Chapter 53

Zhao Pingjin drove her back to the hotel near the company. The car slowly stopped on the road opposite the apartment hotel, and Xitang was about to unbuckle her seatbelt.

Zhao Pingjin suddenly spoke, his voice so faint it was almost devoid of emotion, as if addressing someone insignificant: “Today, Gao Ji Yi suddenly asked to meet, but didn’t set a time or place. He had me instruct my secretary to take his call. You know I’ve been trying to reach him lately, thinking he wanted to meet and talk business. Adding to the dinner plans with some of them, I was busy in meetings and couldn’t answer the call. It happens sometimes. I guess my secretary picked up the phone and sent Old Liu instead—it was my oversight.”

Xitang knew how this group of people played. Sending women around was like changing lights, and her secretary probably did this often. She didn’t expect to fall into the trap this time. She paused and softly said, “It was my carelessness.”

She started to get out of the car but forgot to undo her seatbelt, causing the strap to tighten around her left arm. Xitang quietly inhaled, holding back the pain.

Zhao Pingjin frowned involuntarily but turned his face, his tone calm as he asked, “Did he hit you?”

Xitang shook her head.

Zhao Pingjin didn’t seem to want to dig deeper: “Let your assistant take care of your wounds when you go back. I’m busy, so I won’t go inside with you.”

Xitang understood that Gao Ji Yi had hit Zhao Pingjin at his most vulnerable point. Zhao Pingjin was the kind of person who had lived half his life on top, full of pride and self-respect. He could deceive himself into thinking everything was fine when everyone pretended nothing was wrong. But Gao Ji Yi’s words today had slapped him in the face. Xitang knew that seeing her now made him uncomfortable, and he was enduring the greatest humiliation of his life. Even though he had dropped her off, he was probably holding back his anger to the extreme.

Xitang nodded. “Thank you for bringing me back.”

Ni Kailun was chatting with Xiao Ning in the hotel when Xitang entered the room, took off her scarf, revealing a face that was both dejected and calm.

Ni Kailun raised her eyes. “What happened again?”

Xitang took off her coat, and a few streaks of blood stained her sweater.

Xitang sat on the sofa as Xiao Ning re-dressed her arm wound.

Ni Kailun stood by with hands on her hips, grumbling angrily: “It was almost healed, just a couple more days and the stitches would come out. If the scar wasn’t too bad, we could even use it as a topic for publicity, saying it was from an injury on set. Now, it’s wrapped up like this. What about your Christmas event? How can you wear anything with your arm like that? Are you trying to drive me crazy?!”

Xiao Ning finished cleaning up and went to wash her hands.

Xitang tilted her head back, her voice trembling slightly as she whispered to Ni Kailun, “I think I saw him.”

Ni Kailun was still angry and shouted, “Who?”

Xitang hesitated for a moment. “Sun.”

Ni Kailun’s face froze, and her voice became tense: “You told me before, I forgot to check. I’ll go look into it again. Be careful and don’t go out. Once the Christmas work is done, head back to Shanghai right away.”

Ni Kailun lowered her voice, gritting her teeth and angrily asking, “Did someone named Zhao hit you?”

Xitang shook her head.

Xiao Ning came out of the room.

Ni Kailun raised her voice again: “Since I signed you, how much trouble have you caused me! You’re a liability to the entire company!”

Xitang gave her a bitter smile.

This made Ni Kailun so angry that her face twisted.

On Christmas Eve, Zhao Pingjin returned early from a dinner party.

Xitang had work to do that day. At around five o’clock in the afternoon, Zhao Pingjin’s driver picked her up at Shin Kong Place. When Master Liu saw her, his honest face was full of guilt, likely because Zhao Pingjin had given him a hard time recently after he had picked up the wrong person.

Xitang quickly reassured him that it was fine.

The driver took her to Zhao Pingjin’s residence.

The 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt was always dim, with the curtains tightly shut and the heating on, making the room feel cool and deep.

Xitang took off her high heels and walked barefoot into the bathroom to remove her makeup. This morning, the stylist had tried several outfits on her, and they had finally chosen a white shirt from the same French brand as her collaborators today, paired with a bright yellow skirt that cinched her waist. The shirt covered the wound on her arm. Her waist was 21 inches, a look that the stylist was quite pleased with. The top three buttons were undone, revealing a sharp, graceful collarbone. Although not overly exposed, this look had captured the attention of onlookers and entertainment reporters alike. She had just attended the opening ceremony of an international makeup brand’s new store in Beijing, where she had demonstrated the brand’s products with models, creating the perfect makeup look. After finishing work and returning home, she saw that her clothes were covered in makeup and powder. She immediately took them off and went back to her bedroom, only to find that all the sleepwear she had left in the room had been tossed into the laundry basket by Zhao Pingjin.

Xitang went into the cloakroom, grabbed one of Zhao Pingjin’s shirts, and put it on. Coming out of the room, she glanced at the time—it was around 7 p.m.

Around 8 p.m., Zhao Pingjin returned. He had a social engagement that evening, so Xitang was puzzled by his early return. She saw him come in, take off his suit jacket, and collapse onto the sofa.

Xitang walked over and touched his face. “What happened?”

Zhao Pingjin bit his lip without speaking. He pulled her down to sit beside him on the sofa, shifted his body, and curled up with his head resting on her lap. He lifted one hand to press against his stomach.

Xitang smelled the strong odor of alcohol on him.

She undid his tie and bent down to unbuckle his belt. Zhao Pingjin clearly felt pain, and when her elbow accidentally brushed against his upper abdomen, he involuntarily twitched.

Xitang immediately stopped her actions.

Zhao Pingjin kept his eyes closed, his face still pressed against her lap, clenching his teeth and silently enduring the pain.

Xitang looked carefully at him. He wore a crisp white shirt, its fabric stiff and neat, and silver-gray trousers, the creases sharp. The shirt was slightly loosened at the waist, with tiny wrinkles forming in the fabric. The luxurious, finely-made clothing fit him perfectly without feeling imposing. His tall, lean figure, with its sharp bones, made him look even more aloof and dignified.

Outwardly, he was graceful and reserved, but at his core, he had a temper. Yet, whenever it was just the two of them, he showed a great deal of dependency on her. Xitang knew her feelings for him were secret, and she hated herself for still feeling compassion for him.

She gently cupped his face and laid him back on the sofa, then went to the bedroom to get a blanket to cover his stomach. She returned to give him some medicine.

Zhao Pingjin propped himself up and drank half a glass of warm water. His face was still pale.

Seeing that Xitang just stood in front of him, Zhao Pingjin said nothing, only pulled on her hand.

Xitang had no choice but to sit on the sofa again. Zhao Pingjin had no strength to move and said, “Hug me.”

Xitang reached out and pulled him into her arms once more.

As she held him, Xitang silently thought that whenever he felt unwell, he always clung to her. Even after all these years, it was still the same. Today, as she served him, he was clingy, but when she wasn’t by his side, would he be just as needy with someone else?

While Xitang was lost in thought, Zhao Pingjin reached out, took her hand, and kissed it gently.

“Knowing it would hurt your stomach, why drink?” Xitang gently rubbed his temples.

“I had no choice,” Zhao Pingjin’s voice was hoarse.

“You’re the boss, who would dare make you drink?”

Zhao Pingjin nuzzled against her, his voice soft. “Xiao Min’s been absent lately, and no one else can handle the situation. My uncle’s subordinates are all old-timers. My assistant hasn’t yet reached a position where he can stop the alcohol. They’re all uncles and older. If I’m too fussy, I can’t manage them.”

Xitang lowered her head and kissed his hair.

Zhao Pingjin nuzzled her face, then looked up at the neckline of her shirt, where her smooth, white neck was exposed, the delicate skin flowing down to her chest. The shirt was buttoned only to the second button, leaving much to the imagination. “You look really good in my shirt.”

Xitang saw he still had the energy to care about this. “Oh, so you’re not in pain anymore?”

Zhao Pingjin was still slightly out of breath but grinned. “It still hurts, but if a lady is dressing up, you have to compliment her, don’t you?”

Xitang was truly at a loss, and she reached up to pinch his cheek. “Keep talking, and I’ll make you regret it.”

Zhao Pingjin gave her a look of feigned grievance and then turned in her arms, curling closer.

After taking the medicine, Zhao Pingjin’s pain eased, and he fell asleep on the sofa for a while.

When he woke up, he saw that Xitang was no longer by his side.

The curtains in the living room were drawn open slightly. Zhao Pingjin walked over and peeked out. He saw Xitang alone on the balcony outside, building a snowman. The snow covering the balcony was neatly piled up, and she had shaped a small figure with round eyes. She was bent over, placing a carrot as the snowman’s nose.

Maybe it was just his eyes playing tricks on him, but Zhao Pingjin thought the snowman looked a bit like Xitang.

Sometimes, when he looked at her now, he felt she was very different from before. Perhaps it was the change in her temperament. When she wore makeup, her face was as white as frost, her expression distant and otherworldly. But when she smiled, she seemed innocent and adorable, a look that could melt anyone’s heart.

He knew he could no longer hold onto her.

It was Christmas Eve, and when he had just returned, the streets had been bustling.

Zhao Pingjin watched for a while, feeling dizzy. He pressed his temples and stepped back from the window.