Even though the sun was blazing, Yulan couldn't help but shiver. She closed her eyes gently, hiding all the turbulence of her emotions behind her sunglasses, and let out a soft, "Mm."
Xi Mingzhou, who had been listening from the side, was already seething with rage; he felt like screaming. But the moment he remembered these were Yulan's parents, he forced himself to hold back. Eventually, however, the level of absurdity surpassed anything he could tolerate—the things they were saying were more repulsive to him than swallowing a live fly.
It was one thing to be so blinded by bias that they refused to listen to reason, but to actually demand that Yulan write a letter of clemency for the student who had nearly blinded her? On what grounds? Just because he was Yulan's father?
"Professor Yu! I've long heard that you have quite the academic reputation," Xi Mingzhou said, his tone dripping with deliberate sarcasm.
Father Yu adjusted his glasses and sized Xi Mingzhou up. "You are... Yulan's boyfriend?"
Xi Mingzhou let out a cold snort and launched into a rapid-fire retort: "Your daughter was almost blinded by someone splashing paint at her! If she hadn't been lucky enough to be wearing a hat, she would be blind right now. She’s only twenty years old! What does it matter how high your academic achievements are if you can't even be a proper father? You’re actually asking her to forgive the criminal? What kind of future could a hot-headed thug like that have? Are you blind, too?"
Hearing this, Yulan’s eyes widened. She quickly grabbed Xi Mingzhou’s arm and bowed deeply to her father, apologizing profusely, "Dad, you should go. I’ll write the letter and send it to the police station tomorrow. Please don't be angry; he’s just blunt and doesn't know how to talk properly."
Father Yu’s chest heaved violently from the verbal assault. Mother Yu rushed to support him, stroking his chest to calm him down. Father Yu’s finger pointed at Yulan, then at Xi Mingzhou, but he couldn't get a single word out.
Seeing this, Mother Yu hurried him into the passenger seat, feeding him water and helping him catch his breath. Only after his complexion improved did she trot back to Yulan’s side. She pulled a thick envelope from her small bag, pressed it into Yulan’s arms, and whispered, "Don’t be angry. That’s just the way he is. I’ll talk to him when we get home. As for... as for the letter, if you don’t want to write it, then don’t. That boy is an adult; he broke the law in a moment of impulse and he should face the consequences."
Yulan let out a long sigh and asked, "Do you want me to write it?"
Mother Yu fell silent.
Yulan let out a low laugh. "I understand. I’ll write it."
"That boy is your father’s last student. He was just impulsive, but he’s a good person otherwise. To err is human, right? It’s better to be forgiving when you can."
As soon as Mother Yu finished, she was called away by Father Yu from inside the car.
Night fell quietly, and one by one, the streetlights flickered to life. Yulan’s shadow stretched long under the glow. She hung her head, standing there silently, not saying a word.
Xi Mingzhou, his heart aching for her, pulled Yulan into his arms. "I finally understand why you never want to go home. If I had parents like that, I wouldn't go back either."
Yulan leaned obediently against his shoulder, hungrily absorbing his warmth. But in her heart, she silently denied it, *It’s not because of that. This time, I’ve wronged you, Mingzhou. I have no choice but to hide the truth from you.*
Around the corner, the window of Shen Zhixing’s car slowly rolled up.
He asked Chen Fang, "Where is Yulan’s file?"
Chen Fang didn't speak, but fiddled with his phone. After a moment, he said, "It’s been sent to your inbox."
Shen Zhixing’s fingertips hovered over the screen. Two minutes later, he pressed the delete key.
That night, Xi Mingzhou and Yulan huddled together on the small bed on the second floor. The darkness made Yulan’s body more sensitive; she could feel the person beside her growing hotter and hotter, until eventually, Xi Mingzhou sat up with a start.
"I’m going to a hotel, little Yulan flower. This kind of torture is not something a human can endure." Xi Mingzhou’s face was droopy, and those bright, sparkling eyes had lost their usual luster.
Yulan laughed and ruffled his hair, teasing, "I thought you were a saint who could resist temptation. You’re giving up already?"
"What are you talking about? Who says I can't do it? I’m keeping myself chaste!"
"Keeping yourself chaste?" Yulan asked, puzzled.
Xi Mingzhou immediately realized he’d said the wrong thing. Looking away with a guilty conscience, he muttered, "I’m keeping myself pure for our future marriage. You’d better not make fun of me."
Thinking back to their heart-to-heart conversation, Yulan’s heart softened. She relented, "Come over early tomorrow and accompany me to the hospital to see someone."
Xi Mingzhou agreed enthusiastically, put on his clothes, and scurried off. Yulan chuckled to herself, "This guy is ridiculously cute."
The next day, Yulan waited at the shop until 9:30. She could already faintly distinguish shapes with her eyes. As soon as someone entered the door, she immediately leaned on her iron rod, walked over to embrace the person's arm, and rubbed her head against his chest, asking, "Did you sleep late yesterday?"
"It was alright."
*Shock!*
The moment Shen Zhixing’s voice rang out, Yulan scrambled away with the fastest speed she had ever mustered. In her distraction, she bumped into a trash can. Just as she was about to fall, a pair of large hands steadied her firmly by the shoulders.
"L-Little Uncle... why are you here?" Yulan’s teeth were chattering as she spoke.
"What’s wrong? Are your eyes still hurting?" Shen Zhixing leaned down, closing the distance. Yulan could vaguely smell the deep, woody scent of ebony on him.
Yulan gasped and fumbled her way backward.
"Heh." Shen Zhixing pushed up his glasses, the curve of his lips deepening as the dimples on his cheeks flickered into view. "What’s going on today? Are you afraid of me?"
Yulan’s palms were sweating. *Who wouldn't be afraid after hugging and rubbing against an elder like that...* she thought. But out loud, she immediately denied it, "No, no. My eyes just hurt a little."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Shen Zhixing caught her off guard and leaned in even closer. The scent of ebony enveloped her, and his next action made her freeze in place. One of his hands held her head steady, while the other reached up to lift her chin.
*Gulp.* Yulan swallowed hard. Her heart was racing like a ping-pong ball, and her usually sharp mind had completely shut down.
"Your eyes are fine. You’ve used the medication, I assume? It’s normal for the damaged cornea to be sensitive to light. Keep wearing the sunglasses and you’ll be fine."
Yulan was stunned.
*What was I so afraid of just now? Mingzhou’s uncle used to be a doctor, too...*
*Damn it!*
The heart that had been pounding in her throat finally dropped back into place. She let out a sigh of relief and said, "I didn't know you knew about ophthalmology, Little Uncle."
"Mm. I took some elective courses."
His tone was calm.
Yulan’s awkwardness and discomfort vanished completely. Her expression and tone returned to normal. "Didn't you come to Chuanshi for a meeting? Meetings that require a CEO to fly in must be very important. Why are you here?"
Shen Zhixing’s face remained expressionless as he said coolly, "You are Mingzhou’s girlfriend. Since you ran into some trouble and I happened to be here, I helped him handle it."
He finished speaking, scanned the room, and then asked, "Where is Xi Mingzhou?"