Falling in place
The chat with "Feng Xin Suo Ai" stirred up ripples in Zhou Jianxing's heart that lasted for a long time.
She tried her best to use the net of reason to catch those fallacies that sank to the bottom, but the tide of emotion surged and swirled uncontrollably, washing away the bewitching whispers again and again, like the most sophisticated brainwashing program, repeatedly engraved in her confused mind.
She thought she was probably ill, very ill.
Fortunately, the busy work life became her temporary refuge. The repair orders had been completed very smoothly over the past few days, and Huang Haifu's eyes softened when he looked at her.
Zhou Jianxing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As Zhou Jianxing left work, leaden clouds loomed overhead. Just as he parked his electric scooter downstairs, bean-sized raindrops lashed down relentlessly, heralding the arrival of a summer downpour.
·
At the dinner table, Zhou Jianxing's apparent "calmness" made the gloom of the past few days seem to have faded a little.
Zhou Jianjun cleared his throat and dropped a bombshell: "Xingxing, your mother and I have discussed this and want to buy you a car."
"Ah?" Zhou Jianxing paused holding the chopsticks, then forced a smile, "Thank you, Mom and Dad. Keep the money for your retirement. I've saved almost two hundred thousand myself." She has always had low material desires, and her life is simple, almost monotonous. Apart from taking care of the flowers and plants, she doesn't spend much money on weekdays. Chu Wei even laughed at her for being a miser.
"You child," Zhou Shufen reached out and lovingly touched her daughter's still damp hair, "you're exposed to the wind, sun and rain every day. Your father and I feel so sorry for you."
"It's okay," Zhou Jianxing lowered her head and ate the rice in her bowl. Her parents' sudden, unconditional love was like a needle, piercing her heart. They were worried about her absent-mindedness during this period and the worry she had caused them. "The electric scooter has its advantages. It doesn't get stuck in traffic, and it's convenient to go through alleys."
She is alone now anyway, riding her electric scooter through the city, and she feels free and unrestrained.
·
After washing the dishes, I returned to my room. The sound of rain outside the window gradually became heavier.
She picked up an old erhu leaning against the wall, its soundbox covered in a thin layer of dust. Her fingertips brushed against the cold strings, producing a hoarse, trembling sound that seemed to capture her current state of mind.
At this moment, the familiar melody of "Good Night" suddenly tore apart the tranquility of the rainy night.
It’s Mrs. Wen.
Mrs. Wen, who said "looking forward to your good news" and made her toss and turn and unable to reply.
Zhou Jianxing's finger hovered above the screen, hesitating and struggling. The sound of rain outside the window was like the urging of drums. Finally, she gave up the struggle and pressed the answer button.
"Hello, Master Zhou..." The voice on the other end of the phone sounded panicked, with a barely perceptible tremor at the end of the tone.
Just this one sound made Zhou Jianxing's heart tighten.
The pent-up longing flooded over her like a tide. She missed her when she couldn't see her, and she missed her even more when she heard Wen Lingyi's voice.
"Hello, Mrs. Wen, how are you?" Zhou Jianxing tried to make his voice sound smooth and natural, but his fingers unconsciously tightened the erhu strings, making a sharp whine.
"Master Zhou," Wen Lingyi's voice seemed to be strangled by invisible fear, with a fragility that was almost pleading, "Could you please come over now? My house has a power outage, and I'm alone now... I'm really scared..."
Every word seemed to be soaked in rain water, hitting Zhou Jianxing's heart wetly.
"Okay." Zhou Jianxing blurted out almost without thinking, "Wait for me, I'll be there soon."
"Don't be afraid, I'll be there soon." She added softly.
The raging fire burns the wasteland of reason.
The night was as dark as ink, and the rain was pouring down. When Zhou Jianxing rushed out of the house, Zhou Jianjun insisted on driving her: "It's so late, and it's raining so hard, it's not safe for a girl like you!"
"No need, Dad! It's very close! I've called a taxi!" She refused in a panic, her voice rising.
I can't let my father see Wen Lingyi, and I can't let him notice the turbulent undercurrent of taboos between them.
She grabbed her toolbox and dove into the raging rain.
·
She was in such a hurry to go out that she forgot to bring an umbrella, and the rain soaked her in an instant.
The taxi could only drive to the entrance of Lanyuewan Community. For the rest of the way, she ran wildly in the torrential rain holding the toolbox.
The cold rain blurred her vision and poured into her collar. When she rushed to the door of the villa in a panic, she looked like she had just been pulled out of the water, with water dripping from the ends of her hair and clothes, like a drowned rat.
The dim emergency light on the porch outlined Wen Lingyi's slender figure. She was wrapped in a pearly white cardigan, her long hair slightly disheveled, and her face wore a perfectly balanced look of panic.
Seeing Zhou Jianxing's embarrassment, Wen Lingyi tightened her grip on her cardigan.
"Master Zhou, you...how did you get so wet?" Her voice trembled as she quickly turned sideways. "Come in quickly, it's cold outside." Her heart felt like it was pricked by something, and she groaned bitterly. "There's no need to be so anxious."
The interior of the villa was pitch black, with only a small rechargeable emergency light in Wen Lingyi's hand emitting a faint glow. The vast darkness was like a dormant beast, silently oppressing the senses.
The air is filled with the base notes of damp musk and humus, mixed with the scent of summer rain, forming a strange and heart-stirring atmosphere, like the touch of a silk nightgown slipping off the shoulders, which has left the body but still retains its warmth on the skin.
"Mrs. Wen, don't be afraid, I'll check the switch first." Zhou Jianxing wiped the rain off his face, ignoring the stickiness of his wet clothes, and suppressed the throbbing in his heart that was stirring again because of Wen Lingyi's approach. He groped his way to the basement distribution box as if he knew the way.
Wen Lingyi followed closely behind him, reaching out and nervously grabbing the corner of Zhou Jianxing's wet T-shirt: "Master Zhou, go slower. I'm afraid of the dark..." she whispered, her warm breath brushing against Zhou Jianxing's neck, causing a slight tremor.
Zhou Jianxing's body stiffened.
Under the emergency light, he opened the distribution box cover and found the main switch was in the "OFF" position. Was it a tripped circuit breaker? Was it caused by a high-power appliance? Zhou Jianxing suppressed his doubts and reached out to turn on the main switch.
"Wait." Wen Lingyi suddenly said, with a hint of annoyance, "I remember, I was just using that new vacuum cleaner to clean the carpet in the living room, and then it went dark with a 'bang'. Could it be... that this is the cause?"
Zhou Jianxing returned to the living room to check. The vacuum cleaner was still firmly plugged into a standard wall socket. The continued use of such a high-power appliance could indeed cause the standard circuit to overload and trip. "That might be the cause of the overload. Mrs. Wen, please don't use this socket for now."
She said as she unplugged the vacuum cleaner.
Then, Zhou Jianxing and Wen Lingyi returned to the basement distribution box. Throughout the entire process, Wen Lingyi stayed close to her, her arm almost touching hers. In the darkness, Wen Lingyi's presence was infinitely magnified.
She could clearly smell the fragrance of Wen Lingyi's hair, feel her slightly rapid breathing, and even feel the warmth emanating from her body passing through the damp and cold air.
Taking a deep breath, Zhou Jianxing pushed the main switch back to the "ON" position with force.
“Bang!”
The entire villa was instantly brightly lit, dispelling the thick darkness and seeming to instantly illuminate the hazy ambiguity between the two people.
The sudden brightness made Wen Lingyi squint her eyes, but she didn't loosen her grip on Zhou Jianxing's shirt. She looked up at Zhou Jianxing, who was soaking wet. His dark peach blossom eyes seemed to be soaked by the rain outside.
"Thank you, Master Zhou. Really, thank you so much." The voice was so soft that it seemed to tremble slightly as if it had survived a disaster.
Under the bright lights, Zhou Jianxing's utter disarray was evident. His soaked old T-shirt and jeans clung to his body, outlining his youthful yet powerful features.
Wen Lingyi glanced over and frowned slightly: "You're soaked all over, you'll get sick. Come on, go take a hot bath first!"
"No need, Mrs. Wen, I..." I just wanted to escape from this space where my heart was beating in disorder.
"Now that everything is fine, I'll go home first." She picked at her fingers nervously.
"No!" Wen Lingyi interrupted her forcefully. "It's raining so hard, it's too dangerous for a girl like you to go out in the middle of the night! Besides," her voice dropped, with just the right amount of fragility, "I'm alone at home, and in such a thunderstorm... I'm... still scared..." She raised her eyes, her moist eyes staring straight at Zhou Jianxing, "Tonight... stay?"
Stay... This thought was like an apple emitting tempting fragrance, attracting Zhou Jianxing.
She seemed unable to refuse Wen Lingyi.
"I..." Zhou Jianxing's throat tightened, and the words of rejection rolled around on his tongue for a few times, but he finally swallowed them back. He couldn't say the word "no" under such a look.
Although his mind was clamoring for danger, his body was honestly nailed to the spot by the "vulnerability" revealed by Wen Lingyi.
"...Okay." The voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible.
A sweet smile of relief broke out on Wen Lingyi's face: "That's great. Go take a shower quickly, I'll find you some towels and clothes." As she spoke, she turned around gracefully, leaving Zhou Jianxing with a gust of fragrant wind.
The bathroom was filled with warm steam. Zhou Jianxing stood under the shower, letting the scalding water wash over his cold body and chaotic thoughts.
The "dress" Wen Lingyi prepared was a champagne-colored silk nightgown that felt as smooth as running water. But when she put it on, the problem began to become apparent—it was too short.
The hem barely reached mid-thigh. The silky fabric was incredibly form-fitting. Her frame was already larger than Wen Lingyi's, and the nightgown perfectly outlined her modest but defined curves. Under the light, it felt subtly translucent, revealing the hue of her skin beneath.
Zhou Jianxing looked at his somewhat exposed self in the mirror, his cheeks instantly flushed red, and he frantically tried to find something to cover himself up.
In the end, she only found a white bath towel and barely wrapped it around her waist.
Take a deep breath and open the bathroom door.
·
Wen Lingyi was waiting outside the door with a towel in her hand. Her deep gaze paused on Zhou Jianxing for a few seconds, and then was covered with tenderness.
"Have you finished washing? Come here, your hair is still wet." Wen Lingyi naturally asked her to sit in front of the mirror.
"Don't move." Wen Lingyi's voice echoed behind her, lazy and magnetic. She wrapped a towel around her wet hair and wiped it carefully. Her warm fingertips occasionally brushed against the sensitive skin of her ears and the back of her neck through the towel, bringing a subtle electric current and an indescribable tingling sensation.
Every touch was like dancing on Zhou Jianxing's tense nerves. She was stiff, holding her breath, her eyes finally fixed on the mirror, where Wen Lingyi was leaning over to wipe her hair.
So beautiful, so gentle.
The corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously.
Wen Lingyi, seen in the mirror, had skin as white as fresh snow and eyes as black as black pieces on a chessboard. Her long curly hair fell on Zhou Jianxing, and their hair became entangled.
"Master Zhou," Wen Lingyi's voice was close, her warm breath brushing against her ears like the whisper of a lover. "That malfunction just now... even though the light came on, I'm still uneasy. With such a heavy thunderstorm, what if the circuit breaker trips again?" Her tone was just the right amount of worry. "How about... could you... take the trouble tonight and help me check it all night? Make sure everything is safe?"
Investigate all night? That's not necessary, right? Zhou Jianxing was puzzled.
"Mrs. Wen, can you see it tomorrow during the day? It's very late now."
Wen Lingyi's wiping slowed down, and the towel slipped off. Her fingertips, with a hint of coolness, gently played with the ends of Zhou Jianxing's half-dried hair, moving along the strands, barely touching the delicate skin at the back of her neck.
"Heh." That deep, raspy voice climbed up the auricle again, like the aerial roots of a tropical orchid drilling into the ear canal. "Little Star..." It was a loving and affectionate name, the ending lingering, sweet and alluring. "Have you... ever repaired human circuits?"
boom--
Blood rushed to his head and then quickly receded. Zhou Jianxing stood up suddenly and took two steps back in panic.
"Mrs. Wen!" She protested in a panic, her cheeks instantly flushed red, and her eyes began to dodge. "It's late, you should rest! I'll go to the guest room!"
She almost ran away again, rushed into the guest room that Wen Lingyi pointed out to her, slammed the door shut, and leaned against the door, gasping heavily.
She was now able to understand Wen Lingyi's invitation, but she still couldn't get over the hurdle in her heart.
Although, she wanted to get close to Wen Lingyi very much and wanted to touch her skin with his.
·
The bed in the guest bedroom was soft and comfortable, smelling of sunshine, but Zhou Jianxing lay on it feeling uneasy. Outside the window, thunder rumbled intermittently, and pale lightning tore through the night sky, illuminating the room as bright as day.
Every time a loud thunder exploded, Zhou Jianxing's body couldn't help but tremble violently. A huge fear gripped her, and a layer of fine cold sweat appeared on her forehead. Every thunder seemed to destroy her, and her mind was shaken.
If she were at home, her mother would hold her tightly in her arms and give her a safe place to hide, but this guest room was so big, so empty, and so cold that she had nowhere to escape and could only tremble and wait for the next thunder to come.
Finally, after another deafening thunder that seemed to split the sky, Zhou Jianxing's last line of defense completely collapsed.
Overwhelmed by fear and a desire for warmth, she threw off the covers, stumbled barefoot out of the guest room like a young animal seeking shelter, and knocked on the master bedroom door.
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