OS - 12

Cheng Yuzhou hadn’t pulled very hard—it was Zhou Yu’s hurried escape that caused her to stumble backward and collide with him, hitting the same spot where she’d banged her head on the armrest of the sofa at the billiards hall.

The moment Zhou Yu yelped, Cheng Yuzhou quickly released the backpack strap and steadied her. His hand cradled the back of her head, feeling an obvious lump forming there.

“You’ve got a bump.”

“It’s not because of you—it’s from something earlier,” Zhou Yu took two steps back and cautiously touched it herself. “It’s not bleeding, is it?” Cheng Yuzhou chuckled softly. “You can’t scam me like that.”

She muttered under her breath, turning her head away. “Well, you shouldn’t have pulled me.”

“Alright, I apologize. There should be some medicine for swelling at home. Wait here for a bit, or sit in the courtyard.”

“No need, no need.”

“What’s worrying you so much? Are you going home?”

Zhou Yu blurted out without thinking, “I’m not going home.”

“Not going home?” Cheng Yuzhou repeated, looking at her.

Zhou Yu gave a soft hum, then watched as Cheng Yuzhou pulled out his phone, scrolling to Cheng Wanyue’s WeChat and opening her latest voice message: “Dad’s checking my homework tomorrow morning, so I can’t go to Grandma’s today. Zhou Yu said she’s already heading home and will be there before eight. Call me to read out the answers. Oh, and my incredibly smart and handsome brother Yuzhou—way better than Cheng Yanqing—remember to save a portion in the fridge for me to eat tomorrow.”

The alley was quiet at this hour, with only the streetlights silently glowing.

Every word rang out with crystal clarity.

Zhou Yu felt even more awkward than when she first saw him outside the residential building.

Cheng Yuzhou put his phone away. “Come inside and wait.”

He went in first, and Zhou Yu stared at his retreating figure. She kicked a pebble at her feet away, took a deep breath, and followed him into the courtyard.

Grandma wasn’t there, but the radio was still on the table.

Cheng Yuzhou went upstairs to fetch some anti-swelling medicine. When he came back down, Zhou Yu was sitting on a lounge chair. Hearing his footsteps, she instinctively straightened her back.

There was still half a pot of tea left, and the air carried a pleasant fruity aroma.

“Want to try some?”

Zhou Yu nodded.

Cheng Yuzhou poured a cup and handed it to her, pulling up a chair to sit behind her. The medicine was an aerosol spray, and with her hair tied in a ponytail, he hesitated for a moment, unsure how to proceed.

“It smells special—is it made with apricots?”

“Yeah, we didn’t finish them, so Grandma turned them into jam.” He was still holding the medicine bottle. “This isn’t convenient—I’ll help you take your hair tie off first.”

Zhou Yu held her teacup. “Thank you.”

Though she couldn’t see, she could feel him hesitate for a few seconds before touching her hair. He avoided the lump, but a few strands tugged at her scalp as he removed the hair tie. The slight pain didn’t distract her.

Cheng Yuzhou parted her hair down the middle, brushing it to the sides. With his fingertips, he gently felt around her scalp to locate the bump. Once he found it, he sprayed the medicine twice directly onto the area.

Only after he stood up did Zhou Yu realize she had been holding her breath the entire time.

Without looking at him, she casually redid her low ponytail, pretending nothing had happened.

Cheng Yuzhou went to the kitchen and brought back a jar of apricot jam. “Grandma made two jars—you can take this one home to drink.”

“How did she make it?”

“Give me your phone number, and I’ll send you the recipe once I ask.”

Zhou Yu didn’t use WeChat much—it wasn’t something she needed.

After applying the medicine, her skin felt slightly warm. The jam jar, freshly taken from the fridge, was cool to the touch. She discreetly hugged it closer. “You can ask Wanyue—she knows.”

Cheng Yuzhou replied, “You’re right here in front of me. Why would I go through the trouble of asking Cheng Wanyue?”

Zhou Yu certainly wasn’t about to admit she was still feeling awkward about last night’s events.

She recited her phone number, and Cheng Yuzhou saved it. After typing the character ‘Zhou,’ he paused for a moment. “Which ‘zhou’ is it? The one from ‘Zhou Yu beats Huang Gai,’ or the fish swimming in the river?”

“The one with three water dots—’yu’ as in fishing.”

“Got it.” As Zhou Yu unzipped her backpack, Cheng Yuzhou casually slipped the medicine inside. “Take it home and use it—three times a day, no need to thank me.”

Zhou Yu didn’t bother being polite anymore. “There’s still some time before school starts. Will you get bored?”

He probably didn’t have many friends here to hang out with.

“A lot of people in town like to take evening walks by the riverside. The lantern-style streetlights along the path are quite beautiful at night. You should check it out.”

Cheng Yuzhou walked her to the door. “Where exactly is it? I don’t know the way.”

“There are many routes you can take. Just ask someone, and they’ll tell you.”

“I thought about it—you should still thank me properly.”

Zhou Yu didn’t understand. “Huh?”

Cheng Yuzhou explained, “I don’t really understand the local dialect. When you have time, take me for a walk by the riverside—it’ll be your thanks for the medicine.”

What kind of logic was that?

But she still said, “…Alright.”

Zhou Yu looked down at their faint shadows on the ground—they seemed to lean against each other.

Cheng Yuzhou suddenly asked, “Are you completely unable to handle alcohol? Even drinks with mild alcohol content?”

The inevitable question finally came, and alarm bells rang loudly in Zhou Yu’s mind. “No! I can drink a lot.”

Cheng Yuzhou recalled what happened the previous night and eyed her skeptically. “Really?”

He only realized it while tidying up the house—the drink she had consumed contained 3% alcohol.

“Of course! People here, regardless of age or gender, can all hold their liquor,” Zhou Yu said, growing increasingly flustered. Deciding not to elaborate further, she added, “I’m leaving now. Wanyue is waiting for my call.”

“Alright, be careful on the way.”

Zhou Yu turned to leave, and Cheng Yuzhou stood at the doorway, watching her walk away.

As she passed the lantern-lit bend, Zhou Yu deliberately quickened her pace. Once home, she placed the medicine bottle alongside the unused band-aids.

Cheng Wanyue was waiting for Zhou Yu’s call. Reading out the answers to the math test only took twenty minutes.

After finishing the last problem, Cheng Wanyue tossed her homework aside and asked mysteriously, “Ah Yu, have you ever seen that kind of movie?”

“What kind?”

“You know—the ones where they start with kissing, then take off their clothes, and then…” She clapped her hands together.

Zhou Yu immediately thought of the romantic movie they watched yesterday. It had two long kissing scenes and some partial nudity, but nothing explicit.

“…No, I haven’t.”

“I copied one from Gao Rui’s computer. Do you want to watch it?”

“Have you watched it?”

“No, I’m scared it’ll be disgusting. They say most men’s… well, it’s not pretty. Dark and ugly.” Cheng Wanyue told Zhou Yu everything, never worried about anyone else finding out. “But those pale, clean-looking guys might be pink.”

Like Qing Hang.

Of course, she wouldn’t say that aloud.

Zhou Yu thought about Cheng Yuzhou. He wasn’t particularly pale, but his skin was fair enough. Perhaps it was because he spent so much time in the sun playing basketball, which tanned the exposed parts of his body. That time he climbed the tree to pick apricots, she had glimpsed his abs from below.

His waist and abdomen were very fair.

“I’m not sure. If you’re afraid it’ll be gross, don’t watch it.”

“But I’m curious!” Cheng Wanyue was wearing headphones, lying on her bed with her legs swinging back and forth. “Aren’t you curious? I thought we could watch it together—if it’s too gross, we could just turn it off. But it feels weird if just the two of us watch it.”

“Yeah, it does feel a bit strange.”

“Then let’s not watch it for now. We’ll wait until after the Gaokao. I’ll send you a copy then.”