DXXZL - 75

The Jiang Tu of last night seemed to have fallen into a kind of frenzy, not just the usual loss of control. Zhu Xingyao didn’t know if all men were like this in bed, but she certainly hadn’t expected Jiang Tu to have such a “bad” side—she was completely unprepared.

In her memory, Jiang Tu had always been cold and restrained, the kind of person who could secretly love her for twelve years.

Was it because he had thought about her for too many years, so everything exploded all at once?

“You...” Zhu Xingyao pushed him away, her face red, repeatedly urging him, “Go out first! Out, out...”

After折腾 until the middle of the night, Jiang Tu still woke up early. His emotions were too亢奋, making it impossible to sleep. He smiled, looking very pleased: “Call me if you need anything. I’ll be out after washing up.”

He got up and walked out.

Zhu Xingyao felt uncomfortable all over, with an indescribable ache. Her legs were stiff as she slowly shuffled to wash up. Looking at the empty bathroom, she really wanted a bathtub to soak in. She wasn’t sure if Jiang Tu would lose control like that again, and she began to feel a bit afraid.

She took another hot shower before feeling slightly better. On the floor of the room lay her open suitcase. After changing into a fresh set of clothes, she finally went out.

Jiang Tu sat at the dining table. He looked up at her, and when their eyes met, ripples seemed to form in the air. On the table were several exquisitely prepared dishes, takeout from the restaurant where Lin Jiayu and Lao Yuan had gone on a blind date. He stood up: “Let’s eat first. Last time, you said the shrimp balls and steamed fish here were good.”

Zhu Xingyao was very hungry. After finishing a bowl of chicken soup that Jiang Tu had served her, she looked up at him: “Take me home later. There aren’t any thick clothes in my suitcase, and I need to change luggage. I’m going to Beijing tomorrow.”

Jiang Tu paused and asked: “What are you going to Beijing for?”

“Hua Jie negotiated a few endorsements, one of which is tied to Xixi. I’m going to sign the contract.” Zhu Xingyao ate a shrimp ball. There were only six shrimp balls in total, and she picked one for him: “Xixi’s concert is on February 12th at the Hexi Stadium in Jiangcheng. You know, right?”

Jiang Tu nodded: “Mm, Ding Xiang mentioned it.”

Li Xixi had gained immense popularity over the past two years. In 2018, her new album and nationwide concert tour were happening simultaneously, with the first stop being on February 12th at the Hexi Stadium in Jiangcheng. This was Li Xixi’s first concert in Jiangcheng, and since she was from there, you could see many promotional posters around the city if you paid attention.

However, Zhu Xingyao doubted that Jiang Tu had noticed.

She said: “I’m going to be a special guest at Xixi’s concert.”

Jiang Tu raised his eyes: “Alright, I’ll buy a few tickets.”

Zhu Xingyao finished all the shrimp balls, regaining some energy, and smiled at him: “No need, Xixi has complimentary VIP tickets.”

In the afternoon, Jiang Tu dropped Zhu Xingyao off at home. Zhu Yunping was out, leaving only Ding Yu at home. Jiang Tu carried Zhu Xingyao’s suitcase into the Zhu residence. Ding Yu glanced at him and asked Zhu Xingyao: “Didn’t you say you’d arrive in the evening?”

Zhu Xingyao lowered her head: “I came back early last night.”

Jiang Tu paused. After a few seconds of silence, Ding Yu said: “Let’s put the luggage in your room first. Is Jiang Tu staying for dinner tonight?”

“Thank you, Auntie, but I have a client appointment tonight,” Jiang Tu said calmly.

Zhu Xingyao pulled him upstairs. Jiang Tu placed her suitcase down and looked around her room. He realized that the apartment he currently lived in was a bit small, especially the master bedroom, which was smaller than hers. The house Jiang Tu lived in now was arranged by the company, and he thought it was time to buy a place of his own.

Zhu Xingyao sat on the bed, feeling drowsy and unmotivated to move.

Jiang Tu approached her, his hand touching her face, and whispered: “If you’re tired, rest a bit more. I’ll go first. I’ll come pick you up at the airport tomorrow morning.”

“No need, I’ll go with Hua Jie and Xiao Kui. You don’t need to come specially to send me off,” Zhu Xingyao smiled, stood up, and looped her arm through his. “I’ll see you to the door.”

At ten o’clock in the evening, Zhu Yunping returned. Zhu Xingyao was watching the news with him in the living room. She turned to ask: “Dad, do you think Jiang Tu is good enough now?”

Zhu Yunping recalled how Jiang Tu had desperately suppressed his pain that night, silently smoking cigarette after cigarette while keeping his head down. He only asked a few questions, listening most of the time. Finally, Jiang Tu, with red-rimmed eyes full of self-blame, apologized to him.

Zhu Yunping hadn’t expected him to rush to find Zhu Xingyao immediately. He hugged his daughter’s shoulders and smiled: “Don’t blame your father for having prejudices against him before. Now those prejudices are gone. He’s truly wonderful to you, always has been.”

________________________________________

The next afternoon, Zhu Xingyao met up with Li Xixi in Beijing. The contract signing was quick, finishing by three o’clock. With nothing else to do, Zhu Xingyao followed Li Xixi to the practice studio to watch her rehearse.

In the evening, they ate at a nearby restaurant, finally having time to chat.

Zhu Xingyao said: “Jiang Tu knows about what happened back then.” She also told Li Xixi about Jiang Tu coming to Dubai to find her.

Li Xixi was stunned after hearing this: “So, he traveled all the way to find you, and you didn’t even...? He’s really patient!” She leaned closer, squinting her eyes and asking, “Let me tell you, if a man holds back for too long, he might get hurt. Are you sure Jiang Tu isn’t... unable?”

Zhu Xingyao: “...”

She looked at Li Xixi: “He’s very capable.”

Li Xixi gasped, her eyes widening: “You mean... you did it?”

Zhu Xingyao blushed, saying awkwardly: “Mm, I came back early the day before yesterday and went to his place.” She leaned closer, whispering to Li Xixi. Jiang Tu wasn’t incapable at all; on the contrary, perhaps because he had held back for so long, his outburst was terrifying.

Li Xixi gave her a suggestive look: “Isn’t that expected? He’s been thinking about you for so many years.”

At this moment, Lin Jiayu sent Zhu Xingyao a message: “Stars, when are you coming back?”

Zhu Xingyao called Lin Jiayu on video. When Lin Jiayu saw her with Li Xixi, she exclaimed: “Where are you guys?”

Zhu Xingyao laughed: “Beijing.”

Lin Jiayu pouted: “I thought you were both in Jiangcheng.”

“Haha, if we were in Jiangcheng, we’d definitely call you.” Li Xixi laughed, remembering something and quickly said, “By the way, there’s something I wanted to tell you but almost forgot. You haven’t sold the film rights to Waiting for Stars , right?”

Lin Jiayu glanced at Zhu Xingyao and said awkwardly: “No, it’s a true story. Even though Stars said I could decide, I still feel that selling it would be like exchanging your story for money...”

“We don’t mind!” Li Xixi grabbed the phone from Zhu Xingyao, excitedly saying, “I know a famous screenwriter. You should know her—Tang Xin, the boss of Time Light Pictures. She loves stories about secret crushes. After being rejected, they contacted me, saying they want to buy the rights and collaborate with you. I think it’s really fine. How many people’s stories can be adapted into movies?” She looked at Zhu Xingyao: “Stars, do you mind?”

Zhu Xingyao thought for a moment and said: “I’ve been hanging around the campus forum for over ten years. Everything that needs to be exposed has already been exposed.”

Waiting for Stars brought the hidden Jiang Tu into the light, exposing secrets buried for years and returning everyone to their clearest and most accurate positions. Without this book, whenever people talked about the legends of Yi Zhong, mentioning Zhu Xingyao and Lu Ji, they would remember the starry lights Lu Ji made to chase her. They might have been bound together forever. Jiang Tu, such a cold person, wouldn’t explain anything to others, but Jiangcheng was small, and he would inevitably run into alumni. Hearing those words must have made him uncomfortable to some extent. Zhu Xingyao thought about his discomfort, even if it was just a little.

Li Xixi looked at the video: “See? Stars didn’t say anything. You’re mainly worried about Lu Ji, right?”

After all, Lu Ji had the unscrupulous male second lead’s script.

Lin Jiayu fell silent and nodded.

After Waiting for Stars was exposed, many people initially focused on the main couple. Only after finishing reading did they realize that the male second lead’s desk-mate had a crush on him.

Recently, Lin Jiayu received many messages: “So you used to have a crush on Lu Shen!”

Some even mentioned it in group chats.

Lu Ji couldn’t possibly not know.

But he hadn’t said a word.

Of course, Lu Ji knew. At first, Xu Xiangyang told him, and later someone from the class privately messaged him. At first, Lu Ji was indeed shocked, but then Zhou Yuan said: “There were so many girls who liked you in high school, one more Lin Jiayu doesn’t make a difference. It’s normal for her to like you.”

So many years had passed. Lin Jiayu was different from Jiang Tu. Even if she had a crush, it was in the past.

He went to the hospital to chat with his grandfather. Grandpa Lu shook his head and said: “Your storytelling skills are even worse than your desk-mate’s.”

Lu Ji bitterly smiled: “I’m not a novelist.”

Grandpa Lu asked: “What’s her name?”

Lu Ji replied: “Lin Jiayu.”

________________________________________

It was Christmas Eve, and the streets were filled with festive atmosphere. Even the airport terminal had Christmas trees on display. At eight o’clock in the evening, Zhu Xingyao, wearing a thick scarf, her small face buried in it, walked toward the parking lot with Xiao Kui and Xiao Tian pushing the luggage behind her.

Under the night sky, Jiang Tu stood by the car, watching her approach.

Zhu Xingyao was delighted. Her big eyes sparkled as she winked at him and proactively sat in the passenger seat.

As usual, Xiao Kui and Xiao Tian put down the luggage and left.

Jiang Tu sat in the driver’s seat and turned to look at her: “Are you hungry?”

Zhu Xingyao looked at him: “Yes, I want to eat duck blood vermicelli, from Cao Ji’s place.” She had been afraid of being recognized by the owner before, but now that Jiang Tu knew, what was there to fear? She wrinkled her nose: “I haven’t eaten it in over two months.”

Jiang Tu smiled and drove toward Hexi Stadium.

The city’s neon lights crisscrossed, illuminating the interior of the car. Zhu Xingyao rested her elbow on the car window, chin propped up, looking at Jiang Tu’s hands. His fingers were clean and slender, the cuffs pulled back to reveal a black watch strap on his wrist. He seemed to only have two watches, the other one with a deep brown strap.

She had ordered him a watch.

At this time, past nine o’clock, there weren’t many people at Cao Ji’s duck blood vermicelli shop. Jiang Tu let Zhu Xingyao sit in the corner by the window while he went to order.

The owner saw Jiang Tu and didn’t recognize him at first. It wasn’t until Jiang Tu said: “And get me a room-temperature soy milk,” that he realized and excitedly said: “You’re Jiang Tu, right?”

Jiang Tu’s lips curved slightly: “Mm.”

The owner exclaimed: “It’s been so many years since I’ve seen you! I almost didn’t recognize you. You’ve been back for several months, but I haven’t seen you here before.” He saw the beautiful woman sitting by the window and whispered: “Is that Zhu Xingyao?”

Everyone had read Waiting for Stars .

Jiang Tu calmly nodded: “Mm.”

When he was about to pay, the owner hurriedly pushed his hand away, refusing to accept the money: “No need, no need. We haven’t seen each other in so many years. This meal is on me.”

Zhu Xingyao looked up and saw Jiang Tu walking back with an expressionless face, unable to help but laugh: “The boss is really warm.”

Jiang Tu unscrewed the cap and placed the soy milk in front of her: “It’s still a bit cold. Just drink a few sips.”

“Alright...” Zhu Xingyao drank a few sips, pursed her lips, and said: “I heard that the soy milk factory was almost bankrupt. After Waiting for Stars became popular, sales improved again. Lin Jiayu should ask the manufacturer for advertising fees.”

The owner personally brought over their order, just in time to hear this, and chuckled: “Exactly! My shop has been selling well recently.”

Zhu Xingyao muttered: “Still, it doesn’t taste as good as when we were in school.”

Jiang Tu took a sip and calmly said: “It’s a bit bland.”

“You can taste the difference?” Zhu Xingyao was surprised.

Jiang Tu had never bought soy milk in high school, but after starting university, whenever he thought of Zhu Xingyao, he would buy a bottle. He smiled faintly and didn’t answer.

The owner watched them with a smile and turned to leave.

Half an hour later, Jiang Tu left a fifty-yuan note on the table and led Zhu Xingyao out of the shop.

The car was parked in the Hexi Stadium parking lot. Jiang Tu slowed his pace to match Zhu Xingyao’s as they crossed the zebra crossing. Turning around, they saw a familiar-looking man approaching.

Zhu Xingyao stiffened, and Jiang Tu tightened his grip on her hand.

After many years, Chen Yi was nearly forty, with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and forehead. As usual, he was accompanied by a few hooligans. Seeing Jiang Tu across from him, he froze for a moment before recognizing him. Then he looked at the woman Jiang Tu was holding. Although he could only see half of her face, he recognized Zhu Xingyao’s eyes.

Jiang Tu stood still, his gaze icy as he looked at Chen Yi.

Chen Yi laughed: “Isn’t this Jiang Tu? I didn’t expect you to actually end up with the goddess.”

Jiang Tu took a step forward, but Zhu Xingyao quickly pulled him back. He looked down at her.

Zhu Xingyao tugged him forward and softly said: “Let’s go.” She didn’t want any conflict with Chen Yi. Every time she encountered him, nothing good happened. She hoped to never see him again in her life.

Jiang Tu had many reasons to hate Chen Yi—he caused his高考 failure and inflicted physical and emotional harm on Zhu Xingyao. He clenched his jaw, desperately suppressing the urge to charge forward and beat Chen Yi.

They walked to the stadium entrance. Zhu Xingyao stopped, turned around, and hugged him, rubbing her head against his chest, coquettishly saying: “Tu Ge... forget it. Hating him won’t help. I don’t want you to be unhappy.”

Jiang Tu turned his face away, deeply inhaling. He looked down at her: “Alright.”

Back in the car, without asking Zhu Xingyao’s opinion, Jiang Tu directly drove back to the apartment.

The car was parked in the underground garage. Both got out, and Jiang Tu led Zhu Xingyao toward the elevator. Zhu Xingyao quickly looked back: “Aren’t we taking the luggage? All my luggage is still in the car.”

“Let me take you up first, and I’ll come down to get it later.” Jiang Tu guided her toward the safety channel.

Zhu Xingyao hesitated at the entrance, standing still and refusing to enter. She softly said: “Why...”

Jiang Tu pressed his hand against her waist, leaned down, and kissed her hair. He softly said: “Let’s use the safety channel to go up.”

“Why? There’s an elevator...” Zhu Xingyao frowned, resisting.

Jiang Tu looked down at her and patiently asked: “What is the safety channel used for?”

Zhu Xingyao fell silent.

Jiang Tu said: “For emergencies.”

He paused, cupped her face, and gazed into her eyes: “Stars, natural disasters and human-made calamities are sometimes unavoidable. We never know when an accident might happen. If there’s a fire and I’m with you, I can lead you to safety. But what if I’m not there? What will you do? When everyone else runs for their lives and no one pays attention to you, and you’re too scared to move...” He swallowed and repeated softly: “Hmm? What will you do?”

In his heart, he asked: What will I do?

This question, even Zhu Yunping had never asked her.

Zhu Xingyao stared blankly at him.

Jiang Tu looked at her, suddenly feeling a pang of tenderness. He bent down and lifted her into his arms: “This time, I’ll carry you up. Next time, you’ll walk yourself until you get used to it and are no longer afraid.”

Suddenly losing balance, Zhu Xingyao quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at him: “You live on the fifteenth floor...”

Jiang Tu lowered his eyes: “Even the twenty-fifth floor wouldn’t be a problem. You’re very light.”