Chapter Thirty-Five: Feigning Indifference to Catch the Enemy

On Sunday morning, Chu Zhen and I set off back to the city. Grandma held my hand and kept telling me to take good care of her only son, and to tell her immediately if Chu Zhen treated me badly. The love and expectations of the elderly are always so heartwarming.

"Are you good at bullying people? Why do the professor and grandma keep emphasizing that you must tell them if you are bullied?" I asked Chu Zhen in the car.

"It depends on who the person is," Chu Zhen said calmly, without looking to the side.

"Looks like you've bullied quite a few people!"

"If you follow me, you'll probably meet all the people I've bullied in the future."

There are quite a few unspoken implications in these words, and they likely all come from people close to you.

What kind of person is Chu Zhen? Is he cold? Yet he's incredibly warm towards me; is he domineering? Yet he's extremely caring towards me.

Huang Yanyan said, "You can ask Chen Weiqi. They are cousins, and it seems like they have a pretty good relationship."

Although I was curious, I didn't ask. Chu Zhen would tell me what he wanted to tell me, and if he didn't tell me, it was either because the time wasn't right or because he didn't want me to know. I didn't want to find out about him from other sources, as that kind of relationship would make me feel insecure.

"Lin Dang, I really underestimated you. Your views on love are truly extraordinary. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a seasoned player in the dating scene." Huang Yanyan was slumped over the coffee table, racking her brains again for the project proposal.

"Yan Yan, have you ever thought about playing hard to get?" I suddenly felt that I should help Huang Yan Yan, even though I'm really a novice in love.

"Do you mean to ignore Chen Weiqi?" Huang Yanyan's mood didn't improve after hearing my words; she remained lying there listlessly as she answered.

"Perhaps it's worth a try. Although it's said that it's easy for a woman to pursue a man, maybe Chen Weiqi likes a challenge and enjoys pursuing girls?"

"The next line of what you said is 'It's like climbing a mountain for a man to pursue a woman,' but there's no such thing as a free lunch!"

"I think you've really lost your mind. You're not that guy, and you're the mountain. Even if the Foolish Old Man doesn't move it, you'll have to move it yourself."

"It seems so. You know, my brain is all messed up. I actually thought of myself as a guy. Sigh, don't blame me, because I feel like there's a huge mountain between Chen Weiqi and me after all this time." Huang Yanyan finally raised her head. Although her tone was still dejected, at least she had regained some fighting spirit.

"Then starting tomorrow, slowly distance yourself from Chen Weiqi. Don't hang around in front of him all the time. Maybe if he can't see you, he'll miss the days when you were around." I don't know why, but I decided to become a strategist.

"Okay, I'll try tomorrow. So, do you think I still need to write this proposal?"

"I'm not writing anymore. It has nothing to do with you. Besides, no matter how much you write, Chen Weiqi hasn't used any of your work. Just focus on your own things tomorrow, be on time for get off work, and don't go out for dinner after get off work. Just go straight home."

I don't know if my suggestion is correct, but I can tell that Huang Yanyan's mood has improved a lot lately. It seems like she's back to her university days, before she met Chen Weiqi.

"Lin Dang, what are you planning to give Teacher Chu for his birthday the day after tomorrow?" Xiao Ai suddenly asked me while we were having dinner.

Chu Zhen's birthday? I really haven't noticed for so long. As a girlfriend, I'm really not doing my job.

"I haven't decided yet. What did you do for your birthday before?" I could only tentatively ask Xiao Ai if Chu Zhen valued birthdays.

"Teacher Chu is quite attentive to his employees' birthdays. He treats everyone to a meal out of his own pocket on their birthdays. However, there was no celebration for his birthday last year, and I didn't dare to ask. Should we throw one for him this time?" Xiao Ai is in charge of the department's administration and doesn't have much contact with Chu Zhen on a daily basis, so she keeps her distance from him.

“He didn’t take it seriously last year, so let’s not have it this year!” I know Xiao Ai wants me to make the decision. This is my first birthday since Chu Zhen and I got together, and I have a selfish reason for wanting to spend it alone with him.

"Honey, I'll treat you to dinner tonight, and then we can go grocery shopping!" Huang Yanyan was so bored when she wasn't being clingy.

"Great, great! Aren't you going to keep your Chu Zhen company?" You could hear the excitement in Yan Yan's voice on the other end of the phone.

Just as I arrived downstairs at the TV station, Huang Yanyan's ostentatious sports car appeared at the entrance.

"Young Miss, what are you doing here?"

"I'm picking you up, in case your Chu Zhen kidnaps you."

"Didn't I already promise you? Am I the kind of person who changes my mind at the last minute?"

"Not before, but I'm not sure now. Where should we eat?"

"How's the ramen on the first floor of the supermarket?"

This is where Huang Yanyan and I became best friends. After the freshmen enrolled, everyone came from different cities. Huang Yanyan, being a local with excellent backgrounds, made people hesitant to approach her. It wasn't her personality, but anyone who got close to her seemed to instantly feel like they were fawning over her and would become insecure. She was like a snow lotus from the Tianshan Mountains, growing up proudly and aloof. Not long after enrolling, Huang Yanyan encountered a pickpocket while ordering food at this noodle shop. I informed Huang Yanyan, and with the help of others, we caught the pickpocket on the spot. After that encounter, we became sworn sisters.

"I'd like an extra braised egg, and also a duck leg."

"No, a bowl of ramen. I need to save money to buy Chu Zhen a gift."

Why buy a gift?

"Chu Zhen's birthday is the day after tomorrow."

"Lin Dang, Chu Zhen's birthday is the day after tomorrow, why are you only thinking about buying a gift now? And you're planning to go to the supermarket to buy it?" Huang Yanyan turned to stare at me in surprise after hearing this.

"Miss, you're driving, can't you look straight ahead?"

"Lin Dang, I'm really impressed with you. Did you just find out that Chu Zhen's birthday is the day after tomorrow, so you're in such a hurry to prepare a gift?" Huang Yanyan really hit the nail on the head.

"Yeah, Xiao Ai told me this today. You know, when you're in a relationship, who thinks about birthdays? Besides, Chu Zhen doesn't even know when my birthday is!"

"Never mind, it's not too late now. What are you going to the supermarket for? To buy a gift?"

"I'd like to bake a cake myself, do you think that's feasible?"

"Are you out of your mind? We don't even have an oven. Are you planning to let Chu Zhen eat cream directly? Forget it, I'll treat you to dinner tonight. Let's go to the mall and pick out a meaningful gift for Chu Zhen. We're both terrible at making things."

Huang Yanyan's words are true. There is a certain talent to cram at the last minute. Someone like me, who may not even be able to cook a decent instant noodle, cannot make a cake in a short time. Forget it, I'll save the cake for Chu Zhen's birthday next year as a surprise. This time, I'll just choose a gift properly!