Chapter 107 · if: Modern Daylight

"You're not going to wear this to your date tomorrow, are you?"

In the living room, Jinze, with his injured leg crossed, shook his head and looked at Chen Zhou.

"You're already a few years older than her, and you dress like that to make you look older. Don't let people say you're an old cow eating young grass when you go out."

Shen Zhou kicked his leg away, and amidst Jin Ze's cry of pain, coldly said, "Then what do you think should be done?"

Jinze awkwardly protected his injured foot, barely suppressing his anger as he pointed and said, "Just you wait, I'll show you what clothes a young man should wear."

Ten minutes later.

Shen Zhou stood in front of the mirror, expressionless.

"See, this is pretty good." Jinze walked around him with satisfaction.

After changing into light sportswear, his uncle did look much younger and more dashing, even though he wasn't that old to begin with.

When he returned to China last month, Jinze prepared a bunch of clothes for him at the last minute, but he scoffed at this kind of aesthetic. Today, he finally has a chance to get revenge.

“We young people all dress like this,” Jinze emphasized.

Shen Zhou, who had been irritably clutching his collar, paused upon hearing this, then lowered his hand with a cold expression: "You'd better be serious."

"It's much better than your coat," Jinze complained. "It's April, officer."

Shen Zhou glanced at him, but before he could speak, his phone rang. When he opened it, it showed a message from Hua Deng.

[Dengdengdeng] sends you a picture.

It's a photo of Ocean Park.

[Dengdengdengdeng]: Look, the facilities here are very complete, and it's convenient for wheelchair users.

wheelchair?

Oh, a wheelchair.

Shen Zhou held his phone and fell silent.

[Dengdengdengdeng]: But it might still be a bit troublesome, so if you don't like it, we can go to an art exhibition instead.

[。]: Sorry I haven't told you yet, my leg was injured in a car accident, but I'm fine now.

In front of the screen, Hua Deng stared blankly at the latest message.

Did she misunderstand?

Although there was a little embarrassment, I was mostly happy for him, and this way, my parents would be more accepting of him.

[Dengdengdengdeng]: Really? That's great!

[Dengdengdengdeng]: Cats dancing.jpg

Shen Zhou casually clicked on the emoji pack and downloaded it.

[。]: Dog nodding.jpg

Just then, Jinze called out from the side, "Is this the Ocean Park? I'll send you the guide, so be sure to read it!"

Jinze's avatar appeared in the chat box.

He sent me a link with a detailed travel guide. Shen Zhou glanced at it quickly and said, "Okay, you don't need to go to the Cuba trip."

Imazawa: "...So you originally wanted to send me to Cuba?"

"Um."

"Damn it! Give me back my strategy guide!"

*

In any case, the next day arrived quickly.

Like an elderly mother sending her daughter to an exam, Su Yiqing continued to nag as she drove Hua Deng to deliver the package: "Tell me immediately if anything happens. Don't drink the water he gives you, and don't eat anything he gives you. Tell me in advance if you're leaving, and I'll come pick you up. Whatever you do, don't go back with him..."

"Don't worry, I'm wearing headphones, so it'll be fine."

Hua Deng pointed to the hidden earpiece in her left ear. Su Yiqing had somehow come up with it, intending to give her advice and also ensure her safety.

Su Yi breathed a sigh of relief: "That's right, I believe you. Get out of the car, good luck."

The car door was closed, the lights were turned off, and the driver waved goodbye as he drove away.

At the entrance of Ocean Park, Shen Zhou arrived about half an hour early.

He stood with one hand in his pocket, shifting uncomfortably the earphone in his right ear. It was some junk that Jinze had made him wear, saying he was afraid he would scare the girl away.

They agreed to meet at 10 a.m., and he waited patiently. Around 9:55 a.m., a light figure ran towards him.

Today she wore a bright yellow dress that just reached her knees, and a straw sun hat on her head. As she ran, the hem of her dress billowed like ocean waves, and her smile was as bright as the sunshine.

He seemed to be transported back to the day they first met, when she bent down to offer him lilacs and smiled at him. She said it would be even more beautiful here on a sunny day, but to him, it was no different from a sunny day.

He glanced down at his clothes without making a sound, and suddenly realized that Jinze's aesthetic sense wasn't without reason.

Since that's the case, Albania won't let him go either.

Just then, Hua Deng ran up to him.

"You're here so early! Have you been waiting long?"

"No, I just arrived." He took the bag from her hand.

"Wow, your leg is really all better!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes, it was just a minor accident last time," Shen Zhou replied.

Jinze read aloud the book he had just found, "The Complete Guide to High Emotional Intelligence in Speaking".

"The weather is great today, and you're great too. I'm so glad to have this date with you. I hope I'm not getting too excited too soon."

Shen Zhou: "..."

He hung up his headphones and said calmly, "The weather is nice today."

Hua Deng opened his mouth, about to answer, when he heard Su Yiqing say in his earpiece, "Tell him that no matter how nice the weather is, it can't compare to the joy of seeing you."

Hua Deng: "???"

Do I really have to say something like that?

Shen Zhou looked over, giving him a questioning look.

Hua Deng managed to squeeze out a sentence: "The weather is really nice, haha."

Su Yi let out a sigh of disappointment.

The two walked in together, and after having their tickets checked, they entered the building.

Hua Deng hurriedly flipped through the travel guide: "We'll go there first..."

“Walrus Theater,” Shen Zhou said.

Yes, that's right.

Shen Zhou glanced at it and thought, "Hmm, their strategies are the same."

At this moment, my phone kept vibrating, bombarded with messages from Jinze, repeating the same sentence: "Turn on your headphones quickly, you'll never find a relationship on your own!"

Shen Zhou warned: "This is your last chance."

He turned on his headphones.

After hesitating for a while, Jinze immediately said, "Remember to be enthusiastic later. When you see a walrus, don't say it's ugly, say it's cute, understand?"

Chen Zhou remained noncommittal.

Upon arriving at the Walrus Theater, the two found a place to sit down. When the walrus appeared, Shen Zhou's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, and Hua Deng beside him also fell silent.

Amidst cheers of admiration for their cuteness, only the two of them remained subtly speechless.

Su Yi asked in confusion, "Why aren't you two saying anything?"

Hua Deng: "Uh."

How should I explain this?

During the month they chatted online, they not only talked but also watched movies together via a certain software. Hua Deng was too scared to watch alone, and Su Yiqing was terrified. Having finally found someone to keep her company, she watched movies almost as a form of revenge.

Shen Zhou was completely uninterested in horror movies; she could enjoy watching brains explode while drinking the bubble tea she was given. Once, she deliberately chose a horror movie that was rumored to "make people lose their appetite," but Shen Zhou didn't react much; she genuinely didn't eat dinner that day.

The film's plot is quite simple, roughly about a man who is transformed into a walrus, and the visuals are very "beautiful." So today, when Hua Deng sees the walrus, he's reminded of that scene and can't laugh at all.

She sighed in frustration, "I'm never watching horror movies again."

A soft chuckle came from beside him. He turned to look at her and said with a smile, "Then watch more performances by real walruses and forget about that movie."

"you're right."

Hua Deng straightened her posture, concentrating intently on the walrus show, so focused that she didn't notice that Chen Zhou leaned back lazily in her seat, her gaze fixed on her rather than the performance in front of her.

There were some interactive segments during the performance, but Hua Deng wasn't very interested; it was mostly the children who participated, and the staff gave them some candy.

The walrus balloon-blowing performance that followed was quite interesting, and the streetlights were a delight to watch, successfully dispelling the shadow cast by that film.

As she was leaving the venue, Shen Zhou asked her to wait a moment. About two minutes later, he returned with the balloon in his hand.

"Weren't these balloons for the children in the front row?" Hua Deng asked, puzzled, as she took the balloon he offered.

“I bought it,” Shen Zhou said.

Hua Deng was both amused and exasperated. She had only glanced at it a couple of times, marveling at the walrus's cleverness, without actually intending to take the balloon.

Since he gave it to her, she accepted it, smiling and saying, "Thank you."

Chen Zhou: "Thank you, Walrus."

Hua Deng: "..."

Hua Deng: "Let's not use the word 'walrus' anymore."

A smile flickered in Shen Zhou's eyes as he said, "Alright, let's not talk about it anymore."

Next stop is Beluga Sea.

Coming here, the streetlights are much more relaxing, and images from horror movies don't flash through my mind.

At the same time, Su Yiqing spoke again through the earpiece: "Ask him, do you like beluga whales?"

Hua Deng turned her head and asked, "Do you like beluga whales?"

Imazawa: "Say, 'I like beluga whales because they are as cute as you.'"

Shen Zhou: "It's alright." Jin Ze's dissatisfied voice came through the earpiece, which he ignored.

Hua Deng continued to relay Su Yiqing's words: "If you like it, that's good. By the way, speaking of beluga whales..."

Su Yiqing: "Is your watch real?"

Hua Deng: "???"

Su Yiqing: "I'm really curious."

Hua Deng couldn't bring herself to ask, but smiled under Chen Zhou's gaze: "Speaking of Moby Dick, I also know a horror movie called 'Moby Dick'."

Shen Zhou raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure?"

Hua Deng reluctantly replied, "Confirmed."

"Okay, let's watch this tonight."

Hua Deng maintained her smile, secretly deciding to ignore what Su Yiqing was about to say.

Everything went smoothly after that. They had lunch at the restaurant, then went to other pavilions and even experienced a polar flight.

Hua Deng loved the jellyfish exhibit the most, so she handed her phone to Chen Zhou, hoping he would take a picture. When the photo came out, Hua Deng politely declined and quietly put her phone back in her bag.

Shen Zhou: "This photo..."

Hua Deng: "I told you to take pictures of me, not the jellyfish."

Shen Zhou indicated that he understood: "Let's do it again."

One more time, Hua Deng looked at the photo and then closed her eyes.

"You slapped my head so hard! And why did you blur out the jellyfish?"

"……Feel sorry."

"You stand there, I'll take a picture of you, and then you can use that as a reference when you take a picture of me, is that okay?"

Shen Zhou nodded and, following her instructions, stood in front of the glass. Hua Deng pressed the shutter button and captured the moment a jellyfish swam past him.

Absolutely perfect.

Hua Deng showed him the photo, and the two switched places.

Shen Zhou's photography skills are still so bad that aquarium staff would advise him to delete them if he posted them online. Fortunately, he took enough photos this time, and after some picking and choosing, he managed to select one or two that were passable.

That concludes today's date.

The two walked out of the venue, looked at each other, and for some reason, neither of them said goodbye first.

“I think he’s alright, he shouldn’t be a scammer,” Su Yiqing said through the earpiece. “Why don’t you give it a try with him? That hotel next door belongs to my family, don’t worry, your parents won’t know.”

Hua Deng: "..." Didn't you tell me not to go with him?

"We need to act quickly!" Jinze said anxiously at the same time.

"Quickly ask her if she wants to be your girlfriend!"

Shen Zhou looked at the girl's face in front of him.

Judging from her breathing rate, blinking rate, and micro-expressions, she showed no signs of expecting to be confessed to.

She was simply enjoying her date today.

"Want a ride in my car?" he asked, a question quite different from Jinze's.

Hua Deng subconsciously replied, "No need, my friend is coming to pick me up."

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a car horn honking in the distance. She quickly said goodbye to Shen Zhou and ran to Su Yiqing's car to sit down. When she turned around, she could still see Shen Zhou standing there.

She waved her hand, and Shen Zhou turned and left.

As Hua Deng turned her head, she met Su Yiqing's pitying gaze: "You call this a date?"

She took off her headphones: "Doesn't this count? When I was in school, I really wanted to go on a date like this, but I just didn't have a suitable early romantic partner."

"You're quite good at making up for regrets." Su Yi lightly stepped on the gas and drove away. "I say, what's the difference between you two dating? Why hasn't he confessed yet?"

Hua Deng blurted out, "No way, that's too fast."

Su Yiqing overtook the car, saying, "Darling, you're already over twenty. You're not planning to confess your feelings a year later, hold hands two years later, hug three years later, and only kiss four years later, are you? By the time you get married, my child will have already graduated!"

Hua Deng: "...That's not what I meant, but I don't know him yet, we need to spend some time together."

Su Yiqing was actually somewhat convinced by her: "But then again, you're beautiful and rich, so many men are waiting to deceive you, it's good to spend more time with you."

Hua Deng: "Don't always worry about me getting scammed. I've never been successfully scammed in my life. It's you who got scammed into getting a marriage certificate..."

Su Yiqing: "Stop, let's not talk about this today! Are you staying at my place tonight, or going back to your own place?"

Hua Deng leaned against the car window and said absentmindedly, "Let's go home. My parents keep urging me to attend some party in a few days."

"Oh, the one from Jin's family, right? Don't worry, I'll be there too. Don't worry about your parents."

Hua Deng laughed and said, "Okay, then I'll be your dance partner."

[Author's Note]

There's one last chapter coming up, which will be released around midnight.