Chapter 7

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Chen Xi restrained the impulse to get off the bus and kept her gaze fixed on the black Mercedes as it vanished into the curtain of rain.

He Xu, perceptive to Chen Xi’s emotional fluctuations, asked sharply, “What’s wrong?”

Chen Xi came back to herself. Her small face, no bigger than a palm, still bore traces of surprise and the disappointment that followed her earlier joy. She met He Xu’s puzzled look and felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured down her back, chilling her to the bone.

Pale-faced, she shook her head and bit her lip, saying it was nothing.

Seeing this, He Xu didn’t press further.

The bus cabin was very quiet—there were hardly any passengers, and the sound of the rain pattering against the windows completely drowned out any noise from the two of them.

For the remainder of the ride, Chen Xi kept pondering whether the person inside that black Mercedes was truly Zhou Yanzhou.

She was like a person possessed, recklessly trapped in the strange cycle named Zhou Yanzhou.

In the end, she gave up, resigned to stop her wild imagination.

When the No. 5 bus reached Sanyuan Palace, Chen Xi got off there.

He Xu still had two more stops but calmly followed Chen Xi off the bus, holding the umbrella.

There were many pedestrians passing by, and the rain seemed to be easing. Chen Xi stood on the platform, looking down at the damp ground and said goodbye to He Xu: “Thanks for the umbrella today. I’m almost home. Goodbye.”

He Xu looked at the lingering drizzle and reluctantly said, “It’s still raining. Let me walk you to your doorstep?”

Chen Xi was rather slow to catch on in some matters, or perhaps she dared not delve too deeply into certain details, afraid she might misunderstand.

She blinked, opened her palm to catch a few drops of rain, then looked up at the boy beside her and said, “No need. This little rain won’t kill me.”

He Xu was rejected and paused momentarily, then without another word, shoved the black umbrella into Chen Xi’s hand and said casually, “You take the umbrella. I’m a guy; a bit of rain won’t bother me.”

Without waiting for her reply, he strode directly into the rain.

Chen Xi held the extra umbrella in her hand, watching the boy’s upright, clean silhouette, feeling a slight warmth stirring in her heart.

—

Just as she reached home, Chen Xi spotted that black Mercedes in the parking area. She immediately stopped and stared fixedly at the car.

After confirming no one was inside, she cautiously entered the lobby.

At this hour, her aunt would normally be at the mahjong parlor, but today she was unusually home. Even her usually noisy cousin sat quietly in a chair reading comics. The aroma of cooking wafted from the kitchen. Chen Xi glanced toward the kitchen and saw the housekeeper efficiently handling a lobster.

The umbrella was still dripping water. Fearing her aunt’s scolding if she wet the carpet, Chen Xi silently placed the umbrella in the entrance hallway.

She changed her shoes, slung on her backpack, and headed inside, intending to go to her room to change.

Just as she reached the staircase, her aunt called out, “Xi Xi, wait a moment.”

Obediently, Chen Xi stopped and turned with a gentle look, waiting for further instructions.

Her aunt beckoned with a lowered voice, “There’s a guest at home, discussing something with your uncle in the study. Go upstairs quietly and don’t disturb them.”

Chen Xi was surprised by her aunt’s sudden change in attitude—so considerate it felt unfamiliar.

After a brief silence, she nodded obediently.

Going upstairs, Chen Xi deliberately tread softly, clutching her backpack straps, slowly climbing to the second floor.

The study was in the opposite direction of her bedroom. At the corner upstairs, instead of heading straight to her room as usual, she tiptoed a few steps toward the study.

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She dared not get too close, afraid of being discovered.

The study door was half-open, light spilling out from the crack, faint sounds drifting through.

Chen Xi leaned quietly against the wall, focusing intently on the voices inside. Most were her uncle speaking about work, with unfamiliar terms and names she couldn’t understand.

After an unknown length of time, a lazy, slightly weary voice came from inside: “Do it as you said. That’s all for today. We’ll talk next time.”

Hearing this, Chen Xi immediately straightened her back, turned around with her backpack, and walked toward her bedroom.

Zhou Yanzhou emerged from the study and saw this scene—

A schoolgirl in uniform, carrying a pink backpack, hurriedly walking toward the room at the end of the corridor, her steps messy and anxious, as if she had done something wrong.

Zhou Yanzhou’s eyes caught the little rabbit charm hanging from her backpack. Thinking back to the scene he had just encountered at the school gate, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He thought to himself: after all, she’s just a child.

Chen Xi heard footsteps behind her and silently quickened her pace, reaching the bedroom door and slipping in as if fleeing.

Bang—

She gently closed the door and leaned against it, exhausted.

After an uncertain time, Chen Xi slowly stood up and, feigning calm, placed her backpack on the bed, then went to the wardrobe. From a row of plain, unremarkable clothes, she selected a pink princess dress she rarely wore.

This dress was bought last year by her aunt during a National Day sale. As it was the off-season, all the clothing stores were having discounts. The store had a promotion: spend twenty thousand yuan and get a branded piggy bank.

The piggy bank was for her cousin. But her aunt immediately spotted the princess dress and bought it as a birthday gift for Chen Xi.

Chen Xi was there when her aunt pointed to the dress and showed it to her. She looked up and smiled, saying it was pretty. But after bringing it home, she never once wore it.

This was the first time Chen Xi took out the dress and stood before the mirror, carefully imagining how she would look wearing it.

Perhaps too nervous, she ultimately put the princess dress back and chose her usual white T-shirt and jeans.

Since it had just rained and was a bit chilly, she added a gray zip-up hoodie.

When her uncle learned that Chen Xi was home for vacation, he specially came upstairs to call her down for dinner.

Chen Xi looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror, satisfied with her outfit, and agreed.

By the time she was ready and went downstairs, the housekeeper had already served the dishes on the dining table.

Perhaps because she dawdled too long, her aunt scolded as soon as she saw her descend: “Took you so long to get ready—were you lazing around in your room?”

Chen Xi’s steps faltered because she saw Zhou Yanzhou sitting in her usual seat, his eyelids lifting as he looked at her indifferently.

Embarrassed by her aunt’s scolding, Chen Xi’s face flushed red. She lowered her head and quickly sat at the far end of the table, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.

For a moment, Chen Xi felt grateful she hadn’t worn the princess dress.

Seeing how meek Chen Xi was, her aunt couldn’t help but whisper to her uncle, “Your niece is something else. Anyone who didn’t know would think someone bullied her. It’s just a few words; she wasn’t hit or scolded.”

“I take care of her meals every day, but in the end, she’s just a closed book. Even a dog barks a bit when it sees me—”

Chen Xi noticed that her aunt, emboldened by the presence of an outsider, seemed to have no sense of discretion about family matters and kept on criticizing her.

Her uncle was henpecked, always agreeing with her aunt in private. But now, seeing her aunt unable to break the habit even with Zhou Yanzhou present, he couldn’t help but intervene: “Let’s just eat. Why say all this?”

It was the first time her aunt was shouted at by her husband. She was stunned for two seconds before losing her temper: “Fine, fine! So I can’t say a single word about your niece?”

With that, she threw down her chopsticks, picked up her son sitting in the high chair, and stormed out.

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Her uncle was left both angry and helpless, caught in a dilemma.

Chen Xi pursed her lips and looked up at her worried uncle. Being sensible, she said, “Uncle, you should go after Aunt. I’m here.”

Zhou Yanzhou also spoke from the side, “Don’t mind me. Family comes first.”

Xu Jingqian glanced at Chen Xi twice, smiled apologetically at Zhou Yanzhou, and got up to follow after them.

With her uncle gone, the large dining room was left with only Chen Xi and Zhou Yanzhou.

Chen Xi didn’t dare meet Zhou Yanzhou’s gaze or guess his mood. She could only bite her lip and stare blankly at the dishes on the table.

Zhou Yanzhou wasn’t really hungry. Having witnessed the family drama, he felt a bit uneasy too.

But without making small talk, the atmosphere grew awkward.

Such scenes often played out in Zhou Yanzhou’s own home, so he wasn’t surprised. But seeing Chen Xi live her life so cautiously, he felt a flicker of empathy.

He picked up his chopsticks, placed a piece of sweet and sour pork rib into Chen Xi’s bowl, and casually asked, “Have you been living with your uncle all this time?”

Chen Xi looked at the extra rib in her bowl and instinctively glanced at Zhou Yanzhou’s hand holding the chopsticks.

He was tall, with long fingers, clearly jointed and evenly spaced. The veins on the back of his hand were visible, like green vines crawling beneath pale skin.

Zhu Qing was an only child. Her family ran a supermarket, and her parents doted on her. Just last month, they bought her an Apple iPhone.

At that time, the Korean wave was popular in the country, and the boy band EXO was full of handsome members. Zhu Qing was a loyal fan and often showed Chen Xi photos of Wu Sehun.

Zhou Yanzhou didn’t resemble Wu Sehun, but Chen Xi inexplicably felt they belonged to the same kind of person.

Chen Xi wasn’t superficial, but every time she saw Zhou Yanzhou, she couldn’t help but be captivated by his looks.

At sixteen or seventeen, it was truly hard to resist a man like Zhou Yanzhou—both mischievous and mature.

Whether out of shame or other reasons, Chen Xi didn’t want Zhou Yanzhou to know about her living situation. Unfortunately, today’s drama made it impossible to conceal.

She looked up, smiling gently at Zhou Yanzhou, and said calmly, “Before the New Year, my parents died in a car accident on the highway. Apart from my uncle, I have no other relatives.”

“My aunt grew up in a loving family and married my uncle as a step down. He once promised her in front of his father-in-law that he would treat her well for life…”

At this point, Chen Xi struggled to find the right words. She awkwardly touched her neck, staring vacantly at the ceiling and murmured, “I know. I’m a burden.”

For some reason, Zhou Yanzhou’s heart tightened sharply at her last sentence.

He swallowed, looked at Chen Xi’s calm expression, and wanted to offer some comfort but didn’t know how to begin.

Recalling the scene at the school gate and realizing this girl in front of him was probably starved for affection, Zhou Yanzhou couldn’t help but advise, “If you feel like a burden, then work hard to change that.”

“But don’t rely too much on others. You can only be confident when you depend on yourself.”

Chen Xi blinked, surprised as she looked at Zhou Yanzhou.

He didn’t seem like the kind of adult who would lecture others, did he?

Zhou Yanzhou, feeling challenged, shot her a look and said coolly, “Anyway, I’m a few years older than you.”