Still Frame Chapter 78

Chapter 78: No Returning to the Starting Point

Levi quickly followed him into the kitchen. Tu Huisha felt awkward asking the newly introduced Levi to do anything, so she gave him a small basin of vegetables and asked him to prepare them.

Levi carried the vegetables over to Zhang Liuxin and suddenly spoke in a low voice, “How are you and Young Master Wen doing here?”

Zhang Liuxin subconsciously turned his head to look at his expression. He recognized this look on Levi, or rather, he remembered it vividly. Seven years ago, after his car accident, Levi was the first to know about his impending marriage alliance with Wen Jin. He had looked at him with the same hesitant, conflicted expression. Levi rarely looked so troubled.

“It’s not bad. Why did you suddenly ask?”

Although Levi was initially placed by Zhang Jiming to monitor him and ensure he played the role of Wen Jin’s husband well, after all these years, Zhang Liuxin no longer cared about any agreement he had with Zhang Jiming and considered Levi half his own man.

Levi glanced at his leg and said, “Young Master Wen takes good care of you. Do you think he’s the same as when you were in Yinzhou?”

Zhang Liuxin looked at him strangely. Before speaking, he instinctively looked back at Wen Jin. Fortunately, Wen Jin was busy chatting with Duan Chengzhi and wasn’t paying much attention to their side.

So he lowered his voice even further: “He is a little different. Levi, just say what you mean.”

Levi started, “That matter about you finding a lawyer…”

“Stop,” Zhang Liuxin quickly interrupted. “Let’s talk about that later.”

Then he scrutinized Levi: “You didn’t tell Zhang Jiming, did you?”

If Zhang Jiming knew… he could certainly make a fuss, and public opinion would be very unfavorable to Wen Jin.

Levi shook his head lightly. “No.”

Zhang Liuxin breathed a sigh of relief, taking out the long-unused cutlery from the back of the cupboard to wash. He asked casually, “Is there anything else? I noticed your expression wasn’t right earlier.”

He wasn’t sure if Wen Jin and the others had noticed, but having known Levi for so long, Zhang Liuxin had certainly picked up on something.

“It’s about Carter.”

Hearing the name of the assistant he hadn’t heard in a long time, Zhang Liuxin’s hand stiffened. His hand brushed the faucet, accidentally turning off the water, and the air fell silent.

Levi turned the faucet back on, taking some of the dishes and chopsticks from Zhang Liuxin to wash. He said, “After he returned to Yinzhou, he suffered many injuries and his mental state wasn’t good. After he recovered a bit, Colonel Duan took him away.”

Zhang Liuxin knew all this. He nodded.

“After he came back, you called me again. I felt strange, so I asked him again. The hijacking incident is too peculiar. You should be the person who knows the Wen family’s power best. How could Young Master Wen’s life be so easily threatened?”

Zhang Liuxin had already guessed what he was about to say. The other side of the scale held Wen Jin’s smile and love. He almost wanted to cover his ears, not wanting to hear the words Levi was about to utter.

But Levi seemed not to notice his changing expression and continued, “Didn’t you tell me you only ate plums after boarding the plane? When you called, I knew Young Master Wen was beside you, so I couldn’t speak directly. I asked Carter, and he said that before boarding, Young Master Wen brought the plums over, saying you get airsick and like sour things, so you should eat some on the plane.”

The chill that surged up his spine the last time he heard such words returned. Zhang Liuxin forced an unnatural smile. “What are you trying to say?”

Levi dried his hands, took a new phone from his inner pocket, and subtly slipped it into Zhang Liuxin’s pants pocket. Then he said, “Also, I almost forgot. I was originally supposed to go with you on this business trip, but an urgent matter came up at work. Secretary Zhong arranged a dinner party to connect me with someone, so I couldn’t get away. That’s why Carter, who is familiar with you but hadn’t traveled with you before, was chosen to accompany you.”

Levi spoke quickly and kept his voice low. Zhang Liuxin couldn’t hear some of the words clearly, but his mind was still in turmoil: Wen Jin, Zhong Sixun, hijacking, Carter, the burning cabin…

He wasn’t paying attention, and the glass plate slipped from his hand and crashed onto the floor. Zhang Liuxin watched the plate he had just cleaned shatter into tiny pieces. Some shards grazed his pant leg, but he only felt a slight sensation.

Immediately after, Wen Jin walked in. Zhang Liuxin only needed to lift his eyes slightly to meet his gaze—his eyes had been fixed on him. But when Wen Jin reached out to him, he uncontrollably recalled everything Levi had just said.

No, the foundation of marriage should be trust.

Zhang Liuxin forced a smile, temporarily pushing those thoughts aside. He still looked at his concerned husband with gentle eyes and told him not to worry.

Seeing Zhang Liuxin avoid his gaze, Levi said no more. He could also tell that the atmosphere between Wen Jin and Zhang Liuxin was distinctly different from before they left Yinzhou. He didn’t know what the two had experienced in the past half-month, but now they truly looked like an affectionate couple.

Five dishes and one soup were finally served. Zhong Sixun thanked Tu Huisha in Bernlinian. Tu Huisha smiled and told them to eat more, saying that Bernlinian cuisine was very unique.

Zhang Liuxin translated, “The cuisine here is very special, but A-Zhuo isn’t used to it. You can try some.”

Duan Chengzhi saw Duofei across the table already digging in, and then saw Wen Jin slowly picking at vegetables. He said, “A-Zhuo is like that. He’s been a picky eater since childhood.”

Wen Jin looked over, his eyes fixed on him until Duan Chengzhi managed to swallow a mouthful of food.

“Brother Duan, how is it?”

Facing his brother-in-law’s expectant gaze, and his brother’s inexplicably threatening faint smile, Duan Chengzhi nodded. “It’s very good, much better than the food in the army.”

At least it had more flavor than compressed biscuits.

Zhang Liuxin curved his lips, nudged Wen Jin with his elbow, and whispered, “It seems you’re the only one who can’t get used to it.”

Wen Jin served him some food and said softly, “Fine, I’m a picky eater. You eat more.”

After dinner, Duan Chengzhi felt for his cigarette case and went outside. Wen Jin said casually behind him, “I remember sister-in-law doesn’t like the smell of smoke.”

Duan Chengzhi threw the crumpled cigarette case into the trash can.

Levi listened to their conversation nearby. Seeing Duan Chengzhi display a rare look of annoyance—he had never seen the Colonel look like this since he met him—he asked, “So the Colonel is married?”

Wen Jin closed his eyes and had Zhang Liuxin sit beside him, turning the back of his head toward Duan Chengzhi. Zhang Liuxin didn’t understand what he meant at first, but in the next second, Duan Chengzhi’s eyes lit up as if he had been injected with adrenaline. He looked at Levi as if he had found a long-lost brother from another mother and father who was even closer than Wen Jin.

“Not married yet, but soon,” Duan Chengzhi took out his phone. “My partner is especially good-looking, but his identity is special. Since you’re my brother-in-law’s assistant, I can show you a photo, but you can’t spread it online…”

As he spoke, he opened his photo album and showed it to Levi. Levi’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at the person in the photo in surprise. “Isn’t this…”

Duan Chengzhi smiled and nodded. “Yes, we’ve been together for many years.”

Wen Jin: “Is anyone asking?”

Duan Chengzhi’s gaze shifted back and forth between him and Zhang Liuxin, then he suddenly asked Zhang Liuxin, “How is Wen Jin’s Bernlinian? Compared to yours.”

Wen Jin’s expression stiffened slightly, but Duan Chengzhi clearly wasn’t going to let him off easily and continued to spill the beans: “He only started learning it in university.”

Zhang Liuxin looked at Wen Jin in surprise. He was actually very interested in how Wen Jin learned Bernlinian, but Wen Jin hadn’t said much.

“Very good, no accent,” Zhang Liuxin asked, “When did you learn it in university? You seemed very busy.”

Wen Jin: “Not that busy.”

Duan Chengzhi unceremoniously exposed him: “You were doing your doctorate, and you weren’t busy? Didn’t you burn the midnight oil back then? You even hired a foreign tutor to learn this language.”

“Duan Chengzhi,” Wen Jin warned, looking at him. “Who burned the midnight oil?”

He looked like a ruffled cat, Zhang Liuxin suddenly thought, and couldn’t help but smile. But then he remembered Wen Jin hiding the fact that he couldn’t speak Bernlinian, and he unconsciously suppressed his smile.

Wen Jin had said “I love you” so many times with knowing eyes, and then remained silent in front of outsiders for the past ten-plus days. Wen Jin in these two states made him feel confused. Moreover… it shouldn’t be his over-suspicion, but ever since Duan Chengzhi arrived, he felt the atmosphere was off. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t been in contact with Yinzhou for so long, and now he felt like his life had been suddenly disrupted. This feeling made him inexplicably anxious, unable to tell if it was reluctance to leave this life or fear that his relationship with Wen Jin would return to the starting point after returning to Yinzhou.

Zhang Liuxin truly hoped that after returning to Yinzhou, he could still be with Wen Jin like they had been these past few days—kissing casually, hugging, leaning their shoulders together in the sun. Perhaps they would even have a chance to visit the private observatory Wen Jin mentioned in the suburbs to see the North Star, and return to the small island where they held their wedding to see if the white camellias in the manor were still blooming.

So he asked in a very casual tone, “Are we returning to Yinzhou this afternoon? Will there be a lot of things to do after we go back, since we’ve been away for so long?”

“A typhoon is passing through, so we can’t leave this afternoon. We can only leave the day after tomorrow,” Wen Jin’s voice was calm. “They have been handling the matters in Yinzhou all along. We won’t be very busy when we return. The priority is to go to Elder Wu for your physical re-examination.”

Levi hadn’t expected this sudden change, forcing them to stay here for two more days. But when he looked at Zhang Liuxin’s expression, he was surprised to find that Zhang Liuxin seemed relieved, his expression even more relaxed than before.

In this brief moment, Levi clearly felt it—Zhang Liuxin didn’t want to return to Yinzhou.

However, even if he didn’t want to return to Yinzhou, Yinzhou’s matters would catch up. Especially Wen Jin, who had projects and documents that required his personal review. Zhong Sixun flew all this way not just to pick up his boss, but also brought a laptop, ready to work at any moment.

“Do you want to stay here for a while or come with me to the guesthouse?”

“I’ll stay here and keep Duofei company.”

“Alright, then I’ll go to the guesthouse with them, handle things, and come back.” Wen Jin looked at Zhang Liuxin again. The latter still smiled gently at him, saying, “You’re working hard, Professor Wen.”

“I’ll stay here too,” Levi said. “I can update Liuxin on the current situation of the Zhang family.”

Tu Huisha’s shop returned to quietness. The sound of the mother and daughter talking came from the kitchen. Zhang Liuxin asked Tu Huisha if she needed help. Tu Huisha said, “Just look after Feifei for me. She brought a puzzle today. If you have things to talk about, just let her play the puzzle by herself.”

Zhang Liuxin waved to Duofei, held her, and sat her beside him. He gently asked, “Feifei, how far along is your puzzle?”

Duofei said, “Halfway done. I’ve put together the bird’s feet.”

“Then let’s put it together. Maybe we can finish it quickly and show it to Grandpa Daping.”

“Okay!”

Levi, sitting across from them, watched the interaction between the adult and the child and sighed, “You’ve certainly built a good relationship with the child after half a month here.”

Zhang Liuxin smiled. “I naturally like children. Duofei is very cute.”

Now that they were alone, there was no need to be cautious when speaking. Zhang Liuxin asked, “What Zhang family matters do you need to tell me about?”