Omega-3 fish oil, multivitamin and mineral tablets, ginseng, donkey-hide gelatin, cordyceps, bird's nest…
Xie Jin stood with hands on his hips, accentuating his lean waist, the corner of his eye twitching.
Wu Liang leaned over his shoulder, stifling laughter, shoulders shaking.
Xie Jin bent his elbow and jabbed backward, muttering two indistinct words from his throat: "Get lost."
Wu Liang's eyes were red from holding back. He cleared his throat but still couldn't suppress a snort.
Anticipating Xie Jin's kick, he immediately jumped beside Zhu Zhixi, putting on a serious face: "Miss, I thank you on behalf of Jinjin."
"No need."
Xie Jin closed his eyes, pressing his tongue against his cheek.
Wu Liang crossed his arms, standing cheekily beside Zhu Zhixi, and mouthed the words "Xie Daiyu" at him with a smug expression.
Xie Daiyu?
Xie Jin curled his tongue against the roof of his mouth, laughing in exasperation: "Curly, don't you feel itchy?"
Wu Liang, afraid of bugs, thought one had landed on him: "Not itchy."
Xie Jin smiled faintly, his tone ambiguous: "My foot is quite itchy."
Wu Liang scoffed, saying directly, "You want to kick me, huh?"
Xie Jin swept a glance over these items, curling his tongue to lick the tender flesh inside his cheek, his frown deepening. Did he look that weak?
Zhu Zhixi felt uneasy. Yesterday, Xie Jin hadn't taken the money, only tossing out a line: "My teeth are hard; I don't eat soft rice."
Since he didn't want money, she thought she'd try another approach. Starting to take care of his health now couldn't be wrong.
She couldn't find a good reason.
Xie Jin should hate her now.
"I wanted to apologize to you on behalf of Zhu Huaiqian."
This was the most legitimate and reasonable reason she had come up with after thinking all night.
She watched Xie Jin anxiously.
Xie Jin's eyes were bright, his eye shape attractive, with an upward curve at the corners, though they looked somewhat cold when he wasn't smiling.
"Zhu Zhixi, you just helped me. I'm someone who holds grudges but also distinguishes clearly between gratitude and resentment."
"You're welcome to come for meals, but apologies aren't necessary."
"You are you, Gu Qishen is Gu Qishen, and Zhu Huaiqian is Zhu Huaiqian."
Zhu Zhixi's chest felt as if struck by a muffled blow, trembling uncontrollably.
Xie Jin had said these words before.
During their second meeting.
Since Zhu Huaiqian began serving his sentence, Zhu Zhixi hadn't celebrated her birthday for two consecutive years.
On her third birthday, Gu Wanxin organized a gathering with friends they usually kept in touch with.
Midway, a message popped up on Gu Qishen's phone.
Zhu Zhixi, beside him, glanced up and saw it was from Wen Yuqing.
"Xibao, there's an emergency at the company. I have to go. Happy birthday."
Gu Qishen leaned over and kissed her cheek, lying without hesitation.
Gu Wanxin followed him out, and the two argued in front of the elevator: "Brother, this is Xijie's first birthday in three years, and the cake hasn't even been cut yet. Is it appropriate for you to leave her alone like this?"
"Aren't you here?" Gu Qishen's tone was casual.
"Are you going to see Wen Yuqing?"
As the elevator doors opened, Gu Wanxin blocked his way: "Are you serious about that woman?"
"Mind your manners. Take care of yourself and don't meddle in adult matters." Gu Qishen raised his hand to push her arm aside and stepped into the elevator.
Gu Wanxin persisted: "Do you still plan to marry Xijie?"
Gu Qishen hesitated for a few seconds, not very sincere.
"Maybe."
His tone was dismissive and indifferent.
Zhu Zhixi's heart remained utterly calm, without a ripple. The pain had numbed her after too many times.
The cake remained uncut as she left everyone behind and walked away alone.
She bought a bottle of wine and sat by the roadside.
Her alcohol tolerance was poor, and after just a few sips, she felt dizzy. Leaning against a tree, she called Gu Qishen. Before she could speak, tears welled up, choking her voice: "Gu Qishen, can you come find me?"
Just like Wen Yuqing, who could summon him with a single message.
"Xibao, what did you say?" Gu Qishen was at a bar, the noise overwhelming.
Wen Yuqing was being harassed, and upon seeing Gu Qishen appear, she threw herself into his arms.
A faint, unclear "Ah Shen" came through the phone, like a sharp, lingering thorn that jolted Zhu Zhixi awake.
She opened her eyes, two streams of tears tracing down the corners of her eyes.
Gu Qishen wouldn’t come.
She thought, it was truly over between her and Gu Qishen.
Hanging up the call, she tilted her head back and took a gulp of wine, choking and coughing violently as tears flowed even harder.
"Zhu Zhixi," a voice called from above her.
Zhu Zhixi looked up dizzily.
The shadows of the trees obscured the neon lights along the street, and a faint, blurry figure swayed before her eyes. The man was tall and imposing, with familiar features, wearing a black trench coat, handsome and dignified.
She tried to lift her head to see clearly, but her entire head swayed backward, nearly toppling over. A warm, broad hand cradled the back of her head.
That face suddenly came close, and Zhu Zhixi recognized him—it was Xie Jin.
He took off his coat and draped it over her, then crouched down on one knee.
On his refined, beautiful face, his eyes shimmered with scattered tears.
The corners of his eyes were flushed red, his eyelashes damp, carrying a pitiful softness that tugged at the heart. Xie Jin sighed softly: "Last time you tried to freeze to death, and this time you’re trying to drink yourself to death?"
Yes, why was she always so disheveled whenever she ran into him?
"Was it Gu Qishen again? Do you want me to call him for you?" Xie Jin asked her again.
Zhu Zhixi shook her head, tears streaming down: "Gu Qishen and I… it’s over."
"I don’t want him anymore."
The coat was large, covering her entire body. She buried her head inside the oversized garment, her shoulders trembling with sobs, muffled cries escaping.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want Gu Qishen—it was that Gu Qishen didn’t want her anymore.
"Go away, don’t mind me."
She was too disheveled, not wanting anyone to see, just wanting to cry her heart out alone.
Zhu Zhixi lifted her head from her knees, her palm-sized face completely wet.
"Zhu Zhixi."
Xie Jin’s tone was soft as he leaned forward, almost touching the tip of her nose.
Zhu Zhixi wasn’t used to being this close to other men. She could almost see Xie Jin’s straight, thick eyelashes clearly. She tried to pull back, but the hand cradling the back of her head held her in place, leaving her unable to move.
She simply raised her hand to push against Xie Jin’s shoulder, only to hear him say: "I’m someone who holds grudges, but I also distinguish clearly between gratitude and resentment. Zhu Huaiqian is Zhu Huaiqian, Gu Qishen is Gu Qishen, and you, Zhu Zhixi, are Zhu Zhixi. So, do you want to give it a try with me?"
"Try what?"
"Marriage."
So, Xie Jin had always been the Xie Jin who distinguished clearly between gratitude and resentment.
Zhu Zhixi stared blankly, taking a long time to process his words.
The young man raised the corner of his eye, a light, arrogant smile on his lips: "You don’t need to apologize to me on behalf of anyone. After all, I hit harder than Zhu Huaiqian—let them make it up. Or did you think that if I accepted this, I’d go easy next time?"
Zhu Zhixi: "Zhu Huaiqian deserved it. You don’t need to hold back."
Xie Jin’s lips curled slightly. This young lady was quite interesting.
He licked the roof of his mouth, the sharp lines of his gaunt jaw appearing even colder and more defined. "Miss, you shouldn't be here either. Stick close to Gu Qishen and your brother, and stay away from me."
Zhu Zhixi detected a hint of sarcastic mockery in his tone.
She wanted to thank Xie Jin for not laughing at her during those two embarrassing encounters. She didn’t want Xie Jin and Zhu Huaiqian to repeat the same mistakes.
In this lifetime, she wanted to help them reconcile.
She also wished for them to live peacefully and smoothly, free from trouble.
"If you’re not a hedgehog, why do you always tell people to stay away from you?" Zhu Zhixi bit her lip and retorted softly.
A light chuckle drifted down from above, his presence drawing closer.
Xie Jin, hands in his pockets, moved toward her. Zhu Zhixi instinctively took a step back, trembling like a pitiful little white rabbit.
"If I’m not a hedgehog, then why are you hiding?" Xie Jin bent down, meeting her eye level, tilting his chin up and softening his tone to tease her. "Hmm, Miss?"
Zhu Zhixi was reminded again of how Xie Jin had leaned in just like this, his nose almost touching hers, and asked, "Want to get married?"