Flee
The next morning, Zhou Jianxing arrived at the company earlier than usual.
The maintenance department's office area was still empty, with only the buzzing sound of the cleaning lady pushing the vacuum cleaner.
She put down her tool kit and walked straight to the manager's office at the end of the corridor.
Huang Haifu was blowing into his thermos cup when he saw Zhou Jianxing knocking on the door and came in, a little surprised. "Xiao Zhou? So early?"
"Good morning, boss." Zhou Jianxing smiled exceptionally brightly and walked briskly to the large desk.
She picked up the smoking electric kettle on the table very naturally, picked up Huang Haifu's ceramic teacup, poured the cold remaining tea into the waste basin on the corner of the table, then added tea leaves and poured in boiling hot water, until the tea almost overflowed to the brim of the cup.
"I've figured it out. I'm going to go to City B for intensive study."
Huang Haifu was stunned by her attentiveness and sudden change. He subconsciously took the cup of hot tea, cried out, and carefully put it back on the table.
"It's a good thing you figured it out... But Xiao Zhou," he smacked his lips, speaking with the tone of a veteran advising a newcomer, "you still need to practice your tea-pouring skills."
"As the saying goes, 'A full glass of wine is a sign of respect, but a full glass of tea is a sign of deception.' If you pour someone such a full glass of tea, it means you're driving them away. Do you understand?"
The smile on Zhou Jianxing's face froze for a moment.
She comes from an ordinary family, her parents are sincere and honest in their dealings with others, and she has been working in a relatively simple technical environment. How could she understand the complicated hints in the ways of the world?
It turns out that pouring the tea too full means that you want the other person to leave as soon as possible?
She suddenly thought of the love she had given everything to without reservation. Was it because she gave too much and too full that made Wen Lingyi feel pressured and eventually chose to push away and get tired of it?
It turns out that love can’t be too full.
He quickly smiled again, his voice a little softer than usual: "I got it, boss. One more thing, I'm going to City B in a few days, and I want to use the time I saved up this year to spend time with my family. Is that okay?"
She counted on her fingers and calculated seriously: "I've calculated that the overtime I work can be adjusted for three days."
Since she broke up with Wen Lingyi, she has devoted almost all her time to work, like a tireless spinning top, working hour after hour, and accumulated seventy-five hours of overtime.
Huang Haifu picked up the nearly overflowing cup of tea, blew on it for a long time before carefully taking a sip, his brow furrowed. "What's wrong with you this year? You have too much leave. I can use it as an adjustment, but let me be clear, if you use it, you won't be eligible for overtime pay or the hardworking model award at the end of the year."
"Well, I know. Thank you, boss." Zhou Jianxing achieved his goal and said no more. The smile on his face faded a little. He turned and left the office, closing the door gently.
·
In the master bedroom of Lanyue Bay, Wen Lingyi woke up in darkness with a faint hint of daylight.
The headache brought by the hangover was nagging at her. She pressed her solar plexus and got up. She found that she was wearing clean and soft pajamas, her hair was fresh, and apart from a dry throat and a dizzy head, she had no other discomfort.
She tried hard to recall last night, but her memory stopped at the scene of eating and drinking with Su Qing in the restaurant, and everything after that was blurry.
It seems like... a dream?
In the dream, Zhou Jianxing was beside her and hugged her. The hug felt too real, with a familiar, reassuring warmth and strength.
The background of the dream was a sky full of bright stars, just like the old rooftop that Zhou Jianxing took her to see a long time ago.
He fumbled for his phone and the screen lit up, showing several unread messages from Su Qing.
Su.Q: "Is the young lady awake?"
Su.Q: "Is my sister nice to you?" followed by a smirking emoticon.
Wen Lingyi blinked, feeling somewhat puzzled, and replied with a simple question mark.
Su Qing's message immediately followed: "Didn't anything happen between you two last night?"
Su.Q: "I'm really worried about you."
You guys? Wen Lingyi's heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips felt cold.
Wasn't last night a dream? She immediately threw off the covers and got out of bed, hurried into the bathroom and took a hot shower, trying to dispel the unreal feeling of trance.
Standing in front of the mirror on the washstand, she carefully examined her body. There were no traces of ambiguity, nor any unusual sensations in her body.
My memory of "what happened" is completely blank.
She walked into the study wrapped in a bathrobe and turned on the computer connected to the home surveillance system.
Drag the timeline to find last night's record.
The footage showed that at around 11 o'clock in the evening, Zhou Jianxing appeared at the door with her, who was almost unconscious, and then used her fingerprint to unlock the door.
Afterwards, Zhou Jianxing was busy between the living room, kitchen and bedroom.
It was not until seven o'clock in the morning, when it was just dawn, that Zhou Jianxing left the villa.
Zhou Jianxing stayed with her all night.
So, Zhou Jianxing still has her in his heart, right? He still cares about her, right?
She picked up her phone and tapped her fingertips rapidly on the screen.
Shuiyue Gallery - Wen Lingyi: "Well done!"
The message was sent successfully, and she walked to the window, looking at the garden downstairs illuminated by the morning light.
She didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but she felt that the garden looked particularly pleasing to the eye today. Even the branches that looked a little bleak in the cold winter seemed to be full of vitality.
It seems like it is building up momentum for next year's boom.
·
In the evening, the Zhou family's small dining table was more crowded than usual, filled with the lively atmosphere of fireworks.
Zhou Jianxing was busy in the kitchen wearing an apron for the whole afternoon. The table was filled with her carefully prepared home-cooked dishes: the sweet and sour pork ribs were shiny and tempting, the steamed fish was fresh and fragrant, the garlic vegetables were green and crispy, and there was a big bowl of steaming white radish and mutton soup.
"Wow, what a feast today!" Xiao Min took Ajie's arm and said in an exaggerated tone, "Look at Xingxing, she's a master of both housework and cooking. You should learn from her."
Ajie feigned dissatisfaction and picked up a handful of unevenly chopped spicy and sour potato shreds with his chopsticks. "I've made a lot of progress recently, right? At least the potato shreds can be cut into shreds instead of French fries."
"Yes, yes, keep improving," Xiao Min smiled with her eyes curved, and she gently bumped him. "As the old saying goes, to capture a woman's heart, you have to capture her stomach first. Do you understand?"
In fact, even if you capture a woman's stomach, you may not be able to capture her heart.
Zhou Jianxing paused his chopsticks in the air as they reached for the ribs, then he turned and picked up the largest piece of ribs covered in sauce and put it into Zhou Shufen's bowl next to him.
"Mom," she said in a coquettish voice, "Please try this and see if it tastes good."
Zhou Shufen picked up the ribs and took a bite. The meat was soft and tender, with a moderate sweet and sour taste, a familiar taste to her.
She nodded repeatedly: "It's delicious. Our Xingxing's cooking skills are amazing."
Chu Wei, who was sitting on Zhou Jianxing's other side, took a few bites of garlic-sliced vegetables with his chopsticks and looked at Zhou Jianxing. "Xingxing, weren't you adamant not to go to that intensive study session a while ago? No matter how we tried to persuade you, you just shook your head. Why did you suddenly change your mind?"
"Haha," Zhou Jianxing laughed dryly, lowered his head to take a mouthful of rice, and said vaguely, "I just suddenly figured it out. I think people should have some ambition."
"I can't stay in my comfort zone forever, guarding my small piece of land at home for the rest of my life, right? I have to go out and broaden my horizons."
"Really?" Chu Wei put down his chopsticks, his eyes scrutinizing.
She knew Zhou Jianxing too well. It was hard to find people in the world who were more home-loving and content with the status quo than Zhou Jianxing.
This 180-degree turn in attitude was so quick that she couldn't help but wonder if something had happened behind the scenes.
Zhou Jianxing avoided Chu Wei's gaze and picked up the small wine glass in front of her, which contained the white wine that Zhou Jianjun poured for her.
She sniffed, her eyes slightly reddened. "Dad, Mom, I'll probably be gone for half a year. You must take good care of yourselves at home, eat on time, and don't be reluctant to spend money."
"Don't worry," Zhou Jianjun raised his glass and clinked it lightly with his daughter's, making a crisp sound. "Your mother and I are in good health, so don't worry. Going out to study is a good thing, and it helps you see the world."
Zhou Shufen didn't say anything, just nodded vigorously and raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.
"It's okay," Chu Wei saw this and put his arm around Zhou Jianxing's shoulders, patting him gently. "Go to City B and study with peace of mind. We're here with you, uncle and aunt. If you have any questions, just call us anytime. We're close by."
Ajie and Xiaomin also quickly raised their heads from their bowls, with food still stuffed in their mouths, and nodded in agreement vaguely.
Under the orange light, the steam from the food rises, reflecting every concerned face.
Zhou Jianxing looked at this scene and felt sad.
In fact, she is a very happy person, with so much simple and sincere love.
If she hadn't met Wen Lingyi, her life would have always been so peaceful and warm.
The people she loves and who love her are here, and she should love them well.
·
After the meal, Chu Wei helped to clean up the dishes. Since he had a few more drinks, it was natural for him to stay overnight in Zhou Jianxing's small room.
The two of them lay side by side on Zhou Jianxing's small bed. The lights in the room were off, and only the faint light from the street lamp outside the window came in, casting a blurry spot on the ceiling.
Zhou Jianxing lay on his side with his back to Chu Wei, looking at the gray shadow on the wall, with no desire to sleep at all.
"Xingxing," Chu Wei's voice was particularly clear in the quiet darkness, "I feel like something's wrong with you today."
There was a rustling sound behind him. Chu Wei faced her back, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked, "Your...ex, has she been looking for you again recently?"
Ex only clearly refers to one person.
Liking you is such a bitter feeling that I have to swallow my words when your name comes to my lips.
Zhou Jianxing's back stiffened for a moment, and then he responded softly, "Yeah."
"So the reason why you suddenly decided to go to City B was because of her?" Chu Wei's question followed.
“…Yeah.” After a few seconds of silence, Zhou Jianxing’s voice came softly.
It was indeed Wen Lingyi who finally pushed her to make the decision to leave.
"So...how do you feel about her now?" Chu Wei couldn't help but reach out and gently touch the soft top of Zhou Jianxing's head.
A lot of time has passed. She originally thought that Zhou Jianxing had slowly come to terms with it, but now it seems that the wound is much deeper than she imagined.
Zhou Jianxing buried his face in the quilt and said in a muffled voice, "I don't know."
In fact, she knew. The answer was so clear that she felt powerless.
If you didn't like it, you wouldn't be so upset when you received that call late at night, and ultimately rush over with a worry.
If you don't like someone, you wouldn't lower your head in front of the other person's unconscious sleeping face and leave a kiss that ends in an instant.
If you don't like it, you won't feel devastatingly sad when you discover the ridiculous and sad truth.
You drag me into an unpredictable love.
It makes me unable to even hate you.
All she could do was escape, so she had to leave.
Distance was the only barrier she could think of.
If she continued to stay in the same city, breathing the same air, she was afraid that she would completely collapse the next time the other party approached her without knowing whether it was true or not.
She was irresistibly attracted to Wen Lingyi at the beginning, and she is still irresistibly attracted to Wen Lingyi now.
Every time, I want to get closer.
As if attracted by gravity, she unconsciously revolved centripetally around Wen Lingyi.
"Xingxing," Chu Wei sighed softly, his arm around her waist, giving her a comforting hug between friends, "When you're alone outside, you must take good care of yourself, eat on time, and cover yourself with a blanket when you sleep. The most important thing is..."
She paused, her voice lower and more serious: "Don't be fooled by those beautiful bad women again."
Zhou Jianxing's throat was choked with sobs and he couldn't speak. He just nodded vigorously in the darkness and closed his eyes.
She won't be fooled again.
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