Chapter 65

Halfway through the kiss, Chen Xi abruptly pushed Zhou Yanzhou away.

Caught off guard, Zhou Yanzhou reined in his emotions and looked at her with a calm gaze.

Chen Xi flushed, touched her lips in a fluster, and unable to meet his eyes, lowered her head, curled her arms, and murmured softly, "This isn't right."

Sensing her inner conflict and guilt, and realizing she had not yet moved on from the reality of their breakup, Zhou Yanzhou adjusted his collar and walked over to the entryway to flip on the light switch.

As the lights flickered on, illumination flooded the entire room, exposing Chen Xi completely in the glare. Her fair face, still marked with the lingering traces of tears at the corners of her eyes, betrayed a sense of awkwardness.

The feeling was akin to being stripped of her clothing and laid bare, naked before the world.

Reading her expression, Zhou Yanzhou bent down to rummage through the shoe cabinet, pulling out a brand-new pair of slippers to hand to her. "Go wash your face. I'll make some dinner."

Chen Xi had been hungry all afternoon. Prompted by Zhou Yanzhou's words, her stomach let out an uncooperative growl.

The atmosphere lapsed into awkwardness. Biting her lips, swollen and tender from the kiss, Chen Xi accepted the slippers and, under Zhou Yanzhou's watchful gaze, stiffly kicked off her high heels.

To match her dress, she had deliberately worn a pair of five-centimeter white high heels.

She hadn't worn them many times, and they pinched her feet a little. In truth, her legs had grown tired of standing long ago.

Zhou Yanzhou turned and headed into the kitchen. Watching his broad, straight back disappear around the corner, Chen Xi pressed her lips together and walked out of habit toward the bathroom.

Memories rushed forth like a gushing spring. The stories that had once taken place in this apartment replayed like yesterday, vivid and clear.

Chen Xi stepped into the bathroom, pulled the door shut softly, and stood before the mirror only to discover that her face was a complete mess of smudged makeup.

Looking at the disheveled reflection in the glass, she couldn't help wondering how Zhou Yanzhou had even managed to kiss her just now.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Xi covered her face before the mirror, bent down, and turned on the faucet to wash away the smeared cosmetics.

While splashing water, she glanced around the bathroom layout. It was filled entirely with men's toiletries, bearing no trace of a woman ever having moved in.

Having no makeup remover on hand, Chen Xi had no choice but to hurriedly wash her face using Zhou Yanzhou's facial cleanser.

Most of her morning makeup had already worn off. Rubbing the lather between her palms, she smoothed it over her face, then lowered her head to cup two handfuls of lukewarm water to rinse the bubbles away.

When she lifted her head, a fresh and refined face stared back at her.

Free from the embellishment of heavy makeup, she was once again the little girl who wore no powder or paint, the subtle sorrow hidden between her brows slowly reemerging.

Chen Xi lingered in the bathroom for a full half-hour before finally opening the door and stepping out.

Naively believing that Zhou Yanzhou had truly mastered the culinary arts and aspired to be an all-around expert, she never expected that cooking just two steaks could be such a disaster.

Perhaps because it was his first attempt and it had failed, Zhou Yanzhou's face wore a rare hint of embarrassment.

He placed the two slightly charred steaks on the dining table, and turning back to see Chen Xi staring at him with a complicated expression, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head and explained like an inexperienced youth, "I'm usually pretty busy, so I don't cook much."

Chen Xi wasn't overly demanding when it came to food; as long as it was cooked through, it was fine.

Refraining from any harsh criticism, she quietly walked over to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Right in front of Zhou Yanzhou, she picked up the knife and fork, skillfully cut a piece of steak, and popped it into her mouth.

Seeing this, Zhou Yanzhou silently raised an eyebrow.

Once upon a time, when the young girl had first stepped into a western restaurant, she had stared at the whole steak on her plate with knitted brows, having no idea where to begin. Now, she could eat western cuisine with complete ease.

To say the least, time truly was a ruthless sculptor.

Seeing her eating with apparent enjoyment, the last vestiges of Zhou Yanzhou's shame vanished. He pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down, joining her in this imperfect yet unforgettable dinner.

The steak was exceedingly tough, chewing much like waterlogged timber. It wasn't exactly unpalatable, but it certainly didn't meet the standards of delicious food.

Zhou Yanzhou was particular about his food. After taking a single bite, he spat it out into the trash can in disgust. Standing before Chen Xi with his hands on his hips, he frowned and said, "I'll order some takeout."

Biting down on her fork, Chen Xi shook her head in refusal. "No."

Zhou Yanzhou was dumbfounded and couldn't help asking, "Is this stuff actually good?"

Blinking, Chen Xi replied honestly, "I'm hungry."

Zhou Yanzhou: "..."

Unable to win against Chen Xi, Zhou Yanzhou had no choice but to accompany her as she finished the steak he despised to the core.

Finally managing to conquer the last piece, Zhou Yanzhou tossed down his knife and fork, remarking with a sigh, "From now on, the kitchen is off-limits to both of us. Professional matters should be left to professionals."

Hearing the words "from now on," Chen Xi's chewing faltered slightly.

After finishing dinner, Chen Xi intended to gather the plates and wash them in the kitchen, but Zhou Yanzhou stopped her. "I'll have the housekeeper come wash them tomorrow. Don't touch them."

Chen Xi had no choice but to drop the idea.

With nothing left in her hands to serve as a distraction, Chen Xi suddenly felt the atmosphere grow a bit awkward. She lifted her gaze to glance at the wall clock and saw that the hour hand was already pointing to eight.

Frowning slightly, Chen Xi looked over at the man smoking by the floor-to-ceiling window and said casually, "I should get going."

Without waiting for Zhou Yanzhou's reply, Chen Xi walked straight to the entryway, bent down to retrieve her high heels from the shoe cabinet, and braced her hand against the surface to change her shoes.

Hearing that Chen Xi was leaving, Zhou Yanzhou turned back with the cigarette butt pinched between his fingers, looking at the young girl changing her shoes, and stepped forward without a second thought.

Passing the coffee table, Zhou Yanzhou stubbed out the cigarette in the ashpan. Brushing the ash from his hands, he strode over to the entryway, lowered his gaze to notice Chen Xi's heel chafed raw into red marks, and frowned to stop her. "Don't change them. I'll drive you back."

Chen Xi's shoe-changing motion paused. Before she could react, Zhou Yanzhou had already squatted down, gripped her left foot, removed the high heels, and slipped her back into the disposable slippers.

Once her shoes were changed, he naturally picked up Chen Xi's high heels, grabbed the car keys from the foyer cabinet, opened the door, and stood aside to let Chen Xi go out first.

Standing at the doorway, Chen Xi watched as Zhou Yanzhou carried her high heels and gently pulled the door shut.

The two of them walked side by side into the elevator, descending all the way to the underground parking garage.

There were no other passengers in the elevator. Standing near the doors, Chen Xi observed the man not far away through the reflective elevator wall.

The man had loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing a short expanse of smoothly-lined muscle. His hair wasn't as impeccably neat as it had been earlier; a few strands poked up rebelliously, lending him an air of effortless laziness.

Darned sexy.

Not daring to look at him too blatantly, Chen Xi feared falling into those deep, dark eyes of his.

The elevator reached the basement level. Carrying the high heels, Zhou Yanzhou walked ahead while Chen Xi lagged behind, deliberately maintaining a distance of a meter or two.

Locating his parking space, Zhou Yanzhou placed the high heels in the back seat, then walked around the front of the car to open the passenger door for Chen Xi. Once she climbed in, he doubled back and ducked his head to slide into the driver's seat.

Neither of them spoke much on the way back to the campus.

As night fell, the scenery of Beijing came into full view, especially along the Guomao stretch, where the dazzling lights were too breathtaking to take in all at once.

Traffic was heavy at this hour, and they hadn't driven far before getting stuck in a jam.

Accustomed to traffic congestion, Zhou Yanzhou showed not a shred of impatience on his face.

Perhaps because the interior was too quiet, Zhou Yanzhou swiped the car's media screen, opened the music player, and randomly queued up a song.

It happened to be the theme song of a hit drama—the period romance series Li Qing had been binge-watching. Finding the tune somewhat familiar, Chen Xi glanced at the screen and saw it was sung by Xu Yin. She subconsciously remarked, "My roommate has been following this show lately. She's a huge fan of the lead actors."

Having never cared for movies or television shows, Zhou Yanzhou merely glanced at the screen upon hearing this.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Zhou Yanzhou vaguely felt it sounded somewhat recognizable.

After pondering for a moment, he asked hesitantly, "Is this show called *Before the Palace Steps*? Starring Xu Yin!"

Chen Xi raised her eyes in surprise, not expecting Zhou Yanzhou to know about the series, as she had assumed he paid no attention to such things.

Licking her lips under Zhou Yanzhou's questioning gaze, she nodded gently.

The corners of Zhou Yanzhou's mouth twitched as he explained with a straight face, "This drama was financed by the company's film and television department, and Xu Yin is the spokesperson for our new game."

At this, Zhou Yanzhou glanced sideways at Chen Xi and added casually, "Xu Yi, the guy you're dying to sleep with, is also the male lead of this show."

Chen Xi: "..."

When had she ever wanted to sleep with anyone?

Could he please stop framing her out of thin air?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Chen Xi recalled how she had deliberately fabricated Xu Yi's name that day just to ease the awkwardness, and she suddenly looked dumbfounded.

Refusing to let her off the hook, Zhou Yanzhou picked up his phone, scrolled through his contacts for a long while, and finally said, "I have his manager's number. Shall I arrange a fan meet-and-greet for the two of you? By the way, you can ask him yourself if he's willing to sleep with you."

Seeing that Zhou Yanzhou was about to dial the number, Chen Xi hurriedly stopped him. "Don't!"

The corners of Zhou Yanzhou's mouth curled upward. Evading Chen Xi's hands as she tried to snatch the phone away, his tone remained as composed as ever. "Don't be scared. I'll cover you if anything goes wrong."

Chen Xi gritted her teeth. "Zhou Yanzhou!"

Unfazed by Chen Xi's bluffing, Zhou Yanzhou pressed on, "Don't be afraid. You have to try things out to know for sure whether certain things can be said casually."

Seeing that he was actually placing the call, Chen Xi squeezed her eyes shut in terror, her face burning fiercely as she blurted out, "You're crazy! I was just joking! I never meant to have anything with Xu Yi!"

Watching her surrender, Zhou Yanzhou smiled triumphantly, though his words gave her no quarter. "Not planning to sleep with him anymore? Didn't you say his physique is top-tier and you'd regret missing out?"

Chen Xi was hopping mad. "..."

That was what Amy had said! Not her!

Zhou Yanzhou was merely teasing her. Seeing her too frightened to speak, he hung up the call, tossed his phone into the center console, and asked airily, "Still want to sleep with him?"

Chen Xi gritted her teeth. "No!"

With a crooked smile, Zhou Yanzhou offered an unsparing compliment. "Good girl, high aspirations."

Chen Xi: "..."

Realizing she had been played by Zhou Yanzhou, Chen Xi grew angry and ignored him for the rest of the ride.

By the time the car reached the vicinity of the campus, Chen Xi asked to get out early as usual. Ignoring her, Zhou Yanzhou drove straight into the campus and delivered Chen Xi right to the foot of her girls' dormitory building.

Vexed and exasperated, Chen Xi finally gnashed her teeth and said, "Zhou Yanzhou, you are so annoying."

Taking it in stride, Zhou Yanzhou unlocked the doors and said calmly, "You've had a long day, go get some rest."

Chen Xi: "..."

Fearing she might be seen, Chen Xi hurried out of the car, scooped up her high heels from the back seat, and scurried toward the girls' dorm like a thief caught in the act.

Watching her fleeing figure, Zhou Yanzhou let out an amused, helpless chuckle.

Back in the dorm room, Chen Xi's heart was still pounding wildly.

She was afraid that had she stayed a moment longer, Zhou Yanzhou would have hauled her back for another bout of unprovoked kisses.

She couldn't handle it, nor could she withstand that kind of stimulation.

Having finished her review session, Li Qing was sitting at her desk messaging Zhang Bodong. Hearing the commotion, Li Qing turned her head to glance at Chen Xi, who was fumbling around in her disposable slippers, and frowned. "Weren't you going to Xie Nanzhou's birthday party? Why are you back so early?"

Hearing the name "Xie Nanzhou," Chen Xi paused briefly. Reining in her emotions, she replied calmly, "We've broken up."

Li Qing froze on the spot.

Messages kept chiming on her phone. Glancing at the screen, Li Qing typed a hasty reply—*My roommate just broke up, I need to comfort her*—then tossed the phone aside, stood up, and walked over to Chen Xi, cautiously scrutinizing her expression.

Over on his end, having received Li Qing's reply, Zhang Bo glanced back at He Xu, who was busy reviewing behind him, and asked with hidden meaning, "Old He, do you remember that roommate of my girlfriend's when we went to R University that day?"

"The one surnamed Chen."

Hearing the latter half of the sentence, He Xu immediately raised his head from his books, whirled around to face Zhang Bo, and asked with a puzzled look, "What about her?"

Having lived and eaten with He Xu for three years, Zhang Bo could easily tell something was off with his demeanor.

It wasn't as if girls didn't pursue him, but every time, He Xu would reject them with a cold expression, never giving anyone the slightest opening.

This was the first time he had ever seen him show such concern for a girl. It was somewhat novel, to say the least.

Zhang Bo pulled out a chair, stood up, and sauntered over to He Xu's desk. Glancing casually at the C++ book on his desk, he leaned against the wardrobe and said, "It looks like she broke up with her boyfriend."

He Xu abruptly dropped his book, a rare flash of panic crossing his face. "Really?"

Zhang Bo finally understood: this kid was truly smitten with the girl.

He'd hidden it pretty deeply last time—he had almost believed they were just ordinary high school classmates.

With the attitude of a spectator watching a good show, Zhang Bo nodded sincerely, "Truer than gold. My girlfriend said it herself."

For a moment, complex emotions churned inside He Xu. Opening the book he had been halfway through, he forced himself to regain his composure, though a tremor still laced his voice. "She must be hurting a lot."

Not catching it clearly, Zhang Bo asked, "What?"

Shaking his head, He Xu denied it, "Nothing. I'm going back to studying."

With that, He Xu lowered his head and went back to reading.

Only he knew that the words on the page seemed to have shifted out of alignment; not a single character registered in his mind.

Back in the R University girls' dormitory, looking at the emotionally detached Chen Xi, Li Qing asked with hesitation, "Why did you two suddenly break up? Did something happen at the birthday party?"

Not particularly in the mood to talk about it, Chen Xi stripped off her dress, changed into her nightgown, and folded the dress carefully to bury it deep inside her closet, not wanting to lay eyes on it again.

Catching this, Li Qing watched Chen Xi with unsaid words hanging on her lips. Seeing her small face calm and devoid of emotional fluctuations, Li Qing asked with concern, "Xixi, are you alright?"

Chen Xi shook her head with a smile. "I'm fine. I'm doing great."

"Xie Nanzhou and I just weren't a good match; breaking up was only a matter of time. He didn't do anything to wrong me either—he's a good guy, we just weren't right for each other."

Standing unconditionally by Chen Xi's side, Li Qing voiced her full support.

Exhausted from a whole day of tossing and turning, Chen Xi felt tired. Chatting with Li Qing for a bit longer, she plugged in her powered-down phone to charge, washed up simply, and climbed up the ladder to her bed.

Lying in bed, scene after scene of what had happened today replayed before her eyes like a movie.

In the end, only Zhou Yanzhou's flawless face remained, arrogantly floating and sinking in her mind.

Chen Xi's head throbbed relentlessly.

Sighing at the ceiling, she forced herself to close her eyes and sleep.

Even in her dreams, Zhou Yanzhou refused to let her go. He drifted past her world like a fleeting shadow, then smiled brightly and told her, "Xixi, our fate ends right here."

At that moment, the dream shattered, and Chen Xi's heart broke into a million pieces.

She loathed this version of Zhou Yanzhou—loathed his restlessness, and loathed his going back on his word even more.

She spent the entirety of Sunday at the library reviewing for final exams. Without bringing her phone, she kept to herself, as if she had returned to her freshman year.

Ten minutes before lights-out, she returned to the dorm, placed her books on the desk, and hurried into the bathroom to wash up before the lights went out. When she emerged, the room was already pitch black.

Li Qing had already climbed into bed and was chatting on the phone with Zhang Bodong, while Lin Fan hadn't returned to the dorm yet.

Groping her way through the dark to her bed, Chen Xi initially intended to check the news, only to realize she had left her phone behind on the desk. Too lazy to climb back down, she had no choice but to close her eyes and count sheep.

With the weekend over, Chen Xi stepped back into the nine-to-five routine of an office worker.

Catching the subway early in the morning, she arrived at the law firm and ran into Amy in the lobby. Seized by excitement, Amy grabbed Chen Xi and gossiped, asking what was going on with her boyfriend.

Blinking innocently, Chen Xi replied to Amy, "We broke up."

Amy let out an "ah" and asked incredulously, "When?"

Chen Xi: "Saturday."

Amy cast a sympathetic look at Chen Xi, patted the back of her head, and comforted her, "It's fine. Out with the old, in with the new."

"The good ones are yet to come."

As they spoke, two men in formal suits walked into the lobby one after the other. The man walking in front slowed his pace slightly upon spotting the two of them near the elevator.

Amy also glanced at the men, tugged at Chen Xi's sleeve, and muttered under her breath, "Look at that, top-tier quality right there."

With her back to Zhou Yanzhou, Chen Xi hadn't noticed him.

Prompted by Amy's warning, Chen Xi turned her head instinctively, only to collide with a pair of deep, cool eyes.

Chen Xi was stunned, never expecting to run into Zhou Yanzhou here.

Seeing a handsome man bright and early only improved Amy's mood. Tugging at Chen Xi's sleeve again, she whispered into her ear, "Much more mature than your ex-boyfriend. Since you haven't left school yet, you might not understand—guys like that look cold and aloof with zero passion, but once they're stripped down and in bed, they're fiercer than anyone else."

"You understand the contrast, right?"

"Make sure you grab your chance."

Chen Xi: "..."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Chi glanced at Chen Xi and Amy, who was chattering endlessly beside her. Flirting like a peacock opening its tail, he leaned toward Zhou Yanzhou and asked, "Do you think little Xixi is talking about me?"

"Thinking I look drop-dead gorgeous? Got smitten?"

Too disgusted to watch, Zhou Yanzhou cast a disdainful sideways glance at Jiang Chi and spat out two syllables through thin lips: "Sick."

Unreconciled, Jiang Chi protested, "How is this being sick? Didn't you see the gorgeous beauty next to little Xixi staring right at me? Do you think she fancies me? Maybe I should go over and ask for her contact info to see if we're meant to be."

Coldly, Zhou Yanzhou observed, "Brain damage."

Jiang Chi: "..."

Before he could argue his case further, the elevator arrived at the first floor.

The elevator doors opened. Signaling with her eyes to Amy, Chen Xi walked arm-in-arm with her into the car, remembering to press the button for the 26th floor along the way.

Following closely behind, Zhou Yanzhou reached out and pressed the button for the 33rd floor.

When pressing the buttons, the two of them stood extremely close—close enough to catch the scent of each other's perfume.

Feeling as though she had been scalded, Chen Xi hurriedly retreated two steps to maintain her distance from Zhou Yanzhou.

Noticing her subtle maneuver, Zhou Yanzhou's expression darkened.

The morning elevator was packed. Squeezed into a corner, Chen Xi accidentally brushed her arm against the back of Zhou Yanzhou's hand and subconsciously shifted away again.

Refusing to let her off, Zhou Yanzhou grabbed Chen Xi as the crowd surged forward, pulling her right in front of him and shielding her from most of the press.

Busy replying to a message, Amy failed to notice this interaction.

When the elevator reached the 26th floor, half the passengers got off, leaving Chen Xi wedged in the very back and unable to get out immediately.

Amy stepped out first and waited for her outside. As Chen Xi prepared to leave, Zhou Yanzhou caught her firmly by the wrist. Fearing Amy would see, Chen Xi instinctively shook him off.

Frowning slightly, Zhou Yanzhou leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I'll drive you home after work."

Rushing to leave, Chen Xi didn't answer him.

Managing to squeeze out of the elevator at last, Chen Xi breathed in the circulating air and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Assuming she had been dizzy from the crush, Amy said nonchalantly, "The morning rush hour is always like this, you'll get used to it."

At this, remembering something, Amy threw a sympathetic look at Chen Xi and remarked, "Your supervising mentor is back. He's a workaholic, so you're in for a rough time."

Chen Xi: "..."

Sure enough, the moment Chen Xi set foot inside the law firm and before she even reached her desk, a man's voice called out from behind, "The new intern?"

Holding a cup of coffee, dressed in a black suit with slicked-back hair, the man stood at the entrance of the pantry, fixing a sharp gaze on Chen Xi.

Seeing this, Amy whispered a warning: "Your supervising attorney."

With that, Amy shot Chen Xi a "may the odds be ever in your favor" look and scurried like a fugitive back to her own desk.

Nodding dumbly, Chen Xi watched the man inspect her from head to toe before finally speaking up, "Come to my office and let's talk."

With that, holding his coffee and slipping one hand into his pocket, the man strode ahead into his office.

Seeing this, Chen Xi immediately set her bag down at her desk, composed her emotions, and walked respectfully into the office.

Before entering, she remembered to knock on the door.

Setting down his coffee, Xu Feng pulled out a chair, sat down, and said with an indifferent attitude, "Shut the door behind you."

Chen Xi complied.

"My name is Xu Feng, and I'm a senior partner at Fanghui Law Firm. Last week I was away on a business trip in America handling a merger case. I heard about your general situation from Attorney Fang, but I'm someone who values capability. I hope you won't let me down."

Nodding repeatedly, Chen Xi assured him that she would definitely give it her all.

The corners of the man's mouth twitched as he asked with an ambiguous note, "Do you have some kind of background? Based on your qualifications, you shouldn't have been able to intern at Fanghui."

Chen Xi's expression stiffened, clearly not expecting the man to be so direct and acerbic.

She parted her lips, wanting to deny it, yet didn't know where to begin.

Giving her no chance to clarify, the man proceeded with high efficiency, "Accompany me to meet a client later. I'll send the materials to your computer, take a look at them first."

Nodding dazedly, Chen Xi turned and walked out of the office.

Outside, Amy offered her a sympathetic glance and silently cheered her on.

Returning to her desk, Chen Xi had barely opened her computer when she received over a dozen documents sent by Xu Feng.

Sighing, she resigned herself to her fate, opened the folder, and began browsing and organizing the contents.

Just as she was swamped with work, a text message popped up on her phone: *(Stay away from that woman.)*