Tempt Flirting/Camp With Love - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The car’s taillights blurred into halos in the curtain of rain, gradually disappearing from sight.

Zheng Shuyi let out a cold snort and turned her face away.

The rain had stopped, but the banquet hall was deserted.

The valet and the doorman were inspecting the surrounding facilities, while a janitor drew streaks of water across the floor with a mop. Chilly gusts of wind swept in, blowing a few dead leaves to Zheng Shuyi’s feet.

She tightened her scarf again. On this desolate night, she couldn’t quite tell whether she was more upset with Shi Yan, a man she had never met, or with Yue Xingzhou.

Finally, when the clock struck midnight, a familiar car slowly pulled up to the entrance. Yue Xingzhou got out of the car in the rain.

Before he could speak, Zheng Shuyi ran over and threw herself into his arms, clinging to his arm and acting coquettishly.

“I was freezing to death!”

Yue Xingzhou coaxed her into the car. After buckling her seatbelt, he turned and rubbed her hair. “Sorry, the rain was so heavy I couldn’t see the side of the road clearly. I took a wrong turn and ended up going a long way around.”

Hearing his gentle voice, Zheng Shuyi’s sense of grievance quickly vanished. Instead, guilt surged up inside her like a tidal wave. She softened her voice and asked, “I was just complaining. Did you have a good time today? Were you happy?”

Yue Xingzhou held the steering wheel and let out a long sigh. “My girlfriend wasn’t with me. How could I be happy?”

“I’m sorry.” Zheng Shuyi twisted her upper body to look at him with a playful smile. “Who did you celebrate your birthday with today?”

Yue Xingzhou opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Zheng Shuyi cut in: “Xu Feng?”

“Yeah.”

Xu Feng was Yue Xingzhou’s college roommate. Even after graduation, they had stayed close.

“He’s getting more flamboyant these days.”

Zheng Shuyi remarked.

“Huh?” Yue Xingzhou turned his head to glance at her. “Why do you say that?”

“I used to think he was just a straight-laced guy, but I didn’t expect him to start using cologne now.” Zheng Shuyi suddenly leaned closer and sniffed a few times around Yue Xingzhou’s neck. “A faint and very unique scent. Good taste. Ask him what it is next time—I think it would suit me too.”

“Okay.” Yue Xingzhou nodded lightly and changed the subject. “How was the interview today?”

In front of her boyfriend, Zheng Shuyi didn’t feel like putting on a front anymore. She grumbled, “What kind of person does that? We had a scheduled interview, and he just ghosted me. I even came all the way here tonight hoping to see him, but he didn’t show his face at all.”

“Don’t be mad.” Yue Xingzhou freed one hand to rub her hair again. “Capitalists have no humanity. Don’t stoop to their level.”

“Hey,” Zheng Shuyi slapped her hand over her hair, a bit annoyed. “What’s with you rubbing my head all the time today? It’s getting on my nerves.”

—

Back home, Zheng Shuyi didn’t even have the strength to shower or remove her makeup. She kicked off her heels and collapsed on the sofa. Her eyes couldn’t stay open, and consciousness began to slip away.

But just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly remembered she hadn’t confirmed whether Yue Xingzhou got home safely. She immediately jolted upright like a startled carp.

She couldn’t find her phone in her coat pocket, nor in her shoulder bag. In the end, she dumped everything out of her bag—but still no phone.

Sitting on the sofa, Zheng Shuyi retraced her steps from the evening. Based on her movements, it was impossible the phone had been stolen.

So, it had to be either left at Warner Manor or in Yue Xingzhou’s car.

Her phone was too important. She couldn’t rest until she found it. So she grabbed her iPad to locate it.

A few minutes later, the red dot on the map became clearer—but her mind grew more confused.

Her phone was showing up at Jiangcheng First People’s Hospital.

Was it stolen?

Impossible—she distinctly remembered getting into Yue Xingzhou’s car with her phone in hand and hadn’t been anywhere else since.

The only explanation was that she left it in his car and he had gone to the hospital.

But why would Yue Xingzhou go to the hospital at this hour?

Was he suddenly sick? In an accident?

Zheng Shuyi didn’t dare dwell on it. She quickly got up, changed pants, and headed out.

Outside, wind and rain still raged. Cars roared past on the road. Without her phone, she couldn’t hail a ride, and had to wait over twenty minutes in the cold wind before a car finally stopped.

Even late at night, the city hospital was brightly lit. The smell of disinfectant mixed with the cold rain hung thick in the air.

Zheng Shuyi opened the car door and was hit in the face by a wave of rain.

She raised her umbrella and wiped her face roughly, glancing around—and immediately saw Yue Xingzhou’s car.

But he wasn’t inside. And without her phone, she had no idea how to find him in such a huge hospital.

The rain was now too heavy for the umbrella to hold back. A cramping pain grew in her lower abdomen. Sweat beaded on her back. Her legs felt weak. She staggered step by step toward the outpatient building, her pants gradually soaking through, every step more difficult than the last.

Suddenly, she stepped into a puddle and stumbled, falling sideways.

Fortunately, there was a car beside her. She landed against it—it hurt, but at least she didn’t fall in the water.

Zheng Shuyi slowly stood up, looked down at the car logo—and quickly bounced away.

It was a Rolls-Royce with a vanity plate. Not someone to mess with. Anyone watching might think she was trying to stage an accident.

She rubbed her wrist, holding her swaying umbrella, and continued walking.

But when she was less than ten meters from the outpatient building, her steps stopped abruptly.

Even through the heavy rain, she could clearly make out the man slowly walking out—it was her boyfriend.

And her boyfriend had his arm around another woman.

That woman was wearing Yue Xingzhou’s coat.

The very coat Zheng Shuyi had bought him.

Thoughts in her mind exploded like weeds, growing wildly into a horrible picture. The truth was separated from her by only a thin membrane, yet she kept trying to comfort herself.

They were probably just friends. Yue Xingzhou was always kind. Visiting a friend at the hospital at night wasn’t strange. And they weren’t being physically intimate.

But in the next second, that woman hugged Yue Xingzhou.

He lifted his hand and gently rubbed her hair, a helpless smile on his face.

In an instant, Zheng Shuyi felt like the icy rain was stabbing into her flesh—cold to the bone.

After holding each other for a while, the woman looked up at him, tears running down her face. They were so close, their breath could intertwine.

From Zheng Shuyi’s distance, she could only see the woman speaking in fragments, while Yue Xingzhou’s expression grew increasingly awkward.

Then, the woman stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

Zheng Shuyi shut her eyes like she had just seen something filthy, unwilling to open them again.

—Yue Xingzhou, when I open my eyes, you’ll push her away!

—If you push her away, I’ll hear you out.

Seconds passed. Zheng Shuyi furrowed her brows tightly and slowly opened her eyes. The scene in front of her came into focus.

Yue Xingzhou hadn’t pushed the woman away.

He was kissing her back.

His long hands slowly lifted, wrapping around the woman’s waist.

The rain poured harder, as if trying to drown the city.

The night sky looked like the dark screen of a shut-off movie. Zheng Shuyi’s mind filled with memories.

At first, she hadn’t liked Yue Xingzhou at all.

Back in her senior year, her dormmates gushed about a handsome junior, and dragged her to the track to gawk.

He was okay, she had thought. Not as amazing as they claimed.

She quickly forgot about him.

But Yue Xingzhou had fallen for her at first sight.

At twenty, his pursuit was fiery and direct: flowers, love confessions, singing to her at public events—dramatic and bold.

Zheng Shuyi didn’t go for any of it. She refused the flowers, rejected the gifts, and walked away during his serenades.

Everyone thought Yue Xingzhou wouldn’t last. Even Zheng Shuyi assumed he was just like any other guy with a three-minute crush.

But to her surprise, even after she graduated and began interning at a newspaper, Yue Xingzhou never gave up.

After leaving campus, Zheng Shuyi had to wake up early, pitch stories, chase leads, run around Finance Street for interviews, and stay up late writing reports. Her meager intern salary contrasted sharply with the billion-dollar deals she covered.

Her disillusionment with adult life left her depressed for a long time. During that time, Yue Xingzhou became her only source of joy.

She still remembered the day she agreed to be his girlfriend—it was over the phone. But the idiot immediately took a cab from school just for a proper hug.

Her friends never really understood. They said Yue Xingzhou had nothing going for him besides a pretty face—an average family, a mediocre job. She could do so much better.

But she remembered her reply: “I think he’s really sincere! That’s such a rare quality!”

But how did he change so quickly?

Her gaze returned to the steps of the outpatient building. A few nurses hurried out, catching sight of the kissing couple and smiling enviously.

What a perfect pair.

Being overly understanding—real.

Being indifferent—real.

The hair-ruffling habit—also real.

Only “Xu Feng” was fake. Maybe even that faint cologne belonged to this woman.

Zheng Shuyi felt like she was a joke—rushing through the rain in the middle of the night, only to witness this.

Logic told her she shouldn’t be just a bystander. She should walk up and reclaim what was hers.

But her legs wouldn’t move. She didn’t want to stage a melodrama in front of a crowded hospital.

Her sense of dignity wouldn’t allow her to appear so pathetic.

After watching quietly for a while, Zheng Shuyi touched her face. Her hand was wet with rain—but maybe also with tears.

She walked to Yue Xingzhou’s car, removed the bracelet he had once gifted her, and carefully hung it on the door handle.

Then she turned and walked into the rain.

The night rain poured down in torrents. The silver bracelet dangled under the downpour, swaying precariously—yet still glinting with a cold light.

Just like Zheng Shuyi’s expressive eyes, quietly saying:

I saw everything you did.