Chapter 90. "Zhou Xian, he is Zhou..."
What seemed like only a few seconds felt like an eternity to He Yan.
He hadn't yet accepted that the man standing before them was Zhou Xian, but he instinctively shielded Wen Xue behind him, his expression turning cold and gloomy.
Zhou Xian also keenly sensed his vigilance, defensiveness, and hostility, and couldn't help but suppress his smile, observing him discreetly.
He suddenly remembered that the man looked familiar.
After a moment's thought, I realized that I had seen this man's photo in the information I had gathered about Wen Xue.
If he remembered correctly, this man was the brother of Wen Xue's deceased boyfriend.
With limited information, he understood in those few seconds of eye contact that this man had feelings for Wen Xue that were not ordinary. Even his protective posture was that of a man towards a woman, which made people think a lot.
"Oh, Mr. Zhou, you're here too?"
The club president came over carrying several cups of iced milk tea in both hands, intending to quench the thirst of the club members who were performing. He was both surprised and delighted to see Zhou Xian's figure.
His arrival eased the awkward atmosphere.
Behind He Yan, Wen Xue lowered her eyes and stared thoughtfully at his right hand, which was clenched tightly at his side with bulging veins.
Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to ask him what was wrong.
At this moment, He Yan was acting strangely; even she noticed that his body was tense and he was suppressing his emotions.
"I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd stop by and take a look." Zhou Xian turned his gaze away and greeted the club president casually, "Your performance today was wonderful."
The president was overjoyed. "There's still room for improvement. They were way too tense today."
Zhou Xian neither agreed nor disagreed.
The president also noticed the flowers in his hand.
"I've been too busy lately, so I bought this at a roadside flower shop." Zhou Xian said, glancing down at the hem of his skirt hidden behind his tall frame. "It's for you, please don't mind."
"Oh, you're too kind!"
With both hands full of things, the club president called out, "Wenxue, come and get the flowers."
He Yan almost immediately moved his body slightly.
The next second, he stopped.
Wen Xue gently tugged at his fingers; her fingertips were delicate and slightly cool, and with that one touch, his reason returned quickly.
"Okay," she replied softly.
No one else noticed their subtle interaction, but Zhou Xian, who was subtly observing He Yan, caught it. His smile froze for a few seconds, and a strange anger welled up inside him.
Wen Xue walked out from behind He Yan, but she could still feel his stern gaze.
She didn't get too close to Zhou Xian, but reached out to him, took the beautiful bouquet of flowers, and hugged it to her chest, saying politely, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou."
These flowers weren't just for her; they were for everyone in the drama club.
She had no reason to refuse.
"You acted well," Zhou Xian smiled.
"Thank you." Her eyes were smiling.
Looking at the scene before her, and seeing the well-hidden determination in Zhou Xian's eyes, He Yan almost couldn't resist pulling her back if it weren't for Wen Xue's subtle reminder and the noise in the corridor. She would have prevented Zhou Xian from having any contact with her.
His brain was buzzing.
Which link went wrong? Lin Baizhou's early appearance could be understandable, since she was there to buy him a birthday present and ended up tutoring Lin Baizhou's sister by mistake through her roommate's introduction. But what about Zhou Xian?
Unlike her previous life, she and Zhou Xian have no connection in their lives now.
What exactly happened?
Zhou Xian glanced at Wen Xue a few times, then turned to the president and said, "I haven't finished what Elder Cheng asked me to do, so I'll be leaving now."
The president nodded repeatedly and said, "Please wait a moment, I'll see you off!"
Before Zhou Xian could answer, he rushed into the lounge, put the iced milk tea he had bought on the table, and after thinking for a moment, took his own cup with him.
Wen Xue, holding the flowers, returned to He Yan's side and leaned close to him.
She would smile at him from time to time, as if trying to calm him down and make him more composed.
The president came out quickly.
Zhou Xian took the initiative to say goodbye: "Goodbye."
He paused, then called her name, "Wenxue".
Wen Xue smiled and said, "Goodbye, Mr. Zhou."
Before leaving, he gave He Yan a meaningful look; the other man's eyes were cold and hard, devoid of any warmth.
Interesting. Had they met before?
As the president and Zhou Xian's figures receded into the distance and disappeared, Wen Xue finally dropped her pretense and looked at He Yan with worried eyes. She wanted to ask something, but before she could speak, he preemptively asked in a deep voice, "Are there any more activities after this?"
She shook her head. "It should be gone."
Everyone has been very tired and under a lot of stress these past few days, and the celebration banquet is also scheduled for the next few days.
"OK."
He breathed heavily, "I have something urgent to take care of, I'll wait for you in the parking lot."
Wen Xue's doubts deepened, but she still nodded in agreement: "Okay."
She carried the flowers into the lounge.
He Yan strode away.
His steps were somewhat hurried. He took the elevator to the parking lot. The weather was hot and the car was stuffy. He didn't have time to start the car and turn on the air conditioning. His scarred hands were trembling slightly. From the moment he saw Zhou Xian until now, his blood had been flowing backward. The call was answered quickly after he dialed the number.
Zhou Zhan had just said "hello" when he suppressed his voice and said in a somber tone, "I saw Zhou Xian, and he noticed me too. You should check as soon as possible to see if all my medical records from last year in the United States have been deleted."
"How did you two run into each other?" Zhou Zhan asked, puzzled.
He Yan said in a stern voice, "He came to see Wen Xue's play."
With just that one simple sentence, Zhou Zhan understood his loss of composure.
Who is He Yan? He seems to know nothing of danger and has always been calm and composed, but now his voice is trembling.
"you mean--"
Zhou Zhan swallowed back the words he was about to say.
No wonder He Yan lost his composure. Having known him for so long, he knew that He Yan's weakness was Wen Xue. Once he was certain that Zhou Xian had been eyeing her for a long time and even deliberately getting close to her, he had no doubt that He Yan would fight Zhou Xian to the death.
"Calm down," Zhou Zhan said seriously. "Don't worry about the rest, I'll handle it."
…
Several members of the drama club had arranged to go out for ice cream. They invited Wenxue along, but she politely declined with a smile. Before the club president even returned, she hurriedly packed her things and rushed out, only to bump into the president at the elevator.
The president exclaimed in surprise, "Leaving so soon?"
"It's urgent!"
He was even more surprised, because in all the time he had known Wen Xue, this was the first time he had ever heard her speak in such a tone.
"Okay, go ahead." He thought for a moment, then called her back after she had taken a few steps, giving her a thumbs-up from a distance. "You did a good job today. I'll give you a bonus in a few days."
Wen Xue turned around and smiled shyly.
She mingled in the crowd, hurrying towards the parking lot. Fortunately, He Yan's jeep was conspicuous enough that she quickly walked over. But as she walked, she stopped. He was slumped over the steering wheel, as if he had encountered something troublesome.
Everything today is so strange.
Filled with doubt, she didn't have time to speculate and quickly opened the car door to get into the passenger seat.
He Yan straightened up and saw that she was panting, probably from running all the way. He reached into the back seat for a bottle of her favorite drink, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her. His expression and tone had returned to normal. "What do you want to eat tonight? Hot pot or seafood? Or should I call Sister Mei and ask her to make some chicken soup in advance?"
What happened today?
She ignored the questions about food and drinks and looked directly at him, asking them directly.
He Yan took a deep breath and remained silent.
He knew he couldn't hide it from her anymore. Never before had he felt so agitated. He tried to calm himself down. "Mr. Zhou, how did you meet him?"
Wen Xue paused for a moment, then answered truthfully, "During the Qingming Festival, when you went back to your hometown, I bumped into him while shopping at the supermarket. My plate broke, and he gave me a few hundred yuan, which I handed over to the service desk. Not long after, I took Shitou out to play, and it chewed his shoes—"
He Yan was breathing heavily.
He couldn't believe it; she had told him about it, but he never imagined that the person was Zhou Xian.
"And when I went to Huacheng to see you before, Yuejiang bought me a business class ticket; he was my seatmate." Wen Xue recalled repeatedly, making sure she hadn't missed anything. "Then, Old Cheng sponsored our drama club, and he took over..."
As she was speaking, she paused, then quickly asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
He Yan felt as if something was blocking his chest.
He inappropriately recalled the monk's words about fate, and although he didn't believe it, he still felt like he had been fooled.
She had considered the possibility that Zhou Xian might appear in her life, but she was confident that even if that day came, she would discover it immediately and not let the situation get out of control. However, it seemed as if fate had destined him to appear, and he was caught off guard twice.
"He Yan, what's wrong?" Wen Xue suddenly felt a little flustered.
"Zhou Xian, he is Zhou Zhan's younger brother."
He Yan said in a low voice.
Wen Xue was taken aback: "Which xian? Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"
"The 'dedication' in 'dedication'."
Her heart pounded like a drum, and she looked at He Yan with a blank and incredulous expression.
The information on the internet is a mix of truth and falsehood. She had searched for Wanbo Group and learned that the Zhou family had two children. The Zhou family had done a good job in this regard, and their real names were not revealed.
All she knew was Zhou Zhan.
However, this was the first time she had heard the name Zhou Xian, though not the first time she had seen him.
Last summer, when she and Wu Yuejiang helped He Yan to his room to find him some hangover medicine, she knocked over a trash can and clearly saw the name on the scraps of paper.
That's Zhou Xian.
But how could this be...?
He Yan saw her lips move slightly, her face turn pale, and she stared at him as if she had discovered something terrible, filled with fear.
He felt a pang of heartache. She was still a student who hadn't graduated yet, and she was already terrified to hear about things that should have kept her away from her. Moreover, she had been in contact with Zhou Xian several times without her knowledge... Thinking of this, he didn't care if anyone would pass by and look into the car. He reached out and hugged her, gently stroking her hair with his palm, and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, it's okay, I'm here for you, don't be afraid."
Wen Xue was trembling, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.
He kept calming her down until she calmed down.
Her hand unconsciously gripped his clothes. When she let go, the fabric was wrinkled; she had held on so tightly, as if she were holding onto a rope on the edge of a cliff.
…
night.
Wen Xue had no appetite, but she still ate and drank soup after He Yan persuaded her. She felt tired and heavy. He watched her go into the house but did not leave immediately. Instead, he went downstairs, sat in the car, and looked up at the window of the apartment she rented.
After a long while, as night deepened and it approached midnight, the window light was turned off, and she sent him a message saying "Goodnight," before he started the engine and drove away.
Wen Xue tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
She had no interest in reading or replying to messages on her phone. The shock she had experienced today was too great, and her mind was a mess. She didn't know where to begin trying to sort things out.
That's right, we should start with Zhou Zhan.
She was certain that He Yan did not know Zhou Zhan before he saved him last November. They had no connection. He had also mentioned a few days ago that Zhou Zhan had been living in the United States for the past ten years or so. However, she clearly remembered seeing the scraps of paper in his room last summer.
At the time, she thought it was one of his clients.
Zhou Xian, Zhou Zhan...
A voice inside her said, "Something's not right."
If Zhou Zhan's younger brother's name wasn't Zhou Xian, she wouldn't have thought much of it. Everything was too coincidental, so coincidental that she even had the illusion that He Yan knew Zhou Zhan would have an accident at that time?
Suddenly, the thought flashed through her mind, and she sat up abruptly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com