Chapter 118 Extra (Part 3): "You bastard, you've finally met your match!"
Yuan Jin's technique was excellent. Wen Xue stood nervously to the side, watching as the cute little snowman gradually appeared on He Yan's skin.
It gradually covered the scar.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes many times, she wouldn't have been able to tell that he had once suffered a serious injury to his left shoulder.
"Does it hurt?" she asked softly as she moved closer to him.
"good."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Jin curled the corners of his lips.
The pain of tattooing is nothing to He Yan; he wouldn't even flinch in the past. But now he's pretending it's okay, neither saying it doesn't hurt nor that it hurts, just to make his girlfriend feel sorry for him.
Wen Xue pursed her lips.
If she knew he was there to get a tattoo, she would definitely stop him.
But now that she was already there, and he insisted on getting the tattoo, with several other people in the shop watching her, she couldn't argue with him and had no choice but to grit her teeth and agree. Undeniably, she felt a little thrill at this impulsive act.
Yuan Jin, standing to the side, spoiled the mood: "Removing tattoos hurts even more."
Over the years, he has tattooed many couples, and six out of ten couples have returned to inquire about tattoo removal.
When they were together, they were deeply in love; when they separated, they wished they could erase all traces of their love.
He Yan paused for a few seconds: "No."
Yuan Jin chuckled.
His relationship with He Yan was neither close nor distant, but they could be considered friends. Strangely enough, if it had been someone else who said this, he would have just smiled, but since He Yan said "no," he believed him.
After the tattoo was done, Yuan Jin carefully explained the precautions and dietary restrictions.
Wen Xue listened attentively, worried that she wouldn't remember everything. She hurriedly pulled out a notebook and pen from her bag and wrote things down one by one. Her expression was serious, and anyone could see how much she cared about her boyfriend.
He Yan was in a good mood, radiating a relaxed and comfortable aura, as if he wasn't the one who had just gotten the tattoo.
Yuan Jin noticed the scar on his right arm, which looked like a recent injury. Besides lamenting his bad luck and the misfortunes his friend had suffered, he teased, "Are you going to get a tattoo on your right arm later?"
"It's not impossible," He Yan said calmly as he put on his clothes.
"So, you'll get that tattoo on your future children?" Yuan Jin asked.
He Yan paused in his buttoning motion and subconsciously looked at Wen Xue.
Wen Xue was stunned for a moment. When she came to her senses, her cheeks burned. She turned her back to drink water. As more people knew about their relationship, she heard more teasing. She originally thought she had mastered the art of being indifferent to any jokes, but she didn't expect to be knocked down by a single punch this time.
"Don't talk nonsense."
He Yan continued buttoning his shirt, subtly steer the conversation away from the topic.
Yuan Jin shrugged and escorted them to the door. Watching He Yan protectively link arms with Wen Xue as they crossed the pedestrian crossing, their figures receding into the distance, he looked away and sighed, "How strange, the person least likely to be in a relationship is actually in a relationship..."
When they reached the car, Wen Xue stopped He Yan from driving, looking at him with the same eyes she would give a patient who needed careful care.
"Don't take Yuan Jin's words to heart."
After getting into the car, He Yan coughed lightly and brought up the matter.
"oh……"
“However,” he paused, then raised his right arm slightly and pointed casually to the scar, “you can get it tattooed here too. Come back when you have a better idea.”
Wen Xue thought for a moment, then turned her head to look out the car window, refusing to look at him. "Let's talk about it later."
She did indeed take Mr. Yuan's words to heart.
If there really is a "future," she hopes that the tattoo will also have a special meaning, representing that another very important person has appeared in her and He Yan's lives.
However, that should be a long time from now.
He Yan understood what she meant, looked at her abruptly, and after a long pause, said softly, "Okay."
The atmosphere inside the carriage was strangely thick and sticky.
He Yan stared at her intently. She looked out the window, and he could only see her profile and her reddened ears.
After a long pause, he spoke up: "I need to discuss something with you."
Wen Xue turned her head, her gaze shifting slightly, finally meeting his eyes, but her face still held a blush, and she forced a nonchalant tone: "What?"
"Don't tell anyone about my tattoo." Seeing her confused expression, He Yan added, "Nana."
If Nana, the loudspeaker, finds out about this, then basically most of the people in the entire West City will know.
He Yan didn't think it was something to be ashamed of. He explained succinctly, "I used to laugh at Lao Wu for a long time when he got a tattoo, and afterwards he refused to go to the hot springs with me."
He didn't care whether the other people in West City knew or not, but he didn't want his buddies to know.
Wu Yuejiang had one relationship during college, and that was the only one.
At that time, Wu Yuejiang, who had just fallen in love, was completely devoted to his girlfriend. To express his love for her, he did many things, including but not limited to tattooing her birth date on his chest, hanging a "forever" couple lock at a tourist attraction, and spending only a hundred or two hundred yuan of his monthly allowance—enough to keep him alive—once he ran out of money in the middle of the month and shamelessly begged his friends for alms.
When He Yan first saw Wu Yuejiang's tattoo, he laughed for half an hour.
Later, he would smile every time he saw him.
Wen Xue listened quietly.
She never expected that He Yan, who was in his teens or twenties, would have this side to him; however, only Wu Yuejiang had probably seen this side of him before.
What are you laughing at him for?
Suddenly, she looked at him calmly and smiled slightly, "It's very funny, isn't it?"
very good.
The emotion that welled up in her heart receded like the tide, leaving only a trace of moisture, which could evaporate at any moment.
What, getting a tattoo of something related to your girlfriend? Is that funny? What's so funny about it?
Is that what he thinks?
Okay, she understands.
He Yan's expression stiffened, realizing something was wrong. He admitted that he had been happy and content most of the time during the year he had been dating Wen Xue, but on very rare occasions, he felt inexplicably confused, often not knowing what he had said that had upset her.
"I--"
Wen Xue fastened her seatbelt, started the engine, and interrupted him with a smile in her eyes, "I'm not going to talk anymore, I need to concentrate on driving."
"??"
night.
After finishing his work, Wu Yuejiang went to the appointment. After sitting down, he was still puzzled and asked He Yan, who was sitting next to him looking at his phone, "Why are you alone? Where is your sister?"
He Yan looked up and pushed the menu toward him. "She went to walk the dog with her friend. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Order whatever you want."
Wu Yuejiang picked up a pencil from the table and started marking things up on the menu. "How about a dozen beers?"
"I won't drink it."
"Didn't we go to the hospital yesterday and the doctor said we were fine?"
He Yan looked away. "I did something today, and I have to watch what I eat for the next few days."
Wu Yuejiang casually asked, "What foods do you have to avoid?"
"Tattoo." He Yan's tone was ambiguous.
Wu Yuejiang paused, slowly looked up at him, and the two quietly gazed at each other in front of the bustling food stall.
After a long silence of more than ten seconds, Wu Yuejiang sneered repeatedly, feeling a surge of triumph. "You bastard, you've finally met your match!"
"..."
-
End of July.
Wen Xue and He Yan put aside their work and headed to Huacheng to attend a little girl's first birthday party.
After things calmed down, Zhou Zhan's wife took their daughter back to China. Now, the family of three is not living in the Zhou family's old house, but has temporarily settled in a flat closer to the Wanbo Group.
After living there for a while, Zhou Zhan thought it was a good place, so he bought a similar apartment upstairs and gave it to He Yan as a gift.
It's gratitude, but also a sense of closeness.
He Yan did not refuse, but when the property was transferred, it was registered under Wen Xue's name alone.
Home is where she is.
This year's first birthday party for Zhou Mingxi was not a big affair. After all, Wanbo had just gone through a "bloody storm," and it was better to keep a low profile at this critical juncture. Zhou Zhan and his wife only invited close family and friends.
He Yan and Wen Xue, as godparents, were of course present.
This was also the first time they had met their goddaughter in person. Before, they had only met her through photos and videos. She was well-fed and chubby, and not shy at all. She looked at her godparents with her big, curious eyes.
Her eyes darted around, clearly showing she preferred Wenxue. She grinned, revealing her few remaining baby teeth, and opened her arms to hug Wenxue.
Wen Xue turned around and glanced at Zhou Zhan's wife, Liang Minzhen.
Liang Minzhen smiled and nodded, "She likes you very much."
After receiving the mother's approval, Wen Xue no longer hesitated and picked up Mingxi. The baby smelled wonderful, and she felt a sense of healing from the warmth and vitality of the baby. Mingxi could only speak baby talk at the moment.
Zhou Zhan proudly boasted, "She can call me 'Dad' now!"
Like any parent who likes to showcase their child's skills, he took a few steps closer and coaxed his daughter in an encouraging tone: "Baby, say 'Daddy,' say 'Daddy,' Daddy—"
Mingxi didn't call out; instead, she giggled.
So, the people present witnessed this scene: Zhou Zhan kept calling his daughter "Dad," and his daughter clapped and laughed. In the end, no one knew whether the father was showing off his daughter's ability to talk or the daughter was showing off her father.
Wen Xue noticed that Ming Xi was wearing a pair of gold bracelets on her delicate, lotus-root-like hands. She had accompanied He Yan to buy them, and He Yan had them blessed by a monk.
Liang Minzhen explained in a low voice, "We took the safety lock off her. She's too active and likes to pull on the rope. We were worried she might strangle herself."
He Yan glanced at Ming Xi.
What neck? Do you have one?
No matter how you look at it, the goddaughter seems so fat that you can't even find her neck.
As soon as he finished speaking, Mingxi became very interested in Wenxue's necklace and reached out to grab it.
Wen Xue smiled and let her play.
After the meal.
The four adults took the child downstairs for a walk. At first, Mingxi was willing to sit in the stroller, but gradually she started to fuss about getting out. Zhou Zhan was the one who knew his daughter's weight best, so he quickly pulled He Yan along as his buddy.
The two men walked ahead. Zhou Zhan got tired of carrying them, so he handed them to He Yan without any hesitation.
He Yan's body stiffened instead.
He wouldn't, worried that his clumsy hands would hurt the child.
In his hazy memory, he had only ever held He Heng, a child of that age. His parents were both there at the time, and he carried his toddler brother around the house. But that was more than twenty years ago.
"fine."
Zhou Zhan comforted her, "The first time I held her, she had just come out of Minmin's belly. I felt she was smaller than my palm, only 6.6 pounds. I was really afraid of dropping her. I could atone for that with my death."
"What do you mean by that?"
He Yan was so nervous that he slurred his words.
Zhou Zhan laughed loudly: "It doesn't mean anything."
Suddenly, Mingxi reached out and hugged He Yan's neck, looking at him curiously, then tilted her head and leaned on his shoulder.
He Yan's breath hitched, and he awkwardly raised his hand to gently pat her little head.
Wen Xue and Liang Minzhen lagged behind by a few steps.
A few months ago, Liang Minzhen took the initiative to add her as a friend. Occasionally they would chat for a few minutes, mostly about Mingxi.
"I don't know why, but I always feel like I owe Mingxi something."
Liang Minzhen stared intently at her husband and daughter walking ahead, her voice soft, "It's a strange idea. Her father thinks the same way, which is why he dotes on her so much. It seems we can't rely on him for education. He has absolutely no bottom line when it comes to his daughter."
Wen Xue chuckled.
In fact, the person Zhou Zhan owes the most to in this world is Liang Minzhen.
He had absolutely no bottom line with her.
He Yan would occasionally mention these things, and even if it was just a few words, onlookers could clearly feel Zhou Zhan's deep affection for his wife and daughter.
"By the way, do you know about Zhou Xian's matter?"
Liang Minzhen changed the subject and asked.
Hearing that name again, Wen Xue still couldn't help feeling disgusted, and the smile on her face faded considerably. "I know a little bit. He didn't tell me. He wanted me to forget those things as soon as possible."
This "he" is naturally He Yan.
"Why."
Liang Minzhen sighed with mixed feelings, "That's right. In any case, Zhou Xian shouldn't bother you anymore."
Wen Xue forced a smile. "Will he be released again?"
"I don't know." Liang Minzhen slowed her pace. "But don't worry, even if he is released, it will be many years later. What happened before will not happen again. Actually, I have always wanted to apologize to you in person. I am really sorry. He Yan saved our family of three, but we failed to protect him."
Wen Xue couldn't say "it's okay".
Yes, they are related.
If things had gone slightly differently that night, He Yan would not be alive today, or even if he had survived, he would have suffered much worse injuries.
But she knew even more clearly that the person who caused all of this was not Zhou Zhan, but Zhou Xian.
If she has any hatred or blame, it should be directed at the instigator.
"Don't worry."
Liang Minzhen lowered her voice, "He can't do anything anymore; all his assets have been frozen—"
She paused briefly, a hint of hesitation flashing across her face.
Wen Xue noticed this slight hesitation and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Is there something else?"
It's no wonder she was nervous and uneasy; Zhou Xian was a man who brought far too many variables, and she couldn't afford to be careless.
"No."
Liang Minzhen met Wen Xue's bright eyes in the night, hesitated for a moment, and said, "We have investigated Zhou Xian's financial movements very clearly over the past few years, except for one transaction. He has been playing with cryptocurrency for a long time. I heard that the money was the first he earned, so it is relatively clean. Even if we find it, we can't do anything about it. We originally thought he gave it to Aunt Cheng—his mother, but after the incident, the relevant departments also contacted Aunt Cheng, and Aunt Cheng was completely unaware of it."
Wen Xue frowned almost imperceptibly.
Zhou Zhan turned around and called out to them.
Liang Minzhen took her hand and quickened her pace to catch up, the topic passing by like a breeze in the evening.
"What's wrong?"
He Yan came to Wen Xue's side and saw that she looked absent-minded, so he asked in a low voice.
Wen Xue paused for a moment, then shook her head with a smile, "It's nothing, I probably just had a little to drink and I feel a bit dizzy."
"Shall we go back first?"
"No, it's very comfortable to take a walk like this."
"Okay, if you feel dizzy, just lean on me."
Under the dim streetlights at night, a family of three was laughing and chatting in front of them, while a couple whispered behind them, their shadows lengthening as they leaned on each other, intimately entwined.
…
After Mingxi's first birthday party, Wenxue and Heyan returned to Xicheng.
It was quite late when Wen Xue got home. Yang Siyi was still out having dinner with his colleagues and hadn't returned yet. The house was quiet. After quickly unpacking her suitcase, Wen Xue took her pajamas and went to take a shower. Standing under the showerhead, her mind was still working, systematically organizing the experiences of the past few days.
Liang Minzhen's words echoed in my ears.
The hot water rinsed the foam off Wen Xue's body. She turned off the shower, stood on tiptoe, picked up a bath towel from the towel rack, and dried herself off.
It was late at night.
She changed into her pajamas and came out of the bathroom, her long hair wet and draped over her shoulders. Instead of immediately looking for a hairdryer, she went back to her room, opened the wardrobe, and took out a woven storage box from inside.
This storage box is full of miscellaneous items.
There are thermos cups that only come in handy in winter, notebooks from college, keychains...
And the theatrical props piled up in the corner, and that gem.
Wen Xue sat on the edge of the bed, facing the light from the bedside lamp, thoughtfully examining the gem that might be worthless or truly priceless.
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