Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 368 An Awkward Scene

Several years have passed, and Xu Yunxi has grown from a naive high school girl into a graceful college student.

Liu Qingqing tactfully said, "You guys chat. I'm too tired from rehearsing the new play lately, and I walked so much shopping tonight. I'm going to take a bath to relax."

Wu Zhiyuan had a very good understanding of the structure of the villa.

There are bathrooms on the first, second, and third floors, but the first and second floors only have showers, while the third floor has a large wooden tub where you can take a bath.

"Brother Zhiyuan, when are you going back to Qingyan County?"

Liu Qingqing made tea for Wu Zhiyuan and brought over a plate of fruit.

"tomorrow."

Xu Yunxi said coquettishly, "Brother Zhiyuan, can I not go back tomorrow? I want you to come with me to sketch."

"Sigh, taking office in Qingyan, there's so much to do. I went to the Provincial Department of Transportation today, there's a ton of work to do. I can't let them work overtime on the weekend while I get to rest, can I?"

Xu Yunxi pouted and said in a pleading tone, "Brother Zhiyuan, just one day, just one day. You haven't spent time with me in so long."

Wu Zhiyuan's heart softened: "Okay."

Xu Yunxi was overjoyed: "That's great! By the way, what are some fun things to do in Qingyan County?"

"There were a few tourist attractions, but I didn't go to any of them."

"Brother Zhiyuan, can I go to Qingyan sometime next time?"

"Okay, Qingyan welcomes you."

"Hehe, I'm going this weekend, so don't make excuses about being busy. I don't want to go shopping alone if you don't come with me."

"You can call her Aunt Qingqing."

"Then you have to be our bodyguard. Otherwise, two beautiful women, one big and one small, will become targets for many perverts. Do you remember what happened in the Longcheng Art District that year?"

We walked into a small alley, where four blond-haired thugs harassed me and Aunt Qingqing. You beat them to a pulp, and I still remember their pitiful cries and howls.

Wu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Yes, that time we first went to Qinglong Lake and rescued Wang Feifei, a girl who had fallen into the water. Later, we went to the art district and encountered some hooligans."

"Yes, I remember it vividly. Aunt Qingqing remembers it clearly too; she mentioned it last time. Zhiyuan, how about we go to Emerald Lake tomorrow?"

"I'll leave tomorrow to your arrangements."

Xu Yunxi smiled slyly, "Brother Zhiyuan, you're not going to say you'll listen to me in everything tomorrow, are you?"

Wu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Why not?"

Xu Yunxi held up her finger and said playfully, "Brother Zhiyuan, the old rule, pinky promise. You have to listen to me tomorrow, no backing out."

Wu Zhiyuan was amused by her childish behavior and extended his finger to solemnly make a pinky promise with her.

"Brother Zhiyuan, do you know what bothers me the most right now?" Xu Yunxi suddenly asked, her beautiful big eyes blinking as she looked at Wu Zhiyuan.

"What is it?" Wu Zhiyuan asked with a smile.

"A lot of guys pursued me, either by handing me love letters or sending me messages. Some were very direct, while others pretended to be profound and wrote a bunch of modern poems that I couldn't understand."

As Xu Yunxi spoke, she took out her phone, scrolled through the messages, and showed them to Wu Zhiyuan: "Look, there have been several in the last few days."

Xu Yunxi's words are true.

"Yunxi, winter has arrived. The withered lotus leaves in West Lake are very picturesque, and the plane trees on Beishan Street are almost all bare, creating a unique desolate beauty."

Want to go find some inspiration together? I know a window seat on the second floor of the Qing Teng Tea House; it offers a view of withered lotus leaves on the water's edge.

"It's getting cold, wear more clothes. Today I passed by Gushan and thought of Lin Hejing, who had plum blossoms as his wife and cranes as his children, and I also thought of the quiet and aloof feeling in your paintings."

I wonder if I would have the honor of inviting you to enjoy a real snowfall over West Lake this winter?

"Did you go back to Jiangzhou this weekend? It's been very damp and cold here these past few days. I heard it's gotten colder in Jiangzhou too. Be careful to keep warm."

I've been pondering the color scheme of your last painting, "Autumn Mountains at Dusk," for a long time, and I have some thoughts I'd like to discuss with you. Would it be convenient for us to talk on the phone?

"Junior, our band is performing at the last show of the West Lake Music Festival this weekend, and we've reserved an inner-field ticket for you."

After the performance, we can go to Manjuelong to drink some warm osmanthus wine to ward off the cold and chat about art creation.

Some were even more enthusiastic and direct: "I heard from your roommate that you went back to Jiangzhou. When are you coming back to Hangzhou? I'll pick you up at the station."

Without you, winter in Hangzhou feels especially unbearable.

……

Wu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Yunxi, you've become a heartthrob."

"Hehe, I have quite a few suitors anyway. I've explained many times that I have a boyfriend, but they don't believe me and say I don't seem like someone who has a boyfriend."

Wu Zhiyuan chuckled a few times but didn't say anything.

"Zhiyuan, when are you coming to our school so they can see that I have a boyfriend?"

Xu Yunxi's words were rather blunt, and Wu Zhiyuan understood them perfectly. He couldn't bear to refuse: "Next time I have the chance, I'll visit your school."

"Okay, can you give me a timeline? Don't tell me it's sometime in the future!"

Wu Zhiyuan smiled but remained silent.

"Brother Zhiyuan, what gives me the biggest headache is not just receiving a lot of messages, but also figuring out how to reply to them."

If I don't reply, it's disrespectful to people; they'll say I'm aloof. But actually, I'm not aloof at all.

I racked my brains trying to reply, trying to find a way to politely refuse without hurting their feelings.

"Brother Zhiyuan, what do you think of my reply?"

Wu Zhiyuan took the phone and looked through it carefully.

His reading of these messages demonstrated an attitude that made Xu Yunxi feel that he valued her.

If he only glanced at her a few times, Xu Yunxi would think that he had no feelings for her at all.

In response to the invitation from the withered lotus: Thank you for sharing, senior. The winter scenery of West Lake is indeed unique. However, inspiration is a very personal thing, and I prefer to capture it when I'm alone. I wish you success in your creative work and hope you capture your own unique perspective. A friendly smiley face emoji was added at the end of the message.

In response to the invitation to enjoy the snow: Thank you for your concern. Lin Hejing's artistic realm is truly captivating, but I'd rather use my own brush to interpret Lonely Mountain and winter snow; perhaps that would offer a different perspective. I also wish you find like-minded companions.

In response to the discussion about the painting: Hello Li, thank you for your interest in "Autumn Mountains at Dusk". Regarding the color scheme, my thoughts at the time were recorded in my creative journal, and I don't plan to explore it in depth anytime soon. Please take care to keep warm in this cold weather and focus on your studies.

Reply to the music festival invitation: Thank you for reserving the ticket! However, I'm not comfortable in noisy environments, and I already have plans for the weekend. Wishing you a successful performance! Save the osmanthus wine from Manjuelong for a celebratory drink later!

The reply to the classmate who openly expressed her love was relatively brief: Thank you, no need to answer. My return date is uncertain, please don't worry.

This kind of response is crisp and clean, without picking up on the conversation or leaving any room for imagination, directly dispelling the other person's illusions.

Wu Zhiyuan returned the phone to Xu Yunxi and praised her, "Yunxi, you replied very well. You were neither arrogant nor humble, and you were reasonable and tactful. You expressed your true thoughts while also taking into account the other person's feelings."

Xu Yunxi sighed softly: "Brother Zhiyuan, it's so tiring. Every time I have to rack my brains, it's even more exhausting than conceiving a painting."

Sometimes I really want to just say, "I have someone I like, so don't bother," but then I feel there's no need to publicize my private life, especially since that person has never publicly acknowledged me.

This last sentence carried a hint of grievance, a hint of probing, and a subtle, almost imperceptible resentment.

Wu Zhiyuan felt as if his heart had been pricked by a fine needle.

What more could a man ask for than to have such a beautiful and devoted girl like Xu Yunxi?

He said softly, "Yunxi, our promise will expire in less than a year. If you're willing to wait..."

Wu Zhiyuan didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was almost straightforward.

"Brother Zhiyuan, I will wait until that day. No matter what the outcome is, I will wait."

Wu Zhiyuan had a thousand words in his heart, but they all boiled down to one sentence: "Yunxi, you've worked hard."

Xu Yunxi's eyes welled up with tears.

She had waited so long for that "You've worked hard."

"It's not hard, I'll wait for you, it's painful but joyful."

So, Zhiyuan, you have to spend quality time with me tomorrow, okay?

"Okay. I'll do whatever you say all day tomorrow."

"It's a deal then! A pinky promise is a stamp, no backing out!"

"No regrets."

The two chatted for a while longer about all sorts of things before going upstairs.

Liu Qingqing lives on the third floor, and Xu Yunxi lives on the second floor.

Xu Yunxi wanted to see if Liu Qingqing was asleep, so she went up to the third floor.

The door to Liu Qingqing's bedroom was open, the light was on, and there were clean clothes on the bed, but there was no one in sight.

Xu Yunxi was taken aback.

Aunt Qingqing said she was going to take a bath, why hasn't she come out yet?

Normally, you'll come out of the bath after about half an hour.

She walked quickly towards the bathroom on the third floor.

The glass door to the bathroom was closed, and the lights were on, but there was no sound of water.

"Aunt Qingqing! Aunt Qingqing!" Xu Yunxi called out a few times from outside the door.

No one answered.

Xu Yunxi was startled. Had Liu Qingqing fainted?

She had seen the news reports about people fainting and drowning in bathtubs.

She quickly called Wu Zhiyuan over.

"Brother Zhiyuan, Aunt Qingqing has been taking a bath for an hour or two, she might not be able to..."

Wu Zhiyuan also sensed something was wrong and quickly said, "Yunxi, go inside and take a look. I'll be right outside."

Fortunately, the bathroom door wasn't locked from the inside.

Xu Yunxi pushed open the door and entered; the scene before her eyes terrified her.

Liu Qingqing lay naked on the edge of the large wooden tub, her head drooping limply, half her face submerged in the water, her hands resting weakly on the rim, her whole body motionless.

The water in the bathtub was still warm.

"Aunt Qingqing!" Xu Yunxi screamed and rushed over to help her up, but she was too weak to lift the limp person.

"Brother Zhiyuan! Quick! Come in quickly!" Xu Yunxi cried out in terror.

Upon hearing Xu Yunxi's shouts, Wu Zhiyuan had a premonition that Liu Qingqing must have fainted.

He knew that Liu Qingqing was taking a bath and was definitely not wearing any clothes, so he hesitated a little.

But in their eagerness to save lives, they disregarded everything else.

He quickly went into the bathroom.

"Aunt Qingqing has fainted! Brother Zhiyuan, please save her!" Xu Yunxi's voice was trembling with tears.

These past few days, Xu Youwei has been attending a meeting in Beijing.

Aside from a nanny on the first floor, there is no one else in the house.

Wu Zhiyuan took a deep breath, suppressing all his embarrassment and distracting thoughts, and quickly stepped forward.

He reached out and checked Liu Qingqing's breath—it was faint, but still there.

I touched her carotid artery again—it was still pulsating.

The person is still alive.

"Yunxi, first lay a clean bath towel on the floor, then help me lift her out!"

The two of them worked together to lift Liu Qingqing out of the bathtub.

Her wet body was slippery, and Wu Zhiyuan's hands inevitably touched places they shouldn't have, but he didn't care. He carefully laid Liu Qingqing flat on the bath towel on the floor.