Peeling this stuff is the worst thing you can do to your nails, and you can even scratch your skin if you're not careful. Zhou Qishen's shirt was splattered with greasy marks, but he didn't even blink as he peeled it until it was glistening with oil and his fingers were red and burning. He was so focused, as if he wasn't peeling a shrimp, but his own heart, liver, spleen, and lungs.
After filling the insulated box, he washed his hands and left.
Gu Heping called out to the retreating figure, "Where are you going, Boss Zhou?"
Zhou Qi took a deep breath. "Admit your mistake."
And so, when Zhao Xiyin got home, she found a "deliveryman" downstairs.
In the deep autumn night, those who were afraid of the cold had all put on thin down jackets, but Zhou Qishen was only wearing a shirt. He stood tall and elegant in the night. The lights in the community were not very bright, and he was dressed in gray and black. At first glance, he looked like a lonely ghost.
When Zhao Xiyin saw him, she stopped in her tracks and glared at him fiercely.
Zhou Qishen carried a thermos and walked over to her, handing it to her. "Eat up, I peeled some shrimp for you, it's still hot."
The autumn wind swept through the corridor. Zhao Xiyin turned her head away, sniffed, and the air she inhaled rushed into her eyes, making them sting and throb.
Zhou Qishen apologized, "I'm sorry."
Zhao Xiyin's lips trembled, and her vision blurred. After a long while, she said in a muffled voice, "I'm not going to eat at home. The food is too strong, and my dad doesn't like it."
Zhou Qishen hummed in agreement. "Then let's go to my car."
The heater was on two levels, and it was warm in no time. Inside the insulated container, the tender lobster meat was cleanly peeled, and the rising steam was still plentiful. Zhao Xiyin ate in silence with her chopsticks, glancing at Zhou Qishen's hand out of the corner of her eye.
There was a very obvious small cut on the tip of his index finger.
The car was quiet, yet it felt like a bucket of water about to boil.
Zhao Xiyin held her breath, waiting for Zhou Qishen to speak. She felt a mix of unease, anticipation, and even, for a fleeting moment, wondered if she would still be willing to follow him if he spoke.
Two seconds later, Zhou Qishen turned his head, the furrow between his brows still furrowed. His voice was deep, and his first question was, "We're both wearing gray, do I look better or does he?"
Chapter 38 An Arrow Piercing the Clouds (3)
Wearing everything in gray??
Zhao Xiyin didn't react for a moment, "Huh?"
Zhou Qishen turned his head back and lowered his eyes. "You little ingrate, I peeled those two bowls of lobsters for you for nothing."
Zhao Xiyin was puzzled. She held out the insulated food container to him and asked, "Here you go?"
Zhou Qishen choked on his breath, almost choking on his own anger. His angry yet speechless expression amused Zhao Xiyin. Just as she was about to make a teasing remark, her phone rang. It was Zhao Wenchun calling, launching into a long tirade, asking why she hadn't arrived home yet.
After replying that she was downstairs, Zhao Xiyin got out of the car while still on the phone.
Zhou Qishen gripped the steering wheel harder, glancing in the rearview mirror at the roses on the back seat, which were covered by his coat. They were wilted and unpresentable.
Zhao Xiyin waved to him naturally from outside the car, without looking back, and carried the lobster into the building.
After arriving home, Zhao Xiyin finished eating the shrimp. Zhao Wenchun didn't ask who gave it to her, but only said, "Just left," as Zhao Xiyin was cleaning up the leftovers.
"What? Just left?"
"That Porsche was driven by Qi Shen, right? He stayed downstairs for two hours and just left."
Zhao Xiyin stopped washing the dishes.
“He arrived around 10 a.m. and parked under the biggest sycamore tree. He got out of the car a few times to smoke. I noticed that he had become much more addicted to smoking; he smoked even more than I did.”
Zhao Xiyin dried her hands and said calmly, "Didn't you treat him like your own son? Why didn't you invite him to come over for a visit?"
Zhao Wenchun said, "He's been spoiled. We won't spoil him anymore."
Zhao Xiyin stood at the kitchen doorway, a towel still in her hand. Under the incandescent light, she turned her head and smiled gently, her eyes bright. She walked over and sat down next to her father on the sofa. "Come on, Teacher Zhao, little Zhao is confused. Give me a lesson."
Zhao Wenchun chuckled, "Then there will be a charge."
Zhao Xiyin pouted, "He's not my biological father."
He immediately received a tap on the forehead from Teacher Zhao: "Nonsense."
Zhao Xiyin grinned sheepishly, then pursed her lips, "Dad."
"Um?"
"If I get back together with Zhou Qishen... if I reconcile with him, do you have any objections?"
Zhao Wenchun seemed completely unsurprised, and even managed to grasp the key point, asking, "He brought it up with you on his own initiative?"
"No." Zhao Xiyin pursed her lips even tighter, feeling a mix of sorrow, disappointment, and even a touch of impulsiveness in her heart. "It's not that I can't take the initiative."
Zhao Wenchun laughed out loud, "Ah, that's possible, but if we're rejected, wouldn't the Zhao family lose face?"
Zhao Xiyin's cautious courage instantly vanished.
“I can tell that Qi Shen has feelings for you, so he should take the initiative in some things. If you want my opinion,” Zhao Wenchun said, “I just want my daughter to be happy.”
Zhao Xiyin smiled brightly, "I'll listen to Teacher Zhao."
Zhao Wenchun nodded, then suddenly remembered something else, "Oh right, I forgot to tell you, your aunt is going back to Beijing on the 10th of this month. Please make time for Saturday night and have dinner with her."
Zhao Xiyin's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed with delight, "Auntie is coming back?"
"She's coming back to work on her company's IPO, and she's said she'll stay in Beijing for a month."
It was rare for Zhao Lingxia to stay in China for so long. She was quite an eccentric, a genuine strong woman. In the past, every time she returned to Beijing, she would give Zhao Xiyin a good beating. She was too independent, too opinionated, looked down on men, and had a domineering, "I'm the best" attitude.