Chapter 17 Chapter 17 These kindnesses and cares have crossed the line...
She was so hot and thirsty that she felt half of her blood was flowing upwards and the other half was flowing downwards.
She drank the remaining half glass of water on the bedside table in one breath, and subconsciously put her palm to her chest. She even had the urge to call Jiang Jun immediately.
After a while, Shao Chengzhang came in holding a clean four-piece suit. He had thrown the four-piece suit he had changed out of into the washing machine that morning, and it was now dry.
Shen Zhuo had forgotten about this matter. She was a little speechless to herself. What happened to this day?
Perhaps because of her job as an agent, Chen Zhuo has always been the one who takes care of others and arranges things in an orderly manner, and she is not used to being taken care of by others.
Try not to trouble others with things you can do yourself. This is one of Chen Zhuo's principles in dealing with outsiders.
However, throughout the day, Shao Chengzhang was the one who took care of her.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Shao Chengzhang shook the bedding in his arms, "Come and help me."
Chen Zhuo said "Oh" and walked over to help Shao Chengzhang fold the sheets and quilt. He pinched two corners, shook them out, folded them in half, and then folded them in half again. Chen Zhuo walked forward and handed him his end, and their fingertips inevitably touched slightly.
It was just a trivial and ordinary thing, but now she didn't know what was wrong. She always felt that all her senses seemed to be infinitely magnified. Even this meaningless and subtle little movement made her very concerned.
But what made her most flustered was not embarrassment, but that she actually felt a little bit excited.
Yes, a slight joy burst out from her heart. It was as if something had entered her heart, but she didn't dare to look closely, so she could only hide it carefully, avoiding it while trying to peek.
This isn't like her, not at all.
She felt like something was wrong with her!
"Do you have any other plans this afternoon?"
"What's wrong?" Shen Zhuo asked.
Shao Chengzhang pursed his lips and paused for two seconds before inviting her: "Do you want to watch a movie this afternoon? The one you said you hadn't finished watching the other day."
On the first night she moved in, Chen Zhuo mentioned a movie she really liked while exchanging movie lists with Shao Chengzhang. She had watched half of it at the cinema, but had to leave early for work and didn't see the end. Later, the movie was taken off the shelves, and she kept thinking about watching the whole movie online, but she kept forgetting.
Shen Zhuo didn't expect Shao Chengzhang to remember it, but she had originally planned for the afternoon. She needed to sort out the data of recent hit dramas and analyze the latest market trends, but there was no rush.
"Okay." Chen Zhuo looked up into a pair of dark eyes. Somehow, he agreed as if possessed by a ghost.
Shao Chengzhang smiled and asked her to come to the audio-visual room in ten minutes.
Chen Zhuo is talking about a realistic love movie. The whole movie is very plain. The director and screenwriter use delicate brushstrokes to portray the two strangers from meeting to knowing each other, falling in love and breaking up. Coupled with the realistic acting of Kasumi Arimura and Masaki Suda, people can't help but sigh after watching it.
Shao Chengzhang glanced sideways and saw Chen Zhuo wiping his tears with the back of his hand. He was not too moved by the plot, but Shen Zhuo's reaction made him a little curious. Why did he cry?
He silently pulled out a tissue and handed it over. Chen Zhuo, who was discovered crying, was a little embarrassed and took the tissue silently.
Shao Chengzhang couldn't help but look at her a few more times. His eyelashes were wet, and they were reflected on the screen, looking shiny and wet.
Kind of cute.
Only when the subtitles of the film started rolling did Shao Chengzhang stand up and turn on the ceiling light.
Even though he already knew the ending of the movie, Shen Zhuo couldn't help but sigh, "What a pity."
"Why is it a pity?" Shao Chengzhang obviously didn't think so. "It's inevitable that they'll separate."
Shen Zhuo tilted his head, wanting to hear Shao Chengzhang's thoughts.
Shao Chengzhang thought for a moment and said, "They seem to have many similar interests and hobbies, but their values are different. It's just that they are covered up by labels."
"That's true, but in reality, even this kind of fake 'soulmate' is hard to come by, so it's a pity." When Chen Zhuo mentioned the word soulmate, he stretched out his hand and made a double quotation mark gesture.
Shao Chengzhang said: "In my opinion, the concept of soulmate is a false one. In fact, the person who knows you best is yourself. Even a person may not fully understand himself, so how can you expect to understand yourself by spending some time with a stranger?"
Chen Zhuo agreed with him very much. There are no identical leaves in the world, let alone humans with complex thoughts.
"Well, the pace of life is so fast nowadays that it's actually hard to have the energy to seriously get to know someone. But sometimes I wonder if people nowadays put too much emphasis on the love part of intimate relationships or have too high expectations of their lovers?" Chen Zhuo said with his head tilted.
"From what I've observed, my friends have completely different standards when it comes to their friends and boyfriends. For example, if a friend is late, it might not be a big deal, but if her boyfriend is late, she'll feel like he doesn't value her and her temper will explode." She paused. "But in my opinion, friendship and love are equally intimate relationships. Love shouldn't be sanctified, nor should it be a reason to make endless demands on a loved one."
Shao Chengzhang said: "Love emphasizes uniqueness more than friendship. You can have many friends, but you can only have one lover. This exclusivity and possessiveness can easily make people treat their lovers as objects to satisfy their own expectations."
"Yes, and this is exactly where problems are most likely to occur." Shen Zhuo looked at Shao Chengzhang and said, "When the other party fails to meet your expectations, you will be disappointed."
"But it's probably difficult to have no expectations of your partner," Shao Chengzhang said. "Or, in other words, don't have excessively high expectations of your partner. Even if your partner doesn't meet your expectations, you should speak up in time. Communication can't solve everything, but it is the starting point for solving everything."
Shen Zhuo believes that to some extent, Shao Chengzhang and she are on the same wavelength.
She smiled and snapped her fingers. "That's true, but no matter what kind of relationship you're in, you need to communicate promptly if there are any problems. I can't stand people who don't say anything and always make the other person guess. It's very tiring."
Shao Chengzhang nodded in agreement and continued, "So we live together. If you feel uncomfortable in any way, please bring it up in time, because I can't guess."
Shen Zhuo smiled and made an "OK" gesture.
On this point, she and Shao Chengzhang agree.
After the movie, Shen Zhuo returned to his workroom to finish some work. Two hours later, it was almost time for lunch. Shen Zhuo put down his computer and went to the living room to ask Shao Chengzhang what he wanted to eat. At least he wanted to repay the debt of lunch.
Shao Chengzhang was not working. He released Ares from the eco-box and was playing with it.
Seeing Ares's curiosity piqued, Shen Zhuo walked over and squatted beside Shao Chengzhang, asking, "Will it bite? Can I touch it?"
"No, the bearded dragon is very docile." He looked at Ares and hooked his finger at it, motioning it to come closer.
Ares took two more steps closer, and Chen Zhuo could reach it with just an outstretched arm. Shao Chengzhang first reached out and touched Ares's head, then its chin. "That's it."
Shen Zhuo stretched out her hand cautiously, and just as her fingertips were about to touch its head, Ares suddenly tilted his head slightly, and she was so scared that she subconsciously retracted her hand.
"It's okay." He said softly, and suddenly reached out and gently held her wrist.
Before Shen Zhuo could react, he steadily led his hand forward, and his fingertips slowly touched Ares's head.
The touch was unexpectedly dry and warm, not the cold feeling she had imagined. But what concerned her more was the warmth coming from her wrist.
One second, two seconds, three seconds - my heartbeat slowed down by two beats without me noticing, and then suddenly started beating faster.
Shao Chengzhang didn't look at her, his eyes were still on Ares, but he seemed to have noticed something and gently let go of his hand.
Chen Zhuo suddenly came back to his senses, feeling a little panicked and confused, and suddenly felt an urge to escape.
Why did she stay here on weekends? Since Aunt Chen was not here, and she and Shao Chengzhang did not need to pretend to be a couple, why did she still live in his house?
"Oh...right...I was thinking, why don't I stay out this weekend?" She tried to sound relaxed and natural, but the evasiveness in her eyes was hard to hide. She couldn't go home, but she could still go to Ms. Chi's place, or at worst, stay in a hotel.
Shao Chengzhang tilted his head to look at her, clearly a little surprised: "Why?"
"Well... originally we lived together to deal with Aunt Chen and your family. Since she's not here on the weekends, we don't need to continue like this, right?"
Shao Chengzhang stared at her for two seconds, his face visibly darkening: "Do you feel uncomfortable living with me?"
"No..." Shen Zhuo hurriedly explained, "I'm afraid of trouble——"
Shao Chengzhang said coldly: "Where's the trouble?"
"I don't mean to say that you are troublesome, but I think I may be too much trouble for you..." Anyone would feel annoyed by being tossed around like this in the middle of the night, but Shao Chengzhang never showed any impatience towards her. He even made lunch for her and reminded her to take medicine... Their relationship made him feel embarrassed to do these things to her.
For Shen Zhuo, these kindness and care were a bit over the line.
Shao Chengzhang suddenly spoke, interrupting Shen Zhuo’s thoughts: “You don’t need to consider me for dinner.”
Chen Zhuo said "Oh", said goodbye to Ares, and then got up and went back to the house.
Not long after, there was a slight "click" sound. It was the sound of the electronic door lock. Did he go out?
Shen Zhuo ordered takeout in the evening. When she went out to get the food, she glanced at the table where Shao Chengzhang was working. He and the computer on the marble table were gone.
In order to prepare for the upcoming short holiday, she had to go to work on Sunday, which was supposed to be a day off. Aunt Chen came to Yuelan Bay as usual to make breakfast and clean the house. During the conversation, she learned from Aunt Chen that Shao Chengzhang was on a business trip.
It's so sudden? Don't you even tell her?
Chen Zhuo felt that this man was a bit cold, but then he thought that she and he were not really husband and wife, so why should he tell her and make it seem like he was reporting something?
But no matter what, they are still roommates. Even if it is just an ordinary roommate relationship, they would still talk about it, right?
Shen Zhuo was a little unhappy.
Aunt Chen asked her how many days Mr. Shao had been away on business, and she almost let herself go, saying the project was too complicated and she couldn't confirm it yet. Aunt Chen also said that Mr. Shao had left her the car keys.
Chen Zhuo saw the Cayenne car keys on the island counter and snorted coldly. She would never drive his car. If he bumped into it, she couldn't afford to pay for it.
He is away on business and is happy to be alone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
