Chapter 52 (End of Main Text)
After breakfast, Luo Xincheng chose to stay home and play games, while Fu Zhiheng planned to go home to get some clean clothes.
"I can't wear your bathrobe again, can I?" he said, his expression somewhat complicated.
Last night, after he finished showering, he had no clothes to wear, so he just wrapped a towel around his neck and came out. But Luo Xincheng felt that this was too unsafe, as it would fall off if he pulled it off. So she rummaged through his drawers and found a few bathrobes for him to choose from.
"What does it have to do with anything?" Luo Xincheng deliberately argued, "My bathrobe isn't that small, is it? You can fit into it."
"I can wear them all, but they're so awkward," he said, laughing and crying at the same time. "Besides, I need to bring a few everyday clothes to wear out."
Luo Xincheng saw him to the door and, as if ordering food, said, "Then bring some nice clothes over. Don't wear those three-piece business suits to work again, they're so boring."
Fu Zhiheng nodded solemnly, then waved to her and stepped into the elevator.
It seems I should understand what she means.
Luo Xincheng returned to his room satisfied and started playing games to kill time.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, I was feeling drowsy.
Fu Zhiheng suddenly messaged her asking if she wanted afternoon tea. He happened to be passing by a popular dessert shop, and he could bring her whatever she wanted on the way.
Luo Xincheng opened the menu he sent and glanced at it, finally choosing a milk tea with a pretty picture.
Luo Xincheng: [This is fine! I haven't been really into desserts lately.]
Fu Zhiheng: [Okay.]
Fu Zhiheng: [So what have you been liking to eat lately?]
Luo Xincheng rolled over: [I don't know, I might like the food Xiao Fu makes for me.]
Fu Zhiheng: [Possibly?]
Luo Xincheng: [Yeah, because I wasn't sure if the dishes you made would suit my taste.]
Fu Zhiheng: [What should I do? I suddenly feel so much pressure.]
Luo Xincheng: [This shows you lack confidence in your own skills.]
Luo Xincheng: [Otherwise, you wouldn't feel pressured; instead, you'd be eager to show off in front of me.]
Fu Zhiheng: [But you must have eaten many delicacies prepared by top chefs.]
Fu Zhiheng: [Will you still like the simple congee and side dishes I make? QWQ]
Luo Xincheng: [?]
It must be said that sometimes Fu Zhiheng's tea-related remarks can really have a unique humorous effect.
At least Luo Xincheng was amused.
Luo Xincheng: [Where did this green tea smell come from?]
Luo Xincheng: [Back to disinfect.]
Fu Zhiheng: [Talking Tom kneeling and begging for mercy.jpg]
Luo Xincheng: [Jerry arrogantly pulling at his bow tie.jpg]
Half an hour later, the doorbell rang.
Luo Xincheng opened the door, and the next second, she was startled by Fu Zhiheng, who looked particularly youthful and beautiful in a light blue hoodie standing at the door.
She was speechless, choked with emotion. "...I told you to dress nicely, and this is what you give me?"
He walked in carrying a bag of milk tea and pulling a suitcase. Hearing this, he paused for a moment, then awkwardly adjusted his glasses. "Do I look bad?"
To match this outfit, he even changed to a pair of black-rimmed glasses, making him look exceptionally youthful.
Luo Xincheng's lips twitched slightly. "How should I put it? Based on my usual style of dressing, if we went out together, you would look exactly like the male college student I'm keeping."
Fu Zhiheng: "Huh?"
He hurriedly said, "Then, then I'll change my clothes..."
"No need." Luo Xincheng circled around him and said with interest, "Just wear this when you go out later, it'll make me look rich."
Although she was already very rich.
Seeing her like this, Fu Zhiheng knew that her wicked sense of humor had come out again. He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"I'm just dressed younger than usual." He forced a smile, touching his face as he said, "But considering my age, my face certainly doesn't look as youthful as a real college student's."
Luo Xincheng looked at him with a horrified expression that seemed to say, "What nonsense are you talking about?" "You're only twenty-three! You haven't been out of college for long, so don't talk like that, okay?"
He said dejectedly, "But many people in the company say I'm mature and steady, not like someone who just graduated... Isn't that just a euphemism for saying I'm old?"
As he said this, he placed the milk tea bag on his suitcase, bent down and pulled her into his arms, pressing his cheek against the crook of her neck, silently conveying his desire for comfort.
"And it seems like you're quite popular with younger men. Several times at banquets... and your birthday parties, I've seen guys who are clearly a few years younger than me talking to you?"
"...Is there?"
I vaguely remember there were a few, but I don't really recall them.
"Yeah, and they're all so fashionable, several of them have dyed their hair all sorts of colors, and they all dress quite..." He paused, searching his mind for the right words, "...quite sexy, and they're also very friendly, they smile at you with a really sweet smile."
He seemed quite resentful about this, saying, "She even calls you 'sister' in a high-pitched voice... After seeing so many young and pretty faces, when you see me, don't you feel a huge sense of disappointment?"
Luo Xincheng sniffed dramatically, "What a strong sour smell! Did someone spill their vinegar jar?"
He spoke very quickly, "Yours."
"Really?" she asked, feigning doubt. "But I remember someone saying not long ago that he's not such a petty person and wouldn't interfere with my interactions with ordinary male friends."
Fu Zhiheng: "..."
He was speechless, unsure whether to maintain his magnanimous persona or continue criticizing the boys with ulterior motives.
Luo Xincheng laughed and gave him a bear hug, putting most of her weight on him. "I actually really hate being called 'sister' by boys... well, not really hate it, it's just that I have a bit of PTSD."
He asked hesitantly, "Why?"
“Because every time Wang Jiayan borrows money from me, he calls me ‘sister’ in a very affectionate way, even though he usually calls me by my full name…” she snorted unhappily. “So now whenever I hear a boy two or three years younger than me call me ‘sister,’ I feel like they’re after my wallet… and that’s usually true.”
He quickly stated, "I don't want your money."
"Your efforts won't help." She bit his earlobe with a cold indifference, and said firmly, "My life motto is that spending money on a man will bring you bad luck for life!"
"But you bought me gifts before too." A relaxed smile finally appeared on his face, tinged with smugness. "You always say that love is where the money is. You spent money on me, which means you love me too!"
"So what do you have to worry about? I've already spent money on you!" To put his mind at ease, Luo Xincheng didn't hesitate to make fun of herself, "Even a miser like me is willing to spend money on you, that means I really like you, so you should be secretly happy!"
Although the angle was a bit unusual, Fu Zhiheng was actually coaxed.
He kissed her cheek contentedly, turned around, took the milk tea she had ordered out of the bag, inserted the straw, and held it to her lips, saying solicitously, "Here, drink it^^"
Luo Xincheng didn't take the milk tea; instead, she bit the straw in his hand and took a big sip.
The refreshing coconut milk, carrying the rich raspberry flavor, bursts on her tongue. She squinted her eyes contentedly, "How rare! It looks and tastes so good."
She held the milk tea to his lips so he could taste it too. His smile deepened, and soon the two of them shared the milk tea affectionately.
After finishing her milk tea, Luo Xincheng changed her clothes and went to the supermarket with Fu Zhiheng.
To match the joke she made earlier, she specially carried a bag that she used to think was too mature but looked expensive when she went out this time.
She smiled and pointed to herself, "Rich woman."
She then playfully scratched his chin, "With her kept gigolo~"
Fu Zhiheng pursed his lips reservedly, but his dimples grew deeper and deeper.
"Well..." he licked his lips, his voice lacking confidence, "Should I tidy up a bit more?"
He twirled a tuft of hair from his forehead, his bright, innocent eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses saying, "Otherwise, what if people think I'm just an average-looking pretty boy and that you, this rich woman, aren't capable enough?"
Great, you got into character right away.
Luo Xincheng patted his cheek in a seemingly intimate manner, then stroked his face downwards, saying, "This face and this body won't embarrass me, don't worry."
He rubbed his cheeks, which were almost frozen from smiling, a little embarrassed, and took her handbag without hesitation. "Let me carry it for you."
As the two went out, the sunset clouds on the horizon turned half the sky red.
After getting a shopping cart from the supermarket, the two headed straight for the fresh produce section.
"Would you like some spare ribs?"
"No, I prefer braised pork ribs, but we don't have a pressure cooker at home. If we use a regular stew pot, it will take a long time to cook, and it's too long to wait."
He said thoughtfully, "That's true, this isn't really suitable if you want to eat quickly..."
"Shouldn't you just cook your specialty dishes at a time like this?" she laughed. "How can you win over my stomach without using all your skills?"
"My specialty dish..." he said, looking slightly embarrassed. "But I usually make simple home-style dishes like stir-fried green peppers with pork. I don't know if you'll like it."
"I like it, it goes very well with rice."
Upon hearing this, Luo Xincheng immediately bent down, picked up what she considered the most beautiful box of pork belly, and put it into her shopping cart.
"Then I'm craving chicken wings, do you know how to make them?"
"Yes!" He pulled the shopping cart to the poultry section. "What flavor do you want? Braised? Garlic? Or cola chicken wings?"
Luo Xincheng pondered for a moment, then added a slightly more difficult suggestion, "I want something spicy, the dry, fragrant, and crispy kind."
He nodded and said, "Then we need to buy more seasonings later. Cornstarch and corn starch are both necessary."
He picked out the chicken wings and put them in the shopping cart, then looked down and asked, "What else do you want to eat?"
"Just make one more vegetable dish and one soup, okay?" she thought for a moment and said. "Three dishes and one soup are enough for the two of us. It would be too much work for you to cook more."
Fu Zhiheng nodded in agreement.
He wasn't so confident in his cooking skills that he dared not say he could easily prepare a whole table of dishes for her; three dishes and a soup were just the limit of his current abilities.
Among the seasonal vegetables available in April, Luo Xincheng preferred water spinach and pea sprouts. After some deliberation, the two finally bought water spinach and planned to buy a bottle of fermented bean curd from the condiment section later. For soup, they opted to make a simple and delicious tomato and egg soup.
Apart from the chicken wings, which are a bit complicated to make, the other dishes are all quick and easy to prepare. Fu Zhiheng thought he could handle it. After entering the kitchen, he tied on a scarf and pushed Luo Xincheng, who was next to him, out of the kitchen.
"The kitchen is smoky, you should go back to your room and wait."
Luo Xincheng took the initiative and hugged his waist, smiling as she said she wanted to stay and help, "I'll help you wash the vegetables."
He gently stroked the top of her fluffy hair. "But we bought pre-washed vegetables that don't need washing."
"Then you should rinse them too." She pulled away from his embrace, tied her hair up, and dumped all the vegetables into the washing basket. "Isn't it good for me to stay here with you? I can chat with you... Or do you think I'll only distract you and cause you trouble?"
He met her threatening gaze and couldn't help but chuckle, "How could that be? I'm more than happy to have you here with me."
At that time, the clock hands had just passed 5:30.
The afterglow of the setting sun streamed in through the glass windows, gradually bathing the entire kitchen in a pinkish-orange glow.
Amidst the clanging of the cleaver against the cutting board, the two chatted idly.
"Besides the pressure cooker, do you also need to add an oven to the kitchen? Will you use it?"
"Buy one, and I'll bake you some cookies next time I have time."
"Wow, you can make desserts?"
"I know a little bit of the basics... If you encounter something you don't know, just follow the tutorial. If you do well, I'll give you some food; if you don't, just pretend I never did it."
After saying that, he slowly put the marinated chicken wings into the oil and started frying them, and the sizzling sound immediately filled the kitchen.
The range hood works quietly, silently absorbing the cooking fumes.
Luo Xincheng sniffed the aroma of the chicken wings as they were being fried, then looked at his profile as he stared intently at the oil pan. Her thoughts drifted, and she couldn't help but hug his left arm and snuggle closer.
He felt her sudden intimate gesture and lowered his head. "What's wrong?"
She looked up at him, her eyes reflecting the soft glow of the setting sun, and exclaimed, "How virtuous!"
He gave her a sweet smile, his voice trailing off like a cat's tail held high, "Thank you for the compliment."
The chicken wings were still frying, and he didn't dare to be distracted. He quickly bent down and kissed her forehead before picking up the chicken wings.
He left only a thin layer of oil in the pan, picked up the chili peppers he had prepared beforehand, and reminded them, "Stir-frying chili peppers will be a bit pungent, would you like to leave the kitchen first?"
Luo Xincheng tugged at the drawstring on his hoodie and shook her head. "Can't you have a little more confidence in my range hood?"
He smiled and agreed, then put down the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns to stir-fry before adding the other seasonings in an orderly manner.
Luo Xincheng suddenly had a whimsical idea, "Can you flip the pot?"
He nodded seriously, "Yes, but success is not guaranteed."
Luo Xincheng: "?"
Luo Xincheng: "That means no."
He smiled and didn't refute, then sprinkled some sesame seeds and chopped green onions into the pan and stir-fried it briefly.
"Would you like to taste it to see if it's salty?"
She muttered something cheesy under her breath, but still happily opened her mouth and put the chicken wing in her mouth.
He deliberately cut the chicken wings in half with scissors when preparing them, so they wouldn't be difficult to eat in one bite.
She breathed out small sips of warm air as she slowly chewed.
Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a fresh, fragrant, and slightly spicy flavor.
The seasoning was just right. She nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "Perfect! It's ready to serve."
Seeing that she was satisfied with her meal, Fu Zhiheng secretly praised himself, thinking that he had done a pretty good job this time.
Before we knew it, the setting sun had disappeared inch by inch into the misty twilight.
The kitchen lights were turned on, and the warm orange glow gave the metallic kitchenware a cozy luster.
After all the dishes were cooked, the two divided the work clearly: one served the dishes and the other served the rice. Soon, the round table in the restaurant was set with steaming hot food.
The two sat facing each other, their features blurred and softened by the rising steam.
"After we finish eating, shall we go for a walk in the park?" Fu Zhiheng ladled out a small bowl of soup and handed it to him, saying gently, "On the way back from the supermarket, I saw a really big park near our neighborhood. Have you ever been there?"
She picked up the soup bowl and blew on it. "I often pass by, but I've never actually gone in."
She teased, "You haven't even started eating yet, and you're already planning what to do after dinner. You're really good at planning ahead."
He smiled but didn't say anything. After she had taken a few sips of soup, he asked, "How was the soup today?"
"Mmm, very appetizing!"
She put down her soup bowl, picked up a piece of stir-fried green peppers and pork, and tasted it. "This goes really well with rice!"
Finally, there was water spinach with fermented bean curd. "This is so refreshing!"
"Really?" His eyes lit up, but he quickly looked conflicted and stammered, "But I heard people say that if a dish is too sour, they say it's appetizing, and if it's too salty, they say it's good with rice..."
Luo Xincheng rolled her eyes. "Are you deliberately picking a fight? I even went out of my way to praise you from different angles!"
He burst into laughter, his bright smile radiating a playful childlike charm in the warm light.
Sensing her increasingly hostile gaze, he carefully suppressed his smile and placed another chicken wing on her plate. "Here, eat more if you like it."
Luo Xincheng glared at him, then lowered her head and focused on eating.
The air above the restaurant was filled with the irresistible aroma of spicy food. The two ate their meals separately, chatting occasionally, with identical smiles on their faces.
After the meal, the two put the dishes in the dishwasher, washed their hands, and went out for a walk.
As night fell, the bustling streets were illuminated by neon lights and teeming with traffic, while the adjacent large park was relatively quiet, with various pedestrians walking their dogs on leashes or taking a stroll after dinner.
They walked hand in hand into the park, their eyes meeting vast expanses of greenery in varying shades, their lungs filled with the fresh and pleasant scent of grass and trees.
The night breeze was slightly cool, but Fu Zhiheng's hands were warm. She played with his hands over and over, saying with a hint of annoyance, "It's so nice, warm in winter and cool in summer, unlike me, who's cold in winter and hot in summer..."
His two hands, like closed clam shells, completely enveloped her hands.
"Then we complement each other perfectly."
He rubbed her hands, conveying warmth, then held her hands in his arms and breathed on them.
Luo Xincheng laughed at him for exaggerating, "It's not that cold yet!"
He smiled without saying a word, then lowered his head and kissed the back of her hand.
After passing through a path surrounded by bushes, their view suddenly opened up, revealing an artificial lake surrounded by lush green grass. Under the cool moonlight, the lake shimmered and rippled, with the faint sounds of frogs croaking.
Luo Xincheng asked in surprise, "There are already frogs?"
The closer you get, the more noticeable the croaking of frogs becomes.
She found it noisy, so she bumped into Fu Zhiheng's shoulder and encouraged him, "You sing too, and drown out their noise."
Fu Zhiheng: "?"
Fu Zhiheng: "If you want me to sing, just say so. You don't need such an outrageous reason, do you?"
She nodded confidently, "Okay, then sing, I want to hear it."
"..." He awkwardly touched his nose, then pleaded softly, feeling lost, "But I can't sing."
“You can!” she shook his arm, her tone certain. “You sang for me before, and it was an English song.”
His expression became even more awkward, and he looked even more embarrassed, clearly having remembered this incident.
"But I sing badly, and you just laugh when you hear it..."
That was during Luo Xincheng's preparation for the IELTS exam. In order to perform better on the exam, she changed the songs she listened to while doing her homework in her spare time to English songs, and hummed along as she listened.
Fu Zhiheng had only complimented her on her singing, but she acted as if she had been taken advantage of and insisted that he sing for her too, and it had to be an English song.
"I...I can't sing..." Fu Zhiheng blushed with embarrassment as she was forced to sing, looking as if she wanted to run away. "My English is not good."
Hearing this, she glared at him fiercely, feeling that he was talking nonsense again. "Nonsense! You got a perfect score on your English test last month!"
He bit his lower lip and said shyly, "I can only do math problems, but my spoken English is terrible... You'll definitely laugh at my heavy accent."
Luo Xincheng didn't listen to any of those ridiculous reasons. She immediately chose a song for him to learn and sing for her, or she would never talk to him again.
Fu Zhiheng was worn down by her persistence and finally managed to get two days to study. After memorizing the general melody and lyrics, he carefully found a secluded spot and sang it to her softly.
But after singing only a couple of lines, she burst into laughter, tears welling up in her eyes.
The courage I had finally mustered instantly deflated like a balloon punctured by a needle.
Then, Fu Zhiheng refused to sing for her no matter what.
"You're just making fun of my heavy accent." His voice was choked with grievance.
Luo Xincheng vehemently denied it, insisting, "I just thought your blushing face was especially cute when you sang, that's why I smiled! English isn't our native language, so it's normal to have a slight accent, isn't it? I have an accent too! Many people say that Chinese people have accents!"
But once Fu Zhiheng got stuck on a rut, he became incredibly stubborn, refusing to sing for her again no matter how much she tried to coax him.
Even now, Luo Xincheng still feels wronged and can't help but defend herself, "Heaven and earth bear witness, I really didn't laugh at your accent! It's just that you only sang two lines, and one and a half of them were off-key, so it was really hard for me not to laugh, okay?!"
Fu Zhiheng glanced at her with a deep look, and said in a complicated tone, "But back then you said you could laugh because you thought my blushing was especially cute... so you were just trying to flatter me, right?"
Luo Xincheng: "..."
Her eyes darted around for a moment, then she thought about it carefully and realized she was right. She straightened her chest and said confidently, "Who told you to look like you were about to cry? I can't just tell the truth and hurt your feelings, can I?"
Fu Zhiheng gave a short laugh, stared at her intently for a few seconds, and then suddenly said, "I'm sorry."
Meeting Luo Xincheng's puzzled gaze, he moved the corners of his mouth, feeling somewhat embarrassed to talk about those unexplained thoughts from the past.
"Back then, I really disliked hearing you talk about the various preparations for studying abroad. The thought of you breaking up with me soon filled me with resentment. I couldn't bear to part with you, but I also felt that I wasn't good enough for you. The two years we spent together felt like they were stolen..."
A strong sense of inferiority can really make a person very rude. Looking back now, he also feels that he was very unreasonable back then.
"You must have thought I was being dramatic and unreasonable back then, right? I was just singing a song..."
A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, making a soft, rustling sound.
He stood in the dim light, his head slightly lowered, his fine bangs being blown up and down by the wind.
Luo Xincheng raised her hand and touched his cheek, sighing with a hint of self-abandonment, "I can't understand how you felt at all back then."
After all these years, she has never felt inferior. Her arrogance stemming from a lack of self-confidence is already a testament to her self-awareness.
"But you should be able to let it go now, right?" She forced a carefree laugh and said nonchalantly, "Can I sing that song I didn't finish back then one more time?"
She added jokingly, "I really won't laugh at you this time, even if you sing completely off-key, I won't laugh, really!"
Under the bluish moonlight, Fu Zhiheng quietly gazed at her smiling face for a long, long time before bending down to touch their foreheads together.
He gently rubbed his nose against hers, his warm breath washing over her.
“You say juste overe over to mine
(You call softly, asking me to come to your side)
Because Ima kiss you nice wu
(I want to kiss you properly)[1]
Her voice was slightly unsteady, but when she slowed down, it was clear, gentle, and warm, like a sweet stream flowing merrily through the mountains and fields in late spring, gurgling and extremely pleasant to the ear.
Luo Xincheng's eyes widened in amazement; she hadn't expected him to have memorized all the lyrics, and to have memorized every single one.
Although it sounded nice, she was even more disappointed that she couldn't tease him by singing off-key.
Little did he know that this was the result of his years of practice.
“Cause your lips are honeysea
(Because your lips are like a smear of honey) Drippin' over me
(Overflowing through my body)
I drink you in like win
(You are like a glass of strong liquor, which I find sweet.)[2]
As the tender song sang, he gently caressed her lips with his fingertips, then lowered his head and kissed her.
“So go on and kiss me nice”[3]
So don't stop, keep kissing me.
Author's note: [1][2][3] The lyrics are all from the song "Honeysea"
That concludes the main story. I'll take a break tomorrow and then start updating the side stories [cat paw emoji].
I knew writing would be difficult when I was saving up drafts, and sure enough, it got increasingly difficult as I wrote more [crying emoji].
Anyway, it's finally finished! Feel free to leave any side stories you'd like to see in the comments section, and I'll write them when I have inspiration. If nothing unexpected happens, this should be my last contemporary romance novel. Although it still has many shortcomings due to my abilities, I want to try my best to make it as complete as possible. [glasses]
I'll be giving away 50 red envelopes in the comments section (if there are that many comments) to thank everyone for your continued support! The series is finished! [throwing flowers][throwing flowers][throwing flowers]
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