WIFTY - 53

Regarding her matters, if I’m not sure whether it’s right or wrong…
…I might as well not do it.
— Zhang Lurang

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene became eerily silent.

Zhang Lurang withdrew his gaze, his dark eyes staring ahead; the contours of his profile were as rigid as if carved by a knife.

The grip on Su Zaizai’s hand tightened slightly, and he made no comment on what she had just said.

Su Zaizai didn’t rush to continue speaking either. She lowered her head and began silently counting in her heart.

One, two, three…

Before she even reached ten seconds, Zhang Lurang spoke.

His voice was soft, as if casually asking without much thought.

“Has your department booked the hotel and train tickets yet?”

“Not yet.” Su Zaizai took out her phone and glanced at it. “I think they mentioned taking a bus there. A few people haven’t confirmed yet, but the minister said tonight everything must be finalized.”

Zhang Lurang pressed his tongue against his cheek, lost in thought.

“If you’re going, we can book the tickets together; there’s a student discount.” After thinking for a moment, Su Zaizai continued, “As for the hotel, there are seven girls in our department. We originally planned to squeeze three people into one room, but now I’ll be with you, so that works out fine.”

He hesitated for a moment and earnestly said: “Su Zaizai, booking two rooms isn’t that expensive.”

Su Zaizai blinked, her eyelashes fluttering innocently: “I know it’s not that expensive.”

Seeing her seemingly wavering, Zhang Lurang’s expression relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Soon, Su Zaizai spoke again, confidently stating: “But if we book one room, we save money and I get to sleep with you. Why would I book two rooms?”

Zhang Lurang: “….”

Noticing he wasn’t showing any signs of opposition, Su Zaizai tapped on her phone while saying: “Then I’ll tell them, and after I see which hotel they book, I’ll make the reservation.”

After a long silence, Zhang Lurang compromised: “I’ll handle the room booking.”

Upon hearing this, Su Zaizai shifted her gaze from the phone screen to him, stubbornly saying: “You’re not booking two rooms, right? I won’t stay in a separate room! I don’t care! I’m afraid of sleeping alone! You can’t do this to me!”

“…No, I won’t.”

________________________________________

A few days before the May Day holiday, several rain showers washed away some of the heat.

When Su Zaizai went out, the sky was still overcast, and the ground was damp.

The air was exceptionally fresh, and the trees by the roadside looked lush and vibrant. Occasionally, accumulated raindrops from above would fall on them.

Since they would be riding in a vehicle later, they left early and first went to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Along the way, they were sporadically hit by raindrops.

Unable to bear it, Su Zaizai unzipped her bag, rummaging through her bulging backpack for an umbrella, and pulled it out. The backpack was stuffed with various things, and inadvertently, another item was dislodged.

It fell to the ground with a “plop.”

Zhang Lurang, standing beside her, instinctively bent down to pick it up.

It was a small box, something quite common on the shelves near the supermarket checkout counters.

Upon realizing what it was, his expression stiffened, and he immediately didn’t want to pick it up anymore.

Su Zaizai shoved the umbrella into his hand and bent down to pick it up herself.

Her expression was somewhat furtive as she tried to cover it up: “Just dropped a pack of tissues.”

Zhang Lurang stared at her for a while and fell silent for a moment.

Soon, he held out his hand to her in frustration, coldly saying: “Give it to me.”

Realizing she couldn’t hide it, Su Zaizai decided to throw caution to the wind and shamelessly said: “Why are you asking me when you can buy it yourself.”

If he got it, he’d probably toss it in the trash the next second…

Zhang Lurang was momentarily stunned, furrowing his brows: “Who told you to buy it?”

Su Zaizai lowered her eyes, pitifully saying: “Dreams should still exist, right? What if they come true?”

Hearing this, Zhang Lurang wanted to say something to completely erase such thoughts from her mind. Before he could speak, he heard her speak again.

Her voice was low, tinged with a hint of disappointment.

“Rang Rang, if you don’t take the initiative, I feel insecure.”

The words he was about to say were instantly stifled by this statement.

Zhang Lurang turned his head and glanced at her.

Su Zaizai’s head was still bowed, looking somewhat pitiful.

From this angle, he could see her lips pressed tightly together, downturned. Her eyelashes trembled lightly, as if she was about to cry the next moment.

Zhang Lurang licked the corner of his mouth and softened his voice: “Alright, I understand.”

Upon receiving his response, Su Zaizai’s spirits immediately perked up.

“Wow! It’s settled then! Let’s go!”

Zhang Lurang: “….”

________________________________________

Several people in the department brought their partners, so Zhang Lurang’s presence didn’t seem out of place.

The group first took a bus from the school gate to the passenger station, then boarded a coach heading to City W.

The journey would take about an hour and a half, just enough time for a nap.

Because there were many people, the air circulation was poor, mixing with various odors, so the smell on the coach wasn’t pleasant.

Every time Su Zaizai took a coach, she prepared disposable masks. Although they couldn’t completely block out the smell, they still helped reduce it significantly.

She rummaged through her backpack, took out two masks, and handed one to Zhang Lurang.

After he put it on, Su Zaizai picked up her phone and took a few photos of him, then tugged him into a selfie. After playing around enough, she snuggled up to his arm and fell asleep.

Her breathing gradually became light and even as she drifted off into a deep sleep.

Zhang Lurang turned his head to look at Su Zaizai’s sleeping face, lost in thought.

He recalled what Su Zaizai had said earlier.

— “Rang Rang, if you don’t take the initiative, I feel insecure.”

________________________________________

The temperature in City W was more comfortable than in City Z, with a cool and pleasant climate.

Due to the holiday, the streets were crowded with people brushing shoulders as they passed by.

Soon, the group decided to split up and regroup at mealtime.

Zhang Lurang held Su Zaizai’s hand as they walked along the cobblestone path.

In the distance, on the lake, the boatmen gently rowed their oars on the black awning boats, creating ripples of water.

Street vendors shouted their wares, each cry louder than the last.

Su Zaizai stopped at one of the stalls.

A white cloth covered the stall, displaying various crystal bracelets.

Her gaze swept across them, finally settling on two particular ones.

On the handwoven cords were wrapped dark red beads, respectively engraved with the characters “Li” and “Rang.”

Su Zaizai picked up the one engraved with “Rang,” curving her lips: “Buy this one for me.”

Zhang Lurang asked about the price and took out some money from his pocket.

He originally intended to buy both and give the other one to Zhang Luli.

Suddenly noticing Su Zaizai wearing the bracelet on her wrist, Zhang Lurang hesitated and abandoned the idea of giving the bracelet away.

Su Zaizai grinned mischievously and placed her slender wrist in front of him.

Against a backdrop of smooth, fair skin, the dark red bead stood out vividly, making her complexion appear even more alluring.

The character “Rang” engraved on it stirred something in his heart.

On the small bridge, people came and went.

Her smiling face made the picturesque scenery behind her seem dim in comparison.

“You spent money to give yourself to me.”

Zhang Lurang couldn’t help but curve his lips slightly, reaching out to touch the corner of her eye.

“Mm, given to you.”

________________________________________

At lunchtime, the group reunited at a small restaurant.

Since it was a collective activity, after eating, they didn’t split up again. Together, they rented two black awning boats by the lakeside.

Chatting, taking photos, they spent this hour leisurely.

Listening to their conversations, Su Zaizai didn’t speak much.

She lowered her head, playing with Zhang Lurang’s fingers, occasionally looking at the lines on his palm, suddenly feeling a bit anticipatory for tonight.

Beside her, Zhang Lurang didn’t know what she was thinking. Watching her little movements, his eyes softened.

After getting off the boat, the group took a vehicle to the commercial street to buy local specialties.

After a day of sightseeing and wandering, several girls appeared somewhat tired and suggested returning to the hotel to rest.

After some discussion, half of the group chose to return to the hotel, while the rest paired up to continue exploring.

Su Zaizai still had plenty of energy.

Compared to the daytime scenery, she was more eager to see the night view of City W.

The lights on the road reflected onto the water surface, blending together. The ripples shimmered, intertwining light and shadow.

The mottled light gradually brightened as the night deepened; the night market slowly grew lively.

Reflected in Su Zaizai’s eyes, the light sparkled finely.

Her attention was entirely captivated by the scene. Just as she was about to take out her phone to take a photo, she suddenly felt her palm empty.

Su Zaizai instinctively glanced to the side.

Seeing Zhang Lurang release her hand, his palm slightly open, sliding upward to grasp her wrist.

He forcefully pulled Su Zaizai toward his chest, lowering his head to lightly peck her lips.

His voice was low and rich, lazy with a smile: “I’m taking the initiative.”

Su Zaizai froze for a moment, quickly realizing what happened.

She licked her lips, not tempted by the small benefit before her eyes, her expression serious, her tone earnest.

“I didn’t mean that aspect; don’t brush me off.”

Zhang Lurang, who had been reflecting during the entire bus ride, was also stunned.

“…Then what?”

“You should understand. I can’t always say it so obviously; otherwise, what kind of person would that make me…”

Seeing Zhang Lurang seemingly deep in thought again, Su Zaizai couldn’t hold back any longer, completely forgetting what she had said earlier, and added subtly: “Wait for you tonight.”

Zhang Lurang: “….”