Chapter 27

Xia Lanzheng didn't give a definite answer, and his response was to see the situation later.

In the social jargon used by adults, this means you can't go. I wonder if Cheng Lan can understand it.

The three of them walked out of the cafeteria and Zhang Cheng called and invited him to be a model in the studio in the afternoon.

Xia Lanzheng had promised it last time, and since the call came at the right time, she happily went downstairs to hail a taxi.

"What are you doing?" Chu Linchuan picked up his phone and checked the time.

He was vague in his words, but Cheng Lan knew clearly: "I just want to make peace with him, what's the big deal?"

Chu Linchuan pursed his lips: "Did you have a fight?"

They stood at the elevator entrance, blocking the incoming and outgoing replenishment carts. Then they moved to the window. Downstairs, Xia Lanzheng disappeared into a taxi.

"It's not what you think." Cheng Lan stared at the direction the car drove away and casually played with his hair. "It's just... you know, he was very strange for a while."

This is strange—

Xia Lanzheng touched the thin silk scarf covering her eyes. A ray of light filtered through, and she could only see a blurry shadow. "What's this for?"

He could feel Zhang Cheng standing in front of him, but no one answered.

From the moment she stepped into this studio, Xia Lanzheng was shrouded in uncertainty.

He seemed to have entered another world.

The walls were covered with climbing green plants and vines, and the air was damp and cold, like a forest after rain.

Zhang Cheng took out a gauze scarf from a dark brown box, tied it in front of Xia Lanzheng's eyes with his own hands, and then asked him to sit on a metal rack above the ground.

Xia Lanzheng had never met an artist before, and although she was confused, she had agreed to be the model himself, so she had no choice but to cooperate.

However, when people are not able to see, many things are out of their control.

"Zhang Cheng," Xia Lanzheng's hands grasped in the air a few times, her voice a little tense, "What should I do?"

The man in front of her slowly approached and held Xia Lanzheng's trembling hand.

"Don't be afraid," Zhang Cheng saw his uneasiness, "the metal frame is very sturdy."

Xia Lanzheng opened her light pink lips and said, "Can I just sit there? No need to change clothes or posture?"

Zhang Cheng's eyes fell on the corner of his mouth: "Well, that's it, just sit down."

After receiving a positive answer, Xia Lanzheng let go of Zhang Cheng's hand and instead grasped the frame.

The moment he touched the metal, the temperature in his hand was compared, and he looked down and exclaimed: "Zhang Cheng, your hand is so hot."

Zhang Cheng couldn't help but be stunned: "When I... create, my body temperature is high, which is normal."

He looked up at the young man in front of him. His skin was delicate and smooth, his jawline was clear, and his long curly hair made him look like an elf prince who had fallen into the mortal world.

Zhang Cheng glimpsed the confused look behind the black gauze.

It is as perfect as imagined, making people want to touch it.

Xia Lanzheng easily regarded him as her friend, completely defenseless, and allowed him to blind her.

But if you really think about it, they had only known each other for a short time, and Xia Lanzheng didn't even know his real name.

How could anyone be as easy to coax as that little lamb?

Xia Lanzheng got no response and tilted her head to look. She blinked behind her scarf, trying to see Zhang Cheng's expression.

"Are you scared?" Zhang Cheng tapped his fingertips and quickly let go.

"What are you afraid of?" Xia Lanzheng thought for a few seconds and pointed at the thing covering her face. "Ah...you mean this? Fortunately, I'm not afraid of the dark."

He sat there obediently, and in the middle of his conversation he tried to comfort Zhang Cheng. He thought Zhang Cheng was afraid of bothering him, so he kept saying things like "It's okay."

Zhang Cheng silently curled the corners of his lips and shook his head slightly.

The Chu family actually raised their youngest son like this. I don’t know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing.

The other two young masters of the Chu family are not easy to deal with.

The young master of the Chu family described by others was somewhat different from what he saw with his own eyes, but he was not surprised when he learned about Xia Lanzheng's past.

He understood that people always have two sides.

Xia Lanzheng is the same type of person as him.

Crack open the sculpture's hard shell and you'll find pure white, soft cotton within. This inexplicable contradiction is what makes Xia Lanzheng so captivating.

Really interesting.

Vines with soft thorns were wrapped around the metal frame. Zhang Cheng touched the tip and did not let go even though his fingertips were pricked and hurt.

The assistant stopped outside the door with a cart and asked if they wanted any refreshments.

Xia Lanzheng shook her head, and Zhang Cheng suppressed his excitement and said, "No need."

There were only the two of them in the room, and Zhang Cheng looked at Xia Lanzheng directly.

"Zheng Zheng, are you really not afraid?"

"Actually, I was afraid of the dark when I was a kid, but Daniu..." Xia Lanzheng recalled to herself, "But my brother said, imagine the dark as closing your eyes. As long as I want to open them, day will come."

That day they were accidentally locked in a warehouse and he was very scared. Da Niu comforted him while trembling, and his words were quite logical.

He remembered these words for a long time. Although they were just childish words, they were indeed useful.

In his previous life, he couldn't hold on any longer, so he comforted himself in this way.

Zhang Cheng laughed after hearing this: "Zheng Zheng, this is so profound, I don't understand it."

Xia Lanzheng remembered something, lowered her body, and said to the hazy figure, "The general idea is that the sky won't stay dark forever, and neither will difficulties. They will eventually pass."

After he finished speaking, he also felt happy and suddenly wanted to sing "There is always a rainbow after the storm."

Zhang Cheng could tell that he was comforting himself, probably because of what he said not long ago: "I can't draw it."

In fact, he noticed that Xia Lanzheng was always cautious, as if she regarded him as a fragile wandering artist.

Zhang Cheng felt very comfortable being with him and enjoyed listening to him talk.

Xia Lanzheng's hair fell down, and a few strands brushed Zhang Cheng's ears.

His eyelashes slid along with the memories, and Zhang Cheng saw a trace of nostalgia on his face, and his thoughts seemed to have drifted away.

Xia Lanzheng wasn't looking at him.

Zhang Cheng was stunned. Why? Who was he thinking about?

He pondered the word "brother" from the other person and the extremely soft smile on Xia Lanzheng's face, which he had never seen before.

When Zhang Cheng came to his senses, he had already stepped onto the first step.

He was standing there, a bit taller than Xia Lanzheng, and her sight fell from the top of his furry hair to his eyes.

The silk scarf I spent half a month to customize suddenly became an eyesore.

Xia Lanzheng's forehead almost touched Zhang Cheng's shoulder. He looked up blankly, somehow sensing a subtle sense of danger.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Zhang Cheng touched his eyelashes with his fingertips. They were very hot and he didn't dare blink again.

"Don't wear this anymore," Zhang Cheng removed his hand and reached for the knot tied behind his head, "We'll open our eyes now."

Zhang Cheng touched Xia Lanzheng's profile, then brushed his hair and finally touched the silk scarf.

Xia Lanzheng buried herself in his arms.

Everything he touched was soft, as gentle as his insides.

Zhang Cheng subconsciously slowed down his movements.

It seems he guessed wrong.

That hard shell was his imagination; it didn't exist on Xia Lanzheng at all. Perhaps things weren't as outsiders said, and perhaps the Chu family wasn't treating him well at all.

Xia Lanzheng has her own difficulties.

The sudden change left Xia Lanzheng confused. He could hear the displeasure in Zhang Cheng's tone, but he didn't understand why.

"Why?"

"Hmm?" Zhang Cheng said, "I want to see your eyes."

There was a peculiar smell of ink on Zhang Cheng's body, or perhaps it was the smell of turpentine, which smelled quite sharp.

Xia Lanzheng was frightened by these words, and felt that there was a hint of sarcasm in Zhang Cheng's words.

He was not sure if the rack could bear the weight of two grown men, and with his back hanging in the air, he grabbed Zhang Cheng's clothes tightly.

He buried his head in Zhang Cheng's chest, and realized belatedly that Zhang Cheng was taller than he had imagined.

He panicked for a moment and pushed Zhang Cheng away, but Zhang Cheng remained unmoved and instead held his hand tightly.

Xia Lanzheng tilted her head back and asked alertly, "What's wrong?"

He received no reply and was held in Zhang Cheng's tighter arms. The smell of turpentine became extremely aggressive, causing him to struggle uncomfortably.

Only then did Zhang Cheng take action.

The silk scarf slipped from her eyes, and the sudden brightness made Xia Lanzheng squint her eyes.

His vision gradually focused, and Zhang Cheng rubbed the corners of his eyes for him: "Sorry, it's okay."

He kept staring into his eyes while speaking, and Xia Lanzheng could clearly see the teardrop mole under his eye.

Zhang Cheng jumped down and asked, "I want to draw your hands, is that okay, Zheng Zheng?"

Xia Lanzheng spread his hands and placed them on his knees. His nerves were still tense, and the physical contact just now had made his hair stand on end.

Zhang Cheng moved the canvas closer and placed the water within Xia Lanzheng's reach.

He asked again, "Is it okay?"

Xia Lanzheng touched her arm and glanced towards the door.

Zhang Cheng's assistant was not far away, probably on the phone, and the sound of conversation came in intermittently.

Xia Lanzheng relaxed a little: "Okay, go ahead and draw."

The only sound in the studio was the friction between the brush and the canvas. Zhang Cheng played a slow song, and Xia Lanzheng felt drowsy listening to it.

He forced himself to look around the space he was in. The green plants on the wall were growing well, climbing upwards desperately to breathe the free air.

This was completely opposite to the feeling Zhang Cheng gave him. He didn't know how to describe it, but Zhang Cheng had a sense of dejection about him.

Although he secretly thought that others were being impolite, Zhang Cheng turned into the color of a shallow sea on a cloudy day.

"It came in through the window," Zhang Cheng said. "It was just a little thing, but I didn't expect it to be so big. My assistant was shocked."

Xia Lanzheng could imagine that scene. He had met Zhang Cheng's assistant before. He was a very interesting person.

Zhang Cheng stepped forward, picked up the mineral water, adjusted the angle of the straw, and fed it to Xia Lanzheng's mouth.

Xia Lanzheng dodged for a moment: "I can do it myself."

He leaned over and took the straw, water flowing through it. Zhang Cheng rolled his Adam's apple in time with Xia Lanzheng's swallowing.

Xia Lanzheng finished drinking and released her lips: "The plants you raise are very beautiful."

Zhang Cheng curved his eyes and said, "Just imitate me."

Xia Lanzheng didn't respond: "I won't bother you anymore, just continue."

Zhang Cheng picked up the brush again and suddenly asked, "Zheng Zheng, do you hate people lying to you?"

Xia Lanzheng said without a second thought: "Hate it, I don't like it."

Zhang Cheng's hand paused, and his eyes passed over the edge of the canvas and cast a quick glance.

Xia Lanzheng paid no attention. The sound of the paintbrush was the perfect sleep aid. His mind drifted away again, and he leaned against the shelf, tilted his head, and closed his eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, Xia Lanzheng was awakened by the sound of her cell phone.

He opened his eyes and found himself curled up on the sofa, covered with a coat made by Zhang Cheng. The message was from Cheng Lan.

"Cheng Lan: Zheng Zheng, when will you come?"

Xia Lanzheng didn't rush to reply, it seemed that Cheng Lan really didn't understand his subtext.

He turned his head and found Zhang Cheng sleeping soundly on the sofa on the other side.

Xia Lanzheng approached quietly and stopped beside the sofa. Zhang Cheng was naked, sleeping restlessly, his brows furrowed.

I reached out and pushed Zhang Cheng's arm. His eyebrows twitched but he didn't open his eyes.

After looking down for a while, Xia Lanzheng finally realized something was wrong.

"Zhang Cheng," Xia Lanzheng placed her palm on Zhang Cheng's forehead and felt it burning hot. "Zhang Cheng, don't sleep! You have a fever!"