19. “Take me home.”
Ling Xi waited for several minutes, but Zhou Mingye did not reply. She decided to go upstairs directly.
Zhou Mingye had just finished showering and was on the phone with Xue Yang.
The restaurant at his hotel had been upgraded, and Xue Yang wanted to invite Zhou Mingye over to taste the new dishes.
Zhou Mingye picked up a towel and walked into the living room. Hearing a knock on the door, he asked, “Who is it?”
Ling Xi’s voice came from outside. “President Zhou, have you already turned in for the night?”
Zhou Mingye froze for a moment and walked toward the door with the phone in hand.
Xue Yang asked on the other end, “Who’s coming to see you so late at night? Secretary Ling?”
Zhou Mingye did not answer him. “I’ll talk later.”
Laughter immediately came from the receiver, and Xue Yang shouted, “I guessed right?”
“You brat, I was wondering why you haven’t been replying to my WeChat lately. Are you really together now?”
“When are you officially introducing her to me?”
Zhou Mingye only felt that he was ridiculous. With that level of imagination, why did he not go write screenplays?
He hung up the phone, raised his hand to wipe the water droplets from his forehead, and opened the door.
The corridor light fell on Ling Xi. She had a bare face, her hair draped over her shoulders, looking especially clean and fresh.
“What is it?” Zhou Mingye still had not fully calmed down from the afternoon, and his tone was not good.
Ling Xi lifted her head and looked him over. Zhou Mingye had not blow-dried his hair yet. His eyes were damp as he looked at her.
“Do you feel unwell anywhere?”
Zhou Mingye lowered the towel and looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, did you get hurt anywhere when you fought this afternoon?”
Zhou Mingye fell silent for a moment.
Running upstairs so late at night without sleeping, so she was worried about him.
Thinking that way, most of his anger dissipated. The few hits he exchanged with those two boys that afternoon were not even as intense as his warm-up at the boxing gym.
He raised his hand and touched his neck, his tone easing. “Probably not. Didn’t they ask at the police station?”
Ling Xi could not see clearly from where she stood. It was only when she was showering and doing her skincare that she suddenly noticed a large bruise on her arm.
She was worried that Zhou Mingye might have been injured somewhere without noticing it.
Ling Xi asked tentatively, “How about I take a look for you? If there’s any broken skin, it needs to be disinfected.”
After saying that, she worried Zhou Mingye might mind someone entering his room and added, “We can do it at the doorway.”
Zhou Mingye was quiet for a moment. Since she was already here, letting her check did not hurt.
If he did not let her see for herself, she would probably worry so much that she could not sleep tonight.
Zhou Mingye stepped aside to let her pass. “Come in. At your height, how can you see anything from the doorway?”
He turned and walked inside.
He did not see Ling Xi behind him, pretending to wave a small fist at his back.
Why was this man’s mouth so sharp?
Zhou Mingye’s hair was still wet. He went straight to the bathroom, where the roar of the hair dryer sounded.
There were no personal items in the living room, only a jacket tossed on the sofa. Ling Xi walked over and sat by the armrest, not looking toward the bedroom at all, waiting quietly.
A few minutes later, Zhou Mingye came out of the bathroom with half-dried hair and dropped onto the sofa across from her. “Go ahead.”
Ever since learning that Su Wanwan might have misunderstood the relationship between Zhou Mingye and Han Zhao, Ling Xi felt a bit uneasy whenever she was alone with Zhou Mingye.
She did not dare let her gaze linger on him and walked directly behind him.
He was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt on his upper body. Ling Xi scanned his arms and did not see any injuries. She asked softly, “President Zhou, does anything on your body hurt?”
Her warm breath brushed against Zhou Mingye’s neck. He shifted uncomfortably. “No.”
Suddenly, there was a cool touch behind his ear. It lasted only an instant before withdrawing. Ling Xi exclaimed, “President Zhou, the skin behind your neck is broken.”
Zhou Mingye had felt a slight sting behind his ear when he was applying body wash earlier. He showered quickly and did not pay attention to it.
Ling Xi leaned closer to check. It was not serious, probably scratched by the other person during the fight. She carefully examined the area around Zhou Mingye’s neck again.
Zhou Mingye leaned casually against the sofa, feeling as if he were a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
“Are your hands injured?” Ling Xi asked again.
Zhou Mingye raised his well-defined hands and turned them back and forth to show her. Ling Xi glanced quickly and straightened up.
“President Zhou, may I use the phone in your room?”
“Mm.”
Ling Xi called the front desk and asked them to bring some disinfecting cotton swabs.
After hanging up, the atmosphere fell into silence.
Once she returned to a purely superior-subordinate relationship, in this kind of private space, Ling Xi did not know how to interact with Zhou Mingye.
In the past, her concern and closeness had carried a purpose, and she believed herself full of a sense of justice.
Now, thinking that she might have misunderstood him, Ling Xi could not say a single word.
Fortunately, the hotel service was very efficient. After only five minutes, the doorbell rang.
Ling Xi got up to take the items. When she came back in, Zhou Mingye was still leaning on the sofa, his posture unchanged.
She placed the cotton swabs and iodine on the table and asked, “Will you apply it yourself, or should I help you?”
Zhou Mingye lifted his eyes to look at her. “I don’t have eyes on the back of my head.”
Ling Xi was momentarily speechless. She picked up a cotton swab, dipped it in iodine, and walked to Zhou Mingye’s side.
To make it easier to apply the medicine, she had to half-kneel on the sofa.
The moment Ling Xi leaned close, Zhou Mingye suddenly felt his ears heating up.
His body tensed, completely still.
She had found another opportunity again. Was it really necessary to be this close?
So close that the tip of his nose was filled with the scent of her body wash.
Ling Xi’s attention was entirely on the broken skin. To avoid touching Zhou Mingye’s body, she raised her arm higher and used very light pressure.
As soon as she applied it, she heard Zhou Mingye hiss softly.
Ling Xi immediately lifted her hand. “Does it hurt?”
Originally, it did not hurt. He had gotten it wet while showering earlier, and now that the iodine had seeped in, it stung a little.
Zhou Mingye’s voice was inexplicably low and hoarse. “It’s fine.”
Ling Xi finished treating the wound and threw the cotton swab into the trash. She then heard Zhou Mingye ask her, “What about you? You’re not hurt, are you?”
Ling Xi, of course, did not dare say that her arm was bruised and the skin in the middle of her palm was scraped.
She really did not want to be subjected to another round of sarcastic remarks late at night.
“I’m fine.” She stood up and deliberately put some distance between herself and Zhou Mingye. “Then I’ll head back. You should rest early.”
Zhou Mingye did not lift his head. “Okay.”
Ling Xi added one more sentence, “It’s better not to get it wet these next couple of days.”
After the door closed, Zhou Mingye finally raised his head. He leaned back against the sofa and took a deep breath.
What had he been nervous about just now?
He got up and went to the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror, and realized that the outer edge of his ear was red in a full circle.
It must have been because Ling Xi was standing too close to him just now.
Zhou Mingye scooped up some water and splashed his face. She really was very good at psychological tactics.
He braced his hands on the sink, gave a cold snort, and thought that, fortunately, his self-control was strong.
*
The return flight was scheduled for noon.
The next morning, after getting up, Ling Xi went to the hotel restaurant for the breakfast buffet.
At eight in the morning, there were not many people. She walked around with her plate, took some salad, and toasted two slices of bread.
When she returned to the dining area to look for a seat, she saw Zhou Mingye already sitting by the window, eating with his head lowered.
Ling Xi was just about to turn and slip away when Zhou Mingye raised his head, and their gazes collided.
She had just owed him a personal favor yesterday. It would be too inappropriate to deliberately keep her distance today, so Ling Xi had no choice but to go over and greet him. “Morning, President Zhou.”
Zhou Mingye had seen Ling Xi as soon as she walked in. He slowly swallowed the food in his mouth, lifted his milk and took a sip, then replied indifferently, “Morning.”
Ling Xi set down her plate and sat across from Zhou Mingye.
After getting caught in the rain last night, Ling Xi felt a bit congested this morning, while Zhou Mingye looked refreshed and energetic, no different from usual.
It seemed that the fight and the rain yesterday really had not affected him at all.
Ling Xi lowered her head and ate a few bites of fruit. Hearing Chen Kang and Qiu Yuze’s voices, she looked up and waved at them.
After getting their breakfast, the two sat at the table next to Ling Xi and Zhou Mingye.
Zhou Mingye did not talk much in private, and Chen Kang and Qiu Yuze did not dare to make small talk with him.
After a few bites, Chen Kang turned to Ling Xi and asked, “Did everything go smoothly for you yesterday?”
Ling Xi nodded. “The client’s needs are still quite substantial.”
“I heard from the client we visited yesterday that their factory scale is among the top locally.”
Ling Xi echoed a couple of sentences and quietly glanced at Zhou Mingye, seeing that he was eating with his head down and had no intention of joining their conversation.
Ling Xi did not want to mention yesterday’s incident to the other two colleagues. Just thinking about it made her feel that she had been too foolish and a bit embarrassed.
Given Zhou Mingye’s personality, he would not talk about such things with subordinates either.
With that thought, Ling Xi felt reassured.
She did not have much of an appetite in the morning. After finishing what was in front of her, she took out her phone to confirm the departure time with the driver.
Then she put away her tray. “I’ll head out first. Take your time eating.”
When Zhou Mingye and the other two came downstairs with their luggage, Ling Xi was already standing by the car.
She opened the door for Zhou Mingye to get in, then sat herself in the back row of the business van.
From Ling Xi’s angle, she could clearly see Zhou Mingye’s neck. The area where the skin had broken last night had already scabbed over and did not look serious.
She let out a breath, and the guilt in her heart eased somewhat.
After arriving at the airport, Ling Xi went to handle check-in. After handing the boarding pass to Zhou Mingye, without waiting for the leader to ask, she proactively went to buy coffee. When she handed it to Zhou Mingye, her fingers deliberately avoided touching him.
After completing what she needed to do as an assistant, Ling Xi quietly retreated to the side.
She had not been sleeping well these past few days, and she had caught a chill last night. On the return trip, Ling Xi put on an eye mask and slept the entire way.
Chen Kang and Qiu Yuze lived in another direction. After getting off the plane, the two needed to take the airport shuttle bus.
Ling Xi and Zhou Mingye took the same car.
The driver confirmed the route on the navigation system. “We’re going to Yunqi first, right?”
Ling Xi nodded. “Yes, sir.”
They sat separately. Along the way, Zhou Mingye took advantage of adjusting his posture to glance at her several times without making it obvious.
Ling Xi did not notice at all. She kept her head down, apparently messaging someone.
Zhou Mingye turned his face to look out the window. She had come over last night just to help disinfect the wound, and then acted as if nothing had happened?
He had even gotten into a fight for her, and she had no conscience at all.
As the car was about to arrive, out of politeness, Ling Xi still asked, “President Zhou, you’re not feeling unwell today, are you?”
Hmph. Only now did she remember to show concern.
Zhou Mingye shot her a sidelong glance and did not reply immediately.
He was about to say that he was fine, but the words stopped at the tip of his tongue and did not come out.
He raised his right arm and exaggeratedly shook it a couple of times. “Why does my shoulder feel a bit sore?”
Ling Xi had not seen clearly what had happened last night. She only remembered the three of them tangled together, and Zhou Mingye’s arm might have been pulled accidentally.
She glanced at the time. It was three in the afternoon, and there was still enough time.
Ling Xi took out her phone, preparing to make an appointment. “I’ll go to the hospital with you to get it checked.”
“It’s not that serious.” Zhou Mingye immediately refused. “Rest for a couple of days and it’ll be fine.”
“Only…” He paused and looked at Ling Xi.
“What is it?”
“There are a few steps from the yard to the living room. It’s inconvenient for me to carry luggage. Later I might have to trouble you…”
He deliberately slowed his speech, enunciating each word clearly. “Take me home.”