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Carrying a plastic bag, Xu Zhiqiao returned to the second floor. Qu Xiuxiu was still awake, waiting for her.
“Why did it take so long? I was worried something happened to you.”
“It was far, I had to search a lot before I found the store.” Xu Zhiqiao glanced at the plastic bag, which contained two packs of sanitary napkins and a bag of ginger brown sugar. “You should sleep first…”
Qu Xiuxiu opened the bag, and upon seeing the brown sugar, she said, “Let me boil some hot water for you.”
Xu Zhiqiao stood still for a few seconds, then quietly said, “Thank you.”
“Why are you being so polite with me?” Qu Xiuxiu said with a hint of displeasure, “We’ve only been apart for a few days, and now you treat me like a stranger.”
“…”
Xu Zhiqiao rubbed her face, unsure of whether she was thanking Qu Xiuxiu or herself.
When she turned around, Qu Xiuxiu grabbed her, her gaze dropping. “You got something on your pants.”
Xu Zhiqiao couldn’t help but reach down to feel it.
It was sticky.
Her nerves tensed as a sudden thought occurred to her.
Her pants were soaked, and on Zhou Cong’s car seat—could it be…?
That thought nearly sent her into a breakdown.
But what was even more upsetting was yet to come.
Zhou Cong had used his white T-shirt like a sanitary napkin for her. How was she supposed to handle that?
Zhou Cong didn’t return immediately to the wooden corridor but leaned against the car door and smoked a cigarette.
He regretted some of the harsh words he’d said earlier.
He knew he was being pathetic, yet… he still wanted to keep going.
He even hoped Xu Zhiqiao would give him another chance to keep being pathetic.
Realizing this thought, Zhou Cong almost laughed at himself for being so pathetic.
After finishing the cigarette, Zhou Cong exhaled, allowing the smell to dissipate before opening the car door to grab his phone.
The dome light illuminated the seat, and as Zhou Cong took his phone, he was about to stand up when his peripheral vision caught a strange reflection.
His car had black leather seats, and they were kept clean. Any unusual reflection stood out immediately.
Zhou Cong pursed his lips, his fingers brushing over it.
It was a pale, cold smear.
Dark red.
Zhou Cong coughed in his throat involuntarily, imagining Xu Zhiqiao’s breakdown when she found out.
He pulled out two wet wipes, bent down, and began wiping it away slowly, but at some point, he couldn’t help but let out a nervous laugh.
After dealing with it, Zhou Cong returned to the wooden corridor.
The barbecue grill was re-lit, and a few men who had been playing cards had stopped, now gathered around the grill for a midnight snack.
“What took you so long?” Ji Huailuo shouted. “I thought I heard the car, did you go out?”
Zhou Cong grabbed a chair and sat down. “Yeah, bought some things.”
Hua Qingyang sniffed the air. “You smoked.”
Zhou Cong ignored him.
Ji Huailuo winked and teased Zhen Chuang, “There are two kids upstairs, don’t make too much noise or you’ll scare my sister.”
“Get lost,” Zhen Chuang said, pulling his girlfriend close. “A 22-year-old who hasn’t even kissed. Weakling.”
“…”
The atmosphere became oddly silent.
Ji Huailuo looked expressionless. “That one sentence insults all the men here.”
Zhen Chuang was quiet for a moment. “I messed up.”
“I’m not like that,” Hua Qingyang argued, “I kissed in middle school.”
Ji Huailuo raised an eyebrow. “How come I didn’t know? I know the color of your underwear, but I didn’t know you’ve kissed?”
Hua Qingyang rolled up his sleeve and was ready to argue.
“Bro, I don’t want to expose you,” Ji Huailuo teased, “With your overindulgence of Hua Niuniu, it’s a miracle you even got a girlfriend!”
Hua Qingyang snapped, “My sister is only four years old!!”
Ji Huailuo lifted his chin. “That… Xiao Long, did you kiss anyone?”
“…” Wei Long cleared his throat, “Uh, yeah.”
The entire room fell silent again.
Ji Huailuo narrowed his eyes. “Who did you kiss?”
It couldn’t have been Xu Zhiqiao, right?
Wei Long hesitated. “Xu Zhiqiao.”
“…”
The wind in the mountains was colder than in the city, but no one expected it to be this cold.
Ji Huailuo’s face darkened. “Did you guys fall in love early?”
“No, no,” Wei Long quickly explained, “It was for a school play… a reversed Snow White. I had to kiss the unconscious prince… Xu Zhiqiao tripped and fell, and her lips landed on mine.”
Well, you could call it a kiss.
Although it hurt a bit, he didn’t feel much.
“…” Ji Huailuo’s face was a mix of green and purple. “I always said Xu Zhiqiao was an idiot!”
Hua Qingyang and Zhen Chuang looked at Zhou Cong.
The man had his head lowered, his fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the bamboo skewers on the grill, his expression unreadable.
Ji Huailuo pursued the topic further. “I heard you chased after her for three years, and you’re still on good terms with her even though you didn’t end up together?”
“…” Wei Long’s face flushed red. “She has a thing for my father.”
The room fell completely silent.
Ji Huailuo’s lips trembled. “Your father is 20?”
“… 45.”
“Shit!!” Ji Huailuo exploded. “She’s trying to catch an old man?”
Wei Long defended, “… My father isn’t old enough to be a grandfather.”
Ji Huailuo scoffed. “She has a thing for your father? Is she trying to be your mom?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a bunch of random objects flew toward him, accompanied by several men cursing at him.
“Brother, you misunderstood!!” Wei Long’s face was flushed with embarrassment. “She wants my father to be her father! What were you thinking!!”
“…” Ji Huailuo stood frozen in shock, muttering, “She’s lacking a father.”
Hua Qingyang cursed, “You’re the one who’s missing a brain!”
Zhen Chuang sneered. “With his brainlessness, if it weren’t for Ji Uncle, who would put up with him?”
“Shit,” Ji Huailuo was stunned. “I always said she was trying to steal my father.”
Everyone stood up in unison, not even bothering to give him a look.
—
The next morning, Xu Zhiqiao was woken up by the sound of horse hooves clopping.
Qu Xiuxiu was not in the room, but she had left a note saying she had gone with Wei Long to the stable to watch the horses.
After washing up and changing clothes, Xu Zhiqiao grabbed her phone and planned to find them.
As she opened the door, she ran into Ye Shuanglu.
Xu Zhiqiao nodded. “Good morning, sister.”
“… Good morning,” Ye Shuanglu paused for a moment. “Want to have breakfast together?”
“Sure.”
The two of them didn’t speak along the way, walking in silence, an awkward atmosphere hanging between them.
At the restaurant, Xu Zhiqiao grabbed a box of milk and added two hot buns. Ye Shuanglu glanced at her plate and smiled. “Is that all you’re having?”
“Uh, oh,” Xu Zhiqiao was slow to react. “I’m not very hungry.”
Ye Shuanglu, holding her tongs, said leisurely, “Young girls love to act like they have a small appetite, but when they grow older and look back at this time, they’ll probably find it laughable.”
“…” Xu Zhiqiao froze.
Ye Shuanglu smiled faintly and asked, “Sister, have you heard of green tea?”
Xu Zhiqiao blinked. “Do you want some tea?”
Ye Shuanglu shook her head with a smile.
She didn’t continue and slowly walked toward the table with her plate.
But Xu Zhiqiao felt as though she had been insulted.
In a very clever way, making her feel disgusted, yet she couldn’t pinpoint why, nor could she find a way to refute it.
In the vast and empty restaurant, Xu Zhiqiao suddenly thought of Xu Shu.
Xu Shu had worked in business for many years. Even after becoming an executive with some say and the right to attend high-society banquets, she never brought Xu Zhiqiao into these circles.
Xu Shu said, “People in this circle are all good at putting up a front. They speak and act in ways that make you feel like you’re basking in spring winds, but sometimes, when the wind blows toward you, it feels like a slap. You only feel pain and can’t understand why.”
She also said, “But never doubt it—if you feel pain, it’s because they’re releasing malice.”