Chapter 29

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Chen Xi was frightened by Zhou Yanzhou’s gaze, and the lie she had prepared vanished from her mind. So nervous that she began to stammer, she said, “I wasn’t trying to lie.”

Seeing that Chen Xi looked as though she was about to cry, Jiang Chi felt too embarrassed to let a young girl take the blame. He clenched his fist and cleared his throat, interrupting them. “Well…”

Zhou Yanzhou and Chen Xi both heard him and turned toward him in perfect unison.

Jiang Chi said apologetically, “Let me say a few words. This was my fault, but I honestly never expected something like this to happen. I only took her to Ami’s bar for a while. Who would have thought we’d run into two drunkards fighting? She was sitting in the corner and still got caught up in it. One of them smashed a beer bottle into her head and—”

Seeing Zhou Yanzhou’s expression grow darker by the second, Jiang Chi wisely fell silent.

He raised both hands in surrender and found an excuse to leave. “Anyway, you two talk. I still have something to deal with, so I’ll be going.”

With that, Jiang Chi fled, leaving Chen Xi behind without a second thought.

The moment he left, the hospital room fell completely silent.

Chen Xi sat at the foot of the bed, not daring to meet Zhou Yanzhou’s eyes. She lowered her head, her gaze wandering over the dull gray floor.

This hospital was said to be the best in Beijing, and its rooms were usually in extremely short supply. Jiang Chi had pulled strings for quite some time before managing to secure a private room.

Chen Xi had never enjoyed any special treatment. Every time she went to the hospital, she had to endure an exhausting and complicated process.

Once, when she had a high fever, her mother had driven her to the hospital. Just waiting in line had taken an hour. Her mother had been so frantic that she had nearly knelt before the doctor. By the time they finally got a number, Chen Xi was already delirious with fever.

Yet Chen Xi had been very happy then, because lying in her mother’s arms had felt warm and safe.

Zhou Yanzhou stood in the hospital room for a moment. Then he took off his coat, tossed it onto the bed, and strode out.

Watching his retreating figure, a faint mist gathered in Chen Xi’s hazy almond-shaped eyes.

She had to admit that, apart from her parents, Zhou Yanzhou was the stranger who cared about her most.

It had been a long time since she had experienced such blatant protection and concern.

How could someone like that not make her heart flutter?

Chen Xi braced both hands against the bed and turned toward the window. The locust tree outside was lush and thick, its branches stretching arrogantly as though they wanted to reach into the room. Farther away, a corner of blue sky was faintly visible.

A cluster of soft white clouds floated in the air, seeming close enough to touch.

Chen Xi foolishly reached out, wanting to touch the cloud at the edge of the sky. Unfortunately, her hand grasped nothing.

Zhou Yanzhou had gone to the office to speak with Chen Xi’s attending physician. When he returned and saw the scene, the anger that had been weighing on his chest suddenly vanished.

Standing in the doorway, he watched Chen Xi tilt her head back and stare expectantly at the world beyond the window. For some inexplicable reason, he felt something called reluctance—the unwillingness to hurt her.

The instant he had received the call in the conference room, Zhou Yanzhou had dismissed the meeting without hesitation. As he drove to the hospital, he had even wondered what he would do if something happened to her.

Something like this had happened right under his nose. What would become of her if he were no longer around someday?

Zhou Yanzhou never considered that his tenderness and thoughtfulness were precisely what would hurt Chen Xi most.

A man who could not promise a future insisting on provoking the heart of a girl experiencing love for the first time—it was difficult to deny that, for her, this could become a disaster beyond measure. In truth, he had thought about it. He had simply chosen to ignore it, always taking the chance that he could handle the situation.

Only when everything spiraled out of control did he realize that he had been wrong.

Chen Xi failed to notice that Zhou Yanzhou had returned.

He Xü, having finally lost patience after being stood up, called Chen Xi. When she heard the ringtone, Chen Xi immediately came back to her senses. She grabbed her schoolbag, unzipped the large compartment, and took her phone from the small inner pouch.

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After glancing at the caller ID, Chen Xi answered hesitantly. “He Xü?”

The person on the other end remained silent for several seconds before speaking. “Are you all right? I just finished dinner with my parents. This morning, we visited Tiananmen Square and took photographs at the Great Hall of the People. I wanted to call you earlier, but I was afraid I might disturb you.”

Chen Xi was in the wrong and did not know how to respond for a moment.

Picking at her fingers, she faced the brightly lit window and explained softly, “I’m sorry. Something came up unexpectedly, so I couldn’t make it.”

“When I get back to Xiping, I’ll make it up to you. I’ll treat you to dinner, all right?”

He Xü had just returned to the hotel. He was staying alone in a room with a king-size bed. After locking the door, he set his camera on the television cabinet and walked into the bathroom, where he looked at himself in the mirror.

Listening to the girl’s gentle voice over the phone, all the disappointment and regret he had felt throughout the day disappeared without a trace.

He smiled at his reflection and replied generously, “It’s all right. I was just worried you might be bored by yourself, so I called to check on you.”

Then he remembered the man he had seen at the airport and hurriedly changed the subject. “It wasn’t anything serious, was it?”

Hearing the concern in He Xü’s voice, Chen Xi lightly bit her lip and denied it. “It was nothing. It’s already been taken care of.”

“Don’t worry. It won’t affect the competition the day after tomorrow.”

Chen Xi herself failed to notice how relaxed she became whenever she spoke with He Xü. Her dangling lower legs swayed unconsciously, while the glow of the setting sun fell across her body, softening her entire outline.

Zhou Yanzhou witnessed the entire conversation. When he heard her tell the other person that everything was fine in her soft, delicate local accent, he could even sense the other person’s happiness.

For one fleeting moment, Zhou Yanzhou wanted to walk over, snatch the phone from her hand, and end the call.

It was only a thought. He could find neither sufficient reason nor motive to do such a thing.

Jiang Chi hurried downstairs, never expecting to encounter an acquaintance in the lobby.

He stood by the staircase for a moment before walking over to greet him. “Second Brother, what are you doing here?”

The acquaintance was none other than Meng Xianzhi, whom he had dined with only yesterday.

Meng Xianzhi was paying the medical bill at the first-floor cashier’s counter. He had just finished the procedures when he heard someone call out. Turning around, he found Jiang Chi. A hint of surprise appeared on his gentle face.

“What brings you to the hospital?”

Jiang Chi sighed and rapidly recounted everything that had happened that day.

Meng Xianzhi had worked in government offices for many years, and his mild temperament was famous. After listening, he frowned and instinctively asked, “The third brother left before the meeting was even over?”

Jiang Chi sighed and clapped his hands. “Exactly. I’m afraid our brother is going to fall hard for that girl this time. But honestly, if things really are the way we think, it’s not good. Never mind what the old master might think—just the fact that she’s underage is already a massive problem.”

“If things really come to that, his whole life will be ruined.”

Holding the payment receipt, Meng Xianzhi looked at Jiang Chi’s worried face and patted him on the shoulder, signaling him not to overthink it.

“What are you doing here?” Jiang Chi asked, quickly changing the subject.

Meng Xianzhi glanced toward the third floor and lowered his voice. “I accompanied my superior for a medical examination. He’s nearing retirement, and I suppose the pressure has been getting to him. He suffers from insomnia quite often.”

Jiang Chi let out a low whistle and could not resist gossiping. “He’s about to retire? Does that mean his position will be yours?”

Meng Xianzhi was impeccably discreet about such matters. He smiled and replied cautiously, “Who can say? I’m still young. There’s no guarantee I could hold that position.”

Jiang Chi clicked his tongue but did not pursue the matter. “All right, I’m leaving first. Things are a mess at Ami’s place. I’m going over to help.”

Meng Xianzhi nodded and reminded him to drive carefully.

Jiang Chi waved over his shoulder and sauntered away.

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After making arrangements for his superior, Meng Xianzhi returned to the hospital. He asked at the nurses’ station and followed the room number to find Chen Xi’s room.

He did not knock immediately. Thinking about what Jiang Chi had said, he stood outside the door and watched for a while.

Only after Chen Xi ended the call did she realize that Zhou Yanzhou had been standing at the door listening for quite some time. She blinked and explained stiffly, “He Xü was asking why I stood him up today.”

Zhou Yanzhou responded with an indifferent hum. He closed the door behind him and strode to the bedside, where he pulled out the single chair and sat down.

Chen Xi sat on the bed, feeling bored. Just as she was about to go outside for a walk, Zhou Yanzhou stopped her.

“Does your forehead still hurt?”

Chen Xi fell silent.

She instinctively touched her injured forehead, but her hand pressed too hard. Pain shot through her, and she inhaled sharply.

Seeing this, Zhou Yanzhou lifted his eyes and ordered, “Lie down and sleep for a while.”

“You’ve been through enough for one day. Aren’t you tired?”

Under the pressure of his presence, Chen Xi took off her shoes, obediently lay down on the bed, and closed her eyes.

Zhou Yanzhou was very busy. He held his phone and replied to messages without pause. At one point, Chen Xi could not fall asleep. She opened her eyes and secretly glanced at him, only to see a screen filled with messages.

She blinked, unable to stop wondering whether Zhou Yanzhou was secretly an octopus. Otherwise, how could he possibly have so many hands with which to answer messages?

As she pondered this, drowsiness overtook her.

When Meng Xianzhi knocked on the door, Chen Xi had just fallen asleep. Her sleep was light, however, and she vaguely knew what was happening.

Zhou Yanzhou had not expected Meng Xianzhi to be the one knocking. Seeing him in an administrative jacket, looking as though he were still in the middle of work, Zhou Yanzhou raised an eyebrow.

“What are you doing here?”

Meng Xianzhi’s gaze passed over Zhou Yanzhou and briefly surveyed Chen Xi, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. He gave a simple explanation. “I accompanied my superior for a medical examination. I happened to run into Jiang Chi, and when I heard you were here, I came by to take a look.”

As he spoke, Meng Xianzhi glanced at Chen Xi and asked softly, “Is the girl all right? Is the injury serious?”

At that, Zhou Yanzhou looked back at Chen Xi, who was so small she seemed almost paper-thin, and frowned.

“It’s only a superficial injury, but it nearly damaged her eye.”

Hearing the concern that unconsciously colored Zhou Yanzhou’s voice, Meng Xianzhi could not help feeling uneasy.

Holding the door handle, he let his peripheral vision fall on Chen Xi’s pale face and the bandage wrapped around her forehead. Unable to restrain himself, he asked, “What exactly is going on between you and this girl?”

Zhou Yanzhou raised his eyes and silently looked at Meng Xianzhi’s probing expression.

“What do you mean?”

Meng Xianzhi swallowed. Ignoring Zhou Yanzhou’s wary gaze, he reminded him meaningfully, “She isn’t eighteen yet. Don’t let certain things go too far.”

Zhou Yanzhou immediately understood what Meng Xianzhi was implying. He let out a short laugh and said without much emotion, “Old Meng, you’re underestimating me.”

“When have I ever fallen for a woman? Let alone a child who hasn’t even grown up?”

Meng Xianzhi merely smiled without answering.

An inexplicable unease stirred in Zhou Yanzhou’s heart, as though his lie had been exposed. He frowned and made a promise.

“Let me put it this way: even if I picked some random girl off the street, I still wouldn’t ruin her.”

“I only see her as a young girl who has lost the protection of her parents. Some of what I feel is pity, but I will never cross that line.”