Chapter 59 A Bloodbath Caused by a Fountain Pen: Custom-Made, One-of-a-Kind. ...
The next day, Zhu Qingzhi indeed couldn't go home. The reason wasn't because of the snow, but because the production crew had organized a debriefing session on the actors' performances and the pacing of the plot.
So Zhu Qingzhi didn't land in Beijing until noon on the third day.
It was nearing the end of the year, and the airport was crowded. The studio had informed Zhu Qingzhi in advance that she would be using the VIP channel and asked fans not to come to pick her up. Therefore, when Wen Qi said he would come to pick her up, she didn't refuse.
The sky was a deep blue, and a light snowfall blanketed the ground in white. The wind was still, isolating the area from the hustle and bustle of the nearby terminal.
With just one glance, Zhu Qingzhi spotted Wen Qi.
As if growing out of this tranquil snowy landscape, Wen Qi, holding a long black umbrella, leaned against the car waiting for her, wearing a black coat and a dark gray cashmere scarf hanging down from his chest.
The moment their eyes met, a faint smile could be seen flashing in his eyes.
He straightened up, stepped forward, and naturally tilted the umbrella towards her. When they got closer, you could see that the knuckles of his fingers holding the umbrella were white and the fingertips were red. Even his deep eyebrows and eyes were tinged with a red.
"Why didn't you wait for me in the car?" Zhu Qingzhi remembered his fever last time, so she quickly grabbed his hand, braced her shoulder against his, and pushed him toward the car. "Don't think that I won't be angry anymore. I'm not falling for that."
His tone was fierce, yet bright and lively.
After being pushed along for a few steps, Wen Qi took the initiative, pulling her into his arms with ease. He leaned down slightly, his cool cheek pressed against her warm neck, and asked with a smile, "So, what do you want to eat?"
His deep voice was slightly hoarse from being chilled.
Zhu Qingzhi was startled by the cold, but unable to break free, she could only turn her head and try to bite his chin.
Since Wen Qi was so determined to oppose her, how could she let her have her way so quickly? She refused to give an inch, tightened her grip on her arms, and the two continued to "wrestle" until they reached the front of the car, without either side gaining the upper hand.
Zhu Qingzhi was amused and giggled, finally leaning against the car door, panting and raising the white flag: "Okay, okay."
Wen Qi closed the umbrella, a triumphant yet indulgent smile playing on his lips, and finally reached out to rub her flushed cheeks.
Zhu Qingzhi slapped his hand away in annoyance, and the next second his face was close to hers, nose to nose, their warm breaths colliding.
She was firmly contained within a small space, surrounded by the faint scent of amber emanating from him.
Suddenly, a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting a pale golden hue on the ground. The fine snow had already unknowingly clung to his shoulders, sleeves, and eyelashes.
"What?" Zhu Qingzhi leaned back, creating some distance, and looked at him with a smile.
"I miss you so much, so I wanted to see you as soon as possible." Wen Qi's breathing was unsteady, as if it were a lingering effect of their playful fight, and even the arm supporting her on the side was trembling slightly.
"I promise, nothing will ever happen again that will make you unhappy." The playful tone had faded, and his eyes were calm, yet more endearing than ever before.
Zhu Qingzhi pursed her lips, gave a soft "humph," and bumped her forehead against his, a sly smile flashing in her eyes: "I'm unhappy right now, what can you do about it?"
"Are you really unhappy?" Wen Qi seemed to be caught off guard by her sudden challenge. Her left eye narrowed slightly, and the redness at the corner of her eye had not completely faded, which added to her innocent yet serious troubled expression.
Zhu Qingzhi raised her eyebrows: "Mm."
The car door clicked softly, and Wen Qi supported her back, gently pulling her into his arms: "Give me some time to think." He then opened the car door and helped her inside.
Before Zhu Qingzhi could even fully adjust to the warmth inside the car, Wen Qi had already leaned closer, enveloping her in his shadow.
The kiss landed, gentle and patient, with a hint of probing and comfort, a soft, lingering touch.
It suddenly penetrated deeply, impatiently, eagerly, and relentlessly seizing her breath.
The biting cold outside invaded, but her body temperature soared, scorching every inch of her senses. Forced into the eye of the storm, Zhu Qingzhi felt the oxygen thin and her head spinning. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, seeking support, and offering herself even closer to him.
The faint whimper was swallowed, turning into a muffled yet alluring gasp.
The kiss deepened, leaving only their rapid heartbeats and intertwined breaths. In the tender, lingering moments, Wen Qi's low, husky voice brushed past: "Didn't bring any luggage?"
Zhu Qingzhi's eyes misted over, and she paused for a moment upon hearing this. Anxious to see him, she had rushed out without even collecting her checked luggage.
When she realized that Wen Qi was trying to shut her up, she shoved him, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed.
Not satisfied with just a shove, she glared at him, then pushed him out completely with both hands on his shoulders, slamming the car door shut with a "bang".
When Wen Qi got into the car, she was still sulking and looking out the window, only saying "Go back to my house!" before turning her face away.
Wen Qi glanced at her through the rearview mirror, his smile deepening. He held the steering wheel with one hand and took her hand in his other palm.
Zhu Qingzhi struggled a few times but couldn't break free. Instead, he gripped her hand even tighter, his warm palm gently caressing the back of her hand, silently soothing the embarrassment and shyness in her heart.
She continued to look out the window at the receding snow scene, but a slight smile softened at the corners of her lips.
*
They arrived at the Lu residence at nearly one o'clock in the afternoon.
Zhu's mother waited at the gate, and when she saw the car enter the gate from afar, she hurriedly called to Aunt Xu to heat up the dishes.
As soon as he entered, Lu Yao came downstairs with a cold face, his aura extremely low. He didn't even linger on her for a moment before walking straight to the living room.
Zhu Qingzhi felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively pulled Wen Qi's arm: "What's wrong with my brother? He seems to have a problem with me."
She spoke very softly, almost in a breath, so Lu Yao, who was several steps away, shouldn't have been able to hear her. But he did, and even replied, "Am I dead? Can't you ask yourself that?"
Zhu Qingzhi: "..."
Is it really appropriate to curse yourself like this during the Lunar New Year?
Before she could speak, Lu Yao's gaze swept over her. How to put it? His gaze was cold and abstract, pure and simple. Zhu Qingzhi felt as if she had been frozen into a specimen in a laboratory.
She immediately released Wen Qi's arm, stood up straight, and flashed a sweet smile: "Brother, it's been so long! I missed you so much!"
"Miss me?" Lu Yao gave a forced smile, tossing his suit jacket over the edge of the sofa. "You're trying to drive me crazy, aren't you?"
Zhu Qingzhi was speechless, so she frantically tugged at Wen Qi's sleeve, signaling him to come to her rescue immediately, otherwise she was afraid she would have to keep watch with both eyes while she slept.
Wen Qi was pulled so hard he almost lost his balance. He took her hand in return and said sincerely, "I've taken care of the bugging device. Brother, don't worry."
Huh? Why is it still about this? Zhu Qingzhi's heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling.
Wen Qi noticed her stiffness and gently added, "The night before last, my brother didn't let me into his office."
"It's none of your business." Lu Yao put one hand in his pocket, his gaze fixed on Zhu Qingzhi again.
Haha, that's it, they're really after her! Zhu Qingzhi was heartbroken, but she forced a smile: "We can talk things over."
"Discuss? You don't even have a mouth, how can you discuss it?"
Lu Yao clicked his tongue, forcing a kind smile. His voice was strained and so soft that Zhu Qingzhi felt the world was about to end.
Zhu Qingzhi really didn't know what she had done to offend him, so she could only purse her lips, blink her big, watery eyes, and try to get away with it by being cute.
Wen Qi seemed to be kindly reminding him, "Your brother didn't know about the listening device at first."
Hmm? Didn't she say?
Never mind, let's strike first.
Zhu Qingzhi used both hands and words to defend herself: "This isn't my fault. Weren't you two together when I said that?" She even took out her phone and checked the call log, "It wasn't more than two minutes apart!"
Lu Yao not only laughed in anger, but also started clapping: "So it's still my fault?"
"No, of course not." Zhu Qingzhi's attitude made a complete 180-degree turn, and she immediately denounced herself with righteous indignation, "It must be my problem, brother, how could you have a problem?! You are a magnanimous person, so don't hold it against me."
Lu Yao remained unmoved, so Zhu Qingzhi quickly changed tactics, bringing her face close to his and resorting to a self-inflicted injury ploy, "I was so scared back then, brother, do you know how terrifying that thing was? I..."
Still not enough? Men are so hard to please.
Finally, Zhu Qingzhi, without any psychological pressure, took her anger out on Wen Qi, saying, "It was him! He said that such a trivial matter didn't need to bother an important person like you!"
Wen Qi showed no surprise or resentment at being "passed the buck," and even enjoyed accepting this "important task."
Looking at his matter-of-fact attitude, and glancing at Zhu Qingzhi who had eight hundred expressions per second, Lu Yao's inexplicable anger suddenly dissipated, replaced by a complex feeling that he couldn't quite describe.
His anger subsided, and he slapped her forehead lightly, with a hint of disdain: "Alright. Go eat."
Zhu Qingzhi felt as if she had been granted a pardon and was just about to slip away when another bolt from the blue struck.
"You haven't left yet? Are you waiting for Wen Qi to go to the government negotiation meeting together?" Zhu's mother appeared in the living room at some point and asked Lu Yao and Wen Qi first.
She then handed over a box, smiling as she said, "Chao Chao, your package."
"..." Zhu Qingzhi felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her squarely on the top of her head.
What else could it be? It was the fountain pen she had chosen for Wen Qi.
Originally intended for Nancheng, the film crew gave them an early holiday, so they had to change the address. Since it was a gift, she thought it would be more sincere to deliver it in person, so she urgently forwarded the pen back to the Lu family.
It was just delivered at noon today.
Haha. Perfect timing, perfect timing, absolutely fantastic! Zhu Qingzhi wanted to cry but had no tears, yet she insisted on putting on a calm and natural expression.
"It's nothing, I just bought it on a whim." She took the box without batting an eye, as if it contained a truly insignificant little trinket.
Zhu's mother, unsuspecting, said, "Oh, okay, we've opened it now. We'll leave the delivery box for Aunt Xu to sell." She even thoughtfully handed over a utility knife.
Haha. Okay. Frugality is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation.
Zhu Qingzhi, under Lu Yao's scrutinizing gaze, took the utility knife, stiffly sliced through the tape and foam paper, tore open the packaging paper, revealing a dark blue brand logo gift box.
Lu Yao let out a very soft, ambiguous snort from his nose.
She forced herself to remain calm as she opened the gift box. On the dark blue velvet cushion lay a fountain pen with a black resin body, platinum clip, and a star-shaped mother-of-pearl cap.
Those familiar with Month know that this fountain pen is a custom-made product.
Wen Qi's gaze also fell on the pen. He had been looking forward to Zhu Qingzhi's gift, but he hadn't expected her to take it so seriously.
Personalized customization, from ordering to delivery in just three days, involves much more than just "spending money." This is a unique gift she gave him, embodying her feelings.
Looking at her flustered profile, Wen Qi felt a surge of joy mixed with a sense of pride, like vines entwining his heart, bringing a throbbing and bittersweet ache.
"Here you want it." Zhu Qingzhi didn't even look up, and simply put the pen into his suit pocket.
Then she quickly closed everything, stuffed the express box into Zhu's mother's hand, and spoke so fast that one might worry she would bite her tongue, "Give it to Aunt Xu to sell for money."
She turned around and ran faster than a rabbit: "I'm starving! I'm going to eat!"
-----------------------
Author's note: Kiyoshi [bursting into tears]: You can't see me, you can't see me.
Wen Qi [sunglasses]: The weather is nice today.
Lu Yao [transformed]: You're trying to drive me crazy.
Ah Mei [Let me see]: This prosperous age is just as you wished [dog head holding a rose][dog head holding a rose]
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