OS - 32

Grandma’s birthday was today, and an old friend had come over, so Zhou Yu had to help cook. She told Cheng Yuzhou that they had guests at home.

They were in the same class, always seeing each other, yet they started missing each other as soon as they parted.

Now that it was vacation, she looked forward to going to school early. She didn’t know if others felt the same way.

Liu Fen used to be a good cook when she was young, but after Zhou Liwen passed away, her mental state deteriorated. When cooking, she often couldn’t distinguish between salt and sugar. Her own family could make do, but it would be too rude if the dishes tasted strange when guests came over.

Grandma and her old friend were chatting. Liu Fen called Zhou Yu from the kitchen, and Zhou Yu quickly put down her phone to help.

“When is your gaokao?”

“It’s always in June every year.”

Liu Fen said, “Don’t go to places too far away. There are many good schools in the city too. If you stay closer to home, I’ll be at ease.”

“...Okay,” Zhou Yu softly agreed, not saying much more.

Both elderly women had bad teeth and ate slowly. Grandma didn’t actually remember this old friend, but when they talked about past events, she could still recall some things. After dinner, Zhou Yu brought out the cake she had bought beforehand and lit the candles.

The candlelight reflected on Grandma’s aged face. Grandma smiled cheerfully, then suddenly pulled Zhou Yu’s hand and introduced her to her old friend as her granddaughter.

Zhou Yu felt like crying a little.

The last time she cried was when she saw Zhou Liwen’s body in the hospital morgue. A fellow worker had been guarding him at the hospital, hadn’t changed clothes, and had only casually washed his face, but it wasn’t clean; there was still dust in his hair, and his neck was black. She thought, Dad must have looked like this every time he got off work.

Later, she didn’t shed a single tear even on the day Zhou Liwen was buried.

Liu Fen saved the cherry on the cake for Zhou Yu. It wasn’t anything special, but there was only one cherry on the cake. It had always been this way; no matter whose birthday it was, she would save the cherry for Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu’s eyes felt sore. She lowered her head and silently made a wish in her heart: “I hope Grandma lives a long life, and I hope Mom stays healthy.”

________________________________________

Cheng Yanqing avoided Cheng Wanyue and spent the weekend at the old lady’s house.

His online friend Qin Yiming sent a game invitation and a voice message, “Call ‘the third wheel.’ He blocked me again.”

“Who’s ‘the third wheel’?” Cheng Yanqing muttered for a while before realizing. He turned to look at Cheng Yuzhou. “He’s not talking about you, is he?”

Cheng Yuzhou was doing a test paper and didn’t even lift his head.

Cheng Yanqing suppressed a laugh and went to play with the guitar. “Call me ‘Bro,’ and I’ll tell you something.”

“You tell me first. If it’s valuable enough, I’ll even call you ‘Dad’.”

“Zhou Yu and Yanci aren’t together now, and they never dated before. Strictly speaking, you’re not a true ‘third wheel’.”

Before he finished speaking, the pen tip on the paper stopped. Half a minute later, Cheng Yuzhou got up and pressed Cheng Yanqing onto the sofa. “Say that again.”

“Ow, ow, ow! My arm’s going to break,” Cheng Yanqing yelped. “Damn it, go easy. Is it that exciting?”

Of course, Cheng Yuzhou was excited.

On his first day back, he ran into Yanci and Zhou Yu in the alley. Their intimate posture made it hard not to misunderstand.

“This is called repaying evil with good; learn from it,” Cheng Yanqing climbed up and rubbed his shoulder. “Although I don’t interfere with your affairs, some things still need to be said. Yanci is a buddy I grew up with, and you know Zhou Yu’s relationship with Cheng Wanyue. We don’t want any of them to get hurt.”

He meant for Cheng Yuzhou to rein it in a bit, at least not to affect their relationships before the gaokao.

Cheng Yuzhou shared a desk with Yanci from the start of the semester and, through a few exams, understood Yanci’s foundation. The gaokao was about overall strength; luck accounted for only a small part. Unless he gave up himself, he would basically not make mistakes under normal performance.

On Monday morning at the flag-raising ceremony, Zhou Yu arrived late and ran downstairs to stand at the end of the class line.

After the principal finished speaking, several people had to read self-reflections. Only Cheng Yanqing, the one who broke up the fight, had written two full pages. After he finished reading, Cheng Yuzhou borrowed his last paragraph, and Yanci borrowed his second-to-last paragraph.

After stepping down, Li Zhen called Yanci aside to talk. Cheng Yanqing joined the boys’ team. Cheng Yuzhou happened to fill in right behind Zhou Yu.

The head of the grade’s voice was deep and resonant, echoing across the sports field.

The weather was cold, and Zhou Yu’s fingertips, clasped behind her back, were red. Cheng Yuzhou, who was behind her, slipped a hand warmer into her hand. She instinctively tightened her grip but unintentionally held onto his hand, which he hadn’t yet pulled back.

Before she let go, Cheng Yuzhou hooked one of her fingers, stepped forward slightly, and used his body to block this subtle scene, hidden from the eyes of students and teachers all over the sports field.

The hand warmer, which had just started to get warm, grew hotter and hotter. Zhou Yu’s palm was sweating, but she still couldn’t ignore the warmth generated by Cheng Yuzhou gently rubbing the finger he had hooked.

Cheng Yanqing pretended not to see, and after dismissal, he ran to hook Yanci’s neck and went upstairs with him.

All students had to return to their classrooms for class. The hallway was very crowded at this time. Zhou Yu and Cheng Yuzhou were mixed in, seemingly no different from the surrounding classmates. Cheng Yuzhou always walked one step behind Zhou Yu. Each time she was pushed backward, it felt like she was leaning into his arms.

After it happened several times, even Zhou Yu began to suspect she was doing it on purpose.

It wasn’t as noisy on the floor where their classroom was. Before entering the classroom, Cheng Yuzhou asked her, “Do you have any plans for the New Year’s Day holiday?”

Zhou Yu calculated the time. “It’s still early.”

“I want to book that evening’s time for New Year’s Day in advance. Asking early gives me a better chance.”

It was at the windy spot. Cheng Yuzhou took a step to the side. “I should be ahead of Cheng Wanyue, right?”

Zhou Yu looked at his school uniform, which was puffed up by the wind. It seemed he was only wearing a hoodie underneath. Wasn’t he cold?

She looked left and right. When no one was paying attention, she slipped the hand warmer into his pocket. “Wanyue said I should be best friends with her.”

Cheng Yuzhou said, “Don’t mind her; she just likes to snatch my precious things.”

“...I’ll tell Wanyue.”

“Tell her what?”

She turned her head, her voice very low. “What you just said.”

Cheng Yuzhou pretended not to understand. “What did I say?”

Someone in the classroom called Zhou Yu. She naturally walked in. Cheng Yuzhou suppressed a smile and stood outside for a while before entering the classroom.

________________________________________

At the end of the month, it snowed, and the temperature plummeted.

During class, Yanci’s coughing was very noticeable. Since the cherry preserves incident, he and Zhou Yu hadn’t spoken for a long time.

Although Cheng Wanyue vocally disagreed, every time they ate together, she would actually save the seat next to Zhou Yu for Cheng Yuzhou. On the way back to the classroom after dinner, if Cheng Yanqing lacked discretion and kept hovering around Cheng Yuzhou, she would even glare at him.

The last time Tang Qian had openly declared she would pursue Yanci, there had been no news for a long time. She suddenly appeared at the school gate of No. 1 High School, still sitting on a motorcycle smoking, dangling a rose in her hand. Passersby would glance at her.

She didn’t enter the school gate and wasn’t breaking any rules, so the gatekeeper uncle couldn’t do anything about her.

During the day, the snow melted when it hit the ground. At night, the slope at the school gate had a layer of ice, thinly covered with snow. Zhou Yu’s foot slipped, and she almost fell. Cheng Yuzhou, who was behind her, caught her. Cheng Yanqing ran over and put his arm around Cheng Yuzhou’s shoulder. Cheng Wanyue, seeing this, also pushed Yanci and Qing Hang over. The group slid down the slope and fell in a heap.

Cheng Wanyue laughed, got up, and wanted to play again. Hearing a whistle from not far away, she glanced outside the school gate.

Tang Qian raised an eyebrow at her.

Cheng Wanyue immediately got annoyed. She looked at Yanci, then at Cheng Yuzhou.

“Who is she here for? Never mind, she can’t be here for anyone!”

The main gate was the only exit; there was no avoiding her.

Tang Qian smiled at Yanci. “Long time no see.”

Yanci ignored her. Cheng Wanyue answered for him, “Yanci needs to study hard and improve every day, so he’s busy.”

Tang Qian looked a bit disappointed, sighing and saying, “You’ve become a bit boring this past half-year. You don’t drink. Can you at least play billiards? New Year’s Eve should have some kind of ritual. What’s the point of being home alone?”

“Who said he’s home alone? We’re all going to his house for New Year’s Eve,” Cheng Wanyue threw her backpack into Yanci’s hand. “Yanci, come on, let’s go home.”

Yanci threw the backpack to Cheng Yanqing. He had long legs and walked fast. Cheng Wanyue had to jog to keep up.

Qing Hang picked up Cheng Wanyue’s dropped glove and walked with Cheng Yanqing.

Tang Qian sighed, watching Yanci’s retreating figure, and soon found a new target. Cheng Yuzhou and Zhou Yu hadn’t left yet.

“Handsome, let me buy you milk tea. We met last time.”

Zhou Yu leaned closer to Cheng Yuzhou and whispered, “Don’t drink it. I can’t tell you why, but it’s best not to.”

Cheng Yuzhou didn’t remember Tang Qian much. “I don’t drink water given by strangers.”

“What secrets can’t the three of us hear?” Tang Qian asked with a smile. “You’re Zhou Yu, right? I heard that in September, Yanci got drunk at 0719, and was picked up by a girl in a No. 1 High School uniform. Was that you? He didn’t just drink. You must have felt it on the way, right? How was it? Is he good in bed? Why are you looking at me like that? It’s not like it’s illegal.”

Cheng Yuzhou’s face darkened. “Please show her some respect.”

Tang Qian smiled. “How am I disrespecting her? I’m just asking for a post-event feeling. There’s no law against asking that.”

She was clearly trying to provoke them, something Cheng Yuzhou would normally ignore.

Zhou Yu held Cheng Yuzhou’s hand and shook her head at him.