Zhou Ji's dark eyes surged, and he said, "Coincidentally, I came to find you."
Xin Zhiyao felt like crying but had no tears.
She didn't need to guess to know.
Zhou Ji looked at her forced smile and his voice was still calm, "You get off work at ten?"
Xin Zhiyao nodded repeatedly.
"I'll wait for you at the door."
After speaking, Zhou Ji walked out of the milk tea shop.
Xin Zhiyao watched his retreating figure, her heart filled with surprise and uncertainty.
Just like that?
Why did Professor Zhou seem so calm?
Or was this the calm before the storm.
Xin Zhiyao dared not take it lightly. There were still half an hour until she got off work, and she spent these thirty minutes in a state of panic.
At exactly ten o'clock, Xin Zhiyao pushed open the door of the milk tea shop.
Zhou Ji had been standing at the doorway for the past half hour. His superior looks had attracted quite a bit of attention. Even when she was taking orders, she could hear customers discussing him.
His handsome and refined profile and his slightly pensive expression—no one knew what he was thinking.
Xin Zhiyao walked up to him, lowered her head, and called out, "Professor Zhou."
Her demeanor was exactly like a child who had done something wrong.
"Are you short on money?" Zhou Ji asked.
Xin Zhiyao had initially thought he would be angry that she had deliberately hidden her part-time job. She hadn't expected him to ask this first.
"No," Xin Zhiyao shook her head, then nodded, "Yes."
"The card I gave you, calculated based on the current living expenses of a university student, is enough for you to spend for nearly a year."
Zhou Ji's voice held no blame; instead, it sounded like he was discussing it with her.
Perhaps it was his gentle tone, but Xin Zhiyao's uneasy heart calmed down a little.
She bit her lip, "That's your money."
It was the answer he expected, and Zhou Ji was momentarily speechless.
The atmosphere between them suddenly became quiet. Xin Zhiyao glanced at Zhou Ji, "Professor Zhou, please don't be angry. I didn't mean to hide it from you."
Her tone was cautious, and her dark eyes shimmered with anxiety.
Zhou Ji sighed, "I'm not angry, I just..."
He carefully chose his words.
"I just feel like, am I a failure as a husband?"
Upon hearing this, Xin Zhiyao waved her hands repeatedly.
"No, you're very good. There's no one... better than you."
Xin Zhiyao didn't know why her eyes felt a little hot after saying that.
He was willing to take her in, give her a place to stay, and care for her meticulously. Ever since she moved in, she hadn't done any housework, and all her meals were prepared by him. In her past twenty years, she had never enjoyed such treatment. It felt like he was raising her all over again.
But after all, she couldn't take all of this for granted.
Xin Zhiyao lowered her head slightly, her voice tinged with sadness.
"I grew up in a family that favored sons over daughters. My parents paid so much more attention to my younger brother than to me. They always ignored my feelings, as if I didn't exist as their daughter in their hearts."
Xin Zhiyao wasn't trying to gain sympathy from Zhou Ji; she was explaining her reasons.
She took a deep breath and said to Zhou Ji, "Professor Zhou, for so many years, I've felt like I was living under someone else's roof. I would hesitate for a long time just to ask for living expenses. I hate the feeling of asking for money. I have no reliance; the only person I can rely on is myself."
Under the light, the girl's eyes were bright and resolute.
Zhou Ji had stood at the doorway for half an hour, observing her.
Her movements were skilled, and she handled tasks in an orderly fashion.
He had heard from her friends that she had been working there for almost two years.
No wonder she studied so late every day; she was also putting her energy into this.
Zhou Ji's gaze surged, and he said gently, "I told you, your priorities right now are your studies and the child. Even without a child, your health is very important. A person's energy is limited, and this way, you're easily overloaded."
He couldn't forget how she looked waking up every day with dark circles under her eyes.
"There's nothing wrong with relying on yourself, but one's wings don't grow all at once. I hope that before your wings are fully grown, you'll consider me your reliance."
Zhou Ji's words entered Xin Zhiyao's ears word for word, accompanied by the autumn breeze and the beating of her heart.
His voice was incredibly gentle. The light fell upon him, casting flickering shadows on his gentle and refined face.
Xin Zhiyao's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She quickly lowered her head, not daring to let Zhou Ji see her like this.
A hand landed on her head and gently stroked it.
"Be good and quit your job. If a university professor can't even support his wife, people will laugh."
Xin Zhiyao was instantly amused into laughter, then nodded obediently, "I'll tell the boss tomorrow."
"Good girl," Zhou Ji's voice was doting.
Xin Zhiyao's face involuntarily flushed.
She followed closely behind Zhou Ji as they walked towards the car.
"Are you hungry?" Zhou Ji's voice came from ahead.
Xin Zhiyao shook her head, "I'm not hungry."
She had eaten dinner late today, and she would definitely have a glass of milk before bed.
"Don't you want some popcorn chicken?" His tone was playful.
Knowing he was teasing her, Xin Zhiyao blushed and said coquettishly, "Professor Zhou!"
Zhou Ji, walking ahead, chuckled silently.
Back home, Xin Zhiyao was studying in the study room as usual. Zhou Ji stood in the kitchen, a small pot on the stove with milk heating up.
He lowered his gaze as if contemplating something. The light outlined his features, and his pale skin seemed to glow.
The phone's ringtone interrupted his thoughts. Zhou Ji walked to the hall and bent down to pick up his phone from the desk.
The call was from his friend Xu Xiujie. They were high school classmates. They occasionally kept in touch while he was studying abroad. The night he got involved with Xin Zhiyao, Xu Xiujie had organized the gathering. He was now a doctor at People's Hospital.
Zhou Ji walked towards the kitchen while answering the phone, "What's up?"
Xu Xiujie's boisterous voice came through the phone, "Of course, I'm checking if you, the missing person, are still around."
Zhou Ji tested the temperature of the milk and turned off the gas, "Of course, I am."
"What have you been busy with lately that you've been so quiet? I've asked you out a few times, and you always said you were busy. Are university professors this busy?"
Zhou Ji's voice held a hint of helplessness, "I'm indeed busy."
"Then tell me what you're busy with," Xu Xiujie pressed on.
"Busy with getting married, and with my wife and child."
"Wh-what?????" Xu Xiujie almost bit his tongue, "Old Zhou, when did you start telling bad jokes?"
Zhou Ji's voice was unusually calm, "I'm not telling a joke. I'm married, and I have a wife and child."
A gasp came from the other end of the phone. Xu Xiujie said, "Wait, let me process this."
Zhou Ji had exceptional patience as he methodically took the cup of milk out of the pot.
After more than ten seconds, Xu Xiujie's voice came through again, "So, you're saying that in the little over a month since you returned to the country, you got married and already have a child?"
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