Let's talk
In the alley, Zhou Jingxing stood in front of a shop. He looked up at the signboard, the words "Night Scene" written in a flamboyant and elegant style. He thought to himself: This is obviously not a respectable place!
Upon entering, Zhou Jingxing realized he had misjudged the place. There was no loud music or chaotic dancing; the ambiance was surprisingly tranquil. The gentle voice of the resident singer reached his ears, and the faint scent of gardenias helped him relax slightly. He looked around, searching for the person who had arranged to meet him.
"Jingxing! Over here!"
Seeing Zhao Xin stand up and wave enthusiastically at him, Zhou Jingxing pursed his lips and walked over to him.
In the afternoon, Zhou Jingxing received a call from Zhao Xin, who said she wanted to "talk" with him. Logically, they didn't have much to talk about. Shen Zhou's determination to protect Zhao Xin, which he had shown in the car last time, was quite obvious. However, Zhao Xin's domineering tone made him very unhappy, extremely unhappy.
He was unhappy, so naturally he wanted to cause trouble for Zhao Xin.
Seeing Zhou Jingxing stride over, Zhao Xin immediately moved to one side of the two-seater sofa, making room for Zhou Jingxing next to him.
Zhou Jingxing walked straight to the armchair next to him and sat down.
Zhou Jingxing leaned back in his chair, casually resting his hand on the armrest, and crossed one leg, looking unruly and impactful.
Zhao Xin looked on with envy. He hadn't tried this one yet. His gaze swept over Zhou Jingxing's long legs, lean waist, broad shoulders and back, and finally landed on his face.
Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!
His expression was really grumpy.
Zhou Jingxing gestured with his chin at him, "What do you want to say to me?"
Their attitude was terrible.
Zhao Xin didn't mind at all. He moved closer to Zhou Jingxing and said with a smile, "I know you're helping Chen Zhou with the restoration of cultural relics. I've been wanting to talk to you about it."
What should we talk about? Zhou Jingxing's tortuous journey in his attempt to rise to power? Or the unbreakable bond and deep affection between Shen Zhou and Zhao Xin?
Zhao Xin was about to resort to his classic tactics for confronting a mistress: "So you've been seducing my wife? Did you know she has a girlfriend? You shameless bastard! Get away from my wife right now!"
Zhou Jingxing frowned, wondering if he should follow the script and say that classic line, "The one who isn't loved is the mistress."
Zhao Xin's words took him by surprise.
"Thank you so much. Shenzhou has put a lot of effort into this exhibition recently, but then that unexpected thing happened. Luckily, you came to the rescue. Jingxing, you are so kind. You are highly professional and righteous! Shenzhou is so lucky to have such a noble friend like you."
Huh? What are you doing? A conciliatory tactic?
This is flattering me and putting me on a moral high ground!
Wait, does he think that this will make me too embarrassed to steal someone else's partner anymore?
Zhou Jingxing suddenly realized.
Good tactic!
We can't lose!
Zhou Jingxing immediately replied with a smile, "Not at all, not at all. It's my good fortune to meet such a good person as Shen Zhou. It's only right for me to help him. Of course, Shen Zhou didn't stand on ceremony with me either."
Zhao Xin smiled brightly, "Jingxing, you're such a nice person."
Zhou Jingxing smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not this nice to everyone."
Ha! Did you hear that? I'm definitely going to snatch up Chenzhou!
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xin's eyes flickered, and his gaze toward Zhou Jingxing became even more fervent.
After Zhou Jingxing finished his declaration of war, he stopped talking and quietly picked up his coffee to drink. To his surprise, Zhao Xin seemed completely unconcerned about his provocation and instead began to ask him about his preferences and daily life in a sticky and affectionate manner.
This is... spying! Do you want to find out my weaknesses and then defeat me?
How insidious! I won't fall for your tricks!
Zhou Jingxing put down his cup and started talking nonsense.
"Me? I usually like to go to the corner of the park to watch old men and women go on blind dates, or wear skinny jeans to the commercial street to dance the social dance."
"He is usually very outgoing. In school, he sat in the homeroom teacher's seat, and at work, he sat directly in the leader's workstation."
"I love to eat everything, especially pasta mixed with No. 42 concrete."
"Hahahaha, Jingxing, you're so funny!" Zhao Xin laughed so hard he was doubled over, while Zhou Jingxing looked wary.
This person... has such composure! He's not even angry after all that?
Zhao Xin laughed for a while before calming down. He looked at him with a slanted smile, his peach blossom eyes narrowed, "Jingxing, you're so outstanding, haven't you dated anyone?"
That look and that tone of voice gave even the usually oblivious Zhou Jingxing goosebumps for no reason.
Something seems off.
Zhou Jingxing subconsciously leaned back in his seat, quickly considering how to handle this situation. After a moment, Zhou Jingxing said calmly, "I recently met someone I like, but unfortunately, he already has a partner."
The light in Zhao Xin's eyes intensified. He leaned closer to Zhou Jingxing, his voice low and sweet yet dangerous, like Medusa seducing a sailor: "If you like someone, go for it. People are free, and so is love."
Freedom my ass!
Zhou Jingxing's temper was easily ignited by this irresponsible scumbag. The thought that Shen Zhou had been deceived by such a person made him so angry that his head ached.
Zhou Jingxing stood up, looking down at Zhao Xin. His cold face looked exceptionally handsome in the light. Zhao Xin stared at him, somewhat infatuated. "Hmm?"
Zhou Jingxing slowly spoke, "People are free, but they shouldn't hurt others for their own freedom and desires. At least I wouldn't do that." He gave Zhao Xin a deep look. "Chen Zhou is very good. Thank you for your 'hospitality.' I have work to do, so I'll be leaving now. Goodbye."
Watching his retreating figure, Zhao Xin was stunned for a moment, then he chuckled, picked up his cup, took a sip of coffee, and his face was full of confidence.
After leaving "Nightfall," Zhou Jingxing went straight back to his studio.
When Zhou Jingxing arrived, the studio was already empty. He washed his hands, put on a white coat, and began mixing plaster.
"Why are you back?"
Zhou Jingxing looked up and saw it was Chen Zhou. Chen Zhou looked at Zhou Jingxing and asked, "Didn't you say you had something to do tonight and left first? Why are you back now?"
Zhou Jingxing's face lit up with surprise, and even his movements became lighter. He held up the chicken heart-shaped cup in his hand to show him, "The teacher said this afternoon that I had ground this part too thin, so I'll fix it again."
Shen Zhou saw that he was indeed holding the chicken heart-shaped cup that Li Weilin had criticized that afternoon. "Didn't you say this afternoon that Teacher Li had calluses on his hands and touched it by mistake?"
Zhou Jingxing was a little embarrassed. He lowered his head and carefully repaired the plaster on the rim of the cup. After a long while, he said, "If the teacher says it's too thin, then it's too thin. His hand is the ruler. I was just arguing with him out of habit."
Shen Zhou was surprised to see this childlike side of Shen Zhou, and he couldn't help but smile, "Your teacher-student relationship is so good."
“Yes, although the teacher has a sharp tongue, he is actually very soft-hearted, and his professional skills are beyond question.” Zhou Jingxing continued working and explained to Shen Zhou, “However, I don’t usually make such a basic mistake. I got distracted while working on this cup this afternoon and that’s why I thinned it a little.”
"Oh? What were you thinking about at that time?"
Zhou Jingxing carefully put down the chicken heart cup and looked straight at Chen Zhou. "You just happened to come in from outside the door at that time."
Shen Zhou turned her face away to avoid his gaze and began to change the subject, "You've all worked hard today. Is there anything else we need to prepare? If you're short of materials, equipment, or manpower, just let me know and I'll take care of it."
Seeing that he was avoiding the topic, Zhou Jingxing did not press him further. He made two small requests and then continued working.
Shen Zhou was very interested in his restoration process and, despite the late hour, stood by the workbench watching. His beloved's attention was like a shot of adrenaline; Zhou Jingxing even acted as his guide, carefully explaining the key points of porcelain restoration as he worked.
"Be careful when sanding; you must get the thickness right and make sure it matches the original. I got distracted this afternoon and sanded too much. Uneven thickness will affect the overall harmony and aesthetics." Zhou Jingxing finished speaking, put down the sandpaper, glanced at the wall clock, and said, "It's getting late. Let's come back tomorrow. We should all go home and rest early."
Shen Zhou nodded and helped tidy up the workbench. Zhou Jingxing took off his white coat and washed his hands. The two turned off the lights and closed the doors and windows before walking together to the parking lot. Zhou Jingxing hadn't driven today, so Shen Zhou offered to take him home.
"I think I'll bring my folding bed with me tomorrow. Going back and forth every day is too time-consuming."
Shen Zhou said in surprise, "Isn't that unnecessary? I think we've made quite a lot of progress today. Besides, the conditions in the studio are too poor."
Zhou Jingxing rubbed his sore arms and said to Shen Zhou, "This is nothing! When I was in school, I was rushing to finish a project with my senior classmates. One of them ate, drank, and even relieved himself in the control room. On the day we submitted the final product, he was almost covered in soot."
"Wow, this is too much work! Does Teacher Li really exploit people like this?"
"It's alright. After it was done, Teacher Li gave that senior a service fee of nearly six figures. I don't think it's exploitation to earn that much in just over half a month."
"Absolutely not!"
"That senior student's family is extremely poor. They fell into poverty due to illness. His parents are both in poor health, and the family has no income but still has to pay for medical expenses. Actually, we all know that the project can't earn that much money at all. The teacher was afraid that giving him money directly would hurt his self-esteem, so he used this method to subsidize the senior student."
Shen Zhou was moved and said, "You guys really have met a good teacher." He teased Zhou Jingxing, "You still talk back to such a good teacher."
Zhou Jingxing looked down at his shoes, embarrassed. "He can be so mean sometimes, isn't he? This afternoon, in front of you... Don't I have any dignity?"
Chen Zhou chuckled, "I think you're just spouting nonsense because the teacher is a nice person."
Zhou Jingxing thought to himself, "What's so strange about this? I even talked nonsense in front of your boyfriend tonight."
The two got into the car, and Chen Zhou asked him, "You said before that your job was also recommended by your teacher?"
"Well, when I graduated, my professor wanted me to pursue a doctorate with him. But at that time, I wanted to start working as soon as possible and didn't want to continue my studies. My professor couldn't do anything about it and said that even if I wanted to work, I shouldn't sell myself off cheaply. Coincidentally, the provincial doctoral program had a talent recruitment opening, and one of the application requirements was 'recommendation from a well-known expert in the industry.' So my professor wrote me a letter of recommendation, and I applied to the provincial doctoral program. In the end, I was lucky enough to get the job."
Shen Zhou nodded, asked no further questions, and the car drove off smoothly.
Shen Zhou's phone lit up. He glanced at it subconsciously, and suddenly his expression changed. Zhou Jingxing, sitting in the passenger seat, had sharp eyes and immediately noticed that the message popping up on his phone was a Weibo notification.
"Breaking News! Shidai Culture Exposed in Scandal! Using Restored Artifacts Exhibition for Money Laundering? Experts Point Out: Artifact Fragments Are Worth Less Than Garbage."
Zhou Jingxing frowned, raised his hand and gently touched Chen Zhou's arm, calmly saying to him, "Chen Zhou, pull over to the side of the road ahead."
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