Chapter 21
twenty one
Zhao Xingcan waited until Lin Ju fell asleep and then came out of her room.
Jiang Yin had already left downstairs. Zhao Xingcan stretched out his body and leaned back on the leather sofa. The pendulum on the wall turned to one o'clock in the morning.
The regular ringtone seemed abrupt and harsh in the empty living room. Zhao Xingcan picked up the phone and turned on the speakerphone.
Grandfather's voice came from the receiver, "Did you see your mother?"
He turned slightly to the side, his face pressed into the sofa, "Did Grandfather ask her to come and say these words to me?"
When he asked this, Old Master Zhao laughed, "Xing Can, I can't object to whoever you're with. But in the final analysis, you'll inherit the Zhao family. Among these younger generations, you're the one I value most. Don't let me down."
Old Master Zhao once said that Zhao Xingcan was the most like him among the younger generation.
When Zhao Xingcan was performing the Zhou-Zhua ceremony, he held a pen.
Mr. Zhao personally picked him up, his eyes narrowed into a line with a smile, and said to everyone: "Xingcan must make a decision in the future."
As he grew up, he has indeed not disappointed his grandfather, and the countless decisions he has made, big and small, have brought him positive feedback.
However, the funny thing is that the person who always gives the orders cannot even make decisions about his own feelings.
Zhao Xingcan didn't know what he was insisting on.
Logically speaking, there are no romantic people in the Zhao family.
He shouldn't be like this.
…
Lin Ju was still a little dazed when she woke up. She grabbed the quilt and hugged it in her arms, stunned for a long time.
Only then did he vaguely remember what he had done in front of Zhao Xingcan yesterday.
Like a tape recorder, she kept asking Zhao Xingcan if he found her annoying.
Zhao Xingcan patiently told her over and over again that it was not annoying.
She suddenly stood up, covering her swollen head, and regretted her behavior yesterday.
After sighing for a while, Lin Ju slowly got out of bed.
She washed her face, put on a coat, and went downstairs. As she reached the stairs, she saw Zhao Xingcan coming out with a dinner tray. He was wearing a beige linen shirt and matching trousers. Standing in the halo, a soft smile on his face, like an angel carved by Michelangelo.
Her memory vaguely went back to the time when they were trapped in Hai City. During that time, she could see Zhao Xingcan like this every day.
"I'll make you some hangover soup."
The light soup in the plain white bowl faintly revealed the Chinese medicinal ingredients piled at the bottom. Lin Ju walked over to take a look, then turned around and said, "I'm sober now, no need to drink."
Zhao Xingcan stretched out his arms, directly grasped her waist, brought her to his side and held her down, "Try it, it tastes pretty good."
Lin Ju was practically forced to drink half a bowl of soup. The broth, which included dendrobium, tangerine peel, lotus seeds, yam, and fan bones, had a slightly sweet and sour taste. She didn't like the taste and drank it with a frown. Her whole body felt hot, and she felt a little dizzy from the heat.
She tilted her head back, and suddenly a candy was stuffed into her mouth. The sweetness of milk diluted the strange taste in her mouth. She licked her lips, and her brow finally relaxed.
Zhao Xingcan poked her dimple and said, "How about it? My service is pretty considerate, right?"
Lin Ju held a candy in her mouth and said vaguely, "I give you a five-star rating."
It was the first time that Zhao Xingcan was being graded. He smiled and picked her up and put her on the long table.
Lin Ju let out a low cry and subconsciously put her arms around Zhao Xingcan's neck.
Underneath Lin Ju's coat was a moon-white long dress, which Zhao Xingcan had put on her the night before. The girl's skin was naturally pale, and the unsun-kissed areas looked like snow. The hem of her nightgown slipped down, revealing her translucent thighs. Zhao Xingcan covered them with one hand, highlighting the stark contrast in skin tone.
His vision was stimulated, and he pinched Lin Ju's chin, leaned forward and kissed her lips.
The toffee had not yet melted, but a hint of sweetness could be felt on the tip of the tongue. Zhao Xingcan took a deep breath and deepened the kiss.
Before the disorder broke out, Zhao Xingcan let Lin Ju go.
He took a step back, lowered his eyes, hooked his fingers around the corner of Lin Ju's coat, and gently gathered it up for her.
The whole day was spent working off the drunken laziness of last night. They caught up on the show they hadn't finished. They cooked dinner together in the kitchen, each making a dish. However, Lin Ju had no talent for cooking, and the stir-fried vegetables were too salty, making them unpalatable.
Zhao Xingcan had cooked beef brisket with tomatoes, potatoes, and vegetables early in the morning. She had no appetite during the day, but as evening approached, the sour aroma of tomatoes piqued her appetite.
Lin Ju couldn't help but eat two bowls of rice with the boiled potatoes, tomatoes and beef brisket.
She ate too much and Xiaoxiao complained that Zhao Xingcan’s cooking was so delicious that she couldn’t control herself.
Zhao Xingcan was helpless, but for some reason, he thought her being so stubborn was quite cute.
After dinner, she dragged him around the courtyard several times.
It was already late autumn, and a thick layer of fallen leaves had accumulated in the courtyard overnight.
There was a noise coming from the door, the carved door was slowly opened, and Feng Longlu's voice came from far away.
When Lin Ju came out, she was wearing a knitted long skirt. The apricot-colored skirt was close to her waist. Her slender and soft waist swayed in front of Zhao Xingcan's eyes, and her round buttocks were like a peach.
Zhao Xingcan took off his coat and put it on her.
Lin Ju didn't hear the sound, and looked up in confusion, and saw a bright red figure walking towards him from a distance.
She couldn't help but be shocked. Even though she had seen him many times, she was still shocked by Feng Longlu's fashion sense every time she saw him.
When the others approached, Zhao Xingcan opened his eyelids slightly and asked indifferently, "What are you doing here?"
He and Lin Ju walked to the pavilion. Feng Longlu swept away the fallen leaves on the stone chair and sat down in his red trousers. "I came to have dinner with you. You didn't even tell me you were going back to Hai City."
Zhao Xingcan put his arm around Lin Ju's shoulders and smiled happily, "I came back to accompany my girlfriend, not to have dinner with a bunch of stinky men like you."
Lin Ju clutched the collar of his coat. They had just smoked a cigarette here. Each of them smoked his own cigarette, and his clothes were stained with two different smells.
Lin Ju absentmindedly sniffed the scent of wormwood and peaches, while Zhao Xingcan and Feng Longlu chatted away. Suddenly, Zhao Xingcan turned and asked, "Are you going to dinner tonight?"
Lin Ju blinked, not expecting him to ask for his opinion. Feng Longlu, standing opposite him, put his hands together and said silently, "Go ahead."
After a few seconds of hesitation, Lin Ju nodded.
It was a sudden decision to go out, and Lin Ju didn't prepare anything. She simply put on some light makeup and hurriedly changed into a looser skirt.
Feng Longlu couldn't wait and drove away first. When Lin Ju got out, Zhao Xingcan was leaning against the car door, smoking and waiting.
He also changed his clothes, and the two of them seemed to have agreed to wear light-colored clothes.
As Lin Ju walked over, Zhao Xingcan put out his cigarette. He waved away the remaining smoke, walked around to the other side, and opened the car door.
After getting in the car, Lin Ju fastened her seat belt. Zhao Xingcan held the steering wheel with one hand and stroked Lin Ju's waist-length hair with the other hand.
"My girlfriend is so pretty."
His compliments were always unintentional. Sometimes, when Lin Ju just got up, with no makeup on and her hair tied up with a shark clip, she would walk downstairs in a disheveled state. He would always praise her a few words whenever he saw her.
Every time this happened, Lin Ju would tell herself in her heart not to take it seriously, not to fall into it, because if she took Zhao Xingcan's situation seriously, she would be doomed.
But when the person you like is right in front of you, you say good morning to each other every day. He makes breakfast for you. Every time you frown, he asks if you are feeling well.
He sets aside a lot of vacation time for you, plans your trip, and you spend time together on the beach, by the sea, or in the forest. He hugs you and kisses you, but never does anything else that would make you feel out of place.
You love him and ask him over and over again whether he loves himself.
He never tires of reassuring you again and again, saying that he loves you too.
Zhao Xingcan is such a perfect lover.
As the car moved forward, rays of light shone in the sky, and a faint warm color fell on Zhao Xingcan's face.
Lin Ju couldn't help but look at her a few more times. Zhao Xingcan noticed it, raised one eyebrow, and slightly curled the corner of his mouth.
Lin Ju sighed in her heart, she knew she was finished.
The gap between her and Zhao Xingcan is an unbridgeable chasm between them. If Zhao Xingcan really falls in love with her, then the barriers between them will become more and more.
But Lin Ju didn't know when she became so sentimental. She thought that even if Zhao Xingcan didn't love her and didn't want to see her in the future.
She didn't want to give up now, as it would be like a moth to a flame or hitting a wall.
She has survived winter, spring, and summer, and will finally succumb in autumn.
When we arrived at the place, everyone was waiting for Zhao Xingcan as usual.
We had dinner until nine o'clock and there was a second show.
Zhao Xingcan turned his head and asked Lin Ju if she wanted to go, and Lin Ju nodded.
We went to a bar opened by Feng Longlu, which has recently been visited by several bloggers and has become an internet celebrity bar.
There was a long queue at the door, so they went directly in through the side door.
Sitting in the booth, the soft sofa makes people cuddle together naturally.
Those who were drunk jumped into the dance floor and danced wildly, with the music booming in their ears.
Lin Ju felt uncomfortable in her ears, so she took off her hearing aid.
She is not interested in such occasions. It makes no difference to her whether she can hear it or not.
It was just that Zhao Xingcan held her hand and let her stay close to him, as if he wanted to force her to participate in his world.
Lin Ju was also very considerate. Like a vase, she leaned on his shoulder and gently sniffed the faint scent of perfume on the man.
It was her perfume, which she had deliberately rubbed on his neck on the road just now.
Her fingers scribbled on Zhao Xingcan's palm, drawing a piglet, then a kitten, and finally gently outlining a big heart with her fingertips.
After Zhao Xingcan finished talking to the other person, he turned around, pinched her chin, and lifted it slightly, "Are you tired?"
The lights in the nightclub were dim, and Lin Ju struggled to discern the shape of Zhao Xingcan's lips, but it was still unclear. Her body almost collapsed into Zhao Xingcan's arms, and when she raised her head, it seemed as if she was asking for a kiss.
Zhao Xingcan also wanted him to kiss her, so, in front of everyone and under the beautiful lights, his lips rolled over Lin Ju's lips.
Feng Longlu determined that Lin Ju was special to Zhao Xingcan.
While Lin Ju was in the restroom, he secretly pulled Zhao Xingcan over and asked, "Does she know about you and Miss Qiao?"
Rumors were circulating that Zhao Xingcan had returned to China to arrange a marriage with the Qiao family. In fact, he had already dined with the young lady from the Qiao family while in Beijing. It was said that they were quite fond of each other and that there was a good chance the relationship would develop further.
Zhao Xingcan raised his eyelids slightly, "That was just a show, and Lin Ju doesn't need to know."
As he said this, the corner of his eye glanced at Feng Longlu's face.
Feng Longlu was stunned, and a chill ran down his spine for no reason. However, he still said, "I think Lin Ju is quite a character. If she knew, she would definitely quarrel with you."
Lin Ju came out of the bathroom and saw drunk people lining the aisle. Men and women were leaning against the wall, hugging each other.
She had never seen such a scene before. The empty silence filled her ears, and everyone seemed to be performing a pantomime in her eyes. She lowered her eyes and walked past quickly, trying her best to look like an ordinary person.
Suddenly, her shoulders were grabbed from behind.
Lin Ju shuddered and turned her head immediately. In the dim light, the strong smell of alcohol and cigarettes hit her face. The drunkard stared at her and frowned, "Beautiful lady, you are so disrespectful. I have called you several times."
What is he talking about?
She couldn't make out the other person's lips in the shadows.
She frowned and turned to leave.
But the next second, her arm was tightly grasped. The other person's hand was as cold as ice, making her shiver all over.
She swung it away violently, her nails scratching the man's face. The drunkard cried out in pain, his drunkenness taking over, and he pushed Lin Ju away.
Lin Ju's thin body was like a small white petal, about to fall to the ground.
All eyes around seemed to be on her. She looked up in a daze, touched her ears subconsciously, and then took out her hearing aid from her pocket and wanted to put it on.
"What's this?" The drunken man snatched the hearing aid from Lin Ju's hand, lowered his head and squinted, then burst into laughter. "Aha, so he's a deaf-mute? Why would a disabled person come to a bar?"
Lin Ju raised her head high and squinted her eyes at the man who was shaking with laughter in the dim light.
Her nails dug into the flesh of her palm. She took a deep breath, suddenly stood up, grabbed the wine bottle on the booth next to her, jumped up and smashed it on the other person's head.
Feng Longlu was talking to Zhao Xingcan when the waiter hurried over and whispered in his ear in a panic.
Zhao Xingcan turned his head slightly and heard a loud shout from the other end of the corridor.
Feng Longlu didn't know what he heard, he jumped up suddenly, looked down at Zhao Xingcan, his eyes flickering, "Zhao Xingcan, your girlfriend is fighting with someone over there."
As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Longlu saw Zhao Xingcan stand up and walk over quickly.
When Zhao Xingcan arrived, Lin Ju was standing with her head down, clutching a bottle of wine, her long hair draped over her shoulders, covering most of her face. The man in front of her, crouching on the ground with his head in his hands, kept yelling at her for compensation and for jail time.
"Mr. Zhao, you are finally here. Your girlfriend smashed someone's head." The people around saw Zhao Xingcan as if they had seen a savior.
Zhao Xingcan was originally frowning, but when he heard this, he smiled.
He walked behind Lin Ju, placed one hand on her trembling shoulder, and gently took the bottle of wine she was holding tightly with the other hand.
Lin Ju's body suddenly stiffened, but when she saw it was him, she suddenly relaxed and let him pick up the bottle.
“Let me tell you, this…” The man opened his eyes, and when he saw Zhao Xingcan, he stopped talking. He actually stood up straight, bowed ninety degrees, and said with a flattering smile, “So this is Mr. Zhao’s man. Sorry, sorry, it was a misunderstanding. I was abrupt.
Zhao Xingcan ignored him and turned his head to ask Lin Ju, "What did he do to you?"
Lin Ju didn't respond. Zhao Xingcan narrowed his eyes, pinched her chin, turned her towards him, and asked again.
Seeing Lin Ju staring at him blankly, he turned his head and called out in a low voice, "Feng Longlu, turn on the light."
In an instant, the lights were as bright as day, so dazzling that no one could open their eyes.
Zhao Xingcan asked again silently.
This time Lin Ju saw it clearly.
She raised her hand, tapped her ear, and pointed at the man.
My hearing aid is in his hand.
"She can't speak?"
"Mr. Zhao's girlfriend is deaf-mute?"
There were whispers all around, and Feng Longlu held down his hands to ask the people around him not to talk.
The man with blood slowly oozing from his head reacted, his face turned pale, and he spread out his hands tremblingly.
The small and exquisite white hearing aid was stained with blood. He licked his lips and shuddered when his eyes met Zhao Xingcan's.
"Sorry...sorry...Mr. Zhao...I didn't know..."
In the light, Lin Ju looked at the man opposite her, his lips moving. He was apologizing to her.
She thought it was ridiculous. If it weren't for Zhao Xingcan, would this man still be like this? No, he would insult and ridicule her with bad words.
Zhao Xingcan gently patted her shoulder, his sign language still a little awkward.
What do you want to do?
He asked her opinion, and Lin Ju was stunned.
She had already smashed the other person's head with a wine bottle and had vented all her anger.
What else can she do?
She couldn't do anything.
She couldn't change the other person's thoughts, couldn't change her own body, couldn't change anything.
She shook her head.
Zhao Xingcan pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and held her in his arms.
He felt her thin shoulders trembling constantly, and the wetness spreading across her neck burned his heart.
His peripheral vision fell on Feng Longlu, who was still quite tactful at this moment. The glaring lights dimmed instantly, the music continued on the dance floor, and the people who had gathered dispersed. In the dim and noisy atmosphere, several security guards came over and restrained the man.
Lin Ju said forget it, but Zhao Xingcan was unwilling.
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