CS - 74

Lin Zhexia didn’t remember when she fell asleep last night.

In her memory, she had cried herself to sleep for a bit, then woke up. When she opened her eyes, Chi Yao was carrying her into the bathroom.

“...” Seeing that she was awake, Chi Yao said, “You’re drenched in sweat.”

Lin Zhexia: “I’ll wash myself.”

“You can barely stand; you couldn’t even hold onto my waist. Can you even walk?”

“...”

Chi Yao carefully placed her on the bathroom counter and went to adjust the water temperature.

Lin Zhexia leaned on the cool marble countertop, still feeling as if her whole body was burning.

She eventually closed her eyes midway through the shower and fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up the next day, the person beside her was gone.

She felt like her entire body had fallen apart.

As she drowsily wondered where Chi Yao had gone, she heard some noise from the kitchen outside.

The white shirt from last night was now crumpled beyond recognition. She pulled out one of her sweaters from the wardrobe, changed into it, and walked out of the bedroom in slippers.

Chi Yao was making breakfast in the kitchen.

The young man was wearing a very loose set of loungewear, the pants reaching down to his ankles, giving him an air of casualness. However, his cooking movements added a rare touch of softness to his demeanor.

Sunlight streamed in through the side window. He flipped the sunny-side-up egg in the pan without looking up: “Awake?”

Lin Zhexia: “Mm.”

Chi Yao: “Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

Truthfully, she wasn’t comfortable anywhere.

But she was too embarrassed to say so.

“No,” she tried to sound spirited, “I’m strong and healthy.”

Chi Yao turned off the heat, picked up the fried egg with chopsticks, and placed it on the plate beside him. Upon hearing her words, he said meaningfully: “Oh really?”

Lin Zhexia’s brow twitched.

She vaguely sensed something.

Sure enough, the next moment, Chi Yao said again, “So the next time you cry and say no, it means you want me to continue.”

He twisted the tone at the end: “After all, you’re so... strong and healthy.”

“...”

She knew it.

“I was just putting on a brave front,” Lin Zhexia hid her hands inside her sweater sleeves, desperately trying to cover for herself. “I’m actually very fragile, but I’m someone who cares a lot about appearances.”

Chi Yao knew she was exhausted last night and was just teasing her lightly. He quickly moved past the topic, picked up the toasted bread slices, and brought the plate to the dining table: “Come eat.”

Lin Zhexia obediently sat down: “Okay.”

As Lin Zhexia nibbled on the bread slices, she suddenly thought: Did this count as cohabitation?

This realization came belatedly.

Because she had spent so much time with Chi Yao since childhood, sharing spaces together was nothing new.

At first, she didn’t think living at his place was anything special, except for the brief awkwardness of thinking about sleeping together.

She took a sip of milk; the temperature was just right, neither cold nor hot.

As she put down the glass, she thought:

Living with him in the future would feel like this.

All her fantasies about the future crystallized in this moment, taking on a concrete form.

If her life in the future was like this...

It seemed pretty nice.

“Eating and smiling? What are you smiling about?” Chi Yao asked her.

Lin Zhexia didn’t want to answer: “Is there a law that says you can’t smile while eating?”

Chi Yao ate faster than her. Occasionally, they would bicker back and forth like before: “Do you remember the rule at your house about guests washing dishes?”

Lin Zhexia sped up eating her breakfast to avoid being too slow and having to face the fate of washing dishes later.

She stuffed the remaining bread slices into her mouth and mumbled with her cheeks puffed out: “I’m not a guest.”

Chi Yao gestured for her to continue.

Lin Zhexia felt a bit embarrassed and mumbled: “...I’m the, mistress of the house. There’s no rule at my house that the mistress has to wash dishes.”

“Tsk,” Chi Yao reached over and took the plate from her hand, “I accept that reason.”

After finishing breakfast, Lin Zhexia lay on the sofa, unwilling to move.

She was simply too tired.

She lazily scrolled through her phone for a while when He Yang sent her a message.

• Just went to your house to find you; your mom said you’ve returned to school.

Lin Zhexia skillfully replied with a period: .

Big Zhuang: ...

Big Zhuang: You’re returning to what school, huh? The school doesn’t allow staying, does it?

Big Zhuang: Is your university different from our normal schools?

Lin Zhexia had to deceive He Yang, or else it might be exposed to Lin He, so she replied: Of course it’s different; the admission scores are different.

Big Zhuang ended the chat immediately: Goodbye.

Chi Yao had academic work to attend to and went to school. Lin Zhexia stayed home all day watching TV.

During the holiday season, two TV series were particularly popular.

After watching for a while, the doorbell rang.

Not wanting to disturb Chi Yao, she didn’t call him but instead messaged him on her phone.

• Someone is ringing the doorbell.

• Did you buy something, or did your friend come to see you?

Chi Yao only replied with three words.

• Go open it.

Lin Zhexia walked to the door and peeked through the peephole to see a delivery person outside.

The delivery person handed her a bag: “Hello, Ms. Lin, here’s your takeout order.”

Lin Zhexia extended her hand absentmindedly: “...Ah, thank you.”

She hadn’t ordered any takeout.

But when she took the items from the bag, she immediately realized who had ordered them.

The bag was filled with snacks, all her favorites.

In the past, whenever she watched TV at Chi Yao’s house, she had to bring her own snacks. Over time, he started keeping some at home, though he never admitted they were for her, claiming they were gifts from others. But Lin Zhexia had silently mocked him more than once in her heart—this guy didn’t have friends who would send him snacks.

Since she arrived in a hurry this time, Chi Yao probably didn’t have time to prepare, but guessed that she’d be binge-watching dramas at home, so he managed to spare some time to order takeout for her.

She took pictures of the contents of the bag and sent them to Chi Yao.

• Did you order these?

Boyfriend: Who ordered them?

Lin Zhexia couldn’t help but laugh a little, then carried the snack bag back to curl up on the sofa: Not bad.

Boyfriend: Will I get a reward when I return?

Lin Zhexia: Let me think about it.

After sending the message, she opened a bag of snacks and continued watching the drama. Watching, watching, she fell asleep again. Around evening, just before dinner, Chi Yao returned.

When Chi Yao came back, she had just woken up.

Her eyes weren’t fully open yet, and she vaguely saw a figure crouching in front of her, gently patting her head as if she were some kind of pet staying at his house: “Hungry?”

Lin Zhexia became slightly more conscious: “No, not hungry.”

After all, she had eaten so many snacks in the afternoon.

“Still feeling uncomfortable?”

“… No, I’m fine.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Chi Yao, who was crouching in front of her, asked again: “What about the reward?”

“What reward?”

Lin Zhexia was half a beat slower, completely forgetting their earlier conversation.

By the time she regained consciousness and slowly sat up on the sofa, she curled her legs and mustered the courage to beckon Chi Yao closer: “Then come closer.”

Chi Yao was crouching, his wrists resting on his knees. Even in a squat, his leg lines were impeccable. Upon hearing her, he leaned forward and moved closer to her.

Lin Zhexia raised her hand to wrap around his neck and leaned in to kiss him.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it,” Lin Zhexia let go of her hands, “Don’t push your luck.”

Chi Yao didn’t continue the topic. He stood up, reached out his hand, and pulled her up from the sofa: “Let’s go. I’ll take you out to eat and stop by the supermarket.”

Lin Zhexia had come in a hurry. Although they had previously prepared many things together, they hadn’t considered that she would stay temporarily, so there were still many daily necessities missing for women at home.

Having stayed indoors all day, Lin Zhexia also wanted to go out for a walk.

So the two of them changed clothes and headed out together. Before leaving, Chi Yao wrapped the gray scarf hanging by the entrance around her neck.

He carefully wrapped it several times, making her look like a ball.

“It’s quite cold outside; aren’t you going to wear it?” Lin Zhexia’s voice sounded muffled through the scarf.

“Oh, I need to maintain my image,” Chi Yao finally tied a knot for her, “You can embarrass yourself alone.”

Lin Zhexia: “... Or maybe I should give this scarf back to you; I don’t want to be the green leaf that makes you look handsome.”

Chi Yao didn’t want to negotiate with her and led her out by the hand.

After a simple meal, the two went to the supermarket.

Passing by the women’s products section, Lin Zhexia felt more awkward than Chi Yao.

Because the shelves were filled with various brands of sanitary pads.

Lin Zhexia tugged at his sleeve: “Sanitary pads... I can buy these myself.”

Chi Yao: “Can’t I buy them?”

Lin Zhexia retorted: “Aren’t you, embarrassed?”

Chi Yao studied the sizes and types of sanitary pads and threw a few packs into the cart: “You might need them, so I’m not embarrassed.”

The remaining items to buy were pajamas and new towels, among other things.

Lin Zhexia followed behind the cart, walking slowly. When passing by the freezer, she paused and carefully reached out to grab a box of ice cream.

Back at home, eating ice cream in winter always earned her scolding from Lin He.

So subconsciously, she thought Chi Yao might not let her buy it either.

She stealthily hid the ice cream under the cart, believing he hadn’t noticed.

Soon, it was time to check out.

The two lined up at the cash register. When it was their turn, Chi Yao began taking items out of the cart one by one.

“Are there no more food items?” the cashier asked, “We have a discount on food items today; it’s best to scan them all together.”

Lin Zhexia guiltily glanced at the cart, unsure whether to mention it.

Chi Yao spoke up: “There’s more.”

Then his hand sifted through the top layer of items, like searching for a child’s hidden snacks, and pulled out the box of ice cream she had thought went unnoticed: “This.”

Lin Zhexia whispered: “How did you know I took it?”

Chi Yao: “Didn’t you see the entire mirror on the freezer?”

Lin Zhexia: “...”

Chi Yao added: “Only one stick per day.”

Lin Zhexia opened her mouth: “Oh.”

Finally, while the cashier was scanning other items, Chi Yao said: “I bought you ice cream; are you touched?”

Lin Zhexia flattered him instantly: “Extremely touched. Today is an unforgettable day in my life; I will always remember—”

“Then help your boyfriend get something.”

Chi Yao lowered his voice, pointed to the retail shelves behind, and deliberately elongated his tone so only the two of them could hear: “...Go get a box of what you opened yesterday; you should know the size.”