Chapter 33

Peng Kun never expected to see Zuo Xutong again at the nursing home. Given their shallow relationship, he was already quite surprised that she even bothered to visit him. Now, she had actually invited him to go to the movies.

“You’re pretty bored staying here anyway, why don’t you go out for a walk?” she said.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Then, let's go."

Zuo Xutong almost never goes shopping or watches movies. The last time she went to the cinema was before she broke up with Luan Mingfeng. Back then, Luan Mingfeng always liked to seriously "brainwash" her: "How can you be in a relationship without watching movies? How can you not celebrate Valentine's Day? How can you not..." as if there really was a set of rules for dating, clearly listing the "required actions" that lovers must complete.

So when Zuo Xutong saw Peng Kun standing in front of her with a large bucket of popcorn, she couldn't help but be a little stunned: "You like to eat this?"

“I don’t like popcorn, but you can have it. Isn’t popcorn a must-have for watching movies?” Peng Kun said, stuffing the popcorn into her arms.

A rich, warm fragrance suddenly wafted into her nose. She looked up at him and smiled, "How long has it been since you watched a movie?"

"Seven years? Eight years? I can't remember."

The movie was about to start in a few minutes, and the two sat outside waiting. Suddenly, Zuo Xutong's phone rang; it was the headhunter again. She went aside to answer it. By the time she hung up, the other audience members had already entered the theater.

They went inside. The screening room was pitch black, with only the faint flickering light from the screen. Zuo Xutong already had some night blindness, and suddenly being in such an environment, her eyes couldn't adjust for a moment. Holding popcorn in one hand, she groped her way up the steps in mid-air with the other. Suddenly, she lost her footing and leaned forward, about to make intimate contact with the ground, when at that critical moment, a hand suddenly reached out from her right and pulled her aside.

The pull prevented her from falling awkwardly, but it also caused her body to tilt uncontrollably to the right, heading straight for Peng Kun. Fortunately, a large bucket of popcorn was between them, preventing an even more awkward physical contact.

"Be careful," Peng Kun whispered a warning.

Zuo Xutong steadied herself, still shaken, and looked down to see that half of the popcorn in her arms had spilled. She didn't dare look at Peng Kun's expression; he must be laughing at her for being slow-witted.

The movie had been playing for over ten minutes when they finally took their seats. It was a comedy, and laughter could be heard from time to time around them. When the movie reached its climax, a burst of laughter suddenly erupted in the theater. Zuo Xutong couldn't help but glance at Peng Kun, only to find him staring intently at the screen with a serious expression, looking nothing like someone watching a comedy.

Zuo Xutong turned her head towards the screen, the images on it constantly changing, but she could no longer concentrate. It felt like forcing sugar into the mouth of someone who had just drunk Chinese medicine, or forcing a sad person into a lively and cheerful atmosphere—it seemed somewhat cruel.

Finally, the movie ended, and the two walked out of the theater one after the other. Zuo Xutong was still blaming herself when she saw Peng Kun stop and turn around to ask her, "Shall we go get something to eat?"

"Okay." The corridor was dimly lit, and she vaguely saw him raise his arm and reach towards her chest. Her breath caught in her throat, and her cheeks flushed instantly. Although it was dark, people were coming and going. What was he planning to do in public?

Zuo Xutong was wearing a thin sweater today. She could feel his fingertips lightly touch her collarbone, then withdraw... and put it in his mouth?! Then, he touched it again... and put it in his mouth.

Her expression gradually contorted; she thought to herself that this man had indeed been traumatized and was no longer thinking straight. When he reached out his hand to her for the third time, she finally couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"

"Eat popcorn, you're covered in popcorn," Peng Kun said, crunching a few times as he spoke.

Zuo Xutong looked down and, sure enough, her sweater was covered in popcorn. She then remembered that when she fell into his arms, the popcorn had spilled everywhere. She instantly understood his actions; he was an environmentalist, and on New Year's Day, he even cooked and ate dumplings that had expired six months prior from the refrigerator.

She still remembered that morning. When Peng Kun got up, she was already sitting at the coffee table revising the research and development plan. He walked barefoot into the living room, his pajamas wrinkled, a few tufts of hair sticking up stubbornly on his head, his voice a little hoarse from just waking up: "I'm hungry, what should we eat for breakfast?"

Zuo Xutong glanced up at him. The usually serious general manager instantly transformed into the silly son of a landlord. She couldn't help but smile. Her gaze returned to the computer screen, and her fingers tapped on the keyboard: "There is bread on the table."

"It's Chinese New Year, and you're telling me to eat dry bread?" he complained.

There are still a few packets of instant noodles in the cupboard.

"Just instant noodles?"

"What else do you want to eat?" she asked, staring at the document on the computer without looking up. "Pickled vegetables? Ham sausage? To make up the three essential items for poor people?"

He was completely speechless. Reluctantly, he walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a bag of dumplings from the freezer.

Not long after, Zuo Xutong smelled a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. Suddenly remembering something, she rushed in and shouted, "Don't eat! That bag of dumplings expired six months ago! I was going to throw it away, but I forgot about it."

Peng Kun stopped what he was doing, glanced back at her, and said dismissively, "It won't spoil in the freezer, don't worry. We can't waste food."

At this very moment, a scene is unfolding outside the movie theater as the movie ends: a seemingly lucid adult man and woman stand face-to-face in the crowd, plucking popcorn from the woman's sweater and eating it.

Passersby cast surprised glances, and some even covered their mouths and whispered, "How hungry must those two be?"

When he got to the last one, Peng Kun suddenly stopped, his hand hovering in mid-air, and subconsciously asked, "How long has it been since you changed your clothes?"

"It was just changed this morning." Zuo Xutong was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant and glared at him angrily, "What? Do you find this popcorn unpleasant?"

“No, no,” Peng Kun suddenly laughed, his tone teasing, “I just noticed you always wear the same clothes…”

"Stop eating!" Zuo Xutong snatched the popcorn from his hand and put it in her mouth.

After lunch, having learned from her previous experience, Zuo Xutong took the initiative to discuss the afternoon's plans with him. Peng Kun frowned and thought for a long time before finally blurting out, "How about we go back and look at the stars?"

"See gorillas?" She looked at him incredulously. "Are you sure?"

"right."

"Wow, that's quite a taste," Zuo Xutong thought to herself, but she didn't dare to show her thoughts too obviously, so she continued, "I know a good place. Let's go, I'll take you there."

"Is it far?" Peng Kun asked. Seeing her nod slightly, he suddenly realized that this woman, who usually seemed carefree, actually knew how to be romantic. He had been thinking of waiting until dark to see the view from the rooftop of the nursing home, but she had already planned a more suitable place.

The two walked to the parking lot, and Peng Kun gave up the driver's seat, saying to her, "You drive."

The car slowly started moving and headed towards the outskirts of the city. Peng Kun dozed off for a while, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself at the entrance of the wildlife park.

He sat up straight, glanced out the window again, and made sure he wasn't seeing things: "How did we end up at the zoo?"

"Didn't you want to see gorillas?" After Zuo Xutong finished speaking, the air in the car instantly froze. Neither of them spoke, just staring at each other. After a long while, one of them finally couldn't help but cover his face and laugh, "The stars I was talking about are celestial bodies, not animals."

“Oh, I see,” Zuo Xutong said awkwardly, gripping the steering wheel. “The ‘star’ you’re talking about doesn’t have the dog radical.”

"What do we do now?" she asked again.

"Since we're already here, let's go in and take a look," Peng Kun said, pushing open the car door.

A few minutes later, outside the zoo’s only two chimpanzees’ cage, a man and a woman stood awkwardly staring at them through the iron bars.

Next to the orangutans was a monkey enclosure for macaques, whose numbers were probably more than ten times that of the chimpanzees. At that moment, a zookeeper came over with an iron basin to feed the monkeys, and the two moved to the monkey enclosure to watch them eat.

Lunch consisted of two bowls of corn. The monkeys chattered and rushed over, but there was no fighting. In fact, only a few monkeys were eating, while the others watched from the sidelines. After those few monkeys had been eating for a while, the others tentatively approached the bowls and reached out to grab the corn kernels. Even then, a few small, thin monkeys were still watching longingly from a distance, eager to try but too afraid to get close.

Seeing the pitiful look on the little monkey, Zuo Xutong muttered, "Why don't they eat together?"

“Monkey groups also have a hierarchy; those of higher status eat first. The same applies to lion prides, wolf packs, hyenas… all have strict hierarchical systems, just like humans,” Peng Kun said.

“Yes, the difference between humans and animals may not be as big as we imagine.” Zuo Xutong licked her dry lips; she felt thirsty after walking for a while.

Peng Kun glanced at her and said, "I'll go buy water." Then he turned and left, leaving her standing alone outside the monkey mountain.

Zuo Xutong looked down and rummaged through her bag, intending to take out her phone to snap a few photos. Suddenly, a clever female monkey leaped in front of her, staring intently at her hand. She could feel the monkey's expectant gaze; clearly, it was used to being fed by humans and thought she would pull something delicious out of her bag.

Before she could react, a robust male monkey leaped over. It approached the female monkey, unhesitatingly supporting her pelvis and beginning to mimic mating. Zuo Xutong froze, standing there helplessly, her gaze fixed stiffly on the two monkeys. Completely oblivious to the onlookers, they were single-mindedly focused, simple and direct.

Zuo Xutong's face flushed. Luckily, Peng Kun wasn't around; otherwise, it would have been incredibly awkward if the two of them had witnessed such a scene together.

"Primates complete a reproductive ritual in twenty seconds, yet humans weave a grand narrative of roses, candlelight, and wedding rings." This sentence suddenly popped into her mind, though she couldn't remember which book she had read it in.

Soon, the monkey's "performance art" ended, and it gradually hopped away to play around. Just then, Peng Kun returned carrying a bottle of mineral water.

He handed the water to Zuo Xutong, but his own hands were empty.

Aren't you thirsty?

Peng Kun shook his head and suggested, "Let's go somewhere else. If we keep looking like this, we'll both turn into monkeys."

"If we're talking about monkeys, you'd be the Monkey King." Zuo Xutong wanted to take the opportunity to praise him and help him regain his confidence, but he wasn't buying it at all and even teased her, "Let's go, second junior brother."

She was a little angry and raised her hand to punch him, but he grabbed her wrist. She tried to break free, but his hand slid down and held her tightly.

Zuo Xutong was startled, her heart skipped a beat.

Tourists passed by them in twos and threes. Some noticed that a couple who had been chatting and laughing just moments before suddenly froze, staring at each other motionless, as if they had transformed into two rocks on Monkey Mountain. However, Peng Kun quickly let go of her hand, so quickly that the other person didn't have time to think, and turned to walk forward.

The wind rustled through the leaves.

Peng Kun tucked the hand that had caused the trouble into his pocket, as if that would somehow mask his embarrassment. This was the first time in his life he had ever taken a woman's hand; before, it was always women who took his hand or sat on his lap. As a result, he had only had a handful of relationships over the years, and the one he had ended without a trace.

Zuo Xutong walked behind Peng Kun, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far. She vaguely felt that something was wrong. She clearly wanted to help him get back on his feet and move out of the nursing home, but the plot was developing in an unpredictable direction.

Fortunately, being good at reflection is her consistent excellent style. After returning, she immediately began to review the situation, thinking about which link went wrong and caused things to deviate from her original plan.

In the two days they spent together, she noticed absolutely nothing about Peng Kun's mood. He would even crack a few jokes with her occasionally, showing no signs of having just experienced a major setback in his life. Moreover, a young and successful entrepreneur like him must already be used to flattery and compliments, and he didn't seem to need her encouragement to prove his self-worth.

What exactly made him insist on living in a nursing home?

Zuo Xutong recalled that the elderly people who passed by him that day greeted him warmly, which showed that he was well-liked in the nursing home. He had also said that living there meant "having food, drink, and being taken care of." She suddenly realized that he was so comfortable in the nursing home that he didn't want to leave.

Therefore, Zuo Xutong decided to change her strategy and make him realize the principle that hard work builds a nation while indulgence leads to ruin. While momentary pleasure may be enjoyable, it erodes one's will and fosters laziness. He's still so young; he shouldn't be living a life of complacency so early.