Depressed wife runs with the ball

"Actually... I didn't say anything. I was just talking about your parents..." Ji Yan muttered softly, looking at her secretly.

Chu Yue looked back at the invitation message on her computer screen. Her first reaction was to reject it. Her first reaction to any interpersonal relationship was to reject it. Her fingers rested on the keyboard, ready to type a rejection.

The other party sent another message: [Let’s talk about what happened a year ago.]

A year ago? What happened?

Forget it, I'll just reply: [OK.] Sometimes, talking things out face to face might be the best way to resolve a problem.

That night, she took a taxi to the place Zhou Xingzhi had sent her. It was a Western-style restaurant, and it must have been quite expensive. A waiter came forward, and she told him his name. The waiter understood and took her to the second floor.

Seeing her coming, Zhou Xingzhi got a little excited and stood up to signal her. The second floor was sparsely populated, the lights dim, and it was quiet, but... too few people.

"What do you like to eat? Anything you want." There was a hint of joy in her voice, a bit like a child who got candy. This made Chu Yue a little confused, and she couldn't help but look up and observe.

It would have been fine if she hadn't looked at him, but once she saw his outfit, she felt a bit uncomfortable. A navy blue suit with a black tie, tied askew. A white shirt, buttoned perfectly, with cufflinks that didn't seem to match. A fancy silk scarf tucked into his breast pocket. Uh...his hair was probably the only thing he'd ever done.

After all, she is a designer, and this kind of uncoordinated combination is really uncomfortable to look at. Fortunately, Lao Ji has some aesthetic sense, and Uncle Jia rarely appears in front of her, and he is an elder.

He couldn't help but point at his tie and said hesitantly: "You...that..." In a daze, he felt that it was impolite to point at people, so he quickly retracted his finger.

He looked up, puzzled.

"The tie is crooked."

He lowered his head to adjust his tie and asked after a moment, "Are you ready?"

No, this whole outfit isn't good at all. She pursed her lips and tilted her head, still feeling it would be impolite to say it directly.

"Not done yet?" He lowered his head to tidy up again.

Chu Yue stood up and said, "If you don't mind, I'll help you."

A flicker of triumph flashed across Zhou Xingzhi's eyes, but he quickly adjusted himself and returned to normal. He stood up from his seat, stepped back, and said politely, "Thank you."

Chu Yue walked up to him, standing a step away from him, wanting to untie his tie, but he was too tall, so she had to tiptoe, carefully keeping her distance. Even so, she was still surrounded by his scent, the sweet dew after the rain, the cool and calming cedar sandalwood, and the feeling of being close yet distant.

Seeing her distance and about to tiptoe, Zhou Xingzhi took another step forward. A whiff of grapefruit, mingled with the scent of sunset, drifted in. The fragrance of her hair was refreshing. Her vintage earrings swayed slightly. The royal blue flowers, reminiscent of oil paintings, formed a striking contrast with her plain white shirt.

He wanted to reach out and touch her earlobe, but he held back.

Chu Yue unbuttoned his tie, looked at the neatly buttoned buttons, and wanted to unbutton them again. This action was really ambiguous, but if she didn't understand, it would be even more embarrassing... She was very careful, trying not to touch his skin.

After untying the second cufflink, I looked at the third cufflink. The position was... a bit awkward. After all, I didn't untie it myself. I pulled out the scarf, raised my wrist to look at the cufflinks. Forget it, it's not too obvious. Don't worry about these details.

"Unbutton one more button of the shirt yourself, and it will be fine." Chu Yue stepped back, looked at it carefully, and was reluctantly satisfied.

Zhou Xingzhi unbuttoned his shirt with one hand, spread his hands, and asked innocently, "Is that so?"

Chu Yue nodded and said, "Yeah, much better."

After randomly ordering two dishes, I handed him the menu and explained, "I don't eat much, so you can order a few more."

"Is it not to your liking? We can go to another restaurant." He was a little nervous, as if afraid that he might do something wrong.

"No. Let's just stay here, eat early and finish early."

He nodded obediently and ordered.

During the meal, Chu Yue asked, "What did Mr. Zhou mean by 'a year ago'?"

"A year ago, in Haicheng, you...jumped into the sea. I was a police officer at the time. Do you remember?"

This sentence brought her back to a year ago, at Jiaojiao's funeral, when she had indeed jumped into the sea and been rescued by the police. Her eyes flickered, and the person before her was actually the police officer named Zhou.

"I'm sorry, I... don't recognize faces very well and didn't remember them in time." Is this person trying to threaten to repay a favor?

"It's okay. I just want to ask, what was the reason a year ago?" This question has been bothering him for almost two years. The person in front of him and the doubts linger in his mind all the time.

Chu Yue lowered her eyes. This was like her own life, one she had no obligation to explain to anyone. She pursed her lips. As far as she could remember, she had not reported the case. The matter had come to an end with the banner she had presented.

He is my savior and he saved me twice. I am just telling you why.

"That was an illusion. I had just attended the funeral of a very good friend and spent the entire night at the beach in a daze. I must have been a little dazed when I stood up, so when I saw her figure, I jumped. I'm sorry to have caused you any trouble."

Hearing her say it so lightly and being so polite and restrained towards him, he must have truly let it go. He nodded, thoughtfully.

"Mr. Zhou, I can probably guess what Ji Yan said to you. But I can only heal my life by myself. Even if my father doesn't love me and my mother doesn't care about me, this is not an excuse for you to take advantage of me. There is only work between us."

She spoke with such determination, every word piercing his ears. Zhou Xingzhi felt both admiration and loneliness.

She had never felt the slightest bit of trepidation towards herself.

"I thought we were at least friends." His fingers froze on the cutlery, he averted his gaze, and spoke in a hollow voice.

"I don't have many friends. One of them, Ji Yan, died over a year ago. If Mr. Zhou insists on demanding a favor, I'm afraid it would be difficult for me to consider you a friend."

After the meal, everyone had their own feelings. Thinking of Xie Yanzhou last time, Chu Yue used the excuse of going to the bathroom to pay the bill.

The cost was indeed not cheap, a meal for two people cost 3320. Anyway, she found the food tasteless and it would be a pity to throw it away.

"Pay the bill and I'll take you home." Zhou Xingzhi gestured to the waiter.

"No need, I've already paid for the bill. This meal is just a return gift to thank you, Mr. Zhou, for saving me from Xie Yanzhou that day. I can just take the subway back." These words were cold and refusal in every way.

Zhou Xingzhi originally thought that the reunion was a chance given to him by God. For two years, whether it was curiosity or heartache, the longing for her truly lasted for two years.

Now she just kept him away from her work with just one word of return gift.

"Yueyue..." He still wanted to fight for her, even if it was just an ordinary friend.

"Mr. Zhou, please call me Chu Yue. We are not that familiar with each other."

His voice had long since returned to its former aloofness, without a trace of hesitation to please the customer.

"Okay, Chu Yue, I'll take you home. It's just out of courtesy." Since that's the case, he will also learn from her and be distant and polite.

Chu Yue had no choice but to let him take her back. Inside the luxury car, neither of them said anything. When they drove downstairs, Zhou Xingzhi said, "Can I trouble you for something?"

She wondered, waiting for him to continue.

"I don't usually pay much attention to my appearance. Could you give me some advice? I'll put my clothes for tomorrow in the car and drive to your building in the morning so you can choose them for me. I'll then take you to work at the office and I'll go back to the company to change."

"Mr. Zhou, did you do your hair yourself?" Logically speaking, if someone can style his hair so neatly, he should have a stylist.

"Well. This... is also ugly?" He hesitated for a moment, feigning innocence.

"It's not that it's ugly, I'm just curious. To be able to style hair this neatly, one must have good taste. Could this stylist be a barber by profession?"

"Just treat him like he's schizophrenic. Before I find a suitable stylist, can you give me some advice? Or I can pay him, 1000 a day?"

……

"Okay." It's just a job. There's nothing shameful in bowing your head for money.