OS - 33

Within minutes, the snow began to fall heavily.

Liu Fen came to bring Zhou Yu an umbrella. She didn’t know how long she had been standing at the intersection, her hands numb with cold. Zhou Yu walked over and went home with her.

Mother and daughter walked ahead, sharing the umbrella. Cheng Yuzhou watched from a distance, seeing Zhou Yu secretly look back.

The area became even quieter on a snowy evening. There was a sign on the street light at the bend that read “Zhoujiawan.” He hadn’t looked closely before; so this place was called Zhoujiawan.

Liu Fen asked Zhou Yu if she wanted something to eat. Zhou Yu said she wasn’t hungry, so Liu Fen went back to her bedroom to rest.

Zhou Yu waited for Liu Fen to finish washing up, then gently opened the door with the umbrella. She ran along the path in front of the house, and around the bend, she saw Cheng Yuzhou standing by the street light, occasionally stepping on the snow.

He didn’t say he would follow, and she didn’t say she could still leave the house.

Even she couldn’t be sure when this unspoken understanding began, just like many times in the classroom, when no one spoke, but after a second of eye contact in the crowd, she knew he would be waiting at the convenience store after class.

He hadn’t noticed her yet.

The street light was on the outer side. Zhou Yu slowed her pace and walked along the inner side of the road.

Zhou Yu had intended to scare Cheng Yuzhou, but Cheng Yuzhou, who had already seen her shadow, suddenly turned around when she got close, startling her instead.

Cheng Yuzhou reacted quickly and grabbed her hand.

“Aren’t you quite brave? Going to a bar alone in the middle of the night to pick up a drunk man.”

Not just drunk.

“And sending him home.”

She didn’t know if she was helping him or carrying him.

“And staying for a long time.”

A lone man and woman in a room together.

“So cold,” Zhou Yu didn’t pay attention to his expression at this moment. She had just made a snowball, intending to prank him, but was startled and dropped it down her own collar.

Cheng Yuzhou unzipped her jacket, but didn’t see the snowball. “Where did it go?”

“Inside my clothes.”

Without thinking, he reached into her clothes. Only when he felt the snowball did he realize what he was doing.

Zhou Yu pulled at her clothes and shook them, and the broken bits of snow fell out.

The umbrella had also fallen across the road and was blown away by the wind. One of her hands was still held by him, so she didn’t go to pick it up.

“Don’t listen to Tang Qian’s nonsense. That day, for school registration, Yanci hadn’t shown up at school until evening, that’s why I went to find him. I didn’t stay in the same room. I just boiled him a kettle of water, nothing else.”

Zhou Yu also felt scared after leaving Yanci’s house that day. Such things had indeed happened in the county, and in the end, nothing came of it. The perpetrators were not punished, but the victims were always pointed at.

But then she thought, Yanci was different from them, both then and now.

If she had to choose again, she would still go.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Her soft fingers hooked his, gently scratching his palm. Cheng Yuzhou softened his tone. “Words said are angry words. It’s enough for me to be angry alone; I can’t let you be angry too.”

There was an element of anger, but not entirely.

To be able to stand by someone who is in great danger, without hesitation, is more than just trust.

There were long years between her and Yanci that he hadn’t been a part of. Before this, he knew nothing.

“I’m not angry,” Zhou Yu explained softly. “That day, I didn’t intentionally lie to you and Cheng Yanqing, and there were others. I didn’t know what to say.”

“I understand,” Cheng Yuzhou pulled up Zhou Yu’s large jacket hood and put it on her. “The snow’s getting heavier, let’s go back.”

“What about you?”

He deliberately said, “I’m not going home. I’m going to find a place to drink milk tea.”

The next second, Zhou Yu tightened her grip on his hand. He took half a step back, then suddenly bent closer before she could speak.

His Adam’s apple first touched her exposed collarbone, then he lowered his head slightly.

Snow had fallen on her neck, some melting into water, some still snow.

The fluff on her hood tickled her cheek, and his breathing was right by her ear. He could hear a pause.

If he didn’t take a bite now, she would run away.

But he had been in the cold wind for a long time, and his lips were cool. He only extended his warm tongue tip and licked once, leaving no trace on her skin.

This was the spot where Yanci’s chin had left a red mark on her on the night school started.

The neck, close to the brain, not only has very rich nerves but also the thinnest skin on the body, and the blood vessels are very close to the surface.

“Leaving no trace” was just what he thought.

Zhou Yu could clearly feel that slight wetness just below her ear, and the number of times his Adam’s apple rolled and moved as it passed over her collarbone.

“What a pity, no mosquitoes this season.”

________________________________________

Cheng Wanyue knew what Cheng Yuzhou was up to when she heard the guitar sounds from his room. The school would have a day off for New Year’s Day. Originally, Cheng Guoan said they would have dinner, but Cheng Yuzhou changed the time to noon with a few words.

He used to be in a band. Cheng Wanyue had even seen them perform on the streets.

Cheng Wanyue and Cheng Yanqing were fraternal twins. The Cheng family had strong genes; the three siblings shared some resemblance in their features. Although Cheng Yuzhou’s face had long bored her, she had to admit that he was very charming when he was serious.

Cheng Yuzhou only spared her a glance. “Put it down for now. I’m not hungry.”

Cheng Wanyue placed the plate on the desk and leaned closer. “Brother, please beg me, and I’ll tell you which song Ayu likes the most.”

“I don’t need you.”

“Don’t speak too soon. The right time, place, and people make things twice as effective with half the effort. Although Ayu likes all of them, there’s definitely a most, most, most favorite one. How long have you two known each other? She and I have been playing together since elementary school. If you don’t believe me, try guessing. You’ll definitely guess wrong.”

Cheng Yuzhou played along. “Sunny Day?”

“How did you know!” Cheng Wanyue suddenly stood up, hands on her hips. “Aha, I knew you wouldn’t be that well-behaved.”

She went out without closing the door, intentionally letting Cheng Yuzhou hear. “Grandma, does my brother have a child engagement?”

Qian Shu laughed, “He wasn’t born in Baicheng. Who could he be engaged to?”

“Think about it carefully.”

The old lady thought for a moment. “Oh, if your aunt’s verbal joke counts, then yes, there is.”

Cheng Wanyue immediately perked up. “Who, who, who? Who is it?”

“It’s the sister of the first celebrity from our county, Qin Yun. Qin Yun’s mother and your aunt were best friends when they were young and had their prenatal check-ups at the same hospital during their pregnancies.”

Cheng Yuzhou, “...”

Cheng Wanyue, “...”

The old lady added, “But back then, we didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl. It was just a casual joke; they probably forgot about it long ago.”

“Good thing,” Cheng Wanyue patted her chest. She didn’t like Qin Yun.

Qian Shu had just finished frying a plate of spare ribs and told Cheng Wanyue to take them to Yanci.

After Yanci opened the door, he had that same feigned indifferent but undeniably disappointed look. Cheng Wanyue shrugged helplessly after he turned around.

His room door was open, and his desk was messy with several open books.

She had seen that photo in the frame before. It was a picture of the Yanci family of three and Zhou Yu taken on the rooftop. She once heard him say that it was originally a family photo, but the person taking the picture also included Zhou Yu on the rocking chair next to them. Later, before printing the photo, they didn’t crop out Zhou Yu in the bottom left corner.

The torn traces on the bottom left of the photo were obvious, having been stuck and peeled off many times, and a small piece was missing in the frame.

“Eating instant noodles again,” Cheng Wanyue put the spare ribs on the coffee table and squatted down to tease the cat. “Going to Grandma’s house for lunch?”

Yanci closed the door. “I’m full. Not going.”

“Then we’ll come to your place tonight.”

“Whatever.”

Cheng Wanyue murmured, “I don’t know if Zhou Yu can come. Grandma’s illness seems worse than before.”

“You don’t need to tell me about her.”

It was snowing outside, and the living room light was a bit dim.

Yanci had just woken up not long ago, his hair still messy. He should be over his morning grumpiness by now, but he was even more quiet than usual. Most Chinese holidays are for family reunions. Although he had relatives, things had become awkward due to the compensation from his parents’ accident.

“Just saying,” Cheng Wanyue always felt the house was too quiet, so she wanted to stay a bit longer. “Cheng Yanqing is still in bed. He’ll definitely come find you after eating.”

“You go back. I need to shower.”

“Shower in the daytime for what?”

“Didn’t shower last night.”

“...Oh, remember to eat the spare ribs while they’re hot. They’ll be a bit greasy when cold.”

Less than ten minutes after Cheng Wanyue left, the doorbell rang again. Yanci snapped out of it and got up to open the door.

Tang Qian at the door smiled at him. “Hey, hey, hey, don’t be so heartless. I came through heavy snow. You could at least let me in to warm up.”

She was dressed relatively normally today, gripping the door with both hands. Yanci didn’t push her out because he didn’t want to touch her.

“Can you f***ing stop bothering me?”

“It’s difficult. I don’t want to keep thinking about you either. How about... you sleep with me once? Maybe once you’ve had a taste, you won’t dwell on it anymore. I apologize for what happened at 0719 half a year ago. Didn’t you also get a taste? Why are you still so cold to me? Anyway, you and she can’t be together. Why don’t you try with me? I guarantee you’ll have an amazing time.”

Yanci didn’t waste any more words and directly called 110 on his phone.