Zhao Xiyin's face and eyes were flushed, an unnatural redness. Even the surprise and excitement she felt when she saw Zhou Qishen had become weak and listless.
"Are you alright?" Zhou Qishen walked over, squatted down, and put his arm around her shoulder.
Zhao Xiyin blinked, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Zhou Qishen smiled tenderly, his expression gentle, and lightly flicked her nose with his fingertip. "So clueless, don't you recognize me?"
Zhao Xiyin nodded, her voice choked with emotion, and obediently called out, "Brother Zhou."
He responded very softly, "Yes, my husband is here."
Zhou Qishen gently tidied Zhao Xiyin's hair, which Zhuang Qiu had disheveled, his movements light and slow. His gaze was calm as he looked at Zhao Xiyin, a faint smile playing on his lips. From the moment he entered, he hadn't glanced at anyone else.
Meng Weixi stood aside, scrutinizing him several times, her brows furrowing slightly, a sense of unease creeping into her heart.
Dai Yunxin stepped forward, trying to smooth things over, and said lightly, "Filming is too tiring, and Xiaoxi has lost a lot of weight. I brought her here to improve her meals, and that's how we happened to run into President Zhuang. If there's any misunderstanding, let's talk it out and make it clear."
Zhuang Qiu forced a smile, then quickly changed his tune, "Brother Zhou, President Meng, I admire Xiao Zhao. Let's exchange ideas..."
Zhou Qishen looked at him, his gaze straight as ink, and interrupted, "You only pulled her hair?"
Zhuang Qiu was stunned for a moment.
Zhou Qishen stood up, looking relaxed and approachable, with a smile that was both genuine and conciliatory. He slowly walked to the table.
Zhuang Qiu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking this was an opportunity for him to save face. "It was a misunderstanding. I was a little too rough. You know how men are, Zhou-ge."
Zhou Qishen listened quietly.
The dishes on the table were almost untouched: braised sea cucumber, stir-fried squid with soy sauce, garlic shrimp, and a bowl of oysters, with a small back-splitting knife next to them.
Zhou Qishen picked up the knife and played with it in his hand.
By the time Meng Weixi realized something was wrong, it was too late.
Zhou Qishen turned around and suddenly pulled Zhuang Qiu onto the table.
He was a soldier, highly skilled, and used all his strength in this attack. Zhuang Qiu staggered and fell to the ground, his forehead slamming against the edge of the table with a loud thud. His vision went black, and he hadn't recovered yet. Zhou Qishen grabbed his wrist with one hand and swept the bowls and dishes off the table with the other.
His eyes were fierce, filled with murderous intent, and he raised the knife and cruelly stabbed Zhuang Qiu in the back!
The flesh and bones were pierced, and you could even hear the dull thud of the knife tip hitting the table.
Zhuang Qiu screamed repeatedly and collapsed to his knees. Only the hilt of a knife was visible on the back of his hand; within seconds, blood began to flow rapidly down his wrist. He dared not move, howling and crying in agony. His right hand was pinned to the table.
Zhou Qi squatted down, grabbed his hair and pulled it back forcefully, and said calmly, "Try hitting on my woman again."
Chapter 85 A Lifetime of Passion (2)
It was truly tragic.
Zhuang Qiu was almost out of breath from shouting, watching helplessly as his hand bled.
The scene was graphic and bloody; Meng Weixi took off her coat and threw it at Zhou Qishen.
Zhou Qishen took it, silently covered Zhao Xiyin's face with it, obscuring the girl's eyes, then picked her up and carried her straight out the door.
Zhuang Qiu's secretary stumbled inside. As they walked away, they heard a piercing scream from upstairs: "I'm calling the police! I want him in jail!"
Zhou Qishen remained calm and simply said to the person in his arms, "It's alright, don't listen."
As we left the restaurant, a cold wind howled.
Zhou Qishen was dressed in thin clothes, but his body still trembled involuntarily. Zhao Xiyin hooked her arm around his neck and said in a hoarse voice, "Brother Zhou, I can walk by myself."
Zhou Qishen paused for a few seconds, then put her down without forcing her.
"Xi Xi." Someone suddenly called Zhao Xiyin from the right rear.
The voice was so familiar that Zhao Xiyin could hardly believe it. Turning around, she saw the person, and joy instantly spread across her face. She walked over, and the person got out of the car. Zhou Qishen heard Zhao Xiyin call out to her, "Aunt Fei!"
Zhou Qi frowned and investigated. Wasn't this the female driver who brought him here? She hadn't left? And she even knew Zhao Xiyin?
“When I picked him up, I heard him mention your name. I was worried about having the same name as someone else, so I waited here on purpose.” Her Mandarin wasn’t very standard, but her voice was distinctive, with a slightly husky tone.
Zhao Xiyin naturally took her hand and said, "Brother Zhou, this is the kind person I told you about, Aunt Fei, whom I met while traveling at Qinghai Lake that year. This is my husband, Zhou Qishen."
Zhou Qishen's expression softened considerably, and he nodded slightly to her.
Ruan Fei smiled, making the freckles on her nose even more noticeable. She didn't look at Zhou Qishen much, but instead asked Zhao Xiyin, "Do you want me to give you a ride?"
Meng Weixi said from the side, "I drove here."
Zhao Xiyin glanced at Zhou Qishen subconsciously, and Zhou Qishen surprisingly relented, saying, "Thank you for your trouble."
Tonight isn't the time for reminiscing. These intertwined connections will only seem more wonderful to look back on in the future. Ruan Fei patted Zhao Xiyin's hand, signaling her to hurry up. "You're in Qinghai, we'll meet again another day."
The Cayenne made two U-turns and then accelerated onto the road.
The three of them shared a car. Zhou Qishen and Zhao Xiyin sat in the back seat, and he held her hand tightly in silence the entire time. An hour later, they arrived at their hotel. Meng Weixi didn't turn off the engine and sat in the car, smoking with her head down.
Zhou Qishen gestured for Zhao Xiyin to get out of the car first.
When the two men were alone, Zhou Qishen sincerely thanked them, saying, "I owe you this favor, and I'll repay it later. Thank you so much for today, Meng Weixi."
Smoke swirled around the car, and a crack, just wide enough for a hand's breadth, was slid open in the window. The night wind rushed in, carrying away the remaining smoke.
Meng Weixi didn't respond. After half a cigarette's worth of time, he unbuckled his seatbelt with a crisp "click," like a traffic light in the desolate night. He hummed in agreement, "You'll have to pay me back sometime."