Harbor
Bai Yi placed her hands on his chest, unwilling to press close to him, suppressing her very soft sobs.
Zhong Yunxi knew perfectly well that she was timid and had an ostrich mentality, yet he not only chased her relentlessly until she had nowhere to hide, but also forced her to see her true feelings.
The elevator stopped at the observation deck, and Shi Yan and Shi Qi were busy filming videos.
Zhong Yunxi gently grasped her wrist, turned her around, and embraced her from behind, watching together the giant fluorescent screen and drone light show on the building across the river.
"Xiao Yi, you don't remember any of this? You only remember hating me? You're so heartless towards me? Hmm?"
She shook her head, not to acknowledge his question, but because she didn't want to hear what he was saying.
Holding the perfumes she had made and the footage of her once being unable to control her feelings for him, he questioned her until she was speechless.
"Zhong Yunxi, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice still trembling with tears.
Zhong Yunxi lowered his head and gently bit her ear. "What do you think? You insist on selectively forgetting, so I have no choice but to play it for you a few more times."
His voice was deep and mellow, like silk slipping into her ear and entangling her auditory nerves. Her cervical spine and neck tensed up.
The screen played a video of Bai Yi chasing and playing with a sheepdog amidst a heavy snowfall in northern Xinjiang. Zhong Yunxi wrapped his arms around her tightly, asking, "You don't even want Amir anymore?"
She lowered her head, not wanting to look anymore, but her tears fell onto Zhong Yunxi's hand.
Zhong Yunxi took out his phone and showed it to her, "Uncle Feng came back from New York yesterday. I called him last time, you know."
A surveillance video shows him taking Wen Ying back to her apartment. When he got out of the car, he tried to help Wen Ying stand up and held her arm to walk, but he failed. Helpless, he picked her up, went up the stairs, and left. The timer showed that three and a half minutes had passed.
Zhong Yunxi explained to her, "When I was studying abroad, Uncle Feng came with me to help with my daily chores. If you want to know anything, just ask him. Uncle Feng is quite old and a retired soldier. He was my grandfather's driver for many years. He won't lie to you. Please be understanding and don't make him go to the United States to find evidence again, okay?"
“During those five years abroad, there were no other women. I didn’t go abroad to find love. It was because my parents’ relationship was bad. Back in China, I was forced to act as a family judge every day, being dragged into their arguments and forced to take sides. I lived like that from the age of ten until I graduated from university. It was really unbearable. I came back five years ago because they finally got divorced.”
Bai Yi covered his phone with both hands, still shaking her head, not wanting to look.
Zhong Yunxi explained impatiently, and brought up old matters, his voice broken and hoarse, "Xiao Yi, can you forgive me now?"
Unable to get a response from her, Zhong Yunxi lowered his head and began to suck and bite her neck and ear, more urgently and violently than before. Bai Yi was momentarily flustered by his sudden temper, twisted in his arms, and said urgently, "No."
Zhong Yunxi pressed his lips to her neck, breathing slowly, and asked her, "Then why did you go to the hospital to see me the day you threw away my ring?"
Bai Yi raised her hand to push his head towards her: "No."
Even though she knew he must have evidence, she still insisted on being stubborn.
Zhong Yunxi then showed her a video of her sitting at the door of the ward and asked her, "Why are you sitting at the door secretly crying?"
Bai Yi grabbed his phone, locked the screen, and threw it on the ground.
Zhong Yunxi raised his hand to wipe her face, turned her around and pulled her into his arms, letting her wipe her tears on his cardigan: "I'm sorry."
That made her cry again.
Bai Yi took a breath and raised her hand to hit him with all her might, "Why do you have to force me like this? What's the difference between you and a robber?"
Zhong Yunxi said helplessly, "It's legal."
Bai Yi knew from the very beginning that Zhong Yunxi's gentle affection for her contained an undeniable and forceful assertiveness, as early as their second meeting, as early as that cup of milk tea delivered late at night.
"You're acting illegally," Bai accused angrily.
Zhong Yunxi sighed softly, "But it's not a crime punishable by death."
Bai Yi remained silent for a long time, seemingly lost in thought. Zhong Yunxi patted her back and said, "Back in the north of Xinjiang, when we watched the sunrise over the mountains together, I made a wish that every year would be better than the last. Now it seems a bit unlikely. I wonder if making that wish again today, when I see the sunrise over the mountains on the screen, will give it another boost?"
Bai Yi turned her head away from his embrace. On the giant screen across the river, the video ended with a scene she and Zhong Yunxi had witnessed one morning in northern Xinjiang.
The snow hadn't stopped, but the clouds parted, and the morning light shone on the snow-capped mountains, making the peaks glow with gold, magnificent and dazzling.
It is said that seeing the sunrise over the mountains brings good luck for the whole year.
Zhong Yunxi nuzzled her head with his chin and whispered, "For the sake of the golden sunrise, how about we take back the red card and replace it with a yellow card?"
The drone then returned to its position on the riverbank.
In the end, he couldn't bring himself to push her too hard or bully her. A grand flashback and confession were swiftly and casually concluded by Zhong Yunxi.
Zhong Yunxi booked a restaurant and sent Shi Yan and Shi Qi there, but took Bai Yi back to the villa.
Bai Yi got out of the car and stood at the door without moving.
Zhong Yunxi took her hand and said, "I'll cook you a bowl of longevity noodles. After you eat, I'll take you home."
When Aunt Wu and the other two returned, her face was beaming with smiles. The living room was decorated with birthday wishes—balloons, ribbons, a birthday cake—she had spent the whole day meticulously preparing. She was worried that Bai Yi wouldn't come, and the others would feel disappointed and embarrassed if they saw the decorations.
The villas in Xiangcheng are almost 80% similar to those in Boyuntan. Bai Yi was momentarily dazed when he entered.
Zhong Yunxi pointed to the living room sofa and said with a smile, "Let's go open the gifts?"
Gift boxes filled most of the sofa, but she only went to the dining room and sat down.
She only agreed to let him eat longevity noodles, and didn't agree to anything else.
Zhong Yunxi bent down slightly, placed his hands on the edge of the dining table, and smiled as he discussed with her, "Then pick one out when we get back."
She rested her chin on her hands, nodded briefly, and then turned her head to look at the kitchen. Aunt Wu was busy. Zhong Yunxi chuckled, straightened up, rolled up his sleeves, and went to the kitchen: "You're just being petty with me."
Zhong Yunxi went to the Western-style kitchen counter to fry a steak for her.
Aunt Wu brought over the noodles, her joy overflowing, and said "Happy Birthday" several times. She had been sad for many days after hearing about the divorce on the phone, but now that Zhong Yunxi had moved to Xiangcheng and brought her back, Aunt Wu felt she could finally sleep peacefully tonight.
As she ate her noodles, Zhong Yunxi finished grilling a steak and came over to feed her a bite. Then he asked for a piece of her noodles: "Give me a bite of yours too, so I can share in the birthday person's good fortune?"
Bai Yi: ...
Who is really being so petty?
"Go and get a small bowl."
Zhong Yunxi refused, saying, "I'll just have one bite."
Bai Yi reluctantly picked up a little bit of noodles, put it in a spoon, and handed it over.
Zhong Yunxi held her wrist and put the food in his mouth. After feeding her a piece of steak, he leaned in again and said, "Give me some soup too."
Bai Yi turned her head and glared at him: "Aren't you annoying?"
Zhong Yunxi laughed and said, "If you can't finish it, I'll eat it anyway. Instead of eating your leftovers, can't you let me eat with you?"
"no."
They're pushing their luck.
Zhong Yunxi sat sideways watching her eat noodles, his left elbow casually resting on the edge of the table. He ate a piece of steak and said, "You were the first to give me my longevity noodles."
Bai Yi: ...
"You made me eat it." Bai Yi was annoyed by him. He was bringing up this old grievance now, and even said that she liked to bring up the past. What a hypocrite.
Zhong Yunxi nodded and teased her, "I saw you wanted to eat it but didn't say so, so I gave you a way out. You just had to eat it reluctantly, right? Xiaoyi, can you be this shameless in front of other people?"
"You're talking nonsense. I've never lied about it." Bai Yi never admitted to his little flaws.
"Well, it's fine if you stay here with me. I'm willing, since I'm your husband."
Bai Yi: ...
As soon as Zhong Yunxi received the yellow card, he began to repeatedly test the limits of his own sanity, and his words often made Bai Yi's heart pound in confusion.
She didn't want to listen to his nonsense and told him to go to the living room. Zhong Yunxi knew he had already caught her off guard today, so he smiled, placed the steak next to her, and obediently moved away from her.
He then went upstairs, retrieved a bunny, and placed it on the stool where he had just been sitting.
She ate quietly by herself. Tonight, Zhong Yunxi had exhausted her so much that she couldn't fight back, and she was so tired that she ate even slower.
His head, which had been buried in the sand like an ostrich, was forcibly pulled out by Zhong Yunxi, and we had no choice but to watch.
Zhong Yunxi seemed to have handled everything she cared about perfectly.
He secured collaborations with research teams that had been abandoned, regardless of the cost.
Knowing that Wen Ying was bothered by his misunderstanding and wouldn't just believe his side of the story, he sent Uncle Feng to America to bring back a few minutes of evidence for her.
After she returned to Xiangcheng, Zhong Yunxi settled her in and shifted his work focus to Xiangcheng.
She had no idea how to avoid him; how could someone be so persistent and unreasonable?
She was lost in thought when Zhong Yunxi came over and asked, "Is the food cold?"
She put down her spoon, looked up at him, and said expressionlessly, "I'm full, I'm going home."
Zhong Yunxi stood beside her and handed her the warm water in his hand: "Okay."
She took the water glass, took two sips, and was about to put it down when Zhong Yunxi took it from her and drank a sip through her straw.
Bai Yi: ...
Zhong Yunxi looked at her: "What, you won't even let me have a sip of water?"
"Whatever you want."
They didn't say they wouldn't allow it, but it's possible they disliked him.
Zhong Yunxi put down his cup, licked his lips, pulled the other into his arms, and kissed him.
Her tongue was almost instantly sucked, the intrusion so strong that she suddenly felt a tremor, and her head tingled. Today, both her mind and her senses were forcibly occupied and stirred by Zhong Yunxi.
Her breath was completely taken away, the feeling of oxygen deprivation spread to her brain, almost making her dizzy, and she felt her knees go weak.
But it wasn't unfamiliar; in fact, it was familiar—she had once been both afraid of and captivated by it. Almost unconsciously, she hugged his waist.
Only when he felt that the person in his arms was struggling to respond did Zhong Yunxi relax his grip and gently lick her lips.
"Let go." It was hard to tell whether it was feigned anger or genuine rage.
Zhong Yunxi was too pleased with himself today, indulging her every whim. "How about picking out a gift to take home?"
Bai Yi walked over to the sofa, grabbed a small box, and put it in a paper bag.
After dropping her off at the villa complex, Zhong Yunxi glanced back at the back row and said, "Take Shi Yan and Shi Qi's gifts with you too."
Bai Yi: ...
"Grandma will scold me," she muttered.
Zhong Yunxi smiled. No one could do anything about her, except that she would restrain herself a little in front of her grandmother.
The two got out of the car carrying several gift boxes. "It's okay, I'll just say that Shi Qi and I insisted on buying them."
"You insisted on giving it to me in the first place," Bai Yi said, looking at him.
"Yeah, if I don't give it to you, you'll get angry. It's your first birthday after getting married, and I can't even give you a gift. Who knows how many times this will be brought up later? How can I not give you one?"
He added, "Don't worry, I also delivered the gifts to Grandma's place. She won't say anything about you."
Bai Yi: ...
As soon as the two entered the door, Grandma frowned upon seeing the pile of boxes.
The elderly man has always followed minimalism, and his consumption habit is to buy expensive things rather than buy a lot. Bai Yi was never so extravagant before, but after returning to Yuegang for a few months, he was raised to this by Zhong Yunxi.
Zhong Yunxi smiled and explained to his grandmother that it was inappropriate to refuse the gifts that Shi Yan and Shi Qi had brought from Beijing.
When the old man saw that Bai Yi was still willing to let him return the gifts and brought them in, he probably guessed that the relationship between the two had improved considerably.
Grandma asked, "Tomorrow is the Little New Year in the North. Are you going back home?"
Zhong Yunxi then told them, "Well, I have a lot of things to take care of back in the capital. I'll wait until after Xiaoyi's birthday to go back and deal with them."
Bai Yi sat on the sofa, holding Bubble, without saying a word. Zhong Yunxi sat beside her, occasionally reaching out to stroke Bubble or touch her hand.
Zhong Yunxi added, "I'll be back here on New Year's Eve."
Grandma glanced at him and said, "It's not appropriate for you to be away from the capital for the New Year."
“I just got married this year and have been with Xiaoyi for a while, so they can understand.”
Grandpa nodded: "Let's find an opportunity to go to the capital to see your elders."
Bai Yi then spoke: "Grandpa."
Why did he have to go to the capital to see his elders? She was dissatisfied and got up to go back to her bedroom.
Chung Yun-hsi laughed and said, "I'll make arrangements. Xiao Yi won't be appeased so quickly; she'll still be nagging me for a while."
Grandpa also smiled and sighed.
The next morning, her grandmother woke her up and they went to walk the dog and visit the flower market together.
She was so tired last night that she didn't sleep in until she naturally woke up today, and she was very reluctant to do so.
Grandma said, "Zhong Yunxi is going back to Beijing today. You should go see him as a farewell."
"What's there for him to give as a gift?"
Grandma glanced at her and said, "Don't act so high and mighty."
Bai Yi: ...
When he went downstairs, he saw Zhong Yunxi already waiting at the entrance of the community. When he saw Bai Yi come down, he was still stunned for a moment.
But seeing her with her head down and eyes lowered, I knew she must have been dragged here by her grandmother.
He asked with a smile, "Did you know I was returning to Beijing today? Did you come to see me off?"
With her grandmother by her side, she spoke less willfully and simply said "Oh".
Even though he knew she was just being perfunctory, Zhong Yunxi still had an exaggeratedly upturned smile.
I'm buying you Kayla roses today.
Bai Yi didn't say anything more.
Zhong Yunxi knew that she wouldn't throw away the roses he gave her anymore.
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