SWTHTC - 25

Chapter 25: “You’re So Beautiful”

In stark contrast to Yan Lin’s reluctance, Hou Zihao was more than willing to walk Zhou Leqi home.

That day, they finally completed the blackboard mural that had been dragging on for nearly two weeks. With a few strokes of watercolor from Zhou Leqi, the sailboat and waves on the mural became vivid and layered. Paired with Hou Zihao’s elegant calligraphy, the artwork satisfied both the aesthetic tastes of their post-90s peers and Teacher Pan, who was born in the 70s.

Simply excellent.

By the time they left the classroom, most of the school lights were already dimmed. Only a few remained lit in the corridors, along with those in some teachers’ offices. The school felt deserted.

The two walked side by side. In darker areas, Hou Zihao would walk slightly ahead of Zhou Leqi, while in brighter spots, he would fall slightly behind. These subtle actions went completely unnoticed by Zhou Leqi—and even Hou Zihao himself wasn’t aware he was doing them. It was all instinctual, a subconscious effort to protect her.

As she descended the stairs just ahead of him, her steps were measured and proper. Yet her ponytail swayed with each step, exuding a playful charm that made his mood lift higher and higher.

He heard himself sigh inwardly, overwhelmed by how much he liked her.

They boarded the 301 bus together once again. The driver smiled when he saw them. As Hou Zihao swiped his card, the driver teased, “Taking your girlfriend home again?”

Hou Zihao raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve got to.”

The driver grinned. Hou Zihao glanced down at Zhou Leqi and noticed her ears were turning red, very visibly so.

His heart fluttered intensely.

But his smugness didn’t last long. Once they sat down, he faced the consequences—Zhou Leqi shot him a glare and demanded, “Why did you agree to that?”

Her face was still red, so despite her anger, it didn’t quite look like it. But Hou Zihao didn’t dare push his luck. If she really got mad and blew up at him, he’d be toast.

So he coughed lightly and said cautiously, “I’ll be more careful next time.”

Zhou Leqi: …

There was nothing funny about what he had said, but for some reason, she suddenly wanted to laugh. She quickly turned her head to look out the window, leaving Hou Zihao’s heart racing.

He asked, “…Are you mad?”

Come to think of it, ever since she had blown up at him in the underground parking garage, he always seemed to ask if she was angry whenever they met. Zhou Leqi found this a bit exasperating, wondering if she had become a fire-breathing dragon in Hou Zihao’s eyes.

She sighed, turned her head to look at him, and said, “No.”

After a pause, she added, “As long as you don’t do anything too outrageous, I generally don’t get mad.”

Hou Zihao nodded as if he believed her, but deep down, he doubted her words. Su Ruini always claimed she had a good temper, yet she still nagged Hou Feng every day.

Better safe than sorry.

Just as he was pondering this, he caught Zhou Leqi rummaging through her bag out of the corner of his eye. A moment later, she handed him an envelope and said, “Here’s 2,000 yuan. Count it.”

Hou Zihao: …

The envelope was pristine, without a single crease, clean and neat—just like her. He didn’t take it, merely glanced at it and sighed. “Didn’t we agree that I’d buy your deskmate’s seat for 2,000 yuan? One positive, one negative—they cancel each other out.”

He spoke with such seriousness that it seemed he genuinely meant it. Zhou Leqi smirked. “Who said that seat is worth 2,000 yuan?”

Her words carried a teasing tone. Hou Zihao’s heart skipped a beat—he realized this was the first time Zhou Leqi had joked with him.

Did this mean their relationship was slowly drawing closer?

He smiled, looking even more handsome, and teased, “If it’s not enough, I can add more. Name your price.”

As he spoke, he actually pulled out his phone, ready to transfer the money.

Zhou Leqi couldn’t help but laugh. She playfully hit him and said, “Stop being annoying.”

Hou Zihao chuckled, keeping his head down but his eyes fixed on her.

Their gazes met.

Teenagers had already learned the art of testing boundaries, but unlike adults, who only knew how to protect themselves, they were still awkward about getting close to someone. Yet their hearts raced with such intensity, like ocean tides brewed by moonlight, endlessly ebbing and flowing within them.

It was maddening affection.

Affection so strong that there was no room to consider whether or not to kiss her.

For a fleeting moment, Zhou Leqi saw a movie in Hou Zihao’s eyes—rich and dazzling, as if it possessed an eternal lifespan that could endlessly renew her passion. But it was precisely this fervor that frightened her because she knew all too well how cold and broken everything would be afterward.

Just like Zhou Lei and Yu Qing.

She awkwardly averted her gaze, abruptly ending the intimacy. Stubbornly, she held the envelope containing the money toward him and said, “Just take it.”

One abrupt retreat only left the other feeling disoriented, and a sense of loss slowly began to rise. Yet beyond all that, what remained strongest was his infatuation with her. This made him disregard gains and losses, and not worry about whether his position in this relationship was safe.

Seeing her persistence, he thought for a moment and compromised. “How about this—we split it. I’ll take 1,000.”

Zhou Leqi glanced at him.

Hou Zihao shrugged. “Either 1,000 or you take back the entire 2,000.”

Quite stubborn.

Zhou Leqi pursed her lips, hesitating for a moment. Eventually, she came around, thinking splitting it equally was indeed reasonable. She relented. “…Fine.”

She opened the envelope, counted out ten 100-yuan bills, and handed them to him. “Count them again.”

Hou Zihao didn’t even glance at the money, shoving it directly into his pocket.

Zhou Leqi looked at him, frowning. “You didn’t even count it. Aren’t you afraid I’m cheating you? What if the amount is wrong?”

The boy appeared somewhat nonchalant, but his eyes were unusually serious as he gazed at her. “It doesn’t matter. Cheat me all you want—I’ll let you.”

Zhou Leqi: …

Here he goes again.

What was wrong with him? Why did every word he said sound so…

She turned her head away again, her ears reddening once more.

The two fell silent for a moment.

By now, they were halfway through the journey. The middle-aged man hadn’t reappeared, and Zhou Leqi figured that after yesterday’s incident, he probably wouldn’t dare show up again.

She turned to Hou Zihao and said, “Thank you for yesterday. I think he won’t appear again, so you don’t need to ride with me anymore.”

Hearing this, Hou Zihao frowned and muttered sarcastically, “Are you trying to abandon me after crossing the river?”

Zhou Leqi: …

Hou Zihao: “What if another pervert shows up next time? You’re so beautiful—if you run into流氓again, what will you do?”

Zhou Leqi: ………

He was really going off the rails now.

Zhou Leqi’s face remained flushed all evening, the heat refusing to subside. She tried to speak sternly. “This is a society governed by the rule of law. There aren’t that many perverts. Besides, your house is so far from mine. You’re in your final year of high school—spending two or three hours commuting every day like this, how will you study?”

She meant well, but unfortunately, Hou Zihao didn’t appreciate it. He retorted, “I’m smart. Even if I study two hours less, I can still rank first.”

Zhou Leqi raised an eyebrow.

Hou Zihao immediately realized his slip-up. How dare he compete with her for first place? That was a death sentence! He quickly corrected himself. “…Second. Even if I study two hours less, I can still rank second.”

This made Zhou Leqi laugh again.

Her smile was incredibly sweet. Sitting so close together, Hou Zihao could clearly feel her body temperature—it was slightly cooler than his, refreshingly so.

Only a fool would let her ride alone.

While she was laughing, Hou Zihao seized the opportunity to continue pressing his case. “Besides, I topped up my bus card for you. You have to let me use up the balance, right? Otherwise, the card will go to waste.”

Zhou Leqi glanced at him. “Didn’t you have a bus card before?”

Hou Zihao shook his head. “No.”

She pursed her lips again. “Then how much did you top up?”

Hou Zihao looked at her, answering without hesitation. “Enough to ride with you until graduation.”

Zhou Leqi was speechless again.

She wasn’t someone who struggled with words. Although life had been tough in recent years and she had withdrawn socially, she hadn’t always been this way. Before all this, Zhou Leqi of Class 09 had represented their school in a provincial debate competition as the formidable fourth debater.

She had never been so frequently at a loss for words in front of someone like she was now. She had never known that someone unrelated to her could have such a profound impact on her emotions.

Like now, she clearly felt herself being moved.

Her palms grew damp, and she heard herself asking, “Hou Zihao… why are you doing this?”

I’m just a person unrelated to you, cold and selfish, unworthy of any kindness, let alone your companionship and protection.

After she asked, she saw him smile.

It was still that cool, somewhat nonchalant smile, but with a touch of helplessness and shyness.

“Were you spacing out when I confessed last time?”

The boy countered her question with a faint sigh in his voice.

“I already said… I like you.”

What makes the perfect confession?

Hou Zihao had been contemplating this question since the moment he stepped into the classroom on the first day of school and saw Zhou Leqi.

In his mind, it required a lot of preparation—at least a bouquet of flowers, a carefully planned dinner, and perhaps even a handwritten love letter if he was being more earnest.

He was willing to write her a letter because he felt that speaking with his mouth wouldn’t fully convey the scene of their first meeting, nor how deeply she had influenced him. It was hard to directly admit that he had secretly loved her for two years. A handwritten letter carried a sense of ritual—it was meaningful. He had already drafted some ideas in his mind, planning to write it once the timing felt right.

But then the unexpected happened. His first confession occurred abruptly in the school’s underground parking garage, and at the time, she had been furious, too angry to even look at him.

Later, he reflected on it and resolved that if she didn’t sentence him to death and gave him another chance to confess, he would prepare properly and follow through with his plan.

…But here he was, messing up again, letting those four words spill out on a shaky bus ride.

He felt a bit helpless, but he knew it was an unavoidable mistake. He couldn’t help himself—every time their eyes met, his heart raced, compelling him to confess immediately.

________________________________________

Author’s Note:

Little Zhou: …I can’t handle this, I can’t handle this.