Sleepless in the Small Hours
Xun Yuan simply hadn't expected to run into Zuo Tingyue just by going out for a meal.
The crown prince had taken off his suit jacket, revealing a black shirt beneath. On him, the deep, sober color somehow took on a rakish elegance. His top button was undone, his elbow rested on the armrest, and he lounged in his chair with casual abandon.
A woman in a white dress sat opposite him, her head lowered as she ate. Her long hair, held with a clip, spilled down her back. She had fair skin and the sort of pure, innocent looks that easily stirred a man's protective instincts.
Xun Yuan took one look, then withdrew her gaze without lingering and chose a corner table with Xu Sui.
Because of the nature of Xu Sui's work, Xun Yuan had chosen an upscale, discreet restaurant. In fact, she hadn't chosen wrong. There really were few people here-aside from the crown prince, there was only the two of them.
The restaurant was known for being expensive and quiet. Xun Yuan rang for a server and let Xu Sui order. Xu Sui opened the menu, and even she was left speechless by the prices.
"I'm not eating food. I'm eating money."
Xu Sui said this to Xun Yuan after ordering.
Xun Yuan smiled. "Then make sure you eat plenty."
Xu Sui nodded. She certainly wouldn't hold back. Money was the last thing Xunxun lacked.
Xun Yuan went to the restroom partway through the meal. The moment she stepped out, as luck would have it, she saw Zuo Tingyue looking at the woman in white with smiling eyes. The smile at his lips was rakish. His thin lips moved, saying something she couldn't hear, and the woman in white smiled shyly, a faint blush coloring her face.
Xun Yuan's steps paused. The next second, she looked away and walked off calmly, without so much as a change in expression.
When she returned to the table, Xu Sui was still eating. She pushed a plate of dainty, exquisite pastries in front of Xun Yuan.
"Try this. It's really good."
Xun Yuan nodded with a quiet "Mm," then lowered her head and scooped up some cake with a little spoon.
"Is it good?"
Xun Yuan swallowed the cake in her mouth and said mildly, "A little too rich."
Xu Sui took the pastries away from her. "Really? I think they're fine. Don't eat them if they're too rich. Have something else."
Xun Yuan ate nothing more after returning from the restroom. She wasn't hungry. Once Xu Sui finished, Xun Yuan went to pay.
When she reached the front desk, a staff member said:
"Mr. Zuo has already settled your bill."
Xun Yuan's hand trembled around her credit card. Then she put it back into her clutch.
"I see."
With that reply, Xun Yuan turned and headed for the door.
It was fine. She didn't have to pay herself. This meal, at least, had been quite expensive.
Could Harbor City's crown prince possibly be short of that little bit of money?
Ha.
Xu Sui held her curiosity in until they were outside the restaurant, then couldn't contain it any longer.
"Who's Mr. Zuo?"
Xun Yuan's tone was mild. "Didn't you hear? The person who paid."
That only made Xu Sui more curious, and she ventured a bold guess.
"Your man?"
Xun Yuan gave an abrupt laugh, her languid tone carrying a cool edge.
"The kind in bed."
Xu Sui was surprised for a moment, then actually felt a little gratified. "Xunxun, it's rare for anyone to catch your eye."
Xun Yuan smiled. When that face, both alluring and cool, broke into a smile, her charm shone through-the kind that drew every eye.
She was, truly, outrageously beautiful.
She was extremely picky, too. So many handsome men had pursued her abroad, with no shortage of Chinese men among them, yet not a single spark had flown. And now, she had only just returned to Harbor City and already fallen. How extraordinary.
At the parking lot, Xun Yuan pulled her car out. A silver-white Cullinan passed beside her. Her eyesight was good, and she recognized the people inside at a glance.
They really were haunting her like lingering ghosts.
Zuo Tingyue was driving, and the young woman in white sat in the passenger seat. She really was a young woman, looking barely into her twenties, pure white as a gardenia just unfurling into bloom, delicate and clean.
Xun Yuan turned and got into her car, taking Xu Sui home.
That night, Xun Yuan couldn't sleep. Perhaps she had slept too long that afternoon, making insomnia inevitable once night fell.
Insomnia put people in a bad mood.
At first, Xun Yuan tried to force herself to sleep.
Half an hour later, she helplessly sat up in bed and checked the time. One in the morning.
She felt a little restless inside. Being unable to sleep brought on negative feelings.
She quietly took a bottle of 1992 red wine from the wine cabinet and opened it. Turning on a small wall lamp, she sat before the floor-to-ceiling window to take in the view. Dark red liquid swirled in her stemmed glass as she sipped.
It was raining in Harbor City again. Here by the sea, fine rain drifted down through a hazy veil of mist.
Xun Yuan opened a crack in the window. Damp air seeped inside, cool against her skin, easing the irritation within her.
In a red slip dress, she sat by the window, pouring and drinking alone. The warm orange wall lamp lit one side of her face. Her long hair trailed down, rippling with her movements. She was lonely and beautiful, mysterious and full of stories.
Xun Yuan didn't know when she had fallen asleep. She only knew that when she woke, her head felt heavy and muddled, and it hurt.
Xu Sui had woken her. She was running a slight fever and was probably ill.
"Get up. We're going to the hospital. Xunxun, you have a fever."
Xun Yuan rubbed between her brows. Her throat was dry and sore, too. She gave a quiet "Mm," her voice slightly hoarse.
Her mind was still fairly clear. At least she knew what she was doing.
"Let's take a taxi. I could easily have an accident if I drove right now, and you don't have a Chinese driver's license."
"Fuck. Sooner or later, I'm getting myself a Chinese driver's license."
Xu Sui was irritable.
When the two of them went out, they ran into Jiang Yulin driving up by the entrance. He recognized Xun Yuan and stopped to ask.
"What's wrong? Xunxun, are you sick?"
Before him, Xun Yuan looked awful, pale and weak, her lips drained of their rosy color.
"Get in. I'll take you to the hospital."
Jiang Yulin drove Xun Yuan and Xu Sui to a private hospital, where they went through the emergency department. Half an hour later, Xun Yuan was on an IV drip.
Jiang Yulin asked with concern, "What have you been doing? You were perfectly fine, and now you suddenly have a fever."
Xun Yuan lowered her eyes to the needle in the back of her hand and said mildly, "I forgot to close the window before sleeping last night."
"You're a grown woman. How can you be so absentminded..."
Jiang Yulin scolded her like an older brother scolding his younger sister, fussing over her even as he told her off.
Thoroughly disguised, Xu Sui went outside the hospital to buy breakfast. It was early in the morning, and none of them had eaten.
When Xu Sui came back with breakfast, Jiang Yulin took one look at the food, turned, and left, presenting them with a dashing view of his departing back.
Xu Sui: ...
"What's his problem?"
"Never mind him. The young master isn't used to eating that."
Before long, breakfast from Li's arrived, with more than a dozen varieties-far more than they could finish.
Xu Sui: ... Money let you do whatever you wanted.
After breakfast, Xun Yuan rested with her eyes half closed. Xu Sui stayed beside her, looking at Xun Yuan and several times starting to speak, only to stop.
In the end, Xu Sui said nothing. She was Xun Yuan, the Xun Yuan who could devise strategies from within the command tent. She knew what she was doing.
After finishing her IV drip, Xun Yuan went to collect her medicine. Xu Sui was nearly recognized, so she left first through the back exit.
After the infusion, Xun Yuan felt completely clearheaded again. Apart from the slight discomfort of being ill, she felt no different from usual.
She stood by the elevator, waiting.
Ding-
The elevator doors slid open automatically, and Xun Yuan immediately spotted the tall, straight figure inside.