Chapter 87. The feeling of being powerless to reach...
Although Wen Xue has been quite busy lately, she still took advantage of the fact that she had no classes on Wednesday afternoon to have a quick lunch in the cafeteria before driving back to the dormitory to pick up Shi Tou.
She brought it over on Saturday; she hadn't seen it for several days and missed it terribly.
When Stone saw her, he couldn't stop frolicking, wagging his tail around her and rubbing his head against her legs. The woman and the dog missed each other.
Wu Yuejiang glanced at the time. "It's still early. Why don't we stay for dinner before heading back to school?"
Wen Xue politely declined.
She didn't have classes in the afternoon, but she still went to the drama club.
With less than a month to go, the drama festival officially begins, and Xida's program is scheduled for the middle of next month. She had already taken one day off on Saturday to go to Huacheng, and she really felt bad about being late or absent again.
Although her role was very small, she didn't want to hold the team back at this crucial moment.
Stone happily jumped into the back seat of the car and drove away with Wen Xue. After her car had driven far away, Wu Yuejiang took out his phone and sent a message, mocking He Yan: "Your sister misses you more than a dog, shouldn't she reflect on that?"
He Yan has also had a difficult time in Huacheng these past few days.
He never liked business trips, but since the company was in its early stages, he had to go even if he didn't like it.
In the past, he would work overtime to get back as quickly as possible.
This business trip was even more difficult than before. Lao Wu confidently said that he had persuaded Wenxue, but in the days since she returned, she has been lukewarm towards him.
Specifically, she started replying to messages more slowly.
During several phone calls, she hurriedly ended the conversation with excuses such as "my roommate is back" or "a friend is visiting."
He'd had enough of being powerless to help.
Upon seeing this message that added fuel to the fire, He Yan typed a reply: 【Get lost】
After sending the message, he asked, "How does she look?"
Wu Yuejiang: [Come back in a few days and see for yourself.]
He Yan: "..."
Today is Wednesday, and he will be back in Xicheng at the earliest on Sunday.
He had to stay up for two nights to finish the work.
Wen Xue was also in a hurry. After driving back to the faculty and staff residential area, even though the sun was glaring and the afternoon temperature made people drowsy, she still took Shitou for a walk in a nearby park for a while. On the way back, she passed a pet store and gave Shitou a bath. He smelled nice and his fur was fluffy when they went home.
As she left, the stone whimpered pitifully.
But her phone kept flashing messages from the online community, so she had no choice but to pat the dog's head and reluctantly leave.
Wen Xue rushed all the way and managed not to be late. When she arrived at the drama club, she saw everyone looking cheerful and was a little puzzled. It was the shy freshman who quietly explained to her: "Didn't the club president keep asking for sponsorships before without any news? Yesterday someone called asking for sponsorships, and it seems to be a pretty big amount. The club president was happy and said he'd treat us to crayfish tonight."
This is indeed encouraging news!
Wen Xue felt much better.
They worked until eight or nine o'clock, which was really late. Some members had to go to class early the next morning, so the president, full of generosity, waved his hand and called someone to send over some late-night snacks.
Wenxue prefers light flavors, but she ate quite a bit amidst the lively atmosphere.
As I walked back to my dorm from the drama club, my phone rang. It was He Yan calling.
She answered and said hello.
"Are you sick? Why does your voice sound a little hoarse?" he asked seriously.
Wen Xue unconsciously slowed her pace. With her roommate around, she really didn't want to talk to him on the phone for too long. "I'm not sick, I'm fine. The club president treated me to a late-night snack, and the crayfish he ordered was a bit spicy."
"You like to eat this?"
"It's alright..." she replied softly.
He Yan's slightly low laughter came: "Okay, I'll take you to eat when I get back."
Upon hearing this, Wen Xue almost blurted out, "When are you coming back?"
But she held back.
She knew he was very busy with work, and she also knew that he often worked overtime until very late in order to shorten his business trips.
“I’ll try to go back on Sunday,” he added after a moment of silence.
The evening breeze blew by, ruffling Wenxue's hair gently and soothingly, as if calming her heart. "Okay, I'll pick Shitou up from school today."
He Yan already knew about this, but pretended not to know and asked for clarification.
He just wanted to hear her say a few more words when he couldn't see her, anything at all.
…
After that day, He Yan would send Wen Xue his daily schedule, detailing where he was going and who he was going to meet. He had lived two lives and was not only five years older than her, but he also knew what she was worried about and afraid of.
When I picked her up from the airport on Saturday, she unusually asked him which friend he had borrowed the car from, which showed that she was also interested in his affairs.
When Wen Xue first received his message, telling her what time he was having a meeting at xx company, what time he was going to a certain restaurant for a social event, and who would be there, she was stunned for a long time. After she came to her senses, the corners of her lips curled up and her eyes and brows smiled.
Lying in bed at night, she would review his day's schedule.
That's strange.
It's as if I have the illusion that I'm participating in his 24 hours a day.
Wow, he has so much to do every day!
Friday arrived in the blink of an eye. Wen Xue tutored Fang Lingwei. Strangely enough, after calming down from her complicated thoughts, she considered sending Lin Baizhou a message to thank him again, but she couldn't find his business card after searching the armrest box, so she put the matter aside.
She thought it would be better to thank him in person next time they met.
Just as she was thinking this, she stepped out of the elevator, and as if by some kind of magic, Lin Baizhou, dressed in a shirt and trousers, appeared in front of her, and their eyes met.
Lin Baizhou's eyes lit up, but then, remembering something, they dimmed again. He nodded politely and calmly: "Teacher Wen."
Wen Xue smiled and said, "Thank you for what happened last week."
"You already said that."
But it was different, Wen Xue thought. She had been in a daze that day, but today's thanks were a serious matter.
Even if she didn't change He Yan's mind, at least she knew about it and was no longer kept in the dark.
"I am very grateful to you in any case."
Wen Xue smiled at him, and as they brushed past each other, she heard him suddenly ask, "Actually, those things have nothing to do with you, and they might even cause you trouble. Don't you mind?"
"How could that be? It's related to him, but it's also related to me." She thought for a moment, her voice very soft.
Lin Baizhou didn't know He Yan, nor did he know about the things that had happened between them.
How could He Yan possibly bring her any trouble?
It was never a problem.
If she's going to mind, it's that He Yan might get hurt or something might happen to him.
Lin Baizhou stood there, stunned.
Wen Xue said goodbye to him gently again and left. He stood outside the elevator on the first floor for a long time, so long that the motion-activated light above his head turned on and off repeatedly.
He recalled the question he had asked, suppressing his emotions, when He Yan told him to stay away from her that night.
He asked, "In what capacity do you want me to stay away from her?"
The man remained silent for a long time, then drove away without answering the question.
He never expected that the answer to this question would come from Wen Xue.
…
The subway car was much less crowded than when Wenxue arrived at 8 p.m.
She had just found a seat when her phone vibrated in her bag. It was a message from He Yan. She unlocked it, and after reading the message, the smile on her lips froze for a moment.
He added after posting his schedule at noon: "[A friend came to see me for drinks and to discuss business; it was Zhou Zhan.]"
Wen Xue stared intently at that name.
The screen automatically turned off, reflecting her somewhat stiff expression.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her worries, and replied, "Mm."
He Yan: [I won't drink too much]
Having learned from past mistakes, he became much more cautious in his interactions with Zhou Zhan. In Huacheng, the Zhou family was still under Zhou Xian's control, and with Zhou Zhan's current abilities and connections, it was unlikely that his whereabouts would be leaked.
The subway train roared through the tunnel.
Wen Xue replied slowly: 【Okay.】
-
Sunday afternoon.
After finishing her tutoring class, Wen Xue drove back to Xida University. While waiting for the green light, she received a call from the president of the drama club. His tone was excited: "Where are you? Come to the drama club quickly. We have dinner and karaoke arranged for tonight. Hurry up!"
She was taken aback: "What's wrong?"
There was no rehearsal today, right?
The president announced loudly, "The sponsors have sent someone over!"
He wasn't exactly unsophisticated, but all the sponsorships he'd secured over the years combined didn't amount to as much as this one.
How could he not be excited? He felt that this was the turning point for everyone in the drama club!
Wen Xue immediately understood the importance of it and readily agreed, promising to go there as soon as she arrived at the school.
The president realized she was driving, and quickly changed his tune, saying, "No rush, no rush, traffic safety is the most important thing."
Wen Xue chuckled.
She didn't go straight back to the faculty and staff residential area. Instead, she parked her car at the nearest school gate, got out, and jogged. Luckily, she had regained her stamina; last year, she wouldn't have been able to run this fast.
Upon entering the drama club, she stopped, panting.
Her hair was disheveled and clung to her cheeks and neck. Before she could catch her breath, she raised her eyes, her expression shifting from bewilderment to astonishment.
Three people were standing in front of the photo wall.
The club president, the senior student who worked on the project proposal, and...
She opened her eyes wide, thinking she was seeing things.
Otherwise, how would she have met the young man she encountered on the plane? This was the fourth time they had met.
Hearing the hurried footsteps, Zhou Xian was surprised. He subconsciously assumed that the person was Wen Xue. He looked away from the group photo, turned his head to look outside, and the next second, she appeared in his sight.
Outside the doors and windows, the evening sky was ablaze with sunset colors.
The orange sunset was behind her.
"you……"
"you……"
The two spoke in unison.
Zhou Xian couldn't help but chuckle: "What a coincidence?"
Wen Xue also found it unbelievable.
It's such a coincidence that they've run into each other four times in less than two months, especially last Saturday when they met on the plane.
The president asked in surprise, "You two know each other?"
An even stranger thing happened: Zhou Xian nodded, but Wen Xue shook her head.
One person claims to know the other, while the other denies it, inevitably leading to speculation.
Wen Xue was slightly taken aback. Although they had met four times, he was just a familiar stranger to her, not someone she knew. She didn't even know his name.
Zhou Xian explained, "I don't know her name. I just met her on the plane a couple of days ago. She was my seatmate."
The club president exclaimed dramatically, "What a coincidence! By the way, Mr. Zhou, this is Wen Xue, a member of our drama club."
After saying that, he looked at Wen Xue and introduced her, "Wen Xue, this is Mr. Zhou, Mr. Cheng's assistant. He came to visit us on behalf of Mr. Cheng."
Wen Xue smiled, her eyes crinkling, which marked their official acquaintance.
She was extremely thirsty and stepped aside to drink some water. The senior student from the planning department came over and said in a low voice, "Professor Cheng is quite famous. I heard that he donated a lot of rare books to our West University Library before. However, he is now very old and lives a secluded life. It seems that when he was handing out flyers before, Professor Cheng accepted one... and then asked his assistant to sponsor him. Isn't that amazing?"
No wonder.
Wen Xue muttered something.
No wonder the previous two times I ran into them, both times it was near Xida University.
A group of people left the school. The club president also went all out this time, booking dinner at a seafood restaurant with a high average price per person. The private room was full of people. Wen Xue and Zhou Xian sat facing each other at a round table, and they would accidentally make eye contact if they looked up.
She had just sat down and hadn't even had a chance to take a sip of juice when her cell phone rang in her bag.
He took it out and saw that it was a call from He Yan.
She glanced around lightly, whispered to the senior next to her that she was going to the restroom, then got up and walked out with light steps.
She stopped at the corner of the corridor. Fortunately, he was patient and didn't hang up prematurely. "Hello."
He didn't speak, but she caught the airport announcement in the background, paused, and immediately asked, "Are you at the airport?"
He Yan on the other end of the phone hummed in agreement, with a hint of a smile: "Arrive in Xicheng at ten o'clock."
He promised her he would try to get back on Sunday, and of course he would.
"Really??" Wen Xue had given up hope and hadn't even considered asking when he would return, not wanting to put pressure on him. But now that he was coming back in less than three hours, her heart couldn't help but flutter. She asked softly, "How about I drive to the airport to pick you up?"
He Yan refused without hesitation: "I'll take a taxi."
He was still worried about her driving at night.
Wen Xue guessed that he was about to board the plane, and hurriedly ended the call, saying, "You go ahead and do your work."
She still really wanted to pick him up.
I arrived in Xicheng at 10 o'clock. By the time he took a taxi back, the dormitory door was already closed, so I could only see him tomorrow.
Tomorrow is Monday again.
Regardless, she was very happy. She didn't hide the surprise and joy on her face, turned around and went back to the private room. As soon as she sat down, she noticed a gaze on her.
Zhou Xian's glass was filled with red wine. When he saw her looking over, he smiled easily and clinked glasses with her across the distance.
She also raised her glass, took a sip of juice, lowered her eyes, smiled gently, and exuded a gentle and graceful aura, which made him turn his head to look at her.
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