Chapter 12 The wronged puppy is so fierce, sister!
"busy."
Cheng Guo replied with a slight smile, and then she saw the person downstairs pressing and pausing on their phone with one hand. The "typing is in progress" message kept appearing above her phone's chat window, but no message was sent.
She smiled, took a picture from above, and sent it to him.
The message was delivered via the internet. Chen Zhui looked up and quickly spotted her standing by the window, and smiled from afar.
She rested her elbows on the window frame, not moving. Under the setting moonlight, her head was lowered. A moment later, a message popped up on her phone: "[Coming down in five minutes?]"
Cheng Guo: Six minutes is fine too.
She went down the stairs, and Shen Zhui was still standing there, waiting for her to come over and hand her the handbag.
"What?" Cheng Guo's lips curled up, her hands in her pockets, not taking it. She tilted her head slightly to look at the tall boy who was much taller than her, as if she knew the answer already.
Shen Zhui stepped forward again and said, "Happy birthday."
He added, "Pumpkin carriage."
The unexpected answer made Cheng Guo raise her eyebrows slightly. Meeting his somewhat apprehensive gaze, Cheng Guo stretched out a finger and hooked it over. The bag was not small, but it was not heavy. Just as she was about to open it, it was hooked back.
Chen Zhui moved extremely quickly, his fingers brushing against hers.
Cheng Guo curled his fingers and slowly put them back into his pocket.
Chen Zhui picked it up again, a smile spreading across his face. "We'll take it apart when we get back."
The gifts Cheng Fuyan and Jiang Heng gave me today haven't been opened yet. There's no problem with not opening them now, but Cheng Guo is still puzzled. She called her down, gave them to her, and then took them back.
She touched the bag with her chin and asked, somewhat reproachfully, "Then tell me to come down?"
Shen Zhui loved how she was now speaking her mind to him. He stood up straight like a little pine tree, looked down at her with a smile, and said, "I need to get it for you before 12 o'clock."
Will it disappear after midnight?
“No,” he said, his gaze fixed on her with a deeper meaning, “it will be a different one.”
Cheng Guo nodded without refusing. It wasn't really time to leave work yet, so she turned around and went upstairs. In a moment of inattention, she turned back and saw Chen Zhui leaping high into the air, his fingertips reaching for the drooping branches.
Beneath the swaying green branches, the youthful spirit cannot be concealed.
She turned around, smiled, and went up the steps into the building.
That evening, the two drove back and passed the intersection from yesterday. The weather was nice today, and the elderly couple had set up their stall there. Cheng Guo was hungry at the moment, and Chen Zhui was in the car. After driving past the intersection, she parked in a parking space on the street, and while unbuckling her seatbelt, she asked, "Want to eat? It's on me."
Shen Zhui opened the car door and got out, glancing at the long alley. The barbecue restaurant there was quite famous, attracting many people. Even though it was past midnight, the outdoor seating area was still mostly full of customers, and the interior was even busier.
When the elderly couple saw someone coming, they greeted him familiarly. Cheng Guo glanced at them and ordered a bowl of oden to fill his stomach, then a red bean smoothie and a bowl of shaved ice. He then turned to ask Shen Zhui what he wanted to eat.
Shen Zhui had long noticed that although Cheng Guo was studying medicine, she didn't take care of her health as well as her mother. He shook his head and asked her, "Do you often skip dinner?"
Cheng Guo was taken aback. "No, it's only in the last two days."
The oden was handed to Cheng Guo, who took it, bit off a meatball, and chewed it slowly. Amid the hum of the shaved ice machine, Chen Zhui's voice came over, "Is that because you're used to not eating dinner when you work the night shift?"
Cheng Guo swallowed the meatball. "No, it's—"
"Cheng Guo?" A male voice rang out from not far away. Cheng Guo turned her head and saw Jiang Heng walking over.
"Just got off the night shift?" Jiang Heng asked, his gaze drifting towards Chen Zhui, who was standing next to her.
Shen Zhui was also sizing up Jiang Heng.
He was about 1.8 meters tall, wearing a shirt and trousers, and was slender. He had an air of intellectual aloofness about him.
She seems to be the type of girl that's popular these days.
"Hmm," Cheng Guo glanced in the direction Jiang Heng had come from and asked politely, "Come over for barbecue?"
Jiang Heng withdrew his gaze from Chen Zhui, a smile curving his lips, his aloofness vanishing completely. "Yes, bring your friends over to try it."
He paused for a moment, then said, "I arrived late yesterday and missed it."
Cheng Guo glanced at him but didn't say anything. The shaved ice and ice jelly were ready, and Shen Zhui had already taken them. Cheng Guo said goodbye to Jiang Heng and walked towards the car. After Shen Zhui got in the car, she handed him the paper cup that had only contained one skewer of oden. "Wait for me for a moment."
After saying that, he went back.
The passenger window rolled down. The night breeze wasn't particularly cool, and it felt a bit unsettling against my forehead. In the rearview mirror, Cheng Guo walked back to her stall, smiling and talking to the man standing there. Someone called out "Jiang Heng," and the man raised his arm towards the barbecue restaurant before continuing to talk to Cheng Guo.
Two minutes later, Jiang Heng glanced at the car, smiled and nodded at Cheng Guo, still seemingly not finished talking.
Shen Zhui rolled up the car window, squeezed the paper cup, and closed his eyes in frustration.
It was deduced that Jiang Heng had met Yuan Man at dinner yesterday and probably learned something, which led to Cheng Fuyan's conversation with Yu Muying in the private room today. Cheng Guo came over to thank him and subtly suggested that he not tell Cheng Fuyan about his encounter with her tonight. Jiang Heng was slightly taken aback, then chuckled and nodded. After chatting for a while, Cheng Guo returned.
As she opened the car door, Chen Zhui happened to open his eyes. In the dim light, his eyes were moist, and he looked at her hazily. "Finished talking?"
Cheng Guo gave an apologetic "hmm," and Chen Zhui got out of the car and turned to her side.
“Let me open it,” he said, handing her the oden cup. “It’s getting cold, eat it quickly.”
A deep sense of guilt welled up inside Cheng Guo, and she accepted his kindness by moving to the passenger seat.
Shen Zhui started the car and glanced at the rearview mirror before driving away. Jiang Heng was chatting with his companions and glanced over here.
"What was it you wanted to say before?" Shen Zhui withdrew his gaze, his voice still slightly grainy, and he was still sleepy.
It took Cheng Guo a few seconds to realize that Shen Zhui was asking about what Jiang Heng had interrupted earlier. "It's because I wasn't hungry at dinner time these past two days, and you just happened to be there."
Shen Zhui knew that she would lose her appetite when she was in a bad mood.
"Is it because of me?" he asked.
“It was you yesterday,” Cheng Guo confessed frankly, “but not today.”
"Is today because of Jiang Heng?"
Cheng Guo, chewing on a meatball, looked over in surprise, one cheek puffed out like a squirrel hoarding food for winter, and mumbled, "No."
“Oh, then I’m one hundred percent.” Chen Zhui’s tone rose as he muttered softly.
The road was quiet, and the car was even quieter. Cheng Guo heard this. She lowered her head and didn't say anything, but the corners of her lips curved up because of the childish comparison. In her heart, she unconsciously repeated the playful "ge" at the end of his sentence.
They chatted about this and that all the way home. Cheng Guo was almost full when she realized that her eyes were bigger than her stomach. She carried the oden cup with a skewer of tofu left inside into the house. Just as she was about to put it in the refrigerator, Chen Zhui came up to her from behind.
He was tall, and his chest pressed lightly against her shoulder from behind, his voice close to hers, "Can't you finish it?"
Cheng Guo held the paper cup in her fingers without moving, and hummed in response.
"Then give it to me."
An arm wrapped around her from the side, the sleeve brushing against her bare arm, and naturally picked up the bamboo skewer.
Cheng Guo turned around, and Shen Zhui took two or three bites of the tofu. He then reached for her paper cup and bent down to drink the soup inside. Cheng Guo quickly reached out to stop him.
Her fingertips rested on the rim of the glass, her fingertips touching the corners of her soft lips. Her voice trailed off for two seconds before she withdrew her fingers and curled them into her palm. "I've already drunk from it."
His thick eyelashes lifted, and Chen Zhui's gaze fell on her face. He stared at her for a moment, then turned the paper cup around a fifth of the way and pressed his lips against hers.
If there are lip prints, then the two people's must be right next to each other.
Cheng Guo felt a slight, ticklish sensation on her lips, her cheeks flushed, and she turned her head away, only to freeze as she opened the refrigerator door.
Inside was a complete cake, adorably star-shaped, with a layer of soft, pale yellow cream on top. Perhaps because it was made by a beginner, the cream wasn't spread evenly. There were several pieces of chocolate on the cake, with blue eyes, pink cheeks, and red lips, and a pair of cherry hair clips on top of its head.
It may not be the most refined, but it's incredibly cute!
It is something that Cheng Guo, at her age, still finds adorable.
"Chen Zhui," Cheng Guo called out from in front of the refrigerator.
"Um?"
The boy who threw away the paper cup turned around and met Cheng Guo's smiling face.
"come over."
She carefully carried the cake out and placed it on the table, only to notice that the bouquet had changed. Today it was a bouquet of swallows, light and clear blue-purple, as if it could filter out the day's fatigue and worries. Cheng Guo stared at the bouquet, stunned.
"Didn't you say you couldn't eat anymore?"
Chen Zhui strolled over casually, carrying an unopened package of candles in his hand. He twirled a lighter between his fingers before putting it into his palm.
Turning his gaze away from the bouquet, Lord Cheng Guo magnanimously refrained from exposing his true feelings of enjoying the moment, saying, "Celebrate my birthday with me."
“Oh,” Chen Zhui glanced at her upturned lips, stuck a candle in the center of the cake, and arrogantly made a condition, “Then close your eyes, and I’ll sing you a birthday song.”
Cheng Guo couldn't help but chuckle at his wagging tail. "Isn't it only when you make a wish that you need to close your eyes?"
"Making a wish while listening to a song is even more effective."
Amused by his words, Cheng Guo clasped her hands together in front of her chest, her long eyelashes drooping down, and her hearing became exceptionally sharp.
With a snap, everything went completely dark. It must have been Shen Zhui who turned off the living room lights. After a few footsteps, his hair moved, and the birthday hat was carefully placed on his hair. Then, there was a "click" of a lighter. Through his eyelids, Cheng Guo could still feel a brief moment of light in front of him.
Shen Zhui has a very pleasant voice, and on this summer night he deliberately played a soft melody. His magnetic but not hoarse voice was like a gently plucked string, playing softly in Cheng Guo's ear, and the air was filled with ripples.
As the birthday song ended and her wish was fulfilled, the moment she opened her eyes and blew out the candles, it felt like she was surrounded by a sea of stars.
String lights lit up one after another on the balcony curtains, walls, and carpet, transforming the small space into a universe that collected the entire romantic starry sky.
She blinked, her chest burning, and after looking around, finally looked at Chen Zhui.
"I thought you'd be back for dinner tonight," Shen Zhui explained.
A smile crept up her lips as Cheng Guo looked at him. "Knowing I wasn't coming back, why didn't you put it away?"
Shen Zhui looked up at her, paused for a moment, as if to say that she was asking a question she already knew the answer to, and urged her awkwardly, "Let's cut the cake."
Cheng Guo chuckled and picked up the cake knife. She gestured at several spots, reluctant to cut, but finally made the difficult decision to cut off two corners of the star.
"Chen Zhui, thank you. This is the first time I've ever eaten a birthday cake since I grew up."
Chen Zhui stood leaning against the table. "Don't you like it?"
“No,” Cheng Guo took a bite of cake and put it in her mouth. The sweet and soft milky aroma filled her mouth. She savored it slowly. “I don’t remember how old I was that year. I only remember that it rained heavily on my birthday. My dad went to the store to pick up the cake. My mom and I waited for two hours and when he didn’t come back, we thought something had happened. My mom called him and his assistant answered. We found out that my dad had gone back to the lab. He had been stuck on that research for a long time. He suddenly had an idea on his way to pick up the cake.”
Cheng Guo shook her head. "It's not really a big deal, right? But over time, my mother finally snapped and decided to divorce him. I haven't eaten cake on my birthday since then."
The string of lights flickered, obscuring the emotions on her face. Chen Zhui gazed at her silently for a long time before speaking: "There will be a cake for your birthday from now on."
He brought over all the birthday gifts that had arrived today and asked in a very ceremonial manner, "Want to open these gifts?"
The ceiling light in the living room was turned on, and all the gifts were moved onto the carpet.
Cheng Guo doesn't receive many birthday gifts each year. In previous years, she would open them alone without a care in the world. This year, after listening to the birthday song, making a wish, and eating the cake, and with a big boy sitting next to her looking on expectantly, she also became interested.
They removed the admission ticket to the medical exchange seminar that Guo Shupu had given them.
Shen Zhui, resting his chin on his hand, exclaimed, "Wow! Dr. Cheng has been promoted!"
They unpacked the concert tickets for the young idol group that Shu Shu had sent them.
Shen Zhui snorted, "The oldest of these kids isn't even an adult yet."
She took out a set of clothes that Ruan Ning had sent, and before she realized it was a sexy nightgown, she quickly stuffed it back into the bag.
Shen Zhui turned his head and coughed, his ears turning red.
Cheng Guo squeezed her eyes shut, trying to convince herself that she wasn't embarrassed, but others were. After taking a deep breath, she picked up the only envelope among the remaining gifts.
Cheng Fuyan's calligraphy is elegant and vigorous, filled with recognition and encouragement for her.
This wasn't like him. Cheng Guo took a moment to react and checked her phone, only to find a message notification she had ignored. Cheng Fuyan had transferred a sum of money to her early that morning, enough to cover all her expenses during her doctoral studies.
Shen Zhui stopped making a fuss and quietly watched her.
Cheng Guo felt a mix of emotions, so she turned off her phone to distract herself. She reached for the handbag beside her, took out a long, dark blue velvet box, glanced at the logo, and recognized it as a jewelry brand that Shen Zhui had worked with.
Inside the box was a double-layered bracelet. The thin chain was linked by a gourd on one layer and a cherry on the other. These two elements, which are not often seen in bracelets, were made in a small and exquisite manner and were inlaid with small diamonds, giving off a faint cool feeling under the light.
Cheng Guo picked it up, her brows furrowed.
Shenzhui has entered a state of combat readiness and sits upright.
"How much did it cost?" Cheng Guo turned to look at him.
“It didn’t cost any money,” Shen Zhui said nervously, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “It’s a brand I’ve worked with before. I have a good relationship with them, so they can customize one for free. This bracelet is one I designed myself.”
He looked at Cheng Guo, who had fluttered her eyelashes, and asked in a low voice, "Do you like it?"
Cheng Guo looked at him for a while before nodding. She understood the meaning of the gourd and the cherry, and she also understood Shen Zhui's feelings. She put the bracelet back into the box, turned to face Shen Zhui, and asked about the confusion that had been lingering in her mind for the past few days.
"You've bought a lot of things recently, where did the money come from?"
Chen Zhui, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, sat up even straighter. He was prepared for this question. "It was something you forwarded to me before. I haven't touched it."
Fearing that her next move would be to kick him out and make him live alone, he quickly declared, "I've already spent all my money, and I can't even afford a train ticket home."
"Do you want to go home? I can help you buy a ticket."
"My parents are busy making money, so I don't need to come home."
“Oh,” Cheng Guo thought for a moment, then asked, “Your family…”
“The debt has been paid off,” Shen Zhui said, shoving the only unopened gift into her hand, worried that she would ask any more questions. “Open this, then go to sleep.”
This must have been a gift from Jiang Heng; it's a mid-range luxury women's watch.
Cheng Guo confirmed that the watch was within her means to reciprocate, and was about to take it back when her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Shen Zhui looked down at the bracelet on her wrist. "Is the one you're wearing also a gift from Jiang Heng?"
In his previous film, the character he played handled guns year-round, and the thin calluses on his palms gently brushed against her wrist when he held hers. Cheng Guo paused for a moment, "Hmm?"
“Same brand,” Shen Zhui pointed to the two watches, his gaze hinting at reproach, “last year’s model, this year’s model.”
“My dad gave me last year’s,” Cheng Guo put Jiang Heng’s piece back in the box, gently pulled her wrist away, and asked him in surprise, “You knew it was him who gave it to you?”
"This shop has a habit of engraving customers' names on the boxes."
Cheng Guo's gaze followed Chen Zhui's hand and went to the bottom right corner of the box, where a bunch of dazzling cursive English letters were written, with the title "Mr. Jiang" buried among them.
She said "Oh," put the gift away, and carried it to her room, with Chen Zhui following behind her.
"It's not really appropriate for him to give you a watch."
"You know about my relationship with him, right?" Cheng Guo asked.
Shen Zhui stopped at the bedroom door on his own initiative, and replied from a few steps away, "I know."
He carefully considered his words, then leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed in dissatisfaction, saying, "Only close friends and family members can give wristwatches as gifts."
Cheng Guo pulled open the drawer next to the bed. She had kept all her birthday gifts here after she moved in. As she tidied up, she explained to Shen Zhui, "Although we are not very close, to be fair, he has indeed helped me a lot."
She remembered when she was in sixth grade, Yu Muying was leading a class preparing for the college entrance exam and had to live at the school. She lived alone at home and ate her meals at Ruan Ning's house. One weekend, Ruan Ning's family went on a trip to a neighboring city. She cooked some food for herself, and by evening her stomach was in excruciating pain. She couldn't get through to Yu Muying on the phone, and Jiang Heng answered Cheng Fuyan's call. That time, Jiang Heng came and took her to the hospital. In the years that followed, he also took good care of her.
With limited space in the drawer, Cheng Guo took out the boxes to rearrange them, but paused when her eyes fell on the watch box.
After a few footsteps, the box in his hand was snatched away. Shen Zhui stared at it for a moment, then lowered his head and looked at Cheng Guo with a wronged expression. He was already unhappy with her referring to her and Jiang Heng as "we," and now that he knew she had been wearing the watch he had given her for a whole year, he bombarded her with a series of questions.
"Your dad and his mom divorced a long time ago, what does it mean that he's giving you a watch now?"
Is he single?
Does he like you?
"I gave one as a gift last year, and I gave one again this year..."
"What were you two talking about tonight? You seemed so happy, chatting and laughing."
What are you thinking?
"you……"
Cheng Guo was still confused, but now she was overwhelmed by Chen Zhui's probing questions, which seemed to have developed at some point. She rubbed her temples, looked up, and unconsciously raised her voice.
"Why are there so many questions?"
Shen Zhui stopped talking for a second, then lowered his eyes and spoke in an extremely aggrieved tone.
"You're so fierce, sister."
A note from the author:
----------------------
Cheng Guo will pay for his own doctoral studies. The swallowtail flower symbolizes freedom; don't be a dull tree, be a free wind.
Shen Zhui hoped that Cheng Guo's life could be more colorful and that he could have more freedom of choice.
First of all, I apologize for not updating for several days in a row, and for keeping everyone waiting. This chapter is another small red envelope as an apology.
What happened last week still had a big impact on me. The problem wasn't completely resolved, and I felt depressed and couldn't muster any energy.
I'm not in a great mood right now, but I have to keep moving forward, so I'm going to pull myself together. See you in the next chapter tomorrow!
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