Still Frame Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Aren’t You Quite Happy About It?

Returning to Tu Yier’s small wooden cabin, Zhang Liuxin surprisingly felt a sense of familiarity. The small house was cluttered with scattered medicinal ointments, a half-eaten compressed biscuit, unwashed dishes and chopsticks, and an empty gun rack…

Wait.

Before Zhang Liuxin could move, Wen Jin stepped in front of him.

“Brother Tu, what is the meaning of this?”

Tu Yier stood motionless at the doorway. A hunting rifle rested on the cabinet in the entryway, and Tu Yier had one hand placed on it, his expression very serious.

“I don’t mean anything by it,” Tu Yier raised his hand, signaling to him. “But I have some questions I need to ask you. Chen, you can tell Yue not to be so defensive.”

Zhang Liuxin had never seen Wen Jin look like this before. His shoulder muscles were highly tensed, and his back was slightly hunched in a defensive posture.

“A-Zhuo, don’t be nervous,” Zhang Liuxin patted his back, moving to stand beside him, shoulder to shoulder. His hand slid down and gently grasped Wen Jin’s hand. “Brother Tu just wants to ask us a few things.”

Wen Jin gripped his hand, his expression relaxing considerably. “Tell him to come over and talk.”

“Brother Tu, can we go inside to talk?” Zhang Liuxin asked gently.

“We can.”

After they sat down on the sofa, Tu Yier spoke first. “Chen, I trust you two very much, so I won’t beat around the bush. The town leaders recently informed us that a crashed plane was discovered near the border between our town and the next.”

It finally came. Zhang Liuxin nodded.

“The plane was mostly burned down to its frame, but it’s clearly a private plane, not one from our state,” Tu Yier’s tone was filled with scrutiny. “The town has been notified and has started investigating for suspicious individuals, suspecting them to be spies sent from other states. You and Xiao Hui said you came here because of an emergency landing, but what are your and Yue’s true identities that you would be traveling on a private plane? Since the plane crashed, where are the others besides the two of you?”

Tu Yier was not as simple-minded as his appearance suggested; on the contrary, he was very cautious. Perhaps due to his many years as a forest ranger, his gaze was firm and sharp, as if possessing the power to see through everything.

Zhang Liuxin briefly explained the situation to Wen Jin, then asked, “Can we tell Brother Tu the truth?”

In the years since he and Wen Jin married, they had met all sorts of people. Most were hypocritical, driven by ulterior motives, and untrustworthy. But facing Tu Yier, Zhang Liuxin felt the man was frank and sincere, perhaps someone worthy of being entrusted with the truth.

“You decide,” Wen Jin squeezed his hand tightly, as if assuring him through action that he would support whatever he said.

Sensing that Wen Jin was still tense, Zhang Liuxin recalled that Wen Jin was not afraid of guns. People from his background had various training from childhood, and they traveled with entourages of bodyguards. But now, stripped of all his noble status and protective shell, Wen Jin and he were merely uninvited guests in a disadvantaged position.

“Then I will tell him,” their two hands remained tightly clasped—a gesture they would never make in front of cameras, yet now they did it instinctively, offering and drawing strength from each other. “I trust Brother Tu.”

“Mhm.”

Zhang Liuxin began, “Brother Tu, we did not lie about our professions. I am a host for Yin State Television, with an interview program. And my husband is a professor at the School of Science at Yin State Inter-State University, as well as the heir to the Wen family of Huan City.”

“The Wen family?” Tu Yier was puzzled. “Are they a very famous family in your Yin State?”

Zhang Liuxin nodded. “Yes, very famous. That plane was my husband’s private jet.”

Tu Yier looked surprised. Although Wen Jin’s demeanor made it easy to guess he wasn’t ordinary, owning a private jet far exceeded Tu Yier’s expectations.

“It involved some power struggles. We were kidnapped and the plane was hijacked while we were traveling for business. We don’t know who the kidnappers were. We fell unconscious and woke up after the plane had landed and started catching fire. There was no one else on the plane besides us. After escaping, we walked through the jungle for a long time before finding this cabin.”

Such things only happened in TV dramas to Tu Yier. He hadn’t expected the two people sitting before him to have such significant backgrounds.

“We have no other intentions. Many things are happening in Yin State that are unfavorable to him, so it’s inconvenient for us to return. We just need to stay here for a while.”

Tu Yier asked, “Then you borrowed the satellite phone to contact people in Yin State? Will someone come to pick you up?”

“Yes, once things settle down in Yin State, someone will come for us.”

Tu Yier still looked somewhat skeptical. Zhang Liuxin added, “Brother Tu, please rest assured. The relationship between Yin State and Burnlin State has always been harmonious over the years. My mother is from Burnlin, so this is also somewhat my hometown. We would never do anything to jeopardize the friendship between the two states.”

Seeing Zhang Liuxin’s certainty, Tu Yier’s doubts lessened.

“Brother Tu, may I ask what the current plan is for handling that plane, based on the notification you received?”

“That’s not our jurisdiction, but it’s been reported to the city. The city will send people down to investigate later.”

Zhang Liuxin and Wen Jin’s status as outsiders was too obvious, and this town was relatively isolated. If they were discovered, the city would definitely report it to the Burnlin State Committee, which would make things complicated.

Seeing Zhang Liuxin’s grave expression, Tu Yier proactively said, “Chen, you don’t need to worry so much.”

“I’ve been a forest ranger for many years. I’ve seen many poachers and illegal loggers. I’m a good judge of character. Since I’ve chosen to trust you now, I will help you.”

“Stay here with me for the next couple of days. The people from the city shouldn’t arrive that quickly. But based on what you just said, will people from your state also be looking for you soon?”

“We have our own people managing things; it won’t be that fast. Thank you, Brother Tu. Once things are resolved, we will repay you and Sister Hui properly.”

Zhang Liuxin said sincerely. He hadn’t expected them to be so lucky. The distance from Yin State to Weiting State was vast, passing through several states, yet fate seemed to have decreed their landing in Burnlin State, where they met the kind-hearted Tu siblings.

“You’re agreeable people. I trust my judgment of character. Besides, I asked Xiao Hui, and she said you’ve been diligently helping out at the store these past few days and taking care of Duofei. Feifei really likes you two.”

The night outside deepened, yet Zhang Liuxin felt an unprecedented sense of tranquility welling up from deep within. His hand, clasped with Wen Jin’s, was now covered in a thin layer of sweat. He slightly tilted his head and could feel Wen Jin’s gaze. Their heartbeats were transmitted through their eyes and their joined palms. Although they had been married for many years, and Zhang Liuxin was nearly thirty, he felt the long-lost flutter of excitement he experienced in college when their eyes met.

After helping Tu Yier tidy the cabin, they went outside to draw water from the well to wash up. If not for this accident, they likely wouldn’t have had to use a well again after their trip to Wuling.

Zhang Liuxin felt Wen Jin’s warmth still lingering in his palm. The man’s chiseled face was exceptionally clear in the dim night. Without thinking, he spoke, “Wen Jin, I feel like you’re a bit like you were in college now.”

Wen Jin paused, then wrung out the towel and reached out, slapping the towel onto Zhang Liuxin’s face. Zhang Liuxin’s vision instantly went black. The towel was slightly rough and wet on his face.

“You are not.”

Wen Jin’s voice became slightly muffled. Zhang Liuxin felt his chin being lifted. Although his vision was blocked, he could sense Wen Jin looking at him right in front.

After a moment, Wen Jin removed his hand. Zhang Liuxin took the towel to wipe his face, then heard Wen Jin say, “You grew taller.”

Zhang Liuxin had anticipated many responses, but not that Wen Jin would say he grew taller. He froze for a moment. Wen Jin naturally took the towel from his hand, put it back in the basin, and wrung it out for him again.

Zhang Liuxin lowered his head and smiled. “I was only eighteen back then, still growing. Of course, I’m taller now. But from now on, I’ll only get shorter.”

Wen Jin watched him wipe his face, and after a while, added, “Also, you talk less.”

Zhang Liuxin choked up, and after a moment, said, “Did I talk a lot in front of you in college? I don’t think so.”

Every time he saw Wen Jin, he was nervous. As soon as the other man’s eyes fell on him, his throat would involuntarily tighten, and his back would straighten.

“Then why do you say I’m like I was in college now?”

Zhang Liuxin wanted to say it was because the current situation brought them closer, allowing them to talk easily and naturally without needing to pretend their relationship, like they could in college. But in the end, only one sentence came out: “Because you’re not wearing a suit or glasses, you look younger.”

Wen Jin frowned slightly. “Do I look old in Yin State?”

For someone with that face to say such a thing felt like deliberate mischief relying on his good looks. Zhang Liuxin sighed helplessly. “Of course, I didn’t mean that. Actually, even now, when you talk, you always need to be coaxed. You weren’t like that in Yin State.”

Having said this daring statement, his heart pounded faster. Wen Jin listened and didn’t deny it. “I’ve always been like this.”

He took the towel and wiped the side of Zhang Liuxin’s neck. Perhaps knowing he couldn’t control his strength well, he was very gentle, which tickled Zhang Liuxin slightly.

“Aren’t you quite happy about it?”

Such a casual remark drifted past his ear. When Zhang Liuxin looked up again, he met Wen Jin’s beautifully shaped phoenix eyes, which were calm and reflected only his own minimized image.

An annoying tone of a top student, paired with a face that was hard to dislike. Zhang Liuxin felt he should be annoyed, but he had to admit that his irritation stemmed from being exposed.

“You…” Zhang Liuxin deflated.

This kind of talk clearly went beyond the script of their marriage. How did Wen Jin suddenly start improvising?