Chapter 54: Gradually Falling

By the time they finished, it was already 11 p.m. They chatted a little more until it was half past eleven before turning off the lights.

The bedroom was pitch dark.

They lay together in an embrace, and Wen Zhixian, feeling sleepy at 11, knew she would likely fall asleep in the next five minutes.

Just as she was about to drift off, Qi Yanjing suddenly whispered beside her, asking, “There are some things I haven’t told you. Would you be mad at me?”

Wen Zhixian heard him clearly but was too sleepy to fully engage. She asked in return, “Is it something like today?”

Qi Yanjing responded affirmatively.

Without hesitation, Wen Zhixian answered, “No, it doesn’t affect our relationship. Even if it’s something like this, I know I’ve crossed a line too, but you’re still emotionally stable.”

She paused for two seconds, then added, “Though I’d be curious to know what it is, I can tell you’re just sad, and I understand that some things are hard to talk about, so it’s okay.”

“Then what if there are other things I’ve kept from you?” He gently stroked her back and asked softly.

Wen Zhixian, now more awake, calmly asked, “You’re not breaking the law, are you? Or in debt?”

Qi Yanjing laughed aloud, his laughter especially charming in the dark night.

“I’m a law-abiding citizen, neither breaking the law nor in debt.”

She hummed in acknowledgment. Already sleepy, her consciousness began to fade, and she soon fell asleep.

Qi Yanjing didn’t wait for her reply, only hearing her faint breaths beside him.

He replayed her words in his mind.

Late-night conversations always struck the deepest chord.

It felt like he was slowly, but surely, falling.

And he was willing—he knew they were in this for the long haul.

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The next morning, Qi Yanjing woke up and made breakfast.

After preparing the meal, he returned to the bedroom, sat by the bed, and called Wen Zhixian to wake up.

“Time to eat.”

He pinched her cheek. Wen Zhixian mumbled, “You eat by yourself.”

She turned over, facing away from him, but her consciousness seemed to return.

Qi Yanjing thought she must have been exhausted from last night, so he left the bedroom.

He had finished half of his breakfast when Wen Zhixian, having finished washing up, came out of the bedroom in her pajamas and sat beside him. “It’s all your fault. I can’t sleep now.”

Qi Yanjing smiled, picked up the bowl in front of her, and stood to serve her some millet porridge, placing the spoon in her hand. “Eat first, then complain.”

Wen Zhixian laughed at his words, stirring the porridge with the spoon.

“Are you going to school today?” she casually asked.

“I don’t have classes today, I’ll be working from home.” Academic papers and projects take time.

Wen Zhixian looked up at him, and he continued to explain his routine. “I don’t really enjoy giving lectures everywhere. I go when I can’t avoid it. My condition wasn’t great before, so I rest when I can. I don’t do business either. Apart from teaching and guiding students, I have a set amount of academic papers and projects to complete every year.”

She understood, since her dad was similar, though he also had a company and was busier.

She nodded, unexpectedly recalling something from before. Suddenly, she said, “That night you came to the café to buy coffee, was that after you came back from school?”

Qi Yanjing paused for a moment, thinking. “The day Gu Yuchen threw the ring?”

Wen Zhixian laughed. “Yes, that day.”

“There was a seminar that day, and I had dinner afterward, so I was just a little late.” He smiled as he remembered the event. “I happened to be at the door when I heard you say, ‘Get out.’ I stood at the door for a couple of seconds, wondering if you were talking about me.”

Then, someone came out from inside and threw a ring box into the trash can beside him, and he was sure the remark wasn’t aimed at him.

What was even more amusing was that when he asked Zhixian if she had coffee, she started to cry, fragile as could be. He was wondering whether he should say something, but in just a few seconds, her expression suddenly became determined, and he realized there was no need for him to say anything.

“I thought, why would someone stand by the door and not come in?”

Qi Yanjing raised his eyebrows slightly. “If I had gone in, it wouldn’t have been good, right?”

“If you had said something, Gu Yuchen would have definitely said something ridiculous in that state.” After all, he had never been scolded before, and in a fit of anger, he might say something absurd.

She changed the subject and asked, “So why did you get up so early to make breakfast?”

“Got enough sleep.” Compared to before, now his quality of sleep in a single night was worth the sleep of the past three days.

He was completely energized.

Wen Zhixian was speechless. Was she the one who was exhausted after last night?

And besides, he had been the one doing all the work. She decided not to argue and considered it as him taking care of her.

Qi Yanjing placed a small piece of beef patty near her lips, urging her to eat it.

“After breakfast, I’ll go buy some ingredients. What do you want to have for lunch?” he asked.

Wen Zhixian swallowed the beef patty in her mouth. “Let’s go together.”

“Not going to the shop?”

“We hired a new staff member a couple of days ago, so it shouldn’t be too busy.”

Qi Yanjing nodded. “Alright.”

Wen Zhixian lowered her head, lost in thought. When Qi Yanjing set his chopsticks down, she looked up at him. With some hesitation, she said, “Hmm… maybe I’ll go visit your friend later?”

Qi Yanjing was momentarily stunned but quickly smiled. “Sure.”

It was time to meet him. She shouldn’t just meet Xie Daoran after all.

Wen Zhixian finished the porridge in her bowl, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and said, “I’ll go change my clothes.”

Qi Yanjing smiled and responded, then got up to tidy up the table.

She changed into a white dress and put on a black trench coat over it.

After sizing her up, Qi Yanjing chose a black trench coat from the closet, matching hers.

On the way, Wen Zhixian asked him, “What flowers does your friend like?”

“He doesn’t have a particular favorite; he likes whatever others give him.”

At the flower shop, Wen Zhixian picked a bouquet of white roses.

They drove to the cemetery.

After getting out of the car, Qi Yanjing took her hand and led her up the hill.

“Is it at the top?” she asked, looking up at the distant peak.

Qi Yanjing responded with a soft “Mm,” then added, “I heard someone had it calculated and bought a feng shui plot at the very top. He was too young and never saw the world.”

So, they had him looking at the world from the top of the mountain.

Wen Zhixian quietly sighed in her heart, then grasped his hand tighter, holding the flowers as they walked side by side.

At the grave, there was another bouquet of flowers, likely placed that morning. It seemed others had come before them.

Wen Zhixian placed the white roses in front of the tombstone and knelt to read the inscription. The stone bore his name—Xie Daoran—and there was also a photo embedded in it.

He looked to be around eight or nine years old, his handsomeness undeniable, with a cold and aloof expression that suited someone destined to be in a position of power.

He never saw the broader world…

“If he had made it to today, he would have definitely been outstanding.”

Qi Yanjing listened to her words, and if it weren’t for this incident, perhaps he too would have been a different person.