Chapter 43.043. Do you still like Sister Xiao Chan when you visit?
Xia Chan was truly stunned, and the next second she subconsciously looked around at him.
After confirming that he was alone, she stepped forward and asked, "Are you crazy? When did you get here? Are you alone? Where are your assistants? Do they even know you've just come out like this...?"
"Shh, no one's here." Shen Zhoudu gently put his finger to his lips to calm her down. Even through the thick black mask, you could see the subtle smile in his eyes. "You'll attract more attention this way."
Xia Chan took a light breath and looked around at the passersby again. Making sure there weren't too many people around, she suddenly realized something and asked him, "Are you following me?"
This time, Chen Zhoudu didn't answer, only his exposed eyes reflected a hint of innocence.
She paused, suddenly feeling a surge of anger, and glared at him coldly, saying, "Go back!"
He turned and left.
“Xia…” He immediately followed her.
"Don't follow me!" Xia Chan immediately turned around and pointed at him. Just then, a few passersby walked by and glanced at them with amusement, thinking it was a couple arguing.
Xia Chan was worried about attracting too much attention and being recognized, so she gritted her teeth and went up to him in a low voice, "Go back now. I don't care what's wrong with you, but if you keep following me like this, I'll call the police! You don't want your next trending topic to be on the legal channel, do you?"
Chen Zhoudu looked into her eyes and fell silent for a moment.
"Brother Zhoudu?!"
Suddenly a sound came from behind.
Xia Chan's heart skipped a beat, and she almost cursed out loud.
Before Xia Chan could turn around, Si Yi had already caught up from behind, "Zhou—"
Just as she was about to call him again, Xia Chan gently tugged at her arm, signaling her to stop. Si Yi immediately understood and nodded, looking at Chen Zhoudu with a mixture of surprise and excitement. "Zhou... Brother! Is that you? What brings you here? Did Sister Xia Chan bring you?"
Chen Zhoudu looked at Siyi's eyes and smiled again, calling out softly, "Siyi."
"Yes! Yes!" Siyi nodded immediately, her face beaming with surprise and delight. "...Brother, what brings you here? Aren't you busy? I thought..."
"Luckily, I finished work early today, and I came out for a walk because the weather was nice."
The two chatted casually for a while, like old friends, and Siyi warmly invited, "So, have you had dinner yet? Would you like to come over to our place? We're just a few steps away! Huangmao, Panghu, Lala... we're all here!"
Xia Chan was taken aback and immediately glared at her.
“Okay.” Pian Chenzhoudu agreed.
Xia Chan glared at him again.
He smiled at her with a hint of innocence, and said, "Didn't you say you'd let me meet Siyi and Huangmao when you had time? I do have time now."
"..." Xia Chan took a deep breath, wanting to say that no one would actually take polite words seriously! She resolutely refused, "No, you..."
"Sister..." Siyi grabbed her hand first, her eyes pleading and on the verge of tears.
She paused for a moment and looked at him again. Chen Zhoudu's gaze also fell deeply on her, fixed, as if hiding some earnestness and expectation, and also somewhat pitiful and innocent.
"..." Xia Chan was about to fail.
-
The door to the second floor of the Western-style building was opened from the outside. Siyi walked in first, took a pair of clean slippers from the shoe cabinet, and led Chenzhou Du through the door.
"Brother Zhoudu, come this way! Our house is a bit small... Please don't mind, come in and make yourself at home!"
Chen Zhoudu changed into slippers at the door and looked around after entering.
This is a small old house. The old villa has been partitioned into several rooms, and the remaining public area has been arranged into a small living room and dining room.
But it was very clean and cozy. A light yellow floral cloth covered the dining table, and handmade dried flowers and paintings made by Siyi and Lala hung on the wall.
The damaged areas on the floor have been covered with carpet, and a few small knitted flowers have been crocheted along the edges. There is a small window on the south side, and several pots of lush green ivy sit on the windowsill.
Xia Chan put her bag down in the entryway and went straight into the kitchen. Huang Mao, La La, Pang Hu, and the others weren't there, so she hid in the kitchen to wash the vegetables.
"Hey sis, don't be busy right now..."
Siyi tried several times to pull her out to keep Chenzhou Ferry company, but Xia Chan raised her hand to avoid her and refused.
When Chen Zhoudu walked to the kitchen door, the tiny kitchen, less than five square meters in size, could barely accommodate two people standing in it.
He had taken off his hat and mask, and his face was completely bare of makeup, looking clean and serene. Without a word, he went out and walked to her side, saying, "I'll help you."
"No need." Xia Chan silently avoided his hand, which was reaching for the knife, as she peeled the potato. She paused, then looked up at him with a distant smile. "You are a guest, how could I trouble you?"
Chenzhoudu pursed his lips slightly.
"Forget it, Zhou Du, you come out first! Let her keep busy, let her do her own thing!" Si Yi pulled Chen Zhou Du over and gestured towards Xia Chan with her chin, "She's the most capable, let her cook for six people by herself!"
Xia Chan glared at her reproachfully, thinking to herself, "She's really biased towards outsiders even when her arm is broken."
After briefly touring the living room and chatting with Siyi for a while, Huangmao, Panghu, and Lala returned.
As the blond-haired man opened the door, he was still cursing and swearing, "Damn it, he clearly wrote the wrong address, but he said I delivered it to the wrong address! I've noticed that the more upscale the place you live, the more troublesome the people become. The richer they are, the worse they get..."
Siyi's eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled Chen Zhoudu to stand facing the door. The three entered, and Huang Mao, seeing the people inside, paused abruptly, his words falling silent—
"Damn, am I seeing things?" The blond guy even rubbed his eyes. "I think I saw that bad boy, Chen Zhoudu?"
Sunken Boat Crossing: "..."
"Hi," Chen Zhoudu said first, "Long time no see."
"Aaaaaah—!"
"A sunken boat crossing?"
"Is it really the Sunken Boat Ferry?!"
The three people immediately let out a joyful shout and rushed forward to surround him.
Xia Chan, who was peeling potatoes in the kitchen, trembled slightly with her wrist, pursed her lips, and continued peeling potatoes without any expression.
Huangmao, Lala, Panghu, and the others looked up and down at the sunken boat in disbelief.
Yellow Hair: "What are you doing here?"
Lala: "When did you get here!"
"Wow...you've become so handsome, Chen Zhoudu." Fatty Tiger scratched his head and looked him up and down many times. "You're even more handsome than on TV. You can't really tell on TV, but how come you're so many times more handsome here than you were back then..."
Siyi stood beside Shen Zhoudu with such pride that her chin almost touched the ceiling. Shen Zhoudu first responded to their greetings and explained, "I just arrived recently. I finished work early today and had some free time, so I came over. Xia Chan brought me here."
In the kitchen, Xia Chan gripped the peeler tightly in an instant, almost wanting to rush out and chop him on the head, thinking, "I didn't bring you with me!"
"Wow, you're really something now... really something..." The blond guy stepped forward, intending to put his arm around his shoulder and pat him like he used to, but he awkwardly withdrew his hand, ultimately just pointing towards the sofa and gesturing, "Sit! Sit..."
Fat Tiger and Spicy immediately rushed forward to gather up the clothes and other items piled up on the sofa and the backs of the dining table and chairs, kicking the items that couldn't be hidden under the sofa.
Surrounded by several people, Chen Zhoudu sat down for a while, but remained silent, only able to smile.
The group looked at each other, momentarily at a loss for words, and then burst into laughter.
After not seeing each other for many years, even the closest friends can feel awkward and distant.
Fat Tiger tried to start the conversation.
"Chenzhoudu... We all heard you sing! We never imagined you'd become such a big star. Congratulations! Your singing is even better than before!"
"Thank you," Chen Zhoudu said with a smile.
“Chenzhoudu, are the songs you wrote in your album ‘Crossing Summer’ about us?” Lala asked tentatively.
The album "Crossing Summer" is Shen Zhoudu's first solo album after his debut. It includes several of his original songs, such as "Crossing Summer", "The Stars Are Not Bright Anymore" and "The Wind on the Roof".
This was also his debut album, which established his style and status.
With a gentle smile, Chen Zhoudu readily admitted, "Yes."
This answer seemed to instantly ease the awkwardness and bridge the distance, and the group looked at each other excitedly and laughed again. Siyi couldn't contain her excitement, "I knew it! Brother Zhoudu wouldn't forget us!"
"Wow, now I can say that a big star wrote a song for me!" the blond guy patted his chest. "Impressive!"
Lala scoffed at him, "Even if you say it, someone has to believe you..."
They chatted and joked for a while longer before Huang Mao realized Xia Chan was nowhere to be seen. He quietly asked Si Yi and then got up and went into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Xia Chan had already peeled a lot of potatoes and carrots, leaving potato peels all over the floor.
She was still slicing away with a razor, her movements as fast as a machine gun.
The peeled skin flew everywhere like bullets.
Huang Mao couldn't help but laugh when he saw this. "Sis, are you peeling potatoes or the sunken boat?"
Xia Chan paused, sitting on the small stool for a moment, then glanced at him indifferently, "Aren't you going to accompany your big star?"
The blond-haired man chuckled and stepped forward to help her, saying, "You're the only star in my heart. No other big star can compare to you! You're my Marilyn Monroe, my goddess..."
Xia Chan gave him a lukewarm snort.
She handed over the task of peeling the vegetables to him and got up to wash them. The blond-haired man then asked, "But sis, you brought Chen Zhou back this time...are you planning to make up with him?"
Xia Chan paused again, her voice turning sinister.
"I didn't bring him back!"
The blond-haired guy chuckled, already knowing what was going on, and tentatively said, "But sis, we all think you don't need to be so hard on yourself..."
The rushing tap water cooled Xia Chan's fingertips, causing her knuckles to shrink slightly.
"What you and Siyi said before, Siyi briefly revealed to us. But we all felt that there was no need to think too much about it."
"I admit, I was a bit annoyed by his dad's inflexible attitude back then, but that's his dad, not him. Besides, he's a big star now and can earn his own money, so he's probably no longer under his dad's control. Why not give it a try? Why insist on..."
Xia Chan, her hands still wet, slapped the back of his head. "Money, money, money, it's always money! If you're so obsessed with money, why don't you sell yourself to him?"
Huang Mao cried out in protest, "I just wanted to say! If you're willing to accept him back... shouldn't you make things clear to him sooner rather than later? If you're not... shouldn't you still make things clear sooner rather than later? He's reappeared now, and he'll probably find out about some things sooner or later. What are you thinking about whether you want him to stay with us or not...?"
Xia Chan fell silent for a moment, then whispered, "Tell Lala, Siyi, and the others not to say things carelessly."
Lala and Panghu chatted with Shen Zhoudu for a while before returning to their rooms to attend to their work, asking Shen Zhoudu to forgive them and make himself at home.
Lala closed the door and started her live stream, while Panghu also claimed to have two lines of code to modify. Shen Zhoudu was currently being dragged into Siyi's room for a tour, and Siyi apologized:
"Brother Zhoudu, don't mind her. Lala has to do her live stream at this time every day. She didn't know you were coming. If she had known, she would have asked for leave in advance."
"As for Fat Tiger, he's always busy, and if he doesn't finish, his salary will be docked. Anyway, we really welcome you, so please don't..."
Chen Zhoudu shook his head to indicate that he didn't care, and asked, "Lala, which platform does she stream on?"
“Douyin.” Siyi finished speaking, then quickly added as if she had just remembered something, “But Zhoudu! You absolutely mustn’t use your account in Lala’s live stream! You’re… too conspicuous right now, it’ll probably attract a huge amount of traffic and Lala will get scolded, you absolutely mustn’t…”
"No, I'm not." Chen Zhoudu smiled. "I was just asking."
Siyi's room was the largest and best-lit room in the house. It was also the original master bedroom with solid walls, which shows how much care Xia Chan and the others had for her.
Chen Zhoudu's gaze fell on the pile of bottles and jars of medicine on Siyi's table, and he asked, "Siyi, how are you feeling?"
"Fortunately, I had my third surgery not long after you left, and things have stabilized over the years. Now I just need to take my medication on time and have regular check-ups." Siyi smiled sweetly.
"Brother Zhoudu, I actually saw the fundraising event you organized for congenital heart disease patients. Although it might sound a bit presumptuous of me, I still want to say... thank you, Brother Zhoudu. If it weren't for you, I might not be alive today..."
After her debut, Shen Zhoudu organized fundraising events for patients with congenital heart disease every year on her official account. Later, she directly established a charity organization called "Sharing the Same Boat, Moving Forward with Love".
Over the years, Siyi has received a donation every year, and I am always filled with mixed emotions whenever I see this event on Weibo.
Chen Zhoudu laughed and said, "It's not that I'm being arrogant, it's because of you."
"As long as you are healthy, that's the best thing."
Siyi's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Brother Zhoudu."
He glanced around her room briefly, his gaze lingering slightly on a photograph hanging on her felt wall.
The photo is a group photo of Grandma, Xia Chan, Si Yi, Huang Mao Pang Hu La La, Uncle Chao and Aunt Chao, and others.
They gathered at the entrance of the courtyard of "Du", smiling happily at the camera.
His gaze swept over each face inch by inch, lingering on one face for a long time as he stared at the seventeen-year-old.
Siyi observed her expression and tentatively asked, "Brother Zhoudu, do you... still like Sister Xiaochan?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
