Chapter 52 The wind is gentle, and the moon is gentle too...
Zhu Qingzhi's voice carried the crispness of the night breeze, and the rich scent of roses wafted into her heart as she looked up. Wen Qi supported her lower back and leaned slightly closer: "On the Bund in Haicheng, Lu Yao put on a grand fireworks display to celebrate your eighteenth birthday."
Her 18th birthday? It's been seven years since then, hasn't it?
This guy is really good at holding back.
Given her inconsistent efforts, she simply couldn't understand how someone could persist in liking someone who didn't reciprocate for a full seven years.
She doesn't talk about it for three years, she can be done in three days!
The smell of alcohol on Wen Qi wasn't unpleasant; it was mixed with a warm and elegant amber scent, causing ripples to appear in the soft moonlight. His eyes, like water, seemed like a clear spring under the moon.
Zhu Qingzhi focused her attention, withdrew one hand, poked Wen Qi's chest with her finger, and raised an eyebrow: "No wonder he was so angry that he wanted to hit you."
In certain situations, she often blurts out inappropriate remarks, as this helps to alleviate many unpredictable emotions. Over the years, her friends have gotten used to it, but Wen Qi probably hasn't.
Zhu Qingzhi subconsciously wanted to add another sentence, but Wen Qi raised his hand and affectionately pinched her nose, laughing, "He hit me not because of this. If he knew about this, he probably would have fought again."
She paused for a moment, then tilted her head back slightly: "No, no, no, he would probably want to throw himself into the Huangpu River."
Before meeting Wen Qi, she had called Lu Yao and blurted out the relationship between Wen Qi and Chao Xing without even thinking it through. Lu Yao wasn't surprised at all; he even replied thoughtfully with an "Oh?"
Hmph, just a few days ago this guy was so confident and worried, telling her he couldn't find a single clue about Chaoxing's connections. Turns out he's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Letting him throw himself into the Huangpu River and follow in Qu Yuan's footsteps would be too lenient for him.
Suddenly, a warm sensation came from her forehead, then swept to the tip of her nose and the corner of her lips. Wen Qi's face lowered even further, his gaze and breath were aggressively possessive, almost tangible. Zhu Qingzhi's heart skipped a beat, but she did not dodge.
Wen Qi then let out a mischievous grin: "You spoke to Babai on the phone?"
"The tension between you two is almost as high as an armory, okay?!"
Zhu Qingzhi remained stubborn, neither admitting nor denying it. She always felt that the behavior of "asking her brother about everything" was a kind of new-era "parasitic behavior." "If we get hurt, we'll all get hurt together. Besides, don't forget that I have a know-it-all by my side, Wen Yiqian."
Well, best friends are for emergency refuge! Wen Qi didn't know whether he believed her or not, but since he didn't refute it, she took it as him believing her.
The night wind tangled in her hair, scratching her cheeks and neck, but she couldn't pay any attention to it, because Wen Qi's gaze was so deep that once you looked into it, you were doomed to fall for him.
"Our first meeting actually took place even earlier, at Kenyon University."
Wen Qi went to university abroad, but what is his relationship with Keny?
"That year, KENY hosted the first Robotics University League, and I was fortunate enough to participate."
Indeed, she still remembered that year's college league opening ceremony, which was held in the library's studio.
The place was packed with people, and she wanted to join in the fun, but Dawn insisted on taking pictures of her silhouette under the sycamore trees. They dawdled and took pictures for almost an hour, and she almost missed her next class.
Her fingertips curled unconsciously, as if the shadow of the sycamore leaves still lingered in her memory.
“You must have been in a hurry to get to class, running against the flow of people, carrying several books haphazardly in your arms. I was afraid they would fall apart halfway, but you still had the mind to joke around with the people next to you.”
Wen Qi's gaze fell on the small mole under her eye, tender and affectionate, as if he had depicted it a thousand times before, and his voice was as deep as ink soaked in the night.
The wind suddenly softened, no longer scratching, as if gently pushing her forward. Zhu Qingzhi looked at the smile surging in Wen Qi's eyes and suddenly felt that his next words probably wouldn't be anything nice.
Sure enough, a woman's intuition is terrifyingly accurate.
He sighed softly, "Humans are just more useful than rigid robotic arms. You were so agile that you didn't even give me a chance to strike up a conversation."
Zhu Qingzhi was so speechless by his words that she almost bit her tongue. She raised her hand to slap his arm, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to his chest.
She could clearly hear Wen Qi's steady heartbeat, which sounded much more serious than his earlier teasing remark.
Zhu Qingzhi didn't press for details about the differences between the two meetings, firstly because he was very honest, and secondly because Wen Qi had already spent enough time and effort on her.
These past genuine feelings, these quiet acts of care, were so pure that they gradually shone in the night. Zhu Qingzhi, no longer flustered, softened a little: "Alright, you win."
Shadows intertwined under the streetlights, and a sweet fragrance wafted through the air, always making one feel intoxicated. Over Wen Qi's shoulder, one could see the neon lights of the restaurant entrance flashing incessantly in the distance.
Zhu Qingzhi bit her lip and stared for a long time, as if she was thinking about something. Wen Qi subconsciously turned his head to follow her gaze, but her left wrist was suddenly grabbed by her.
Immediately afterwards, the ring finger slid into an object.
Wen Qi was suddenly taken aback.
Her fingertips still carried the coolness of the night breeze, but the ring she held tightly in her hand was warm, and the slightly damp touch burned as it left its mark on him.
"A belated New Year's gift."
The crisp, clear tone, tinged with barely perceptible shyness, dissipated in the wind. The hem of her coat was lifted by the wind, like a butterfly turning and fleeing in a panic.
The next second, Wen Qi took long strides and chased after him.
The night was still, the wind whispered, and the chasing figures moved nimbly, occasionally punctuated by laughter.
At this moment, winter in the south of the city doesn't seem so cold anymore.
*
As soon as Liu Xiaoning landed in Beijing, she saw three missed calls from Shen Rou on her phone, but she didn't rush to call back. She waited until she got home before slowly dialing back.
Having suffered a loss in silence at the dinner table, Shen Rou was feeling quite unhappy. When she saw Liu Xiaoning's call, she answered it and, before Liu Xiaoning could even speak, launched into a tirade.
"I'm so angry! An investor came over tonight and immediately tried to intimidate me. If our Mingyuan's General Manager Zhao hadn't been busy, we wouldn't have given in so easily."
She rattled off a string of questions, "By the way, what's the background of this Zhu Qingzhi? She doesn't seem like an illegitimate daughter of the Zhu family."
Liu Xiaoning was packing her luggage and replied unhurriedly, "Zhu Qingzhi was raised in Haicheng since she was a child. I don't know much about her relationships; I've only heard about them from others. But Shi Yan did have something to do today, and I took the same flight back to Beijing with him."
"You know President Zhao?" Shen Rou immediately jumped up from the bed, her furrowed brows drooping again as soon as they relaxed a little. "Xiao Ning, do you really know President Wen of the Wen Group? I tried to get close to him today, but he didn't give me any face at all."
Liu Xiaoning was about to put the LR necklace into the jewelry cabinet when she heard this. Her hand trembled, and the necklace scraped against the glass door and fell to the ground, pulling several pieces of jewelry out of the cabinet with it.
The ear-piercing scraping sounds came one after another. Chen Rou blinked twice, her voice trembling, "Xiao Ning, are you alright?"
Looking at the mess on the ground, Liu Xiaoning calmed herself down a little: "I'm fine. I just got back to the country and haven't had a chance to introduce you to him yet."
"Oh, it seems I really offended you." Shen Rou sighed and continued to explain, "I heard that Wen Qi decided to come at the last minute. I called you as soon as I got the news, but you should have been on the plane at that time."
"During dinner tonight, I noticed Wen Qi seemed to have a thing for Zhu Qingzhi. Could something be going on between them? Why don't you try to find out for me?"
Liu Xiaoning bent down and picked up everything, then stuffed it all into the jewelry cabinet. She lost interest in tidying up and picked up her phone to go out onto the balcony: "I've never heard of Wen Qi having a story with her."
“That’s true. The news of the marriage alliance between the Wen and Lu families has spread far and wide. If there really was a connection, they wouldn’t have made such a high-profile move.” Shen Rou trusted Liu Xiaoning completely and didn’t think too much before circling back to the main topic, “By the way, I received the things you sent, but how about we just forget about it for now?”
The night was as dark as ink, and the mournful cry of a cold-weather bird could be heard through the window. Liu Xiaoning could hear the hesitation in Shen Rou's tone and knew that she was having second thoughts.
A sharp glint flashed in Liu Xiaoning's eyes, but her voice remained as gentle as ever: "Okay, whatever you say. I'll visit the set in a few days."
Instead of offering advice, Liu Xiaoning went along with her wishes, which made Shen Rou a little embarrassed: "I know you mean well and want to stand up for me and teach her a lesson, but what if she really has someone backing her? Wouldn't that just get you into trouble?"
"Okay, sure."
Shen Rou was furious when she thought about how Zhang Siyue had avoided her like the plague today: "Oh right, and Zhang Siyue too. I've said what I needed to say. The rest is up to you two to talk it out yourselves. It's not appropriate for an outsider like me to interfere."
"Okay, I understand, thank you, Arou." Liu Xiaoning's fingertips turned white. She had received the verification message from Zhang Siyue, but she hadn't made up her mind to accept it.
"We're like family, no need to be so polite to me."
Although Shen Rou was arrogant and domineering, she was sincere towards Liu Xiaoning. She always remembered the first time they met when someone splashed wine on her, and only Liu Xiaoning took her to change into a new dress.
"Filming officially starts tomorrow. I don't know when Mr. Zhao will be free to come over. The current script doesn't give me any room to improvise. Writer Li is useless, and Director Zheng is too intimidating to do anything. Otherwise, I would have..."
As she was talking, there was a sudden noise next door: a heavy thud, the sound of someone's back hitting the wall, followed by a loud bang, which was probably the sound of a door being slammed shut.
The hotel booked by the film crew was very close to the studio, but the environment and facilities were mediocre, and the soundproofing was terrible. Shen Rou was already used to it. "I don't know how long I'll have to endure this. I'm about to have a nervous breakdown because of this place."
Liu Xiaoning couldn't hear anything from the other side and didn't know why Shen Rou had suddenly changed the subject. She frowned and subconsciously asked, "Tomorrow what?"
"It's nothing." Shen Rou gave a perfunctory "hmm" a few times, took out an earplug from the drawer and put it in one ear, but she didn't expect the noise next door to get louder and louder, quite like dry wood and raging fire.
She immediately took off her earplugs. "Oh my god, this is way too exciting." She rolled out of bed, her ear pressed against the wall, her mouth still open. "I think my neighbor is Zhu Qingzhi. Is she tearing the house down?"
"Huh? Something's not right, why is there a man here?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Kiyoshi [shrugs]: Hmm~
Wen Qi [kissing emoji]: Mm.
Shen Rou [eating melon]: Hmm?
Ah Mei: To find out what happens next, please stay tuned for the next episode! ^_☆
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
