OS - 58

The phone rang, and Cheng Yuzhou had to release Zhou Yu’s waist. Zhou Yu took the chance to run back inside, only to find two people sitting in the living room.

She had met Liang Tian before. The Cheng family members had similar features. The man massaging Liang Tian must be Cheng Yuzhou’s father.

He looked very young, unlike the official-looking Cheng Guoan.

“Hello, Uncle; hello, Auntie; I’m...”

Zhou Yu couldn’t bring herself to say “I’m Cheng Yuzhou’s classmate.” She was still wearing Cheng Yuzhou’s clothes.

Cheng Yanqing had called to say that he and Yan Ci wouldn’t be staying the night. Cheng Yuzhou, who entered later, also froze for a few seconds in the entryway.

“Dad, Mom, when did you get back?”

“Just when you were shamelessly playing the hooligan,” Cheng Guoqi didn’t drive today. He and Liang Tian walked home after dinner. When they reached the plane tree-lined street outside the complex, the streetlights had just come on.

The young couple kissing under the streetlights was bathed in the dim yellow light. The boy was kneeling, having taken off and thrown his hat. The more he looked, the more he resembled his own son.

“If your mom hadn’t stopped me, I would have gone over and beaten you half an hour ago. Who did you learn all that from?”

“Who else but you, in this family, I could only learn these things from you,” Cheng Yuzhou put an arm around Zhou Yu’s shoulder. “She just arrived in Nanjing today.”

Liang Tian smiled and waved at Zhou Yu, “A-Yu, come in quickly. Welcome.”

Her warmth eased Zhou Yu’s nervousness.

“Thank you, Auntie.”

“And thank you, too. I haven’t seen Zhouzhou this happy in a long time. His dad and I just came back to pack some clothes, go to the hospital, and then we have to rush to the airport. There’s a dessert in the fridge; you two remember to eat it. It’ll spoil by tomorrow. A-Yu, just treat this like your own home; don’t be shy.”

Zhouzhou...

Zhou Yu secretly looked at Cheng Yuzhou and whispered, “Your parents call you that at home?”

Her eyes were twinkling with a smile.

Cheng Yuzhou uncomfortably turned his head. After Liang Tian put on her coat and Cheng Guoqi left with the luggage, he dropped his skateboard, directly picked Zhou Yu up, carried her upstairs, strode into the room, and kicked the door shut with his foot.

Zhou Yu was tossed onto the bed, her head dizzy from the bounce.

The hoodie, which was too loose for her, rolled up to her waist, revealing a section of her slender, fair waist. Cheng Yuzhou bent one leg, kneeling by the bed, his hands braced on either side of her body, the inside of his wrists pressed against her soft skin, veins faintly throbbing, as if he might slip his hand under her clothing at any second.

She was still smiling, “Is Zhouzhou mad?”

“No one’s coming back tonight; you’re done for,” Cheng Yuzhou lowered his head and kissed her fiercely.

Compared to that long, lingering kiss under the streetlight, he was much more uninhibited now.

“Should we eat something?” Cheng Yuzhou had little rationality left in his mind, whispering in her ear, “I’m afraid you’ll faint.”

“...Stop scaring me.”

“Then just wait.”

Cheng Yuzhou went downstairs to check the fridge, took the cake Liang Tian had brought back to the room, and turned off the main lights, leaving only a bedside lamp.

He didn’t particularly like sweets. He cut a slice for Zhou Yu and watched her eat.

The air conditioning was on, and the cream was slightly melted. Some got on the back of her hand, and she licked it off. The skin licked by her tongue gleamed with tiny, bright moisture.

“Do you have a spoon?”

“Forgot to bring it,” Cheng Yuzhou’s gaze was directly fixed on her face. “In my current state, I can’t go down.”

Zhou Yu thought he was referring to him still holding the plate for her.

“My hands are clean; I don’t need a spoon,” she changed her posture, kneeling on the carpet, and picked up a small piece with her hand. “Do you want a bite?”

Cheng Yuzhou was sweating on his back. “You eat first; I’ll wait a bit.”

She had eaten very little at lunch and, after one beer, had fallen asleep soon after.

The sweet scent of cream in the air grew stronger and stronger. Cheng Yuzhou’s hand holding the plate unknowingly moved lower and lower. She ate without pretense, but because there was no spoon, she ate slowly, and cream easily got everywhere—on her face, her chin, and most of all, on her hands.

After she finished eating, she reached for a tissue.

Cheng Yuzhou put the plate aside, grabbed her wrist with force, and she straddled him.

Every drop of cream was licked clean by him.

The young, strong boy, once engulfed in passion, became excessively fierce.

Zhou Yu’s only memories were from Baicheng, where he was very gentle that night. Even when he wanted to prove something a second time, he always prioritized her feelings.

She was carried onto the bed, his hot body pressed close behind her.

“Weren’t you going to call me Zhouzhou just now? No strength left?”

Zhou Yu buried her face in the pillow, refusing to make a sound.

“As soon as I think of someone telling me ‘Let’s just end it here, don’t contact me anymore’ last year, I can’t go easy,” Cheng Yuzhou bit her, a hint of threat in his tone, “Will you say that again in the future?”

She shook her head, giving a slight response only after being bullied severely, but still refused to speak.

“I was lying this afternoon. You were crying so much, how could I even think about recording it?” Cheng Yuzhou couldn’t help but laugh. His hand, gripping her wrist, slowly pried open her fingers tightly clenching the pillow, intertwining their fingers and pressing them into the pillow. “If you don’t speak, you won’t sleep. Anyway, I don’t plan to take you out these two days. Nanjing only has so many places; if we see them all at once, there’ll be no novelty next time... Hiss! Zhou Yu, you’re pretty bad. Don’t think I’ll be like the first time.”

“...I know,” Zhou Yu’s sweat-soaked face was flushed crimson.

If they could be together for one more minute, they would.

It was just early evening, and the dark curtains blocked all light from outside the window.

The scent of sweat and cream intimately intertwined, subtly reigniting the unquenched flame. Sparks crackled in the airtight room, becoming a signal for the next round.

Cheng Yuzhou took a mouthful of warm water and fed it to Zhou Yu. She was dazed, like a small animal utterly exhausted.

Only at this moment would she shed her hard shell, revealing her softness, relying on him without reservation.

“Drink two more sips; dehydration would be troublesome.”

He could have simply handed her the cup directly, but he insisted on taking a sip first. Only when she slowly rubbed her lips against his, seeking the moisture, and made a faint, weak sound, seemingly a complaint or dissatisfaction, would he pinch her chin to make her open her mouth and pass the water from his mouth to hers.

“Are you rested?” His husky whisper sounded a little pitiful, “Last time, I promise.”

“...I want to sleep.”

“I’ll let you sleep at nine. You can sleep until you naturally wake up in the morning; I promise I won’t bother you.”

“Mm.”

An hour ago, he had already redefined Zhou Yu’s understanding of such things, or rather, her understanding of Cheng Yuzhou once his clothes were off—unrestrained, even a little wild.

He was keen to show off, and she, driven by the will to survive, tried to struggle, which of course would be futile.

The second before that white light exploded before her eyes, she finally conceded and told him: Cheng Yuzhou, I never want to be separated from you again.

________________________________________

They only went to the hospital in the afternoon.

Cheng Yuzhou said he wouldn’t take Zhou Yu anywhere else these few days, and he really didn’t. He wanted to preserve her novelty and curiosity about Nanjing. This time was mainly for her to get familiar with his home; next time would have different arrangements.

Yan Ci and Cheng Yanqing were also at the hospital.

A nurse came to give Cheng Wanyue an IV drip. Her hospital gown was rolled up from the sleeves, and her skin was covered in bruises. Cheng Yanqing told jokes to amuse her while the nurse inserted the needle.

It hurt, an unbearable pain. Cheng Wanyue’s lips turned white from holding it in. She liked having many people in the ward; it made it more lively.

“A-Yu, Yan Ci, are you going back to class?”

“Leaving tomorrow,” Zhou Yu sat on the chair by the hospital bed, reached her hand under the covers, and gently held Cheng Wanyue’s hand. “I’ll stay with you in the hospital tonight.”

“I don’t know when I can go home. I really miss the fried skewers near the school. I studied hard during the second semester of senior high and hardly ate them.”

“The owner of that shop went back to his hometown to help his daughter-in-law with the baby. The storefront was transferred to someone else who opened a noodle shop.”

“Ah? That’s too bad,” she looked a little disappointed.

Cheng Yuzhou gave her the game console he brought, saying she could play for half an hour, and she quickly cheered up again.

Zhou Yu stayed at the hospital. The three boys went to Cheng Yuzhou’s house, and the two of them slept in the guest room.

Cheng Yanqing used to fall asleep instantly the moment he lay on the bed, but now he suffered from severe insomnia. Yan Ci also couldn’t sleep. He put on his clothes and went outside, seeing Cheng Yuzhou on the balcony. He made no sound and returned to the room.

During these few days in Nanjing, he could barely get a few hours of sleep until past midnight. He had brought medicine but didn’t take it.

Before returning, they went to the hospital again. Cheng Wanyue said they didn’t need to visit her often, that she wasn’t as scared as she was at first. She smiled and waved at Yan Ci and Zhou Yu in the ward. After the door closed, sobbing sounds came from inside. Cheng Yanqing didn’t send them to the station.

Yan Ci entered the station first, leaving Zhou Yu and Cheng Yuzhou to talk.

Cheng Yuzhou’s classes were starting today, but he had taken leave. If everyone left, Cheng Wanyue would feel a sense of loss.

“You focus on your classes. Let me know in advance which week you’re not going back to Baicheng to see Grandma. I’ll visit you if I have time,” Cheng Yuzhou hugged her. “I’ll also tell you promptly if Wanyue’s condition improves or... worsens.”

Zhou Yu nodded, “Okay. My classes this semester aren’t too many. I occasionally have two and a half days off, so I can also come to see you.”

“I don’t want you to leave, but there’s nothing I can do,” Cheng Yuzhou released her, stepped back half a pace, and smiled, “Go on in. The sooner you leave, the closer we’ll be to our next meeting.”

Even if the feeling of parting was different from the last time at the station, it was still hard not to feel emotional.

Zhou Yu walked a few steps away, then turned and ran back towards Cheng Yuzhou. Cheng Yuzhou thought she had left something behind.

She said, “I didn’t leave anything. I wanted to tell you that my red string didn’t break, and it wasn’t something I just bought randomly.”

Cheng Yuzhou was stunned for two seconds, “And then?”

“You think about it yourself. If you can’t figure it out,” Zhou Yu grasped his wrist for leverage, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him at the bustling station entrance, “I’ll tell you this summer.”