But that night, due to an accidental misdial, she inadvertently made an awkward voice call with Zhou Wang. On the other end of the line, she heard Zhou Wang in a conversation with some girl, which could only be described as "obscene"...
Ji Xiaoxi could hardly believe it. How could a girl, at that moment, call another man "Barbie" in such a sweet voice?
She should have hung up immediately.
But she didn’t.
By some inexplicable urge, Ji Xiaoxi hid under her blanket, attempting something for the first time in her life.
Unexpectedly smooth.
But it wasn’t due to her having a gift for it; rather, Zhou Wang had already given her a hands-on teaching session prior.
When the magical Water Magic blossomed in that tiny space, Ji Xiaoxi opened her eyes wide in the dark, her consciousness seemingly drifting into the skies.
At that moment, she felt freedom, she felt...a joy she had never experienced before.
But once clarity returned, Ji Xiaoxi fell into panic, unsure of what came over her to do something so shameless, knowing full well...Zhou Wang didn’t force her this time.
Perhaps out of fear, or a certain self-loathing, Ji Xiaoxi finally resolved to block Zhou Wang.
With intentional forgetting, life seemed to return to normal. Zhou Wang didn’t exploit his position in the company to harass her again. Even after she followed Wu Yanqiu to Europe, Ji Xiaoxi gradually relaxed.
She and Chen He maintained regular call times every day, exchanging pleasantries. Chen He was still so devoted, constantly expressing concern. The minor conflict from their last meeting seemed forgotten, and everything returned to normal.
Even when unexpectedly seeing Zhou Wang tonight, Ji Xiaoxi was initially flustered, but then seemed to convince herself that it was no big deal, as long as she held firm to her principles and didn’t give Zhou Wang another chance...
With this mindset, Ji Xiaoxi stayed wary, especially after being forced to join the drinking party tonight. She was on edge, fearing Zhou Wang would take advantage of an opportunity.
But later... Ji Xiaoxi found she was overthinking it.
Not only did he not take advantage of her, Zhou Wang didn’t even look at her much the entire evening.
In Ji Xiaoxi’s eyes, Zhou Wang was always being affectionate with Miss Di, or had his arms around Miss Yang. Even with Yu Meng and those girls, it seemed he was much closer than with her...
Ji Xiaoxi tried to convince herself that this was for the best, but in truth, she couldn’t deceive herself.
She felt uncomfortable because of Zhou Wang’s intimacy with Miss Di, felt jealous of Miss Yang laughing on his shoulder, and at some moment, was angry that Sunny, who was supposedly close to her, could shamelessly throw herself into Zhou Wang’s arms...
She was also annoyed with Zhou Wang, as if knowing he was toying with her wasn’t enough, did he have to blatantly ignore her?
Unsure of what to do, Ji Xiaoxi resorted to drinking, but bizarrely, she couldn’t get drunk despite usually having a low tolerance...
She kept pouring alcohol into herself until she realized it was pointless, choosing instead to escape awkwardly, running alone to the second floor and hiding in this room.
When she was finally alone, the tears she had been holding back fell uncontrollably...
And then Zhou Wang came.
It was like he was deliberately toying with her, showing up at just such a time.
Zhou Wang gazed at the tearful Ji Xiaoxi, thought for a moment, and extended his hand, "I probably don’t understand fully, but I at least know I made you cry... Here, if it will make you feel better, go ahead and hit me."
Ji Xiaoxi stared blankly at Zhou Wang for a few seconds, then suddenly grabbed his hand and bit down on it.
Hiss!
Zhou Wang grimaced... Those little tiger teeth of yours sure pack a punch. No wonder I was in so much pain when you bit me last time!
After a while, when Ji Xiaoxi released Zhou Wang, there were noticeable bite marks on his hand.
Ji Xiaoxi opened her mouth as if to say something, but then held back.
Zhou Wang simply patted her head, indicating he didn’t mind.
The gesture nearly broke Ji Xiaoxi’s composure again. Her body trembled slightly before she suddenly looked up, her eyes slightly unfocused on something behind Zhou Wang.
"Zhou Wang..."
"Hmm?"
"Do you believe in fate?"
"Hard to say..."
"What do you mean?"
"Um, like most people, if things aren’t going well, I’d say it’s an unfair fate, but if things are good, I take credit for my hard work, what’s fate got to do with it..."
"Pfft!"
Ji Xiaoxi burst into a smile, lightly hitting Zhou Wang, "What nonsense is that...?"
Now it was Zhou Wang’s turn to be stunned, as this was the first time Ji Xiaoxi showed such a smile in front of him.
Bright, clear... That kind of beauty beyond worldly matters made Zhou Wang’s heart skip a few beats.
Ji Xiaoxi didn’t notice his reaction, her eyes still on something behind Zhou Wang, after laughing she said blankly:
"But I think this feels like fate, I randomly chose a room and just happened to end up here, feeling God’s presence..."
Only then did Zhou Wang realize something was off. He turned to follow Ji Xiaoxi’s gaze and saw a mural on one side of the game room.
It was a foreign woman holding a baby, with a serene face.
Zhou Wang recognized who it was. Although he wasn’t religious, he knew this was likely the famous Mother Mary... representing virginity and purity, an embodiment of innocence.
"God wants me to confess, but Zhou Wang, I’ve been here confessing for half an hour and still feel like the sins on me can’t be cleansed, what should I do..."
As Ji Xiaoxi spoke, she couldn’t hold back her tears, her mouth pouted in grievance, making Zhou Wang’s heartache.
"Then don’t wash them away."
Zhou Wang grinned, "Regardless of whether they exist, who cares about heaven or hell, I’ll be with you anyway... Don’t worry, I’ve got your cross for you."
Ji Xiaoxi stared blankly at Zhou Wang, stunned into silence, but her eyes softened gradually.
Zhou Wang leaned in a little closer, Ji Xiaoxi knew what he wanted, but at this moment, she slowly closed her eyes.
Yeah, who cares about heaven or hell...
I’m just human, why can’t I succumb?
"Mmm!"