Chapter Thirteen: Know When to Stop

For the next two days, I stayed in my room, reading, enjoying the scenery, and listening to the sound of water; it was quite comfortable. Huang Yanyan, on the other hand, would press her ear against the door to listen for sounds, then watch Chen Weiqi's figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

"Lin Dang, come downstairs with me for dinner. It's so stifling to stay cooped up all day, like we've done something wrong. We're here on vacation, and we should be enjoying ourselves. If you stay cooped up all day, it makes us look like we've done something guilty. Look at the scenery around here, isn't it beautiful? You can't just look at that little patch of land outside your window!"

I know Huang Yanyan wants to go out and "bump into" someone.

I chose a sunny afternoon, when everyone was probably taking a nap, and quietly closed the door, making sure there was no noise.

That day we only went to the fishing spot and didn't go anywhere else. Today we discovered that there was also a grape picking area. We both love grapes, and there happened to be a vineyard here, so we went in to pick some. However, seeing Huang Yanyan looking around, I didn't want to disturb her, so I went in by myself to pick some.

Is it sweet?

"It's quite sweet~" The sign outside says it's all organically grown and ready to eat. I glanced inside and saw no one was there, so I ate it by myself. It was really good, sweet and sour, just the taste I like.

"Enjoy it in moderation. What you're doing is practically theft!"

No, isn't that Chu Zhen's voice?

Turning around, it really was him.

What are you doing here?

“Picking grapes, isn’t it obvious?” Chu Zhen pointed to the basket in his hand, which indeed contained several bunches of grapes.

"Then you pick them, I'll go take a look over there."

"Lin Dang, why do I feel like you're avoiding me?"

Why do you have to point out someone's flaws? It makes people feel awkward, no wonder no one wants to work with him.

"How could that be, Teacher Chu!" I said with a forced smile. "You've already picked so many over here, let me go check the next row."

"I told you, call me Chu Zhen in public, and drop the honorifics!"

"She's older than me, so it's only right that I address her with respect."

"Don't try to test my limits~" I saw Chu Zhen's expression change again.

“You know South Korea, right? For even a few days or a few minutes’ difference, you have to call him Oppa~ So I use words very accurately.”

"Then you should know what 'Oppa' means, right? In Chinese, it should be 'older brother'. If you want to use a respectful term, then call me 'older brother' from now on!"

"Ugh~" I looked at Chu Zhen with disgust, my wicked thoughts evident in my eyes.

"Two choices: either call me 'brother' obediently from now on, or call me by my name. Don't give me those 'teacher' calls." Chu Zhen lowered his head and approached me. In that instant, I was surprised to find that Chu Zhen was really handsome, and he even had the air of a domineering CEO from a novel, even though he was just a producer of a niche program.

"Okay, I've picked them all, I'm leaving now~" I casually picked a few bunches and put them in the basket. I really didn't want to be alone with him; it felt like every minute and every second was a trap.

I spent almost all of my seven-day holiday at home until the morning of the seventh day when Chen Weiqi came to knock on the door.

Are you going back to the city?

Huang Yanyan opened the door, and when she saw Chen Weiqi, she looked like a lovesick fool. It's no wonder Chen Weiqi wasn't interested, given how eager she was to throw herself at him.

"We're going back. We'll pack our bags and get ready to leave," I said. Yan Yan was so focused on gazing up at her idol that she completely forgot to reply.

"Would you like to come with us?"

"Okay, okay~" Yan Yan reacted quickly this time, "We'll be ready soon, when do we leave?"

"You can set off once you're ready."

"Huang Yanyan, what are you doing? Didn't we agree to take the tour bus back?" I questioned as soon as Chen Weiqi left.

"I'm so tired from playing these past few days. A bus is nowhere near as comfortable as a private car. Anyway, they're going the same way, right? Just do it for my sake, don't keep a long face."

"Big sister, you're going to get me killed sooner or later. You knew I'd been hiding for days, but you just walked right into the lion's den."

"It's not that exaggerated. Besides, even if Chu Zhen is a wolf, he's still a wolf. Being eaten by him is a blessing you've accumulated over several lifetimes."

I'm certain that Huang Yanyan is a guy who betrays his friends for personal gain. If he ever falls in love, he'll definitely prioritize his girlfriend over his friends.

Chu Zhen was driving, and Huang Yanyan pushed me into the passenger seat. In order for her to sit with Chen Weiqi, I had no choice but to comply. I took a book, put on my headphones, and turned the volume up to the maximum. Although my eardrums were a little uncomfortable from the vibration, I was not disturbed by the outside noise.

When they got home, Huang Yanyan complained that the car was deathly silent, and that it would have been better to take a tour bus.