Chapter 7

Zhao Pingjin had just woken up from his nap. He rested his hand on his forehead, eyes closed, enduring a slight dizziness.

The room was quiet, with only the faint sound of the radiator.

He couldn’t help but recall Huang Xitang’s voice. It was soft and gentle, full of resignation, without a hint of resistance.

In a daze, he remembered her youthful, radiant face, as clear as if it were yesterday. The girl was wearing a white dress, her face still childish, as she stood downstairs in the girls’ dormitory of the film academy. With two thermos bottles in her hands, she stood tall and proud, arguing with him, “What are you doing? Are you trying to harass me? Do you even know me? Do you understand me? You don’t know me, and you don’t understand me. What’s the point of pursuing a girl you don’t know?”

Such a wild, interesting, vibrant, and lively little girl.

When did she become so gentle?

Shen Min said on the phone, “It’s done.”

Zhao Pingjin said, “Arrange for her to live in that house in Jing’an District.”

Shen Min responded, “Should we add more staff?”

Zhao Pingjin thought for a moment, “No need for now, it’s better to be quiet, let’s see if she likes it there.”

After hanging up the phone, he wanted to get up but felt even more dizzy, so he had to lean back against the bed. His hand reached for the bedside table but stopped. He remembered that the nanny was on vacation today, and his mother had gone abroad with his father for a business trip, so there was no one else at home.

The phone beside his bed had been connected to the main unit in the living room for a while. Five years ago, when he returned from the United States, he drank so much alcohol for work and socializing that he fell ill repeatedly. His temper during that period was really bad. In his mother Zhou’s words, his temper was so bad that even cats and dogs would hate him. He basically didn’t let anyone get close to him. His grandparents were so worried about his health that they couldn’t get out of bed, so they would ring the bell to call someone. During the first few days after the phone was installed, he pressed the bell a few times in the middle of the night when he wanted to drink ice wine. The whole house was filled with the sound of the bell, even the health doctor was alarmed, and as a result, he was severely beaten by his father.

Later, he dismantled that line himself.

He just didn’t like the whole family making a fuss over his every little move.

Zhao Pingjin withdrew his hand and lay back on the bed, vaguely remembering that one night at the Chang’an Club, after Huang Xitang had beaten Shen Min badly, both she and Zhong Qiao were kicked out.

As soon as Zhong Qiao came out, she twisted her waist, her eyes flashed, and she smiled, and in the blink of an eye, she got into a man’s car.

Xitang refused the man’s offer of a ride, with one hand resting frivolously on Zhong Qiao’s thigh, and left the glamorous political, business, and entertainment club on her own.

When Zhao Pingjin’s car drove out, he saw a girl walking on the roadside. It was already one or two in the morning, a summer night, and the Beijing wind had a cool and dry smell. As the drunkenness gradually dissipated, she stood alone on the street for a long time, without a taxi passing by. She had to take off her high heels and slowly walk towards the school.

Under the vast gray-blue night sky, the streetlights in the shadows of the tall buildings still flickered. She was alone, wearing a white pleated long dress, with white ankles and pearl-like little toes. She was alone, bouncing and jumping forward on the street in the early morning.

Like a big white rabbit candy.

The next day he waited downstairs at the Film Academy’s female dormitory.

This was the first time he saw her in broad daylight. Last night, she had fought so fiercely, but when he looked at her in the daytime, she was so small, with an oval face, white skin, beautiful eyes, naturally long eyebrows, and a crystal-clear little face that exuded a slight luster.

It was around five or six in the afternoon, the time for students to get their meals. Huang Xitang was carrying two thermos bottles and saw from afar that all the girls in front of the No. 2 female dormitory building had stopped and turned to whisper, covering their mouths and giggling, their cheeks flushed. Xitang followed the excitement and joined in. She saw a man standing at the entrance of the corridor, tall, with a handsome face and a slightly cynical smile at the corners of his mouth. He was wearing a white pinstriped shirt and casual trousers. There were many handsome boys in the Film Academy, but his calm and composed demeanor, being able to act so nonchalantly and seriously amidst the numerous passersby and the auntie in charge of the dormitory who had poked her head out to watch, was something Xitang had never seen before - it was like a carefree and wealthy young master leisurely riding a horse in the spring. It was only later that she learned that they all had similar confident expressions when dealing with girls like them - it was the most typical expression of a proud and complacent young master.

Xitang tilted her head and looked at the man who had suddenly appeared in front of her in bewilderment.

Zhao Pingjin spoke to her, “Huang Xitang?”

Everyone’s eyes immediately shifted over.

Xitang was dumbfounded, but at that moment, she felt as if a little deer had gently bumped into her heart.

She actually remembered his voice, in the private room last night, at the poker table, a sexy, low, and slightly cynical good voice.

“How do you know my name?”

“We met last night.”

“What do you want from me?”

Zhao Pingjin watched the uneasiness that instantly appeared in the pair of clear eyes opposite him, and the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened a little, “Are you free? I’ll treat you to a meal.”

There was a sudden burst of ambiguous laughter from the surroundings, and Xitang’s face started to turn red.

Zhao Pingjin finally reached out and gently lifted her arm, and the two of them walked a few steps away to a quiet place.

Xitang was a little annoyed, “Why do you want to treat me to a meal?”

Zhao Pingjin’s thin smile remained unchanged, “Let’s make new friends.”

Xitang immediately took a step back, her thick eyebrows furrowed, and she was very alert, “Why do you want to make friends?”

Zhao Pingjin laughed a little and said something even more annoying, “I want to pursue you.”

At that time, they were young and playful, and all the young masters in Beijing were like this. They had connections and were generous. Few beautiful girls in art schools could resist their pursuit. They had seen a lot of this kind of thing in their circle, and some university girls would even wait specifically outside the luxury cars at the club. Gao Jiyi had met his previous girlfriend this way.

Huang Xitang’s spirited face showed a bit of anger from being invaded, but it made her look even more adorable, “Do you know me? Do you understand me? You don’t know me or understand me, what’s the point of pursuing a girl you don’t know?”

Zhao Pingjin’s attitude became a little more sincere, “Have a meal with me, just treat it as meeting a new friend, and we can relax.”

Xitang looked back and saw that there were still a bunch of girls standing not far away watching the fun. Xitang had seen even more exaggerated things like this before. In the Film Academy, everyone just treated it as a show.

She suddenly smiled, “For you guys, pretty girls are just for fun, right?”

Zhao Pingjin, completely unconcerned about the surrounding gazes, nodded brazenly, “Pretty much, but you seem a bit special.”

Xitang glanced at the roadside again, a hint of hidden cunning in her eyes, “Wait for me.”

Xitang turned around and walked towards the dormitory building, grabbed a girl standing at the entrance of the corridor, and they whispered to each other for a few words. That girl walked towards him.

Later, he learned that it was Zhong Qiao. She was wearing a halter-neck geometric patchwork long dress, and even in the daytime, she wore heavy makeup, walking with swaying hips, full of charm.

Zhong Qiao walked over gracefully, with a seductive smile on her face. Zhao Pingjin’s gaze was still on Huang Xitang, but unexpectedly, the woman stepped forward and boldly hooked his arm, “Mr. Zhao?”

Zhao Pingjin felt as if he had been scalded by boiling water and threw her hand away.

Zhong Qiao giggled and pressed her whole body against him, “Mr. Zhao, do you need to relax? There are so many beautiful girls in the Film Academy, why don’t you try a different one?”

Her chest was almost pressed against his, and the perfume on her body almost made him vomit. Zhao Pingjin was furious and roared, “Get lost!”

He glanced over and saw that Huang Xitang was already standing on the other side of the school corridor, supporting her knees and covering her stomach, laughing uncontrollably. Zhao Pingjin fiercely pushed Zhong Qiao away and strode over, but she had already disappeared into the crowd heading towards the cafeteria like a nimble little fish.

Huang Xitang was really adorable when she was a child.

Her hair was clean, her skin was tender, and her eyes always had a watery shine. The curve of her little butt was both perky and cute. Later, when they got together, she loved to cling to him all the time, her eyes filled with a gentle, yearning look, that kind of innocent and greedy love was as pure as a little animal, warm and soft.

He was fascinated by the overflowing sweetness of her love, but he was worried that even holding her in his hands would melt her, and he wished he could cherish her to the point of pain.

It ached in his heart.

He pressed his chest and slowly adjusted his breathing.

Just didn’t expect that in the end, she would stab him in the place he loved her most.