Chapter 8 The Unexpected Touch
"Are you okay?"
The wine didn't splash on me. It landed all over Zhou Wang's pants instead.
I grabbed a few napkins and hurriedly wiped at the mess for him.
Zhou Wang panicked even more than I did. His whole body tensed up, face flushing red from his neck all the way up.
He looked like he wanted to stop me but had no idea where to start.
Only then did I realize what I was wiping. I yanked my hand back—
—and my eyes crashed right into a sharp, scrutinizing gaze.
Shen Xiuming was watching me.
Behind him stood a group of striking men and women.
The woman closest to him had her mouth slightly open, shock written across her face.
She had a chic short haircut. Her high-neck sweater outlined a graceful figure. Small face, big eyes—intellectual yet somehow cute.
Shen Xiuming wore a black sweater with a gray suit jacket draped over one arm. A pair of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. His expression carried zero warmth.
I heard the woman sigh softly. "Wow, youth really is wonderful~"
Professor Chen beside her teased, "Qiao Zhi, you're not that much older than them. You could find yourself a college guy too—"
"Get lost!" She swung her bag at him.
"Let's go." Shen Xiuming spoke coldly. His gaze swept past us without the slightest pause.
I opened my mouth. The words died silently in my throat and sank back down.
The group walked right by our noisy table and headed straight for a private room.
Only after they disappeared inside did the whispers start.
"Did you see? That stunning woman next to Professor Shen—Professor Qiao Zhi. I saw her interview in a magazine. I had no idea she was this young!"
"She's gorgeous. And brilliant in academics. She and Professor Shen look perfect together—like they were made for each other!"
"I heard her father owns a hospital. Old medical family. She came back to China this time at Professor Shen's invitation."
"Professor Shen has the looks, the body, the brains—everything. I always wondered who could possibly match someone like him. Now I get it."
"Sigh... Comparing ourselves to them is just depressing. Just a few years older and it already feels like a completely different world."
Yeah. A completely different world...
"Careful!"
My hand accidentally brushed the scorching barbecue grill.
The back of my hand turned red instantly.
Zhou Wang freaked out and started searching everywhere for an ice pack.
I told him it was fine—just needed to run it under water. He wouldn't listen and insisted on coming with me.
I was about to call for Tao Zi, but she had already passed out from drinking. So I followed Zhou Wang instead.
He said to run cold water for at least three minutes. He'd wait outside.
The restroom was empty.
I turned on the faucet. The sound of rushing water echoed in the small space.
I stared at myself in the mirror: messy bun, plain white T-shirt, faded jeans...
Completely worlds apart from the mature, elegant Qiao Zhi.
No comparison, no harm.
Before this, jealousy had made me think nasty thoughts. Maybe Qiao Zhi was just a bookworm. No sense of style. Focused only on research. Maybe she and Shen Xiuming were just colleagues. Friends.
Maybe...
I still had a chance.
But seeing the two of them together—so perfect—I had to face the ugly truth inside me.
The way Qiao Zhi looked at Shen Xiuming... I knew that look too well.
It was exactly how I looked at Shen Xiuming after I found out who Brand really was.
Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes without warning.
I scrubbed them away roughly with the back of my uninjured hand and silently told my blurry reflection:
Cen Cen! It's just one Shen Xiuming! He's not that big a deal!
I rubbed my eyes and stumbled out.
I'd accidentally rubbed out one contact lens earlier. Everything looked a little fuzzy.
As I stepped out of the restroom, I vaguely noticed a tall figure leaning against the wall in the hallway.
"Zhou Wang?"
Didn't I tell him to go back and not wait?
Crash.
My foot caught the "Caution: Wet Floor" sign by the door. My body pitched forward—
No pain. No embarrassing fall.
A strong arm caught me mid-fall.
I pushed myself up. My palm pressed against a solid wall of chest.
"Sorry!"
Definitely an athlete. Those pecs felt unreal.
The moment I tried to pull away, my wrist was caught.
A low, dark voice fell beside my ear.
"What, you mistake someone, and you still touch?"
It was Shen Xiuming's voice.