Zhao Xiyin buried her head in his neck, and Zhou Qishen gently pushed her down onto the sofa. Their eyes met, drawing ever closer, nose to nose, lips barely touching. Their hot breaths mingled, forming an impenetrable net. What a night this was, like morning dew, the past so fleeting and bitter.
The man's palm held a touch of warmth and tenderness, careful and yet filled with longing. His fingers traced her slightly protruding collarbone, the contours of her chest, and further down, touched her waistband. Zhou Qishen's fingers gently caressed her, from her waist down, her skin like porcelain, sparkling and flashing, until they reached her lower abdomen.
In that instant, Zhao Xiyin could clearly feel that the person on her body had stopped fighting.
As soon as Zhou Qishen touched her abdomen, he withdrew his hand as if he had been electrocuted.
His expression changed, his eyes regained their senses, and he woke up.
Zhao Xiyin stared at him blankly, unable to come to her senses for a long time.
Zhou Qishen had already sat up, head down, pinching his brow hard. Once he caught his breath, he slowly turned his head, his eyes filled with apology, and said, "I'm sorry."
Upon seeing that look in his eyes, Zhao Xiyin understood everything.
She quietly got up and sat down next to him. She even wanted to move a little closer, but whether intentionally or unintentionally, Zhou Qishen subtly moved a little further away.
His head sank lower and lower, the back of his neck stretching out, forming a sharp arc with his shoulder blades. Zhao Xiyin reached out to hold his hand; he instinctively tried to pull away, but she firmly held it down.
"Brother Zhou," Zhao Xiyin said softly, "It's alright now, it's all over, and I'm fine too."
The pain was no longer hidden; this one look from Zhou Qishen was an insurmountable hurdle. The past events, like dull knives cutting into his flesh, now brought him profound regret. Every time he touched her abdomen, he would think of the child who had left so hastily.
From that moment on, the night ended in silence for the two of them.
Zhao Xiyin got up to leave, saying, "I'm worried about leaving Teacher Zhao home alone, so I'll go now."
Zhou Qishen also stood up and said in a hoarse voice, "Here, take this."
“You’re a patient too. It’s cold outside, don’t make things difficult.” Zhao Xiyin opened her palm. “Give me the car keys, I’ll drive myself home. I’ll find a designated driver to take you to the company tomorrow.”
Zhou Qishen was holding the car keys.
Zhao Xiyin simply took it out, her eyes crinkling with a smile, "Boss Zhou, don't be so stingy!"
Zhou Qishen smiled and stopped insisting.
After seeing her off to the elevator, the atmosphere between them changed, and neither spoke. They stood close, but their thoughts were elsewhere; Zhao Xiyin occasionally drifted off into thought, watching the floor indicator steadily descend.
Upon reaching the second basement level, the elevator doors slowly slid open.
Zhao Xiyin, her face expressionless, was about to take a step when Zhou Qishen suddenly grabbed her arm tightly.
She turned her head to the side, her eyes slightly dazed.
Zhou Qishen pulled her into his arms, clasped her hands tightly, and held her close.
"Xiao west." His lips were hot as he pressed against her earlobe. "I love you."
...
Zhao Xiyin had a brief memory of how she got home that night and how she fell asleep. She only remembered having a dream just before dawn, a jumble of fragmented thoughts that wove together into a colorful cotton cloud. The cloud floated in front of her, and she took a bite. Ugh! It tasted like star anise and cinnamon!
...
Early the next morning, Zhao Wenchun was already busy making breakfast.
Zhao Xiyin, toothbrush dangling from her lips, mumbled, "Teacher Zhao, you're truly an amazing teacher. You said you were sick, and you're better just as quickly. Wait, are you just kidding me?"
Zhao Wenchun chuckled, "Why would I lie to you? Are you going to pay me my salary?"
“No problem,” Zhao Xiyin said. “You only make five or six thousand a month. Why don’t you retire early? I’ll give you the money.”
"Extravagant! Extravagant! Absurd!" Zhao Wenchun criticized. "Zhao Xiyin, your thinking is incorrect. Please correct it immediately."
After washing her face, Zhao Xiyin came out and said, "Change, change, change." Then she leaned over and snatched a piece of pancake.
Teacher Zhao is good in every way, but when she gets serious, she can be quite a headache.
Zhou Qishen's black Land Rover was parked at the entrance of the residential area. When Zhao Xiyin got out, his driver was already waiting by the car, nodding and smiling. "President Zhou sent me. I'll take you to the regiment first, and then drive the car back."
That's perfect, Zhao Xiyin also wants to save trouble.
Traffic restrictions were in place at the Workers' Stadium during the morning rush hour, so the driver took a longer route and parked at the nearest stop. Zhao Xiyin got out of the passenger seat, politely waved to the person, and watched the Land Rover merge into the traffic before turning around.
I had only taken a few steps when I heard someone call out, "Miss Zhao."
Zhao Xiyin followed the sound and found a BMW 7 Series parked in the left parking space. The door opened, and Zhuang Qiu got out of the back seat, walking towards her with a smile in his eyes.
"Forgot me?" Zhuang Qiu asked, his tone rising as he looked at her with interest.
Zhao Xiyin subconsciously took a small step back and said politely, "It's President Zhuang, hello."
Zhuang Qiu stretched out his hand, "Phew, I'm relieved. I was really afraid you'd forgotten about me again, or I would have been heartbroken."
The man's hand hovered in mid-air, waiting for her to take it.
Zhao Xiyin just smiled, her hands hanging neatly at her sides, showing no intention of doing so.
Zhuang Qiu wasn't annoyed; on the contrary, he found her quite interesting and even adopted a somewhat sincere attitude. "Miss Zhao, are you busy today? If not..."
"Busy, very busy." Zhao Xiyin interrupted him directly, saying truthfully, "I have classes all morning, practice in the afternoon, and rehearsal in the evening. I eat breakfast at home, and lunch and dinner at the canteen. The troupe is strict, so I don't eat late-night snacks. Thank you for your concern, President Zhuang. I'm sorry I'm going to be late. Goodbye."
The person walked away without looking back.
Zhuang Qiu stared at her slender back for a long time, savoring the sight more and more.
Back in the car, his secretary handed him a thermos, the water infused with goji berries and dried sea buckthorn, turning a pale yellow.