Chapter 30

Chen Xi was not actually asleep.

She kept her eyes closed, listening to Zhou Yanzhou’s earnest assurances to his friend. Her heart felt as though it had been stuffed with wet cotton—heavy, suffocating, and deeply uncomfortable. She would have preferred for Zhou Yanzhou to be a thorough villain; she did not want his kindness, nor did she want him to use pity as an excuse. At the very least, they should have been equals in personhood, shouldn't they? Yet, his words had thoroughly crushed her into the dust, leaving him as someone she could only look up to. Chen Xi did not want to admit it, but it was the truth.

Seeing how determined Zhou Yanzhou sounded, Meng Xianzhi did not press the matter further. He had other official business to attend to, so after a brief exchange, he took his leave. No sooner had Meng left than Zhou Yanzhou received an unusual phone call. Though the caller was unknown, his tone was significantly gentler than usual. It was Teacher Meng, who, having learned that Zhou Yanzhou had returned to Beijing without even stepping foot in his own home, was incensed and called specifically to reprimand him.

Zhou Yanzhou was already overwhelmed, but he listened to her complaints and quickly apologized, promising to return as soon as he was free. Teacher Meng was clearly unconvinced; she insisted he return that very night, threatening that if he did not show his face within two hours, she would come to find him herself. Caught in a dilemma, Zhou Yanzhou held the phone and glanced back at the young woman curled up soundly on the hospital bed. Unable to bear the thought of leaving her, he finally refused: "Teacher Meng, I really have things to attend to right now. Please, have some mercy and stop tormenting your son. I’m busy enough as it is."

Aside from leisure, Zhou Yanzhou had been busy with paperwork since returning to Beijing. Jiang Chi’s company had just been registered, but it currently lacked both operations and direction; as a shareholder, Zhou Yanzhou naturally had to help get things moving. Furthermore, the project in Xiping had just launched, and he needed to maintain communication with third parties. Beyond that, he had several banquets to attend, building connections and resources to attract enterprises to Xiping. Otherwise, his sailing hotel would be built only to sit empty without guests. Chen Xi did not understand any of this. For the past two days, Zhou Yanzhou had always smelled of smoke and alcohol when he appeared, leading her to believe he had just been out carousing. In her eyes, he never seemed to do anything serious.

Without waiting for Teacher Meng’s further criticism, he hung up, courting disaster. Once the call ended, he tossed the phone aside, closed the ward door, and strode back to the bedside. He pulled up a chair, sat down with his legs crossed, and observed the small figure on the bed with a calm gaze. Perhaps driven by some inexplicable impulse, he smiled without warning and muttered to the sleeping Chen Xi: "Do you know who I just turned down for you? That is the Empress Dowager of our family; even the old man doesn't dare cross her."

At this, Zhou Yanzhou paused, reflecting with a sense of self-doubt: "Am I not a good person either? Why am I acting this way toward you..." He hadn't quite finished the thought, but the implication was already clear to him. Perhaps every man possessed a sanctuary in his heart, harboring a desire to save others, fantasizing that the hero's narrative could happen to him. Zhou Yanzhou couldn't quite articulate it; he only thought that a single casual act of kindness on his part would be enough to make Chen Xi remember him for a lifetime. It didn't seem like a bad trade-off, did it?

Chen Xi was truly exhausted. Despite trying to stay awake, she eventually succumbed to the drowsiness and drifted off. When she awoke, it was already past midnight. The ward was quiet, illuminated only by the faint glow of a desk lamp. Outside in the corridor, there were intermittent, soft footsteps. It took Chen Xi a few seconds to adjust to the light and realize she was in a hospital. Instinctively, she braced herself to sit up, but was stopped by a voice: "Don't move around."

Chen Xi looked toward the sound and saw Zhou Yanzhou sitting on a single sofa beneath the window, a laptop on his lap. The screen was lit, and the light reflected on his face, highlighting his sharp, distinct features.

Seeing Chen Xi freeze, Zhou Yanzhou set aside his laptop, rose, and walked to the bed to switch on the main light. With a click, the dim room suddenly became as bright as day. In the glare, Chen Xi could see him clearly. He had removed his coat, wearing only a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the hem untucked, giving him a more casual air. Standing by the bed, hands in his pockets, he checked to ensure she was alright before asking patiently, "Are you hungry?"

Chen Xi realized then that she hadn't had dinner. She touched her stomach and nodded shyly. Zhou Yanzhou had anticipated this. He picked up his phone from the foot of the bed and asked, "What do you want to eat?"

Chen Xi was uncomfortable from lying down for so long, so she sat up slowly, hugged her knees, and replied softly, "Anything is fine."

Zhou Yanzhou glanced at her and said calmly, "There is no 'anything is fine' option."

Chen Xi: "..."

She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and tentatively asked, "Is Beijing roast duck okay?"

Zhou Yanzhou was amused by her silly expression. A corner of his mouth curled up as he sent a WeChat message to Chen Huai. He put his phone away and said with mock seriousness, "Of course, since you're the patient here."

Teased, Chen Xi pursed her lips and remained silent. She couldn't tell what time it was, and after searching for her phone, she realized it was dead; she had forgotten her charger at the hotel. Zhou Yanzhou still had work to finish. After messaging Chen Huai, he returned to the sofa and began typing away. He had avoided typing earlier for fear of waking her, but with Chen Xi awake, he no longer had to be so careful.

Bored and unable to use her phone, Chen Xi climbed out of bed, put on her shoes, and shuffled over to Zhou Yanzhou’s side. She leaned against the sofa armrest, stealing glances at his laptop screen. It was full of data charts she couldn't understand. Zhou Yanzhou seemed to know she wouldn't understand, so he didn't try to hide it. After a few seconds, Chen Xi lost interest and turned her attention elsewhere.

Zhou Yanzhou typed at a rapid pace; his ten fingers moved like a pianist’s, leaving blurs in the air. His hands were beautiful—slender, with well-defined knuckles and clear veins visible beneath the skin, like water flowing in a clear stream. Chen Xi stared at his hands for a long time until a knock at the door brought her back to reality. She stood up straight and went to open it.

It was Chen Huai. Carrying a takeout bag from Quanjude, he froze when he saw the bandage on Chen Xi's forehead. He handed her the food and asked with concern, "What happened to your forehead?"

Chen Xi instinctively touched her forehead and smiled politely, "It's nothing, just a minor issue."

Chen Huai looked past her into the room and saw Zhou Yanzhou working in the corner. A flicker of complex emotion crossed Chen Huai's eyes. Chen Xi looked down at the takeout box and saw the Quanjude label. She thanked him embarrassedly, "Brother Chen Huai, I'm sorry for troubling you so late."

Chen Huai smiled and shook his head, saying it was no trouble, and added that if she liked it, he would take her to the restaurant later. Chen Xi was very grateful, calling him "Brother Chen Huai" with genuine warmth.

Zhou Yanzhou, unable to listen any longer, stopped his work and glanced at the two of them, his tone cool: "Is the catching up finished?"

Chen Xi remembered there was someone else in the room. She offered a sheepish smile and walked inside with the bag. Chen Huai, sensing the situation, took his leave. Once he was gone, the room fell silent.

Chen Xi brought the food in. Zhou Yanzhou had already closed his laptop and was watching her with a calm expression. Had she annoyed him? Chen Xi pursed her lips, grumbling to herself. Zhou Yanzhou saw through her, let out a soft hum, and said slowly, "If it weren't for me, would you be able to eat Beijing roast duck?"

Chen Xi, who was squatting on the floor tearing open the packaging, looked up and nodded solemnly, "Yes, yes, thank you very much."

Zhou Yanzhou clicked his tongue, "Don't bother, just eat."

It was Chen Xi's first time eating Beijing roast duck. She stared at the lotus leaf pancakes, scallions, cucumber strips, sweet bean sauce, roasted duck, and the duck frame, not knowing where to begin.

Zhou Yanzhou, who had been replying to messages, looked up and saw her frowning at the spread, unsure of what to do. His typing paused. The next second, he put his phone down, went to the bathroom to wash his hands, and returned to sit beside her. He bent over, tore open a pancake, used his chopsticks to pick up two slices of duck dipped in sauce, added some scallions and cucumber, and rolled it into a small wrap, offering it to her lips: "Want to taste it?"

Chen Xi had been watching him closely, intending to copy his technique, but she hadn't expected him to make the first wrap for her. Looking at the duck offered to her and then at Zhou Yanzhou’s calm, unpretentious face, she took a tentative bite. On the second bite, she accidentally brushed her lips against his finger and immediately blushed.

Zhou Yanzhou acted as if he hadn't noticed and fed the rest of the wrap to her. He wiped his fingers with a tissue and said indifferently, "Eat while it's hot; it won't be good if it gets cold."

Chen Xi blinked, looking at him, and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm tired of it," he replied.

Chen Xi: "..." She bit her chopsticks and whispered, "It's my first time."

Zhou Yanzhou feigned ignorance, raising an eyebrow, "And?"

Chen Xi lowered her head and smiled, "It's actually quite delicious."

"If it's good, eat more," Zhou Yanzhou replied. Chen Huai had bought a whole duck; even though she was hungry, she couldn't finish it. Mimicking his technique, she wrapped piece after piece until she was full and satisfied. It had to be said, good food could cure any unhappiness.

After she was full, Chen Xi patted her distended stomach and looked at the remaining half of the duck with regret. "I didn't finish it. Can I eat this tomorrow?"

Zhou Yanzhou gave her a wary look. "Don't tell me you're planning on keeping this for tomorrow?"

Chen Xi nodded foolishly; she had indeed intended to have it for breakfast. Zhou Yanzhou flatly refused: "Forget it, this stuff goes bad overnight."

Chen Xi tried to argue, but Zhou Yanzhou had already dumped the rest into the trash. After tossing it, he looked at her disappointed face and said flatly, "I never eat leftovers."

Chen Xi blinked in surprise. On a sudden impulse, she asked, "Then do you ever go back to an old flame?"