Flowers bloom for three years
The hyacinths in the garden have bloomed again.
Yu Zou gazed at the flowers beneath the glass window and suddenly realized that it was late spring again. His hand, which was tying his tie, paused involuntarily. Nearly two years had passed since then, and despite regular checkups, his resistance to sleeping pills had gradually increased.
His taut nerves gradually lost their vigilance as the days went by, and his plan to fake his death was repeatedly postponed. He often wondered if there was still a little bit of lingering attachment.
Yu Zou felt a touch on the back of his hand and slowly lowered his head. Du Pianjian stood in front of him, pushed his hand aside, pulled out his tie, and asked, "Why aren't you wearing the one I prepared for you?"
"I accidentally got it dirty." Yu Zou turned to look at the chair next to him. A blue striped tie on the armrest was stained with water, the color of which was dark and light in patches.
Du Pianjian called out to Yisong, asking it to prepare another similar package. Over the years, he had grown accustomed to Yu Zou's occasional "malfunctions." During the wait, he asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Time flies." The hyacinths swaying in the wind bloomed and withered, withered and bloomed again in Yu Zou's eyes. "Li Kuo got married last year, and today I'm going to attend his child's 100-day celebration."
Du Pianjian remained silent, her gaze lowered. Yu Zou sighed to himself for a few moments, then said, "Could you come to the company tomorrow?"
The door opened, and a tethering machine carrying ties came to the two of them. Yu Zou took the tie and tied it before Du Pianjian could. Du Pianjian's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, slowly clenching into a fist. Although he had chosen the orchestra, Yu Zou still tried his best to teach him the methods and techniques of management and business, giving the worst possible reason: if Yu Zou died one day, he didn't want the board of directors to take advantage of his ignorance and bully him.
"I have something to do tomorrow," Du Pianjian replied casually.
“Okay.” Yu Zou buttoned up his shirt. “I’ll send you the meeting minutes.”
"Is it absolutely necessary to see it?"
"Several directors have been replaced."
"What does this have to do with me?" Du Pianjian stood to the side with his arms crossed, looking impatient.
Yu Zou smiled, put his arm around his shoulder and led him outside, tapping the mole on the corner of his mouth and saying, "Okay, don't be upset, we'll talk about that later."
The 100-day celebration was grand. Yu Zou stood next to Li Kuo, who was holding the baby, and could make her laugh by gesturing wildly in the air with his fingers.
"If you like children, why don't you want children?" Li Kuo handed the child to him, but Yu Zou cautiously stopped him, casually saying, "I am infertile."
Li Kuo coughed violently at the words, quickly handing the child to the nanny beside him. Before he could even calm down, he asked anxiously, "Really? Have you seen a doctor?"
“It’s congenital, there’s no cure.” Yu Zou waved goodbye to the child, his nonchalant attitude leaving Li Kuo unsure whether he was serious or joking. He had always assumed Yu Zou was childless by choice.
Li Kuo was about to ask further when two unfamiliar faces arrived at the banquet and headed straight for them. He immediately became wary and waved for the nanny to take the child away. As they approached, one of them asked, "Excuse me, which one of you is Mr. Yu Zou?"
Yu Zou turned to face the two men, revealing his identity. The two men simultaneously showed their police IDs and demanded that Yu Zou go with them to the police station for questioning. Li Kuo grabbed Yu Zou's arm, signaling him to wait, and looked at the two men, demanding sharply, "Who exactly are you?"
The car screeched to a halt in front of the police station, the leather shoes slamming angrily on the steps. The moment the man entered, there was a moment of silence in the station, the chaotic crowd stopping to look at the uninvited guest.
A bold officer stepped forward and asked, "Hello, how can I help you?"
Help me? Du Pianjian was furious. He had only gone out to answer a phone call at the banquet, and the moment he turned around, Yu Zou was taken away by the police, without even Li Kuo being able to give a reason. He couldn't give a friendly look and coldly questioned, "What right do you have to take Yu Zou away?"
The officer blushed slightly and let out an "Ah," whether intentionally or not, "Excuse me, I didn't hear you. Could you please repeat it?"
Du Pianjian had no time for idle chatter. He shoved the man until he stumbled and headed into the police station. Only then did the others react and block his way, each speaking as if Yu Zou's arrival was nonexistent.
"What's all the noise about?" The authoritative voice silenced the police station instantly. The officers made way so that the leader could see the eye of the storm and Du Pianjian could see who this superior was. A sneer curled at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes grew colder, sharper than a blade.
“Officer Chi, this lady insists we arrested her husband,” explained the junior officer closest to him. Chi Hengxun grunted and dismissed them, and the officers immediately dispersed. He walked up to Du Pianjian and chuckled, “No reply to messages, no answer to calls, but you're willing to come see me when I summon your family?”
"You're not worthy. There's absolutely no problem with Yu Long."
"No, there's a problem, a big problem. According to the clues we've uncovered, Long is involved in the illegal sale of prohibited equipment to foreign terrorists, which is treason, Madam."
Chi Hengxun approached Du Pianjian, carefully observing his angry face. His fluctuating eyes were like the surface of the sea during a storm. He lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear: "You know, we were forced apart. Now no one can separate us anymore."
Du Pianjian took a step back to avoid him, her voice as cold as ice: "If you have amnesia, go see a doctor. I'm warning you, release him immediately, or you'll be sorry."
"What can you do?" Chi Hengxun found it amusing; the audacious threat was quite endearing in his eyes.
"The same way we sent you in back then can do it now."
Chi Hengxun's expression cracked, and he straightened up, hastily trying to cover it up: "That's because of myself..." But before he could finish speaking, Du Pianjian interrupted him: "Or do you think you can do whatever you want just because you're under your mother's control?"
Chi Hengxun's pupils contracted sharply as he stared intently at Du Pianjian, who was secretly pleased with himself for successfully hitting his sore spot. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, and he could hear the cracking sound deep within his bones, from which a strange satisfaction arose. He took a step closer, leaned down, and whispered in Du Pianjian's ear, "You really understand me. I can't forget you either, and only I can help you with what you're doing."
Du Pianjian tilted her head slightly with suspicion, a few strands of hair brushing against Chi Hengxun's face. He smiled, closed his eyes briefly, and said, "You've been looking for the personnel files of Saint Herle, haven't you?" Then he straightened up and said in a businesslike tone that everyone in the bureau could hear, "Madam, whether someone is innocent or not depends on evidence and takes time to investigate. Please leave."
Once the 24-hour period was up, Yu Zou was released from the police station. Du Pianjian was waiting with a bottle of grapefruit juice, which she then poured on Yu Zou to ward off bad luck.
"It hurts so much," Yu Zou squinted, dodging the splashing water droplets, and pleaded softly.
"Bear with it."
"Are you going to pour this whole can?" Since I'm going to get soaked either way, I might as well just have it poured over my head; it'll hurt less.
"Go home and burn these clothes." Du Pianjian stopped holding the half-empty can of grapefruit juice, still not satisfied. Thinking of the tie from this morning, she couldn't help but feel it was an omen. She grabbed the other person's arm and pulled him outside. Yu Zou rarely saw him take his anger out on clothes. He patted the water droplets on his face and asked, "What's wrong?"
Du Pianjian's eyes flickered slightly, as if deep in thought. When she raised her head again, her pupils slowly dilated. Chi Hengxun walked slowly out of the police station, hands in his pockets, and waved in their direction, shouting, "Pianjian!"
Yu Zou immediately stopped and looked back. A bookmark was handed to Du Pianjian over him. Chi Hengxun said, "You left this behind."
Du Pianjian snatched the item and clutched it in her hand, offering a forced smile and a thank you. Chi Hengxun smiled, ignoring Yu Zou entirely, and only looking at and replying to Du Pianjian: "You're welcome. Protecting the citizens is my duty."
Yu Zou, naturally not wanting to make a fool of himself, only spoke to Du Pianjian: "Aren't you in a hurry to go home? Let's go." He took the water jug from Du's hand, and the two walked towards the door. A few meters later, with a clang, Yu Zou's hand was empty. As usual, he casually asked, "Want some more?"
Du Pianjian shook his head, his clenched fist pointing at him. Yu Zou pulled out the bookmark with the ticket stub on it and threw it into the trash can.
After that, all of Long's business activities were strictly scrutinized, while Du Pianjian began to leave early and return late, with her whereabouts unknown.
"Is this why you invited me to dinner?" He Honghan stuffed a large bite of steak into his mouth, then took a big gulp of red wine. With such a hasty way of eating, Yu Zou had more than once wondered what difference it made to him whether the food was expensive or cheap.
"Otherwise what? It would be so embarrassing if I ran into them." The steak in front of Yu Zou was at most a minor injury. In the private room for only two people, a romantic movie was playing on the screen, while in front of him was a small electronic screen with a flashing red dot showing Du Pianjian's location, which was in a large hotel.
“Your illness, and your incompetent husband,” He Hong clicked her tongue. “You don’t even concentrate on what you’re looking at, and you don’t concentrate on what you’re eating. You’re such a waste.”
Yu Zou recalled Du Pianjian's nervous expression as he looked at the bookmark. His worries were unnecessary. Chi Hengxun, who had witnessed the whole process, would definitely pick it up. The moment it was returned to its rightful owner would only make him more surprised and moved. He said, "With such a method, it would be hard to justify if it weren't for love."
"Enough, stop analyzing him, okay?" He Honghan really wanted to pick up the plate and smash it over his head. Shi Nao had long since moved on, only Yu Zou was still lingering in this quagmire called love. She reversed the fork, the handle lifting up Yu Zou's sleeve, revealing a red mark that hadn't faded even now. "Now that he's back, what about your fake death plan? Plan A, Plan B, Plan Ctrl C plus D, come on, show me one!"
"Your English has improved again." Yu Zou smiled as he rolled down his sleeves and buttoned them up.
“I’m fine, thank you.” He Honghan gave a fake laugh twice before quickly changing her expression.
As the movie ended and white text scrolled across the black background on the screen, Yu Zou spoke up: "The plan is a bit dangerous. I'm considering whether to let you know."
He Honghan, like a dewdrop after a long drought, suddenly unfurled her withered leaves. She slid her chair to Yu Zou's side and tapped the screen, signaling him to put it away so the two could whisper to each other. With a look of heroic sacrifice on her face, she said, "No need to think about it anymore. I need to know. It's time to add some strong spices to this monotonous life. How do you plan to die?"
"It depends?" Yu Zou said uncertainly.
“What’s going on? Look again, their two children are about to be born! Oh, that’s very dangerous, mental illness is hereditary, my workload is going to increase again, it’s really dangerous.”
Yu Zou was amused by him and raised her hands to signal him to calm down: "I want to talk to him about divorce first."
The first step is to find the right people.
It was as if fate had deliberately kept them apart; for several days in a row, they didn't see each other at all. The part of the house belonging to Du Pianjian felt even more desolate. Lying on the bed, Yu Zou called out to Yi Song, "How about we move to another house?"
No matter what Yu Zou says, Yi Song will support him; that's one of the reasons he created it. Yi Song blinked slowly, as if he were extremely sleepy: "Okay, Administrator Z, please say the keywords. I will generate a housing data set tomorrow."
Where do you like it?
"As long as she's with the administrator, Yisong likes everything."
Yu Zou laughed in the dark, his laughter growing more and more energetic. He snapped on the light, startling Yi Song, who followed him like a little tail. She watched as he went downstairs and pulled a bottle of sleeping pills from his pocket. Her eyes widened in shock, and she shouted, "Prescription drug detected. Administrator, please use with caution!"
Yu Zou took a glass of water upstairs and asked Yi Song, "Would you also remind Du Pianjian like that?"
Yi Song couldn't immediately understand the instructions and muttered to herself as she processed the sentence. Yu Zou had already sat back down on the edge of the bed, poured out a piece of food, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it with water, thus voluntarily ending the torture Yi Song was calculating: "Alright, it's just one piece. I just have a little insomnia."
"Shall I make an appointment for you with a doctor?"
"No need, Iso, go into hibernation."
"Okay, goodnight, admin Z."
He finally saw Du Pianjian in his dream.
With difficulty, Yu Zou opened his eyes and saw Du Pianjian's worried face in front of him. He tried to speak, but could not make a sound. Du Pianjian's mouth was opening and closing rapidly, but he could not hear any sound either.
He thought he should at least convey one message, so he mustered all his strength and said, "It'll be over soon."
He then fell into a deep sleep, only to wake up the next day feeling dizzy and nauseous, his head throbbing as if it were about to split open, his entire body feeling like a static screen with no signal, unable to receive any commands from his brain. He struggled to sit up and found Du Pianjian sleeping peacefully under the covers beside him, her breathing barely audible.
He didn't go to bed until after 11 o'clock, so I don't know what time he came back.
They watched like this until Yi Song's cursor silently moved across the glass where Yu Zou could see it, indicating that a guest had arrived. Only then did Yu Zou leave the bedroom, and Yi Song quickly followed him to the bathroom. Yu Zou slowly put his toothbrush into his mouth for self-cleaning and mumbled, "Who is it?"
Since the guest was a stranger, Yisong provided a screenshot of the security camera footage from the entrance.
Yu Zou's anxious heart immediately calmed down, almost stopping. It was Chi Hengxun.
"Let him wait." He moved the toothbrush to the other side of his mouth and said quietly. Looking at himself in the mirror, he saw the necklace around his neck that he wore day and night. He had guessed 1208 times, but had never gotten the right answer.
In a flash of inspiration, he spat out foam, washed up, and came out of the bathroom. He went around to the back of the still-sleeping Du Pianjian, and pulled aside the collar to reveal the faint red teeth marks on the necklace. Yu Zou gently pinched the clasp, struggled to undo the necklace, and left the room.
So when Chi Hengxun was waiting in the living room, Yu Zou was tidying his clothes and coming downstairs, gesturing to him to sit down as if he were the host.
"Is there another case that requires my cooperation in the investigation? Why are you the only one here?" Yu Zou nervously adjusted his clothes, as if there was a small thorn inside that made him uncomfortable.
"There is no case involved; I am here in a private capacity."
Upon hearing this, Yu stopped what he was doing, looked directly at Chi Hengxun with an air of absolute superiority, and said in a condescending tone: "Since it is a private matter, telling me is the same as telling him. Please speak."
Chi Hengxun's jaw tightened. He couldn't fake Yu Zou's disgusting smile, but he was more composed: "I've come to ask him to return something of mine."
Yu Zou raised an eyebrow and nodded, waking Yi Song: "Scan the whole house and collect items that don't belong to this home. Wait a moment, by the way, Yi Song, search silently, don't wake Pian Jian."
"You!" Chi Hengxun suddenly grabbed Yu Zou by the collar and stood up.
Yu Zou immediately became displeased, shoved him aside a few steps, pulled the necklace out of his shirt, and was about to put it in his pocket when Chi Hengxun quickly stopped him. On the silver necklace, the small round pieces swayed gently.
Yu Zou shook off his hand and said sarcastically, "It's none of your business if I sleep with my own wife."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
