A Chan – CH 096

Chapter 96: His Wall (1)

This Xu Yi looked at her with a gentler and more serene gaze than in his previous lives. His black coat and black sideburns made his face glow like jade under the lamplight. He glanced at her, took off his coat, and folded it under his arm, revealing a dark blue sweater underneath, which accentuated his broad shoulders and slender waist, giving him a gentle and refined air.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Xu Yi pulled up a chair and sat down. “It’s only been a few days.”

“I didn’t expect you to come so early,” Li Weiyi replied.

Just like in her previous life, this business tycoon, now casually sitting in a simple chair in the cramped room, was still Li Weiyi’s steadfast pursuer, even going so far as to frequently visit Zhang Jingchan to create chance encounters.

In her previous life, he loved her, and Li Weiyi understood. But in this life, Li Weiyi had confessed her feelings for Zhang Jingchan at the age of 17, and there was no longer any slow-burning relationship or affection with Xu Yi.

So she thought, perhaps it was a man’s competitive and conquering desires at play. Looking at Xu Yi before her and at the way he looked at her, she had the unsettling feeling that he was the person from her past life.

But that was impossible.

That Xu Yi couldn’t escape the overlay either; he no longer existed.

They were both silent for a while. Xu Yi asked, “How is he?”

“The same as always.”

“I happened to be discussing a project nearby today. Seeing the nice weather, I thought you’d come, so I came to check on you.”

Li Weiyi didn’t speak. She’d said “no” too many times over the years; saying it again was pointless.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to feed him some chicken soup first,” Li Weiyi said with a smile. “Otherwise it’ll get cold; I just made it this morning.”

Xu Yi watched her open her backpack and take out a thermos; watched her pour out a small bowl, taste the temperature with the same spoon, and then sit down in front of Zhang Jingchan, holding the bowl in one hand and a spoon and tissue in the other, carefully feeding Zhang Jingchan. At this moment, Li Weiyi usually acted as if no one else existed, feeding Zhang Jingchan while talking to him: “Isn’t it delicious? Drink a bowl now and another bowl with lunch. I don’t want any; I’m on a diet. But when you get better, you should exercise and get your abs back…”

Xu Yi leaned back in her chair, watching quietly from a distance of more than a meter.

After feeding him the chicken soup, Li Weiyi wiped Zhang Jingchan’s face, cleared the dishes and spoons, and went to the bathroom. She added some dish soap and washed the dishes with a cloth.

Just as she finished washing the dishes and spoons and placed them on the counter, bending down to wash her hands, a tall figure slipped into the cramped bathroom and gently pulled her into an embrace from behind.

Xu Yi lowered his head, not daring to hug him too tightly, and whispered, “Eight years… am I really not as good as a vegetable?”

Li Weiyi smiled, shook the water off her hands, gently pushed him away, and walked back to the living room, saying, “You’re very, very good. Good-looking, good-tempered, capable, and strong—much better than him. Unlike him, his temper is terrible, he’s so manipulative, and he’s not very reasonable in relationships.”

She sat down on the edge of the bed, pinched the man’s cheek, and said, “But I just like him. I can’t eat if I don’t see him for a day, and I can’t sleep at night without him. If he suddenly died one day, I’d jump into the river; if he woke up, I’d force him to marry me. You see, relationships are so inexplicable. There’s no possibility between us.”

The room fell completely silent.

Li Weiyi then remembered the last time she traveled back to 2014, Zhang Jingchan had taught her how to reject Xu Yi via text message. She realized that her current sharp tongue in rejecting people was all learned from him.

Even if he were just lying next to her, he would be her invincible shield.

Xu Yi, however, didn’t lose his temper or leave. He slowly exhaled, sat back down beside her, and said, “You can stab me in the heart without even thinking; you can just do it all.”

Li Weiyi smiled. “I guess practice makes perfect.”

However, Xu Yi’s magnanimity was never ordinary. He remained calm and instead asked gently, “Are you still managing to make ends meet?”

Li Weiyi replied, “I won’t starve.”

Xu Yi looked at her with concern, hesitating to speak. Li Weiyi understood and said, “No, Li Yunmo and I can afford his expenses. Don’t pay. Otherwise, he’ll be angry when he wakes up; he’s petty.”

This time, Xu Yi was finally angered. He turned his head to look aside. Li Weiyi, hearing his slightly heavy breathing, felt a pang of conscience and asked casually, “Have you been busy lately?”

“Busy!” he answered with only one word.

Li Weiyi remained silent, only gazing at Zhang Jingchan, who was fast asleep on the bed.

After a while, Xu Yi turned his face back, his tone returning to normal: “I just bought two new plots of land to build an industrial park. I’ll be a bit busy lately.”

Li Weiyi gave him a thumbs up: “Awesome.”

Xu Yi looked into her eyes, a hint of amusement flashing within them: “What’s so impressive about that? Even if I bought half of Xiangcheng, I couldn’t buy you a single meal with me.”

Li Weiyi shook her head. “Mr. Xu, don’t be so stubborn. There are plenty of fish in the sea.”

Xu Yi replied, “Same here. What will you do if he doesn’t wake up? You’re already 25.”

Li Weiyi actually thought about it and answered, “Then I might try to have a child, depending on his ability. But from what I’ve observed, he seems capable.”

Xu Yi never expected her plan to be like this and her words to be so blunt. He felt a lump in his throat, unable to continue the conversation. He grabbed his coat, leaving only the words, “You’re deliberately trying to annoy me today,” and opened the door to leave.

Li Weiyi looked back at the door he had slammed shut, finally managing to drive this formidable figure away. Her return this time was fraught with uncertainty, peril, and difficulty. If Zhang Jingchan remained unconscious, she didn’t even know what to do. Therefore, she had no desire to deal with the ever-watchful Xu Yi.

However, she felt a pang of guilt for actually driving him away. In their past life, they were lovers; in this life, they were close friends. Regardless of anything else, they had always gotten along well and enjoyed each other’s company. In this life, after 2014, several things had happened—Fuming had collapsed, and many more people had died—but none of these events ultimately involved Xu Yi. Therefore, Li Weiyi hoped he could continue to be well, just like in her first life, remaining a carefree chairman, unaffected by the turbulent timeline.

Lost in thought, staring at the door, her left hand, resting on the bedside table, was suddenly grasped by several cold fingers.

Li Weiyi shuddered; even the hairs on her neck stood on end. She heard a familiar yet hoarse voice ask, “Has your soul been stolen?”

Li Weiyi turned around. Zhang Jingchan was slowly sitting up, one hand supporting himself on the bed, the other gripping the headboard. She stared blankly at him, motionless.

For Zhang Jingchan, it felt like he had just taken a nap. Before falling asleep, his head had been hit by a crane. Now awake, he didn’t feel the pain. His mind was blank, as if he had experienced many things yet remembered nothing.