Still Frame Chapter 57

Chapter 57 – Pain Like Flowing Water (1)

Wen Jin had called it a secret, and Zhang Liuxin had indeed kept it as such, never mentioning it to anyone else.

As time passed, he almost forgot about the whole thing. Besides that, he was also close to forgetting Wen Jin. After that rainy day in Wuling, he decided to unilaterally bid farewell to Wen Jin. Liking someone and being moved by them was one thing, but he couldn’t harbor fantasies knowing that his own younger brother had an engagement with the other party.

Of course, Wen Jin probably didn’t think much of it. Wen Jin stood too high; countless people were always passionately making pilgrimages to him. Zhang Liuxin was just the most ordinary and unremarkable speck among those people.

Zhang Jiming seemed genuinely intent on having him and Miss Zhao get together. Later, he arranged a few more dinners to force the match. Zhang Liuxin felt awkward. He thought a girl as good as Miss Zhao shouldn’t be sacrificed in such a marriage alliance.

Zhao Wan also invited him to play tennis once and half-jokingly told him that her father was pressing her hard, and if she didn’t want to meet anyone else, Zhang Liuxin was her best choice so far.

Zhang Liuxin felt a bit flustered hearing this, but Zhao Wan quickly smiled and told him not to take it seriously. She said she had taken what he said in Wuling seriously and now wanted to study seriously and pursue a master’s degree in another state.

Zhang Liuxin nodded and said that as long as she put her mind to it, nothing was impossible.

“What about you? What will you do in Yinzhou after graduation?”

“Join the television station, become a reporter,” Zhang Liuxin replied.

“That’s a great profession. You’ll definitely succeed. I look forward to seeing you on TV someday.”

Zhang Liuxin said, “I also look forward to you achieving results you’re satisfied with.”

After that, he also lost contact with Zhao Wan. Jiang You asked him once if he still couldn’t forget the person he liked, because Zhao Wan seemed to really like him, and they looked very compatible.

“Miss Zhao is excellent. She will meet someone even better. Besides, I suspect marriage will never be the first priority in her life.”

Zhang Liuxin took a sip of coffee. Today’s cup was sweeter than the one he drank on that rainy day. Zhang Liuxin continuously rubbed the handle of the cup, and in a daze, he suddenly thought of it again.

He didn’t have the courage to tell Jiang You that he had already forgotten. The rain outside was heavy, and he sat by the window, watching the raindrops slide down the glass pane.

“I’ll forget eventually.” Perhaps when Wen Jin got married, he could sincerely offer a “Happy wedding, Senior,” if he had the chance.

“Why don’t you try pursuing him? Liuxin, you’re not afraid of trying things,” Jiang You asked, puzzled.

“I also don’t attempt things that have zero possibility. The people who like him are as numerous as the fish crossing the river. I’m not special, and I have no standing.”

Jiang You stopped talking and pushed a slice of matcha mille-feuille towards him.

Zhang Liuxin smiled at her. He might not have realized it, but Jiang You saw clearly that his smile held no joy or comfort. Instead, his soft, green-lake-like eyes seemed to stretch out sadness like flowing water.

She suddenly became very curious about this secret crush Zhang Liuxin hadn’t even named, and also curious about how Zhang Liuxin had come to like him. Since she had known Zhang Liuxin, he had never shown any yearning for romance, which might also be related to his family background.

In the following days, Zhang Liuxin never mentioned romance again, and he spoke much less. Jiang You knew he had fallen out with his roommates and was living alone off-campus, so she would often invite him to eat together.

Zhang Liuxin was studying foreign languages—all kinds of languages. Jiang You was amazed by his learning ability and seriously told him that he would definitely become an excellent reporter someday.

Zhang Liuxin said he would work hard.

Time flew by, and soon it was graduation time. Jiang You received a very good job offer, and Zhang Liuxin successfully entered Silver Mirror Station to prepare for his internship.

That was the happiest Jiang You had ever seen him. They went to a quiet bar, and Zhang Liuxin, uncharacteristically, had two drinks. He excitedly told Jiang You that he had met many people he admired at Silver Mirror Station.

“How’s the salary at Silver Mirror Station?” Jiang You was a very practical person and asked him.

“Average,” Zhang Liuxin didn’t care much about money. “Anyway, I don’t plan on saving up to buy a house or a car, and I might not stay in Yinzhou permanently.”

Jiang You knew he wanted to be a war correspondent but didn’t know why, so today she proactively asked, “Can’t you be a regular reporter? Doesn’t that also help a lot of people? Being a war correspondent is very dangerous.”

Zhang Liuxin shook his head. “No matter how dangerous, someone has to do it. I love this profession and want to do what I can for the cause of peace, and… I’m very suitable for it.”

Because there weren’t many people who cared about him. His mother was somewhere unknown, his father ignored him, and his younger brother and stepmother wished he would disappear. Perhaps only Jiang You, his only friend, would care about his safety.

Thinking of this, he clinked glasses with Jiang You again and said, “Thank you for accompanying me these four years.”

Jiang You was stunned. “Hey, you talk as if you’re going to the battlefield tomorrow. I’m waiting for you to treat me to dinner with your first paycheck.”

“Okay, I’ll definitely treat you first then.”

Jiang You nodded, paused for a moment, and then asked hesitantly, “Is your family still the same? Liuxin, don’t think I’m nosy, but I just want to say, don’t be sad over those people. I hope you can work and live happily in the future.”

Having had some wine, the girl became sentimental. Zhang Liuxin smiled and comforted her. “I’m not. Youyou, don’t be sad either. Besides, they are busy right now and don’t have time to interfere with my life.”

“That’s good.”

What were the Zhang family members busy with? Zhang Liuxin finished the remaining half glass of wine in one gulp. They were busy with the engagement banquet of Wen Jin and Zhang Qiannan, of course.

In the past two years, the businesses under the Zhang family enterprise had grown exponentially, becoming the undisputed leader in the media industry in Huanshi, with a trend toward monopoly. But this couldn’t have been achieved by Zhang Jiming’s methods alone. Zhang Liuxin knew the Wen family was providing assistance behind the scenes.

A little bit leaked from the Wen family’s fingers was already a divine boost for the Zhang family. Now, the upper class of Huanshi tacitly understood, secretly envying Zhang Jiming’s good fortune—not only did he manage to latch onto the Ren family’s daughter after his second marriage, but the son he raised managed to climb up to Wen Jin.

The entire Zhang family was peaceful and harmonious. Zhang Jiming’s career was flourishing, and he became more amiable at home. He naturally doted on Zhang Qiannan, and even stopped giving Zhang Liuxin the cold shoulder, sometimes asking him a couple of questions on a whim.

This week, the family sat down to eat together. Zhang Jiming was getting older and starting to value family harmony, occasionally asking Zhang Liuxin to come home and eat with them. At the dinner table, he would boast glowingly about which director or leader bowed and scraped to him, feeling immensely proud.

Zhang Liuxin looked indifferent, only wanting to finish the meal quickly and leave.

Unexpectedly, after dinner, Zhang Qiannan called out to him.

“The Wen family donated a laboratory building to the Inter-State University’s School of Science. One reason is to support the research of the university, and the second is for Brother Wen. Brother Wen plans to stay and teach at the School of Science after getting his Ph.D. Tomorrow is the unveiling ceremony for the new lab building. Aunt Yue invited me to go, which is also a chance to show my face alongside Brother Wen.”

Zhang Qiannan inexplicably rattled off a lot of information. Zhang Liuxin was somewhat confused. What did this have to do with him?

“You’re coming with me tomorrow,” Zhang Qiannan said.

Zhang Liuxin was bewildered, not understanding where this willful request came from. He frowned. “I have work tomorrow.”

Zhang Qiannan crossed his legs, a smile lingering on his lips, as innocent and sweet as ever. “Take a day off. Is your job more important than the unveiling ceremony?”

Zhang Liuxin completely failed to understand his thought process. For the past two years, Zhang Qiannan had been busy building his social network and chasing after Wen Jin and Lu Zixia, rarely bothering him. What was the meaning of this sudden move?

“What does it have to do with me? Isn’t that your…” Zhang Liuxin paused, his expression quickly returning to normal. “Fiancé?”

Zhang Qiannan narrowed his eyes. “Yes, but I can’t just go alone to see my fiancé tomorrow, can I? Otherwise, people will think our family is throwing ourselves at them. This is also Father’s intention. You, as the older brother, accompany me. That way, we look more like a family.”

Who was family with them? A great sense of absurdity rose in his heart. He took a step back and refused again in a serious tone. “I won’t go.”

“Don’t you want to see Wen Jin?” Zhang Qiannan’s light sentence was like a giant stone, viciously smashing into Zhang Liuxin’s heart.

What did Zhang Qiannan mean by that? Did he…

Soon, Zhang Qiannan acted as if nothing had happened, saying unhurriedly, “Just kidding. I just remembered you haven’t seen Brother Wen in a long time.”

Then, he leaned in, whispering in Zhang Liuxin’s ear like a devil. “Brother, just accompany me tomorrow. Go see my fiancé. If you don’t go, I’ll have to tell Uncle Zhang that you need to stay at Caliber and can’t work at the television station.”

A chill rose, and Zhang Liuxin felt dizzy. His hand gripping the back of the sofa tightened abruptly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging and trembling slightly.

“…Fine.” He couldn’t win against Zhang Qiannan.

He slept at the Zhang house that night. His small room smelled musty, so he had to open the window as wide as possible. Because of Zhang Qiannan’s words, he couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking: Did Zhang Qiannan know about his feelings for Wen Jin, and was he now, as the fiancé, trying to completely sever his lingering thoughts?

He tossed and turned, becoming more and more awake. The name that had been buried deep in his heart, deliberately forgotten, and successfully suppressed, resurfaced because of Zhang Qiannan’s few words.

Wen Jin…

When was the last time he saw Wen Jin? Zhang Liuxin couldn’t recall, but he remembered the last photo he saw of Wen Jin was a year ago. The man had graduated with a Ph.D., was an outstanding graduate, and had taken a graduation photo in his doctoral robes in front of the School of Science. The photo was posted on the university’s official website, and many people downloaded it.

He hadn’t meant to look. He just… happened to see it when he went to the official website to check materials.

Wen Jin had matured a bit, his features sharper. What hadn’t changed was that he was always so dazzling, like a deity, always drawing people to look up to him like the moon.

He tried hard to delete Wen Jin’s image from his mind, but it was fruitless. Finally, he thought about climbing out the window and running away, forgetting the job at the television station, no matter what madness Zhang Qiannan was planning.

But he just turned over and closed his eyes again. He had finally gotten into the television station; this was the first step of his dream, Zhang Liuxin thought. He couldn’t give up his job just because of Zhang Qiannan.

Just before fully drifting off to sleep, Wen Jin’s handsome, cold face flashed through his mind, and a voice deep within him, one he was unwilling to admit, spoke—

You actually really want to see Wen Jin again, don’t you?