Chapter 20
The store manager handed two new photos to Chen Zhiyi, saying, "There are two in total. Do you want to keep one as a souvenir in the store?"
Chen Zhiyi clutched the photo in his hand. "No, we'll keep it ourselves."
Forget about missing a single photo. If he could, Chen Zhiyi would love to get the negatives and develop dozens of photos, but this kind of instant camera is a digital camera and doesn't have a storage function.
I thought this long National Day holiday would be spent in boring days, but I didn't expect to run into the person I wanted to see. We even participated in a couples' activity together and took couple photos. Suddenly, this holiday became wonderful!
It seems people should get out and about more often.
If you walk around more, you'll run into the people you want to see.
Good things will happen when you meet the people you want to see.
Doing good things often leads to good results.
That's what Chen Zhiyi thought.
"Sister, I'll keep these two photos."
Lin Ting didn't care and calmly said, "Okay!"
"Never mind." Chen Zhiyi placed a photo in Lin Ting's hand. "I value fairness the most, one for each of us."
Lin Ting smiled helplessly. Kids are kids, their ideas change in a second. She didn't say anything and put the photo in her bag.
Chen Zhiyi was amused by her actions, and couldn't help but smile.
For couple photos, each person should have one photo!
The two of them came out and took the escalator downstairs. Lin Ting looked at the two prizes in her hand and said, "Why don't you take one? You won it, and I didn't do anything."
Chen Zhiyi laughed and said, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be qualified to participate in the event. We have a massage chair at home that can massage the whole body, so taking it back would be pointless."
Indeed, coming from such a family, the things they've seen and used are all top-of-the-line, so why would they care about a small massager?
"Alright then! Thank you!" Lin Ting thought for a moment, "Then I'll treat you to a big meal sometime."
"Okay!" Chen Zhiyi said without any hesitation. "Then I'll have to check online to see what new restaurants I haven't been to yet, and then make a reservation. I have a good appetite, so don't worry about your wallet, sister!"
Lin Ting nodded: "Okay, no problem, but it can't interfere with my studies, so try to schedule it on my rest day."
Chen Zhiyi gave an OK sign.
The two went downstairs and ran into Du Yuan, who was looking for them.
"Holy crap! Chen Zhiyi, where the hell have you been?" Du Yuan ran up and noticed a beautiful woman next to Chen Zhiyi. He instinctively felt that their relationship was more than just friendship. "Huh? Who is this beautiful woman?"
Lin Ting smiled at him, "Hello! My name is Lin Ting, and I am currently Chen Zhiyi's tutor."
"Oh, she's a tutor. I was wondering if she was a student at our school, but after thinking about it for a long time, I realized I've never seen such a pretty girl at our school."
Lin Ting was amused by these words; she hadn't expected high school students to be so glib.
"The teacher looks even better when she smiles."
Chen Zhiyi's face darkened considerably, and he quickly stopped her, "Du Yuan, speak properly, sister. This is my childhood friend, the Yuan in Du Yuanqi."
Du Yuan stretched out her hand, "Then I'll call Chen Zhiyi 'older sister' too. My name is Du Yuan, and I grew up with Chen Zhiyi like we were inseparable."
Although his speech was a bit greasy, he was cute, lively, and easy-going, making him a friendly and approachable person. Lin Ting was about to extend her hand to shake hands with Du Yuan.
As it turned out, Chen Zhiyi beat him to it and shook Du Yuan's hand first, saying, "Are you ever going to stop?"
Du Yuan: "Sister, what are you holding in your hand?"
Lin heard: "This is a promotion, and Chen Zhiyi won the massage device."
Du Yuan put his arm around Chen Zhiyi's shoulder and said in a sarcastic tone, "No wonder I haven't seen you all day. Turns out you were accompanying a beautiful lady to an event. If there are any more events like this, you can ask me for help. I'm young and energetic too."
Suddenly, with a loud "Ouch!", Chen Zhiyi forcefully poked Du Yuan in the chest with his elbow, his eyes sharp and his tone warning, "Say less."
Du Yuan clutched his stomach, rolled his eyes, and said sullenly, "Fine, fine, fine!"
Lin Ting stood to the side, her smile stiff.
Suddenly, an extremely beautiful girl rushed over, shouting "Chen Zhiyi!" as she ran. She pounced on him, and before Chen Zhiyi could react, he was pushed backward.
The girl grabbed Chen Zhiyi's arm, blinked her big eyes at him, and smiled broadly, "I didn't expect to run into you here! Why didn't you reply to my messages? And did you see the love letter I wrote for you?"
Chen Zhiyi looked terrified and quickly broke free from the girl's hands, turning away from her. He said in a serious tone, "Don't pull or tug at each other in public."
The girl pouted and continued to cling to Chen Zhiyi's arm, a little angry. "You avoid me at school, and now you're doing the same thing off-campus. If I don't show up in front of you and keep bothering you, how am I supposed to pursue you?"
Du Yuan couldn't stand it anymore and reminded her, "You're a girl, aren't you ashamed of what you're saying?"
“I like Chen Zhiyi, I really like him, what’s wrong with wanting to pursue him?” the girl retorted defiantly.
Chen Zhiyi pulled his hand away from the girl again, walked up to Lin Ting, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, and hurriedly explained, "Her name is Wang Xinran, she's just a classmate, we're not related."
The girl was very dissatisfied with this statement and said very confidently, "It's not that we have nothing in common. You are my future boyfriend, and I am your future girlfriend."
Lin smiled calmly upon hearing this. Perhaps it was because her own personality was too monotonous and boring, but she admired this kind of straightforward, bright, and generous girl.
She looked at the girl in front of her. She had bright, big eyes, arched eyebrows, long eyelashes that trembled slightly, fair and flawless skin with a faint rosy glow, and hair that flowed like a waterfall, jet black and shiny. The girl exuded a fresh and vibrant aura.
She and Chen Zhiyi do look quite well-matched.
Handsome boys and beautiful girls are the epitome of the most exciting feelings during adolescence.
Looking back on her own dull and uninteresting youth, Lin Ting envied those who bravely pursued what they wanted during the best years of their lives.
Alright, those who don't want to do this can leave now.
Lin Ting said goodbye, "Then you guys continue playing, I'll be going now."
Chen Zhiyi blocked her way. "Sister, since you're back early, can you come to my house for class tomorrow night?"
"Tomorrow is Saturday, don't you have to go to your acting class?"
"It's the National Day holiday now, and training institutions are also closed."
Lin Ting nodded, "Oh!"
"I have a lot of homework this holiday, and there are so many questions I don't know how to answer. The holiday is almost over, can you give me some last-minute help, sister?"
Faced with students' thirst for knowledge, most teachers wouldn't refuse, and Lin exclaimed, "Okay!"
Chen Zhiyi was overjoyed, "It's settled then."
"Um!"
Watching Lin Ting's departing figure, Du Yuan walked up to Chen Zhiyi and crossed his arms. "Is this the one with the pinned chat box?"
Chen Zhiyi kept his gaze fixed ahead and did not reply.
"No wonder so many guys at school were chasing after you and you didn't even like them. Turns out, the ones who like this type really do have that icy beauty vibe. I can almost hear the sound of countless girls' hearts breaking. What do you think will happen to Wang Xinran next?"
Chen Zhiyi patted Du Yuan on the shoulder, remaining remarkably calm, and said, "It's up to you!" Then he left the mall without looking back.
That night, Chen Zhiyi lay in bed, taking out the photo and looking at it repeatedly. He remembered her leaning against his back, her warm breath flowing around his neck—it was her scent, a faint fragrance of gardenias. He could almost feel her heartbeat, a heartbeat that resonated with his, making him feel that the connection between them was even stronger.
What made his heart race the most were those two soft mounds. He knew the differences in the physical structure of men and women, but this was the first time he had felt them with his own body. It was as if he was being gently lifted up by soft clouds, as if he were lying on an endless cotton candy. The touch was soft and elastic, and he could feel their gentle rise and fall with every breath.
He enjoyed this close contact and longed for more and closer contact.
As he thought about it, the heat rose again, but this time it gathered from all parts of his body, rushing straight to his brain and lower body. His breathing became erratic, and his face flushed. He reached down with his right hand.
But as soon as I touched him, I pulled my hand away, kicked off the blanket, got up, and drank a glass of cold water to suppress the burning sensation in my heart.
He couldn't fantasize about Lin Ting, he couldn't think of her in that way.
He wouldn't allow it; it was an insult to her!
Chen Zhiyi tried to clear his mind, closed his eyes, lay on the bed, and began reciting math and physics formulas, gradually falling asleep. He thought he would sleep through the night as usual, but soon he felt himself waking up on a small, floating boat.
He was dizzy, his mind and body swaying. He saw a woman lying next to him, her body pure white, radiating a pearly luster. Her seaweed-like hair cascaded over her neck, shoulders, and face, obscuring her vital parts and making her face unclear. But as the boat drifted, the soft swaying of her hair could still be vaguely seen through the gaps.
Chen Zhiyi saw her fiery red lips curl up in a smile as she looked at him, her index finger also pointing at him, a gesture that was both charming and provocative, as alluring as a blooming rose.
He unconsciously moved closer to her, and couldn't help but raise his hand to cover the hair on her face, wanting to see who it was. But under the hair was the face that haunted his dreams.
So he spent the whole night tossed and turned in the relentless heat.
Everything in his dream was his repressed, deep-seated desire. He was immersed in it, intoxicated by it, and didn't even want to wake up. So much so that the alarm clock couldn't wake him up; he was only awakened by Aunt Chen.
Chen Zhiyi opened his eyes and looked at the white ceiling. He felt a sense of loss and exhaustion, as if he had just returned to reality from a dream. Although it was his own room, he had a strange feeling that he didn't know what day it was.
He sat up in a daze after a long while, and found something sticky under him. He pulled back the covers and found that his pajama bottoms were soaked, and the sheets were also damp.
Hold!
He cursed in frustration, then got up to change his clothes and the sheets, then huddled together, opened the door and headed straight for the laundry room.
Aunt Chen, who was hanging clothes to dry on the balcony, saw this and casually said, "Put the clothes in the laundry basket, I'll take care of them later." Turning her head, she glanced at the clothes and said, "Why are there still bed sheets? Weren't they just changed last night?"
Chen Zhiyi stammered, "I sweated while sleeping, no, I felt uncomfortable."
Aunt Chen kept working and said with a smile, "You young people are still so hot-blooded. It's already late autumn, and you're still complaining about the heat."
Chen Zhiyi mumbled "Mmm!" and then quickly stuffed the clothes and sheets into the washing machine and pressed the start button.
The rumbling sound drowned out Aunt Chen's voice, as well as Chen Zhiyi's heartbeat that continued from his dream until he woke up.
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