Chapter 30: I’ll Be Your Flag

When Ji Zhen Tang stood talking to Zhong Yu Bai, she didn’t realize that her actions were getting a bit too intimate, perhaps standing too close, or maybe struggling to speak, she naturally placed her hand lightly on the man’s waist.

Underneath that thin fabric, she felt the warmth of his body temperature. When she noticed the meaningful glances from the nearby front desk, the warmth in her hand turned into scorching sparks.

As if pricked by something, she quickly withdrew her hand.

The firmness of the muscles in the man’s waist lingered on her skin.

Unperturbed, Zhong Yu Bai gently placed the hand that was stroking her cheek back down.

Ji Zhen Tang suppressed her voice, “Can we not talk about this here?”

He pondered for a moment.

“Give me five minutes,” Zhong Yu Bai glanced at the time, indicating that he needed to deal with some work matters, then added, “Think about what you want to eat first.”

Food was essential to life, she realized belatedly. Every time they met, his priority was always to make sure she was fed.

Today was cold, and Ji Zhen Tang wanted something warm.

After dumplings and hot pot, Zhong Yu Bai accompanied her to indulge in lamb soup, a dish she had been craving for a while. The location he chose was a revolving restaurant on the twentieth floor. Ji Zhen Tang thought Zhong Yu Bai might have the habit of booking the whole place since they always dined alone, but at the very least, as someone accustomed to being a boss, he would surely reserve a private room.

Thus, in the spacious restaurant, there was only the sound of utensils clinking in her hands. Not far away, there was a mixed performance of violin and piano, elegant and pleasing to the ear.

However, Ji Zhen Tang sat at the table, holding a bowl of lamb soup.

As her stomach warmed up, her mood did improve a bit. Drinking the delicious soup, her face even carried a hint of warmth.

But Zhong Yu Bai, looking at the video she sent, had a somewhat complex expression.

At that moment, Ji Zhen Tang sensed a rare coldness emanating from his eyes.

He remained calm, but her ability to read his mind seemed to have strengthened. It was like hearing a faint wind blowing from the depths of a long-standing abyss.

Faint as it was, it could still be captured.

She incited, “This Zhao Siqi is really despicable. He can silence the teachers and make the college stand by him. So I think, perhaps having this video isn’t enough. I still want an official acknowledgment to reclaim my reputation through proper authority.”

Zhong Yu Bai shifted his gaze from the video to her.

Closest to the moonlit window, her light-colored pupils were bright. He looked into the moon in her eyes, and she looked at the stars on his collar.

“Just the acknowledgment?” he asked.

“For now, it’s the most important and urgent thing for me. The other matters can be dealt with later,” Ji Zhen Tang said, needing the initial version of the shortlisted names released by the college.

Because that one had a red stamp on it, which carried more weight than Zhao Siqi’s verbal admission.

Zhong Yu Bai pondered briefly.

Ji Zhen Tang tugged at his sleeve, reminding him, “No hacking. I want to defend my rights in a legitimate way.”

He chuckled lightly, a cruel self-confidence flashing in his eyes, a confidence that could confront Gods and Buddhas, fleeting but caught by her, then he said lightly, “It’s a small matter.”

Zhong Yu Bai’s instructions reached Qingcheng’s Art Academy that evening. Ji Zhen Tang’s post was made the next day, causing a stir on the internet.

A few days later, snow fell in Jiangnan, the snowflakes as light as goose feathers, piling up overnight. When one woke up and opened the window, the distant mountains were all covered in white, and even the lush Chenzhang Garden seemed withered, its colors turning into a blurry gray.

Zhong Yu Bai swapped his financial magazine for a fashion journal, a field he rarely paid attention to, just to see the prominent Zhao in the news headlines.

Forcing people through coercion, bullying, abusing power, covering up the sky with one hand.

All sorts of accusations.

This time, she really stirred up a storm in the city.

Outside the window, the snow-covered mountains, the carved window frames slightly ajar, and the smoke from the medicine pot slowly dissipating indoors.

Mrs. Xu pushed the door in and informed Zhong Yu Bai of the news outside the threshold, “Zhao Hang is here again.”

She conveyed Zhao Hang’s request.

Last time, he begged for funding.

This time, he begged for a way out.

“A way out?” Zhong Yu Bai replied lightly, his voice devoid of any inflection, showing neither confusion nor sarcasm. Then he closed the booklet slowly, placed it aside, and looked up at Mrs. Xu, saying, “Ignore it.”

He sat in the armchair, his arm naturally relaxed hanging on the armrest, while the other hand held a cup of red tea, glancing at the wisps of smoke rising from the top of the medicine jar.

“Alright,” Mrs. Xu replied, “then he won’t be let in.”

As she spoke, she handed over a long wooden box, saying, “Oh, by the way, the thing you wanted has just been delivered.”

Zhong Yu Bai stood up and went to Mrs. Xu’s side, unfolding the wooden box to reveal the exquisite hair ornament lying inside.

A red jade hairpin.

He had someone cut the gemstones according to her design and made them into a butterfly hairpin.

This kind of full-bodied red for hairpins was not commonly seen, appearing sharp and piercing. At that time, Ji Zhen Tang tried her best to explain to him that it was for matching wedding attire, all in bright red! Then she patiently explained the concept, and Zhong Yu Bai understood the symbolism of this butterfly. While others were thinking about classical beauty, she was thinking about anti-feudalism, thinking about freedom.

“She always has many whimsical ideas.”

Since childhood.

Zhong Yu Bai looked at the red jade in his palm, smiling slightly, and spoke somewhat abruptly, expressing a heartfelt thought.

Mrs. Xu understood his thoughts, nodded, and echoed, “Very lovely.”

She pointed to the butterfly on the hairpin.

But he interpreted it as praising her and replied, “Yes.”

On this day, when Ji Zhen Tang came in the afternoon, she had her invisible pass, and the high threshold to enter the Chenzhang Garden was lifted for her.

She wore a pair of thick-soled snow boots, crunching through the snow and quickly approaching. Her footsteps were lively and light. The man resting in the tea house heard her from afar and slowly opened his eyes.

She arrived at the door of the tea room where Zhong Yu Bai was, standing in the corridor, stomping her feet twice, shaking off the snow on the brim of her down jacket, dusting herself off, then leaned half of her body in, putting her hand near her mouth to amplify her voice, mischievously saying, “I’ve come to find your master of the garden.”

She leaned against the door frame, half of her body leaning inside.

Quite mischievous.

Zhong Yu Bai, with his back to her, was comfortably sitting in the chair resting. He wore a thin black sweater, his tall body relaxed. From behind, the lines of his shoulders and neck were broad and superior. Hearing her voice, the corners of his lips lifted slightly, but he didn’t turn around, just lightly said, “Not cold outside? Come in and warm up.”

With a click, the door was closed by her.

Ji Zhen Tang came in and breathed into her cold hands, seeing that the spacious tea room only had Zhong Yu Bai, she casually found a seat, poured herself some tea, eager to tell him what had happened.

“Is the matter resolved?” Zhong Yu Bai stood up, walked to the table, and sat across from her.

“We exposed him thoroughly and won the first battle.” She smiled proudly, took a sip of hot tea, glanced at the central air conditioning unit on the ceiling, then changed the subject, “It’s so warm, can I take off my coat?”

“As you wish,” he said.

Today, she wore a pure white down jacket, a standard style, nothing special, but her face, untouched by the snow, was exceptionally radiant. With a snap, the zipper was pulled down, revealing the slightly fitted sweater inside. She adjusted the collar, shaking off a few snowflakes.

Ji Zhen Tang said, “I had a severe attack on my way here, it was really serious, I was scared to death. I don’t know if it’s because of this recent incident. It had been fine for a while, it’s all Zhao Siqi’s fault.”

Muttering and complaining, she relaxed her furrowed brows, then continued to report to him, “A particularly annoying thing happened. After I posted the video, our teacher found me and comforted me, saying it’s over, asking me to delete the posts on the forum. I said, no way!”

She put her hands on her hips, annoyed, “Why should I delete them? The hairpin was originally designed by me, I just took back what belongs to me. What’s wrong with exposing the bad guys?”

After finishing, she looked at him, seeking approval, “Right?”

Zhong Yu Bai smiled faintly, nodding, “Don’t delete them, there’s no reason to.”

Ji Zhen Tang nodded vigorously, “Definitely not deleting them, let them deal with me if they can.”

She threw a few wolfberries into her cup, swirled them around, soaking the dry red dots, then said, “Hey, do you know, Zhong Heng loves to play around, always going to some flashy places, gambling, drinking, and so on.”

Zhong Yu Bai raised his eyebrows slightly, not knowing the intention behind her mentioning this, but his gaze towards her was subtle.

Ji Zhen Tang didn’t notice, “But when I’m with you, it’s just drinking water, tea, medicine, playing mahjong, or watching fairies dance, following the refined tastes.”

Zhong Yu Bai said, “Is that not good?”

She swirled her cup, glanced at him, and didn’t speak.

He continued, “Those places, have a murky atmosphere.”

How come these words made her hear a hint of dissatisfaction?

It was quite unusual for her to hear Zhong Yu Bai criticize something. Even if he didn’t directly point it out, such a tone appearing from him was already sharp enough.

Ji Zhen Tang inexplicably laughed.

He didn’t notice her sneering smile, just said, “Drinking tea is beneficial for clarity and health.”

She nodded, “Of course, it’s also good, also good.”

Zhong Yu Bai remained silent.

Ji Zhen Tang continued, “By the way, speaking of Zhong Heng, your little nephew, I actually find him quite annoying. My roommate says I’m his white moonlight. I really hate that term, being brought to a high position by someone’s unrequited love, who wants that? But I have to say, he’s not a bad person, still somewhat righteous. If it weren’t for him helping out that day, I wouldn’t know how to extricate myself.”

Sitting across the eight immortal table, Zhong Yu Bai sat sideways, leaving her with a jade-like profile. As she spoke, she looked at his slightly lowered long lashes.

He listened calmly, without interruption.

After she finished speaking, he responded, “Let’s not talk about that.”

Zhong Yu Bai finished speaking, and the scent of medicinal herbs in the room reminded him of something important. He went to fetch the medicine jar and poured some medicine for her, saying, “It’s been stewing all day, the heat is just right, it should be effective.”

Ji Zhen Tang couldn’t believe it, looking at the murky medicine in the cup, it looked bitter just by looking at it, “Why do you still have to brew the medicine yourself?”

“People who receive money to do things often feel a lack of sincerity. Many times, they think they can’t see any flaws, so they try to get by with generalities,” Zhong Yu Bai said, giving the reason for not hiring someone to do it.

Then, he slowly pushed the cup in front of her.

“Does this mean you’re sincere?” she asked with a smile.

He replied, “I couldn’t be more sincere to you.”

She blew on the medicine, ran her fingers along the rim of the cup, gently rubbing it, warming her hands in the process. While looking at the pavilions and terraces outside the glass window, she casually brought up a topic, “I remember the first time I came here, no, it was the second time, Fang Mo was standing on that platform, dancing like a celestial being.”

Ji Zhen Tang pointed outside.

Zhong Yu Bai didn’t look in the direction she pointed, instead, he looked into her eyes and asked, “Was the dance beautiful?”

She replied, “Very beautiful, like a celestial being.”

Without hesitation, he said, “If you want to see it again, I’ll ask her to come again.”

Ji Zhen Tang smiled knowingly and asked teasingly, “Are you so powerful that you can summon a big star at will? Did she secretly enter your camp without me knowing?”

Zhong Yu Bai’s lips curled up in a barely perceptible smile as he replied, “I told her that there’s someone in my heart, and there’s no room for her.”

“…,”

“She can’t enter.” He looked at her reassuringly.

She didn’t ask who that person was. Under his gaze, she felt a bit shy, hastily lowered her head, and continued to blow on the steaming hot medicine.

After blowing on the medicine for a while, Ji Zhen Tang couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you care so much about my illness?”

The sound of the wind outside stopped, and the fire in the stove went out. The room became exceptionally quiet, and her question seemed to have a probing effect, digging to the root.

This question was straightforward, demanding a direct answer without beating around the bush or being ambiguous.

To understand the fundamental nature of his concern.

“How can I openly pursue you if you’re still ill?” Zhong Yu Bai looked at her, not hiding anything, and slowly said, “While you’re sick, no matter what I do or say, it seems like I’m taking advantage of the situation.”

During the few seconds of eye contact, she gauged the tenderness in his eyes.

He, in turn, measured the weight of fear in her heart, a reaction as genuine as the last time on the plane when she dodged.

Fortunately, there was tenderness. And fortunately, the fear was receding. She didn’t dodge this time.

Zhong Yu Bai smiled warmly, “Can’t you see?”

Ji Zhen Tang blushed slowly, lowered her head to drink the medicine, took a sip, and frowned at its bitterness, “I can’t see it at all.”

As soon as she finished speaking, he pressed down on the mouth of the cup in her hand, Zhong Yu Bai’s hand moved downward, gently letting the cup set onto the table, causing her fingers to relax and release the rim of the cup.

Ji Zhen Tang looked at his actions in confusion.

Zhong Yu Bai then held her fingers, the index and middle fingers, first these two, through the sweater, pulled them to his left chest, then his movements were gentle as he pressed her entire palm against his heart.

Zhong Yu Bai covered her hand with his hand, firmly holding it. Even through the clothes, Ji Zhen Tang could feel the firm texture of his body, and the beats, steady and strong, pulsating unlike his heartbeat.

“Can you hear it?” he asked.

She didn’t quite understand, but nodded slightly, saying, “Your heartbeat.”

“It’s saying, it’s very anxious.”

“…”

Ji Zhen Tang held her breath, his intimate words, the hot medicine, the warmth of the room, the surrounding heat, made her sweat all over at this moment, nervously asking, “Anxious, anxious about what?”

Zhong Yu Bai calmly replied, “Sealing the deal as soon as possible, so there’s a reason to let other men’s names disappear from my ears.”

She was stunned, her face turning even redder.

He obviously minded hearing Zhong Heng’s name so many times.

Ji Zhen Tang repeatedly withdrew her hand, lied, “My, my hand is sweating.”

Released by him.

She flicked her fingers, dispersing the heat, although there was no sweat, her body temperature was dangerously high.

Realizing she was no match for him, Ji Zhen Tang didn’t dare to ask more questions.

Zhong Yu Bai didn’t say much either. He always had such a sense of proportion, knowing when to stop.

Then, he took out the gift he had prepared for her, opened the box, inside was the ruby butterfly she had designed.

Ji Zhen Tang exclaimed in surprise, “Wow!” happily relieving her embarrassment, quickly leaning over to take a look.

Seeing her happy expression, Zhong Yu Bai smiled slightly and asked her, “Are you afraid?”

Ji Zhen Tang said, “Afraid of what?”

“When posting that video, were you afraid?”

He was obviously referring to revealing someone’s wrongdoing.

Ji Zhen Tang shook her head, “I didn’t have the mood to think about that much. I just wanted to get my child back; after all, it’s my own blood and sweat.” She smiled happily, using her fingers to pick out the jewelry, feeling the hard ruby, “It’s so beautiful.”

Zhong Yu Bai said softly, “The world is like this, dark and confusing, there are many unfair things that make people feel helpless. Being able to maintain your own views in the midst of it all, and having the courage to not be afraid, is rare.”

He pointed at the hairpin in her hand, “A small trophy.”

Ji Zhen Tang tilted her head and smiled, “I’ve said it before, you really are Santa Claus.”

Then, sincerely, she thanked him, “Of course, I have to thank you for your help. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to be so brave.”

“A brave girl will be remembered.”

This matter didn’t need to be so complicated to resolve. Zhong Yu Bai didn’t even need to intervene personally, just a little pressure on Zhao Siqi, a little support for Ji Zhen Tang. Solving the matter between two students, even including helping her win the highest award, would be effortless.

But he couldn’t do that because she indeed possessed the ability to confront the world, a vibrant quality.

Let her face it, pick up the medal herself, shine, and write her name in front of the world.

Because she wasn’t a bird in a cage; she was a butterfly breaking out of its cocoon.

So, those radiance and elegance had to be displayed by her personally.

The reason why there was support behind her was to have the ability to root out the source of evil, whether it was the dark forces or the righteous struggles, it possessed the ability to uproot them.

To make her light shine brighter and her path clearer.

He said, “The stage is yours, I’ll be your banner.”

Previous

Next