When Feng Feng saw Wen Zhouyuan up close, she felt a bit dazed. She looked at him intently, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the bloodshot in them, his complexion not looking good.
"Didn't you rest well? Your face is so pale," Feng Feng asked.
Wen Zhouyuan tightened his grip on the handle of his suitcase, but maintained his usual smile. "Perhaps. It's been too long since I returned to the country, and I can't adjust to the time difference."
Feng Feng hummed in response. "Where are you staying? I'll take you back to your hotel."
Wen Zhouyuan gave the hotel's address, a place Feng Feng was quite familiar with, located right in the city center.
They arrived at the parking lot, and Wen Zhouyuan habitually said, "Give me the keys, I'll drive."
"I'll drive. You should rest," Feng Feng said, opening the passenger door for Wen Zhouyuan.
Wen Zhouyuan watched Feng Feng's composed demeanor and suddenly smiled. After years apart, he could still feel her changes. Although she had always been calm, she was much more mature now than before. Seeing him, she didn't exhibit the same impetuousness as she used to.
In fact, Wen Zhouyuan found it impossible to gauge her inner thoughts from her expression anymore.
Back then, a single expression from her would allow him to easily understand her mind. In his presence, she was almost an open book.
On the way to the hotel, Wen Zhouyuan and Feng Feng chatted the entire time, mostly asking about her work over the past few years. Feng Feng answered one by one but didn't inquire about Wen Zhouyuan's situation.
The car stopped at the hotel, and Feng Feng and Wen Zhouyuan went up together to check in. It was already half-past five. Wen Zhouyuan glanced at his watch. "Would you like to have dinner together tonight?"
He sounded a bit weak, perhaps due to fatigue.
Seeing his condition, Feng Feng said, "Let's eat at the hotel. You can get some rest early after dinner."
Wen Zhouyuan smiled. "Okay."
The five-star hotel restaurant was not crowded. Feng Feng habitually chose a table by the window. Wen Zhouyuan handed her the menu and asked her to order.
Feng Feng didn't decline and ordered a few dishes based on their preferences. As she called out the dishes to the waiter, a hint of a smile flickered in Wen Zhouyuan's eyes.
Feng Feng hadn't forgotten his tastes; the dishes she ordered were all to his liking.
After the waiter left, Wen Zhouyuan poured Feng Feng some lemon water. "I didn't expect you to still remember what I like to eat."
"I remember," Feng Feng said. "I have a good memory."
Wen Zhouyuan: "That's true. Not many people have the ability to remember everything they see."
Feng Feng picked up her water glass and drank, not responding.
Wen Zhouyuan gazed at her for a long time. "Aren't you going to ask me how I've been all these years?"
"There's nothing much to ask," Feng Feng replied, putting down her cup. "How could you possibly be doing poorly?"
Although she hadn't actively paid attention, it was hard not to see the photos and gossip in the alumni group.
His career was successful, his family life complete. Even after his divorce, there were no unpleasant disputes with his ex-wife. He had always been an object of envy.
Wen Zhouyuan merely smiled without speaking. Perhaps because the topic was awkward, he turned to chat with her about other things.
Feng Feng didn't deliberately avoid anything and responded to his conversation quite naturally, as if she were chatting with an ordinary friend.
Wen Zhouyuan said he wanted to buy a house in Nanjiang and asked if Feng Feng knew of any suitable locations.
Feng Feng asked, "Where is your company located?"
Wen Zhouyuan: "I don't have a company."
Feng Feng frowned. "What?"
Wen Zhouyuan, seeing her disbelief, repeated, "I mean, I haven't found a job since I returned this time."
A rare look of surprise appeared on Feng Feng's usually calm face. Wen Zhouyuan was a workaholic; he never did anything unprepared. She had always assumed that before returning to the country, Wen Zhouyuan must have already secured a job.
"You quit without a job?" Feng Feng asked.
Wen Zhouyuan smiled and said, "Yes."
Feng Feng: "That's not like you."
Wen Zhouyuan: "Then what is like me?"
Feng Feng recalled and summarized, "Loyal to work, tireless day and night."
Wen Zhouyuan was the most capable of staying up late that Feng Feng had ever met. In their line of work, most people were good at burning the midnight oil, but Wen Zhouyuan could endure it better than anyone she knew.
Once, during a tight acquisition deadline, he slept only one or two hours a day for a whole week.
Even so, his mind remained sharp, and he still fought a brilliant battle.
At that time, Feng Feng thought Wen Zhouyuan was truly born for finance.
After hearing Feng Feng's summary, Wen Zhouyuan's smile froze slightly. "Yes, that's a good description."
"Perhaps I haven't rested properly for the past few years, and now I'm a bit tired and want to take a good break and enjoy life," Wen Zhouyuan said.
Feng Feng nodded. "That makes sense. You're not short of money, so you can afford to rest."
Wen Zhouyuan: "So the location of the house isn't important, as long as the neighborhood environment is good."
Feng Feng: "Okay, I'll keep an eye out for you and let you know if I find anything suitable."
Wen Zhouyuan: "Yes, I'll stay at the hotel for now."
The meal lasted nearly two hours, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant, at least not as awkward as Feng Feng had imagined.
She had initially thought that after not seeing each other for so many years, there would be many awkward moments when they met.
But Wen Zhouyuan was highly emotionally intelligent. He either didn't bring up topics that might make people uncomfortable or glossed over them, allowing them to quickly recapture the feeling of their past interactions.
As they left the restaurant, Wen Zhouyuan suddenly stopped, clutching his stomach in pain. His face turned ashen, his lips pale, and sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.
Feng Feng, who had been talking to him, was startled by his sudden change.
"What's wrong?" Feng Feng steadied his arm. "Does your stomach hurt?"
"Perhaps," Wen Zhouyuan said. "It's nothing serious. I'll go back to my room and take some medicine. You can go ahead."
Wen Zhouyuan's voice was weak, and he didn't look like he was fine at all.
Feng Feng: "I'll take you up."
"No need," Wen Zhouyuan refused.
But due to the pain, he had very little strength. In the end, Feng Feng forcefully pulled him into the elevator and took him upstairs.
Once inside the room, Feng Feng helped Wen Zhouyuan onto the sofa and then looked for his luggage. "Where are your medicines? I'll get them for you."
"I think I forgot to bring them," Wen Zhouyuan said.
"There's a pharmacy downstairs, I'll go buy them," Feng Feng said. "Wait for me, I'll be quick."
She then walked away in her high heels.
As soon as the door closed, Wen Zhouyuan leaned on the sofa and dragged his heavy body towards the bathroom.
He squatted in front of the toilet and couldn't help but cough violently. The blood he spat out stained the water in the toilet bowl a dark red.
Wen Zhouyuan's stomach had always been delicate. Feng Feng used to buy him medicine so often that it had become muscle memory. When she reached the pharmacy downstairs, she fluently recited the medicine's name. After paying, she hurried upstairs with the medicine.
When she returned to the room, she found Wen Zhouyuan was no longer on the sofa, and the bathroom door was tightly shut.
Feng Feng walked over and knocked. "Are you in there?"
"Yes, I'll be out in a moment," Wen Zhouyuan's voice was very hoarse.