OS - 24

After Cheng Yuzhou returned, whenever Cheng Yanqing came to Grandma’s house, he would sleep in the same room as him.

Cheng Yanqing was a quick sleeper. He was just talking, then he turned over and fell asleep. Cheng Yuzhou was also someone who fell asleep quickly, but today, for some inexplicable reason, he suffered from insomnia.

‘Inexplicable’ wasn’t quite accurate; the reason for his insomnia could actually be traced.

From the moment he closed his eyes, his brain couldn’t stop thinking about the red mark on Zhou Yu’s neck. It didn’t look like a pinch, or a scratch, and certainly not a mosquito bite.

So how exactly did it happen?

Who did it?

And when he met her at the alley entrance just now, he, such a tall person, stood there, yet she acted as if she didn’t see him. After greeting that girl, she only spoke to Cheng Yanqing. Cheng Yanqing clearly said they were going to see Yanci together, but she only said, “You don’t need to go,” not even adding the single word “you two,” completely ignoring him.

He was originally lying calmly on the bed, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and it wasn’t until the latter half of the night that he finally managed to get some sleep.

In the morning, Cheng Yanqing remembered he had to go call Yanci, so he got up ten minutes early. Cheng Yuzhou was a bit late, so he didn’t go with him, only waited at the main entrance.

Cheng Yanqing hurried upstairs. Just as he was about to knock, the security door opened from inside. Yanci came out with his school bag, showing no surprise on his face when he saw Cheng Yanqing outside the door.

His shoulder was bumped, and Cheng Yanqing moved aside, clearing the way downstairs. Yanci went down first, with him following behind.

“Why do you look so bad?” Cheng Yanqing asked. Yanci was originally very fair-skinned, so when he looked unwell, it was even more noticeable. His lips were pale, as if he had been drained.

Yanci simply said, “Didn’t sleep well.”

It was raining, and he was only wearing a baseball cap. He didn’t even lift his head as he walked past Cheng Yuzhou.

Cheng Yuzhou’s umbrella was large, so Cheng Yanqing thought he should share it with Yanci. Then he suddenly remembered that Cheng Yuzhou had also put an umbrella in his backpack when he packed his textbooks this morning.

“Give the umbrella in your backpack to Yanci. His family doesn’t have an umbrella.”

Cheng Yuzhou refused very bluntly, “That’s someone else’s; I need to return it to school. It wouldn’t be good to get it wet.”

“Alright, alright, anyway, your umbrella is big.”

Many rural students who get into Baicheng No. 1 Middle School can only live in dorms. Some whose homes are in the county town also choose to live in dorms for convenience. Day students probably account for one-third of the student body. At this time, the roads were full of students heading to school.

Cheng Wanyue was relieved to see Yanci. It would be a pity for such a smart mind to give up on the gaokao. But seeing his poor complexion made her feel bad for him. A child without a mother is like a blade of grass; no one reminded him to bring an umbrella even when it rained.

Zhou Yu’s home was the furthest, but she arrived at school the earliest.

Cheng Wanyue loved the shaobing (sesame flatbread) made by Liu Fen. She brought two for Cheng Wanyue’s breakfast, having arranged to meet at the school gate last night.

The shaobing was still warm. Cheng Wanyue took one and casually slipped a box of milk into Zhou Yu’s backpack.

Zhou Yu was wearing a short-sleeved, round-neck shirt under her school uniform. The zipper was loose, and as Cheng Wanyue walked her into the school with her arm linked, the zipper, originally pulled all the way up to the collar of the uniform, slowly slid down to her chest.

Cheng Wanyue wanted to give the remaining box of milk to Yanci. She linked arms with Zhou Yu and spun around.

The two girls in front turned around. Yanci stopped walking. He looked up slightly, his gaze falling on Zhou Yu’s neck, where there was still a faint red mark on her fair skin.

That small red mark in front of him unexpectedly became the fuse, igniting the memory of being drunk last night.

He remembered his shameful physical reaction from last night, and how he had only managed to find an outlet from that tormenting heat by listening to her voice through a closed door.

Zhou Yu stood on the steps, raising her umbrella, and met Yanci’s gaze.

Cheng Wanyue had just handed over the milk when Yanci suddenly walked out from under Cheng Yuzhou’s umbrella, bypassed her, and quickened his pace, quickly blending into the crowd and moving further away.

It was only a matter of seconds. Cheng Wanyue was bewildered by the suspicious blush on Yanci’s ear.

“Was he... shy just now?”

Cheng Yuzhou’s expression darkened.

Why shy?

Why would such a cold person be shy so early in the morning?

What was there to be shy about just exchanging glances?

Why were his ears suddenly so red? Was he thinking of something indecent?

What exactly did these two do last night?

Cheng Wanyue didn’t notice Cheng Yuzhou’s change in mood, only looking at Yanci’s receding back and saying tenderly that she would bring him her mother’s homemade cookies tomorrow.

For the first time, Zhou Yu realized that gazes could have a tangible presence. Why was he glaring at her? She hadn’t awkwardly tried to make conversation because she wanted to get closer to him, like before. Nor had she used the excuse of bringing breakfast for Cheng Wanyue to give him a shaobing. She hadn’t even said “good morning.”

Was just going to the classroom with everyone else causing him trouble?

Zhou Yu quietly lowered her umbrella a bit, using its edge to block that intensely aggressive gaze. She told Cheng Wanyue something and left first.

The two walked into the teaching building one after another, as if they had agreed beforehand, or rather, as if there was an unspoken understanding to avoid others and do something before class.

“Why are you all standing around? You’ll be late in a bit.”

Cheng Wanyue’s homeroom teacher was notoriously fierce. With five minutes left, she snapped back to reality, running and looking back to tell her two brothers, “Take good care of Yanci, okay? Don’t let me find out you’re bullying him!”

Cheng Yanqing ignored her. Nearing the teaching building, he heard Cheng Yuzhou beside him ask, “Doesn’t your school have a dean of students who catches early romance at the school gate?”

“What do you mean ‘your school’? It’s your school now too,” Cheng Yanqing was still not used to waking up early, yawning repeatedly. “In the morning, everyone’s rushing to their classrooms. Even if they’re secretly dating, they won’t pay attention to their partners right now. Catching tardiness is easier than catching early romance.”

The morning self-study was English class. The English teacher had a cold, her voice was hoarse, and she spoke very softly.

English morning self-study primarily involved listening practice and memorizing vocabulary, which had an excellent hypnotic effect.

When the bell for class dismissal rang, students, one after another, slumped onto their desks. Yanci, sitting in the empty seat against the wall in the last row, was one of them.

During the half-hour breakfast break, students could go to the cafeteria or choose to eat outside. Cheng Yanqing always went outside to buy food. He invited Cheng Yuzhou to join him, but Cheng Yuzhou said he had no appetite and wouldn’t go.

Zhou Yu had already eaten breakfast at home and went to the small store to buy a few pens.

Like other girls, she liked to pick out nice-looking ones.

She had just finished picking and was about to pay when a hand reached over from behind and took two pens from a box of pure black pen cases.

Zhou Yu thought she was blocking someone, so she stepped half a pace to the side. As the hand pulled back, a section of a red string was revealed at the cuff.

It was him.

Even without looking at his face, she knew it was Cheng Yuzhou.

Remembering the glare she received on the sports field that morning, she even suppressed the urge to say hello, gathered her purchases, and walked around him.

It was the beginning of the school year, and the owner couldn’t make change.

Cheng Yuzhou handed over twenty yuan.

“Exactly twenty yuan. You two can pay together, right?”

Zhou Yu shook her head, “Boss, we’re not familiar. I’ll just come back tomorrow to buy them.”

“How are you not familiar?”

Cheng Yuzhou’s voice came from behind her. Zhou Yu couldn’t discern his emotions, but she unconsciously gripped the pens in her hand.

“You’re all classmates, it’s convenient even privately, just a few bottles of drinks,” the boss returned Zhou Yu’s money, only taking Cheng Yuzhou’s twenty yuan. “I’m really sorry, I just finished tidying up last night and haven’t gotten any change yet.”

Cheng Yuzhou walked out of the small store first. Since the money was paid, Zhou Yu had no choice but to take the items.

He had only bought two pens, casually putting them in the pocket of his sweatpants. One fell out not far away. Zhou Yu was behind him. She picked it up and returned it to him along with the money.

Cheng Yuzhou didn’t take them. He looked at her for a moment before calmly speaking, “Putting Cheng Wanyue aside, we’ve known each other for two months now. Can’t we be considered friends?”

“We are friends, I’m sorry, I was being petty just now,” Zhou Yu didn’t like her own affected and awkward demeanor. Liking someone isn’t against the law. “Cheng Yuzhou, I actually knew you much earlier.”

Her sudden remark threw Cheng Yuzhou off balance. Before he could think deeply, he heard her continue, “So you can rest assured, I won’t cause you any trouble. I promise, I will always only treat you as a friend, okay?”

Cheng Yuzhou, “...”

That wasn’t what he meant.

They were just a few pens; how did his offering to pay make them “not familiar”? She was already offering to pay him back as soon as they left the store, even though he had eaten so much fruit from her family before without being polite.

Cheng Yuzhou looked at her sincere eyes and suddenly felt that maybe there was nothing wrong with her, and he should reflect on what he had said wrong.

“Alright, we can start as just friends. So, as a friend, can you take me to get my school uniform? I can’t find the place.”

Zhou Yu immediately felt a weight lift off her heart. When she looked up, her smiling eyes curved into crescent moons. “Yes, I can.”

The place to pick up school uniforms was next to the basketball court. The existing sizes weren’t suitable, so the teacher had to go to the warehouse to find them.

The teacher left the office, and Zhou Yu and Cheng Yuzhou went outside to wait.

Rain dripped steadily. The two stood under the eaves, with some distance between them.

Cheng Yuzhou suddenly moved closer, opening his umbrella and tilting it forward. The single umbrella created a small, private space for him and Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu had originally been looking down at a puddle under the eaves. Her vision was blocked by the black umbrella fabric. She hesitated, then slightly turned her head, her gaze moving from the umbrella handle to Cheng Yuzhou’s hand.

Cheng Wanyue had taken close-up photos of his hands. The photos already had an artistic quality, but they were far less clear than this direct eye contact up close. His fingernails were neatly trimmed, his finger joints distinct, long, and well-proportioned, beautifully clean. The faint lines of blue veins showed through his skin, possessing something beyond mere youthful awkwardness and strength.

Sexy.

When that word jumped into her mind, Zhou Yu suddenly snapped back to reality. She truly wasn’t keeping her word; she had just promised ten minutes ago to simply treat him as a friend.

The umbrella blocked the cool breeze. Zhou Yu felt a little regretful because of her ill-timed thoughts, and her cheeks felt warm.

Just as she was about to move to the side, Cheng Yuzhou’s other hand suddenly grabbed hers.

Her heart skipped a beat.

But it didn’t stop there. The boy’s dry palm moved down her wrist, pressed against her palm, and held her entire hand.

“Last night, when you were at Yanci’s house, did you do this with him?”

His gaze was sincere, and the complex emotions in his eyes held no hint of profanity. Zhou Yu stared blankly at the puddle by her feet. The heat transferring from his palm to her nerve endings caused her heart to beat out of control. Her brain was busy regulating this overly excited state, paying no attention to anything else. Language entered the processing area, and her brain couldn’t briefly and quickly grasp the deeper meaning in his words, causing her to answer everything like a wooden doll.

“...No.”

Cheng Yuzhou let go of her hand, his gaze moving past the red mark on her neck to her slightly parted lips.

He used his finger to gently touch her lips.

“What about this?”

“...No.”

When his fingertip finally landed on that red mark, his tone became even gentler. “Then how did you get that here?”

Zhou Yu looked at him. “Cheng Yuzhou, what are you thinking?”