Chapter 17 017. Starry Summer Night, Kissing Your Cheek.
Xia Chan raised an eyebrow and said jokingly without realizing it, "Kids can't drink alcohol."
Chen Zhoudu paused slightly, then quickly smiled and said, "Then I'll go down."
As he spoke, he pretended to tilt the fruit wine in his hand as if to pour it out, but Xia Chan just sat casually with her arms crossed, watching him with a relaxed air.
These fruit wines were all carefully brewed by Grandma; she seemed to be openly manipulating him so he wouldn't dare spill them. Meeting her gaze, Chen Zhoudu couldn't help but smile helplessly and shake his head, silently handing her the wine and sitting down beside her. "What are you doing?"
Xia Chan smiled smugly and touched the bottle neck to his hand, "Look at the stars."
Chen Zhoudu unconsciously looked up at the sky and said, "The stars in Qing Shui are so bright."
“…Liang?” She chuckled at his words, looking at him with a suspicious gaze, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol and her eyes sparkling like stars.
"...Isn't it bright?" Shen Zhoudu was taken aback by her tone and looked at her suspiciously.
She looked at him as if confirming something, then lowered her head and nodded with a half-smile.
"Yes! Bright!"
...?
Chen Zhoudu was even more astonished, his questioning gaze fixed on her.
She stared straight ahead and gulped down a few mouthfuls of wine, but couldn't ignore his gaze and chuckled. Finally, she turned her head and agreed to answer him, "What I meant to say was that the stars aren't as bright as they were when I was a child."
"..."
Her smile grew increasingly mischievous, "And then you said the stars were so bright, and it completely drained my battery!"
Chenzhoudu silently gripped the wine bottle, saying nothing.
She took another sip of her drink, and after a while, she vaguely remembered something. Then, with a mischievous, inquisitive look, she leaned closer to his profile and asked with a teasing smile, "You didn't grow up in Shanghai, did you? Have you never seen a bright star? Are there stars in Shanghai?"
Chen Zhoudu's chest heaved slightly as he drank without saying a word.
Even his drinking was refined and elegant; his prominent Adam's apple bobbed slightly without making a sound. Xia Chan laughed even harder, as if she had solved a case. "No childhood!"
"..."
“Yes, I was born an adult.” Chen Zhoudu glanced at her with a sly look. “Children can’t drink alcohol.”
He reached out to take the wine from her hand, but Xia Chan immediately snatched it back and lightly kicked his leg. The two of them inexplicably laughed together, clinked their bottles together, and took a sip.
Just as Aunt Chao downstairs was laughing so hard she was about to start dancing, thin clouds in the sky obscured the moon.
Xia Chan gazed at the sky, seemingly pondering something, and softly called out, "Sunken Boat Crossing."
"Um?"
"What methods did you use to get those parents to apologize?"
This sentence made Chen Zhoudu pause slightly, staring in astonishment at her calm, smiling eyes.
She was just smiling, but her eyes were clearly resolute.
His lips twitched slightly; he wanted to say it wasn't him, but after hesitating for a long time, he finally said, "How did you know..."
"Aren't you the 'young master' of Tianhe Bay in Asia Ocean Park?" Xia Chan smiled.
This sentence truly stunned Chen Zhoudu completely.
His senses, which had been slightly intoxicated by the alcohol, suddenly cleared, and he stared intently at her ever-smiling, calm face.
After a long silence, he asked:
When did you find out?
"That day when I asked you for money," Xia Chan said, taking a sip of her drink.
That night, Xia Chan heated up too much milk, intending to bring him a cup, but she overheard him suddenly say something angry at the door.
"I did nothing wrong!"
He was always a proper and polite person, and he never lost his composure even when faced with the foul language and insults of those hooligans.
She could roughly guess what had offended him.
Later, Vice Principal Liu talked to them, and deliberately sent her away when he was about to speak with him.
To verify her guess, she turned back halfway and overheard their conversation. Combining these clues, she guessed correctly.
Chen Zhoudu lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time before finally saying in a low voice, "...I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for? We should be thanking you!" Xia Chan laughed. "If it weren't for you this time, we probably would have been in real trouble. Huang Mao would most likely be in jail, and Si Yi's medical expenses would probably be unrecoverable. This has solved so many of our problems..."
She was sincerely thanking him. Chen Zhoudu's fingers, however, were clenched so tightly around the wine bottle that they turned white. He felt that hiding all this from a friend from the beginning lacked sincerity.
"So what method did you use?" Xia Chan rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head to look at him, and smiled, her eyes sparkling like fallen stars. "Did you also find people? In the county? In the city? Or... even in the provincial capital?"
After a long pause, Chen Zhoudu remained silent, essentially acknowledging the question, "Isn't it annoying?"
He looked up and smiled into her eyes, his gaze deep and bright. Whether it was the alcohol or the darkness of the night, he suddenly felt that all the other sounds downstairs were distant.
"You clearly hate what they did, yet you ended up using the same methods. Doesn't that... make you no different from them? It's pretty despicable, isn't it?"
"It is quite annoying." Xia Chan nodded in agreement, pursing her lips.
The sunken boat ferryman silently lowered his eyes.
“However, sometimes ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ might not be the best way, but it’s definitely the most direct and effective way!” A hint of cunning and pleasure flashed in her slightly tipsy eyes. “The best way to stop someone from stabbing you in the back is to stab them back in the back and let them see if it hurts. So I actually think it’s pretty good, and it feels great!”
He couldn't help but think of something from her words, and Chen Zhoudu was slightly taken aback. He stared at her quietly, but Xia Chan was smiling very freely.
The gathering downstairs had mostly ended, but Aunt Chao was still loudly standing at the door, laughing and seeing off the guests along with Grandma, Huang Mao, and the others.
Xia Chan gazed into the distance, and in the wind, she asked Chenzhou Ferry again, "Chenzhou Ferry, why did you come here?"
Chen Zhoudu silently curled up his hands, which were resting on his knees, without answering.
Xia Chan seemed slightly drunk, her head resting on her knees as she drowsily looked at him. "The young master of Yahai Tianhe Bay... he must be incredibly wealthy! Even if he's just experiencing life, he doesn't seem to need to come here, does he? So... why? Can you tell me?"
She turned her head and looked at him with a smile.
After a moment, Chen Zhoudu raised his eyes to meet her gaze, his eyes calm and gentle. "Because I made a mistake."
"Wrong?" This surprised her. "What wrong? That your family would send you to this godforsaken place? Is that worse than stabbing someone three times?"
She always liked to joke about this, but Chen Zhoudu couldn't laugh. He watched her giggle with bright eyes for a while and then whispered, "My biggest mistake was probably not thinking I was wrong."
His fingers curled tighter and tighter. Just as he was hesitating whether to tell her about it, Xia Chan spoke again, "Chen Zhoudu, you really don't seem like someone who would make a mistake."
The carefree smile that had been playing on her lips was gone, but her eyes remained bright as she gazed at him with a serious and solemn look. At that moment, even the night breeze seemed distant.
Chen Zhoudu was slightly taken aback and quietly met her gaze, inexplicably understanding the hidden meaning in her words.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly for a long time before she smiled faintly, "Thank you."
—Then stick to what you believe is right.
-
The next day, during the last self-study period before school ended, Xia Chan wrote a note, folded it, wrote her name on it, and handed it to the student in front of her, indicating that it should be passed forward.
The note was passed from Lala to Panghu. When Lala saw the contents of the note, she couldn't help but turn around and glance at Xia Chan in surprise.
After receiving Xia Chan's affirmative nod, she immediately gave an "OK" sign happily and excitedly turned around to get ready in front of the small mirror.
After Pang Hu finished reading the note and confirmed it with Xia Chan, Xia Chan leisurely twirled her pen, smiled, and glanced back at Chen Zhoudu.
Chen Zhoudu met her gaze silently, and a smile curved his lips.
After school in the evening, Lala and Panghu asked Fang Jiayuan for leave from evening self-study and went to Qingshui Junior High School with Xia Chan, Chen Zhoudu and the other two.
The school bell rang throughout the campus. The four of them waited outside the gate for a short while before they saw Siyi running towards them from afar.
"Sister Xiaochan! Sister Lala! Brother Panghu!"
"Running away again!" She ran up to the group and Xia Chan gave her a symbolic flick on the head.
Siyi stuck out her tongue while pressing down her bangs.
"Why didn't you call me?" Shen Zhoudu raised an eyebrow and chuckled mischievously as he glanced at her. He clearly only heard her call three people just now.
Siyi paused, then snuggled closer to Xia Chan as if a little embarrassed, and deliberately called out, "Chenzhou Ferry!"
The sunken boat paused for a moment. Xia Chan and the others around them hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.
Fat Tiger couldn't help but puff out his chest with a touch of pride as he looked at Chen Zhoudu.
Seeing his amused expression, Siyi couldn't help but laugh as well before formally addressing him, "Brother Zhoudu."
As they walked in a certain direction, Siyi asked, "Sister Xiaochan, are we really not setting up our stall today? Are we really going out to have fun?"
"Um."
Today, the group of them plans to have a private get-together.
There were too many people and too much noise in the courtyard last night. With people coming and going, the group didn't even get to eat many skewers, let alone sit down and have a proper chat.
This gathering was initiated by Shen Zhoudu, who also offered to contribute his house in Tianhe Bay as the venue to Xia Chan.
Anyway, Huang Mao and Si Yi had always been curious about Tianhe Bay, so this was a good opportunity to take them there. Xia Chan was quite surprised when she first heard about it, but then she thought that since it wouldn't cost her money to ruin her land, why not? So she decided to organize the gathering for him.
To Siyi, Lala, Panghu, and the others' surprise, today's gathering venue was actually at Yahai Tianhe Bay.
When Xia Chan made the suggestion, she only said that she had prepared the venue and everything else and that they didn't need to worry about it. They just needed to come with her after school. Little did they know that she would find such a place.
As Siyi swiped her fingerprint to enter the residential complex, her mouth gaped open as if she could swallow an egg whole. "Sister Xiaochan, did you just rent a place? How much did this cost...?"
Xia Chan glanced at Chen Zhoudu's familiar way of swiping the access card but smiled without saying a word. The moment Chen Zhoudu led them to the twelfth floor of the building and opened the door, Lala, Panghu, and Siyi couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow..." They stood at the door of the building, hesitant to go in.
The house belonging to the Shen family is over 230 square meters, decorated in a European style with a high ceiling, making the interior appear exceptionally bright and luxurious.
Although he hasn't been back these days, the house is regularly maintained by someone and is therefore kept very clean.
Everything in the house was still as it was when he left, covered with a white sheet. The living room had floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a 270° panoramic view, with the evening sun shining through the windows onto the marble floor, making the whole room shimmer with gold.
Xia Chan, standing at the door, glanced at the house and raised an eyebrow slightly. Chen Zhoudu, already inside, beckoned them to bring slippers, "Come in."
Spicy Fatty Tiger and Siyi looked at each other, still somewhat hesitant. Xia Chan, however, had already taken the lead and entered the house first. While changing into slippers, she pointed to Chenzhou Ferry and said, "This is his house."
The three of them looked at each other again, their eyes widening even more, and then they obediently went inside, changed into slippers, and looked around.
Fat Tiger looked around and swallowed hard.
"Sinking Boat Ferry... Is this really your home?"
"Yes, everyone, please sit wherever you like and look around. Except for the water in the laundry room connected to the bathroom over there, you can use everything else. Just treat it as your own home and do whatever you want." Chen Zhoudu lifted the white cloth covering the furniture one by one.
They were genuinely curious and delighted as they looked around, glancing here and there. Lala and Siyi even joked about playing hide-and-seek inside the house.
Xia Chan looked around after entering the room, examining the mural and touching the furniture.
She bent her fingers and tapped lightly on a tabletop, making a solid, deep sound.
The style of these furniture pieces may look a bit outdated now, but they are made with the best materials. Every piece of wood and every inch of glass is of top quality.
Although she couldn't afford it, she could tell the difference from years of working in the hotel and renovation industry. She even wondered if a single pane of glass could replace two rooms at "Crossing". She glanced thoughtfully at the busy Shenzhou Ferry not far away.
When the blond-haired man arrived, he was panting, carrying a huge cardboard box. He had just stepped off the elevator onto the twelfth floor when he politely knocked on the door and said, "Okay, I've packed up everything you wanted and brought it to you—"
The sound stopped abruptly the moment the door opened.
Huang Mao usually posts pictures of some good secondhand items he collects on his WeChat Moments, and if someone is interested, they can trade online directly. This afternoon, a stranger added him on WeChat, ordered some items without saying a word, and sent him an address to have them delivered there at this time.
As he stared at the address of Tianhe Bay, he wondered which rich and foolish person he had run into this time.
But to my surprise, the moment I opened the door, I saw them.
Xia Chan, Chen Zhoudu, Pang Hu, La La, and Si Yi were standing in a row with their arms crossed, watching him with amusement and laughter. The moment they saw him looking blank, they burst into laughter, realizing their prank had been successfully played.
"Wait... what's going on?" The blond-haired guy was completely baffled. He put the cardboard box on the ground and scratched his head. "What's going on? What are you guys doing here? What's going on? Whose house is this? You just barged in like that? What's going on..."
"We were just teasing you," Xia Chan told him the truth, then leisurely stepped aside to let him in.
Huang Mao was even more dumbfounded after hearing this. He exclaimed "Holy crap!" as he entered the room and looked around in surprise, "Sis...you rented such a big house for a party? And in Tianhe Bay! How much did this cost! Holy crap...holy crap!"
"This is his home!" Siyi and Lala smiled proudly and winked at him towards Chenzhou Ferry.
The blond-haired man was even more incredulous. He looked Chen Zhoudu up and down in disbelief for a long time before finally swallowing hard and asking, "You... live in Tianhe Bay?"
"Mm." Chen Zhoudu told him to make himself at home.
"Holy crap, Sunken Boat Ferry!" Something seemed to collapse in the blond-haired man's world. "Are you crazy? Sunken Boat Ferry? You have such a big house, and you live on a 'ferry'?! Are you insane or what?! I'm so damn crazy..."
Xia Chan went up and kicked him in the butt, "Whose house are you complaining about? If you don't want to live here, get out!"
The group burst into laughter.
That evening, the six of them set up a hot pot in the house again, and Chenzhoudu also ordered some barbecue, along with a few bottles of low-alcohol fruit wine and beverages.
The restaurant's warm yellow lighting made the large table of delicious food look even more appetizing.
The group first celebrated Siyi's safe discharge from the hospital, then congratulated Huangmao on his good luck. Although Huangmao was reluctant to thank Chen Zhoudu several times, knowing that he owed it all to Chen Zhoudu's help, he still held onto his wine jar and said to Chen Zhoudu with a sullen face:
"Um... Chenzhoudu, although I've been quite annoyed with you before, I really owe you a lot for getting me released on bail this time, and also for the compensation I gave those two bastards later... I'll find a way to pay you back that money! I won't target you anymore, and... welcome to 'Du'! From now on, I'll treat you like one of my own, do whatever you want with me!"
He blushed, constipated, and chugged his liquor bottle. Siyi and Lala banged their chopsticks together, cheering, "Yellow Hair's backed down! Yellow Hair's turned into a dog!"
Huang Mao raised his chopsticks to hit her.
Chen Zhoudu helped find someone to resolve the matter, but Xia Chan didn't tell them to avoid any further complications.
After the parents withdrew their lawsuits, the bail money that Shen Zhoudu had previously paid for Huang Mao was returned. However, Huang Mao had inflicted considerable medical expenses on the two boys, amounting to a substantial sum in compensation, so Shen Zhoudu used that money to cover some of the costs for him.
Chen Zhoudu hadn't originally thought Huang Mao would pay back; he was even thinking of finding an opportunity to talk to Xia Chan about using it to offset Huang Mao's room and meal expenses.
But then, with a slight shift in his gaze, he raised his glass and said mischievously, "Then let's make it five cents."
"No, you..." the blond-haired man exclaimed in shock, "You're really going too far! This is even more profitable than loan sharks! Besides, we're all in this together, I've treated you like family, and you're still charging me interest? You're so greedy and ungrateful!"
"After all, only those who are profit-driven can make big money."
He merely gave Xia Chan a nonchalant chuckle, glancing at her almost imperceptibly. Xia Chan paused slightly, meeting his gaze with a cryptic look. Si Yi and Spicy Fatty Tiger mocked her mercilessly, gloating over her misfortune.
As the spicy hot pot simmered and the group grew sweaty and flushed, Chen Zhoudu turned on the central air conditioning. Lala, staring at the air conditioner whose vents seemed to exude a pleasant fragrance, asked in bewilderment, "Chen Zhoudu, with such a big and luxurious house, why do you live in a 'ferry'?"
The others all turned to look at him, even Siyi, who had asked him a similar question before, looked at him with suspicion, since she didn't know he had a house in Tianhe Bay at that time.
Fat Tiger added, "Do you have money to burn?"
-----------------------
Author's note: I'll be giving out red envelopes today too. Goodnight everyone! [Blue heart]
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