The meaning behind Zhou Jingze’s words wasn’t about Xu Sui introducing what “XXX” meant. He was asking her to come clean. Bai Yushe is different from ordinary men; he’s the first one to make Zhou Jingze feel threatened.
Despite dealing with chaos all day, with a bad mood building up, when he saw Liang Shuang’s friend circle update, he still abandoned all his problems and rushed over.
Xu Sui lowered her eyes. She didn’t actually know how to introduce Bai Yushe. He was like a small beacon in a certain uncertain phase of Xu Sui’s life.
Meeting Bai Yushe was actually a stroke of luck.
When Xu Sui was an exchange student in Hong Kong, her major had nothing to do with Italian, and she knew nothing about the language. Besides her classmate Carrie, there was another girl from the language department named Shi Ning, who happened to be studying Italian as her second language.
Xu Sui couldn’t remember why Shi Ning asked her to help with attendance that day. She just knew she was in a tight spot and couldn’t make it to school, so she asked Xu Sui to go instead.
At that time, Xu Sui had just come out of the lab and heard Shi Ning’s urgent tone on the phone, almost on the verge of tears, so she agreed.
It took Xu Sui over ten minutes to find the classroom, and she ended up sneaking in at the last minute.
She rarely did such things, afraid of getting caught, so she sat in the second-to-last row.
It was her first time attending an Italian class.
The movie playing in the classroom happened to be “The Girls of the Back Streets.”
Xu Sui knew nothing about Italian films, and the language sounded harsh to her, so she had no intention of paying attention from the start.
Hong Kong summers were too hot, with stifling heat blowing in from the sea, compounded by a movie she couldn’t understand.
Xu Sui felt drowsy and ended up falling asleep on her desk. Bai Yushe noticed her keenly and publicly called her out, but Xu Sui was too groggy, eventually being woken up by a girl at the next desk.
She couldn’t answer the question.
Xu Sui was punished with a more than five-thousand-word film review, which she had to deliver in person.
The incident of substituting for Shi Ning’s class was exposed later, and Xu Sui thought she could escape unscathed, but Bai Yushe seemed fixated on her, still demanding the film review.
With no other choice, Xu Sui had to seriously watch the movie in her spare time. Initially, she saw it as just a task, but as she watched earnestly, Xu Sui discovered the beauty of Italian summers—vast seas, vibrant blue, tall green trees, and every neighborhood boasting an old bookstore.
People kissed in fountain squares and sunbathed by the sea, tanning into healthy wheat tones.
Of course, the movie was even better. It told the story of a child from a poor family growing up in a crumbling household and swiftly maturing.
Step by step, she emerged from the swamp, overcoming obstacles to become her own queen in her career, while also encountering her own love, albeit unsatisfying.
After finishing it, Xu Sui wrote a thoughtful review. When she handed it to Bai Yushe, he glanced at it, seized on key words, and keenly asked, “Do you think Clarissa’s view of love is unique, or do you think your view of love is unique?” Xu Sui avoided this issue.
Later, she somehow got to know Bai Yushi. Xu Sui liked this movie a lot and wanted to find more Italian films to watch. When Bai Yushi found out, he often lent her Blu-ray collector’s edition films and recommended many original novels to her.
Through their interactions, the two unexpectedly became friends. For Xu Sui, Bai Yushi was not only a friend but also somewhat like a life mentor. There was a period of time when Xu Sui felt lost about her future studies and relationships.
Bai Yushi said, “When you’re lost, read more books and watch more movies.”
Xu Sui responded, “I don’t know how to describe this feeling. I still think of him sometimes, but in this relationship, I might be more demanding. He’s actually very good to me, flawless even, but I want a unique kind of love, which he can’t provide.”
Bai Yushi just smiled and said, “You young girls are serious about love.”
Xu Sui, sensitive to the word “you”, had heard gossip spreading around school during this time, saying there was a girl ten years younger than Professor Bai who came from afar to see him but was coldly rejected without a meeting.
It was said he was engaged in a well-connected family relationship.
It was rumored that Bai Yushi’s ancestral home was in Guangdong, half Hong Konger, growing up in a well-to-do family, supported by the complex Pa family fortune.
Men like Bai Yushi, outstanding, powerful, and charming, were hard not to attract other girls.
Rumors were rife in the school, but Bai Yushi himself remained unaffected, continuing with his classes as usual.
“Professor Bai, what is your view on love?” Xu Sui asked.
Xu Sui still remembered, his smile was slight, his eyes lowered, “I don’t have any views on love, it’s all about capital accumulation.”
Xu Sui was lost in thought, thinking about how to introduce him, when Bai Yushi’s voice brought her back. He took the initiative to reach out and said,
“Hello, I am Professor Bai Yushi, whom Xu Sui studied with in Hong Kong.”
Hearing the word “Hong Kong”, Zhou Jingze’s eyes, dark as rocks, dimmed for a moment, as if dried up, leaving only the riverbed.
“Zhou Jingze.” Zhou Jingze’s voice was cold, looking up at him, but not extending his hand in return.
Bai Yushi withdrew his hand, put it in his pocket, nodded at the two of them, and said, “I’ll be off.”
The sound of the car starting was particularly loud in the quiet night, followed by a black car disappearing into the darkness. Xu Sui took out the keys from her bag and said to Zhou Jingze,
“It’s late, you should go back and rest.”
After that, Xu Sui took out the keys from her bag, preparing to pass Zhou Jingze by. However, the man stood in front of Xu Sui, grabbing her arm to prevent her from leaving.
“Are you trying to provoke me, still a professor, huh?” Zhou Jingze gritted his teeth.
Just now, seeing the two of them together, he felt an indescribable emotion, suffocating but unable to vent.
Looking into each other’s eyes, Xu Sui stared quietly at him.
Unable to bear the gaze of her dark pupils, Zhou Jingze pulled Xu Sui into his arms and buried his head in her shoulder. The night was dark, the wind blew, rustling the dried leaves on the ground.
For a moment, Xu Sui felt Zhou Jingze was motionless.
She felt he was like a silent bow, standing there, as if about to break at any moment.
Xu Sui didn’t know what had happened to Zhou Jingze, but she sensed his low pressure and frustration.
“Let me hold you for a while.” Zhou Jingze’s voice was hoarse.
As soon as he spoke, Xu Sui felt something was off. Her struggling body stopped, standing still.
Zhou Jingze let go of Xu Sui after holding her for a while.
“I’m leaving.” Zhou Jingze pinched her face and resumed his carefree expression.
As Zhou Jingze turned and left, Xu Sui stood in place, watching his back.
The streetlights were dim, and the lights in the winter night were bleak. Zhou Jingze’s silhouette looked lonely and cold, his coat flapping in the wind and then settling.
In fact, for these five or six years, their understanding and involvement with each other had been close to zero.
Looking at Zhou Jingze’s long shadow on the ground, Xu Sui asked,
“Have you eaten?”
With a snap, the lights turned on brightly, and the room felt warm like spring.
Xu Sui bent down, picked up a pair of men’s shoes, and handed them to Zhou Jingze. Zhou Jingze stood at the door, staring at the shoes without moving.
“They’re new, disposable.” Xu Sui said.
Only then did Zhou Jingze put them on, walked in, and surveyed the room with his dark eyes.
Xu Sui’s apartment was a one-bedroom with a balcony, neatly arranged in a Japanese style. There were many cute little ornaments next to the TV cabinet, and a bunch of eucalyptus leaves was placed in the corner on the left, giving it a lively atmosphere.
That’s how it used to be. When they were together, Xu Sui would often bring some little things over on weekends.
Suddenly, he remembered the goldfish in the fish tank and the small green succulent she had bought and placed on his room window.
It felt like just yesterday.
Zhou Jingze lowered his long eyelashes, casting a faint shadow at the bottom of his eyes.
“You sit down first.” Xu Sui tidied up the magazines on the sofa, poured a glass of water, and put it on the table.
Zhou Jingze sat on the sofa and took a sip of water. After Xu Sui took off her coat, she opened the fridge, looking somewhat embarrassed. “I only have instant noodles. Would you like some?”
“Eat.” Zhou Jingze dropped a single word.
Xu Sui took out a bundle of noodles, a box of eggs, and tomatoes, then walked to the kitchen, tied her hair with a rubber band she found in her pocket.
In reality, she wasn’t very good at cooking; she could only manage simple vegetarian dishes. Noodles like these were the sort she’d barely scrape together.
Zhou Jingze placed a cup on the table, saw through Xu Sui in one glance, and said, “Let me do it.”
Zhou Jingze’s movements were skilled. In no time, a steaming plate of noodles was ready.
Since Xu Sui had eaten earlier, she didn’t join in. Zhou Jingze sat there, eating with his head bowed, steam blurring his features.
“Where did you go today?” Xu Sui asked.
What happened was clear; she hadn’t asked the second half.
Zhou Jingze paused with his chopsticks. “Dongzhao.”
The air returned to silence. After speaking, he continued eating noodles, the only sound around them the slurping.
Dongzhao, wasn’t that the airline Zhou Jingze had flown for before?
Zhou Jingze was typically deliberate when eating noodles, unhurried. He couldn’t say why he choked; he lowered his head, chest heaving, and coughed violently, eyes slightly red.
Xu Sui poured him a glass of water. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Zhou Jingze took a couple sips, habitually smiling nonchalantly. “Next time.”
He seemed disinclined to bring it up, veering to another topic instead, even mustering the mood to crack jokes and amuse Xu Sui. After finishing his noodles, Zhou Jingze checked the time, picked up the keys and lighter on the table, and said:
“Satisfied.”
Taking his things, Zhou Jingze left. Remembering something, he turned back, hand on the doorknob, squinting with a warning: “Lock the door for me.”
“I lock the door every night. Shouldn’t you be the one concerned?” Xu Sui muttered softly.
Zhou Jingze chuckled lazily, tilting his neck, looking directly at her:
“If I want you, do you think this door can stop me?”
“Anyway, goodnight.” Zhou Jingze reached out and patted her head.
After seeing Zhou Jingze off, Xu Sui closed the door. While tidying up the table, she received a text from Liang Shuang, curious:
“Sweetie, are you home? I think Professor Bai is quite good; you should consider.”
“You’re overthinking it, babe,” Xu Sui replied helplessly.
Liang Shuang took this as shyness and chuckled to herself twice. She always felt that Xu Sui’s gentle personality was at a disadvantage when dating someone like Zhou Jingze.
Zhou Jingze was too unpredictable. When he liked you, it was like a flame—intense and scorching. But sometimes, he was like the wind, elusive and ungraspable.
Rather than a passionate romance, she needed steady affection and security.
The day before they planned to visit the exhibition, Xu Sui checked reviews on Dianping and found a highly rated restaurant. She specifically asked:
“Professor Bai, do you eat Xinjiang cuisine? It can be spicy.”
Bai Yushi replied promptly:
“Yes, I’ve had a lot of Cantonese food; I’m up for a change.”
“Great,” Xu Sui responded.
The weather grew colder, the temperature plummeting.
Xu Sui wore a coat but added a white turtleneck sweater underneath. As she stepped outside, a sharp wind hit her face like knives. She immediately buried her face in her collar, revealing only a pair of dark, quiet eyes.
Bai Yushi found her appearance somewhat amusing. “I have a coat in my car; I’ll have the driver bring it.”
“No need,” Xu Sui waved her hand, pulling her face out of her collar to breathe in the fresh air, “we’re going inside soon; it should be warm in there.”
Bai Yushi nodded and said no more. They entered the exhibition center together, feeling like they’d stepped into a European street. Vintage movie posters adorned the walls.
Xu Sui and Bai Yushi walked together, occasionally stopping at interesting posters. She’d linger for a closer look, and Bai Yushi would explain.
In this movie poster exhibition, Xu Sui was delighted to see posters from Italian films she’d watched before—like “The Gospel According to St. Matthew” and “La Dolce Vita.”
Turning a corner, Xu Sui saw a poster for “North and South,” frozen on the scene where the male lead confesses to the female lead.
“The person you met downstairs a few days ago, is he still the only one you’re troubled about?” Bai Yushi asked when he noticed her distracted.
Xu Sui hesitated, then nodded, saying, “Meeting him again, I realized he’s never let go of those feelings and is still pursuing me, but I…”
“But you’re afraid, scared of repeating the same mistakes,” Bai Yushi finished her sentence bluntly.
“Yes,” Xu Sui agreed.
She lacked the courage to start anew with him.
Bai Yushi nodded understandingly. Surprisingly, this time, he didn’t dismiss her feelings like he had in Hong Kong with, “That’s just what naive young girls want.” Instead, he said:
“I understand you a bit now.”
Surprised, Xu Sui smiled and asked, “Professor, what changed your mind?”
People like Bai Yushi should have their own set of life values that others find difficult to change. Bai Yushi was momentarily stunned, then faintly smiled:
“There is such a person.”
“Anyway, if you need any help, feel free to ask.”
Xu Sui nodded and continued to look at the exhibition. After they finished, they planned to go eat. The driver had something to attend to and had gone back earlier, so Bai Yushi personally drove her from Huancheng Road. The road was intermittently congested.
Zhou Jingze had been busy lately and hadn’t come out much. Coincidentally, Daliu had returned and was on vacation, so this group of people gathered again.
In Room 2070 of the clubhouse, the dim red lights illuminated as Daliu sang mournfully, “Find a beloved person to bid farewell to being single…”
Zhou Jingze lazily mixed drinks on the sofa, creating a strong one. He picked up a lemon wedge from a white plate and placed it on the rim of the glass. As he lowered his head, the nape of his neck moved slowly, enticing and provocative.
Suddenly, Sheng Nanzhou burst in, sat beside Zhou Jingze, and sank into the sofa. He made excuses for his lateness: “The traffic on Huancheng Road was terrible, just like making dumplings, stopping and going all the way. Anyway, it’s not my fault for being late.”
Sheng Nanzhou placed the freshly mixed vodka in front of him and raised an eyebrow. “Stop talking nonsense and drink it.”
Sheng Nanzhou glanced at the alcohol content. With his tolerance, if he downed this glass, he’d be hugging the toilet later. He jokingly hugged Zhou Jingze’s neck:
“Bro, you should be the one drinking this. I just saw Xu Sui with another man, quite scholarly and charming. Heartbroken, huh?”
Zhou Jingze held a cigarette between his fingertips. The ash fell, causing a burning sensation in his palm. He chuckled but said nothing.
“Don’t doubt me, bro. They were chatting happily, looked like they were going on a date. I drove past them, or else I’d have snapped a picture for you.” Sheng Nanzhou stabbed him emotionally.
Zhou Jingze’s pupils suddenly contracted upon realizing this. He downed the vodka. As the liquid hit his throat, his stomach burned, and a spicy taste rushed up. His temples throbbed, rendering him speechless.
After a while, with an ice cube between his teeth, Zhou Jingze nonchalantly chewed, and with a thud, he placed the glass back. He stood up, lowered his voice, and said two words:
“Leaving.”
Zhou Jingze grabbed his coat and left his buddies early. Daliu just finished singing “Single Love Song,” turned around, and Zhou Jingze was gone.
Daliu looked puzzled. “What’s wrong with my buddy?”
“What else? Someone knocked over the vinegar jar,” Sheng Nanzhou gloated on the sofa.
Bai Yushi drove while Xu Sui sat beside her. They were on their way to the restaurant when Xu Sui’s phone, which was in her bag, suddenly rang.
She took it out and answered, “Hello.”
The sound of a lighter clicking came from the phone. Zhou Jingze’s voice, gravelly and low, asked, “Where are you?”
“On the way to dinner,” Xu Sui replied.
Out of the blue, Zhou Jingze asked, “With whom?”
Xu Sui pressed the car window and asked, “Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?”
There was silence on the other end, only the crackling of electricity.
If the phone hadn’t shown that they were still connected, Xu Sui would have thought Zhou Jingze had hung up.
“Indeed, you don’t need to report,” Zhou Jingze’s tone was casual, then he changed the subject, “But I need the student records and first aid test results for the base trainees.”
“In short, I need you to come in for overtime now,” Zhou Jingze concluded.
Xu Sui hesitated, “Can it wait a bit? Everything’s on the computer. I’ll send it to you when I’m back home…”
0″The situation is urgent, it concerns their commercial license exams,” Zhou Jingze interrupted her, calmly deceiving the other person without changing his expression.
Xu Sui wanted to argue, “But…”
Zhou Jingze remained silent on the other end, but even through the phone, Xu Sui could sense his suppressed frustration. The matter of the students taking their licenses was indeed time-sensitive.
“Okay, I’ll head home now,” Xu Sui said.
After hanging up the phone, Xu Sui looked at Bai Yushi with a troubled expression. The man smiled faintly, having gathered a rough idea from the phone call; he might have become Zhou Jingze’s imagined adversary.
“Sorry, Professor, something’s come up suddenly, I’ll have to treat you to dinner another time,” Xu Sui apologized.
“No problem, I’ll drive you home first,” Bai Yushi smiled and tapped the steering wheel with his knuckles.
With that, he made a turn, adjusted the direction, entered Xu Sui’s address into the navigation, and drove off. After a 40-minute drive, they arrived, and before Xu Sui got out of the car, she earnestly thanked him.
As Xu Sui walked back home, she didn’t expect Zhou Jingze to appear at her doorstep, his expression not looking too good.
“Do you not have a car?” Zhou Jingze asked as he approached her.
“What?” Xu Sui was a bit confused by his question.
Zhou Jingze glanced at the black car slowly driving away behind her, his voice slightly serious, “If not, I’ll get you one.”
To prevent her from always relying on others for rides.
Xu Sui didn’t understand what he meant. She took out her keys from her bag and said, “Let’s go, I’ll give you the documents.”
On his second visit to Xu Sui’s home, Zhou Jingze seemed familiar and comfortable as he walked in, sitting down as if it were his own place.
After searching through the room for a while, Xu Sui emerged with a stack of documents and handed them to him, saying, “The hard copies are here; I’ll send you the electronic versions to your email later.”
“Alright, you can leave now,” Xu Sui began ushering him out.
Zhou Jingze pulled out a stack of documents, pinching a corner of the paper between his slender fingers, flipping through it slowly.
He lowered his head to look at the student information on the documents and suddenly asked out of nowhere, “Are you dating Bai Yushi?”
Dating? Wasn’t she just innocently going to an art exhibition with a friend? Xu Sui instinctively wanted to explain but then remembered something and the words at the tip of her tongue changed, “Yes, after getting to know him, I found him to be quite nice.”
Her implication was hoping he would back off.
Zhou Jingze absentmindedly flipped through the documents, his actions momentarily pausing as he spoke, a sudden distraction causing the sharp edge of the paper to cut him.
Immediately, a bead of bright red blood emerged, steadily flowing out. He felt the pain but ignored it, raising his gaze to look at her.
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