Still Frame Chapter 77
byChapter 77 Honeymoon Period
As soon as the words left his mouth, Levi couldn’t help but laugh. Wen Jin rested one hand on Zhang Liuxin’s new chair back and tapped the table with the knuckles of the other hand, asking him, “How many people did you bring this time?”
Duan Chengzhi replied, “Not many. Besides Sixun and Levi, I left the others in Serlin. This town is too small; bringing too many people would only draw attention.”
“How are Mom and Dad doing?”
“They’re fine. Second Paternal Uncle is under control now. He’s been at the police station for the past two days, and his subordinates are trying every way to contact a lawyer to bail him out.”
Hearing this, Zhang Liuxin breathed a sigh of relief, no longer worried about the matter. He happened to catch Levi’s eye, which looked a little strange. Levi looked from his face down to his left leg and asked, “Exoskeleton out of power?”
“Yeah,” Zhang Liuxin said helplessly. “It’s been so many days; it was bound to run out.”
Seeing his expression was normal, Levi nodded. “Does your leg hurt? I brought medicine with me.”
Wen Jin, who had been talking to Duan Chengzhi, turned his head when he heard the word ‘medicine’ and asked them, “What medicine?”
Levi was momentarily stunned by Wen Jin’s sharp gaze. After two seconds, he took out two white pill bottles from his bag. “Painkillers and sleeping pills.”
He seemed to ignore the meaningful look Zhang Liuxin gave him, or perhaps he was wary of Wen Jin, as he explained each item to Wen Jin. “His leg hurts before and after it rains. He needs to take some painkillers, otherwise he sometimes can’t sleep well.”
Wen Jin twisted open the caps and poured out some pills. Only after confirming that both types were low-dosage did he pour them back, place the bottles aside, and look at Zhang Liuxin.
Zhang Liuxin felt a little flustered and offered a relaxed smile, telling him, “They’re bad for the stomach, so I rarely take them.”
Wen Jin narrowed his eyes, seemingly assessing the truthfulness of his words. Finally, he relented, collected the pill bottles, and spoke to Zhang Liuxin in a tone that was hard to decipher. “We’ll discuss medication when we get back to Yinzhou.”
He then instructed Zhong Sixun to arrange a meeting with Elder Wu. Zhong Sixun took out her phone and nodded.
Zhang Liuxin interjected, “There’s no rush.”
He looked at Levi, then at Zhong Sixun, and finally fixed his gaze on Zhong Sixun. He leaned slightly forward, looking very concerned, and asked her, “Miss Zhong, have you been to Wenfei Terrace these past few days? How is Camellia doing?”
At this question, Zhong Sixun instinctively looked up at Wen Jin. Her boss’s expression was not good. Although he always maintained a poker face, Zhong Sixun could still read his meaning, which was likely, “Of course the first thing he asks about is that cat again.”
“I’ve been twice. Camellia is doing well, just a little sleepy. Also, she seems to miss you both very much. She often curls up in the garden facing the main gate.”
Zhang Liuxin showed a slightly forlorn expression. “Camellia is getting a bit old, always sleeping. I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
Wen Jin couldn’t stand it anymore. “We’re going back this afternoon. You can hug her then… Forget it, you can think about her however you want then.”
Duan Chengzhi looked at his brother, whom he hadn’t seen in half a month, with interest. “Where have you two been staying all this time? You haven’t been eating well; I think you’ve lost weight.”
Wen Jin said flatly, “You’ll know if you eat one meal here.”
After sitting there for a while, Zhang Liuxin remembered that Tuhuisuo and Duofei might still be waiting outside, so he suggested going out to greet them.
“Might as well go together. This place is really nice. Aside from the bad roads, the air is excellent,” Duan Chengzhi said, getting up and walking toward the exit. “A’Zhuo, you haven’t spoken Bernlin for a long time. Have you forgotten it?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt Wen Jin shoot him a cold, piercing glare, whose emotion he couldn’t quite distinguish.
The four of them walked out of the police station and indeed saw Tuhuisuo and Duofei by the entrance. Duofei shrank behind Tuhuisuo, a little shy around strangers, but still said, “Liuxin, Uncle Yue.”
Zhang Liuxin squatted down and opened his arms to Duofei. “Feifei, come here, let me hold you.”
Seeing him approach, and recognizing the familiar Liuxin, Duofei ran over. However, she ended up running into Wen Jin’s arms instead. Wen Jin easily picked her up and spoke to her in Bernlin, “I’ll hold you, is that okay?”
Duofei nodded first, then said blankly, “Uncle Yue, you can speak our language?”
Seeing Tuhuisuo also look surprised, Zhang Liuxin explained, “He… has a special reason.”
Fortunately, Tuhuisuo didn’t ask further. Zhang Liuxin introduced the people behind him. “Sister Hui, this is A’Zhuo’s brother and secretary, and this is my assistant.”
These people from Yinzhou all looked extraordinary, especially the man in black clothes and trousers. Although he was exceptionally handsome and proper, for some reason, he gave off a feeling of being so upright it was almost sinister.
Duan Chengzhi smiled faintly and extended a hand. “Hello. My brother and they have been under your care during this time.”
Zhang Liuxin translated between them. Tuhuisuo shook his hand, shaking her head as she said, “Not at all. They helped me a lot too.”
“Sister Hui, where is Brother Tu?”
“He went back up the mountain last night. Standing here isn’t good, let’s go back to the shop. If you don’t mind, how about having lunch together at the shop today?” Tuhuisuo looked at her daughter, who was held securely by Wen Jin, her tone carrying a hint of reluctant detachment. “Are you leaving today?”
“We should be.”
Zhang Liuxin asked the opinions of the other four, and they finally decided to have lunch together at Tuhuisuo’s shop.
Duofei lay on Wen Jin’s shoulder, curiously examining the new black-haired, black-eyed uncle. She was so adorable that Duan Chengzhi, rarely showing his soft side, asked Wen Jin, “Teach me a few phrases in Bernlin. I want to chat with the little girl.”
Wen Jin taught him a phrase, and Duan Chengzhi imitated it to Duofei. Unexpectedly, the little girl’s face instantly paled, and she immediately turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
“A’Zhuo, what did you teach me?” Duan Chengzhi saw the little girl biting her lip tightly, looking like she absolutely didn’t want to see him. It was even more severe than when Wen Jin’s cat got stressed seeing him.
Zhang Liuxin chuckled. “He said, ‘I am a dentist’.”
Children this age are most afraid of dentists. Duan Chengzhi was at a loss. Finally, he found a box of candy in his inner jacket pocket and asked Zhang Liuxin if he could give it to Duofei.
Zhang Liuxin told him to eat a few himself first, and then asked Tuhuisuo. Only after Tuhuisuo gave her permission did Duan Chengzhi take the candy box to coax Duofei.
“Liuxin, quickly help me explain.”
Wen Jin impatiently clicked his tongue. “Duan Chengzhi, why are you talking so much?”
Duan Chengzhi finally managed to give the candy box to Duofei. Just as it looked like the two brothers were about to start bickering again, Zhang Liuxin cut in, “Feifei, this is Uncle Yue’s older brother. You can call him Uncle Duan.”
“Duan?” Duofei repeated the surname, stammering out the name Zhang Liuxin had taught her to Duan Chengzhi. “Uncle Duan.”
Duan Chengzhi was completely won over by the little girl. Zhang Liuxin rarely saw Colonel Duan show such an expression. Zhong Sixun, who had known him for a long time, also smiled and said, “The Colonel really likes children.”
Duan Chengzhi replied, “Of course. I raised Wen Jin.”
Wen Jin coldly retorted, “Which of your subjects—math, physics, or chemistry—did I not tutor you in?”
They finally arrived at Tuhuisuo’s shop. Wen Jin put Duofei down and looked at Zhang Liuxin, asking if he was tired from the walk. In front of Wen Jin’s close associates, Zhang Liuxin felt a little embarrassed hearing such intimacy. He nodded vaguely and followed Tuhuisuo into the kitchen.
“I can cook too. Let me help you,” Levi said, rolling up his sleeves and following him into the kitchen.
Outside, only the three adults and Duofei remained. Duan Chengzhi still wanted to tease Duofei, but her novelty interest in him had largely worn off. She went over to greet Zhong Sixun. Zhong Sixun knew some Bernlin and could manage a few sentences with the little girl.
Wen Jin sat where he could see the kitchen. Following his gaze, Duan Chengzhi predictably saw Zhang Liuxin’s back. He rubbed his forehead and said in a tone of disappointment, “Sixun, don’t you think he’s acting like a total creep now?”
Wen Jin very politely said to him, “Do you need me to show you the high-definition video of you getting drunk after your breakup three years ago?”
“Even Rizi Xia deleted it, and you still kept it? Wen Jin, how did you become so childish?”
Although he said that, Duan Chengzhi genuinely straightened his expression and surveyed the shop environment, asking him, “Where did you two stay these past ten-plus days?”
“Upstairs, the attic.”
Duan Chengzhi raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You stayed in an attic for over ten days? No longer the Pea Princess?”
Zhong Sixun sighed silently beside him.
Perhaps Wen Jin’s expression was too hurtful, so Duan Chengzhi waved his hand, took a phone from his pocket, and tossed it to him. “Call Auntie.”
Wen Jin didn’t move. “I’ll call her later.”
“Auntie is still very worried about you… both of you. After all, it’s been so many days in an unfamiliar place.”
Wen Jin reluctantly hummed in acknowledgment, picked up the phone, and drafted a text message to send to Yue Yun.
“Is the plane far from here? I want to go take a look.”
Wen Jin raised an eyebrow, looked at him, and only spoke after a moment. “It’s burned down to a skeleton. What’s there to see? Are you going to tow it back for scrap recycling?”
“…True.” Low voices drifted from the kitchen. Duan Chengzhi looked at the simply dressed, relaxed-looking Wen Jin in front of him. “How was the honeymoon? You look a little thinner, but you seem to be in a good mood.”
Wen Jin didn’t deny the term ‘honeymoon’ and replied, “It was indeed very good.”
After a pause, he added, “It exceeded my expectations.”
Duan Chengzhi chuckled. Probably feeling restless, he subconsciously reached for his cigarette case. Wen Jin glanced at him. “Didn’t you say you quit?”
“Yeah,” Duan Chengzhi rubbed his fingertips. “I did quit. I was almost successful, but your sister-in-law ran off again recently.”
Wen Jin felt that Duan Chengzhi’s delusion was getting worse. “I only left Yinzhou for half a month, not half a year. Did you marry yourself again?”
The phrase “marry yourself” carried a certain implication, and Duan Chengzhi knew the other party was mocking him, but he didn’t take it seriously, pushing his cheek out. “It’s only a matter of time.”
Wen Jin, who had been married for seven years, wasn’t interested in this behavior but still advised, “Be careful. There have been big changes at the top recently, and the military is being strictly monitored. Don’t get into trouble.”
“I know. There are plenty of messes, but they won’t trace back to me.” Having been working non-stop for the past few days, he felt a bit sleepy now that he had a moment of leisure. Duan Chengzhi’s peripheral vision caught his phone screen lighting up. He immediately narrowed his eyes, instantly becoming alert, like a leopard poised to strike. “Wen Jin, we can’t leave yet. There’s a typhoon passing through these two days. The plane won’t be able to take off until at least the day after tomorrow.”
Wen Jin stood up, walked outside the shop, looked at the sky, and said, “It will definitely rain. Returning the day after tomorrow is fine, it’s no trouble.”
“Why don’t we drive back to the city before the weather changes?”
Wen Jin disagreed. “No need. It takes a while to drive from here to the city. If something goes wrong halfway, it will be more troublesome.”
Duan Chengzhi opened his mouth, thought for a moment, and finally agreed with Wen Jin’s assessment.
Just then, a crisp crash sounded from the kitchen. Wen Jin quickly stood up and entered the kitchen, seeing a pile of broken glass shards at Zhang Liuxin’s feet. Zhang Liuxin was standing there, looking somewhat helpless.
Levi grabbed a broom and told them, “Don’t move yet. I’ll sweep this up.”
Wen Jin ignored him, striding over to Zhang Liuxin and asking, “Are you hurt?”
Zhang Liuxin seemed slow to react. He paused when Wen Jin was still a step away and told him, “Be careful. I’m not hurt.”
“I’m sorry, Sister Hui. I didn’t hold it steady,” he said to Tuhuisuo.
“It’s okay. As long as you didn’t cut your hand.”
Zhang Liuxin curved his eyes at Wen Jin, gently squeezed his forearm, and said softly, “Don’t worry. Tell Brother Duan and Sixun that lunch will be ready soon.”
Wen Jin stared at his face, his Adam’s apple bobbing quickly. Finally, he reached out and stroked his soft black temple hair, nodding.
Watching Wen Jin, who had returned to the dining table and was chatting with Duan Chengzhi again, Zhang Liuxin was momentarily lost in thought. Levi finished sweeping the glass shards into the trash can, reached out, and waved his hand in front of him, whispering, “Snap out of it.”
Zhang Liuxin nodded and said, “Okay.”
Adding an extra chapter on the day the National Day holiday ends…