Chapter 16

Whose child has such a long rebellious phase, with tempers flaring up so easily?

For Josh, dating is still a very distant prospect.

In recent years, she has been recklessly pushing forward.

Because she knew all too well that children from families like theirs were not allowed to have any "possibility" in their lives. Josh hated uncertainty the most and would not allow their lives to go astray.

With no one to support them or to provide a safety net, Josh had no choice but to save herself; she had to plan ahead.

So even in her spare time, she would work to earn money, filling her life with busy work.

In Josh's heart, there was always a huge piggy bank, and only when it was filled to the brim could she truly feel fulfilled.

Dating, daily interactions, and personality adjustments all take time. At least for now, she can't spare any extra time for dating.

Tang Ning had gone crazy for some reason, saying that her cousin was an elite person and that her family was pressuring her to get married. She said that, in the spirit of keeping the good stuff in the family, she introduced him to her, only telling her to try getting to know him.

Perhaps out of consideration for his cousin, Josh actually received a friend request from his elite cousin that very night.

But that's all there is to it.

Fortunately, the other party had no intention of exchanging pleasantries. The two of them simply exchanged a few friendly greetings when they first added each other's contact information, without even asking each other's names.

After that, they became quiet entities lying in each other's lists, undisturbed by each other.

If Tang Ning hadn't suddenly asked about it that day, Josh would have forgotten about that cousin long ago. At the time, she naturally managed to fool him.

After all, her current goal is to get a promotion and a raise. If she had to add another one, it would be for Chen Zhiyu to get into a good university.

Qiao Xi felt a pang of worry when Chen Zhiyu was mentioned, because she noticed that he had been in low spirits lately. She was unsure whether it was due to too much academic pressure or if he was still going through a rebellious phase.

His slump lasted until Josh's vacation ended.

*

It was Friday.

After several torrential rains, the intense sunshine that we haven't seen in a while feels especially welcome these past few days. Some people just wish they could stay outside all the time.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, the sun was shining brightly, and judging from the weather, it seemed that the high temperatures expected for the coming day were already foreshadowed.

The basketball court is surrounded by a tall fence, and the green diamond-shaped grid cuts the figures of the athletes on the court into countless leaping shadows.

The basketball bounced on the ground with a few muffled thuds. Chen Zhiyu, wearing a blue and white sports shirt, moved nimbly through the crowd and accurately received the ball passed to him by his teammate.

The sound of shoes scraping the ground rang out behind him, and soon everyone surrounded him like a fireball, cutting off his escape route. Without hesitation, Chen Zhiyu jumped and shot, a beautiful arc drawing across the sky as the basketball landed steadily in the net, securing the winning point.

The whistle blew loudly, and the game came to an end.

After a brief celebration, Chen Zhiyu turned and walked towards the rest area.

Behind him, Yao jogged to catch up with Chen Zhiyu. His orange basketball jersey was particularly eye-catching, like a protective belt on the road. He put his long arm on Chen Zhiyu's shoulder, and a sense of pride welled up in him. "It's still the best to team up with you."

Sweat streamed down his temples like rain. Chen Zhiyu casually wiped his face with his arm, shrugged, turned to Yao Chen, and said with a slight frown, "Hot." He was as succinct as gold.

Yao wisely withdrew his arm.

Chen Zhiyu walked to the chair in the rest area, picked up his bag from the ground, sat down, took out two bottles of water, and tossed one to Yao Chen.

"Thank you." Yao Chen sat down as well, observing the other situations on the basketball court.

Chen Zhiyu tilted his head back and gulped down half a bottle of mineral water, finally relieving the dryness in his throat. After resting for a while, he took out his phone from his bag.

When Chen Zhiyu unlocked his phone, he saw two missed calls, both from Qiao Xi. He frowned, took out a towel from his bag, wiped his sweat casually, and quickly called back.

After a few rings, the phone was answered, and Josh's voice came through the receiver: "Busy? Tutoring class?" She remembered that Chen Zhiyu had tutoring class today, and guessed that he was probably in class since he didn't answer the phone.

"Afternoon class." Josh rarely called while she was at work, so Chen Zhiyu asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I have something to do." The cheers from the basketball court were continuous and soft, carried through the loudspeaker. She asked first, "Are you outside?"

Chen Zhiyu picked up his phone, got up, and walked a little further away. "I'm going for a run near the neighborhood."

"You're up so late today?" Josh didn't doubt it. "Are you busy later?"

"It's nothing, what's wrong?"

"I left my documents at home. If you're free, could you bring them over for me?" Josh checked the time; it was a little past nine in the morning. "It's not a big rush. Just bring them over before lunch break ends."

"If you have something to do later, I can go back and get it myself during my lunch break."

"No need." Chen Zhiyu lowered his head, sweat dripping down his forehead and onto the ground in large drops. He gently raised his hand and wiped it with the towel hanging around his neck. "I'll get it for you. Don't come back."

The journey from Josh's workplace to his home isn't short, and the back-and-forth trips mean Josh misses his lunch break.

“Okay, call me when you get there.” The documents were prepared when we were at the branch office, but we didn’t expect them to be needed so suddenly. Josh thought for a moment, “I’m not sure where I put them either? Maybe in the drawer of the dressing table or in the suitcase. You can look for them everywhere when you get there.”

A dry towel was placed over his head, blocking most of the sunlight and obscuring his vision. Chen Zhiyu lowered his head slightly and walked back the way he came to the rest area. "Okay, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, without saying a word, I immediately picked up my backpack and started packing.

Yao, who was resting with his arms outstretched behind him, quickly asked, "Where are you going?"

"go home."

Yao jumped up in a panic, "No? You're not fighting anymore? It's only been a short while!" He was puzzled; you'd been staying home for seven days straight, how come you weren't tired of it? "Why haven't I seen you this homesick before?"

In the time it took to say a few words, Chen Zhiyu had already slung his backpack over his shoulder, looked down at the work address Qiao Xi had sent him on his phone, and said, "Some other time."

"Some other time, some other time. I've been planning to meet you for a week, and you're leaving after only two hours?" Yao complained, her tone unconsciously becoming harsh. "What? You think seven days of charging is wasted in two hours?"

"Your battery isn't holding up well."

Chen Zhiyu smiled and didn't say much. "I really had something to do today. I'll definitely play with you to your heart's content next time."

After parting ways with Yao, he rode his bicycle straight home.

Back home, Chen Zhiyu first took a shower and changed into clean clothes. After tidying himself up, he went straight to Qiao Xi's bedroom without delay.

Upon entering, a strong scent of perfume wafts towards you.

After a pause, Chen Zhiyu stepped inside. Josh really liked the base notes of this perfume; they were a refreshing blend of sweet fruit and cedar, but still too strong.

People have very different tastes when it comes to perfume, and she's afraid of bothering those around her when she's out, so she only dares to spray it in her bedroom. In her words, this perfume is too strong, and wearing it outside might offend people, but she really loves it. She smells it every night to fall asleep, which helps her sleep well, and she feels like she's having sweet dreams.

When Josh first smelled this scent at the counter, she fell in love with it instantly. Later, she gritted her teeth, saved up, and spent a fortune to buy it.

Josh has always had her own spending habits, and this perfume is a form of spiritual healing for her.

The perfume in the bedroom was much stronger than the one on her body. Chen Zhiyu sat quietly in front of the dressing table, taking a moment to calm down. The air was filled with the rich fragrance of perfume.

He rarely came to Josh's room without Josh's permission.

Only then did Chen Zhiyu openly look around. Qiao Xi's room wasn't very big; a double bed took up most of the room.

The room wasn't exactly messy, but it was far from tidy either.

They've been back for almost ten days, but they still haven't unpacked their luggage.

A black suitcase lay casually open on the floor, piled high with clothes that hadn't been put away in the closet.

Actually, the room he's living in now is Josh's own room. When he moved in, Josh didn't change it and just let him live there, and he's been living there for four or five years.

Now, all traces of Josh in that room are gradually disappearing.

Chen Zhiyu looked away. The dressing table in front of him was quite old. Qiao Xi didn't have many cosmetics, but they were all necessities, scattered on the table.

Along with that bottle of perfume.

The air was still filled with the sweet scent of perfume, which was very aggressive and exerted its charm relentlessly in silence.

In this place filled with her traces, Chen Zhiyu couldn't calm down and lost his ability to defend himself. Even the fragrance of his shower gel was gradually being invaded and tainted with the scent of cedar.

The flavor is strong, forced into your lungs, just like Josh himself—irresistible.

At this moment, the sunlight streamed in, and Chen Zhiyu was frozen in place. He remained motionless for a long time, greedily enjoying being enveloped in the fragrance.

The fragrance seemed to come alive, and Chen Zhiyu plunged headfirst into the embrace he had longed for.

He longed to be conquered little by little, willing to become Josh's prisoner.

The tense atmosphere was broken by a sharp ringing of a bell.

Startled awake, Chen Zhiyu unconsciously lifted his eyelids and saw himself in the mirror, looking completely different, with obvious desire in his eyes. He froze for a moment, then hurriedly lowered his head, buried it in his arms, and took a deep breath.

Embarrassment and pleasure were locked in a fierce struggle, and Chen Zhiyu frantically pulled his phone out of his pocket.

It was Josh on the phone.

Josh was still worried, so to be on the safe side, she called and asked as soon as the call connected, "Chen Zhiyu, have you found him yet?"

The cold phone case touched his reddened earlobe, and upon hearing the familiar voice, his whole body tensed up again, his chest heaving violently, and the hand holding the phone unconsciously tightened its grip.

After a long silence, only the sound of irregular breathing came through the phone. "Chen Zhiyu?" Qiao Xi's tentative voice came through again, "Have you found him yet?"

Chen Zhiyu didn't look up or respond. He instinctively reached for the metal handle of the drawer and tried to pull it open, but it slipped out of his hand the first time. He tried to pull it open a second time.

Finally, after much struggle, he opened the drawer, and inside lay a document, sized A4 and sealed in plastic. After a long while, he murmured, "Found it."

Before Josh could respond, she slammed down the phone.

Josh, holding his constantly beeping phone, wondered, "Whose child has such a long rebellious phase, with tempers that can flare up at any moment?"