Chapter 24
twenty four
It was raining heavily, and the person getting wet was protecting the delicate rose in his arms, seeming to enjoy it.
Lin Ju stared at her phone in a daze. She had never felt that half an hour could be so long. The moment the doorbell rang, she swooped over like a bird and plunged into her own mountains.
Lin Ju hugged Zhao Xingcan's arm, her eyes sparkling, her movements anxious, she grabbed Zhao Xingcan's arm and pulled him into the house, pushing him directly onto the bed, like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey.
Zhao Xingcan felt pain in his chest from being hit by her head. He lay on his back on the bed, raised his arm to hug her waist, and held the rose high in his other hand.
That emotional face seemed even more beautiful than a flower. Kisses fell down densely. He turned over and pressed Lin Ju under him.
The white rose fell from her hand and hit the ground, with petals scattered all over the ground.
"The rain seems to be getting heavier." Lin Ju leaned heavily in Zhao Xingcan's arms. She didn't hear Zhao Xingcan's voice. She raised her head and looked into his eyes. "What were you doing before you came?"
Zhao Xingcan didn't open his eyes and said lazily, "I'm in a meeting."
"Will I disturb you while you're working?"
"It's okay." Zhao Xingcan put his fingers into the back of her head and smoothed out her thick long hair. "Compared to that boring meeting, I want to be with you more."
Although she knew that such love words should not be taken seriously, Lin Ju still felt the skin being touched by Zhao Xingcan's fingers was hot, and her head became dizzy and heavy, so she leaned her face against Zhao Xingcan's palm and rubbed it.
"Don't worry about me. I just missed you and wanted to see you. I'll stay here. When you're done, just come find me."
Lin Ju's words left Zhao Xingcan silent for a while. He hugged her tighter and let out a barely audible sigh.
The voice was too soft and Lin Ju didn't hear it.
She didn't want Zhao Xingcan to feel like a burden, so explaining it this way would make her feel better.
"How can I bear to let you stay in this hotel alone?"
Zhao Xingcan kissed her on the cheek. Lin Ju was lying on top of him. They kissed and slowly sat up.
Lin Ju sat on his lap with her hands on his shoulders.
Zhao Xingcan was not wearing a shirt, and his shirt was put on Lin Ju.
It was already dark outside the window. Lin Ju's long hair was tied up and loosely tucked behind her head. Zhao Xingcan's fingers were fiddling with her earlobe intentionally or unintentionally, and his dry throat felt a little itchy.
He lit a cigarette and took a puff. The smoke had a light mint and wormwood flavor. Lin Ju opened his eyes. Without a hearing aid, and too lazy to gesture, he simply held out his hand to Zhao Xingcan.
Zhao Xingcan was amused and handed her a cigarette. She didn't light it herself, but leaned close to Zhao Xingcan's mouth and lit it.
The two of them leaned against each other, smoking lazily.
The cigarette was filled with mint, and it felt cool in his throat when he inhaled it. Zhao Xingcan picked up the ashtray on the bedside table and shook out the ashes.
After finishing a cigarette, Lin Ju felt tired and drowsy.
Zhao Xingcan patted her arm gently, took his hand away from her, and pointed at the lit cell phone thrown aside.
Lin Ju was stunned for a moment, then sat up and helped Zhao Xingcan get the phone.
Probably because Lin Ju couldn't hear, Zhao Xingcan answered the phone in front of her without avoiding her.
Lin Ju was very tactful and looked away. She lowered her eyes and stared at Zhao Xingcan's fingers in a daze.
Zhao Xingcan's hands were prettier than hers, with long, thin fingers that were white and clean. Unlike her, her hands had calluses from holding a carving knife, and many tiny scars, and her nails were always dry and dull.
She stretched out one of her fingers and circled the back of Zhao Xingcan's hand with the tip of her finger.
After about four or five circles, her hand was suddenly clenched.
A warm kiss fell on her ear and a light bite on her neck. She almost cried out. Her toenails curled up and she raised her head to the side, meeting Zhao Xingcan's gloomy eyes.
"I have some things to deal with now." Zhao Xingcan gestured slowly. When he saw Lin Ju's instantly dejected expression, his fingers paused in the air, and then he whispered slowly, "I'll pick you up tonight."
Lin Ju tilted her head slightly, listened to Zhao Xingcan's words, turned her back, and took off Zhao Xingcan's shirt.
The gray shirt fell on the side of the bed. Zhao Xingcan didn't rush to pick it up. His eyes were locked on Lin Ju's back. There were several red marks on her snow-white and delicate skin, especially on her shoulder blades. This was his habit.
Zhao Xingcan lowered his eyes, and the girl's body swayed gently from side to side in his eyes, as if a fluffy white fox tail would grow on her delicate tailbone in the next second.
He was indeed busy. He picked up his clothes and put them on. When he buttoned them, he was very absent-minded and buttoned one wrongly, so he started over again.
He said goodbye to Lin Ju, and seeing that she was lying on the bed in silence, he remembered that she couldn't hear him at the moment, so he walked around to the head of the bed and squatted in front of her. He raised his hand and stroked Lin Ju's hair like he was stroking a kitten.
Lin Ju couldn't hear any sound, so she didn't know when Zhao Xingcan left.
It was almost eight o'clock when Zhao Xingcan came to pick her up.
Lin Ju checked out and waited for him in the lobby.
She leaned her head back on the maroon sofa, covered her face with a hat, and zipped up her gray sweatshirt to the top, leaving no part of her face exposed. In her hand, she was holding the roses that Zhao Xingcan had bought for her during the day.
This is what Zhao Xingcan saw her like when he hurried over.
He was reluctant to wake her up, so he sat down next to her.
People were coming and going in the lobby. Zhao Xingcan was sitting in a lazy posture with his legs slightly bent. He was leaning on the back of the sofa with one hand and flipping through his cell phone with the other.
His time has always been precious, but at this moment, he just sat there waiting, showing great patience.
Lin Ju was actually awake. She was wearing a hearing aid and could hear the voices around her. She also knew that Zhao Xingcan had arrived.
But she pretended to be asleep, quietly opened her eyes, and looked at Zhao Xingcan cautiously through the gap in the hat that was pressing against her face.
He changed his clothes into a looser, more comfortable linen. The collar dropped naturally, revealing his beautiful collarbone. During the day, she had gently bitten a very shallow tooth mark on his left collarbone. She didn't know if it was still there.
Lin Ju was lost in thought, and felt itchy in her heart. She really wanted to pull open his collar and take a look inside.
She couldn't pretend any longer, so she took off her hat and pretended to have just woken up. She yawned and when she saw Zhao Xingcan, she looked surprised.
Zhao Xingcan smiled, of course he knew about Lin Ju's little tricks, but he just didn't point them out.
Lin Ju stood up and Zhao Xingcan picked up her bag. The bag was bulging and quite heavy.
Zhao Xingcan was carried on his back, with his other hand around Lin Ju's shoulders.
He drove a silver-white sports car that night, a compact and exquisite design. Lin Ju sat inside, a white rose pressed against her nose, the air-conditioned air rustling, the cramped interior filled with the faint scent of flowers, the leather seats, and a faint whiff of perfume.
She sniffed the unfamiliar scent and felt a slight chill on the back of her neck.
It's too late at this time, and the only shops open are those serving late-night snacks.
Zhao Xingcan took her to a porridge restaurant and ordered a bowl of fish porridge with dried scallops, abalone, and some fresh shrimp and crab. Zhao Xingcan picked up the bowl, scooped a small bowl with a spoon, and pushed it to Lin Ju's hand.
Lin Ju lowered her head and sipped the porridge. A few peeled shrimps were handed to her in a small bowl on the side.
She said thank you and took a bite of the shrimp, a little absent-mindedly.
Zhao Xingcan noticed her distracted expression, but he didn't ask any further questions. They had an unusually quiet midnight snack, and in this noisy and bustling restaurant, their table stood out.
Lin Ju's mind was not on the porridge. She felt the food was tasteless and the strange perfume in the car seemed to still linger on her nose.
After barely finishing a bowl, Lin Ju said he was full, leaned back in his chair, and looked at the people outside the window.
Her eyebrows and eyes were overly cold and beautiful, and her expression was wooden at the moment. The faint light and shadow fell on her profile, like a portrait of a beauty carved out by a chisel stroke by stroke.
Zhao Xingcan had seen Lin Ju's soft and sweet appearance many times these days, and it was shocking to see her like this. He took a sip of tea and tilted his head to call out, "Lin Ju?"
Lin Ju paused for a few seconds, then slowly turned around. Her eyes were clear and distant, which made Zhao Xingcan feel vaguely uneasy.
The car drove into the residential complex and stopped in front of a high-rise apartment building. There was a parking space at the entrance, and the silver-white sports car slid into it.
Lin Ju got out of the car and saw Zhao Xingcan take out his bag from the back seat and casually put it on his back.
Zhao Xingcan's residence in Beijing is decorated very simply, with white walls, wooden floors, and minimalist furniture. There is only a gray sofa and a wooden coffee table in the living room.
There is a small succulent plant on the coffee table. New sprouts are sprouting on it, and it looks like it is being cared for very carefully.
Zhao Xingcan put down his bag, squatted down with her, and looked at the succulent plant.
Lin Ju turned her head and asked, "Is this what I planted in the greenhouse?"
Zhao Xingcan raised his lips slightly and reached out to fiddle with the tender fleshy sprout. "I secretly cut off a small piece when I left and planted it here. It's growing well, isn't it?"
Zhao Xingcan, who said this, had his eyelashes half covering his eyes, and all his usual coldness was gone. Zhao Xingcan looked like an ordinary person who was in love.
Because seeing the things reminds me of my lover, I would secretly cut a small piece of the plants my lover has planted and take it to my own home to plant.
Zhao Xingcan now described it as a simple plant, but it actually withered soon after planting. He looked it up online and discovered it had black rot. He took it to a florist, but the clerk said it would be difficult to save, as it was just a small plant and they didn't want it.
But he couldn't bear to part with it, so he brought it back, placed it in a sunny place, removed the rotten buds, and planted it in dry soil.
Every time he returned home late at night and saw the succulent plant growing slowly, he felt like he was pushed ashore from the deep sea and given a chance to catch his breath.
Sometimes it is too late, and I pick up and put down my phone, and in the end I just hold the small green succulent plant, look at the night view of Beijing, smoke and daydream.
Of course, Zhao Xingcan would not mention these to Lin Ju. In his habit, these were trivial matters not worth mentioning.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
