HGG - 30

Grandma’s house wasn’t as financially strained as it might seem. Though her speech often carried the innocence of a naive young girl, Song Yi’s grandmother was actually quite sharp and capable.

Her husband had passed away when she was middle-aged. Just as she should have been enjoying her twilight years, her son suddenly turned against the family, marrying an unsuitable woman and falling deep into gambling addiction.

She decisively cut ties with her son, refusing to take on his gambling debts. The only thing that weighed on her heart was her granddaughter, who lived in such an environment.

Grandma tried numerous times to take Song Yi in, but Li Mei saw through this and fiercely clung to her daughter, keeping her close while regularly demanding living expenses from her mother-in-law.

For a long time, Grandma worried helplessly about her granddaughter, forced to pay these ungrateful children.

Fortunately, at least Song Yi had grown up well.

The house was roughly decorated but still spacious. Chi Zhao was assigned to the master bedroom. After Grandma left, Song Yi sighed imperceptibly, smoothing out the bed as she asked: “When do you plan to leave?”

“What about you?” Chi Zhao leaned against the doorframe, countering her question.

Without turning around, Song Yi replied: “Maybe I won’t leave. Grandma is old now—someone needs to take care of her.”

Chi Zhao thoughtfully nodded. He said: “Does Grandma want to go to the city?”

“This…” Song Yi answered nonchalantly, “…she’s different from others. Most elderly people want to stay in their hometowns, but she loves bustling places.”

“Then why don’t we bring Grandma to the city with us? Would that be okay?” he suddenly asked.

Song Yi glanced at him sideways but didn’t respond.

“Come back with me,” Chi Zhao said behind her.

Song Yi’s movements gradually slowed. The job at Chongyou had been ideal for her, and countless times she had resolved not to lose it.

However, things hadn’t gone as planned, and she couldn’t fully reveal the reasons for her resignation.

Song Yi didn’t reply further, only saying: “We’ll eat together later, then watch a movie tonight.”

Their first movie together had been at Chongming Cinema.

The movie didn’t start until 11 PM. After putting Grandma to bed, Song Yi and Chi Zhao headed out.

The square wasn’t far, but the night was dark. Song Yi walked ahead, leading the way, while Chi Zhao lagged behind. Though she was no longer his secretary, she instinctively slowed her pace: “Is it too dark?”

Chi Zhao looked up as a car passed by, its headlights briefly illuminating his face.

“No,” he said.

Sure enough, the atmosphere was still a bit awkward.

Song Yi thought they probably couldn’t return to how things were before.

More than two hours later, both Chi Zhao and Song Yi were brimming with excitement. On the way back, Chi Zhao exclaimed: “That was so good.” Song Yi sighed repeatedly: “No wonder it’s considered a national treasure.”

The two chattered like children, enthusiastically discussing their shared love for this genre of film, completely forgetting their earlier difficulty in communicating.

By the time they returned home, it was already past midnight. Only the two of them were still awake in the vast house. Out of courtesy, Song Yi let Chi Zhao take the first shower since he was the guest.

When he emerged from the bathroom, Chi Zhao was wearing one of Song Zuo’s old shirts. Though outdated, the oversized fit gave him a relaxed style. He dried his hair and saw Song Yi curled up watching TV.

The program had long ended; the screen now cycled through ads. But she still watched with great interest.

The next morning, Song Yi didn’t go to the fields. Instead, at Grandma’s request, she accompanied Chi Zhao on a tour of the village.

“There’s a school in the village. Want to take a look?” she asked.

Chi Zhao didn’t refuse.

The primary school’s teaching building was just a simple row of bungalows, with few students. One of Song Yi’s childhood friends was teaching there, so after greeting Chi Zhao, she headed into the classroom.

Chi Zhao waited under a tree. Nearby, some lower-grade students were having PE class. A few were playing Gomoku (five-in-a-row) in the shade. Seeing Chi Zhao, they curiously asked: “Big Brother, are you from out of town?”

Chi Zhao tilted his head, calculating their age difference before replying: “You should call me ‘Uncle’…”

Before he could finish, a group of mischievous kids suddenly ran up, staring at him intently: “He really is from out of town!”

“He came back with Song Yi, right?”

“I know! It must be like those TV dramas where someone wants to marry into our village!”

“You idiot! Unless he’s a pretty boy, who would marry into a countryside like ours!”

“What’s a pretty boy?! But his face is so pale!”

The kids babbled, eagerly throwing around words whose meanings they barely understood.

“Big Brother!” one child called out, “Do you want to play Gomoku with us?”

Chi Zhao calmly replied: “Sorry. Adults are very busy, facing complicated lives every day. I can’t play such simple games where connecting five pieces wins.”

“I know!” another child raised their hand. “Big Brother is afraid of losing!”

Chi Zhao immediately sat down: “Challenge accepted!”

When Song Yi came out, she saw a circle of kids crying their eyes out, utterly defeated by Chi Zhao on the Gomoku board, pointing accusingly at him: “Hmph! When I finish my training, I’ll definitely beat you!”

Far from feeling ashamed of bullying elementary schoolers, Chi Zhao nodded with satisfaction: “Young man, grow strong, then come back and defeat me!”

Song Yi, holding peaches her friend had given her, asked expressionlessly: “What are you doing?”

Before Chi Zhao could answer, the boy opposite him spoke up: “Song Yi! He’s our big brother now!”

“?” Both Song Yi and Chi Zhao were stunned.

“Big Brother Chi Zhao is so powerful—I’ve decided to step down!”

After the boy delivered this line with dramatic intonation and a grave expression, Chi Zhao and Song Yi slowly exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.

They couldn’t remember the last time they’d laughed like this.

Back home, Song Yi washed the peaches, cut them into pieces, and prepared to bring them to Grandma.

Chi Zhao was nearby, using his phone to contact someone. Song Yi asked: “ACDF has started open beta testing, right? How’s the response?”

“Great,” Chi Zhao smiled, though his eyes held no warmth. “Much better than expected. The number of people wanting to collaborate with us has multiplied several times over.”

“Is something wrong?” Song Yi asked.

“Hmm,” Chi Zhao put away his phone and answered, “The Shan family bought a gaming company. Birdman will probably be the first to follow suit.”

“They’re probably already poaching people from Chongyou, right?” Song Yi said indifferently.

“Probably,” Chi Zhao said. “I’ve asked Xia Fan to prepare.”

She picked up a piece of peach and extended it toward Chi Zhao. He turned his head, meeting Song Yi’s earnest gaze.

“I washed my hands,” she said.

Chi Zhao opened his mouth, biting into the peach, then used his hand to push the pink flesh further in. The aroma of the peach was abundant, filling his mouth with sweetness for a moment.

“Perhaps you should go back?” Song Yi asked.

Chi Zhao chuckled: “Don’t worry. If Birdman could easily defeat me, he wouldn’t be sending me friend requests every day in ACDF .”

Meanwhile, at Chongming Games, Xia Fan had just finished recording Chi Zhao’s various instructions when Zhan Heqing barged in.

Xia Fan greeted him with a polite “Good morning, Vice President Zhan,” then tried to leave. However, wherever Xia Fan moved—left or right—Zhan Heqing mirrored him.

It seemed that eagle-catching-chickens was Zhan Heqing’s only method of cornering someone.

Maintaining a courteous tone, Xia Fan asked: “May I ask what Vice President Zhan requires?”

“Where did Chi Zhao go?” Zhan Heqing got straight to the point. “He hasn’t shown up for days! Where is he? I’ve even been to his place and mustered the courage to ask my dad, only to get scolded and cry under the covers all night!

“Assistant Xia, tell me—is Chi Zhao trapped inside the game? Like those TV dramas where he gets sucked into the computer and ends up on an alien planet, told by alien kids that his desire for happiness is 300% or something…”

“Vice President Zhan,” Xia Fan interrupted his fantasy in time, “Please calm down. That’s from Happy Planet . Such things don’t happen in real life.”

Zhan Heqing was on the verge of tears: “So where is Chi Zhao?!”

“Mr. Chi has his own plans and schedule,” Xia Fan replied. “Please rest assured.”

Seizing the moment when Zhan Heqing wasn’t paying attention, Xia Fan made a quick escape, leaving without a trace.

Zhan Heqing collapsed, devastated. For days, he had tirelessly sent messages to Chi Zhao, only to receive automatic replies from IceDreamButterfly with the content: “I’m listening, go ahead.”

Misfortune never comes singly. Just as Zhan Heqing managed to stand up, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and saw the text displayed on the screen.

Meanwhile…

For several consecutive days, Chi Zhao and Song Yi rarely missed the late-night outdoor movie screenings, watching Saving Private Ryan , Black Hawk Down , and The 9th Company together, passionately discussing them among the village elders.

On the way back, Chi Zhao said: “I really love this kind of movie.”

Song Yi replied: “Me too. It’s brutal, and it makes you feel your own weakness and insignificance.”

“Exactly!” Chi Zhao smiled. “Aesthetics only tremble at moments like these.”

Too absorbed in her thoughts, Song Yi tripped over a stone curb as they walked. Fortunately, she steadied herself just in time and didn’t fall.

At one or two in the morning, the spring night was heavy with dew. In the darkness, only the moonlight was clear, illuminating their faces. Chi Zhao suddenly reached out his hand.

The oversized shirt made him look more youthful. Calmly, he asked: “Shall we hold hands?”

Song Yi froze, unable to meet his gaze for a moment. She frowned, then heard him say: “It’ll make walking easier.”

With this reasoning, Song Yi finally extended her hand. Just as her fingertips touched his palm, she instinctively tried to pull back. But Chi Zhao caught her hand first.

She naturally surrendered, letting him lead her along the stable path beside the fields. His hand was still cold, prompting Song Yi to mutter: “Your hand is so cold.”

“Sorry,” Chi Zhao replied briefly.

His sudden apology made Song Yi’s ears heat up again.

After holding hands, conversation unconsciously dwindled.

She was stalling. Song Yi knew she had unknowingly started to avoid the issue. Chi Zhao was indispensable to Chongming Games—he had to return. But she couldn’t do the same.

She couldn’t burden him any longer. She had to leave him. Holding her breath, Song Yi resolved to respond now.

Just as she was about to speak, a memory suddenly flashed in her mind.

Chi Zhao had once smiled beneath a thin layer of ice, confidently saying: “Then let’s settle on this.”

Song Yi gradually remembered. She had once made such a promise with Chi Zhao—”I won’t let Mr. Chi be alone.”

But she had broken it.

Guilt instantly overwhelmed her, and in her daze, she missed the opportunity to speak.

Chi Zhao broke the silence first. In the night, his profile was pale and aloof: “Tree Frog misses you a lot.”

“Eh?” Song Yi tried to shake off her distracting thoughts, remembering the cat. “Sometimes, I miss it too.”

“And Xia Fan,” Chi Zhao continued. “Though he misses you because there’s too much work to do. It’s boring in the office without anyone to talk to.”

Hearing this joke, Song Yi’s mood lightened slightly. Xia Fan truly was a great colleague. “That’s quite a hardship for Assistant Xia,” she replied.

The moonlight was bright, enveloping them silently like mist. Chi Zhao and Song Yi walked side by side. Suddenly, Chi Zhao spoke into the quiet: “I miss you too.”

Song Yi turned her head. She was holding his hand, her thoughts in turmoil. Why was it so cold? Don’t apologize—it’s not your fault. It’s too cold, making her want to grip his hand tighter—

Then, she realized what he had said.

Chi Zhao went on: “I miss you.”