DXXZL - 59

Zhu Yunping fell silent for a moment before calmly replying, “I remember. Very clearly.”

Jiang Tu recalled the incident in high school when Zhu Xingyao had ended up hospitalized with a head injury because of him. He still felt guilty about it, and he was certain that he hadn’t made a good impression on her parents back then. But if he wanted to be with Zhu Xingyao now, he couldn’t avoid addressing these issues.

Zhu Yunping asked, “Are you at home right now?”

Jiang Tu hesitated slightly before answering, “Yes.”

It seemed as though Zhu Yunping sighed. “When Stars has a fever, she tends to have nightmares. Since you’re there taking care of her, keep an eye out. If she has a nightmare, gently wake her up.”

Jiang Tu agreed. “Alright, I’ll take care of her.”

Jiang Tu returned to the room with her phone and saw that Zhu Xingyao had already sat up—she was awake. From sweating during her fever last night, her hair clung damply to her cheeks, and her face was pale. She glanced outside; it was overcast, making it hard to tell the time.

“Didn’t you go to work today?”

Her voice was hoarse as soon as she spoke.

“I took a leave,” Jiang Tu quickly walked over and handed her the phone. “Your dad called earlier. I answered for you.”

“Huh? You answered for me?” Zhu Xingyao was startled and a little flustered. “Did my dad say anything to you?”

Back in high school, the first time Zhu Xingyao got injured because of Chen Yi, Zhu Yunping and Ding Yu didn’t blame Jiang Tu much since he had beaten Zhang Sheng to avenge her. Zhu Yunping even liked him back then. But in 2013, another incident involving Chen Yi nearly destroyed Zhu Xingyao, and the root cause could be traced back to Jiang Tu. However, Jiang Tu had disappeared without a trace, and Zhu Yunping and Ding Yu harbored resentment toward him ever since, disliking him.

Jiang Tu repeated Zhu Yunping’s words and looked down at her. “Do you often have nightmares? Has it always been like this, or just recently?”

Zhu Xingyao relaxed a bit and shook her head. “Only occasionally.”

She climbed out of bed, and Jiang Tu helped steady her. Just as she slipped her feet into her slippers, she was unexpectedly scooped up by him again. Her heartbeat skipped, and she looked up at him. “What… are you doing? I can walk by myself.”

“I’m afraid you’ll fall again.” Jiang Tu said.

Nestled in his arms, Zhu Xingyao tilted her head to look at his strong jawline.

Suddenly, she asked, “Are you going home tonight?”

Jiang Tu paused in his steps and looked down at her. “If you don’t chase me away, I won’t leave.”

Zhu Xingyao was fully lucid now. She snorted softly. “I told you to leave last night, but you didn’t.”

Jiang Tu was momentarily stunned, then chuckled. “Then I won’t leave tonight either.”

Zhu Xingyao: “...”

Jiang Tu’s thick skin made her roll her eyes at him in exasperation.

The sound of a car pulling up echoed from downstairs. Lao Liu and Xiao Kui had returned, bringing lunch with them. After eating together, Zhu Xingyao took her medicine and began feeling drowsy again. Jiang Tu was on the balcony, busy on a phone call—it seemed like taking a day off had delayed quite a bit of work.

Zhu Xingyao walked up behind him. Jiang Tu glanced back, and she noticed the stubble on his chin and the bloodshot eyes, clear signs that he hadn’t slept much the previous night. Suddenly remembering his mention of getting new glasses a few days ago, she scrutinized his eyes closely.

After finishing his call, Jiang Tu looked down and asked, “What is it?”

“Have you not been wearing your glasses all night?” she asked.

“I wore contacts, but my eyes got uncomfortable after too long, so I took them out,” Jiang Tu replied.

No wonder his eyes were red.

Zhu Xingyao looked at him. “You should go handle your work. It seems like you’re busy.”

There were indeed some matters at the company, but they weren’t urgent enough that only he could deal with them. Still, Jiang Tu didn’t want to leave—he feared that if he left now, a clear-headed Zhu Xingyao might not let him back in. Sensing this, Zhu Xingyao leaned closer, sniffed his collar deliberately, and teased, “Your clothes smell bad. Go change.”

Sitting in the car, Jiang Tu loosened two buttons of his shirt and sniffed the collar. There was indeed a faint cigarette smell lingering from the day before.

He frowned, pulled out the broken pair of glasses from the glove compartment, put them on, and drove off.

At around nine in the evening, Zhu Xingyao and Xiao Kui were sitting on the carpet with their phones, the sounds of Honor of Kings filling the room. Jiang Lu’s voice came through the speakers: “So, sis Lin Jiayu said my brother stayed at your place last night, right?”

Xiao Kui focused intently on the game, trying hard not to make a sound.

“Mm,” Zhu Xingyao confirmed.

At that moment, someone knocked lightly on the half-open door. Zhu Xingyao’s lashes fluttered, and she said softly, “Come in.”

Jiang Tu had showered and changed into clean clothes before coming over. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, just a black casual outfit. As soon as Xiao Kui saw him, she stood up, very perceptive, and said, “I’ll go use the restroom.” Xiao Kui happily left with her phone, closing the door behind her.

“Who’s here?” Jiang Lu asked. “My brother?”

Jiang Tu stood in front of Zhu Xingyao, towering over her as he looked down at her phone screen. Zhu Xingyao raised her head to look at him, and seeing that he didn’t plan to speak, she turned her head away. “No one.” Distracted, she was almost killed in the game.

Jiang Lu hastily said, “Goddess-sister, focus!”

Zhu Xingyao wasn’t very skilled at the game—Jiang Lu had initially invited her to join the team as an excuse to subtly probe her relationship with Jiang Tu. She sighed helplessly. “I think I’m about to lose.”

The next second, her phone was snatched away by Jiang Tu.

Zhu Xingyao was stunned.

Jiang Tu sat beside her and started playing the game. Zhu Xingyao had chosen the character Diao Chan, who required quick reflexes to shine. Jiang Tu remained calm, his hand speed noticeably faster than hers. On the other side, Jiang Lu praised, “Huh? You didn’t die!” Unaware that the player had changed, he continued, “Wow, Goddess-sister, how did you suddenly become so good?”

Zhu Xingyao murmured, “Yeah…”

After a while, Jiang Lu asked again, “Goddess-sister, is my brother pursuing you?”

Zhu Xingyao glanced at Jiang Tu, who lowered his gaze, hesitating for a moment, seemingly unwilling to respond.

Jiang Lu’s voice rose and fell with the game sound effects: “My brother’s a good guy, just not great with jokes or sweet-talking girls…” Zhu Xingyao noticed Jiang Tu frowning, his hands moving even faster. Jiang Lu exclaimed, “Whoa, Goddess-sister, how did you suddenly get so good?”

Zhu Xingyao suddenly wanted to hear more of what Jiang Lu had to say. She mumbled vaguely, “Mm, not bad…”

“Not bad?”

Jiang Tu glanced at her.

Jiang Lu praised her a bit more before continuing, “Still, there are girls who like my brother. After all, we’re twins, and he’s pretty handsome. When I was little, I thought Lin Jiayu would be my sister-in-law since she was the only girl close to my brother. But nothing ever happened between them. If my brother really likes someone, he’ll like them forever. He’d cherish you like a star. If he doesn’t end up with you, he probably won’t like anyone else—he’d stay single his whole life.”

Wearing white socks, Zhu Xingyao hugged her knees, resting her chin on them, resisting the urge to look at Jiang Tu.

“My brother went through a lot in the past, especially during the college entrance exam…”

Jiang Tu suddenly interrupted coldly, “Why do you talk so much?”

Jiang Lu: “...”

After a few seconds of silence, a shocked Jiang Lu shouted, “Holy crap, this is insane!” He abruptly quit the game and ran off.

Jiang Tu handed Zhu Xingyao her phone and said softly, “One thing Jiang Lu said was wrong—you’ve always been a star. You don’t need me to lift you up.”

Zhu Xingyao’s lashes fluttered. She took the phone and looked up at him.

If Jiang Tu hadn’t intervened, Jiang Lu might have revealed what happened during his college entrance exam.

Zhu Xingyao’s phone rang. She glanced at it, stood up, and said, “I’ll take this call.”

It was Ding Yu calling.

Zhu Xingyao stood at the end of the hallway to answer. Ding Yu said, “Your father mentioned that Jiang Tu was at our house yesterday. Stars, how… did you reconnect with him? When did this happen?”

“Not long, just two months,” Zhu Xingyao said, staring at her toes.

Ding Yu sighed. “That robot—is it from him?”

Zhu Xingyao hummed in confirmation. After a pause, she said, “Mom, I know what you and Dad are thinking. Let me handle this myself.”

Zhu Xingyao warmed a glass of milk downstairs and brought it upstairs.

Pushing open the door, she saw Jiang Tu sitting on the carpet, his neck bent, one long leg propped against the bedside table, leaning back against her bed motionless, seemingly asleep. Zhu Xingyao froze at the doorway, unable to wake him. Reluctantly, she drank the milk herself. After a moment of hesitation, she decided not to disturb him. Carefully climbing onto the bed from the foot, she sat there observing him. His head was bowed, his neck long and elegant, his skin pale, with a faint scar near his ear.

It must have been from the incident during the college entrance exam.

Zhu Xingyao reached out, her cool fingertips lightly brushing the scar. The next moment, a hot, firm hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward. Losing her balance, she tumbled off the bed, practically falling into his arms.

Jiang Tu jolted awake, his eyes snapping open. Instinctively, he pulled her into his embrace. Lowering his head, he met her startled gaze, silently pondering for a moment before speaking softly, “Did you just touch my neck?”

Stiffly seated on his lap, Zhu Xingyao struggled to explain…

She had touched it.

Zhu Xingyao awkwardly explained, “There’s a scar there… I was curious…”

Jiang Tu still felt a faint, cool itch on his neck. He raised his hand to rub it absently, looking down at her.

Zhu Xingyao hurriedly climbed off him, but Jiang Tu didn’t loosen his grip on her wrist, holding it tightly. Panicked, she looked up into his deep, dark eyes. Suddenly, Jiang Lu’s earlier words echoed in her mind.

—”If my brother truly likes someone, he’ll love them forever. He’d cherish you like a star. If he doesn’t end up with you, he probably won’t like anyone else—he’d stay single his whole life.”

Jiang Tu had said that she was already a star, that she didn’t need him to lift her up.

Aside from that, he had tacitly acknowledged everything Jiang Lu had said.

The night breeze lifted the curtains, filling the room with Zhu Xingyao’s faint, delicate scent. Jiang Tu swallowed uncomfortably, feeling a bit irrational. He released her, stood up, and said softly, “I’ll stay in the living room for a bit. I’ll check on you later to see if you have a fever.”

After Jiang Tu left, Zhu Xingyao remained seated on the carpet, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.

Around two in the morning, Jiang Tu returned to Zhu Xingyao’s room. She was already asleep. He pressed the back of his hand against her forehead.

No fever.

Jiang Tu sat beside her bed, leaning against it as he closed his eyes.

The next morning, a sliver of light peeked through the curtains. Jiang Tu opened his eyes, checked the time on his phone—it was barely seven. His neck felt stiff. As he tilted his head, it cracked audibly twice. Frowning, he stretched it out before standing up.

On Zhu Xingyao’s desk were sticky notes and a pen holder.

Jiang Tu pulled out a fountain pen from the holder, bracing himself with his left hand on the edge of the desk, bending over to write. But he paused.

He switched hands.

When Zhu Xingyao woke up around eight, she reached out of the blanket for her phone. Her fingertips brushed paper first. Opening her eyes, she turned to look.

A sticky note was stuck to her phone.

I’ve gone to the office. You didn’t have a fever last night, but still be careful.

I’ll call you tonight.

—Signed, J

October 13, 2017.

Zhu Xingyao stared at the handwriting, almost identical to the eighty-seven love letters from back then.

In the afternoon, Zhu Xingyao took Xiao Kui up to the attic to search for those eighty-seven love letters. Xiao Kui only knew they were looking for eighty-seven handwritten cards. Confused, she asked, “What do they look like?”

“They’re illustrations of a girl playing the cello, signed with a ‘J’,” Zhu Xingyao replied.

Xiao Kui was puzzled. “J?”

Zhu Xingyao straightened up and looked at Xiao Kui. “‘J’ classmate… No, it’s Mr. Jiang now.”

Xiao Kui gasped. “You mean Mr. Jiang wrote you eighty-seven love letters?”

But after two hours of searching, they still hadn’t found them. Zhu Xingyao was deeply disappointed—perhaps only Ding Yu knew where they were hidden.

At ten in the evening, Zhu Yunping returned home from his business trip. Zhu Xingyao came out of her room and walked down the stairs. “Dad.”

Zhu Yunping set down his suitcase and looked up, smiling warmly. “Still awake?”

Zhu Xingyao walked over and linked arms with him affectionately. “Waiting for you.”

Zhu Yunping asked about her health. Zhu Xingyao assured him she was almost recovered. He led her to sit on the sofa, looked at her, and sighed first. “Were you worried I’d find Jiang Tu and say something?”

Zhu Xingyao shook her head. “If you wanted to, you would’ve done it already.”

Remembering his wife’s words, Zhu Yunping rubbed her head helplessly. “You’re really something… Taking advantage of us being away to invite him over. Tell me, what’s going on between you two?”

“Now…?”

Zhu Xingyao didn’t want to reveal how she had been kept in the dark for so many years. Leaning against her father’s shoulder, she whispered, “Jiang Tu is pursuing me.”

After being sick for a few days, Zhu Xingyao had fallen behind on work, especially with the upcoming concert. Once she recovered, she immediately began practicing with the orchestra. Last time in Beijing, she hadn’t been able to meet Hua Ling due to her illness. Hua Ling called to say, “Once I finish transitioning my work, I’ll come to Jiangcheng.”

On the weekend, Jiang Tu was summoned home by Shu Xian, who said Aunt Lin needed his help.

Without hesitation, Jiang Tu returned home that evening at six.

This time, dinner was at the Lin family’s house.

Even Lin Jiayu didn’t know why her parents had called Jiang Tu over. She picked up a piece of pork rib and glanced at her mother. “Did something happen at our house? Why does Jiang Tu need to help?” A bad feeling crept into her heart. She leaned closer to Jiang Tu and whispered, “If my parents bring it up again, I’ll just say you already have a girlfriend, okay?”

Jiang Tu showed no emotion, simply glancing down at her.

Lin Mother smiled. “Jiang Tu, you must know many excellent people at work, right? For example, are there any eligible single men at your company?”

Lin Father coughed awkwardly. “We used to live in Hexi Lane. Even though we’ve moved and our circle has expanded a bit, we still don’t know many wealthy families. Jiayu has been staying home a lot these past couple of years and hasn’t met many people either…”

Lin Jiayu was momentarily stunned, finally understanding her parents’ intentions.

She quickly interrupted, “Dad! Are you crazy? Asking Jiang Tu to find me a boyfriend???”

Jiang Tu finding her a boyfriend?

How could they even think of that?

Jiang Tu was also taken aback. After a brief silence, he said, “Alright, I’ll try.”

Lin Jiayu sharply turned to look at him. “Are you insane?”

Jiang Tu responded indifferently, “Not insane.”

Three days later, Lin Jiayu sent Zhu Xingyao a WeChat message: “Jiang Tu’s gone mad!”

Zhu Xingyao was bewildered. “Huh?”

Lin Jiayu explained, “My parents asked Jiang Tu to help me find quality bachelors. He actually agreed and arranged a matchmaking dinner for me.”

Lin Jiayu added, “Can you believe it? Jiang Tu helping me find a boyfriend? Just because my dad helped him once, he almost never refuses their requests—even agreeing to this. He’s truly lost it.”

Zhu Xingyao asked, “What did your dad do to help him?”

After a long pause, Lin Jiayu replied, “My dad lent him money.”