Chapter 24 024. You're wearing makeup because you have a crush on Sister Chan, right?
After Xia Chan's condition stabilized, she was able to be discharged from the hospital in a few days. The "Du" courtyard once again held a fire pit for her.
The risk of her concussion has been eliminated, but the injuries on her face and head will take some time to heal. Fortunately, they can now be bandaged with ordinary gauze. After removing most of the gauze, she no longer looks like a mummy, which she herself couldn't help but joke about.
Grandma wanted her to wait a few days before going to school, but Xia Chan insisted on going to school the next day with her head covered in bandages.
Her appearance surprised and intrigued many of her classmates, but she remained calm and unrestrained, seemingly oblivious to everyone's stares. Chen Zhoudu still followed her like a little tail, simply explaining to anyone cautiously asking questions that it was an allergy. The classmates gossiped for a while, and then the matter was forgotten.
The results of the mock exam before the National Day holiday have been released, and the seating arrangement for each class in the senior year of high school will be rearranged.
The seating arrangement in Class 1 has always been based on grades, from front to back. On this day, before the seating arrangement was changed, Chen Zhoudu took the initiative to suggest another arrangement to Fang Jiayuan, asking if they could choose to sit down according to their grades.
The seating arrangement of good students in the front and poor students in the back sounds scientific, but it's actually paradoxical. Most top-performing students consistently occupy the front row, which will likely lead to nearsightedness or even strabismus. Meanwhile, for students with lower grades, constantly sitting in the back makes them more prone to inattentiveness if you want them to improve. Perhaps allowing students to choose their preferred seats based on their grades would better motivate them to learn.
He added, intentionally or unintentionally, at the end: "That's how my school in Shanghai was arranged back then."
As soon as the plan was proposed, it immediately drew enthusiastic applause, table-pounding, and foot-stomping from the entire class. They claimed that they had wanted to propose this plan to Fang Jiayuan for a long time but dared not, and they all praised Chenzhoudu and gave him a thumbs up.
Seeing the public opinion in their favor, Fang Jiayuan simply agreed to try it for a month first, and if the results were not good, they would be put back after the next mock exam.
Chen Zhoudu deservedly came in first place in this exam and was the first to choose a seat.
He chose a seat in the middle of the class and placed his schoolbag on the seatmate's seat.
When someone came in behind him and tried to sit next to him, he smiled and politely declined.
The students tacitly understood what was going on, and those who chose seats afterward avoided that spot until the classroom was almost full and the seat next to him was still empty.
Xia Chan's exam results ranked fourth from the bottom of the class. She barely wrote any bilingual essays or formulas, and her multiple-choice answers were completely random and disastrous.
When I came in, there were hardly any seats left in the classroom.
Aside from the good view from the spot next to Chenzhoudu, the other spots are either in the corner or in the back row.
The students were also eager to know where Xia Chan would sit, and the noise in the room subsided considerably as they all looked at her with gossipy eyes.
Chen Zhoudu's gaze remained fixed on her after she entered, and his backpack, which had been beside him, was now hidden behind him. Then, everyone saw Xia Chan exchange a glance with him before quickly putting down her backpack and striding towards a seat in the back row. A collective gasp rippled through the entire class.
"Oh~"
Chen Zhou paused slightly, then lowered his eyes without much emotion.
She walked all the way to the back row, but then smirked and circled around that seat before leisurely walking to the seat next to Chen Zhoudu, taking off her backpack and tossing it on the table to sit down.
Chen Zhoudu paused, looking up in surprise, only to see Xia Chan calmly opening her schoolbag and starting to organize her books. The classroom erupted in another round of amusing clapping and jeering.
"Oh my gosh!!"
"Quiet! Quiet!" Fang Jiayuan banged on the podium. "Change your seats! You're making it look like a concert! And you, Xia Chan! Are you on a fashion show?! You have to show off twice before you can choose a seat?!"
The whole class burst into laughter. Xia Chan, however, smiled nonchalantly, and Chen Zhoudu couldn't help but smile as well, his gaze falling on her as they exchanged a smile.
Xia Chan's facial wounds healed quite quickly; most of the cuts had gradually healed, with only a few deeper ones forming scabs.
These days, her grandmother and Siyi are often worried about the scars on her face, so they are extra careful when applying medicine to her. She doesn't really care about these things, but one day when she was changing the gauze, she inexplicably started measuring the scar on the corner of her left eye in front of the mirror.
This injury is quite deep, stretching horizontally from the corner of the eye all the way to the temple.
The shape looks like a butterfly about to take flight from the corner of its eye. If it leaves any scars in the future, some foundation should be able to cover them up.
only……
Thinking of something, Xia Chan hesitated and sat back down at her desk, opened a drawer, and stared at the few cosmetics inside that had hardly been opened, pondering.
Xia Chan never wore makeup; these things were left to her by Xie Jun when she left. She found them inconvenient and didn't like them. Even if she wore beautiful makeup while working, it would probably be wiped off with sweat.
Aunt Chao and Lala often said that she lived a rough life, didn't like to wear skirts or grow her hair long, and didn't like to take care of herself. She wasn't like a girl. Luckily, she had a good figure to back her up.
But she never felt there was anything wrong with it. What should a girl be like? Girls are supposed to be all kinds of people. And this is what Xia Chan is like.
But for some reason, I feel like giving it a try today.
Xia Chan hesitated, pursing her lips as she opened a tube of lipstick that had never been opened before.
Xia Chan only did a simple makeup, applying foundation, eyeshadow, and eyeliner.
She found the eyeshadow tutorial online and tried to follow it for a long time but still couldn't get it right. She didn't understand why so many girls like to make their faces look like a color palette. In the end, she just copied the tutorial without really understanding why.
The scab at the corner of her eye was too obvious, so she had a flash of inspiration and used gentian violet to draw a butterfly wing on the wound at the corner of her eye, then applied lipstick and went out.
Xia Chan was still a little nervous when she left the bedroom.
She took several deep breaths to relax, wiped her sweaty palms, and walked downstairs.
In the kitchen of the small courtyard downstairs, Siyi and her grandmother were cutting fruit, while Huangmao sat alone on a wicker chair in the courtyard, playing games and petting the cat.
Every evening after dinner, Grandma and Siyi would make some fruit salad or milk tea to aid digestion. Huang Mao had already called Chen Zhoudu and Xia Chan once, and upon hearing someone come downstairs, he casually glanced up and said, "Hey, Sister Chan, come on over..."
"Holy crap!" He immediately looked up, his face filled with shock. Xia Chan froze in place, her heart pounding in her chest—
Immediately afterwards.
The next second.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Xia Chan: "..."
Xia Chan doesn't know how to do makeup, so she's completely clueless about cosmetics. She has bright red lips and blue candle-like eyeshadow, and there's even a purple butterfly drawn on the corner of her eye. The foundation on her face seems to be unevenly applied; when the light shines on it, you can see patches of it, like an unpainted wall.
She had a good foundation, so even such terrible makeup didn't look too bad on her face. But even the best foundation can't withstand being ruined. What's the difference between that and using Suzhou embroidery to embroider dog poop? The blond guy covered his stomach and laughed so hard he almost fell over.
Xia Chan glared at him menacingly, seeing him laughing so hard he almost threw up his dinner. "...What are you laughing at! Is it that funny?"
"No... Sister Chan... you..."
"Hahahahahahahahaha!"
"..."
Siyi and her grandmother had finished cutting the fruit when they heard the laughter and came out to see what was going on. When they saw Xia Chan, they were stunned for a moment and even took a step back.
Xia Chan: "..."
Hahahaha!
Then the two of them looked at each other and burst into a deafening laugh. Xia Chan was thoroughly annoyed and wanted nothing more than to wipe off her makeup immediately. "No... what's wrong? I was just trying out some makeup..."
"No, Sister Xiaochan..." Siyi was struggling to suppress her laughter, "Other people's makeup is about adding layers, but why are you doing subtraction? Where did you get your color palette? Can't you just throw it as far away as possible..."
"..."
The blond guy laughed like crazy, "Pack it up and send it to the haunted house right now, even the ghosts will kneel down and cry for you!"
Xia Chan paused for a moment, then stepped forward and smacked his head. "I'll make you kneel and cry first!"
Grandma was excitedly going next door to call Aunt Chao and the others to see, saying that the sun had risen in the west and that Chan was actually wearing makeup... Xia Chan held onto her tightly, not letting her go.
Huang Mao and Si Yi, always eager for a good show, one rescued Grandma while the other even took out her phone to film her, shouting, "Come on, Sister Chan... look here, look here!"
Xia Chan angrily rubbed her lipstick off her lips and tried to call his phone, leaving a lipstick mark that looked even more comical. Amidst the laughter and banter, a clear, deep voice suddenly came from behind them.
What are you all doing?
Xia Chan stopped when she heard Chen Zhoudu's voice, but suddenly felt so ashamed that she didn't know how embarrassing she was. She turned away from him, covered her face, and rubbed her forehead.
Huang Mao excitedly dragged him forward to see, "Hey, Chenzhou Ferry, Chenzhou Ferry... Come and see, come and see!"
Xia Chan glared angrily at the blond-haired man, but couldn't avoid it. She glanced at Chen Zhoudu somewhat awkwardly, then pursed her lips and looked away.
Although Shen Zhoudu looked surprised, he didn't smile. Instead, he stared at her intently for a while before Zhuozhuo slightly raised the corners of her lips and said, "Beautiful."
"ah?"
Huang Mao was stunned. Xia Chan was also surprised.
The blond-haired guy continued to complain, "Damn it! Chen Zhoudu! You have a crush on Sister Chan, don't you? This is what you call good-looking? Have you ever seen good makeup? How can you lie through your teeth like this..."
Xia Chan rolled up her sleeves and actually went to hit him, saying, "I'll gouge your eyes out first!"
After laughing and joking around for a while, Xia Chan finally couldn't bear the embarrassment any longer. Facing Shen Zhoudu, she pursed her lips in annoyance, said nothing, and turned to run back into the house.
After Shen Zhoudu finished preparing the fruit salad for his grandmother, he took a portion and gave it to Xia Chan. Before he could even knock, Xia Chan sensed someone was outside and opened the door from inside.
She had washed her face carefully and returned to normal. Her cheeks and stray hairs were still damp with water droplets, and the unhealed mottled scars on her face were clearly visible. She stared at him with a hint of annoyance and sullenness, then turned and went back into the house without saying a word.
Chen Zhoudu followed her into her room and looked around, then placed the fruit salad on her table.
After returning, Xia Chan casually threw several cosmetics on the table into the trash can, picked up a cushion, and sat down on the sofa chair.
"Laugh if you want to."
Chen Zhoudu didn't laugh. Instead, he silently walked to the trash can, took out the cosmetics, and lightly dusted them off.
Those cosmetics looked brand new and had just been opened; they were also mid-to-high-end brands that weren't exactly cheap. He looked at them and asked her, "Don't you want them?"
"Useless things." Xia Chan got angry as soon as she saw them. "Throw them as far away as possible."
Chen Zhoudu silently curved his lips into a smile, then quickly suppressed it. Instead of throwing them away, he picked them up one by one and tentatively suggested, "How about... I give it a try?"
"You can do this too?" Xia Chan was genuinely surprised.
"No," he admitted sincerely, already slightly rolling up the cuffs of his hoodie in preparation. "But I've studied a little art, so I should be able to... right?"
When Xia Chan sat face to face with Shen Zhoudu, she felt like she was going crazy.
The makeup had to be done very, very close, so that when she looked up she could almost see his eyelashes clearly. Each eyelash was distinct, long, curved, and neat, growing cleanly and clearly into his skin, making the skin around his eyes appear as if it were covered in snow.
His fingertips were light and warm, and he hesitated for a moment before gently touching her face. Finally, he whispered, "Sorry," and quietly relaxed his fingertips before gently pressing them against her cheek.
Xia Chan subtly curved her lips into a smile, then closed her eyes with a sense of relief.
The first thing Chen Zhoudu painted was the butterfly at the corner of her eye.
The gentian violet felt cool on my skin, as if I could feel the slightest breeze in the room.
Xia Chan remained motionless for a while before realizing that the wind wasn't her imagination, but rather his breath.
He breathed very softly, as if he was afraid she would hear him and even held his breath slightly.
She slightly opened her eyes and could even see his chest rising and falling, as if she could feel the rhythm and contours of his heartbeat, thump, thump, one beat after another, clear and heavy. He also smelled faintly of vanilla soap.
The butterfly was quickly finished being drawn. Chen Zhoudu, his hand trembling slightly, moved away from her face, quietly took a deep breath, examined it carefully, and then picked up a small mirror for her.
"Take a look."
Xia Chan looked at herself and was slightly surprised.
To be honest, he painted it quite beautifully. The purple butterfly with its wings upright seemed to be hovering on her slightly upturned eyelashes. He outlined the edges of the butterfly's wings with white eyeshadow that shimmered with candlelight, and it flickered slightly in the light as she moved, as if the butterfly was fluttering its wings.
Xia Chan looked at him with slight amazement and then a hint of praise in her eyes. Chen Zhoudu smiled and began to prepare for the next step of the work, intending to show his skills.
Xia Chan had completely entrusted her face to him, treating herself as a work of art in his hands. Chen Zhoudu took another deep breath and continued. The second hand of the clock on the wall ticked.
He applied foundation and contouring...
Eyebrows, eyeshadow...
Eyeliner, lipstick...
The moon climbed onto the branches outside the window. When Chen Zhoudu let go of her hand again, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. He paused slightly as he admired her makeup from a little distance.
Well.
"How was it? How was it?" Sensing that he had successfully completed his mission, Xia Chan opened her eyes, her gaze filled with anticipation.
As Chen Zhou Watanabe handed her the small mirror, he quietly got up and moved towards the door. "Not bad, take a look. It's just that you're not very skilled at it the first time. You'll probably do better once you get more practice..."
Xia Chan raised the mirror to look at herself, but stopped abruptly the next second. She grabbed the cushion next to her and threw it at Chen Zhoudu, who had already reached the door.
"The sunken boat crosses the river—!"
The cushion slammed against the door. Chen Zhoudu dodged it by leaving the door slightly ajar. Only after sensing that the danger had passed did he dare to peek out from the crack and whisper, "Sorry... drawing and makeup are indeed different. You should probably throw it as far away as possible."
A slight, suppressed smile lingered on his lips. Xia Chan paused, wanting even more to angrily twist his head off. Chen Zhoudu quickly left the room, closed the door, and slipped away.
Xia Chan was so angry that she kicked the door, which was now tightly shut in front of her.
She picked up the mirror again and looked at herself, but was so disgusted by how ugly she looked that she quickly put her hand down, covering her forehead and unable to bear the sight.
What the hell...
She was even worse than she was just now!
Ghosts can really scare you to tears!
She was terrified...
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