His broad, tall silhouette gradually narrowed into a line.
Chang Xuyu sniffled, staring at his retreating figure, which grew smaller until it became a dot in her blurred vision, finally disappearing into the long road.
*
By evening.
Occasionally, a few stars flickered in the night sky. Chang Xuyu sat in a coffee shop, drawing on her tablet, for a full three hours.
She ordered a slice of tiramisu. The waitress brought the cake over and, seeing the drawing on her tablet, her eyes lit up. She couldn't help but praise, "Such a beautiful drawing!"
Chang Xuyu had drawn a plaster sculpture sketch on the tablet—a bust of David.
Hearing this, she looked down at the drawing, then at the waitress, and smiled in realization. "Thank you."
The waitress served the cake, carried the tray back, and glanced at her twice as she walked, quietly discussing with a colleague.
"This girl who can draw is really something. You can tell she comes from an educated family. Her demeanor and speech are so refined, her voice soft and pleasant."
"Look at her clothes. That sweater alone must cost a few thousand yuan. She's obviously well-off."
Chang Xuyu scooped up the cake with a spoon, eating small bites, completely unaware of the discussion behind her.
Halfway through her meal, her phone rang. She opened it and saw it was Li Meng.
She frowned slightly and swiped to answer.
Before she could speak, Li Meng seemed ready to jump out of the phone, shouting urgently, "Xuyu, come quickly! A man claiming to be your husband just burst in and got into a fight with the vice principal!"
"Huh?"
Hold on. Chang Xuyu moved the phone away, feeling her brain momentarily freeze.
Who got into a fight with whom?
Yi Zhuo and... Jian Jiayue...
"Xuyu? Hello? Are you there? Xuyu?" Li Meng, getting no response for a while, feared she had called in vain, her face turning pale.
Chang Xuyu was brought back to reality.
"Ah, I'm here."
"Anyway, come to the institution quickly! The police have been called! That guy who says he's your husband, Yi Zhuo, right? He seems to have been drinking, and he brought a group of people. When he took off his jacket, ooh la la, those muscles, it's terrifying! He looks lean, but who knew he had so much..."
"I'm on my way."
Li Meng was abruptly cut off, and the call ended.
Chang Xuyu took a deep breath. She felt half-awake, half-dreaming.
Li Meng's description made it sound like a street gang gathering, and drinking... she had never associated those words with Yi Zhuo.
No matter what, he never gave the impression of being someone who "gathered a group, drank, and brawled shirtless."
Thinking this, she didn't dare dwell on it. She grabbed her bag and ran.
The bell on the door jingled sharply, taking a while to resume its swinging rhythm.
Halfway there, Li Meng called again to tell her not to go to the institution. Go straight to the police station.
Chang Xuyu: ...
After some detours, she arrived at the police station. She took a deep breath, never imagining her first time in a police station would be for this reason.
Her legs felt like lead, each step heavy. The weather outside was cold, yet her ears felt red and hot, her whole body burning with restlessness.
After a while.
In the corner, certain figures came into view.
Yi Zhuo's face was red from god knows how much he had drunk. He was crouching off to the side, and the air around him seemed to freeze. His demeanor was fierce, and no one dared approach him.
Suddenly, the scene felt familiar, as if she had experienced it before—no one near him, yet she had to take the initiative to get close under pressure.
Chang Xuyu sighed softly and slowly walked over.
Seeing her approach, the man lifted his eyes. The scar on his forehead was strikingly prominent, and now there was a bruise near his eye. The earlier gloom receded instantly, replaced by gentleness, a flicker of light in his eyes—but it vanished in seconds.
As for the troublemakers beside him, she recognized their faces; they were all his employees.
When the one who had first greeted her saw Chang Xuyu, he jumped up, taking the lead to defend Yi Zhuo: "Sister-in-law, the boss only acted this way because he had a few drinks with us. You were being bullied—no man could stand for that..."
She looked at him, then at Yi Zhuo, and nodded. "I didn't say I blame him."
Chang Xuyu crouched beside Yi Zhuo, reached out, and gently touched the wound on his face. It wasn't very serious—just a little bruising and a scrape with a few drops of blood.
Their eyes met. She pursed her lips and asked softly, "What were you doing... does it hurt?"
She murmured, her heart seemingly pierced by his wound.
From her bag, she pulled out iodine swabs and band-aids she had bought on the way. She dipped a swab in iodine and brought it close to his face. At this moment, she truly realized he had indeed brought people to fight.
His gaze had been fixed on her since she appeared.
"Tell me if it hurts, okay?"
"Sss—"
"...I haven't even started applying the medicine yet."
The man lowered his eyes.
She suddenly thought he seemed like a child.
Yi Zhuo got flushed easily when he drank, no matter how much. His cold, fierce face with that redness looked like Prussian blue mixed with crimson—the more you mixed, the darker it got.
Seeing his gloomy expression, she quickly finished applying the medicine and sealed it with a band-aid.
"Where's Jian Jiayue?" she asked.
Hearing those three words, especially from her lips, the man's expression darkened further. He frowned, his narrow eyes shooting coldness, like iron hooks fixed on her, refusing to let go.
Chang Xuyu pursed her lips, frowned slightly, and asked again.
Yi Zhuo let out a light sneer, turned his head, and said flatly, "I provoked him with words. He struck first. The surveillance footage clearly shows it."
"He's in the hospital now."
His face was devoid of emotion as he replied coldly.
Chang Xuyu's eyes widened!
"In the hospital? You," she stepped back, "How hard did you hit him?"
She had always thought he was steady and reliable, a dependable man. She never expected he could have such a reckless day.
Yi Zhuo gritted his molars, then suddenly pulled her tightly into his arms.
The overwhelming smell of alcohol instantly filled her nostrils.
She froze.
The man's grip was strong. God knows how much he had drunk, but he had wanted to smoke and didn't dare light a single cigarette, knowing she might come. Besides the alcohol, she could also smell the freshness of mint.
He liked mint candies and usually carried a scent of white sandalwood and mint—crisp yet deep.
The hands holding her trembled slightly. After a long while, he closed his eyes and spoke hoarsely, thick with intoxication—
"Can we... not separate?"