Chapter 8 False Tears
Chapter 8 False Tears
After finishing his meal at the hotel restaurant, Yan Zhen returned to his room, took an early shower, and snuggled comfortably on the sofa, eating some fruit.
It was 9 o'clock in the evening and there was no movement on the phone.
Chen Huaixu asked her to free up her time in the evening, but he didn't tell her what to do. There has been no movement for such a long time. Is he just teasing her again?
Yan Zhen was browsing her phone boredly when she suddenly remembered Chen Huaixu's bank card password and began to deduce.
610723.
Yan Zhen is very sensitive to the number "61" because June 1st is her birthday. But she thought about it and felt something was wrong. Why would Chen Huaixu use her birthday as a password?
It's a coincidence.
And the "0723" at the end also looked like a date, but she thought about it for a long time and couldn't remember anything special about this day.
It was not Chen Huaixu’s birthday, nor was it the day He Xia founded, nor was it a holiday.
So what did this string of numbers mean? She thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure it out.
While he was lost in thought, the phone rang. Yan Zhen glanced at the caller and hung up without a second thought.
Ignore him tonight!
The light of the phone screen gradually went out. She stared at it for a few minutes, and then it didn't light up again.
Chen Huaixu didn't call again.
"You're smart." She was about to get up when the doorbell rang suddenly.
He came directly to her room?
Yan Zhen panicked, her heart beating rapidly. She hurried to the door and saw the person at the door through the surveillance camera.
He is a waiter in the hotel.
Her tense body relaxed instantly, and her heart sank. She calmed her breath and opened the door.
"Hello, miss." The waiter smiled and pushed a cart. "This is your room service."
On the cart was a bouquet of extremely bright roses, next to it was a bottle of red wine that looked very old, and two crystal clear high-heeled glasses.
"Room service?" Yan Zhen was a little confused. "Did you send it to the wrong room? I didn't order room service."
"It's not the wrong order. It was ordered by a Mr. Chen," the waiter explained. "He said it's our first anniversary and he wanted to give you a surprise."
Chen Huaixu gave her the same excuse without hesitation.
Yan Zhen was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond, yet unable to refute, so she could only force a smile and say, "Thank you."
"And here," the waiter gently broke open the roses. In the center of the cluster of flowers, quietly lay a delicate little box. "Please be sure to open it yourself. I wish you two a happy anniversary and a long and lasting happiness."
After saying that, the waiter politely left and closed the door gently.
Yan Zhen looked at the big bouquet of roses and the small box, feeling a little at a loss.
What's wrong with Chen Huaixu?
She picked up her phone, ready to call him and question him, but as soon as her fingertips touched the screen, she remembered that she had decided to ignore him tonight.
Maybe this is also his plan?
Yan Zhen put down his phone, ignored the cart, and sat back on the sofa.
But the bouquet of fiery red roses was truly eye-catching, burning fiercely in the silent room. Yan Zhen felt uneasy, glancing at it countless times, but finally couldn't help herself and ran over to open the box.
She wanted to see what Chen Huaixu was up to.
The black velvet box was opened, and a pair of earrings lay quietly inside.
It was not the one that Yan Zhen left at his house, but a completely new and exquisite one that looked very expensive.
The tiny diamonds sparkled colorfully under the light from the overhead lights, making her a little dazed.
She stood there for a long time, and finally couldn't help but call Chen Huaixu.
Laughter came from the other end of the phone: "Finally paying attention to me?"
"Why did you send me flowers? What's your trick?"
"Just think of it as..." Chen Huaixu paused slowly, "Thank you, Miss Yan, for buying clothes for me today."
"You still have some conscience... but was it necessary to do this? I thought you..."
Chen Huaixu asked knowingly, "Hmm? What do you think?"
Yan Zhen suddenly felt a little embarrassed, knowing that this person was teasing her again, and said, "I'm dead!"
The sound on the other end of the phone was noisy, piercing the eardrums bit by bit. Shouts and music came one after another, and Chen Huaixu's voice sounded distant and near.
She asked unconsciously, "Where are you?"
"Drinking." Chen Huaixu seemed to have taken a few steps outside. The background noise gradually faded, and his voice became clearer. "Baby, do you miss me?"
"Who missed you? You're drunk again, can you be serious?"
"I have to attend a social event after dinner." The voice on the other end of the phone was tired, with a hint of persuasion. "If you don't come to pick me up, I might get drunk."
"What does it have to do with me if you get drunk?"
She hung up the phone in a hurry. Chen Huaixu quickly sent a location, and the meaning was obvious.
"Why are you looking for me if not your assistant? I'm not going." She threw her phone away, jumped onto the bed, wrapped herself in the quilt, and closed her eyes.
But she couldn't fall asleep no matter how much she tossed and turned, so she simply opened her eyes again, stared blankly for a while, and sat up in a daze.
He can drink so much, he shouldn't be drunk.
But what if something really happened to him?
Yan Zhen hesitated, thought about it over and over again, and finally made up her mind, threw off the quilt, got out of bed and went to change clothes.
An hour later, Yan Zhen came to the bar wrapped in a coat.
She was beautiful and attracted everyone's attention almost as soon as she stepped through the door.
Soon a man came up to her and tried to chat her up, but she impatiently rejected him: "Stay away from me."
After finally getting rid of the persistent approacher, Yan Zhen walked all the way inside and followed the box number given by Chen Huaixu, but accidentally saw him at the door.
Chen Huaixu was half leaning against the wall, as if waiting for someone.
She paused.
He was swiping his fingertips on his phone, and as if he noticed something, he raised his eyes to look. Yan Zhen subconsciously panicked and quickly hid behind a pillar.
Her breathing was rapid. After waiting for a while, she quietly stuck her head out to look. Chen Huaixu had already stood up and walked to the other side of the corridor. He didn't seem to notice her.
As if possessed by some mysterious force, she stood up and followed.
He had long legs, but he walked at a leisurely pace. Afraid of being discovered, Yan Zhen waited until they were far enough apart before catching up.
The surroundings became increasingly deserted, with only a few people passing by, and the noisy sounds were left behind. Yan Zhen had originally not wanted to follow, but now she couldn't help but become even more confused. Where was he going?
It's so secretive that people who don't know would think it's an affair.
She was startled by her own thoughts and gently pinched her palms. When she came to her senses, the figure in front of her had disappeared.
She hurried after him and turned the corner, but Chen Huaixu seemed to have completely disappeared. The empty corridor was empty, with only the door of a private room beside her ajar.
Did he go in?
Yan Zhen held her breath and slowly approached. Just as she was about to put her ear to the door, she heard a cold voice behind her, low and pleasant: "What are you looking at?"
The sudden voice startled Yan Zhen. She turned around subconsciously, and before she could see the man's face clearly, she was hugged by the waist and thrown into his arms.
A familiar refreshing scent instantly came over her, mixed with a little bit of the sweet aroma of red wine, enveloping her completely.
Just as she was about to struggle, Chen Huaixu lowered his head and sealed her lips.
"Shh." He whispered, his breath lightly touching her nose.
Yan Zhen looked over his shoulder and saw two people talking and approaching not far away. She was so scared that she quickly shrank into his arms.
Chen Huaixu touched the top of her head, lowered his head and kissed her again. With broad shoulders and long legs, he completely enclosed Yan Zhen in his arms. Someone behind him walked by, unable to see Yan Zhen's face or figure clearly, only catching a glimpse of their intimate movements in the dim light.
It is common to see couples kissing here. The two smiled at each other knowingly and quickened their pace as they passed by them.
"You came after all," Chen Huaixu pinched her soft earlobe with his fingertips and made a final conclusion, "You're worried about me."
"Don't be so self-indulgent!" Yan Zhen dodged his kiss, frowning and anxiously saying, "Who knows what shameful things you're doing here? I'm... here to expose you!"
He chuckled softly, "Oh, I see. Come check on my husband's post."
It was the first time Yan Zhen heard him say this word. She was stunned for a moment, then her cheeks burned even more. She angrily scolded him, "Chen Huaixu, are you shameless?! If you keep talking nonsense like this while drunk, I'll block your mouth!"
He smiled happily, a rare sight, and hugged her tighter, saying, "Let's go."
The two of them walked out of the bar. Yan Zhen shook off his hand and said, "You lied to me again. You weren't forced to drink at all, and you used me to treat you..."
She paused, skipping over the word: "You tricked me into coming here and waited for me at the door, just to see me being fooled by you?"
"I didn't lie to you." Chen Huaixu sighed softly, "I told them that I had an appointment with my girlfriend and she was still waiting for me. I absolutely couldn't break the appointment, otherwise I really wouldn't be able to go home tonight."
He added: "And I wasn't sure you would come."
The wait was long, and what was even more difficult was waiting without hope. During this hour, Chen Huaixu opened the WeChat dialog box countless times, wanting to send her something, but he was afraid that being too forceful would make her back off.
How should I say it? I hope you can come? I really want to see you?
No matter which one it was, he couldn't say it now. He didn't want to hear a rejection, which would be too much for him to bear.
"But I did lie to you about one thing," he said slowly. "I saw you at the door of the box, but pretended not to see you and led you away because—"
"I want to find a quiet place to kiss you."
Yan Zhen was stunned.
As the atmosphere stagnated, a young man's voice rang out: "Hello, sir, ma'am, is this the designated driver you called?"
"Yes," Chen Huaixu handed him the key, "thank you for your help."
With a stranger around, Yan Zhen couldn't say anything and just followed him into the back seat of the car.
The designated driver opened the car window for ventilation. Yan Zhen moved to the other side of the back seat until she was against the car door, trying to distance herself from Chen Huaixu. But before she could even sit comfortably, his hand reached over and hugged her back.
Her cheek rested against his shoulder. She was concerned about the people in the front seat and protested softly, "Let me go."
Chen Huaixu lowered his head and asked, "Why are you deliberately staying so far away from me?"
His face pressed down, and the distance between them became extremely close. She glanced at the front seat in panic, and happened to meet the gossipy gaze of the young man. So she reached out and pushed Chen Huaixu's face back, trying to explain in a way that made it even more obvious: "Why did you drink so much tonight and get so drunk?"
Chen Huaixu didn't expose her, he loosened his arms around her waist, leaned back cooperatively, pretended to be slightly tipsy, and said softly "hmm", "I drank too much."
His arm slid down from behind her waist, but his warm palm covered the back of her hand, tightened, and then held it.
Not drunk at all.
Yan Zhen complained in her heart, but did not struggle anymore. She turned her head to look out the window, where the neon lights were flashing brilliantly.
The drowsy ride finally ended, but the expected hotel entrance didn't appear before their eyes. Yan Zhen looked around and asked in surprise, "Where is this?"
"You'll know when you get there."
Chen Huaixu led her forward. He didn't seem familiar with the place either, looking down at the map. The two of them came to an intersection and turned another corner. There were obviously more people ahead.
From afar, Yan Zhen could already see two rows of lush cherry blossom trees by the river, stretching all the way to the bend, with no end in sight. Bright lanterns hung beneath the trees, illuminating the petals like pink snowflakes.
The night cherry blossoms, a very beautiful and dreamy scene, made her stop.
"This is……"
Chen Huaixu took her hand and pulled her forward, saying, "It's a very famous attraction here. It can only be seen in spring, during the cherry blossom season."
"Why did you bring me here?"
"Since we're here, we should visit some popular attractions. Unfortunately, I'm too busy during the day to accompany you."
She couldn't help but feel a little touched, but she still said stubbornly: "I don't want you to accompany me."
"Really? But why have I heard people complaining about not being able to find anyone to hang out with and being bored in a hotel alone?"
"That's all because of you." She got angry when she thought about it. "It's just a pair of earrings. Why didn't you just ask someone to return them to me? Otherwise, why would I have gone to so much trouble to come here with you?"
"If I don't do this, how long will you hide from me?"
"Who's hiding from you..." After being exposed, she completely lost her confidence and her voice became smaller and smaller.
He lowered his eyes and stared at her, "That night, was it so hard for you to face it?"
Yan Zhen was immediately horrified. She stood on tiptoe and covered his mouth. Then she looked around and confirmed that no one had heard what she had just said. Only then did she feel relieved. She frowned and said anxiously, "What are you talking about!"
She pulled his wrist and walked to a secluded bench nearby, complaining, "We agreed not to mention this!"
"Why can't we mention it?" he asked, "Didn't it happen to us?"
Yan Zhen didn't know how to answer, and she was very upset. She had indeed been attracted to him and bewitched him, which had led her to do such an indulgent thing, but after thinking about it, she felt that this should not have happened.
She couldn't figure out her feelings for him at all, so she just hid away like a coward, completely refusing to think about it. But Chen Huaixu refused to do so and kept pressing her, forcing her to face it.
Yan Zhen was scared, but also a little disgusted by his dominance.
"So what if it happened? I've already said that we are all adults and can be responsible for our own actions."
"Have you really taken responsibility?" He continued to insist, "If you had really thought about it, you wouldn't have refused to face it until now."
She raised her head and was about to refute his words, but when she saw those dark eyes, her momentum unconsciously weakened.
At that moment, a vendor passed by with a bunch of balloons. Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two people, he thought it was just a couple arguing, so he started to persuade them, "Sir, would you like to buy a balloon to comfort your girlfriend? It would be a shame to have such a quarrel with such a beautiful view."
Chen Huaixu immediately calmed down and asked her, "Do you want it?"
Yan Zhen turned around and said, "I'm not a child, why do I need a balloon?"
Hearing the angry tone in her words, he laughed and said to the vendor, "Buy one, the pink one."
The vendor held up a QR code and said, "Okay, just scan this... Oops, the lighting here is a bit poor. There's a light over there. Can we go over there and see if that's okay?"
Chen Huaixu agreed and followed him a few steps away. Yan Zhen looked at his back and suddenly remembered the method Yan Zhao taught her.
Why is it that she is always the one being manipulated while he is always at ease?
She also wanted to see him compromise.
Yan Zhen took out eye drops from her bag, glanced at Chen Huaixu, then quickly put a few drops in the corners of her eyes, tilted her head back and closed her eyes, thinking for a while, then slowly lowered her head, smoothed her long hair, and let it fall to cover her cheeks.
After paying the money, Chen Huaixu walked to Yan Zhen with the balloon and found that she was sitting on a chair with her head down. Her expression could not be seen, but her shoulders were trembling slightly.
"What's wrong?" He noticed something was wrong, tied the balloon to the armrest, squatted down, lifted her face up with force, and saw her wet eyes when he was at eye level with her.
Yan Zhen rarely cries.
One reason is that she has had a smooth life since she was a child, has never suffered any hardship, and has almost never been wronged; the other reason is that she has her own pride and will never show weakness in front of others easily. No matter what, she will wait until she gets home to vent.
Therefore, today's tears caught Chen Huaixu off guard.
"What's wrong?" He asked again, holding her face and wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips. "Why are you crying suddenly?"
"It's all your fault!" Yan Zhen took the opportunity to cry as the cold eye drops slipped down her cheeks. "You always bully me! You're always against me! And you were so mean to me just now!"
Chen Huaixu opened his mouth to defend himself, but when he saw the wet corners of her eyes, he swallowed his words back and sighed softly, "Well, it's all my fault."
"I hate you!"
"Um."
Once the emotions were unleashed, they were like a flood that could not be stopped. Yan Zhen simply took advantage of the situation to vent all her personal grudges, crying and accusing him.
Chen Huaixu wiped her tears, and then suddenly hugged her in his arms.
He kept stroking her back and coaxed her gently, "It's all my fault. Don't cry, baby."
His embrace was strong and warm, enveloping her in a strange comfort. The voice beside her was patient and gentle, fully accepting every emotion she let out. His lips gently kissed her ear, coaxing her like a lover's whisper, calling her "Zhenzhen" and "Baby," leaving her feeling a little lost.
He seemed to take it seriously.
Her chin rested on his shoulder, a little dazed.
Yan Zhen had never expected that tears would have such an effect.
"Chen Huaixu is most afraid of women crying. If you shed a few tears in front of him, not only will he be humiliated, I guarantee he will even pluck the stars from the sky for you."
Yan Zhao's half-joking words were now covered by another voice, echoing in her mind over and over again, making her heart beat wildly.
Yan Zhen's crying gradually subsided. Chen Huaixu lifted her up from his arms, took out a tissue to wipe her tears, and said, "Are you feeling better?"
She lowered her head and said, "I haven't forgiven you."
"sorry."
Although neither of them knew what mistake he had made, he still condoned such unreasonable behavior unconditionally.
"It was our anniversary, and I made my girlfriend cry on such an important day. It was really my fault."
Her ears felt hot, and she pushed him away forcefully, saying, "You come again! Who is your girlfriend?"
Chen Huaixu smiled softly, touched her cheek and said, "Not bad, you look more energetic than before."
Yan Zhen shook off his hand and sat aside angrily, not even looking at him. She took the opportunity to make a request: "I want to make three rules with you."
"Um?"
She threatened: "Do you dare not agree?"
He looked at her slightly red eyes and compromised, "I dare not."
"Well, first of all, you can't force me."
He hummed and asked, "What counts as forced? Just now at the bar, didn't you also..."
Yan Zhen interrupted him angrily: "From today on, as long as I say no, you will stop, understand?"
Chen Huaixu lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then agreed easily: "Okay."
He agreed so readily that Yan Zhen started to get suspicious. However, she didn't think about it and continued, "Second rule, you are not allowed to threaten me by exposing our relationship, especially in front of my brother. You must not let him know."
"No problem."
"Third," she thought for a moment and snorted, "you must grant me whatever I ask."
"Granting every request?" Chen Huaixu pondered these four words over and over again. "Of course I can, but what good will that do me?"
"No," she raised her chin like a proud cat, "this is an unfair clause, you have to sign it."
Being so arrogant and unreasonable is indeed very typical of Yan Zhen.
He suddenly stretched out his hand, palm flat and upward, in a gentlemanly manner.
Yan Zhen looked at him hesitantly and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"It's a bit of a ritual," he hooked his finger, "Come."
Although she was a little confused, she still extended her hand, her fingertips lightly touching his palm.
Chen Huaixu took the back of her hand, kissed it gently, and said, "Deal."
His movements were solemn, and the place he kissed instantly became hot. Yan Zhen bit her lip, pulled her hand back in panic, and said with forced composure, "Then we have a deal. If you break it, we will completely break off relations."
"rest assured."
Yan Zhen looked at his face, trying to find a trace of dissatisfaction at being forced to sign an unequal treaty, but Chen Huaixu's expression remained calm and steady, as if he was the one who was sure of victory.
He met her gaze and raised the corners of his lips slightly. Although he said nothing, she could see the emotion in his eyes.
He is determined to win.
After the fun, the two walked outside in the night. Yan Zhen achieved her goal with her fake tears, but she still felt uncomfortable. So she said angrily, "My brother is right. Are you most afraid of women crying?"
She pursed her lips, as if she had found the point of imbalance in her heart, and said, "With the way you just did, if someone cried in front of you, wouldn't you be able to give them the company?"
He paused, looked sideways at her, and said in an unhappy tone, "Do I look so kind?"
This time Yan Zhen was silent.
Chen Huaixu rubbed her hair and said, "Yan Zhao deliberately didn't make it clear. I'm not afraid of women crying, but I'm afraid of you crying."
After being out and about for most of the night, Yan Zhen had to get up early the next day to catch a flight. She was so sleepy that she kept dozing off in the waiting room.
Yan Zhao was sitting aside reading a magazine when he suddenly remembered something. He took out a box from his pocket and said, "Here you go."
"What?" She yawned and took it.
When she opened it, she found familiar earrings inside. They were the ones she had left at Chen Huaixu's house, and they were the root of all the trouble that had happened during the business trip.
"Huai Xu said you left it in the bag of clothes he bought for him, so he asked me to give it to you."
"Oh." Her fingertips paused, and when she reached out to take it, there was no reaction on her face, but her eyes unconsciously swept towards the door.
Chen Huaixu didn't fly back to Ningchuan with them, but was going to another city instead. Although she knew it was impossible to see him at this time, she still looked around subconsciously.
Yan Zhao noticed her look and asked, "Did you steal last night? You have such dark circles under your eyes."
Yan Zhen immediately touched his eyes and said, "No way!"
When she saw his expression, she realized she had been fooled and glared at him, "You're teasing me again!"
Yan Zhao said slowly: "I'm just worried. You're so gullible, don't fail to see through the tricks of the bad men out there."
"Can anyone be worse than you and Chen Huaixu?" Yan Zhen rolled her eyes at him, "You're so cunning."
"That's true." He didn't feel that this was an insult at all. Instead, he nodded with great satisfaction.
"I'm still young, but you, Mom has given you an ultimatum. If you don't make a move before she returns home this year, she'll kidnap you and take you on a blind date."
"What's the rush?" Yan Zhao slowly turned another page of the magazine. "It's not you who's on the blind date."
Yan Zhen snorted and said, "Since we're siblings, I can introduce you to someone. What type do you like?"
"Me?" He laughed and said deliberately, "I'm too stupid."
Yan Zhen nodded and said, "What else?"
He continued, "You can't have such a bad temper."
She frowned and said, "Why do you always say bad things...what else?"
Yan Zhao gently tapped her shoulder with the magazine and said, "Let's get on board."
Seeing that he was trying to fool her again, Yan Zhen stood up unhappily and muttered, "You're asking for so much, you'll be single for the rest of your life."
Yan Zhao didn't rush to catch up with Yan Zhen. Instead, he stood still and slowly cast his gaze towards the sky outside the window. He seemed to recall something, smiled, and said, "Also... being too cruel is not okay either."
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