Chapter 80 A belated apology is cheaper than grass

Since the food wouldn't be served for a while, the director gestured for Zhou Ting to show everyone around his residence.

Xia Mian wanted to talk to Zhou Ting about money, but with the cameras following him from every angle, he couldn't find a good opportunity.

Finally, when they arrived at the recreation room, Rebecca, Liu Er, and Xu Ning saw the game consoles and got really itchy to play. They huddled together and started playing console games, attracting the attention of the filming PD.

Xia Mian finally found an opportunity, picked up the pool cue, and waved it at Zhou Ting: "Want to play pool?"

Zhou Ting paused for a moment, then said, "Okay."

Xia Mian tossed the cue stick to Zhou Ting: "Let's play a game of snooker."

Ever since he exposed Xia Mian for drugging him, Xia Mian seemed to have been avoiding him. Zhou Ting hadn't heard Xia Mian speak to him normally in a long time.

He took the cue stick, arranged the red and colored balls in order, placed them against the edge of the table, and gestured for Xia Mian to tee off.

Xia Mian didn't hold back. She leaned down, aimed at the cue ball, squinted slightly, and made sure every shot hit the target, quickly pocketing two red balls and one blue ball.

In billiards, snooker has long been considered a game for the intelligent due to its strict rules and difficult gameplay.

Zhou Ting looked surprised, straightened up, and began to seriously consider strategies for scoring points.

When it was his turn, Zhou Ting said, "I've never heard that you can play snooker before."

Xia Mian, grinding gun powder, replied casually, "You never cared about what I said before."

Yes, that's right. After learning that Xia Mian liked him, everything about Xia Mian changed in Zhou Ting's eyes.

Sending him messages to share her daily life felt like harassment, and sending him fresh vegetables or handmade gifts felt like trying to please him. Even when they occasionally bumped into each other in the cafeteria, Zhou Ting felt that Xia Mian was deliberately creating opportunities for him.

Everything about summer hibernation becomes increasingly repulsive because of the word "like".

So he neither listened nor looked, only occasionally replying to Xia Mian with a few words when he was in a good mood—this boy was too pitiful, and he couldn't bear to always make him sad.

“I’m sorry, Xia Mian,” Zhou Ting paused, “I…”

“No need to apologize,” Xia Mian interrupted him directly. “Past hurts are like nails; once they’re in, they’re in. Even if you pull them out, they’ll leave behind a trail of holes. A belated apology is worthless than a blade of grass.”

Zhou Ting's hand trembled, and the ball went astray, missing the hole by several degrees.

He stepped aside, giving Xia Mian back the space.

Xia Mian aimed at the cue ball, but instead of hitting Zhou Ting's red ball that only needed a light touch to go in, she chose another one.

“Summer Sleep,” Zhou Ting said, looking at the forgotten ball, “it shouldn’t be like this between us.”

Zhou Ting thought it was too much, and the whole world thought it was too much. Only Xia Mian knew how the original owner died: "Indeed, I don't deny that you helped me in the past, and with Mingzhao around, we can't make things too embarrassing, right?"

For some reason, Zhou Ting felt a vague sense of repulsion when Xia Mingzhao was mentioned. It was as if another person shouldn't be in his conversations with Xia Mian.

He sensed a hidden meaning in the other person's words: "So, you mean..."

"You've helped me, and you've hurt me. Let's wipe the slate clean today. There's something in the vase I brought; take it out when you have time."

After saying that, Xia Mian cleanly and efficiently pocketed the last ball, hung the cue back on the rack, and turned to leave.

Zhou Ting stared at the empty pool table, his mind a jumble of emotions.

Does "wiping the slate clean" mean putting aside past grievances and returning to a friendly relationship?

He and Xia Mian had shared innocent and happy times, as well as harsh words. Even before, when they met at the Zhou mansion, Xia Mian had said she would never bother him, and she kept her word, but it sounded more like an angry outburst.

If we can really go back to being friends, that would be... nice, right?

With all the dishes prepared, Xia Mingzhao called the guests to eat. The three people who were playing console games reluctantly put down their controllers and, as they passed Zhou Ting, asked curiously, "What are you daydreaming about? Your Mingzhao is calling us up for dinner."

"...Recently, I've been writing my thesis proposal, and my days and nights have been reversed, so I often feel sleepy."

"Oh, come on, let's go up."

The warmth of everyday life is what soothes the human heart. There's nothing in the world that a hot pot meal can't solve; if there is, then two meals will do.

Xu Ning brought champagne as a gift. Xia Mingzhao opened it, and everyone drank two glasses together. The delicious food and wine brought the atmosphere to a new climax.

Zhou Ting sat amidst the noisy crowd, glancing occasionally at the doorway—where Xia Mian's gift lay.

He was not an impatient person; on the contrary, it was precisely because of his composure and ability to distinguish between priorities that he was always groomed to be the successor of the Zhou family.

But for some reason today, he kept thinking about what Xia Mian said, and even had the urge to open the packaging box before the recording was over.

Torn between two conflicting emotions, he finally used the excuse of going to the restroom to bypass the set-up camera and take the box to his study while everyone was chatting after drinking.

He couldn't wait to open the package. The first thing he saw was two vases, and then he pulled out a paper bag from the gap between the vases.

This must be what Xia Mian wanted to show him. Zhou Ting opened the paper bag, and because he moved so fast, he tore a piece off the opening.

Then, when he saw several stacks of cash, he was completely stunned.

He knew what the money was for—a few years ago, when he first met Xia Mian, Ren Xiping had been admitted to the ICU due to kidney failure. At that time, the mother and son were short of money, and he felt sorry for them, so he generously gave them some.

Fifty thousand yuan is too little for him; he can consider it a good deed and a way to accumulate good karma for himself and his father.

Fortunately, the money really saved Ren Xiping. After her mother was out of danger, Xia Mian solemnly promised that she would definitely return the money to him.

The young man has a low level of education and is not very bright, so he can only do a limited number of jobs. However, he is indeed keeping his promise and will visit him every now and then to give him some money.

Zhou Ting knew that respect was more important than money in growing up, so he accepted it all without hesitation.

It's just too little; each time it's only five hundred or a thousand, which isn't even enough to waste time.

Until one time, Xia Mian had a few drinks at a gathering with his coworkers. Slightly tipsy and cautiously, he told Zhou Ting that he had deliberately only repaid a little at a time. This way, he could see Zhou Ting more often; he was afraid that if he paid it all back, he wouldn't have a chance to meet him again.

It was from this point that Zhou Ting realized that Xia Mian harbored some unusual feelings for him.

Today, Xia Mian returned the 50,000 yuan with interest, and they are now even.

Zhou Ting then belatedly realized that Xia Mian's "wipe it all off" did not mean returning to a normal friendship.

—Xia Mian really wants to "break up" with him, "You go your sunny path, I'll cross my narrow bridge!"

Actually, when Xia Mian told him that day at the hotel, he didn't quite believe her, thinking that she was up to something again.

Today he finally believed it.

Xia Mian really... completely gave up on him.

Zhou Ting stared blankly at the white and blue paper bag in his hand. Perhaps because he hadn't blinked for too long, the air in front of him gradually distorted and deformed, finally turning into the red ball that Xia Mian had never touched.

At this moment, besides Xia Mian completely giving up on him, he realized something else—he seemed to have... fallen in love with Xia Mian.