Chapter 2: The Wanderer Like Me

It was odd. Today, Zhong Heng gave her a handbag.

When the valuable handbag landed on Ji Zhen Tang’s lap, she was surprised for a few seconds, then heard Zhong Heng say, “It’s my birthday, so I bought you a gift.”

There was an underlying meaning in his words.

Ji Zhen Tang didn’t touch the bag. “If you genuinely want to give someone a gift, don’t be so ambiguous. If I don’t accept it, it becomes me not knowing how to appreciate kindness. Spending money doesn’t automatically give you the moral high ground and the right to always be right. Besides, I did give you a gift. I sent you a red envelope immediately, scrimping and saving. It might be a drop in the ocean for you, but it’s my entire fortune.”

As Zhong Heng unbuckled his seatbelt, he retorted, “I say one thing, and you say ten. Is that necessary, Miss?”

Ji Zhen Tang fell silent.

Zhong Heng, the indifferent scion of a prestigious family, effortlessly exuded a sense of superiority. He always managed to subtly and calmly provoke others.

For a brief moment, Ji Zhen Tang wanted to toss the bag aside and leave the car.

But at this point, in the half-minute of her silent resentment, Zhong Heng had already walked over and courteously opened the door for her, inviting her to step out.

Ji Zhen Tang had no intention of carrying a Hermes bag, but Zhong Heng nodded toward the bag, “Take it.”

She vaguely understood his intention.

Ji Zhen Tang asked, “If I carry a $30 canvas bag, will your family kick me out?”

Without looking back, he walked forward, “I don’t know. Why don’t you try?”

Ji Zhen Tang hesitated for a moment before catching up.

They passed through the garden paths and European-style bridges, arriving at a greenery-filled roundabout. Ji Zhen Tang followed behind Zhong Heng. As the night deepened and the lights in the house came on, his shadow naturally fell over her.

His car was parked a bit off, so they walked for quite a while.

“Your house is really big.”

Zhong Heng lightly hummed, “I get lost every time I come in.”

Occasionally pierced by his dry humor, Ji Zhen Tang couldn’t help but chuckle.

Sometimes she found Zhong Heng quite annoying, yet other times, being with him was somewhat enjoyable.

Today marks exactly two months since they started dating.

How important is the first impression between people? Ji Zhen Tang could always add a few points to him whenever she recalled their first meeting.

She remembered it was last spring, during an event organized by the student union, in a KTV room. She chose a song, but when she held the microphone, she realized it was in a male key, very low and deep.

She picked the wrong song.

Holding the microphone, she muttered, “Such a low pitch,” and with a brave face, she struggled to sing, “Like, like me…”

When the male voice with a raspy tone started singing almost simultaneously, blending with her voice, it lazily and naturally said, “A wanderer like me, how could I possibly have a first love.”

Ji Zhen Tang’s voice froze, not moving further.

He smoothly continued singing along, naturally using his very suitable voice and style, helping her out of this predicament.

Looking over, she blushed slightly, not because of him, but just feeling embarrassed.

The wrong song choice found the right singer.

Zhong Heng sat in a somewhat secluded corner. He hadn’t spoken much all evening until he started helping her sing this song. Catching her gaze, he glanced over with a hint of indifference. In the dim atmosphere, a few words popped into her mind: quite handsome.

She had thought about the future, but her expectations were not yet at the stage of growing old together with gray hair and making solemn vows by the sea and mountains.

A few days ago, she discussed this idea with her personal counselor, Lin Guixue. Lin Guixue rubbed her chin in thought and threw back a question: “Do you not really like him much?”

Ji Zhen Tang thought, Like him? I suppose I do.

Zhong Heng was good to her, and he had a similar facade to hers, as well as moments of indifference.

But this mutual liking seemed insufficient to elevate this relationship to another level.

Lin Guixue shook her head and said, “Then it’s not enough liking.”

Ji Zhen Tang didn’t deny it. She said, “He might not like me all that much either.”

Lin Guixue said, “Compared to his previous girlfriends, he’s already quite good to you.”

“Just tactics,” Ji Zhen Tang said, “Men have a desire to conquer women. Before the other party willingly surrenders, they will behave cautiously and not reveal any flaws. Just like Xunzhuo, who enjoys playing with young girls even though he’s old and unable to perform love anymore, he still seeks the thrill of conquest from women. Once successful, it’s game over. Men usually maintain a dominant position in male-female relationships, especially playboys. Have you ever seen Days of Being Wild?”

Lin Guixue, hearing this, shrugged helplessly and said, “With your personality, why bother with love?”

Ji Zhen Tang thought for a while and said, “He pursued me for a long time, very diligently.”

Lin Guixue said, “That’s not bad. Congratulations, you’ve earned the rich boyfriend experience card.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t expect Zhong Heng to introduce her to his parents so quickly. But Ji Zhen Tang accepted the invitation because she knew she wasn’t important to him; it was merely a coincidence, and at this point in time, she was his girlfriend.

Ji Zhen Tang expected that she was here today to serve as a shield.

Zhong Heng brought her home to attend his birthday banquet, using the pretext of giving her a status, but in reality, it was to fend off his parents’ insistence on arranging his marriage.

Zhong Heng needed a girlfriend to show his family that he was reluctant to participate in arranged marriages.

At first, Ji Zhen Tang didn’t think much about it, just a meal, and it wouldn’t hurt to experience the exquisite banquet of the top wealthy people.

At this moment, Ji Zhen Tang stood in front of Zhong Mansion for a while, couldn’t help but exclaim softly, “Wow.”

A thought flashed through her mind: If she had such a big house, what worries could there be in life?

Although her tea shop owner father was very wealthy and owned several Western-style houses, they paled in comparison to a century-old mansion like this.

She recalled a fresh description of Zhong Heng: Every time you come home, it’s like lying in a coffin when you’re about to lose your breath, with a few underworld ghosts hovering around you.

Ji Zhen Tang couldn’t help but pray to the Buddha, oh heavens, let her have such a “coffin”!

When they first met, she asked innocently, “As a young master born with a silver spoon, shouldn’t you have been sent abroad as soon as the college entrance examination ended, then come back and swiftly take over the family business? Why bother with the effort to pursue a medical degree here?”

Zhong Heng said, “The struggles of a wealthy family are as deep as the sea. With my simple-minded, physically developed character, if I were to enter the scene in the first episode, I’d be killed off. Of course, I have to find a way to protect myself. Being a puppet on strings isn’t pleasant, do you understand?”

The fact that he could say this showed that his mind was far from simple.

Zhong Heng was very insightful.

“Whoever competes with them for power and position, it’s a big hassle.”

However, a man’s patience only reaches its peak during the pursuit phase.

When she asked again later, “Why did you study medicine?”

He didn’t feel like explaining much to her anymore. “Maybe because I’m dumb.”

The one who came to open the door was a foreign maid. A green girl, upon seeing that the visitor was the young master, her serene face became a bit more charming, with a hint of flirtation in her eyes.

As Zhong Heng passed by, he raised his hand to straighten the crooked bow on her braided hair, a casual gesture that made the girl blush.

Ji Zhen Tang: “… Just pretend I’m dead.”

Upon entering, there was a grand hall with a spacious living room, about three stories high. In the hall, there were four Roman columns. Ji Zhen Tang looked up at the marble-carved ceiling, and when she lowered her head, she realized she was also being scrutinized by someone.

On the golden sofa leaned a woman with a head of permed aristocratic curls.

“Ah Heng is back,” the woman called out from afar, holding a thin cigarette in her hand, puffing away gracefully. She didn’t come over, and on the coffee table was a box of cigarettes labeled “Golden Linchpins.”

Zhong Heng was quite surprised. “Why are you the only one here? Where’s my dad?”

“He’s busy outside and can’t make it back.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier,” he sneered, “I wouldn’t have come.”

The woman said, “The kitchen is all set.”

Zhong Heng ignored her, glanced back at Ji Zhen Tang, and hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

His gaze lingered on her canvas bag, as if to say: Why did you really bring this crappy bag?

Then he furrowed his brows slightly and said, “Take a seat, I’ll go get something from the car.”

After saying that, he briskly walked back.

Ji Zhen Tang was caught off guard and left hanging there. She glanced down at her beloved brown backpack, which her mother had bought for her.

How cute is a brown bear? Heartless!

The woman on the sofa must be his stepmother, Chi Ying. Chi Ying looked at Ji Zhen Tang and said, “Are you Xiao Tang?”

It seems they’ve already met.

Ji Zhen Tang smiled, “Hello, Auntie.”

“Hello.”

Chi Ying also smiled, her gaze falling on Ji Zhen Tang’s simple canvas bag. “What major are you studying?”

She said, “Design.”

Chi Ying asked, “Design what? Men?”

Ji Zhen Tang was incredulous that an elder would say such a thing to her and was stunned.

Chi Ying laughed quite cheerfully, “Just kidding, don’t take it seriously.”

Ji Zhen Tang also pretended to smile, “That’s such a lame joke, not funny at all.”

Chi Ying’s face froze for a moment, turning pale in an instant.

She sat in the center of the sofa, with empty seats on either side, but it wasn’t spacious. Seeing Ji Zhen Tang standing, she didn’t call her over to sit, but glanced at the girl with twisted braids beside her, “Xiao Tao, why are you standing? Don’t act like a dead person, go find a chair for the little girl to sit on.”

There was still some politeness towards Ji Zhen Tang, but her attitude towards the maid revealed her true nature.

Ji Zhen Tang said, “It’s okay, Auntie, I prefer standing, it gives me a sense of superiority.”

“…?”

She chuckled, “Just kidding, don’t take it seriously.”

“….”

Chi Ying was about to pick up a cup to drink tea when she heard this and gave her a sharp glance. Her eyes showed a surprised expression as if she had been threatened, but quickly softened, followed by a faint cold snort.

Ji Zhen Tang remembered what Zhong Heng had said.

According to him, his biological mother had passed away early due to excessive worry from knowing that his father was having an affair outside. Chi Ying naturally took over Mrs. Zhong’s position.

Zhong Heng’s words were not false; his stepmother’s every glance at her was full of hidden sharpness. But it wasn’t surprising; obedient people wouldn’t reach this position.

“Mom, I think I saw Uncle making a phone call outside. You didn’t tell me when he came back.” A girl who looked about eight or nine years old bounced down from upstairs with a doll in her arms, her tone proud. The next moment, she noticed Ji Zhen Tang in the shadows and curiously stopped in her tracks, “Hmm, who’s this?”

This should be Zhong Heng’s half-sister, Zhong Danting.

Chi Ying said, “She’s your brother’s classmate.”

As she said this, Chi Ying barely spared her a glance, flipped her hair, and told Ji Zhen Tang with the back of her head, “You go to the dining hall first, I have a few words to say to Zhong Heng.”

The meaning of dismissing her was clear, and Ji Zhen Tang understood.

In the end, Ji Zhen Tang was a decent person. She wanted to retort the word “classmate,” but she hesitated, so she suppressed the unpleasant words and went to find her way.

Chi Ying didn’t ask someone to lead her, and Ji Zhen Tang wandered around the lobby of the Zhong family’s house for a while, thinking that the dining hall was not in this building. She was about to go out from the corner’s side door. Pushing the door, the sound of wind and rain outside intensified.

It seemed like there was a garden outside.

She realized she had taken the wrong path and was about to close the door and turn back when she heard movement not far away.

Ji Zhen Tang paused.

Someone.

On the corridor, on a black stone table, there was a rectangular ashtray, with a crimson cigarette hanging in the middle.

Holding the cigarette was a hand with distinct knuckles, loose, slightly trembling with finger bones when tapping off the ash, as if that fragile cigarette would also drift into the vast rain and fog together.

The man wore a grayish-white shirt with an old-fashioned Italian gentleman style long pointed collar, neatly fastened by a full indigo four-in-hand knot, restrained yet retro.

The deep gray waistcoat tightened the upper body’s lines, displaying a sharp aura between the shoulders and waist. With short black hair and a fair complexion, he stood slightly forward on Ji Zhen Tang’s side, about three or four meters away. She saw the handsome contour of his jawline.

He held a mobile phone in his hand, talking on the phone. Unmoved by the storm, despite the wind and rain.

Although not far apart, a giant banana plant in the middle separated the spacious corridor into two spaces.

The leaves, washed by the rain, made a rustling sound. The whole scene exuded a sense of gloomy apocalyptic feeling.

Even though they were not far apart, the low, magnetic voice mixed with the sound of rain, making it unclear to her.

Capturing some fragments of words, it seemed like they were discussing business. Unable to understand clearly, Ji Zhen Tang wanted to ask for directions but felt it inappropriate to interrupt someone on the phone abruptly, so she stood under the eaves for a while.

Until—

The phone call ended, and after a brief silence, a slightly elevated voice was directed towards her direction.

“How long have you been listening?”

Faintly, somewhat muffled, clearly in a questioning tone, unlike Chi Ying, there was no sharpness at all, but it felt like a heavy stone pressing slightly on her heart.

Ji Zhen Tang froze for two seconds, immediately putting on a smile on her face, looking innocent: “Um, I was looking for the dining room, your house is so big.”

She was slow in addressing for a moment, meeting the deep eyes of the other party, not speaking for a long time until her ears turned pink.

After a while, the man spoke to her for the second time: “Zhong Heng’s girlfriend?”

“Yes, Uncle.”

She tentatively learned the address used by the girl just now.

He didn’t make it difficult, just looked at her with his deep eyes through the wide banana leaves, amidst the swaying greenery, seeing her dull eyes: “What’s your name?”

The fabric on his shoulder got wet in a few places, but he didn’t mind, still facing the turbulent wind and rain outside the eaves, standing amidst the coppery smell and thunderstorm of this deep mansion, yet exuding a sense of tranquility, elegance, and grace.

Ji Zhen Tang admitted that she had some biases against wealthy people, accustomed to their arrogance and shrewdness, but this man had a calmness that didn’t seek disputes.

If being free from desires was fake, then hiding one’s true self was real.

She introduced herself: “I’m Ji Zhen Tang. Zhen Tang as in precious and Tang as in crabapple.”

He extinguished a stub of cigarette, tossing the unfinished one into the waterlogged ashtray.

He replied, “Zhong Yu Bai.”

Silently repeating this name in her mouth, Ji Zhen Tang asked, “Is it from a poem?”

The man looked at the moist ashes in the water silently for a while, then slightly raised his gaze, friendly picking up her conversation: “Which poem?”

“Where the blue river birds fly, and the green mountain flowers are about to burn?”

He looked at her in silence, contemplating before speaking.

“Where precious woods are dense and green, and crabapple blossoms scatter in the late sunset.”

His voice was low and restrained, like a piece of polished white jade falling into the depths of a lake at night. Dull, obscure.

He was also deciphering her name.

Ji Zhen Tang vaguely remembered that these two lines were not from the same poet, so she asked curiously, “Are these two lines connected?”

Zhong Yu Bai raised his pitch-black pupils, with no waves in his eyes, and smiled warmly, “They are now.”

The lightning struck, illuminating his face once again.

Looking into these unfamiliar eyes, Ji Zhen Tang suddenly felt a resonance with a certain period of the past, as if the intersection at this moment resonated with a hook from childhood anchored by fate, causing a slight loosening and stirring up a wave of intense emotions in the river of time.

If she were to say at this moment, “Have we met somewhere before?” she would surely be suspected of having ulterior motives.

Thus, the emotions that couldn’t be expressed surged within her, but she could only calmly gaze into his profound and inscrutable eyes.

Zhong Yu Bai interrupted her gaze, saying, “The dining dall is next door.”

A few seconds later, Ji Zhen Tang regained her composure, smiling and saying, “Got it, thank you.”

Previous

Next