Just like it
Zhou Jianxing was standing in front of the stove, carefully watching the tangerine peel and millet porridge bubbling in the pot.
Just then, her cell phone rang. It was Ajie calling. She wiped her hands and picked up the phone.
"No, Zhou Jianxing, what's wrong with you?" Ajie said in an exaggerated tone on the other end of the phone. The faint noise of the office could be heard in the background. "You've been a model of perfect attendance since you joined the company. Today, you suddenly asked for leave. They are all asking me if something happened to you."
It is indeed strange that a model worker like Zhou Jianxing would ask for leave.
"My girlfriend is sick and has a fever. I have to take care of her at home." As he said that, Zhou Jianxing turned down the fire on the stove a little bit. The porridge needs to be cooked slowly to be more glutinous.
As soon as she finished speaking, she looked up and saw that Wen Lingyi had woken up at some point and was leaning quietly against the kitchen door frame. She was wearing a soft, thin knitted cardigan, and her face was still a little pale from her illness.
It was obvious that her words "my girlfriend" were heard word for word.
"I'm done with that. I'm hanging up first." Zhou Jianxing panicked for a moment. He said something hurriedly into the phone and ended the call immediately.
Ajie on the other end of the phone listened to the busy tone, held the phone in his hand, and had a helpless expression on his face. He shook his head repeatedly, wondering who this "girlfriend" was.
Wen Lingyi's steps were still a little unsteady as she slowly walked towards Zhou Jianxing, the hem of her sweater swaying slightly with her movements.
"You just said..." Wen Lingyi's raised lips were forcibly flattened, "What did you say about me being yours?"
Zhou Jianxing wiped her body twice with a hot towel, and the sticky and uncomfortable feeling disappeared a little, but her hair was still a little uncomfortable. She fiddled with the hair on her neck as she walked.
Zhou Jianxing was extremely embarrassed, his ears felt slightly hot, and he subconsciously lowered his head, grabbed the clean rag next to him and unconsciously wiped the already clean stove.
She remembered very clearly that Wen Lingyi once said that she didn't want others to know about their relationship, but she unilaterally called Ajie "girlfriend".
Although Ajie doesn't know who Wen Lingyi is, will this overstepping behavior make her unhappy?
"Sister Wen, are you up?" Zhou Jianxing changed the subject abruptly, picked up the pot of perfectly cooked porridge, and walked towards the dining room, trying to hide his discomfort. "The porridge is ready, let's get ready to eat."
·
In the restaurant, the sun was shining brightly, warming the dining table.
Wen Lingyi looked at the golden and sticky millet porridge in the white porcelain bowl in front of her, with a small plate of light-colored steamed pumpkin next to it.
For her, who had just recovered from an illness and had a bitter taste in her mouth, this combination did not seem to arouse any appetite.
"So light." She stirred the glossy porridge in the bowl with a spoon, and the smell of tangerine peel rose with the steam.
She curled her lips unconsciously, and her voice was filled with a soft complaint that she didn't even realize was there: "I don't have any appetite at all just looking at it. I want to eat hot and sour rice noodles, the kind with lots of vinegar and chili."
A little bit of childish willfulness, like acting coquettishly.
"No." Zhou Jianxing picked up his bowl of porridge and blew on it carefully, trying to cool it down faster. "You just recovered from your cold and fever, and your stomach is weak. You need to eat light and easy-to-digest food. When you're fully recovered, I'll make you whatever you want, okay?"
"No. There's no taste in my mouth. I just don't want to drink porridge. I want to eat something exciting." Wen Lingyi supported her cheek with one hand and tilted her head to look at Zhou Jianxing. Her eyes looked wet because of her illness. There was no aggression in them, but rather a bit pitiful.
Zhou Jianxing was stunned for a moment by her sudden act of coquettishness, which was in stark contrast to her usual image.
As they spent more time together, she seemed to see more and more of Wen Lingyi's unknown side. After removing all her defenses and disguises, she revealed her fragility, helplessness, attachment, and even a bit of arrogance and willfulness.
Each of these looks made her heart soften.
"Be good and eat just a little, otherwise you won't have the strength to recover." Zhou Jianxing pushed the porridge that had been heated by the wind back in front of Wen Lingyi, his tone sounding like he was coaxing a picky eater.
Why is it like coaxing a child? Wen Lingyi bit her lower lip.
Without further complaint, Wen Lingyi silently took the bowl, scooped up a spoonful, and placed it in her mouth. The porridge was at just the right temperature, not too hot. The porridge, thickened with rice oil, was smooth and delicate. The grains, coated with a hint of tangerine peel, slid down her throat. The crisp aroma of citrus broke through the richness of the millet, spreading lightly in her mouth.
It seemed... not as hard to swallow as she had imagined. She even began to savor it carefully.
The mild and simple aroma of millet, like a straw stack warmed by the autumn sun, spreads a soft and warm touch on the tip of the tongue.
When swallowing, a clearer taste of tangerine peel comes out from the back of the nose. It is not bitter, like someone suddenly pushing open the wooden lattice window of an old pharmacy.
As she drank more, her appetite gradually improved. In the end, Wen Lingyi not only slowly finished the porridge in her bowl, but also picked up a few pieces of the soft, sweet pumpkin with her chopsticks and ate them.
When she raised her hand, the ring on her ring finger sparkled with pure silver light in the bright sunlight, which was particularly eye-catching.
Zhou Jianxing stared at the circle of tiny lights without blinking, and it seemed as if the brightest summer sunlight fell into his eyes and slowly accumulated.
·
A car pulled up smoothly outside the Lanyue Bay villa. Su Qing got out, carrying a small thermos. She had messaged Wen Lingyi that morning to arrange a meal, but received a reply saying she had a cold and a fever and was resting at home.
Although she was quite dissatisfied with Wen Lingyi's recent behavior of "putting love before friendship", she was still worried when she heard that he was sick.
Wen Lingyi lived alone, what would she do if she fell ill and had no one to take care of her? After some thought, she made some scallion and ginger soup to dispel the cold and sweat, and then eagerly brought it to the door.
Walking into the villa courtyard, it was Wen Lingyi's garden that was always well-maintained but slightly alienated. However, Su Qing noticed at a glance that there seemed to be something different in the garden.
Near the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, a large patch of pink and white flowers and plants, as fluffy as clouds, have been newly planted, swaying gently in the breeze.
The ground was no longer covered with neat lawns or regular shrubs as before, but was spread out like clouds with many white and lavender flowers, dotted here and there, with a kind of... overly attentive and even somewhat deliberate romantic feeling.
She frowned, vaguely remembering that Wen Lingyi's previous garden style was cooler and simpler, without these overly delicate flowers and plants.
Pushing the door open, Su Qing immediately noticed a pair of slightly clumsy white sneakers in the hallway, casually thrown away, with a bit of dust on the uppers. This was definitely not the style Wen Lingyi would wear.
Moreover, although it is obviously the same house, it feels different this time than last time. There seems to be some indescribable "human touch" in the empty space, and it is no longer as absolutely clean and deserted as a model room.
Something is wrong.
Perhaps startled by the noise of her opening the door, a young woman came out from the direction of the restaurant a while later. She was tall and wore simple home clothes. She looked at her with obvious surprise on her face, and there was some vigilance and question in her eyes.
Su Qing's heart sank. Zhou Jianxing didn't know her, but she recognized Zhou Jianxing, the Zhou Jianxing who had recently made Wen Lingyi so distracted that she couldn't even listen to her words.
Immediately afterwards, Wen Lingyi also walked out. Seeing Su Qing standing at the entrance, she was also slightly surprised: "Qingqing? Why are you here?"
Su Qing's gaze was drawn to Wen Lingyi's right hand, which hung at her side. She had never seen Wen Lingyi wear that uniquely designed ring on her ring finger before. Was it something she had recently bought? Or...
Her gaze shifted to Zhou Jianxing's neck, where the sapphire-blue necklace caught her eye. Her heart felt as if it had been plunged into ice water, completely chilling.
Su Qing suppressed the turmoil in her heart, put down the thermos in her hand expressionlessly, bent down to change her shoes, and then raised her eyes to Wen Lingyi and sneered: "Why, you are sick, so I shouldn't come to see you?"
Her eyes were once again uncontrollably and sharply fixed on Wen Lingyi's ring.
Wen Lingyi noticed her gaze and subconsciously hid her right hand behind her back.
·
There were only Wen Lingyi and Su Qing in the bedroom, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
Su Qing, with a cold expression, walked over to Wen Lingyi's closet. Sure enough, there were a lot of clothes hanging inside that she had never seen before, with a distinctly younger, more casual style. She then turned and entered the master bedroom bathroom, where she immediately noticed two toothbrush cups placed side by side on the sink, each containing two different toothbrushes.
"Are you living with her?" Su Qing crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking down at Wen Lingyi, who was also sitting in a chair in front of the dressing table with her arms crossed, in a confrontational posture.
"Is it strange?" Wen Lingyi was also very unhappy with Su Qing's uninvited and even somewhat intrusive behavior today, and her tone was equally harsh.
"Are you crazy?" Su Qing was almost laughing out of anger, and the coldness in her voice was even stronger. "Why? Are all the hotels in City C closed down? Wen Lingyi, have you forgotten that you are still a married woman in law?"
"Oh?" Wen Lingyi raised her eyebrows, a sarcastic expression on her face, and pulled back the sweater that had slipped off her shoulders with one hand. "Oh? You mean Su Zhe has started to like women now? I have to abide by marital ethics for him? Sorry, even if he likes women, I still don't like men."
"What if someone sees us? Have you thought about the consequences?" Su Qing was annoyed that Wen Lingyi was so bold as to hide the person in the villa without any hesitation.
"Please," Wen Lingyi frowned impatiently, "This is a villa area with strict security. It is the most private. No irrelevant people will come here at all."
She paused and looked at Su Qing meaningfully: "Except for people like Miss Su, who like to come to check on me without saying hello."
"Wen Lingyi!" Su Qing was enraged by her words. She rushed forward and forcefully grabbed Wen Lingyi's right hand. The force was so strong that Wen Lingyi frowned slightly. The ring flashed a cold light between them. "Are you serious? Are you really in love with her?"
"What's wrong with me liking her?" Wen Lingyi broke free from Su Qing's restraints. "Why do you mind my business? Do you like me? Just tell me earlier. How can the good things flow into the fields of outsiders?"
"Why should I care about your business?" Su Qing could no longer suppress her voice, her chest heaving violently, "Wen Lingyi, you are such an ungrateful person!"
"Have you forgotten that after you broke up with Zhu Yang, you drank yourself to death day and night. Who dragged you back from the bar time and time again and stayed by your side? Who got up in the middle of the night to clean up your vomit, afraid that you would choke on yourself?"
"Have you forgotten that you were suffering from alcohol poisoning? Who carried you to the hospital and stayed by your bedside, not daring to leave?"
She counted the things one by one, and became more and more disappointed.
"Wen Lingyi, you really are... so heartless!"
Wen Lingyi listened to Su Qing's tearful accusations, and those deliberately buried and embarrassing past events were dug out again and spread out in the sun.
She lowered her head and looked at the ring on her ring finger. She was silent for a long time and did not refute.
The only sound in the bedroom was Su Qing's rapid breathing.
After a long while, her emotions seemed to calm down. She took a deep breath and sat down facing Wen Lingyi. She still maintained a defensive posture with her arms folded across her chest, but her tone was much calmer. "If you've had enough fun, stop it as soon as possible, Lingyi. Don't wait until the end and then have no way to end it, like with Zhu Yang, and make both of us embarrassed."
Strangely, when Wen Lingyi heard Zhu Yang's name again this time, she found herself unusually calm.
"Zhou Jianxing is not Zhu Yang, and I am no longer the same person I used to be." Wen Lingyi's expression was calm, and her tone was calm. "Don't compare Zhou Jianxing with Zhu Yang anymore."
"I just like her, what's wrong?"
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