OS - 31

After Yanci walked into the school gate, Zhou Yu was pulled by Cheng Yuzhou and ran out of the alley, heading down the road.

Straight ahead.

It turned out that the wind had a shape, blowing his school uniform, and also blowing her hair.

At this moment, she thought of nothing. The dull pressure of school and the tedious chores of home were all left behind.

They stopped under a street light, bending over and panting heavily.

Zhou Yu’s legs felt weak, and she sat on the ground.

The road leading to the train station was almost deserted at night. Cheng Yuzhou took off his school uniform and spread it on the ground, pulling Zhou Yu up a bit to let her sit on his clothes.

He stood, and after Zhou Yu’s breathing had somewhat calmed, she looked up at him. Both of them laughed at the same time.

The streetlight’s glow spread out from behind him, each messy strand of his short hair, tousled by the wind, was clearly outlined. His features were in the back-lit shadow. She didn’t even realize when their laughter stopped, and the surroundings were so quiet that only their breathing could be heard.

As their eyes met, an indescribable ambiguity quietly grew.

Zhou Yu rested her hands on the ground behind her, where the school uniform was spread. A few strands of hair clung to her nose. Cheng Yuzhou suddenly bent closer to her, gently pushing away that wisp of hair.

Her heart, which had just been slowly returning to a normal rhythm, felt like it was about to leap out of her chest. Zhou Yu couldn’t distinguish whether this ominous change was due to the tickle of a hair brushing against her cheek or Cheng Yuzhou suddenly leaning close.

Cheng Yuzhou spoke first. “Do you know what bad thing I wanted to do in the alley just now?”

This place was more open than the narrow alley, but it didn’t ease the gradually thickening atmosphere between them. On the contrary, it backfired, or perhaps this was his intention all along.

Zhou Yu wanted to shake her head, but her eyes betrayed her.

Her fluttering eyelashes brushed against his heart again and again. Cheng Yuzhou chuckled softly, as if compromising with himself. “I thought if I ran faster, it would make me abandon that thought, but it seems it didn’t work.”

Her fingers, resting on the ground, tightened with nervousness, clenching the school uniform fabric into a ball in her palm.

His gaze slowly moved down from her eyes, finally stopping at her lips. He knew what he was saying, and she knew too.

“Count to three. If you don’t refuse, I’ll take it as your consent.”

Zhou Yu had experienced how brazenly he broke rules. Alarms blared, and before he could count the first number, she tried to open her mouth to call for a stop.

“Three!”

A shadow pressed down, and the last syllable vanished between their lips.

Zhou Yu once had a dream that started as a movie scene, then the faces of the male and female leads became hers and Cheng Yuzhou’s. She woke up covered in sweat. This kiss was unlike the passionate, lingering, blush-inducing one in her dream, yet it still left her feeling breathless.

The moment he kissed her was too eager, and the way his hand gripped the side of her face felt clumsy. Their teeth brushed against soft lips. This slight pain was like a suddenly ignited flame, so even if he restrained himself from going further, this flame could not be extinguished by the wind.

The last of her oxygen and moisture felt like they were burning away, gradually giving rise to a hidden longing.

The last of her strength was drained. The second before her body lost support and fell backward, Cheng Yuzhou’s hand, which had been hanging by his side, wrapped around her waist.

Her lips were glistening with a bright sheen of moisture. Cheng Yuzhou’s ears flushed when he realized what it was.

“Do you like me a little bit?”

“No... not really?”

“Zhou Yu, you like me.”

________________________________________

The fight took a whole day to deal with. Cheng Guoan went to the school to apologize and paid for the medical expenses.

Cheng Yuzhou and Yanci never explained the reason for the fight. Wang Chuang himself knew very well why he got beaten and was too embarrassed to say anything.

Cheng Wanyue saw Yanci first. She was about to go over when Qing Hang walked past her with a cold face.

“What are you angry about now?”

Cheng Wanyue didn’t bother calling out to Yanci anymore. She had been in a bad mood these past few days. After catching up, she patiently said some interesting things, but Qing Hang still ignored her. She then became a bit unhappy.

“Qing Hang, you always give me this attitude. Do I owe you something?”

Qing Hang stopped. “How could you owe me? I owe your Cheng family.”

Everyone was constantly reminding him to be grateful and repay their kindness. How could he forget?

“I... I didn’t mean that.”

Although Cheng Wanyue realized she had said the wrong thing, she didn’t apologize.

“It’s your fault for always ignoring me lately. I get angry too, and when I’m angry, I say things I don’t mean. Don’t take angry words seriously. Qing Hang, don’t be mad anymore. I have other plans this weekend and won’t be going swimming with that boy. It’s so cold, whoever wants to swim can go, I’m certainly not.”

See, she was always like this.

Even knowing he would mind, would be jealous, she would still get very close to those boys who had intentions towards her.

But as long as she slightly reined in her spoiled temper and said a few nice words, he would soften.

“Dad said if I don’t get into university, he won’t want me anymore, so I have to study at home. Qing Hang, will you come to my house this Sunday to explain problems to me? I can go to your house too, it’s very close anyway. I don’t understand when others explain.”

A warmth appeared on Qing Hang’s face. He looked at Cheng Wanyue. “Is Uncle Cheng asking me to tutor you, or do you want me to tutor you?”

“Is there a difference?” Cheng Wanyue took out a milk candy, peeled it, and fed it to him. “Open your mouth.”

She looked up and smiled, winking. “I ate some too. It’s the same flavor as what’s in your mouth.”

________________________________________

When Cheng Yuzhou returned to the classroom, Zhou Yu was no longer there. It had been an exam day, and he was constantly called to the office during breaks, so he didn’t have a chance to talk to her.

His mother had sent clothes and asked him to mail back the guitar. Cheng Yuzhou went to the express delivery point to pick it up. After unpacking it and confirming it wasn’t damaged, he walked back with it on his back, sending Zhou Yu a text message on the way.

Cheng Yuzhou turned the corner and saw Cheng Yanqing hugging a girl, softly comforting her about something.

It seemed someone in Qin Yun’s family had passed away, but the person he was hugging wasn’t Qin Yun. It was only a back view, with loose curly hair tied back. If one ignored the high heels, the back view bore some resemblance to Qin Yun.

Cheng Yanqing and Cheng Yuzhou’s eyes met, and they both froze.

Cheng Yuzhou took a different, longer route. By the time he got home, Cheng Yanqing was already waiting at the old lady’s doorstep.

Cheng Yanqing self-consciously explained, “That... she’s Qin Yun’s older sister. You understand. Whatever you do, don’t let Cheng Wanyue know.”

He had always taken special care of Qin Yun, but it was actually because of her sister.

Cheng Yuzhou had heard about Qin Yun’s celebrity sister from the old lady. Apparently, she had participated in a talent show in her freshman year of college and was the only celebrity from their small county, but in the entertainment industry, she wasn’t even an eighteen-line star.

“You’re so poor every month that you even have to trick me out of food money. Is it all spent on her?”

“Not exactly. She’s in the entertainment industry, so she needs a few decent clothes,” Cheng Yanqing vaguely brushed him off. He didn’t want to say too much.

Cheng Yuzhou also didn’t bother asking. As soon as the two entered the house, Cheng Wanyue followed right behind them, carrying an inflatable hammer.

She had come to find Cheng Yuzhou.

Ever since that day in the cafeteria when he boldly admitted he liked Zhou Yu, Cheng Wanyue felt guilty every time she saw Yanci. Others didn’t know how good Yanci and Zhou Yu used to be, but she did.

The letter ‘Y’ tattooed on Yanci’s body wasn’t his surname; it was Zhou Yu’s name.

“Today, Ayu ate with me and zoned out four times and blushed three times.”

Cheng Yuzhou was sitting on the sofa. Cheng Wanyue walked back and forth in front of him with the inflatable hammer, then suddenly stopped and pointed at him. “Tell me, did you do something last night?”

Cheng Yuzhou was still waiting for Zhou Yu’s text message and wasn’t in the mood to deal with her. “Did what?”

“Who knows what you did,” Cheng Wanyue tapped his head with the hammer. “When exactly did you start having these thoughts?”

Cheng Yuzhou thought about it.

The earliest time should have been when they went to pick apricots. He looked down from the leafy tree, Zhou Yu was under the tree. The apricots were sweet, and the sunset was beautiful, but after getting home, all he could remember was her smiling face when she turned her head and chuckled because a leaf had fallen into his clothes.

“I’ll state my position first: I don’t agree.”

“What good is your disagreement? I’m determined to pursue her.”

“Then we’ll stick to the old rule: the minority obeys the majority. Let’s have a show of hands. Those who approve of Cheng Yuzhou and Zhou Yu, raise your hands.”

Cheng Yuzhou naturally raised his hand. He glanced at Cheng Yanqing, who was observing. Cheng Yanqing slowly raised one hand.

“Put it down!” Cheng Wanyue glared at Cheng Yanqing.

Cheng Yanqing immediately lowered it.

Cheng Yuzhou smiled slightly. “Yueyue, Brother will share something very interesting with you...”

“I approve! I raise both hands in approval!” Cheng Yanqing’s alarm bells immediately rang, and he wished he could raise both his feet too.

Cheng Wanyue’s attention was successfully diverted. “Oh, you two have a secret? I want to know too!”

They were fooling around in the room. Cheng Yuzhou felt his phone vibrate and naturally got up and went out to check the message.

Zhou Yu replied: At home.

Cheng Yuzhou asked again: Can I come find you?