Still Frame Chapter 76
byChapter 76 The Return Date Approaches
The day spent at the guesthouse was quite dull. However, Zhang Liuxin had not slept well the previous night and felt exhausted after lunch, so he lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
When he woke up, the sun was already setting. He shifted slightly and found himself tightly embraced by someone. Unable to break free, he realized the person lying beside him was Wen Jin.
Wen Jin’s cheeks were bathed in a soft, honeyed light, and his messy fringe obscured the sharp corners of his eyes. It was a truly captivating sleeping face. Zhang Liuxin couldn’t resist and kissed his eyes.
Wen Jin quickly opened his eyes. The confusion in his gaze lasted only a moment before he regained full clarity. Seeing Zhang Liuxin, he tightened his grip, kneading his waist and precisely finding the sore spots.
“Why do you also have the habit of taking a nap? And isn’t there another bed over there?”
He didn’t know what kind of background check the police officers had conducted, but they had been assigned a twin room. Yet, at this moment, the other bed was neat, without even a wrinkle.
Wen Jin’s strength was just right. Zhang Liuxin squinted, instinctively leaning closer to him, resting his chin in Wen Jin’s neck hollow. Wen Jin tilted his head away slightly and asked, “Feeling better?”
“Much better.” Someone knocked on the door, signaling that dinner had likely arrived. Zhang Liuxin sat up straight and tidied his collar. Wen Jin had already gotten up to open the door, but after taking two steps, he returned, reaching out to tuck in the corner of Zhang Liuxin’s shirt that had flipped up.
Dinner was, of course, still not to Wen Jin’s liking, but there were a few bread and dessert items that could fill the stomach. Zhang Liuxin recognized them instantly as being from Tuhuishe’s shop.
“Has Sister Hui been here?” he asked the guard at the door, but received no answer.
Returning to the table, Wen Jin had already unwrapped a piece of bread and taken a bite. Zhang Liuxin inexplicably found his appearance a little pitiful. He reached out to stroke his cheek and said in a deliberately teasing and lighthearted tone, “Professor, why do I feel like you’ve lost a lot of weight? Haven’t you had a full meal here?”
Wen Jin ignored the hand on his cheek. Hearing the question, he merely lifted his eyelids to glance at him before replying, “I have. Yesterday.”
A blush crept up Zhang Liuxin’s cheeks. He cleared his throat awkwardly, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, and whispered, “Wen Jin, you really are…”
Wen Jin had already swallowed the last piece of bread in a refined manner and asked, “Really what?”
Saying “really too wicked” would sound like flirting. Zhang Liuxin remained silent, instead moving a piece of cold chicken salad that Wen Jin disliked onto his plate. Wen Jin gave him a look but ultimately ate it with a frown.
That night, they still squeezed onto one bed. A five-foot bed was a tight fit for two grown men, so they lay pressed tightly against each other. Zhang Liuxin realized that from the initial period of getting used to the warmth of Wen Jin’s palm, he had now grown accustomed to the temperature of his chest.
Wen Jin liked to hold him from behind, resting his chin lightly on his shoulder—a possessive posture. There was no nightlight here, so they had to open the window slightly to let in some light from the streetlamps outside.
When Wen Jin spoke, his chest vibrated slightly against Zhang Liuxin’s back. “It’s not bright enough. Can’t you sleep?”
Zhang Liuxin said, “I can sleep.”
The room might still be very dark, but the person who made him unafraid was holding him tightly.
Wen Jin also softly hummed in acknowledgment. Then, he said, “When we return to Wenfeitai, I’ll sleep in your room.”
It was not a question. Wen Jin stated it with absolute certainty.
They slept in separate rooms at Wenfeitai because Wenfeitai was not a place outsiders could access. For their marriage of convenience, pretending in public was enough; once home, they naturally slept apart.
Zhang Liuxin turned over. His nose brushed against Wen Jin’s chin, and their breaths mingled subtly.
“Let’s sleep in your room.”
Wen Jin quickly replied, “Alright.”
Perhaps realizing he had answered too thoughtlessly, Wen Jin added, as if to supplement, “Why?”
Because Zhang Liuxin really liked Wen Jin’s scent—that cold, faint pine fragrance. He had always thought it was cologne, but Wen Jin seemed not to wear cologne except for formal social occasions. After arriving at Wenfeitai, he realized it seemed to be the scent from the diffuser in Wen Jin’s room. In any case, during those confusing nights, that scent always lingered in his nostrils, along with Wen Jin’s slightly violent control.
“Your room smells very nice,” Zhang Liuxin tilted his head up slightly, landing a kiss right on Wen Jin’s chin. “Also, I really like the willow tree you can see from your room.”
Wen Jin’s deep chuckle reached his ears, and then he lightly patted his back. “Go to sleep.”
The next day, whether due to nervousness or something else, Zhang Liuxin woke up very early, but still not earlier than Wen Jin. When he opened his eyes, Wen Jin had already finished washing up.
“Brother Duan and the others probably won’t arrive until noon, right? It’s quite far from Yinzhou,” Zhang Liuxin said, slowly getting ready. He had slept soundly last night, but for some reason, his eyelid kept twitching this morning.
He didn’t want to believe in superstitions, but he still unconsciously slowed his movements, secretly praying that no unexpected complications would arise.
“Not necessarily. They’ll land at Selin Airport and then drive here,” Wen Jin said.
The police officer who brought breakfast told them, “Gentlemen, please head to the police station after breakfast. The city leaders, along with Colonel Duan from Yinzhou, will arrive in about an hour.”
It was indeed that early. Zhang Liuxin raised an eyebrow, his heart restless and uneasy. He wasn’t sure if this was nervousness about returning home, but after being away from Yinzhou for so long, he couldn’t avoid feeling anxious.
Wen Jin seemed to sense his thoughts and asked, “What, are you reluctant to leave this place?”
Zhang Liuxin answered truthfully, “I am a little reluctant. The food, the customs, and the residents here are all wonderful. It counts as my hometown, after all.”
“If you like it here, we can come back. We can buy a house here and stay during long vacations.”
After so many years of marriage to Wen Jin, Zhang Liuxin was still not quite used to his habit of extravagant spending. He shook his head and said, “There’s no need for such trouble. We don’t have that much time off. We have to go to your island, and then come here. Where would we find such a long holiday? The TV station isn’t mine, and you have a bunch of students under you.”
Mentioning those students, Wen Jin rarely showed a look of annoyance. He said, “Professor Lin is kinder than I am. They should be happy that I’m not at school.”
“So you know you’re fierce.”
Zhang Liuxin had once secretly attended one of Wen Jin’s public lectures. Many students came, and he couldn’t even find a seat until a student next to him saw the exoskeleton on his leg and offered theirs. Wen Jin’s appearance while teaching, just his appearance, was very pleasing to the eye, but the material he covered was too profound and extremely serious. Few students could keep up with his line of thought. After one class, all Zhang Liuxin remembered was how handsome he looked in a white shirt and glasses. As for what he actually taught, his mind was blank.
“I get full marks on my teaching quality evaluations every academic year,” Wen Jin disagreed.
Zhang Liuxin smiled, looking at his slight frown, thinking that it would be very difficult for any student to look at the photo of his face on the evaluation page and give him a low score.
Chatting back and forth, time passed quickly. Feeling the surrounding police officers stand up with a sense of readiness, Zhang Liuxin and Wen Jin exchanged a look, rose to their feet, and walked out the door.
Three cars arrived simultaneously outside the door. The door of the lead car opened, and an elderly man with brown hair and green eyes stepped out of the back seat. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed to be a high-ranking official in Selin City. Then, a tall man stepped out from the other side. He was dressed in black, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, with a figure as straight and imposing as a pine tree. His sharp eyebrows extended to his temples, his nose bridge was high, and his eyes were as keen as an eagle’s. His chiseled, heroic face softened slightly upon seeing them. He strode over and said, “A’Zhuo, Liuxin.”
The police chief had already walked over to salute the elderly man and Duan Chengzi. Zhang Liuxin then learned that the elderly man was the Mayor of Selin.
“Mr. Wen, Mr. Zhang, we apologize for the intrusion these past two days.”
The Mayor subtly signaled, and the chief beside him quickly bowed to them, expressing his apologies.
Wen Jin extended his hand to shake the Mayor’s. “Hello. This was an accident, to begin with. My husband and I were the ones who caused trouble and inconvenienced the town. Thank you for making this trip.”
“No trouble at all. If we had known it was Mr. Wen and Mr. Zhang’s plane, we would have invited you to the city sooner. Life would have been more convenient there.”
Because the black cars parked outside the police station were so conspicuous, many residents gathered to watch the excitement. Zhang Liuxin spotted Tuhuishe among them, holding Duofei. Duofei seemed a little scared, staring blankly at them. Zhang Liuxin gave her a gentle smile and waved his hand. The little girl seemed to snap out of it and smiled back at him.
Zhong Sixun and Levi were in the second car. Zhang Liuxin hadn’t seen Levi in a while, and looking at him now, he wondered if it was his imagination, but he felt the other man looked a bit thinner and more haggard. Only when Levi gave him the same smile as always did Zhang Liuxin feel a great sense of relief.
The group found a conference room. The Mayor asked how they had fared during their stay in the town. The police chief next to him looked nervous, seemingly worried they might mention being detained at the guesthouse from yesterday until today. However, Wen Jin didn’t bring it up, only briefly saying that the town had a good environment and warm people. Finally, he added, “This is my husband’s hometown, and he is very nostalgic for it.”
All eyes in the conference room immediately fell on Zhang Liuxin. Meeting the Mayor’s polite gaze, Zhang Liuxin spoke in Bernlinian, “We have been well taken care of by the locals these past few days.”
The Mayor looked at his olive-colored eyes, his expression relaxing further. He exchanged some pleasantries and welcomed them to visit Bernlin often, promising to host them properly then.
After the situation was clearly explained, Duan Chengzi took the initiative to speak, suggesting that the Mayor was busy and could return to the city first.
The Mayor politely declined a few times but ultimately left a few staff members behind, arranged for the best hotel in town for them, and instructed the townspeople to treat them well before departing.
Duan Chengzi had brought a translator, but seeing Zhang Liuxin speak fluent Bernlinian, he even sent the translator out to give them some space.
The conference room door closed, leaving only the four of them. Duan Chengzi looked his younger brother and brother-in-law up and down, then suddenly blurted out, “I thought you two would be in a sorry state. I didn’t realize you came here for a honeymoon.”