Chapter 44: Heartache—whether it’s for Grandma or Qiao Zheng.
Not long after the audition for "Morning and Evening Farewell", Qiao Zhizheng received the audition result notification for "If It Doesn't Rain Tomorrow".
When Qiao Zhizheng received a call from Meng Hanyan personally, she was helping her grandmother pack up her things in her grandmother's house. Her grandmother's house was to be demolished, and the demolition compensation had been paid into her personal account. Qiao Zheng was going to take her grandmother to move to the new house that had been bought in advance. Qiao Zhizheng had no classes or notices today, so she volunteered to help.
Grandma was touching the old things that had accompanied her for many years in the room one by one. Qiao Zheng was packing clothes in the room, and Qiao Zhizheng was tidying up the living room, taking away all the useful things and leaving behind the unnecessary things. She would ask the scrap yard to come and deal with them when the time came.
When the phone screen showed "Meng Hanyan", Qiao Zhizheng's breathing tightened. He had already anticipated the next result, but when he heard Meng Hanyan's words, he couldn't help but feel happy.
"Qiao Zhizheng, I've thought about it for a long time and finally decided to choose you. I hope you can prove that my choice was not wrong."
Qiao Zhizheng said confidently, "I will use my performance to prove that your choice today is absolutely correct."
Meng Hanyan chuckled softly, and said with emotion, "Young people are just so energetic."
After hanging up the phone, Qiao Zhizheng ran towards Qiao Zheng as fast as a kite, hugged her neck, lifted her legs, and hung on Qiao Zheng tightly.
Qiao Zheng stood firmly on the spot like a straight eucalyptus tree, catching Qiao Zhizheng, the energetic koala.
"Qiao Zheng~Qiao Zheng! I auditioned."
Qiao Zheng's expression was helpless but also a little indulgent. Obviously, after being baptized by Qiao Zhizheng's energetic energy many times, she has become accustomed to the fact that she is keen to get close to her when she is excited.
"Qiao Zheng~Qiao Zheng~Are you really not considering moving in with me?"
Qiao Zheng tilted her head to look at Qiao Zhizheng, "Not considering it."
Qiao Zhizheng felt a little disappointed. She sighed loudly on purpose, and kept secretly glancing at Qiao Zheng.
Qiao Zheng noticed her little action and found it very interesting. However, she remained calm and continued slowly, "But you can come and live with me. I've reserved a room for you. You can decorate it as you like."
Qiao Zhizheng didn't expect that Qiao Zheng had prepared a room for her. The surge of joy in her heart made her speak out the sudden idea without thinking.
"Actually, it's OK for the two of us to live in the same room."
Qiao Zheng looked so disgusted: "Humph!"
Qiao Zheng squatted down and stuffed things into the suitcase.
Qiao Zhizheng behind him began to mutter.
"We are one person. Even if we sleep together, it's like our left hand touching our right hand."
"Does your right hand react to being touched by your left hand?"
"I know how many moles you have on your body, and you know where the moles are on mine."
"The way we hold the quilt when we sleep is the same."
…
The more Qiao Zhizheng talked, the more it made sense to her. The more she talked, the more she felt that living in the same room with Qiao Zheng was the best option, and she wouldn't even have to worry about decorating a new room.
Qiao Zhizheng was speaking excitedly when Qiao Zheng suddenly turned around, stretched out his left hand and held Qiao Zhizheng's right hand that was hanging at the edge of his trousers.
Qiao Zheng's hands were dry and warm. When she gently held Qiao Zhizheng's hand, Qiao Zhizheng felt a dense itch running from her hand to the central nervous system of her brain, and even her lips and the surrounding areas were filled with this dense itch. Qiao Zhizheng clenched her teeth to prevent the embarrassing whimper from escaping her throat.
Qiao Zhizheng's long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and the corners of her eyes were flushed with excitement, making her look particularly adorable.
Qiao Zhizheng lowered her head shyly, but in front of the squatting Qiao Zheng, she couldn't avoid her embarrassment. Qiao Zheng tilted her head, "How about this? You touch your right hand with your left hand and there's no reaction. When I touch your right hand with my left hand, you seem to react strongly."
Qiao Zhizheng wanted to say something to defend herself, but a voice in her heart told her: "Isn't this what you really wanted to do all along? What's there to quibble about?"
At first, the voice was in Qiao Zhizheng's usual tone, but the more he listened, the more it resembled Qiao Zheng's usual cold tone.
Qiao Zhizheng's hand trembled, and it slipped gently. Qiao Zhizheng was at a loss and ran out in a panic, "I'll go see if grandma needs my help."
Qiao Zheng's laughter followed Qiao Zhizheng's footsteps as she ran out.
Qiao Zhizheng took two steps out of the room and couldn't help but stop and look back. The bright sunshine came in from the window. Qiao Zheng laughed in the sunshine, and the dust in the air was like flying elves circling around Qiao Zheng.
——Qiao Zheng is so real like this.
Qiao Zhizheng couldn't help it and the corners of her mouth curled up.
——Qiao Zheng, at this moment, do you have a little place in your heart that belongs to me?
Two days later, Qiao Zheng brought Qiao Zhizheng and her grandmother to their new home - a small villa with a garden.
Qiao Zhizheng's eyes lit up instantly, and she excitedly said to Qiao Zheng, "You know what? My biggest wish is to have a house with a garden of my own."
Qiao Zheng's eyes were as gentle as spring, "I know."
Qiao Zhizheng nodded, "Ah, yes, yes, I told you." Then he stared at Qiao Zheng, his eyes frozen for a few seconds, and his tone suddenly changed from joy to relief, "Yes, you know."
From Qiao Zhizheng to Qiao Zheng, the original wish has never changed.
Grandma was old, and Qiao Zheng urged her to go to her room to rest. After seeing her grandma close her eyes and fall asleep, Qiao Zheng tiptoed out of the room.
Qiao Zhizheng sat on a rattan chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, basking in the sunlight with her eyes closed.
Qiao Zheng's footsteps became heavier, alerting Qiao Zhizheng to her arrival.
Qiao Zhizheng raised the corner of her mouth and swung slowly on the rattan chair, "Qiao Zheng, I also want to have a dog and a cat."
"keep."
Qiao Zhizheng opened her eyes. She didn't expect Qiao Zheng to respond so straightforwardly. "Really?"
"Really. But there's one thing to note."
"What?"
"If you have a cat, don't touch it secretly while it's asleep. Cats are irritable when they wake up, so be careful they might scratch you."
Qiao Zhizheng's expression was as if she had pressed the pause button. She felt that Qiao Zheng was hinting at something, especially after seeing the smirk on Qiao Zheng's lips. She immediately understood that Qiao Zheng knew what happened in the car that day and was referring to her.
Qiao Zhizheng silently covered her flushed face, her voice muffled from her palm, "Qiao Zheng! You are a real dog!"
Seeing Qiao Zhizheng embarrassed, Qiao Zheng was happy. Besides being happy, she felt that Qiao Zhizheng was a little cute. She was like a little kitten who just wanted to be angry with her owner, but could only speak in a baby voice and act coquettishly in front of her owner. At this time, the owner would silently hug her.
“So cute…”
Qiao Zheng's voice was too soft, and Qiao Zhizheng didn't hear clearly. He looked up and said "Huh?" in confusion.
Qiao Zheng stopped talking and turned to walk upstairs.
Qiao Zhizheng stood up and caught up with Qiao Zheng.
Grandma is old, and even though there is an elevator at home, it is not very convenient for her to go up and down the stairs. Grandma's room is on the first floor, and Qiao Zheng and the nanny's rooms are next to Grandma's room, so they can go in and check on the situation at any time when they hear any noise.
The room assigned to Qiao Zhizheng was on the second floor, now empty, waiting for her to decorate it to her liking. From the window, one could see the sparkling swimming pool in the backyard, and not far from the shore were rose bushes in full bloom.
Qiao Zhizheng opened the door of every room on the second floor and looked inside in turn. She admired the mirror that took up an entire wall in the dance studio, then went into the instrument room and played a series of joyful and playful tunes on the piano. The gym was filled with a wide variety of equipment, and the large cloakroom was still empty, waiting for someone to fill it.
Qiao Zhizheng bit her lower lip, looked at Qiao Zheng again and again, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Qiao Zheng folded her arms and looked at her calmly.
Qiao Zhizheng's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "What I'm about to say might sound a bit presumptuous, but I still want to ask, Qiao Zheng, are these rooms all prepared for me?"
"Yeah. This is the home we've always wanted."
A wandering and helpless heart finds a place to settle down.
Qiao Zhizheng covered her mouth and suddenly made a "tsk~" sound, earning a puzzled look from Qiao Zheng.
"What should I do? I suddenly want to hold you, hug you and kiss you."
Qiao Zheng didn't expect Qiao Zhizheng to express her thoughts so bluntly, and her eyes widened in shock.
In front of Qiao Zheng, Qiao Zhizheng slowly extended the tip of her pink tongue and gently licked her lips. The rosy lips were covered with a thin layer of water, like a delicate and delicious cherry after washing, waiting for someone to pick this sweet taste.
Qiao Zheng: I feel inexplicably harassed.
Under Qiao Zhizheng's sticky gaze, Qiao Zheng turned and went downstairs. When she stepped down the last step, Qiao Zheng tilted her head and caught a glimpse of the face reflected in the glass mirror of the picture frame on the wall. The smile could not be hidden in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.
I don't know when this smile came from, but I know who caused it.
When Qiao Zhizheng calmed down and went downstairs, the door of her grandmother's room was open. Qiao Zhizheng looked inside and found that her grandmother was not in the room.
Nanny Aunt Song will not arrive until the evening. Qiao Zhizheng is worried that the old lady will be in trouble as she is old and has just moved to the new house without anyone to accompany her, so she turns around and looks for her in the house.
Just as she uttered "milk...", her mouth was covered by a hand. Qiao Zhizheng blinked and looked at Qiao Zheng, who turned her head to look back.
Qiao Zhizheng whispered, "Grandma isn't in the room."
Qiao Zheng pointed in a direction and said, "Grandma is over there."
Following the direction Qiao Zheng pointed, I saw a well-lit room on the first floor facing south. Many old things were placed in the brand new room. Grandma was standing in front of the shelf, stroking an old doll with her old hands.
"That is..."
"That's Qiao Qiao's relic."
"Grandma knows you're not..."
"You should have known it from the beginning."
She knew it clearly but pretended to be confused. Maybe in her heart, Zhizhi was also a helpless child who needed someone to care for her. Qiao Qiao was gone, and Qiao Ke had nowhere to put her grief. Qiao Zheng appeared, and Qiao Ke mistook her for Qiao Qiao.
The emotions that had been pent up in her heart for many years found an outlet, and Qiao Zheng also had a family. Two lonely leaves floating on the water met unexpectedly and found comfort in each other's company. Later, with the addition of Qiao Zhizheng, the meaning of the word "family" became even more profound.
Qiao Zhizheng's eyes were full of heartache.
——Whether it is to grandma or to Qiao Zheng.
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The author has something to say: Sister Qiao: How can I bear to blame you for making a mistake? It’s because I gave you freedom and I was too angry.
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