8

I pulled Zhang Peng out of the building. The wind felt especially refreshing as it blew past my ears. When I turned around, he was smiling at me. My heart was overflowing with happiness.

Life is so wonderful; this is how people should live happily.

People passing by turned to look at us curiously; the sight of two grown men happily holding hands seemed a little strange to them. But, when you love someone, you naturally hold hands—it's perfectly normal, isn't it? I'm not just holding his hand for now; I'm going to hold it for the rest of my life. Let them see, we're definitely living a happier life than him!

Zhang Peng's face was flushed; I could tell he was shy about holding hands so intimately in broad daylight. But every time I turned around, he would smile at me. I think he must have felt just as happy as I did. Squeezing his hand, I said to him, "I think you look especially good today."

Upon hearing this, his face turned even redder, like a young boy experiencing his first love.

As I watched, I laughed even harder.

At the entrance of the residential area, a little girl was selling flowers. Four or five buckets were filled with flowers of various colors, blooming in vibrant colors. I had just passed by when I turned back.

I don't recognize the names of those flowers, nor do I know how to care for them, but I really want to buy a bunch and give it to Zhang Peng.

There was a cluster of flowers with pure white petals and a hint of light green in the stamens, looking like half-open flower buds. The stems were straight and dark green, and the leaves were spread out large.

I picked up a bunch, about seven or eight flowers, and smelled it; it had a faint fragrance.

"Do you like it?" Zhang Peng asked me with a smile.

"Yes, it looks pretty good."

“I think it’s nice too. We can put it in our living room,” Zhang Peng said, already taking out his wallet.

I stopped him from taking out the money and asked the little girl, "What's this called?"

The girl answered, "Tulips."

"Tulips? Oh, they come in white ones too. They're so pretty. Hehe, I'll take this one."

I took out the living expenses Xia Yu had sponsored for me, paid the bill, and then asked the little girl to wrap it up for me. It was a pretty formal one.

Zhang Peng looked puzzled and said that any bag would do, and they could buy a new one when it withered.

I just smiled and said that we had to be formal, as this was the first time in my life I had ever bought flowers.

After leaving the residential area, I pulled Zhang Peng behind a big tree and kissed him when no one was looking.

Zhang Peng didn't realize what was going on and stared at me blankly.

My heart was pounding, my face was burning, and I lowered my head and stuffed the white tulip into his chest. "Here you go."

"Give me?"

"Nonsense! I bought it to give to you." I felt my face turn red to the roots of my ears.

Zhang Peng didn't say anything for a long time. I waited and waited, and finally couldn't resist my curiosity and looked up.

Zhang Peng's lips were slightly parted as he held the flower, his eyes glistening with moisture.

"What's wrong? Don't you like it?" I was a little nervous. It was the first time I had given flowers to someone, and I hadn't expected this kind of reaction.

"How could this be!" Zhang Peng glared at me fiercely, his face turning bright red in seconds. He yelled at me, "After being with you for so long, this is the sweetest and most heart-fluttering thing you've ever done! Damn, it moved me to tears. What am I going to do? My heart is racing so fast, I'm too embarrassed to walk on the street!"

"Huh?... Hahaha, good Pengpeng, I'm so happy to hear you say that!" I hugged him and rubbed my nose against Zhang Peng's neck.

"Silly girl, if you like someone, just say so. Why are you talking so fiercely, like you're going to eat me? You almost scared me to death."

Zhang Peng was still staring at me, but this time his neck was completely red.

"Excuse me, could you two please pause for a moment?"

I was startled when someone gently patted my shoulder. I opened my eyes wide and turned around to see Red Hair! He was looking at me with his chin tilted back. From my angle, his upturned eyes drooped slightly, and he had an expressionless face that made him look incredibly arrogant.

"Huh? It's you?"

I pulled my hand away from Zhang Peng's waist, glanced at Zhang Peng whose face was as red as a boiled shrimp, and quickly stepped in front of him. Behind me, Tulip gently pressed against my back, a feeling that was indescribably wonderful.

"Why wasn't it me? I came out to look for you since you hadn't come back for a while, but I never expected this..."

"If you didn't expect anything, just get to the point and stop rambling." Just when I was feeling happy, this unexpected obstacle appeared, and I wanted nothing more than to kick the red-haired guy away.

Red Hair grinned at Zhang Peng behind me, "You two made up?"

I didn't expect Red Hair to ask this so suddenly. When I turned around, I saw Zhang Peng with an awkward expression, not knowing what to say. I quickly interrupted, "Mind your own business! Are you jealous? Let me tell you, my feelings for him are maxed out. Don't even think about getting involved."

"Haha, yeah, yeah, I'm so jealous! How dare you provoke me, a poor man who's just been abandoned? That's so cruel!" Red Hair said, drooping his head and putting on a pitiful expression as he looked at me, like a puppy begging for food from its owner.

Zhang Peng chuckled softly at his teasing. Seeing this, Hongmao's eyes curved into crescent moons with laughter. But in that instant, I recalled his swollen, wet eyes when he was drunk. He cried so bitterly, as if he wanted to cry out all his tears at once; his clear voice eventually became hoarse and he couldn't make a sound, his long back heaving with each painful breath. He must have loved that person terribly, and that person he loved must have hurt him terribly.

I shut my mouth and watched the red-haired man in front of me chuckling and joking as if nothing was wrong, while a dull ache appeared in my heart.

Although he was a young man, he looked no different from a child; he should be genuinely smiling.

"Look at Xia Xiang, his soul seems to have gone on a trip."

I heard Red Hair's cheerful voice in my ear, and Zhang Peng walked around to the front of me, looking at me curiously. I suppressed the bitterness in my heart, forced a cheerful smile, and lightly patted Zhang Peng's head, saying, "What are you looking at? Haven't you had enough after three years? Silly."

"How could three years be enough time! I haven't even counted how many moles you have yet," Zhang Peng said with a smile, carefully holding the flowers in his arms.

Looking at him beside me, I felt incredibly lucky. Love is hard to come by, and I should cherish and protect it even more.

"Hey, now that you two have resolved your conflict, can you come back with me now? I didn't lock the door when I came out."

"What! You idiot!" Upon hearing this, I quickly pulled Zhang Peng back, and any pity I had for Red Hair vanished instantly!

What a fool! How could he run out without locking the door?! What if he got robbed?! Doesn't he have any common sense?!

If Xia Yu finds out I'm going to die, won't I be torn to pieces by five horses?

"Hey, don't rush, why are you walking so fast? It's okay, trust me!"