Chapter 41 Love Letters: Not Friends, But Boyfriends and Girlfriends
Chen Jingchi's hug was very short, lasting only a few seconds. It was so fast that Zhou Yu didn't even have time to react before he let go of her.
His tone sounded perfectly normal: "It's alright, let's go eat."
So many people had waited for him in the stadium for so long, only to come for nothing. Chen Jingchi took the initiative to treat them to a meal.
Dinner was at a Michelin three-star restaurant that Chen Jingchi had booked in advance.
Everyone deliberately avoided mentioning the earlier incident, seemingly an unspoken understanding between them. Zhou Yu, on the other hand, had been preoccupied with the hug the whole way. The moment Chen Jingchi lifted her up, she lost all judgment and was at a loss. Even after he let go, she didn't have time to respond and just stood there stiffly.
In retrospect, she realized that her reaction was far too slow; she should have been more proactive when he needed her most.
Zhou Yu didn't know when she would be able to stop feeling flustered and helpless when he was intimate with her, and express her true thoughts normally and openly.
Once inside the private room, Tan Bei nudged Zhou Yu's hand and said, "Come with me to the restroom."
Zhou hesitated for a moment before replying, "Okay."
Once in the restroom, Tan Bei touched her pants pocket and realized, "Oh no, I forgot to put the tissues back in my bag!"
"I'll go get it for you." Zhou Yu didn't want to go to the restroom anyway, so he simply ran the errand for her.
"Thank you, baby." Tan Bei smiled at her.
After the girls left, Chen Jingchi handed the menu to Zhuo Wencheng: "You guys order."
Seeing that Zhou Yu was not around, Zhuo Wencheng was finally able to ask about what had just happened, but he didn't want to be too direct, so he asked evasively, "You and Zhou Yu..."
Several boys looked over, and Du Heng was also eager to hear his answer.
“Friend,” Chen Jingchi said succinctly.
But he wasn't content with just being friends.
He was somewhat prepared for today's results, and he wasn't as disappointed as he had imagined after hearing the winners announced. However, with so many people with him, he couldn't show weakness and make his friends worry.
Emerging from the stadium and seeing her, it was as if a sore spot had been touched; the forced smile crumbled on his face. In that moment, he suddenly became like a child who had done something wrong and desperately needed comfort, wanting to hug her and draw strength from her.
“Actually, I’ve wanted to ask this before, but I haven’t had the chance.” Xu Yue’s gaze swept back and forth between him and Du Heng. “The theme of the song ‘To My Dearest You’ wasn’t chosen randomly, was it about her family or friends?”
The album's sales surged later on, entirely because this song became a viral hit, drawing more attention to Alzheimer's disease.
Du Heng was also unsure of the reason and looked at Chen Jingchi.
“She didn’t go into details, but it should be correct.” He looked at Zhan Li, “The day I asked Tan Bei to come and keep her company.”
Zhan Li suddenly realized: "Oh! I remember now."
That day, Chen Jingchi told Tan Bei that she was in a bad mood. He said that boys are not as sensitive as girls, so he asked Tan Bei to help comfort her.
Thinking back to his frequent contact with Zhou Yu before the album's release, Du Heng sighed softly, "She's truly a benefactor in your life."
After "Migratory Birds" broke the annual sales record across all platforms, a voice emerged online that Chen Jingchi had suddenly turned the tide and reached new heights in his career when everyone thought his career was over. Netizens said that this was a stroke of good luck in Chen Jingchi's life.
As for Chen Jingchi himself, he knew better than anyone else that Zhou Yu had made him who he was this time.
"If you two can continue to work together, you'll be absolutely invincible," Zhan Li joked. "The golden duo in the Chinese music scene will have to make room for you two."
Upon hearing this, Du Heng suddenly asked, "What if Zhou Yu leaves?"
His tone wasn't joking; he seemed genuinely preparing for this possible situation.
Chen Jingchi was stunned for a moment.
In those few seconds, Xu Yue understood what he was thinking. He thought back to when the band had just been formed a few years ago, when the four of them had signed their names in a lyric book and written down their future ideals. Each of them added a line at the end of their sentences: "The Echoes of the Tide will always be together."
In the end, it still ended in disintegration.
Chen Jingchi regained his composure and said in a low voice, "Don't let her leave."
The usually oblivious Zhuo Wencheng didn't understand the atmosphere and asked curiously, "Why don't you let her leave?"
*
When Zhan Li and Tan Bei returned from the restroom, Zhan Li handed them the menu: "We've already ordered. You two, see if you want to add anything."
Zhou Yu didn't have any particular food preferences, so she left the ordering to Tan Bei. After all the dishes were served, Du Heng started talking about the concert, asking them how many days they would be there.
“Then we’ll definitely go for all three days,” Tan Bei said, turning to Zhou Yu. “Right?”
Zhou Yu seemed a little absent-minded, and nodded a beat late: "Yes."
"Those seats will all be reserved for you, the middle ones closest to the stage," Du Heng said with a smile.
"Has the invoice been issued yet?" Zhuo Wencheng asked. "Can I try to grab one and test my speed?"
"Tickets will be issued on the 1st, there are still a few days left," Chen Jingchi said. "Don't pay if you manage to snag one."
"Yes, if you're bringing family and friends over, don't be silly and spend money on tickets. You can bring them in directly," Du Heng reminded them, worried they might get ripped off.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu vaguely thought that when he got home he should ask Liu Xianya when she was free so he could bring her along to see it.
The boys talked about band rehearsals, while Tan Bei asked Zhou Yuxian where there were fun places to visit, saying that they should explore more during the days of the concert.
Zhou Yu wasn't entirely a local, and she didn't know much about travel guides. She said, "I'll check some travel guides tonight."
"You seem like a homebody. Do you ever go out alone?" Tan Bei asked.
"Almost never," Zhou Yu said frankly. "It's no fun being alone."
"Right? I think so too. If I'm there, I can accompany you." Tan Bei smiled. "Then I, an outsider, will show you around properly."
Zhou Yu's smile was faint: "Okay."
When they had almost finished eating, Chen Jingchi and Xu Yue went out for a bit. Zhou Yu's phone rang, and thinking it was his, he looked up to see that it was Tan Bei's phone that had lit up.
She picked it up and glanced at it, then suddenly stood up: "Baby, let me pass by for a moment."
Zhou Yu thought she was going to leave, so he moved the chair forward a little. But she just walked to the door and suddenly turned off the lights in the private room.
In the pitch black, Zhou Yu saw a cake with candles being pushed in, and the dim yellow candlelight shone on Chen Jingchi's face.
She instinctively gripped the back of the chair.
Happy birthday to you~
Everyone at the table stood up and sang the birthday song in English. Before Zhou Yu could recover from her shock, Chen Jingchi took the birthday hat from Xu Yue and put it on her head.
After singing the four lines of lyrics, they clapped, their voices not quite in unison: "Happy Birthday, Zhou Yu!"
Zhou Yu slowly stood up, her gaze sweeping across everyone's faces. An unprecedented and indescribable joy and emotion welled up in her heart, making her eyes well up with tears, and she choked out, "Thank you."
"Xiao Chen told us too late. We only found out before dinner, and we didn't even prepare a birthday present for you," Du Heng said.
"Yes, we should have said so sooner," Tan Bei echoed while recording with her phone. "Baby, I'll make it up to you with a gift later!"
Zhou Yu shook his head: "No need, I'm already very happy."
Chen Jingchi grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward: "Make a wish."
This unexpected birthday surprise disrupted all her thoughts, and under everyone's quiet gaze, she greedily made three wishes.
I hope my family members are in good health.
I hope my grandfather's condition will improve.
I hope Chen Jingchi's concert goes well.
When she was little, all her birthday wishes were for herself: to get a perfect score on her exams, to win first prize in competitions, and to make her parents proud.
After her father's accident, the number of people celebrating her birthday decreased from two to one. Zhou Yu began to avoid birthdays, and every time Liu Xianya bought her a birthday cake, it was just a formality, without any complicated ceremonies.
After so many years, she made a wish so earnestly once again, hoping that the people she loves would be safe and sound and that everything would go smoothly for them.
After blowing out the candles, Zhan Li reached out and turned on the light, then took the phone from Tan Bei and helped her record the video.
"May you have many more birthdays like this!" Tan Bei handed over the knife. "Quickly, I deliberately didn't eat much, I'm saving room!"
The blue cake had "Happy 19th Birthday Zhou Yu" written on it, along with a rosy-cheeked smiley face; you could tell at a glance who had done it.
Zhou Yu had already divided the cake for them, but her emotions were still not calm.
The last time so many people celebrated her birthday was in sixth grade. Her birthday was before summer vacation and after the final exams. Back then, Liu Xianya always liked to dress her up as a beautiful princess and buy her a big, expensive cake. Many friends would come to her house to celebrate her birthday and eat cake with her.
This morning, Liu Xianya sent her a red envelope, regretting that she couldn't be there to celebrate her birthday for the first time. Zhou Yu comforted her, saying it was okay, after all, she was an adult now, so it didn't matter whether she celebrated her birthday or not.
But when so many friends celebrated her birthday together, Zhou Yu realized that the birthday was just a title, and what really mattered was the company of those around her.
Chen Jingchi doesn't like sweets, so after only a few bites, he whispered to her, "Come back to my room at the hotel."
He spoke in a very low voice, so that only she could hear him.
Zhou Yu looked up at him, guessed what was going on, and asked softly, "A gift?"
"Um."
His gaze fell on the corner of her lips, and just as he raised his hand, he suddenly changed direction, pulled a tissue from the table, and wiped her lower lip, cleaning up the white cream.
His movements were so natural, as if it were commonplace. Zhou Yu was stunned for a moment as he watched him throw the wad of tissue into the trash can at his feet.
She lowered her gaze, seemingly remembering something, and placed the unfinished cake on the table.
It's definitely a bit too sweet.
"Oh no, oh no, my phone is covered in cream." Tan Bei raised her hand. "Take the paper out of my pocket."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhan Li had already taken a pack of tissues out of her bag, tore open the packaging, and said, "Give me your phone, stop taking pictures."
Tan Bei asked curiously, "Where did you get this from?"
“It’s in my bag, where else could it be?” Zhan Li said as she handed her the phone. “Change this phone case.”
Tan Bei stopped arguing, took off her phone case, and handed Zhan Li a Polaroid photo clipped to the back: "Put it in your phone."
It's a photo of the two of them taken when they graduated from high school.
Zhan Li stuffed it into her phone case.
After finishing their meal and returning to the hotel, Zhou Yu was still thinking about what Chen Jingchi had said, wondering what excuse she could use to tell Tan Bei. Even at the room door, she couldn't think of anything. Feeling that lying would only deepen the misunderstanding, she simply confessed, "Bei Bei, I'm going to Chen Jingchi's room."
Tan Bei wasn't surprised at all. She smiled at her and said, "Go ahead, I'm going to take a shower now."
Du Heng had booked rooms for them all on the same floor. She glanced to the side and saw that everyone else had gone inside, but Chen Jingchi was standing at the door, looking at her from a great distance.
Zhou Yu walked over and followed him inside. The door clicked shut, and she watched as Chen Jingchi took a box from the bedside table.
"I wanted to give it to you this morning, but I was too pressed for time." Chen Jingchi handed her the black box and said again, "Happy birthday."
Zhou Yu initially thought the palm-sized box contained jewelry, but since she never wore jewelry, she was worried it would be a waste. However, upon opening it, she discovered it was actually a keychain.
A jade gourd hangs from the silver ring, sparkling and beautiful under the light.
"It was a gift because it sounds like your name," Chen Jingchi said. "I originally wanted to have it engraved, but Du Heng said that engraving was too tacky."
Zhou Yu frowned. It wasn't that she hadn't seen jade before. When she was little, she saw Liu Xianya wearing a bright white jade bracelet, which was part of her dowry from her grandmother. A few years ago, Liu Xianya sold it to make up for the money she had been owed. Zhou Yu had asked her how much it cost, and she said 300,000 yuan, even after the price was lowered.
The more transparent the jade, the more expensive it is. She didn't believe Chen Jingchi would really give her a piece of glass.
"Did you spend a lot of money?" she asked.
"Not much," Chen Jingchi said casually. "If it were really expensive, I would have let you wear it around your neck."
Zhou Yu thought about it and realized it made sense; who would hang something like that on a keychain? But he was also afraid that the other person was saying it on purpose, and he was caught in a dilemma.
She wouldn't dare accept something that was truly valuable.
“I even memorized my acceptance speech.” He calmly mentioned the awards ceremony tonight. “I was going to wish you a happy birthday on stage, but I didn’t get to go up there.”
Zhou Yu looked up at him. Although his words were full of regret, there was no emotional fluctuation in his eyes.
It's unclear whether he was deliberately pretending or had truly let go.
Thinking about the hug after they left the venue, Zhou Yu still felt guilty. The words she didn't say were stuck in her throat, reminding her from time to time that, no matter what, as a friend, she should do something.
She took a step forward and reached out to hug him.
This time it was just the two of them. She thought she had made full preparations, but she didn't expect that she would still feel nervous and her heart would race just before going on stage because her opponent was him.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, trying to suppress the flutter in her heart and make her voice sound calm: "It's okay, there's still a long road ahead, there will be other opportunities in the future."
Her speech quickened without her realizing it, and when she finished speaking, she tried to pull away, but he reached out and grabbed her shoulder, prolonging the embrace.
Chen Jingchi lowered his head and chuckled softly in her ear: "Am I a very greedy person?"
Zhou wanted to shake her head and say no, but she found that she couldn't bring herself to say it.
“If you hug me once, I will want to do it countless times.” Chen Jingchi raised his hand, ran his fingers through the hair at the back of her head, and murmured, “I want you to only look at me, only care about me, and only be good to me.”
Zhou Yu clearly sensed something was wrong with him. She tried to look up at him, but the force of his hand was so strong that she couldn't move.
Chen Jingchi whispered into her ear, "Is it greedy of us to not be friends but boyfriend and girlfriend?"
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Author's Note: Thank you oookkkkkk for the landmine!
Thank you for the nutrient solution, babies!! [Purple Heart]
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