen Xue tried to pull back, but failed. He pulled her back into his arms, encircling her in a corner where no one could see. He placed a light kiss on the top of her head. "Are you really okay?"
"You're so annoying!"
She rested her forehead on his shoulder and chuckled softly.
After a brief moment of intimacy, He Yan released her, and the two got into separate cars. He, who used to drive fast, followed slowly behind her this time, not daring to be presumptuous, causing the passengers in the car to sigh and say, "Brother, why don't you just pull over and walk back? Can't you overtake us?"
Wu Yuejiang laughed loudly: "Why don't you lend him a few more lives and see what happens?"
He Yan gripped the steering wheel and said calmly, "Stop talking nonsense, I'm just being careful."
Suddenly, shouts of "Yo!" rose and fell.
Still concerned about safety?
It really feels out of place coming from Yan Ge's mouth.
…
Hotel lobby.
Nana had already given instructions to the front desk. Once there, she took the room cards and handed them out one by one. When she handed one to Wen Xue, He Yan and the others hadn't arrived yet. Wen Xue calmly took the card, glanced at the room number 3005 on it, and casually put it into her bag.
Before long, He Yan and his group of people entered the lobby one after another.
Give me the car keys.
He Yan went straight to Wen Xue and explained, "The car next to us was too close, and Wan Nian was worried that it would get scratched. It's a rented car, so I moved it to a different spot."
"Oh, okay."
Wen Xue quickly handed him the car keys.
Who knew that in those few seconds, he would subtly squeeze her hand.
Wen Xue was both amused and exasperated, but the tension and unease she felt disappeared as a result.
After He Yan walked out of the lobby with his car keys, the others also got their room cards from Nana and headed to the elevator hall in twos and threes, chatting and laughing. Gradually, only Wen Xue remained in the public rest area, sitting to the side with a disposable cup, waiting for He Yan to return after parking.
She drank water absentmindedly.
The water wasn't hot at all, but sweat was seeping from the tip of her nose.
When He Yan returned, he glanced around and frowned: "Where are they?"
Wen Xue tossed the cup into the trash can and whispered, "Going back to my room to rest."
"You still have a conscience."
He Yan put his arm around her shoulder and led her inside. "It's late, you should get some rest too."
"Um."
The two arrived at the elevator lobby, pressed the elevator button, and he casually asked, "Which room are you in? Which floor?"
"It should be the third floor, room 3005."
What about me?
Wen Xue remained silent for a few seconds.
He Yan didn't notice her unusual behavior in time. He put his arm around her and stepped into the car, then leaned over and pressed the number key for the third floor.
“You’re also 3005,” she said, looking down.
"What?"
Ding-dong—
The elevator doors opened.
Wan Nian and Nana were outside the door.
Nana's cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, but she was still quite lucid. She greeted He Yan and Wen Xue with a cheerful smile. She was so enthusiastic that she jumped out of the sedan chair and pointed to the long corridor, "Brother Yan, Wen Xue, your room is over there. Just keep walking until you reach the end and turn left!"
Wan Nian quickly helped her up, saying, "Be careful."
As he spoke, he looked at He Yan and said, "Brother Yan, you guys should get some rest. Call me if you need anything. I'll take Nana home first."
He Yan was stunned: "...Oh, oh."
Two couples passed each other.
One couple goes in, one couple comes out.
Wen Xue's breathing slowed slightly, but her pace quickened. She walked ahead, the soft light overhead casting her shadow on the carpet. She walked faster and faster, and the person behind her followed closely as if afraid of being left behind. Soon they arrived at the door of room 3005.
What's the room number?
He Yan's deep voice came from beside him.
Wen Xue lowered her neck and took out a room key from her bag, "3005."
“Yes,” he said. “That’s right, this is the one.”
She nodded gently, swiped her card to enter, and he followed closely behind.
The room key was inserted into the slot, and instantly all the lights in the room turned on. There was a full-length mirror beside them, clearly reflecting the expressions on each other's faces.
No one spoke or moved.
With a click, the door slowly closed, automatically dividing the world in two: one half containing everyone else, and the other half containing her and him.
After a long pause, He Yan's throat went dry, and he broke the silence: "How about..."
Wen Xue looked up at him.
She could roughly guess what he was going to say; it all depended on how much rationality he had left.
If all the rooms are available, he would say: "How about I go downstairs to the front desk and book another room?"
If there's still half left, he'll say: "How about I squeeze in with Lao Wu?"
If only a third is left, he would say: "How about I spend the night in the car?"
And what about her?
Even now, how much rationality does she retain when facing him?
He Yan was stared intently into her clear eyes. He could only stand still, his gaze restrained as he stared at her. He coughed lightly and said, "How about I go downstairs and buy some food?"
Wen Xue was stunned, then a smile appeared on her face.
Yes.
If he were like her, completely devoid of reason, he would say: "How about I go downstairs and buy some food?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com