After Zhang Xin confird her thoughts, she tried to withdraw her hand, only to have it caught by a warm, large hand.
The hand was big, with a dry palm. When it grasped hers, it could easily cover her hand.
Zhang Xin did not pull back her hand. She paused for a mont, lightly sliding her thumb twice, with her long nails gently scraping. The strong and powerful hand suddenly tightened, squeezing her so it hurt a bit, then released her imdiately.
Zhang Xin retrieved her hand, looked down at her slender fingers, pursed her lips, and smiled.
The car soon arrived at a sowhat remote-looking neighborhood, where the riverside could be vaguely seen across the street.
Qu Chaozong paid the fare and got out of the car.
Zhang Xin hurriedly caught up with him.
Qu Chaozong walked forward leisurely, with Zhang Xin following behind, observing the surroundings as she went.
In front was a sowhat rundown neighborhood. At the start of the walk, there were streetlights illuminating the way. But once inside the area, the light suddenly dimd.
Qu Chaozong stopped and looked back at Zhang Xin.
Zhang Xin also stopped, lifting her head to gaze at him.
Qu Chaozong asked indifferently, "Are you sure you want to co ho with ?"
Zhang Xin nodded.
Qu Chaozong didn’t say anything more, just let out a deep sigh, which Zhang Xin could clearly sense contained a mix of irritation and helplessness.
Qu Chaozong extended his hand: "There are no streetlights inside."
Zhang Xin took his hand. As their hands intertwined, a warmth was transmitted through his broad palm. Zhang Xin turned to look at the profile of Qu Chaozong and quietly followed him, deliberately nudging her fingertips into the spaces between his fingers, interlocking their ten fingers.
Once inside the building, Zhang Xin focused on the staircase below her feet, not paying close attention to how many floors they climbed, only feeling that they arrived soon enough.
Qu Chaozong pulled out a key to unlock the door and casually flipped on a wall switch.
The white light poured down, quickly illuminating the entire room.
Qu Chaozong stepped into the house in big strides, changed his shoes, and then took out a pair for Zhang Xin, pink plastic slippers, looking extrely unfashionable.
Zhang Xin’s gaze shifted from the slippers back to Qu Chaozong’s face. Just as she was about to speak, a door opened inside the house, and a middle-aged woman erged from a bedroom, sleepy-eyed, asking, "You’re back? Have you eaten dinner?"
Zhang Xin’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Qu Chaozong.
Qu Chaozong, noticing her expression, smiled with amusent in his eyes and turned to answer, "I’ve eaten."
The middle-aged woman noticed Zhang Xin behind Qu Chaozong, clearly taken aback, and asked in surprise, "Oh my, who is this?"
Qu Chaozong introduced nonchalantly, "This is Zhang Xin."
He turned to look at Zhang Xin, raising one side of his mouth in a roguish grin, "This is my mom."
Mrs. Qu sized up Zhang Xin with a polite smile on her face, "I’ve never heard him ntion you before."
Qu Chaozong shuffled in his slippers towards the inside of the house, "There was a company gathering tonight, everyone drank a lot. She had nowhere to stay, so I brought her back here."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qu imdiately categorized Zhang Xin as a colleague, her attitude becoming noticeably more enthusiastic, "Oh my, you see, Chaozi has never brought a girl ho before. To suddenly see this, I’m quite surprised. Your na is Zhang Xin?"
Zhang Xin quickly greeted, "Hello, auntie."
Mrs. Qu laughed with delight, "Co on in and change your shoes."
Qu Chaozong took off his coat and casually tossed it onto the sofa, clearing his throat, "Mom, make a cup of honey water. My throat feels dry and uncomfortable."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qu couldn’t bother with Zhang Xin anymore, turning to scold, "All you know is drink!"
Mrs. Qu then said to Zhang Xin, "Co sit down; our place is a bit small, don’t mind it."
Zhang Xin smiled a little, "It’s quite nice. Don’t worry about , auntie."
Mrs. Qu, still smiling, went to the kitchen.
Qu Chaozong sprawled on the couch, worn out by the combination of the previous drinking and the anxious experiences in the police station. Now comfortably half-reclining, his eyelids felt heavy, and his temples began to throb.
He squinted at Zhang Xin standing aside, hesitated a bit, then shifted, "Co sit down. Why are you just standing there?"
Zhang Xin looked around the room, taking in its layout—a fairly ordinary house, probably about sixty square ters? Not large, but well-kept and tidy. The furniture was a bit dated, but all the essentials were there, likely within the range of a moderately well-off family.
Hearing Qu Chaozong speak, Zhang Xin didn’t stand on ceremony, went over to sit next to him, then turned to glance at the kitchen door and, in a low voice, asked, "What trick are you up to?"
Qu Chaozong, slightly drunken, eyes turning red and gradually cloudy, muttered softly, "Do you just want to do you so badly?"
Even as composed as Zhang Xin was, she couldn’t quite handle such a straightforward question. Just as she was about to retort, they heard footsteps coming from the kitchen, so she had to keep silent.
Mrs. Qu ca over carrying two cups of warm honey water.
One of the cups was handed to Zhang Xin.
The transparent glass cup contained a slightly cloudy liquid, warm in her hands, warming her heart.
Mrs. Qu glanced at the clock on the wall, "Oh, it’s so late already. I’ll go make the bed. Xiao Xin, you can sleep in Chaozi’s room tonight."
Zhang Xin was taken aback, looking at Mrs. Qu in surprise.
Mrs. Qu had already turned to the bedroom to organize the bedding.
After Mrs. Qu left, Zhang Xin was just about to ask Qu Chaozong what he was going to do when she heard a faint snore.
Qu Chaozong rested back on the sofa, eyes closed, mouth slightly open, and dark circles under his eyes quite prominent.
It was Zhang Xin’s first ti seeing Qu Chaozong asleep; his expression beca peaceful and relaxed, subtracting a bit of the roguishness from his face. His features were rugged, very manly, and quiet.
Thinking of sothing, Zhang Xin’s lips curled slightly, smiling silently.
Since Robber Hao stressed the importance of class division for Arts and Sciences in the second year of high school, the last month before finals saw a sudden acceleration in learning pace, with each subject teacher rushing to finish the courses, leaving a full half-month dedicated to exercises.
The suddenly increased study intensity imdiately tightened the loosely strung nerves in all the students’ minds, making them realize for the first ti the importance of class reorganization in their sophomore year.
The overwhelming number of test papers effectively dispersed Zhao ii’s anxiously misplaced feelings.
Since that day, she’d tentatively sent a text to her Brother Yangyang. His attitude remained unchanged, replying to every ssage, putting Zhao ii’s heart at ease. She rejoiced in private for two days and, carefree, moved on.
Because of the complete switch in operations, Shi Yang beca busy once more, returning to the struggles of starting over with a new business. The demanding tasks drained all his energy. He had no ti to consider how to handle the change in his relationship with Zhao ii, nor did he feel there was much to think about. He was never one to be caught up in petty entanglents. He thought of giving Zhao ii so ti, allowing her to sort out her feelings before he considered the next steps.
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