Chapter 34

The next morning, when Wen Ci woke up and opened her eyes, her first reaction was to check Zhou Wu’s Moments.

The post was still there.

After one night, there were more likes from Dou Yiqing and a reply from Qin Yun: “When was this taken? Where did you go with Wen Ci?”

Zhou Wu replied: “None of your business.”

Zhou Wu knew that she appeared in that photo.

But he didn’t mind it and didn’t delete it.

Wen Ci had never liked Zhou Wu’s Moments before. She was busy with work, and by the time she saw his posts, a lot of time had passed, so liking it then felt somewhat awkward.

Of course, it’s also because she keeps secretly looking, feeling guilty.

Wen Ci curled up in the blanket, staring at the photo in the sunlight coming through the window for a long time. She raised her finger and left the first mark on Zhou Wu’s Moments.

The next second, a message popped up on her phone—

[Zhou Wu: Are you awake?]

Wen Ci froze, sat up, and replied: [Yeah, just woke up. What’s up?]

[Zhou Wu: Is Dou Yiqing awake?]

Wen Ci got out of bed barefoot, opened the door, and peeked outside. The door opposite was quiet. Last night, Dou Yiqing and Qin Yun played mobile games until late into the night.

[Wen Ci: Not yet.]

[Zhou Wu: Come downstairs, I’m at the door.]

Wen Ci stealthily walked to the villa’s wooden door, glanced back at Dou Yiqing’s window, which was still covered by curtains.

Only then did she carefully open the wooden door and peek out.

Zhou Wu was leaning against the doorframe, one hand in his pocket, dressed in a black suit. With his long limbs, he looked elegant and imposing.

However, his stance was casual, his neck slightly bowed, and his suit wasn’t buttoned, making the formal outfit look slightly relaxed.

In contrast, Wen Ci wore a crooked little bear pajama, her hair messy, and her eyes faintly darkened from lack of sleep.

Seeing her, Zhou Wu stood up a little straighter, reached out, and touched her forehead. Her condition hadn’t worsened, and he raised his eyebrows: “Didn’t sleep well?”

Wen Ci was too embarrassed to say that she had been repeatedly refreshing her Moments until 1 a.m. the night before.

She dryly replied, “Hmm.”

“Are you going to a meeting?”

Zhou Wu lazily responded, “Yes, I’ll be busy until evening. Qin Yun will take you to the airport today.”

“It’s fine,” Wen Ci immediately said. “We can take a taxi ourselves.”

“He’s free, so let him take you.” Zhou Wu lifted his chin. “Hand out.”

Wen Ci was confused but did as he asked, bringing both hands together and lifting them toward Zhou Wu.

Zhou Wu took his hand out of his suit pocket, grabbed two pieces of white fabric, and placed them into Wen Ci’s hands.

It was the swimsuit she had left in Zhou Wu’s room earlier.

Wen Ci: “…”

Thinking about what had happened with the swimsuit, Wen Ci’s face turned red. She hurriedly wrapped it in her arms and apologized, “Sorry, I forgot. Wait for me, I’ll get your clothes—”

Zhou Wu: “You can keep it.”

“Keep it?” Wen Ci was stunned.

“Yeah, I like you wearing my clothes.” Zhou Wu lowered his eyes, his voice lazy, “Or do you not like those two pieces?”

“…”

“No, I… I like it,” Wen Ci was too embarrassed to just take them, “I’ll pay you for them.”

“No need,” Zhou Wu commented on the sweatshirt worth thirty thousand: “Street vendor stuff. If it’s uncomfortable, tell me, and I’ll get you new ones.”

Wen Ci quickly shook her head: “No, it’s really comfortable.”

“Mm.”

They both fell silent for a moment.

“I wasn’t planning on returning it.” Zhou Wu suddenly spoke.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were calm as he lowered his gaze, “But I was worried you’d think I’m a pervert.”

“…”

Wen Ci reacted, then hugged the swimsuit tightly.

If she didn’t return it, what would she do with it?

It wasn’t like a sweatshirt that Zhou Wu could wear…

Wen Ci’s mind overloaded, and one word after another came out: “No… I, I haven’t washed it since the last time I wore it… there might be bacteria… it would be dirty.”

Zhou Wu watched her face turn red with visible speed, clearly very easy to tease.

He suppressed a smile, nodded, and accepted Wen Ci’s hygiene lesson: “Okay.”

“Because I bought this, the shopping app recommended a lot of similar clothes to me.” Wen Ci blushed and politely asked in a soft voice, “Although it’s not a swimsuit… it’s very similar. If you like, I can buy a few and try them next time?”

Zhou Wu: “…”

Damn.

The phone rang, and Zhou Wu picked it up, covering his slightly warm ear. The driver politely informed him that the car was waiting outside his villa.

After hanging up, Wen Ci asked: “Are you leaving?”

“Mm.” Zhou Wu threw his phone into his pocket and suddenly turned his head down, lightly kissing her lips.

It was a quick kiss.

Wen Ci could still smell Zhou Wu’s scent on her nose. It was different from before, with a blend of grapefruit and wood scent, calm and subtle—perfect for a work setting.

“Too bad I couldn’t take you diving.” His voice was soft, with a touch of regret, “Next time, Wen Ci.”

—–

At noon, in the restaurant.

Dou Yiqing held the menu and called out for the third time, “Wen Ci? Wen Ci!”

Wen Ci came back to her senses, “Hmm?”

“Do you want baby cabbage or broccoli?” Dou Yiqing was puzzled. “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been distracted.”

“I’m fine with either,” Wen Ci replied. “If I have to choose, then broccoli.”

“Why not just order both?” Qin Yun, sitting nearby, didn’t understand. “If we can’t finish, so what?”

Dou Yiqing rolled her eyes at him: “Wasting food is a serious crime, do you know that?”

Wen Ci blocked out their noisy chatter, gazing at the sea outside, lost in thought.

Her lips still tingled slightly.

It was just a kiss, yet it was lighter than any of the ones they had shared before, even without alcohol or desire, just a simple kiss. It wasn’t the kind of kiss you’d expect between lovers, but rather a pure one.

Wen Ci covered her face.

Maybe she had been with Zhou Wu too much these past few days, talking and doing too many things, which made her have some unrealistic thoughts—

Did Zhou Wu maybe like her just a little bit?

Or was that kiss just a normal goodbye kiss to him? After all, he had studied abroad.

However, it seems like sending clothes to friends or casual partners isn’t a common practice abroad.

Wen Ci’s heartbeat became uneven, her mind running wild. She wasn’t sure if it was because the morning had been too close or if it was just her imagination, but several hours later, the fresh, unfamiliar woody fragrance still seemed to linger on her nose.

After finishing lunch, Wen Ci returned to her room to pack. She had brought too many books, along with a medical kit and some of Zhou Wu’s clothes. Her suitcase was a bit full.

Dou Yiqing lay on top of the suitcase, using all her strength to push it down: “Wait a minute, Wen Ci, we didn’t even buy that much stuff, right? Aren’t there still a few disposable underwear missing? Why does your suitcase have so much more stuff?”

“Maybe I didn’t fold my clothes well,” Wen Ci lied, unconsciously smiling as she locked the suitcase’s clasp, “Alright.”

Qin Yun carried one suitcase in each hand and helped them out of the yard.

After a few steps, he couldn’t resist and turned back to say, “Dou Yiqing, why don’t you stay a few more days? In two days, the waves won’t be so strong, and we can go diving.”

He added, “I’ll even take you skydiving. How about it?”

“No, I need to go back to my online classes,” Dou Yiqing refused.

“You’ve gone crazy with studying, huh? Didn’t you attend enough classes in those ten-plus years? Now you’re a teacher and still need to take more classes?” Qin Yun took a step back, “Alright then, I’ll go back with you. I’ll take you to a blues club to dance.”

Dou Yiqing lightly hit him with her bag: “I told you I need to study. Don’t disturb me.”

Qin Yun clicked his tongue: “This is no fun. You really don’t appreciate good things—right, Wen Ci?”

Wen Ci smiled and pressed her lips together, signaling that she wasn’t getting involved in their quarrel.

Qin Yun’s car was parked outside the villa. He put the suitcases in the trunk and stretched his neck, asking, “You don’t have anything left, right?”

“I’m all set,” Dou Yiqing said.

Wen Ci was holding her phone, staring at her chat with Zhou Wu, hesitating whether to tell him that she was leaving.

Should she wait until they got to the airport? Or should she wait until after takeoff or landing?

Hearing Qin Yun’s question, she quickly looked up: “I don’t have—”

“Qin Yun!”

A familiar voice came from behind Wen Ci.

Before she could react, someone brushed past her, accompanied by a sweet fragrance.

It was familiar, even somewhat pungent. Wen Ci had smelled it at the school celebration.

The person wore a light pink spaghetti strap top, exposing her beautiful arms and back, and was pushing a suitcase. She ran up to Qin Yun and hugged him.

Qin Yun was stunned. After being released, he opened his mouth in surprise: “Duan Wei? Wait, how are you here?”

“I came for a vacation. Didn’t Zhou Wu tell you?” Duan Wei said, turning around, her beautiful face covered by sunglasses.

She lifted the sunglasses to her hair, her eyes scanning Dou Yiqing before stopping at Wen Ci’s white dress.

In just a moment, Duan Wei withdrew her gaze, smiling as she asked, “How come you’re here too? Came here for a vacation?”

Qin Yun couldn’t figure it out right away: “They came here with me. They’re about to head back now.”

Duan Wei said, “Oh, you’re leaving? Why not stay a few more days?”

“We’ve had enough fun. Time to get back to work,” Dou Yiqing casually replied.

Duan Wei looked disappointed: “I’ve been busy with other things these past days, couldn’t find time to come over. If I had, we could’ve played together.”

The person in the corner had remained silent, and Duan Wei turned her attention back to them.

“This sea is especially beautiful. When I was studying, Zhou Wu and I used to come here every winter and summer break to dive. Did you guys dive?”

Wen Ci met her gaze and smiled: “No. There’s been a typhoon these past few days.”

“That’s a pity.”

“Yes.”

Qin Yun glanced behind Duan Wei: “Where’s Xiang Wenwen? Didn’t he come with you?”

“Don’t mention him,” Duan Wei turned her face away, “I came here alone.”

Qin Yun understood, his earlier suspicions were right—another argument.

“Why didn’t you get a car to take you? Which room are you staying in?” Qin Yun thought for a moment, “How about you stay in their building? It’s close by. I’ll send someone to clean up later.”

Duan Wei shook her head: “No, I’m afraid of staying alone. I’ll go stay with Zhou Wu.”

The surroundings fell silent for a few seconds.

The typhoon had just passed, and they stood in the wind, the sea breeze making their skin feel cold.

Wen Ci pushed her hair behind her ear, glanced at her watch, turned her face, and softly reminded Dou Yiqing: “What time is our flight?”

Dou Yiqing realized, suppressing her curiosity: “Uh, sorry, we need to catch our flight. Maybe you two can talk later?”