Chapter 53

Chen Xi had no desire to continue entangling herself with Zhou Yanzhou. She lowered her gaze, smoothed the hem of her coat with her hands, took a soft breath, stepped around Zhou Yanzhou who was blocking the corridor, and left the washbasin with an expressionless face.

Zhou Yanzhou watched that unfamiliar yet familiar back with a trace of incredulous amusement.

He took a final drag of his cigarette, then stubbed the butt out in the ashtray built into the top of the trash can.

Watching the very last flicker of scarlet flame die out among a pile of white pebbles, Zhou Yanzhou slipped his hands into his pockets and strolled unhurriedly toward the private room at the easternmost end.

Chen Xi returned to the private room feeling completely drained and dispirited. The room was in an uproar, filled with a cacophony that made it impossible to tell which way was up.

Xie Nanzhou sat right in the center, shaking a pair of dice continuously.

Sitting next to him was Tang Yuan, the woman who had earlier spilled water all over Chen Xi. She had one leg crossed over the other, her head tilted toward Xie Nanzhou, her eyes fixed intently on the dice cup in his hands as if deeply invested in the outcome of the roll.

Everyone in the private room was a close friend of Xie Nanzhou, a circle of wealthy second-generation heirs born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Their noses always seemed to be pointed up in the air, looking down on everyone else as if they belonged to a higher class.

To be honest, Chen Xi truly detested mingling with this sort of people.

One of them, sharp-eyed, caught sight of Chen Xi pushing the door open and adopted an exaggerated expression, shouting loudly, "Back already? Are you alright?"

That polite form of address was dripping with theatricality, the ending note drawn out and upturned with a mocking edge.

Hearing this, Chen Xi paused mid-motion as she closed the door.

At the shout, the gaze of everyone in the room snapped uniformly toward Chen Xi.

Seeing Chen Xi return, Xie Nanzhou instinctively stood up and asked with a concerned expression, "Xixi, are you alright?"

Before Chen Xi could shake her head, Tang Yuan chimed in from the side with a sarcastic tone, "It was just a little spilled drink, is it really worth making such a big fuss?"

"Xie Nanzhou, your girlfriend is terribly delicate. If she really can't get over it, she can dump a glass all over me instead. I promise I won't say a single word."

Xie Nanzhou looked somewhat embarrassed. He glared at Tang Yuan, who was still fanning the flames, and tried to stop her in a low voice, "Do you mind saying a little less."

Chen Xi closed her eyes briefly, ignoring their scripted duet. She walked over to the sofa, picked up her bag, smiled indifferently at Xie Nanzhou, and said, "I have some things to take care of, so I'll be leaving first. You guys go ahead and enjoy yourselves."

With that, ignoring Xie Nanzhou's attempts to make her stay, Chen Xi walked calmly out of the private room with her bag slung over her shoulder.

Just before the door clicked shut, a few comments leaked out from inside. *Xie Nanzhou's girlfriend sure has a massive temper.* *I think so too, where does she get the nerve to throw a tantrum?* *We kindly invited her over and she still pulls a stinky face at us, totally boring. Next time, tell Nanzhou not to invite her anymore.* *I give it a week before they break up.*

Xie Nanzhou chased Chen Xi all the way to the entrance of the bar before finally stopping her. He grabbed her wrist and asked anxiously, "Xixi, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now?"

"Couldn't you have given me a bit of face in front of all those people? Do you have any idea that I wanted to introduce you to my friends today?"

"You've disappointed me so much."

Listening to Xie Nanzhou's endless accusations, Chen Xi only found it absurd.

She folded her arms, turned her head, and spent a moment seriously studying the Xie Nanzhou before her—someone who now seemed so unfamiliar that she felt as though she had never truly known him. Remembering his grand declarations when he was pursuing her, Chen Xi asked calmly and rationally, "Xie Nanzhou, did I not give you face?"

"Do you feel that I am cold and distant toward you, devoid of any genuine affection?"

"Before we started dating, I already warned you that I value myself above all else and put myself first in everything."

Realizing that Chen Xi was on the verge of anger, Xie Nanzhou didn't dare use harsh words again for the moment.

He rubbed the back of his neck in irritation and flashed a flattering, ingratiating smile, "I was wrong, Xixi."

"It was my poor judgment tonight. Let me drive you back."

Chen Xi felt as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a ball of cotton. Looking at the pliable, bend-and-stretch Xie Nanzhou before her, she couldn't find a reason to refuse right away.

Seeming to bank on Chen Xi's soft heart, Xie Nanzhou pressed his advantage, "Give me two minutes, I'll go get the car."

"It's hard to catch a taxi at this hour, let me take you."

Chen Xi neither nodded nor refused. While waiting for Xie Nanzhou to fetch the car, she wrapped her arms around herself and walked headfirst into the chilly wind.

Past nine o'clock, Sanlitun was still bustling with streams of pedestrians and endless traffic. While Chen Xi was standing at a street corner waiting for the traffic light, a dark luxury car pulled up silently beside her.

Chen Xi instinctively looked over and saw the front passenger window roll down, revealing a familiar face.

During the summer vacation after the gaokao, Xie Wei and her father had moved to Beijing. When filling out her college application choices, Xie Wei had even called Chen Xi.

Chen Xi had placed first in the humanities division in Xiping City, while Xie Wei took second, with a mere single-point difference between their total scores.

Xie Wei ultimately stayed in Beijing and enrolled in the Department of Computer Science at University A. When Chen Xi learned she was studying computer science, she had been quite surprised, never expecting a girl to choose such a rigorous science and engineering major.

Catching sight of Old Xie, Chen Xi instinctively assumed Zhou Yanzhou was also in the car.

However, the car windows were covered with anti-peeking privacy film. When Chen Xi looked toward the back row, she only saw her own reflection.

Old Xie hadn't expected to run into Chen Xi either, and he took the initiative to greet her, "Long time no see, Xixi."

Chen Xi forced a smile and responded warmly, "Long time no see, Uncle Xie."

Old Xie rubbed the steering wheel and glanced at the rearview mirror. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man in the back seat staring straight ahead, ignoring everything else. Old Xie swallowed hard, feigned composure, and made small talk with Chen Xi, "Xiao Wei has mentioned you a few times. I heard you're studying at University R now? You must be a junior this year."

Chen Xi nodded and said yes.

Standing in the biting wind, her hair was blown into a mess, whipping across her face.

Chen Xi kept one hand tucked into her coat pocket while pulling the stray strands of hair away from her face with the other, continuing to answer Old Xie's questions all the while.

Just as the pedestrian light flashed green, Chen Xi offered Old Xie an apologetic smile, her eyes curving into crescents as she said goodbye, "Uncle Xie, I'm heading out now, goodbye."

With that, Chen Xi adjusted her bag and walked slowly across the zebra crossing along with the crowd, never once glancing back at the rear seats.

Zhou Yanzhou sat motionless in the car until he watched that slender, fragile figure vanish into the sea of humanity. Only then did he speak in a cold, indifferent tone, "Old Xie, let's go."

On the way, Old Xie cast several hesitant glances at the man in the back seat before finally asking cautiously, "Earlier, when you told me to stop the car, I thought you wanted to let Xixi get in and give her a ride."

"Things were perfectly fine back in Xiping, why did you two become so distant once you got to Beijing?"

Old Xie was a straightforward man who spoke his mind ever since he was young, and even in middle age, he still couldn't hold back his thoughts.

The reason Zhou Yanzhou had kept him by his side for several years was precisely because he was honest and reliable.

Hearing Old Xie ask this, Zhou Yanzhou recalled Chen Xi's ruthlessness in the bar's washroom and the way she hadn't bothered to glance toward the back seat just now, even though she knew he was in the car. He let out a cold, humorless laugh and said flatly, "Why call her up here? Just an ungrateful little wolf."

Upon hearing this, Old Xie fell silent and did not say another word.

Zhou Yanzhou felt thoroughly restless as well. Upon returning to his residence, he opened a bottle of liquor and began drinking alone.

Halfway through the bottle, Jiang Chi called, pressing him on why he had suddenly left.

Holding his wine glass, Zhou Yanzhou walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, taking in the entire night view of the CBD at a glance.

Over the phone, Jiang Chi was still chattering on about how tonight's business partner was a cunning fox who had clearly been ready to sign the contract only to back out at the very last minute.

Zhou Yanzhou remained completely silent, standing tall with his hands in his pockets before the window, while his mind conjured up that stubborn and cold face.

After a few years apart, the girl had suddenly grown into a woman, shedding her youthful awkwardness and gaining a touch of feminine allure.

Once her facial features fully matured, her beauty became even more breathtaking, and her mind was far more sophisticated than the innocent, carefree girl of the past.

Zhou Yanzhou had privately inquired about which school she attended, but he had been swamped with work during those days, wishing he could split a single day into three.

He had no time to spare for her.

By the time he finally settled his affairs, he had long since cast aside whatever lingering attachment or reluctance he once held in his chest.

If he hadn't bumped into her by chance today, he truly wouldn't have remembered that such a person existed.

Not hearing any response from Zhou Yanzhou for a long time, Jiang Chi couldn't help complaining over the phone, "My ancestor, are you even listening to a word I'm saying?"

"Xu Yin has even tracked you down through me. You should find some time to return her message. She's the company spokesperson, after all, don't just leave her hanging like that."

With that, as if remembering something else, Jiang Chi sighed, "I forgot to tell you, when I went to pay the bill earlier, I ran into your cousin. Isn't she studying abroad? Why did she suddenly run back?"

"Right, I also heard an unexpected name, guess who it is?"

"Do you remember Chen Xi? That little girl from Xiping. The current girlfriend of the guy your little cousin likes is her. Tsk, she used to be pretty close to you, I actually thought the two of you might have had a romance."

Hearing the latter part, Zhou Yanzhou's expression suddenly darkened.

He tilted his head back and drained the whiskey in his glass, then turned, walked over to the sofa, picked up the phone from the coffee table, and said with an impassive voice, "Anything else? If not, I'm hanging up."

Jiang Chi hurried to say, "Yes, yes, yes. Don't forget to talk to Xu Yin—"

Before he could finish, Zhou Yanzhou cut the call off instantly.

Chen Xi hadn't walked very far when Xie Nanzhou caught up to her.

Disregarding the oncoming traffic on the street, he deliberately slowed his car to force Chen Xi into getting in, causing the drivers behind them to lean on their horns continuously, with some furious motorists rolling down their windows to curse them out as idiots.

Not wanting the situation to escalate, Chen Xi frowned and got into the car.

She remained completely silent all the way, refusing to offer even a hint of a smile no matter how Xie Nanzhou tried to coax her.

When his patience finally wore thin, Xie Nanzhou stopped talking as well, and the two of them remained in silence all the way down to the women's dormitory building.

Before getting out, Xie Nanzhou locked the car doors, unbuckled his seatbelt, and leaned over to kiss Chen Xi, only for her to deftly avoid him without a trace.

With her arms folded, she forced a strained smile at the corners of her mouth and said in a low voice, "Xie Nanzhou, let's take some time apart to calm down."

Looking completely bewildered, Xie Nanzhou instinctively grabbed Chen Xi's arm, wanting to ask what she meant.

Chen Xi looked down at her reddened wrist, raised her head to smile at Xie Nanzhou, and explained in a calm tone, "I just feel that we aren't very compatible."

Refusing to accept this, Xie Nanzhou tightened his grip unconsciously, his attitude turning rigid as he said, "Xixi, I don't agree."

"You've had a tiring day, go upstairs and get some rest quickly. We can talk another day."

With that, Xie Nanzhou unlocked the doors, allowing Chen Xi to leave.

Looking at the nearly obsessive Xie Nanzhou, Chen Xi closed her eyes for a moment and said nothing more.

Upon returning to the dorm, Li Qing had already climbed down from her bed and was sitting at her desk eating snacks.

Hearing the commotion, Li Qing turned her head toward the door and, seeing it was Chen Xi, asked with a smile, "Why are you back so early? You and Xie Nanzhou have been dating for quite a while now, yet you still haven't spent the night outside."

"Is it that he's no good, or...?"

Catching the teasing gleam in Li Qing's eyes, Chen Xi shrugged, took off her shoulder bag, and hung it on a wall hook. Without blushing or skipping a beat, she replied, "I'm the one who's no good."

Li Qing let out a snort of laughter. Holding her chopsticks, she lifted her chin to gesture toward Lin Fan's bed and said, "Just now, Lin Fan came back and asked me a weird question about you."

Chen Xi changed into her slippers, took off her coat, and asked with steady composure, "What question?"

Arching an eyebrow with a mysterious expression, Li Qing said, "She asked for your date of birth. As soon as I told her, her expression changed drastically, and she ran out less than a few minutes later."

"Do you think she's going to make a voodoo doll of you?"

Hearing this, Chen Xi remembered the man she had met at the bar. Her mind drifted for a couple of seconds before she shook her head in denial, "Surely not. I have no grudges against her, why would she make a doll of me?"

Li Qing clicked her tongue with an innocent expression, "You can never be sure. What if she's jealous that you're prettier than her and more capable than she is? Did you forget how she talked about you the last time Xie Nanzhou treated us to dinner?"

Chen Xi's mind was currently a chaotic mess, thick as paste, making it completely impossible to sort out her thoughts.

Hearing Li Qing say this, she offered a powerless smile and echoed Lin Fan's words from back then, "Saying my life is blessed? That I managed to find such a flawless, perfect boyfriend?"

"If she likes him so much, she can have him."

Li Qing's eyes widened instantly. She dropped her chopsticks, stood up, walked over to Chen Xi, and looked her up and down carefully before finally realizing something was wrong.

"Did you and Xie Nanzhou have a fight? Where on earth did you go? You look like you've just come back from a battlefield, looking so battered."

And wasn't she practically returning from a battlefield?

First came Tang Yuan's open hostility, and then Zhou Yanzhou's sudden appearance out of thin air.

She never could have imagined that her reunion with Zhou Yanzhou would happen under such circumstances, nor that Lin Fan's rumored boyfriend would turn out to be Zhou Yanzhou.

This world was truly magical; everything had piled up together all at once.

Looking at Chen Xi with concern, Li Qing asked anxiously, "Are you alright?"

Chen Xi shook her head with a weary expression and replied, "I'm fine."

Clearly not believing her, Li Qing patted Chen Xi's shoulder to comfort her, "Go wash up and get to sleep. Stop overthinking it."

Chen Xi offered Li Qing a helpless smile and nodded in agreement.

After taking a hot shower, the exhaustion weighing down her entire body seemed to dissipate quite a bit.

Lying in bed, however, Chen Xi found herself completely unable to sleep.

Not long after she closed her eyes, Zhou Yanzhou's face persistently haunted her dreams.

It wasn't as if she hadn't dreamed of him over the past two years, but every time before, his features had been blurred in her dreams. This time, however, they were exceptionally clear.

The scenes in the dream shifted unpredictably. In the blink of an eye, she saw Zhou Yanzhou sitting on the sofa in the top-floor suite of the Xizhou Hotel, dressed in a tailored three-piece suit with his leather shoes polished to a mirror shine. He had one leg crossed over the other, gazing at her with a detached, indifferent look as he said with a helpless smile, "Can't help it, I was born bad to the bone."

At that moment, memory and reality merged into one, and Chen Xi snapped her eyes open.

There was still half an hour before lights-out. With her eyes wide open, she stared fixedly at the bed curtains, unable for a moment to tell whether she was still dreaming or back in reality.

The phone beneath her pillow buzzed. Slowly registering the sensation, Chen Xi pulled out her phone and saw a message from Xie Nanzhou: *Xixi, will you please forgive me?*