Chapter 3: Liberation
1211 Words
The servant prepared the tea. Ling Yaqiong favored pre-Qingming Longjing, its clear aroma softly wafting in the air. She took a sip and asked, "Have you spoken with Yan Jing about what we discussed last time?"
Lin Yuxi paused, "Not yet."
She had tried to contact Zhou Yanjing while he was still in Manhattan. When she mentioned wanting to talk, he was busy and impatient, merely responding, "Whatever it is, we'll discuss it when I'm back."
Subsequent calls went unanswered, and she eventually ceased trying.
"You don’t seem to take my words to heart at all," Ling Yaqiong’s brows furrowed deeply. "I told you to talk to him, yet so much time has passed without any progress."
"Now that Yan Jing is back, the two of you should find time to complete the paperwork and get it over with."
"Living like this, making a laughingstock of yourselves. Even if you don’t feel ashamed, I do."
Ling Yaqiong’s greatest vexation in recent years had been the marriage between Zhou Yanjing and Lin Yuxi. In hindsight, she regretted ever agreeing to their union.
"A divorce would be a liberation for both of you. I am only thinking of your well-being."
The teacup was slightly hot to the touch. Lin Yuxi’s fingers recoiled from the heat as she stared at the floating leaves in the pale yellow tea.
If she didn’t love Zhou Yanjing, it would indeed be a release.
"I will discuss it with him."
"Master and the Second Young Master have returned," a servant announced.
Lin Yuxi turned her head.
Zhou Yanjing entered with Zhou Qizhen. Casually holding his suit jacket, he walked in, conversing with Zhou Qizhen, a nonchalant smile on his lips.
However, that smile faded almost imperceptibly upon seeing her.
Ling Yaqiong, having not seen her son for a long time, greeted him with a beaming smile. "Why did you suddenly decide to come back without telling me?"
Zhou Yanjing replied, "Isn’t this surprise a pleasant one?"
"What surprise? It’s enough if you don’t drive me to my grave. Coming and going as you please."
Though she complained, Ling Yaqiong was inwardly delighted to see her son. "Why have you lost weight again? Haven’t you been eating properly over there?"
Zhou Yanjing lazily stood there, letting her fuss over him, his smile mischievous. "You always say I've lost weight. Why don't you plant me in the backyard bamboo grove?"
Ling Yaqiong gave him a playful slap. "You’re never serious."
Zhou Yanjing had always been glib. As a child, he could charm with his words and argue persuasively.
Though he had become more stable with age, his essence remained unchanged. Lin Yuxi had never won an argument against him.
During dinner, Lin Yuxi sat beside Zhou Yanjing.
Zhou Qizhen, a man of imposing presence, had always intimidated her since childhood.
At the table, Zhou Qizhen routinely inquired about her well-being, asking about her work. Lin Yuxi answered his questions, feeling like a student under a headmaster’s scrutiny.
When Zhou Qizhen shifted his attention to Zhou Yanjing, she finally exhaled in relief.
The father and son continued discussing work. Zhou Yanjing’s achievements on Wall Street were well-known, and Zhou Qizhen’s nods and words conveyed his pride.
Lin Yuxi, burdened with her own thoughts, couldn’t eat. However, she feigned eating to avoid further questions from Zhou Qizhen, counting rice grains slowly.
Noticing her focused demeanor, Zhou Qizhen asked, "Is the food not to your liking?"
Before Lin Yuxi could reply, Zhou Yanjing lazily remarked, "She prefers cat food."
Zhou Qizhen: ?
Embarrassed, Lin Yuxi tried to explain, but Zhou Yanjing, seemingly unsatisfied with the initial reaction, leaned back and added languidly, "Must be some special diet; she even birthed a cat now."
Lin Yuxi: "..."
She wished the earth would swallow her whole.
Ling Yaqiong glared at Zhou Yanjing. "Stop spouting nonsense."
Zhou Qizhen’s stern face remained silent, unable to decipher the young people's joke, considering it might pertain to a medical or mental issue, both inappropriate to probe directly.
"Xiao Xi... are you unwell?"
Lin Yuxi’s face flushed with embarrassment as she hurriedly denied, "No, he’s just talking nonsense."
After dinner, father and son retreated to the study for a lengthy discussion. Ling Yaqiong joined them later with soup, remaining inside for a while.
Lin Yuxi, exhausted from lack of sleep and a long day at work, dozed off on the couch.
A servant, Zhao Yi, gently woke her. "Yuxi."
Lin Yuxi rubbed her eyes. "Are we leaving?"
"Second Young Master and the Master are still talking. It might take a while."
Zhao Yi had cared for Lin Yuxi since childhood, treating her like her own daughter. "Your old room is tidy. Do you want to rest upstairs?"
Lin Yuxi seldom visited except for holidays or at Ling Yaqiong’s behest.
Upstairs, she still had some of her childhood belongings, though not many.
After asking Zhao Yi for a box, she gathered her things. As she descended with the box, Zhou Yanjing emerged from the study.
His gaze flickered over the box in her arms. "What are you carrying?"
"Childhood items I forgot to take."
He tugged at the corner of his mouth, a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
As they walked downstairs, Lin Yuxi said, "Don’t joke around in front of your parents."
"Joke around?" Zhou Yanjing stopped, loosening his tie and looking back at her. "Weren’t you the one who joked?"
"I was kidding. You repeating it to your parents embarrassed me."
Zhou Yanjing slid his hands into his pockets, his eyes filled with a mocking light, his tone deceptively cooperative. "Fine. I’ll make a list of what can be shared and what can’t. You mark them clearly so I don’t inadvertently reveal your secrets and end up bearing your wrath."
Lin Yuxi understood his sarcasm. "I wasn’t taking it out on you."
Uninterested in her explanation, Zhou Yanjing turned and continued downstairs.
Following him, Lin Yuxi noticed his tall figure stretched elegantly in the dim light of the staircase.
Despite his lazy stride, she struggled to keep up, quickly falling behind.
Outside, the black Bentley awaited. Zhou Yanjing stood by the car, lighting a cigarette. The glowing tip flickered in the night, casting a sophisticated yet rakish air.
Seeing her approach, he stubbed out the cigarette. "Are those long legs for show? Why are you so slow?"
Lin Yuxi wanted to retort that she was carrying a box but refrained, too weary to argue.
They had long lost the desire to communicate with each other.
Let it go. These words repeatedly echoed in her mind, quelling any impulse to speak.
Zhou Yanjing opened the car door, tossing his jacket inside. His slender fingers rested on the car's edge, his voice tinged with coolness. "Is there anything else you need to take? If so, get it all at once today."
"No." Lin Yuxi’s temper flared. "The rest are your Zhou family’s belongings. Keep them."
She bent to sit inside, hearing Zhou Yanjing’s cold chuckle as he closed the door and entered from the other side.
His gentlemanly demeanor was ingrained, though it was cultivated through upbringing. His sharp tongue and indifference were innate.
Lin Yuxi once thought him merely frivolous, realizing only after marriage how heartless he could be.
- Writer
