Chapter 18, Zhu Xu: "If you are also single, or..."
If I calculate it roughly, it's been more than half an hour since he sent that message, and he still hasn't left.
Zhu Xu froze for a moment, then suddenly put down his chopsticks, strode to the window and looked down, but there was no one downstairs.
After an internal struggle, she finally put on her coat and went downstairs.
It was cold outside, and the breath condensed into clumps.
The lights of thousands of homes illuminated the roads in the neighborhood very brightly.
Zhu Xu stood at the entrance of the building, looking left and right. The surroundings were empty, and he still couldn't see the person. He seriously suspected that the person was playing a trick on him.
Just as she was about to turn back, he sent her a message asking: Where are you?
Zhu Xu typed back: Where are you?
He Yanzhou: I didn't notice last time, I didn't know which building you lived in.
Preface: Building 17.
This residential area covers an extremely large area, and the buildings are not arranged in a conventional way. When viewed from above, they resemble a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern. It's unclear what the developer intended to suppress.
People unfamiliar with the terrain can easily get lost.
The phone remained silent for a while, and Zhu Xu stood outside, her hands and feet cold. She pulled her clothes tightly to her chest, preparing to go to the ring road to meet him.
Just as she was about to lift her foot, a beam of light shone in her direction, and the wheel rolled over the small pebbles on the ground and stopped at her feet.
It was still that Bentley, its black surface gleaming in the night.
Zhu Xu took a step back.
He Yanzhou grabbed his phone and got out of the door.
Zhu Xu quickly tried to start a conversation: "Is this neighborhood particularly chaotic? I sometimes get lost. Where did you park just now?"
He Yanzhou first looked her up and down, and realized that he had missed her quite a bit since they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
He said calmly, "I'm not quite sure where it is either, but there's a circular flower bed up ahead."
Zhu Xu pointed behind him: "There are some here too, so you might be mistaken."
He Yanzhou turned around and glanced at it, then nodded: "Possibly."
Perhaps starting with something trivial lessened the awkwardness of being in his presence.
Zhu Xu then asked, "Is there work on New Year's Eve?"
"I wasn't that busy," He Yanzhou said. "Spending the New Year at relatives' houses is too crowded and annoying, so I took the opportunity to slip away first."
Zhu Xu nodded knowingly, but couldn't think of a reply for a moment, so he silently rubbed his hands together.
He Yanzhou noticed that she kept sniffling. Her nose was bright red, her neck was exposed, and she was only wearing cotton slippers.
He asked, "Are you alone?"
"yes."
Have you eaten?
"I was just about to eat," Zhu Xu said.
He Yanzhou: "I haven't eaten much either. Let's get in the car and go get something to eat together."
"Now?" Zhu Xu asked in surprise, "It's New Year's Eve today, there are probably very few restaurants open."
"Let's try our luck." He Yanzhou went around to the other side to open the car door for her.
"Wait a minute, actually I cooked dumplings..." Zhu Xu regretted his words the moment he opened his mouth, stopping halfway through and wishing he could bite his tongue off.
He Yanzhou stopped and stood in front of the car, looking at her.
Zhu Xu pursed her dry lips: "I'd better go back to eat, then we won't eat together. It'll be too much trouble for you to take me home afterwards." She paused, then politely added, "Or, if you don't mind, why don't you come up and have something simple to eat?"
He Yanzhou smiled knowingly and raised an eyebrow: "No thanks."
Seeing that she was relieved and was about to slip away.
He walked back to the driver's side, panting heavily: "But... that makes sense, there are fewer restaurants open at this time."
Zhu Xu's expression tightened; in a short time, he had his mood in turmoil.
He put his hands behind his back, leaned forward slightly, and looked at her: "Is this convenient?"
When Zhu Xu met that gaze, he was secretly annoyed by the provocative and teasing look on his face.
After a moment, she nodded generously.
As they went upstairs, Zhu Xu led the way. The corridor was quiet, and the overlapping footsteps seemed to pound on her heart.
I unlocked the door with the key, and a wave of warmth hit me.
She took a pair of men's slippers from the shoe cabinet, took them apart, and placed them next to his feet.
He Yanzhou lowered her eyes, silently stared at the slippers for a few seconds, then put them on. Following her instructions, the coat she had been carrying was hung on the hook behind her.
He looked around and could see the layout of the room at a glance.
Although the space was a bit cramped, it was clean and tidy, without any miscellaneous decorations, but inevitably some traces of the two people who had lived there remained.
He Yanzhou felt uncomfortable all over and unconsciously moved his shoulders.
Zhu Xu pointed to the two-seater sofa opposite him: "Sit wherever you like."
He Yanzhou nodded slightly.
Zhu Xu went to the kitchen to fetch new bowls, chopsticks, and a wine glass. When he came out, he walked straight to the sofa, but then suddenly stopped. His presence was very strong; with his long arms and legs, there was no room for a second person when he sat in the middle.
Zhu Xu put the things on the table, turned around and went to the bedroom to get a small round stool, which he placed next to the table.
Actually, the atmosphere at this moment wasn't too strange. Perhaps it was because that incident happened a long time ago, or perhaps it was the atmosphere today, that made their time alone together feel quite natural.
Zhu Xu sat down. "Would you like a drink?"
"Can."
"You drove the car."
"We'll call a designated driver later."
Zhu Xu nodded silently and was about to pour him some more when He Yanzhou said, "I'll do it." He took the wine from her hand, looked at the bottle, and said, "The vintage is good, would you like some more?"
On the table was another stemmed glass, only a shallow bottom remained, which was the one Zhu Xu had drunk from earlier.
She shook her head and said, "I won't drink it."
He Yanzhou smiled slightly, slowly poured the red wine, then turned the bottle slightly to finish, and said in a calm voice, "What can I do to you in your own home?"
Zhu Xu's breath hitched: "No..."
"Then have some more." He poured her a small half-glass without permission, put down the bottle, and then picked up his own: "Sorry to bother you."
Zhu Xu gave a forced smile and said, "It's an honor to have you here." He then picked up his item and clinked it against Zhu Xu's.
The table wasn't lavish; there were only two plates of dumplings and a dish of fried peanuts. The dumplings had been cooked a little too long and were still warm.
He Yanzhou didn't show any disgust on his face, and picked up a dumpling to taste it first.
He ate quietly, not holding his chopsticks in his hand the whole time, but placing them on the rim of his bowl after picking up a piece. The sofa was low, and the round table was also low. He sat to one side, his elbows supporting his knees, one hand lightly holding the wrist of the other, his head slightly lowered, as if he was savoring the food.
After he swallowed it all, he asked, "Did you wrap this?"
Zhu Xu nodded.
He picked up the second one: "Not bad cooking."
Zhu Xu also tried it and thought it tasted alright.
She frankly said, "I found the tutorials online, and it wasn't difficult to follow them. As long as the steps are correct, you shouldn't make any mistakes."
He Yanzhou nodded in agreement as he ate, then glanced at the festive red lanterns hanging on the balcony, the kind that rotated and changed lights.
The light and shadow flickered on the wall, creating a lively scene.
He guessed that perhaps she didn't actually like being alone as she seemed.
He Yanzhou turned back and glanced at her, but said nothing.
The two ate their dumplings quietly. Zhu Xu had a smaller plate, but seeing that he still wanted more, a little vanity of having his cooking skills praised inexplicably arose in him, and in a moment of excitement, he shared some more with him.
There were only about twenty in total, and he ended up eating more than half of them.
He Yanzhou was already about 80% full. He put down his chopsticks and leaned back, asking, "Why didn't you spend the New Year with your family?"
Zhu Xu paused, breaking out of his silence, and said, "My dad is still angry."
"I think it was him who injured you."
Zhu Xu subconsciously touched his forehead. The wound had long since healed, leaving only a faint scar: "Yes, but when I went back to see him a few days ago, he still scolded me and kicked me out."
He Yanzhou gave a silent, cold laugh.
"Do you believe there are parents in this world who don't love their children?" From being driven to suicide by Liang Haiyang to the later confrontation and divorce, He Yanzhou knew everything. Perhaps their relationship wasn't so important that it had to be covered up, so she didn't feel too embarrassed talking about those messy things: "My dad hates me, but I know there's no specific reason. The way he looks at me is completely devoid of emotion. That's probably what it means to not love someone."
"Was your stepmother involved?"
"She doesn't need to do anything."
He Yanzhou looked at Zhu Xu.
She didn't sit facing him; instead, she placed the small stool next to the coffee table from the start. The sofa armrest separated them, so he could only see her profile. Her expression was extremely calm at that moment.
She added, "My dad only ever did one thing that I'm grateful for: he didn't stop me from studying and even paid for my college education." Sitting on a small round stool, resting her chin on her hand, she said with a conflicted expression, "So I think human nature is quite complex."
He Yanzhou didn't reply, but downed the red wine in his glass in one gulp, straightened up and poured himself another glass, adding some for Zhu Xu as well: "What about the rest of your family? I mean..." He paused.
Zhu Xu understood what he wanted to ask, and secretly counted on his fingers, but it was too long ago, and he couldn't count them all at once: "My mother has been gone for more than ten years, and I have almost forgotten what she looks like. In my memory, she was an extremely strict person."
"Are you very strict with me?"
"Yes, if I didn't meet her academic requirements, I would inevitably get beaten. In addition, she forced me to learn piano, and later I switched to pipa. I also learned swimming, classical dance, and shooting, but I gave up on all of them after she left."
He Yanzhou remained silent, imagining the chubby-cheeked little girl bustling around various extracurricular classes. Although her childhood wasn't easy, it was probably happier than it is now.
Zhu Xu picked up her wine glass and took a small sip: "Let me tell you a strange story. My mother had terminal cancer. One day, it snowed heavily in Lincheng. She suddenly got out of bed and insisted on going downstairs to shovel snow. We couldn't stop her." She paused, then turned to look at He Yanzhou: "You know, she shoveled all the snow downstairs. I was watching from my window upstairs, and it just so happened to be a perfectly rectangular spot... Later, her mourning tent was set up in that place."
He Yanzhou's body stiffened, and he held his breath for two seconds before returning to normal.
The small living room was a bit stuffy, so he pulled his turtleneck down a little.
Zhu Xu sensed something and got up to open the window.
A cold front swept in, carrying with it the pungent smell of firecrackers, a scent only found during the New Year.
She shouldn't have brought up the past again. The wounds in her heart had been torn open and stitched up countless times. Every time she thought about it, it was like being slowly tortured. Later, as she grew older, she gradually became numb, and eventually, her mother's image became increasingly blurry.
But today was different; she felt somewhat lonely and missed someone.
And when she is with He Yanzhou, she always inexplicably feels the urge to confide in him.
She sat back down, trying to find some lighthearted topics to talk about.
Just as I was racking my brains, I heard him say, "It is a blessing to have shallow ties with one's relatives."
Zhu Xu unconsciously glanced at him.
"Whether it's the deceased or the living," he said, "Don't be too attached to their love and care; it's just a one-life connection. Family ties are shallow; the goal is to be even. Take it easy."
Zhu Xu was shocked when he first heard such remarks.
She lowered her head, and felt a little sad as she thought about it more deeply.
Before her emotions could fully develop, she felt a shadow flicker in front of her. She suddenly looked up, and he leaned over her, his arm hesitating for a moment above her head before he quickly flicked her forehead with his middle and index fingers together.
Zhu Xu cried out in pain.
But he laughed.
She rubbed her forehead, her thoughts gradually clearing from chaos. She was secretly annoyed that this person lacked a sense of boundaries, completely forgetting that the two of them had also been intimate.
After laughing, He Yanzhou found a comfortable position and leaned back on the sofa: "Can you even watch TV?"
"able."
"Let's watch the gala."
Zhu Xu obeyed and turned on the TV. Every channel was broadcasting the Spring Festival Gala, and a skit was currently being performed.
The living room quieted down as the veteran artists performed with great enthusiasm. The jokes were frequent, but Zhu Xu was slightly distracted, occasionally distinguishing He Yanzhou's soft chuckle from the audience's laughter.
After laughing, he leaned forward and took something from the table to eat.
Zhu Xu caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, turned his head, and involuntarily pursed his lips.
It was the half-eaten raspberry cake she had left.
Because she was alone at home, she didn't cut the cake into pieces at first; instead, she scooped it out directly from the top with a small spoon. Not only was the cut surface somewhat disgusting, but the spoon she used to lick her lips also had cream residue on it.
He kept his eyes on the TV, eating slowly and deliberately, spoonful by spoonful.
Zhu Xu looked away and suddenly realized that the relationship between the two was ambiguous.
"What a coincidence, we're spending New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve together," he suddenly said casually.
Zhu Xu looked at him again, but his gaze was still fixed on the television. Realizing she was looking at him, he turned his gaze back. "What flavor is this cake?"
"You can't taste it?"
"I rarely eat it," so I don't know much about it.
Zhu Xu said: "Raspberry."
He nodded, took another bite, and seemed to quite approve of the taste.
Zhu Xu held back for a long time: "The spoon is one I used."
He Yanzhou asked with a smile, "Can I borrow it for a moment?"
Zhu Xu opened his mouth, unsure whether he genuinely didn't understand her meaning or was pretending not to.
She never understood why he approached her, nor did she think she, being divorced and in such a sorry state, had much appeal. After that night, there was no need for them to contact each other, yet he waited for her for half an hour on New Year's Eve. The only plausible explanation was that he wanted to "continue some kind of relationship."
The red wine he drank didn't make Zhu Xu drunk, but it did give him the courage to investigate further.
Zhu Xu began, "I ran into someone on the subway a few days ago. She was a coffee shop employee near the pedestrian street. We chatted and I found out that you were the one who helped me clean up the mess the day Liang Haiyang and I had our falling out." She looked over and said, "I haven't even properly thanked you."
He Yanzhou turned to look at her, but didn't say anything for a moment.
Zhu Xu continued, "And before, you helped me a lot. I said I'd treat you to a meal, but I haven't done so yet."
He Yanzhou finally put down the small spoon and leaned back: "Given our relationship, there's no need to be polite."
"What is our relationship?"
He Yanzhou generously replied, "You define it."
At that moment, bursts of applause suddenly erupted on television, drowning out the tense atmosphere around them.
For some reason, Zhu Xu heard himself ask, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
He Yanzhou countered, "Are you interested?"
Zhu Xu immediately shook his head, and after a moment's consideration, said, "If you are also single, perhaps we can be... friends."
"Friends you can sleep with?"
Zhu Xu felt a tightness in his chest, but his mouth was glued shut, and he couldn't utter a rebuttal.
She was contradictory, coy, sometimes calm and sometimes crazy...
But soon, she found an excuse for herself, interpreting these abnormalities as her hormone secretion not yet being balanced and that she was still craving something.
She had a vague feeling that things were spiraling out of control, as if she were in a swamp, sinking deeper and deeper.
He Yanzhou took this as tacit agreement; as long as no feelings were involved, it was a relationship she could accept for the time being. His face darkened, and he was inexplicably annoyed, inwardly cursing his own limited functionality.
"This identity is novel and exciting enough." He chuckled. "From now on, I'll try my best to be available whenever you call and make you satisfied."
"I'm not..."
"Let's go." He Yanzhou interrupted her and stood up.
Zhu Xu couldn't help but get up.
He Yanzhou walked up to her, with only half an arm's length between them. His shadow loomed over her, and she automatically blocked out the background noise of the TV, hearing only his breathing.
It seems that as a certain relationship was established, the air between the two became ambiguous and sticky.
Zhu Xu insisted on not backing down.
He Yanzhou, with his hands in his pockets, tilted his head slightly as he looked at her: "When are you going back to Beidao?"
"There are no plans yet."
He Yanzhou asked, "Should I drive you?"
Zhu Xu said, "No need to trouble yourself."
He nodded, gazing at her intently for a few seconds. "See you at Beidao." He lightly pressed his hand on her head, then withdrew it and walked towards the door.
/
After the New Year, Zhu Xu and Jiang Rao had a small get-together, and Zhu Xu returned to Beidao on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.
She brought two pieces of luggage with her, and sent the rest of her clothes and daily necessities directly to them by express delivery.
After the Lantern Festival, the craftsmen finally finished the final touches on the shop's renovation, which took more than half a month of back-and-forth work.
During this time, she was also busy ordering shelves, refrigerated display cases, and supplies and tools online...
She was busy from morning till night.
To save money, I didn't ask anyone to do things that I could do myself.
That day, she was assembling the shelves according to the blueprints when she discovered that one of the crossbeams could not be inserted into the slot. After studying it for a while, she realized that it was installed in the wrong direction and she needed to disassemble it completely and reassemble it.
Just as she was throwing down her tools and feeling deflated, someone pushed the door open and came in.
Zhu Xu turned around.
The man, dressed in a black jacket and casual pants, was quite large with dark skin and a signature set of bright white teeth. He waved at her.
It turned out to be Zheng Zhi, He Yanzhou's driver.
Zheng Zhi greeted him familiarly, "Trying to put on airs? Let me do it."
"...How could I possibly accept this?" Zhu Xu was somewhat taken aback, after all, He Yanzhou hadn't shown up once since he returned, and he had rarely been in contact with Zheng Zhi.
"Don't be so polite with me." He took off his coat, bent down to pick up the blueprints on the ground, glanced at them, and tossed them aside. He then dismantled and reassembled the shelves with a clanging sound, his movements swift and effortless.
Zhu Xu stared blankly for a while before realizing he should get him some water.
Zheng Zhi took the bottled water, set it aside, and finished the work at hand.
Zhu Xu hesitated, then said, "How could you..."
Zheng Zhi turned to look at her and smiled, "President He sent me here to help. I'll be at your beck and call before the flower shop opens. Just let me know if there's anything I can do."
"Actually, it's not necessary. I can do it myself."
"Don't mention it," he said, and then fell silent.
The shelves were quickly assembled and placed in the designated locations as she instructed. Fearing instability, he added a few more expansion screws to secure the shelves to the wall.
After finishing, I turned around and saw the wall lamps and crystal lamps piled up in the corner, so I installed them as I pleased.
Problems that were difficult for Zhu Xu were solved by him as if it were a game.
She sincerely said, "Thank you, otherwise it would have been a real headache."
"Don't mention it." Zheng Zhi took a sip of water and pointed towards the sea: "A few days ago, I was passing by the store with President He when I saw you carrying packages into the store. I was in a hurry to catch my flight, so I didn't stop. I was originally going with President He, but at the airport, he said I didn't need to come along anymore. I've been so bored these past few days, so I was sent here this morning."
Zhu Xu nodded after listening, wondering how much he knew about the relationship between the two, and casually remarked, "President He is quite busy."
Zheng Zhidao said, "I haven't had a moment's rest since the New Year. I've been running back and forth between Beidao and Lincheng because the bidding for the National Day fireworks show started early this year, and there's also the Fireworks Culture Festival..." He suddenly paused and raised his hand to slap himself twice.
Zhu Xu was startled.
He chuckled and said, "If it's not a secret, then I'd better not say too much."
"..." Zhu Xu gave a dry laugh.
This person has a feeling that is both very reliable and not very reliable.
After being assigned some of the moving and lifting work, Zhu Xu finally felt much more relaxed.
When she got home that evening, she sent He Yanzhou a message to express her gratitude for what had happened that day.
He seemed busy, and it took him a long time to reply: We're all friends, it's only right.
Zhu Xu stared at the word "friends," feeling that he was deliberately teasing him.
Driven by an inexplicable competitive spirit, she typed without much thought: "It's an honor to be friends with President He."
After clicking send, she looked at the words and for a moment had the thought of retracting them. Her finger hovered over the text, paused, but didn't continue.
She suddenly realized something: since they had reached a certain consensus, there was no need to be coy anymore. They should face it openly and allow things to happen naturally.
In a moment of distraction, the screen scrolled up, and this time he was quick, sending a perfectly standard smiling emoji. But this emoji had already been given multiple meanings, and Zhu Xu understood it quickly; it seemed to be a response to her flirting, with a hint of threat.
The screen still shows that the other party is typing.
A few seconds later, he sent another message: I'll reply on Friday.
Zhu Xu stared at the screen for a few seconds, then pursed his lips.
Those three words seemed to be a hint.
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