Chapter 36 "Don't be afraid, I'm your support..."
When Zhu Xu came out of the shower, he noticed that his vision had become much darker.
As you walk through the hallway, the main living room lighting is turned off, leaving only a few soft ambient lights.
He Yanzhou sat on the sofa, wearing a light gray bathrobe that revealed a small patch of skin on his chest, his hair half-dry. The television screen flickered on and off, reflecting on his face; he had a high nose bridge, slightly pursed lips, and a smooth, strong jawline.
A clear, crisp voice: Hello, I'm Sheriff Labrador...
Zhu Xu: "..."
He Yanzhou caught sight of a figure out of the corner of his eye, turned his head, and waved to her.
Zhu Xu walked over slowly, his slippers making no sound as they stepped on the sound-absorbing carpet.
His residence is a three-story detached house located on the highest point in the city, with a panoramic view of thousands of lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The interior design here is extremely minimalist, while the furniture and furnishings look expensive and high-end. Perhaps due to his constant travels, every corner is clean and empty, with little trace of life.
The distance from the corridor to the main hall wasn't short, and He Yanzhou's gaze remained fixed on her. Underneath her silk robe was a slip dress, a rather ordinary and conservative style, revealing only a section of her calves.
He walked over and sat down next to him. He handed him a glass of warm water, and Zhu Xu drank half of it in one gulp before realizing that he was very thirsty.
On television, Sheriff Labrador is investigating a fire at the duck farm. The scene is brightly colored, the characters are cute, and the story is simple and easy to understand.
Zhu Xu couldn't help but tease, "Those who like watching this can't be more than three years old."
He Yanzhou smiled and said, "Are you indirectly calling me childish?"
“Oh, I can tell,” she said softly.
"How wonderful, it serves as a warning to the ducklings not to play with fire, or they'll turn into roast ducks."
Zhu Xu reacted for a moment and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed He Yanzhou staring at her, so she stopped laughing, lowered her eyes slightly, and the next second, she turned her head to meet his gaze.
He Yanzhou raised his hand to stroke her cheek, tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear: "What did you do this afternoon?"
"After signing the contract, we ate Chongqing hot pot, and then Jiang Rao and I went shopping together." His palms were dry and warm, and she couldn't help but tilt her head slightly and lean closer.
“Get in,” he suddenly said.
Zhu Xu was very sensible and obedient.
After being apart for a short time, they both missed each other terribly.
The two were extremely compatible on this matter and thoroughly enjoyed getting straight to the point.
He Yanzhou had nothing under his bathrobe, and neither did Zhu Xu.
He took something out of his pocket and handed it to her.
After she finished putting it on, he tilted his head back and kissed the corner of her lips. "You must have walked a lot this afternoon, right?"
Zhu Xu's breathing was erratic, and she was feeling the strain of breathing. She looked down at him with a dazed expression and weakly uttered a "Hmm?"
"You're not tired after shopping for so long, so don't complain about your legs hurting after sitting for three minutes." He Yanzhou pressed on.
Zhu Xu bit her lower lip, unable to utter a sound for a long time. At the same time, she involuntarily hugged his head tightly.
Her heart pounded, as if she were sinking into a damp, bottomless vortex. She was sensitive to both tickling and pain, yet she always felt that a tiny spot, about the size of her little fingernail, was suffering terribly.
The background music was still cheerful, but no one was paying attention to the story anymore.
The animated shorts played one episode after another on their own, while the two of them had somehow moved upstairs to He Yanzhou's bedroom.
Finally, Zhu Xu was so exhausted that she lay in his arms, remembering something: "Are you free tomorrow night?"
"I have an appointment to discuss business, and I don't know when the dinner will end." He ran his fingertips along the cigarette burns on her arm, and in the soft light, he saw the layers of peony petals unfolding vividly like a white skirt.
He asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing much." Zhu Xu breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Jiang Rao said there's a high school reunion tomorrow night. Since you can't go, I'll just sit here for a while and find an excuse to come back."
He Yanzhou glanced down at her. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and perhaps he understood her better than he thought, able to guess her concerns in a second.
He Yanzhou asked, "Do you still remember the password I just told you?"
"Remember."
"Go home and wait for me, or call Zheng Zhi and ask him to pick you up and come to me."
Zhu Xu: "Okay."
/
The following evening, Zhu Xu set off from He Yanzhou's residence half an hour earlier than expected, only to find Huainan Road still completely congested.
Jiang Rao called to ask where she was.
Zhu Xu looked past the driver's seat and peered ahead, telling her, "There might be one or two more intersections, we'll be there soon." Then he suddenly paused.
At the same restaurant, in the same evening, she was stuck in traffic on Huainan Road again.
It's as if time has gone awry, forming a closed loop.
This discovery made her inexplicably uneasy, so she rolled down the car window a crack and took a deep breath.
The driver, assuming she was in a hurry, floored the accelerator when he saw the road ahead was clear. After passing two consecutive green lights, he turned right and saw a large hotel with a Chinese-style building.
Zhu Xu took the elevator to the third floor, walked along the corridor, and arrived at the entrance of Hele Pavilion. Just as she was about to turn the handle, the door suddenly opened from the inside, and Jiang Rao was on her way to the lobby to pick her up.
After their last meeting, she became much more familiar with her classmates, and everyone looked over to greet her warmly.
Zhu Xu smiled and said, "It's exactly six o'clock. I'm not too late this time, am I?"
Someone chimed in, "Looks like he's afraid of being forced to drink a penalty shot; he's clearly much more proactive now."
Zhu Xu: "Yes, how could anyone stand ten or twenty cups?"
"I was just trying to scare you last time. Who would dare to be so rude to our female compatriots?" Another man looked at her carefully: "It's been a year since I last saw you. You've become even more beautiful. You've turned back the clock. Your complexion is amazing."
“Who are you calling old?” Zhu Xu retorted.
Everyone also made a fuss about the person not being able to speak.
Zhu Xu smiled and was about to walk towards the ladies' section when Jiang Rao suddenly pulled him back and made him sit down on a nearby chair. There was already someone sitting to his right, a male classmate wearing frameless glasses and a black shirt.
Zhu Xu remembered this person; he had always had excellent grades when he was in school, and he was almost always in the top five of his grade.
She nodded and greeted them.
The other person smiled at her and moved a new set of bowls and chopsticks in front of her.
Jiang Rao sat down on the other side of Zhu Xu and whispered, "The Song Jin next to you is now a top lawyer at a leading law firm in Lincheng. He has a great reputation and is doing quite well. I heard he's currently single. You two could get to know each other better."
Zhu Xu sighed helplessly, "Don't try to matchmake people up."
"No way." Jiang Rao denied it, but genuinely thought the other person was a great catch and there might be something going on: "We were just chatting, it doesn't mean anything."
Zhu Xu reminded her, "In other people's eyes, I'm a married woman." Apart from Jiang Rao and her husband, probably no one knows she's divorced.
"If you feel it's appropriate, it's not too late to be honest later."
Zhu Xu didn't reply, too lazy to pay attention to her. The freshly brewed Longjing tea was turned to her side, and she took it down to pour a cup for Jiang Rao and herself, then put the teapot back on the turntable.
As everyone chatted, the rest of the students gradually arrived.
The waiter opened the door to serve the dishes: ten meat dishes and six vegetable dishes, filling the room with a delicious aroma.
Someone asked, "Is He Yanzhou from last time coming again today?"
Liu Chuang: "I did notify them, and they said it was uncertain."
Before they knew it, the conversation had turned to He Yanzhou.
Lu Yao, who was about to share a cup with Zhu Xu last time, said, "I suddenly remembered that once, He Yanzhou almost got into a fight with me because of something."
"No way, he looks quite refined."
"Let me think." Lü Yao tapped his temple and slammed his hand on the table. "That's right. I remember it was some kind of meat that our classmate's dad sent, telling us to patronize his butcher shop in the future. Later we found out that the meat wasn't fresh. I complained a bit, and He Yanzhou got upset."
Everyone chimed in with their own opinions: "Why isn't he happy about it?"
"How come I didn't know about this?"
"I vaguely remember. Back then, there weren't many students in the classroom during lunch break."
Then someone asked, "So, in the end, whose father is he?"
Zhu Xu sighed and shook his head, wondering if he could still maintain his dignity if he rushed out of the private room now.
Perhaps others meant no harm and simply remembered it as an amusing anecdote, but for her, it was a wound that could never heal.
Lu Yao racked his brains, then suddenly turned his gaze toward her: "Zhu Xu! I remember now, it's Uncle, isn't it?" He looked at her with bright eyes, as if seeking praise.
Zhu Xu opened his mouth, unsure how to answer.
Just then, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open, and a man in a suit walked in. Everyone's eyes turned to the side of the door, and upon closer inspection, they saw it was He Yanzhou.
His gaze naturally fell into the room, and after finding Zhu Xu's location, he paused for two seconds before looking elsewhere.
He nodded slightly: "Sorry I'm late."
Liu Chuang stood up and went to greet him, asking the waiter to bring an extra chair next to him: "It's not late at all, it's just started. Everyone was just talking about you, and here you are."
He Yanzhou slightly curved the corners of his mouth: "Is that so?"
Liu Chuang recounted the conversation. He knew a bit about it, and jokingly said, half-jokingly, "I'll start by questioning on everyone's behalf: did you have feelings for Zhu Xu back then?"
He Yanzhou smiled again, took off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of the chair, unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt, and casually rolled them up as he answered, "Everyone yearns for beautiful things, especially this lady, Zhu Xu. It's just a pity that the transfer was so sudden, and I missed a great opportunity."
Zhu Xu blushed and couldn't help but glance at him, but he didn't look at her. He pretended not to know her and brushed the matter off in a few humorous words.
The moment he entered, a subtle change surged in Zhu Xu's heart, as if he were trapped at sea and suddenly saw a bright lighthouse.
Everyone laughed and stopped pressing the matter.
Lu Yao suddenly said, "Actually, I'm similar to you. I also secretly had a crush on Zhu back then..."
"You're out of luck." He Yanzhou said those four words crisply and casually, his tone like a joke, without even glancing at him.
Lu Yao immediately shut down the engine. Everyone burst into laughter again.
The dishes were all served, and each person had a glass of wine or juice in front of them. Liu Chuang stood up, holding a wine glass, exchanged a few simple opening remarks, clinked glasses with everyone, and then began to eat.
Zhu Xu picked up a boiled shrimp and glanced up to see He Yanzhou sitting opposite him. He was talking to Liu Chuang, and there was no food on his plate, so he must have just come from another dinner party and had no appetite.
After Liu Chuang finished speaking, He Yanzhou picked up his chopsticks to grab the red pickled mustard greens that had been turned to the table. In that instant, Zhu Xu instinctively looked away. A boiled shrimp had fallen onto the table; she quickly picked it up and tossed it into her plate. Her hands were dirty, and she frantically searched for a tissue, finding it on the other side of the turntable. She silently brought her hand to her lips and lightly sucked on it.
I was eating shrimp when my phone vibrated.
Zhu Xu swiped the screen with his clean little finger.
He Yanzhou: Are you a thief? Even thieves don't move as much as you.
Zhu Xu looked up and saw He Yanzhou leaning back in his chair, smiling gently at her.
Amidst the surrounding commotion and noise, he remained as still as a statue, gazing intently and wholeheartedly at her.
My chest felt inexplicably full, and then another message arrived, albeit delayed: Relax, nobody knows about our relationship.
Zhu Xu felt incredibly guilty. He grabbed a tissue from the box in front of him to wipe his hands and typed a lot of words in one go, but hesitated for a moment and then deleted them. He went back and forth, until finally only three words remained: I'm sorry.
She didn't want to hide their relationship from everyone, but she didn't want to be the focus of discussion, and she was unable to answer questions such as when they divorced, the reason for the divorce, when she and He Yanzhou got together, and whether they had been secretly in contact.
Apart from Jiang Rao, the others are just casual acquaintances, and there's no need to reveal their private matters as gossip.
She believed he could understand her, and selfishly forced him to understand her.
Zhu Xu looked up, but He Yanzhou had already lowered his gaze to look at the phone placed under the table.
Shortly after, her screen lit up.
He Yanzhou: Don't worry, have fun.
Zhu Xu: Thank you.
He Yanzhou: We'll talk about the rest when we get home. A simple "I'm sorry" isn't sincere.
Zhu Xu's heart skipped a beat; this person was teasing her again.
Unbeknownst to her, she suddenly found herself in a great mood and decided to mischievously flirt with him.
She sent a text message: "I went shopping yesterday and actually bought a slip dress. The fabric is thin, soft, and very form-fitting. But it's a bit of a shame that my hand shook when I was cutting the tag, and I cut a long slit in the back. I think the position is just right, making it easy to get in and out."
Zhu Xu's face turned as red as a tomato, and he became hot and bothered.
Facing him, she seemed to have boundless courage, as if there was nothing she wouldn't dare to do.
Eager to observe his reaction, she stealthily glanced up. He was still leaning back in his chair, looking down at his phone. The surroundings were bustling with activity, but he remained motionless for a long time, repeatedly reading that extremely private yet licentious passage.
Liu Chuang leaned over and said something. He Yanzhou took a deep breath and simultaneously turned his phone face down on his lap. The moment he turned to Liu Chuang, he glanced in her direction. In those two short seconds, his expression was subtle—expectant, restrained, dangerous, and he even frowned slightly, as if giving a reprimand.
This feeling was very exciting. He appeared serious and seemed to be having a serious conversation with others, but in reality, he was absent-minded and restless.
Zhu Xu seemed to have found pleasure in teasing him.
"Are you hot? Your face is all red." Jiang Rao suddenly pushed her arm off the table and winked at her, "Song Jin is talking to you."
Zhu Xu snapped out of his daze, first glancing at Jiang Rao, then turning to the other side: "Sorry, I didn't hear you."
Song Jin adjusted his glasses and smiled, "I'm asking if you want to drink silverfish soup."
Before Zhu Xu could speak, Jiang Rao stretched her neck and said, "She drinks, she drinks. She loves fish the most, all kinds of cooking methods. Besides, she's okay with seafood, and she can eat some meat, but she won't even look at green vegetables. She usually chooses rice over noodles for her staple food, and she also loves all kinds of desserts."
Zhu Xu pinched her under the table, but Song Jin didn't seem to mind. She smiled gently, ladled a bowl of silverfish soup, and placed it in front of Zhu Xu, saying humorously, "Apart from vegetables, you're not a picky eater."
Zhu Xu smiled and thanked him.
Jiang Rao was about to say something when Zhu Xu covered her mouth and nose. She lowered her voice and said, "Stop fooling around."
Jiang Rao pried her hands away, paused, and said, "I'm serious."
"I really don't need it."
Jiang Rao sighed and said in a voice that the two of them could hear, "He's quite a good catch, we know him well, and he's a good person. Although it's true that it doesn't matter whether you have a man or not these days, I still hope you can have someone to keep you company and not be all alone."
Zhu Xu was touched and rubbed the spot where she had been pinched earlier: "Actually, I..." She paused, feeling that she couldn't explain it in a few words, "How about we have lunch together tomorrow? I have something to tell you."
/
Halfway through the dinner, everyone was quite drunk, and the men and women started a series of crazy and outrageous games.
He Yanzhou took his leave early, and Zhu Xu stayed for another two minutes before also making an excuse to leave first.
She pushed open the glass door to the lobby and was jolted back a step by the blast of cold wind. Suddenly, her memory overlapped with that cold night, and her eyes fell on the spot where she had changed the tire. She paused in her tracks.
Suddenly, someone patted Zhu Xu hard on the shoulder. He jerked and threw his handbag far away.
The visitor was also startled: "Are you alright, Zhu Xu? We're leaving now, we just wanted to say goodbye."
Zhu Xu turned around and saw that it was his classmate Yang Xiaotong. He remembered that she had chased after He Yanzhou for his WeChat last time, but this time she was standing next to another male classmate.
Zhu Xu pursed his bloodless lips. "Goodbye."
Yang Xiaotong smiled and said, "See you next time."
The two walked away.
Zhu Xu leaned against the door frame, supporting his trembling legs from shock, and tried to bend down to pick up his handbag when he heard a slightly anxious voice: "Xiao Xu."
She turned her head and saw He Yanzhou walking briskly towards her.
Zhu Xu felt a lump in his throat, took a few quick steps down the steps, and ran into his arms.
He Yanzhou caught the man and whispered, "Didn't I already tell you in a message that there were no spaces in the parking lot? I told Zheng Zhi to park across the street."
Zhu Xu's voice was muffled: "I know."
He Yanzhou patted her back reassuringly. He had watched from afar and knew that some things were hard to let go of. She was covered in thorns, and the slightest touch would trigger pain.
He Yanzhou lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, saying slowly, "You don't need to resist recalling those past memories. Now that I'm here, no one can hurt you anymore."
Zhu Xu's vision blurred, and his throat tightened even more, as if he couldn't breathe.
"Don't be afraid, I'm your support." His voice was gentle, yet it carried immense weight.
Zhu Xu tightened his arms and nodded silently.
His body was hard and warm, like armor. She felt a sense of security, as if she were protected by an all-encompassing shield, inside him.
Yet a sense of fear lingered in her heart; she had persevered step by step to get to where she was now, demonstrating remarkable tenacity.
Being loved can bring happiness, but it can also make you vulnerable.
The wind picked up at night, carrying sand and gravel that blew in like claws, penetrating every nook and cranny.
He Yanzhou opened his coat and wrapped it around her. Once she calmed down a bit, he whispered a reminder: "If you don't leave now, they'll surround you."
Zhu Xu said, "Let them watch."
"Not afraid anymore?"
"Nothing matters except you."
He Yanzhou chuckled lightly, "I'm in a hurry to go back."
Zhu Xu looked up: "You still have work to do later?"
"No, that's not it." He Yanzhou gazed into her clear eyes and teased her deliberately, "Isn't it urgent to verify whether it's good or not?"
The thrill of seeing text on a phone screen is nowhere near as great as hearing it with your own ears.
Zhu Xu's heart skipped a beat: "You mean that nightgown?"
He Yanzhou nodded.
Zhu Xu said apologetically, "I threw it away."
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