Chapter 50: Habitat

Zhong Yu Bai didn’t linger a second longer than necessary at Wang Qianxing’s place.

It took Zhong Heng a while to snap out of it. When Wang Qianxing started singing with that sharp voice, it finally jolted him back to reality. A boy next to him, noticing his bad mood, offered him a cigarette.

Zhong Heng ignored it and glanced at Ji Zhen Tang’s two roommates.

He sat down next to Lin Guixue, kicked over an empty bottle, and got straight to the point: “When did they start dating?”

His voice was as cold as ice, ready to kill.

Lin Guixue was confused: “I don’t know. I only found out today too.”

Zhong Heng gave her a disbelieving look.

She recalled, “But… there was that thing with Zhao Siqi. Her boyfriend might have stepped in. There were some rumors, but I never knew who it was.”

Zhou Zhi, naive and straightforward, couldn’t help but speak up: “Come on, you’ve had several girlfriends. Why can’t she find a new one?”

“Several?” Zhong Heng’s eyes shot daggers.

Zhou Zhi sneered, “Just a few months and you think you’re a Casanova? You’re too self-absorbed. Self-absorbed and arrogant!”

Zhong Heng ignored her, not the first time someone said that to him. He felt a calm within, staring at the back of Wang Qianxing’s head as he sang.

Zhong Heng recall a little clue.

When Ji Zhen Tang performed in a play, Zhong Heng went to watch but was stopped outside. At the time, Zhong Heng didn’t think much of it and believed it was because he had someone else’s ticket, which couldn’t be verified. Later, he realized this reason was flimsy.

If it wasn’t Zhong Yu Bai, who else could have blocked his way at Qing University?

Zhong Heng held his forehead, leaned back on the sofa cushion, and closed his eyes for a moment.

“Brother Zhong Heng,” Wang Qianxing came over and called out sweetly, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Zhong Heng opened his eyes, stood up, and walked out, leaving her hanging without any manners: “Going out for a smoke.”

On the deck, he lit a cigarette. The swirling smoke made him look even colder.

Someone nearby was on the phone. Zhong Heng listened and confirmed it was an annoying voice—Ding Jialing.

After being with Zhong Yu Bai for a long time, the man had picked up his demeanor. In a suit and tie, leaning against the railing, he was smiling faintly while talking on the phone.

Ding Jialing was someone Zhong Yu Bai had personally trained, absolutely one of his closest confidants.

Zhong Heng couldn’t help but be suspicious of him, finding him irritating no matter what. He couldn’t even enjoy his cigarette and felt extremely annoyed. He turned to leave, but Ding Jialing, sharp-eyed, saw him and greeted him warmly: “Second Young Master, not in a good mood today?”

The corridor was narrow. Zhong Heng glanced at him: “A good dog doesn’t block the way.”

Ding Jialing was taken aback and laughed: “Peace is precious. Even if your wife ran away with someone, there’s no need to vent like this, right?”

“…” He knew how to rub salt into wounds. Zhong Heng gritted his teeth, controlled his bad temper a bit, and asked, “Are they still on the ship?”

After all, the ship couldn’t dock anytime soon.

Ding Jialing replied honestly: “Watching a performance.”

Zhong Heng raised an eyebrow: “What performance?”

“Do you have any business?”

“Why didn’t you take me to watch the performance? I want to watch too,” he said unreasonably. Then he heard some stimulating sound waves in his ear, and he tilted his head to ask Ding Jialing, “This room?”

Ding Jialing raised his hand, pressing against Zhong Heng’s chest, indicating that this area was heavily guarded and inaccessible.

As Zhong Heng took a couple more steps forward, the security guards on both ends converged on him.

“…”

He cursed, unable to contain his anger, and kicked the ship’s mast, causing the flag above to flap loudly.

Meanwhile, inside the private room.

Ji Zhen Tang yawned, feeling bored, as she watched the male model finish his seductive dance. She asked if he could take off his clothes.

The guy looked quite restrained, constantly stealing glances at the calm face of Zhong Yu Bai beside him.

Zhong Yu Bai’s face was very calm. But the calmer he appeared, the more unsettling it was.

He timidly said, “I’m not selling myself, though.” This thoroughly amused Ji Zhen Tang.

Zhong Yu Bai glanced at her smiling face and asked softly, “Do you like this?”

“What do you think?” she replied.

His tone was cool, “It’s just so-so.”

Ji Zhen Tang burst into laughter. Even she felt his dancing was average and didn’t want to lose face, so she asked the boy, “How old are you?”

Before the boy could answer, he glanced nervously at the imposing man beside him and stuttered, “19.”

Ji Zhen Tang couldn’t help but sigh, “Life must be tough for you.”

Then she thought again, “Can you sing that…”

Before she could finish, she was suddenly silenced as someone gripped her jaw tightly.

Zhong Yu Bai’s deep gaze swept over, conveying the message: “That’s enough.”

He looked at her, gestured with his hand, and signaled for someone to leave quickly.

Ji Zhen Tang blinked like a captured bird, looking at him pleadingly, finally realizing she might have gone too far.

That night, she had a premonition that things wouldn’t end well, starting from when her wrist was firmly grasped.

“Was it fun?” Zhong Yu Bai asked.

She nodded, then glanced at his expression, shook her head anxiously.

He smiled faintly, “Will you look again next time?”

“You’re the one who asked!” she retorted.

Zhong Yu Bai said indifferently, “Yes, I did.”

Ji Zhen Tang conceded defeat and pleaded, “It’s like when a little girl calls someone uncle to ask for favors, don’t be angry with me!”

Zhong Yu Bai put one hand on the headboard and patiently explained, “In terms of seniority, that’s how you address me, quite amusing.”

She called him uncle being playful, but when others did it, it was called respect.

Ji Zhen Tang suddenly fell silent.

He knelt on one knee at the edge of the bed, leaned forward, and his usually dark eyes seemed sharper. “Any more doubts?”

With one hand tightly gripped to the headboard, Ji Zhen Tang’s round eyes feigned innocence as she shook her head, too afraid to speak up.

Immediately after, he asked three words, “Do you want to?”

Zhong Yu Bai, in a rare display of mercy, freed one of her hands to let her struggle uselessly. He knew it was futile, but this step was essential to deepen his interest.

There were no aggressive pushes or scratches, appearing harmless to him, but her blood rushed through her veins like never before.

Ji Zhen Tang’s perspective didn’t open up to male models, nor did his views change on that ship. But in the discreet hours of the night, the water and waves were more fervent than the bow that broke open the sea.

She had witnessed his most hidden desires.

Ji Zhen Tang knelt on the green velvet blanket, cheek against the pillow, eyelashes adorned with a few drops of glistening tears at the peak of their expression, her waist jerked as if it had been plucked, unable to say a word.

Zhong Yu Bai fetched a tissue, gently wiped away her tears, and leaned down to her ear, asking, “Don’t you like it?”

He couldn’t entirely gauge her thoughts either.

Tears that couldn’t be called tears. This tearful little rabbit, with well-developed tear ducts, cried for him for the first time.

Zhong Yu Bai smiled softly, folded the tear-stained tissue, and fetched a new one.

Ji Zhen Tang remained noncommittal, extending her arms. “Hold me.”

The man’s strong arms clasped her tightly, lifting her up. He took her to wash up, and Ji Zhen Tang didn’t need to do anything. She was taken care of meticulously, in various ways.

An hour later, back in bed, stripped of her shell, dry and slipped under the covers, she suddenly worried, propping up her head to look at him. “Will Zhong Heng blame me?”

Zhong Yu Bai stood at the head of the bed, leisurely wiping his hands, and looked down at her. “He won’t.”

She asked, “Do you trust his character, or are you too confident in your own abilities?”

He replied, “Either way, he won’t do that.”

With that, Zhong Yu Bai leaned over, lightly tapping her waist, causing her to squirm sensitively and give up the velvet blanket beneath her.

With a tug of his hand, Zhong Yu Bai casually tossed a piece of cloth to the floor nearby. On its deep green base were scattered marks, white and mottled, indistinguishable between embroidered patterns and evidence of passion.

“You’re quite efficient,” Ji Zhen Tang remarked as she teased him for using props to aid in cleaning up the scene.

“It’s the wisdom of life,” Zhong Yu Bai replied simply.

The next day was a day off. Ji Zhen Tang saw the excellent weather and felt good herself. After breakfast, she went to the garden to admire the lotuses and small fish in the pond, dressed in cartoon-patterned pajamas, looking quite youthful.

Leaning on the railing, she tossed fish bait into the water.

Ding Jialing was summoned to Zhong Yu Bai’s house for work, sitting at the marble table while Zhong Yu Bai gazed at the smiling girl not far away.

“Master Zhong was upset yesterday and wanted an explanation, but he was stopped at the door,” Ding Jialing remarked amusingly.

Zhong Yu Bai simply responded with a faint “Hmm.”

Ding Jialing found the drama quite intriguing. “Aren’t you planning to explain to him?”

“I’ll handle it. It’s not urgent for now,” he replied, his gaze still fixed on Ji Zhen Tang.

Suddenly, Zhong Yu Bai recalled something as he and Ding Jialing discussed a book they had recently read.

It was about a female student who attracted a wealthy man, and the wealthy man ended up marrying a rich young lady. They couldn’t reach the end, going from love to separation, and finally breaking up on a sighing bridge.

The female student knew how to balance things well, knowing when to restrain herself, making their farewell less tragic and painful.

Ding Jialing commented, “Sounds quite cliché.”

“I remember last time Miss Ji mentioned some novel where a wealthy man built a golden cage for her, calling such women ‘canaries,’” Zhong Yu Bai said, smiling meaningfully. “I didn’t expect Mr. Zhong to develop an interest in keeping birds now.”

At his words, Zhong Yu Bai glanced at him, and Ding Jialing wisely restrained his laughter.

Although clichés sang many tunes —

“Different personalities and needs lead to different paths,” Zhong Yu Bai objectively stated.

Clear contentment is a good remedy for a woman’s survival.

“She may be a little bird, but I can’t be the cage that traps her. I’ll feed her well, make sure she’s happy and well-fed, keep her in good spirits, and maybe one day she’ll wake up, pat her belly satisfied, and decide to set off.”

Zhong Yu Bai gazed at the figure of Ji Zhen Tang, smiling gently, “Ah Zhen, this little bird, is meant to fly.”

He knew she wasn’t one to be content as a canary in a gilded cage.

She was too clever, always alert, ears pricked for every sound. A girl like her was destined not to be caught by him.

And he would never claim to love her while forging a cage.

The greatest love he could give her was to let her know that even in a world of unfairness and constraints, she had absolute freedom.

Now, even though he was rigid enough; he couldn’t stifle her vitality.

He said, “If she tires and wishes to return, I’ll still be her sanctuary.”

Previous

Next