Indulge her
At dusk, Zhuang Yu'an walked down the stairs and came to the living room.
Today is Saturday, but he's been swamped with work, having held two conference calls this afternoon. He was also supposed to have a dinner date that evening, but he turned it down, citing a cold.
There was a sound of laughter outside the window. Two girls were playing in the snow in the backyard.
He'd heard it in his study earlier, and his mind wandered mid-meeting. He walked to the window with his phone in hand and saw them gathering snow from all over and piling it in one place. Zuo Xiao, wearing a knee-length apricot down jacket, yellow snow boots, and the white fur hat he'd given her, was squatting on the ground.
When he walked over, they had already built a one-meter-tall snowman. Zuo Xiao was using dead branches to make hands, but the snowman's head was still empty.
"I'll take off his eyes and nose. Oh, and his hat and scarf!" Zhuang Jinghao said and ran away.
Zhuang Yu'an turned his gaze toward the person assembling the snowman's hands. Golden sunlight shone on the snow, reflecting on her fair face, casting a soft glow over her profile. Upon closer inspection, the corners of her eyes, the tip of her nose, and her slightly tilted chin were all pink from the cold.
"Is there anything you particularly want to eat tonight? I'll make it." The voice was so soft that even he himself found it unbelievable.
Zuo Xiao tilted his head and thought for a moment, then turned his face away and said bluntly, "I want to drink lotus root and pork ribs soup."
"good."
Zuo Xiao squinted at him and suddenly burst out laughing. "I know what to build with the remaining snow," she said with a smile.
Zhuang Yu'an was mesmerized by her smile and wanted to stay and build a snowman with her, but his aunt had taken the day off and he needed to go grocery shopping. But now he couldn't bear to leave her behind...
After thinking for a moment, I asked shamelessly, "Can you go grocery shopping with me?"
Zhuang Jinghao lingered in the house until she finally cut off two black buttons from a piece of clothing she didn't normally wear, and grabbed a red hat and a green scarf, which perfectly matched her Christmas color scheme. The thought of Christmas intensified her already joyful mood, and she couldn't help but quicken her pace as she ran downstairs.
Turning the corner, I saw my brother and Zuo Xiao waiting side by side at the stairs. One was tall and steady, the other was cute and lovely, they were an indescribable match.
"Let's go out and buy some groceries," Zuo Xiao said. "We'll be back soon."
Going out to buy some food? Zhuang Jinghao spent several seconds pondering what he heard, and was immediately stunned.
These two...are almost at the stage of living together?
"You guys..." She was so excited that her tongue was tied. "Um... you guys just go... I... I... I... I'll finish making the snowman!"
Zuo Xiao looked at her speechlessly, unable to understand her train of thought - she was just going out to buy some groceries, it wasn't the bridal chamber, why was she so excited?
Not long after she sat in the passenger seat, she noticed that someone was always stealing glances at her.
He would often pause his gaze on her face for half a second while looking in the right rearview mirror. Occasionally, he would openly turn his head and speak to her, his gaze lingering subtly on her face.
Suddenly I really wanted to tease him.
She raised the corners of her mouth and said, "It seems like this is the first time I'm sitting in your passenger seat."
Zhuang Yu'an's face turned red and he said yes after a moment.
"Are you not used to it?" she said with a smile, "You usually sit here quietly, right?"
"I'm not uncomfortable..." He hesitated for a moment and added four words, "I'm very happy."
The two of them went to a boutique supermarket. Zhuang Yu'an pushed a shopping cart and skillfully picked up a variety of meats and vegetables, constantly asking her if she wanted to eat this or that.
Their appearance was truly eye-catching, and they attracted a lot of attention along the way. Over time, Zuo Xiao began to feel a little uncomfortable. Agreeing to accompany him to buy groceries didn't seem like a wise decision.
Arriving at the fruit section, Zhuang Yu'an picked up strawberries, cherries, navel oranges, kumquats, and grapefruits. Coincidentally, she didn't dislike any of them. Finally, he picked up a box of persimmons, which she didn't like, and added, "Jinghao likes to eat this."
It's not like Zuo Xiao hasn't had a crush on someone openly and secretly, but no man has ever been like Zhuang Yu'an. He's got everything she needs, and his appearance suits her taste. He's also considerate, thoughtful, and a good cook. Aside from being a virgin (which might be a problem), there's practically nothing wrong with him. Even his reserved nature, which she once disliked, now seems to be appealing to her.
As for her previous worry that breaking up in the future would be troublesome and difficult to explain to Zhuang Jinghao, it seemed that it was no longer a problem now... He had done so much for her, and Zhuang Jinghao had also tried his best to bring them together. Now she had moved into his house. If the situation had evolved to this, it would be difficult for her to refuse his love, right?
As my mind relaxed, I found this person more and more pleasing to the eye and unconsciously looked at him a few more times.
Zhuang Yu'an showed excessive concern for her attention. Zuo Xiao saw him sometimes full of confidence, sometimes hesitant, and thought it was because her sudden attention had triggered a lot of reveries and speculations in his heart.
Thinking that his body and mind were affected by her every word and action, she couldn't help feeling a little smug, proud that she had charmed him like this without deliberately using any charm, and then she felt ridiculous for her own narcissism and shallowness.
After getting in the car, before he started the vehicle, Zuo Xiao suddenly said: "You will help me get rid of Luffy, right?"
Zhuang Yu'an was stunned for a moment, then turned his head and said resolutely: "Yes. I promise."
"What if..." She stared into his dark eyes, "If there's still a shadow of him in my heart, how are you going to help me get rid of it?"
The other person's eyes showed surprise: "You mean... you still like him?"
"I don't know," Zuo Xiao said. "Intellectually, I know I've let him go, but sometimes I doubt myself. When you were once so close to someone, and he hasn't made any principled mistakes that broke your heart, and you even feel guilty about him... maybe the attraction of getting back together will be greater than the resistance."
Zhuang Yu'an was silent for a moment, then said, "I will do my best to help you. Although I don't know how to completely free you from his influence, I am willing to explore solutions with you."
"Nothing in return?" She continued to look into his eyes.
He hesitated for a moment, and the words "nothing in return" were not said with such certainty.
Zuo Xiao continued, "Last night, you said: 'Whatever our relationship is, all the choices and interpretations are mine.' I took that to heart."
"Yeah." Zhuang Yu'an was very frugal with his words, obviously waiting for her next words.
Zuo Xiao paused and said, "Does this count?"
This time, there was no hesitation in his eyes, and he said firmly, "It counts."
"Okay, let's go home." Zuo Xiao said in a cheerful tone.
After dinner, the two girls came to the backyard again, fully armed.
Under the ground lamp in the courtyard, Zuo Xiao saw that the snowman was given round black eyes, a carrot nose, a red woolen hat and a green scarf. Zhuang Jinghao also used a pen to paint two red swirls on the snowman's cheeks.
"Yes, it's very Christmasy." Zuo Xiao smiled and said, "Does your family celebrate Christmas?"
"Of course!" Zhuang Jinghao said excitedly, "It's just that I was too busy recently and my brother was on a business trip, so I didn't have time to decorate it. How about we decorate it together tomorrow?"
Zuo Xiao agreed, looked at the shapeless snow pile next to the snowman, and said, "Please help me find some more snow. I want to build a new one."
"Alright!" Zhuang Jinghao ran briskly to the side, shoveling in fresh snow. Zuo Xiaoze squatted on the ground, sometimes kneading, sometimes carving, conjuring shapes with her hands. She had sketched and sculpted before, and building a snowman was as easy as playing with mud. Before long, a small object, less than a meter tall, began to take shape under her hands.
This is a little bear with a gentle smile, wearing a scarf and holding a bouquet of flowers. If you look closely, you can see that he has a little bear on his back and a little bird perched on his head.
Zuo Xiao stood up, clapped his hands, and said with a satisfied smile, "Two more eyes and we'll be done!"
The expected cheers didn't come. She turned around and saw that Zhuang Jinghao had been replaced by Zhuang Yu'an. He was still wearing a black coat, and his expression was exactly the same as the little bear she had just sculpted.
Tonight was clear and windless, and the people on the snow were like spring flowers blooming in the harsh winter, bringing a clear sky to his world. Zhuang Yu'an couldn't help but smile and sighed, "How wonderful."
Zuo Xiaoan looked at him quietly, then suddenly smiled brightly and took two steps forward, only half a step away from him.
The next second, he felt his hands go cold—looking down, he saw a pair of cold, soft hands gripping his. Instantly, the look of surprise on Zhuang Yu'an's face was as if he had seen a snowman come to life right before his eyes.
Zuo Xiao pulled him closer to the little bear, pointed at his masterpiece, and said, "This bear is you, and the one on your back is Xiao Jinghao. As for the little bird on your head... guess?"
Zhuang Yu'an held her hand tightly and said, "Is it you?"
"Yes!" Zuo Xiao said simply, "It's me."
At this moment, she felt that the people around her were completely stunned.
She turned sideways, facing him. She suddenly let go and, as he stared blankly, wrapped her arms around his narrow waist.
She pressed her face against his chest and said, "The bird saw the bear and wanted to stay for him for a while. However, the bird didn't want to define its relationship with the bear... because it was selfish and didn't understand itself well enough. It was afraid that it would fall short of its promise and become a sinner, but it was also greedy for the bear's kindness... So, would the bear condone her willfulness and irresponsibility?"
She closed her eyes and felt Zhuang Yu'an's arms around her and tightened his arms. His chest was heaving violently against hers and his breathing was particularly deep.
After a while, he said, "I said, the right of interpretation between us is yours. There's no need to rush to define our relationship. You can do whatever you want."
At this moment, Zuo Xiao felt his heart ripple. He unconsciously raised his head to see what expression Zhuang Yu'an had at the moment, but he saw two sparkling galaxies.
She was suddenly startled and put her head back into his arms.
The two of them hugged each other quietly for a very long time, so long that Zuo Xiao felt his arms were a little numb.
She put her hand down and said, "It's so cold, let's go back to the house."
Zhuang Yu'an loosened his arms but did not let her go.
He looked her up and down intently and said, "This is the most wonderful night of my life. If it ends now, I might look back on it with some regret."
Before Zuo Xiao understood the meaning of his words, he had already leaned down.
After a moment, a light kiss fell on her forehead.
"This is my promise," he said solemnly, "I will indulge you for the rest of my life."
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