Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 99

Ice and Warmth

Yan Xi’s newest program was getting good ratings, but she felt exhausted. She couldn’t produce the shows she wanted; her heart was willing, but she lacked the power.

After months of being busy, severe winter arrived in the blink of an eye. Yan Xi felt that after turning thirty, time passed especially fast. It was as if she had just rested her head on her pillow last night, and tonight it was already time to sleep again.

            

Day by day, there seemed to be no important matters, nor any interesting ones, yet time was clearly marching on.

Her state of mind hadn’t been great lately, and she hadn’t been sleeping soundly. One day, she carelessly caught a cold when going out. She didn’t take any medicine and let it drag on for several days before recovering.

Whether it was because of the cold weather or because she hadn’t fully recovered, she had felt sluggish and listless these past few days.

            

That was, until she received Liu Yiyi’s phone call: “Please, just go on a date with Evan. His dad’s secretary even came to my superior. Right, I told you his dad is a media boss, he’s close with my leader, and we can’t afford to offend him.”

“How does he still remember me?” Yan Xi had completely forgotten about this person.

“How would I know? It’s been so long. Did he see you at the television station recently?” Liu Yiyi also found it strange.

            

“Can I not go?”

“Do me a favor. Just have a meal, and then if you don’t like it, you can leave.”

Yan Xi had no choice but to go to the appointment.

            

She hadn’t expected it to actually be at an underground bar, which she heard was opened by a friend of his. The moment Yan Xi walked in, she was blasted by the intense sound system so hard she wanted to take three steps back. Evan grabbed her, his blue eyes staring at her. “Don’t go. Come dance and drink.”

An acquaintance of his came up, a young man with full sleeve tattoos, carrying a tray that was almost entirely filled with various colored drinks.

The tattooed youth looked Yan Xi up and down with amazed admiration. “You’re that host, right? Motherfucker! So damn hot!” He spoke English more fluently than Chinese.

            

Yan Xi said, “I don’t drink.”

“Are you joking? You can’t drink?” the tattooed youth blustered. He pulled a few bizarre pills out of his pocket and swallowed them.

Yan Xi’s brow twitched. She felt she couldn’t stay here any longer. Turning her head, she said to Evan, “Excuse me, I have something to do, so I’ll be leaving.” She broke free of Evan’s grip and walked quickly out the bar’s front door.

            

As the cold wind blew against her face, Yan Xi let out a soft sigh. What kind of situation was this? It was a total mess. Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, Evan chased after her from behind. Grinning, he said, “Hey, hey, don’t be mad. Everyone’s just having fun together. Just have one little drink.”

Yan Xi said sternly, “Excuse me, I don’t drink when I’m out.”

Evan stared at her in amusement. “Why are you acting so innocent? Are you a virgin? No way, right? How could a virgin be as sexy as you?”

            

Yan Xi’s expression turned icy; she had nothing more to say to him. She turned around to continue walking, opening her bag to get her car keys.

“Hey! Don’t go. I really do like you. You have a very special aura—very sexy but not cheap… Ah!” Evan reached out to grab Yan Xi again, but she swung her handbag, hitting his arm.

Yan Xi shot him a cold glance and opened her car door.

            

Evan caught up. “Hey, don’t be shy. If you don’t like the bar, we can go to a hotel. I promise I’ll make you happy.”

“Say one more word, and I’m calling the police right now. I believe the police will be very interested in what you and your friend were just taking.” After saying this, Yan Xi was just about to get into her car when he suddenly yanked her hard, pulling her close to him.

Evan gave a mirthless smile. “What are you pretending for! Aren’t you female hosts all sleeping your way up?”

            

The next second, he clutched his crotch and doubled over with an agonized howl. “You…”

Yan Xi’s eyes held a touch of piercing ice. The normally gentle host looked incomparably cold and stunning in this moment. “Shameless!”

She drove away from the scene. Halfway there, she made a few phone calls. After some time, she received a call from Liu Yiyi. She briefly recounted what happened in a few sentences, and Liu Yiyi immediately started cursing on the other end.

            

“I’ve already notified my shixiong¹ at a certain newspaper. He’ll leak the news to the East District Police. I reckon they’ve already arrived by now.” Yan Xi felt a heavy block in her chest. “Will this affect you? Will your boss do something to you…”

“Who cares! I’ll just pretend I didn’t know. You don’t need to worry about me. How are you?” Liu Yiyi asked worriedly.

“…I’m fine.” Yan Xi had never suffered this kind of insult before. Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel.

            

“As long as you’re fine…”

Yan Xi didn’t want to talk anymore and hastily ended the call.

It was destined not to be a peaceful night. Yan Xi drove for a while, and the car unexpectedly stalled. She got out to check. Just as she lifted and propped up the hood, a light rain began to fall from the sky.

            

The night was deep and the rain was cold; it was freezing and lonely.

Yan Xi couldn’t help but shiver. Her wool coat was immediately draped in a veil of mist-like rain, and even her eyelashes caught drops of water.

Yan Xi suddenly gave up and called for a tow truck.

            

She just stood there waiting for the truck in a small, foggy, rain-swept patch of the world.

Yan Xi usually didn’t harbor much negative energy, but at this moment, she felt utterly defeated. She didn’t want to pull herself together at all, didn’t want to maintain the mature steadiness befitting her age.

After the car was towed away, she started walking, carrying only a handbag.

            

Perhaps because of the rain, the roads were very deserted. The occasional passing private cars just rushed by with a whoosh, their tires splashing up shattered drops of water.

The cold wind snuck into her collar from all directions. Yan Xi first walked aimlessly, her thoughts a chaotic mess as various faces flashed through her mind.

Cold, exhaustion, and loneliness swept over her in suffocating waves.

            

Thirty-two years old, completely alone².

These words suddenly flashed through her mind. At this very moment, catching her completely off guard, a massive wave of sorrow spread through her chest at these words, extending to envelop her entire heart.

She walked over to a roadside bus stop and sat down for a while, smoking a cigarette while facing the endless mist and rain. Once the pale gray smoke had dispersed, she rallied herself slightly and walked over to check the route sign.

            

Her finger brushed across the stop’s signplate, pausing over one of the bus routes. Written on it was: Beicheng University of Science and Technology.

Half an hour later, Yan Xi was already standing at the school gates of Beicheng University of Science and Technology.

She really wanted to see Anzhi; she wanted to see her tonight.

            

Even though the road back to the city was closer, she had still taken the bus out here.

When Anzhi received the call, she didn’t even think. Without even grabbing her coat, she sprinted out, only to run back a few seconds later to grab an umbrella.

Unable to even wait for the elevator, she ran directly down the stairs. Panting, she ran to the dormitory manager on the night shift to leave a quick word. Then, without stopping for a moment, she grabbed her key card and ran outside.

            

By the time she reached the entrance of the dormitory, she saw Yan Xi standing under a tree with her head bowed. A slightly old streetlight cast a damp, hazy orange halo along her silhouette.

Hearing the sound, she turned her head, looking a bit dazed. She subconsciously tugged at the corners of her lips, as if trying to force a smile. Her face was frozen pale. As her eyelashes trembled, drops of water slid down from her eyelids.

The moment Anzhi saw her, it felt as though a heavy blade had pierced her heart. Without a word, she ran over, grabbed her hand, and headed straight into the dormitory.

            

Yan Xi’s hand was like a block of cold ice. Anzhi pressed her lips together and gripped her hand even tighter, using her own body heat to warm her.

The elevator wasn’t being used this late at night, so they stepped right into it as soon as they entered the apartment building. As the elevator ascended, Yan Xi seemed to regain a bit of focus. Her lips parted slightly. “Taotao?”

“Mn!” Anzhi’s eyes stung. She took a sharp breath and offered her a smile, flashing her dimples.

            

Once they were inside the dorm, Anzhi told Yan Xi to take off her coat. She rushed over to turn on the kettle, then went to press the water dispenser. She started to run to her closet to dig out some clothes, but suddenly slapped her own head, pulling out a large, dry towel first and handing it to Yan Xi.

Yan Xi entered the warm room, took off her coat, and used the large towel to dry her hair. She watched Anzhi spin around the room, her whole being as anxious as a little rabbit with its fur standing on end.

Some life finally returned to her face. She smiled gently. “It’s alright.”

            

Anzhi looked back. The coat was already too wet to wear. She dropped a brown sugar ginger tea block³ into a cup and poured in a splash of hot water.

Finding that too slow, she directly took a spoon and vigorously chipped away to smash it to pieces.

While doing this, her cheeks were puffed out, and her brows were tightly furrowed. She looked incredibly solemn and earnest, as if she were conducting a very important experiment.

            

Yan Xi watched her, the corners of her mouth curling up unconsciously.

After smashing it, she poured in scalding hot water and stirred.

Anzhi finally brought it over to Yan Xi’s hand. “Here, take a sip first, and then hold it to warm your hands!” Though her tone was soft, it was slightly commanding.

            

It was as if the roles between them had been reversed. Yan Xi found it amusing.

Yan Xi obediently stood holding the cup and took a sip. The rich, sweet, and slightly spicy liquid flowed down her throat, and she finally felt significantly better.

“Sit there!” Anzhi pointed to the bed behind her.

            

“No, my pants are completely wet,” Yan Xi declined.

“Then sit on my chair.” Anzhi pulled over the chair from the desk and forcefully made her sit down.

Yan Xi had no choice but to listen to her.

            

Sitting on the chair, she slowly drank it sip by sip. Even though her wet clothes were clinging to her body, her heart felt incredibly warm.

Her little Anzhi, her Taotao, was so good at taking care of people.

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