"It's not your fault at all. It's all that scumbag's fault. The smartest thing you did was to break up with him and refuse to get back together. Staying with such a person would only ruin your life." Xu Zixi gently patted her on the shoulder to console her.
"Yeah, Zhenzhen. Yuan Xi said Manager Cui's wound is not deep. He'll surely be fine. If you still feel bad about it, just thank Manager Cui properly later."
Under their consolation, Huang Zhenzhen finally calmed down. She nodded, her voice hoarse. "I'll definitely thank Manager Cui properly in the future."
Huang Zhenzhen had been scared and cried so hard that she soon couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep leaning on Dai Sha. Hu Yuankang waved to Xu Zixi, calling her aside, and made a gesture of grabbing his neck.
"Miss, do you want me to find someone to deal with him... you know."
Xu Zixi shook her head. "Fighting violence with violence is not the way to solve the problem. Don't interfere in this. I'll figure it out myself."
The operation lasted for three hours before it was over. Fortunately, as Xu Zixi had said, Cui Jiandong's wound was not life - threatening. All he needed was stitches. However, this meant that Cui Jiandong had to stay in bed to recuperate. And tomorrow was the final of the design competition. If his work made it to the final and he couldn't attend, he would be disqualified, and another candidate would take his place.
Xu Zixi voiced her concerns. Cui Jiandong's already pale face turned even grimmer. But he moved his lips and finally said softly,
"It's okay. I think it's worth it to protect my colleagues from that scumbag."
Huang Zhenzhen was deeply touched by his words. "Manager Cui, you're such a good person..."
Xu Zixi sighed softly. "Since things have come to this, there's no other way. I'll ask for leave from General Manager Pei on your behalf. Just focus on recovering in the hospital during this time."
After all this commotion, it was already three o'clock in the morning when Xu Zixi got home from the hospital.
She took a hot shower and wanted to lie down and get some sleep, but she tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. Sometimes she was indignant about Huang Zhenzhen's experience, sometimes she felt sorry that Cui Jiandong couldn't participate in the competition, and sometimes she was nervous about the upcoming final.
Helpless, she picked up a cup and planned to go outside to get a cup of hot water. Then she would go to the study to familiarize herself with her plan and model a few more times to prepare for tomorrow's final.
Who would have thought that as soon as she opened the door, she saw someone she hadn't seen for nearly half a month walking up the stairs.
They both stopped in their tracks at the same time.
"Why did you come back so late?"
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
They asked in unison.
Xu Zixi couldn't help but burst out laughing. She blinked and said playfully, "Brother Cheng, long time no see."
The warm yellow light in the corridor fell on Yan Yincheng's face, softening his cold eyebrows and eyes. "Sorry, I've been a bit busy recently."
"What are you apologizing for?" Xu Zixi said with a laugh. "I've been quite busy too. It just so happens that we're both busy."
Yan Yincheng sniffed, and his eyebrows suddenly furrowed. His face changed instantly.
"Why does your body smell of blood? What's wrong with you? Are you hurt?"
Saying that, he walked towards her a couple of steps in a hurry, reached out and grabbed her wrist, and pulled her in front of him to smell more carefully. Feeling his breath on her wrist, Xu Zixi got goosebumps all over her body, and her heart started beating involuntarily faster. She looked at his chiseled side face, and her voice softened involuntarily.
"I'm fine. The blood isn't mine. When I got off work today, a colleague got injured. I probably got it on me when I sent him to the hospital."
She didn't expect that even after taking a shower, he could still smell it. How could his nose be so sensitive? Just like his hearing and touch. In front of him, she felt as if she had no secrets.
Yan Yincheng let out a sigh of relief, and his tightly furrowed eyebrows relaxed.
"That's good."
Xu Zixi's gaze dropped. His big palm completely wrapped around her slender wrist, and a steady stream of warmth came from his palm. He didn't let go, and she didn't remind him either.
Looking up, she suddenly broke into a smile and said, "It seems that since I came to Haicheng, I haven't seen the sunrise by the sea."
"Don't be silly." Yan Yincheng said. "What's the point of watching the sunrise? Don't you have to get up early for work?"
"Just let me watch it." She gently shook the wrist he was holding. "I'll make scallion oil noodles for you for breakfast?"
She didn't know if it was her soft - spoken plea or the promise of scallion oil noodles that worked. He looked a bit embarrassed, turned his head away, and said, "I can't stand you. Fine, let's watch it."
Reluctantly letting go of her hand, he turned and walked downstairs. Xu Zixi followed behind him, with an uncontrollable smile on her face.
"Brother Cheng, I want to hear you play the guitar too~"
"You're so troublesome." He grunted.
But when they sat down by the pool facing the sea, he was holding a guitar in his arms as she wished. For every song she sang, he plucked the strings to accompany her. One sang and the other played. Their cooperation was seamless. The beautiful music filled the small courtyard and drifted further away with the sea breeze.
When they were tired from singing, they sat side by side, listening to the sea breeze and the sound of the waves. Yan Yincheng said,
"Can't you sleep because of what happened to your colleague?"
Xu Zixi curled her legs up and leaned her face on her knees. "One of my colleagues' ex - boyfriend is a good - for - nothing scumbag who only knows how to beat women. They've already broken up, but recently that scumbag came back and asked her to get back together. He even laid hands on her. Another colleague in the company couldn't stand it and helped the girl, but as a result, he got stabbed in the abdomen. He might lose a great opportunity because of this."
This was the first time she had taken the initiative to talk to him about work. Although it was just someone else's emotional dispute, Yan Yincheng was extremely happy.
"You feel sorry for him and indignant for her. You want that scumbag to pay the price?"
Xu Zixi was quite surprised. "Brother Cheng understands me."
She snorted. "Where did that scumbag get the confidence to think that just because he unilaterally asks for reconciliation, the girl has to accept? He doesn't even look at what he's worth. All he's brought to the girl is pain. Why should she forgive and pardon him? He stabbed someone with a knife. I want to send him to prison so that he'll disappear from the girl's life for the rest of his life and stop bothering her! But right now, I don't have the ability to do so."
"I'll help you." Yan Yincheng said. "I can guarantee that he'll spend the rest of his life in prison."
Xu Zixi's eyes sparkled. "Really?"
Yan Yincheng said, "I never go back on my words."
"Then I'll thank Brother Cheng on behalf of that girl." Xu Zixi's eyes curved into two crescent moons as she smiled. "Brother Cheng, you're so kind."
"You care so much about other people's business." Yan Yincheng said sourly.
"Since I saw it, of course I have to intervene." Xu Zixi said. "I'm just this kind of person. I like to meddle in other people's affairs~"
For some reason, Yan Yincheng suddenly remembered a dream he had a long time ago. In the dream, no matter where the woman went, there were always many people around her. With her kind - hearted nature, there must be a lot of people around her too, right?
Just like he was irresistibly drawn to her.
She was like a warm light source, dispelling the cold and darkness around him, giving him a glimmer of hope that he could be changed.
But thinking that she was like this not only to him, his heart felt as if it was being tightly squeezed, and he could hardly breathe.
He didn't want to see her being nice to others, and he didn't want her mood to be affected by irrelevant people.
Just as Lord Yan was feeling miserable, his shoulder suddenly felt heavy. He was stunned for a moment, held his breath, and turned his head to the side. All he could hear was Xu Zixi's steady breathing as she fell asleep.
She just fell asleep like this?