Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Only you look at me, my existence...
Before the meteor shower date arrived, Chen Zhuo received a reply from Nadia: she had resigned from Jingxi and would come over after handing over her work.
Chen Zhuo glanced at the message and snapped her fingers in delight. Lately, everything seemed to be going the way she wanted. That was great. She couldn't wait to share it with Shao Chengzhang.
However, he was still working overtime at the company. A few days ago, Shao Chengzhang had suddenly become very busy. Although they lived together, Shen Zhuo felt as if he hadn't seen him for several days.
I can't come back before I go to bed, and I'm gone when I wake up.
She looked at the time and it was already past eleven o'clock. She sent a message to Shao Chengzhang, not to share the good news, but to ask him when he would be home.
Shao Chengzhang always replied half an hour later, telling her that it might be late and asking her to rest first.
Chen Zhuo: "I missed you."
Shao Chengzhang: "I miss you too, I want to hug you."
Chen Zhuo found a very cute hug emoticon and sent it over.
Chen Zhuo: "I'm going to sleep, you go ahead and do your work. Come back early."
After Shao Chengzhang replied, Shen Zhuo didn't reply. She said she was going to sleep, but she didn't put down her phone. She turned on a podcast and listened while waiting for Shao Chengzhang to come back.
It was past two o'clock when Shao Chengzhang got home. He pushed open the bedroom door and found that the bedside lamp was still on, but Chen Zhuo had fallen asleep.
He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her in the light. After looking at her for a while, Shao Chengzhang felt that he was accumulating energy, and the fatigue of the day was not worth mentioning.
Shen Zhuo didn't know why she woke up suddenly. Her eyes weren't open yet, but her brain was the first to wake up. The soft light from the bedside lamp could still be felt through her thin eyelids. Shen Zhuo reached out and touched her side; it was empty. She wanted to check the time, but when she opened her eyes, she found Shao Chengzhang sitting by the bed.
Chen Zhuo rubbed his eyes: "You're back?"
Shao Chengzhang was also surprised that she woke up. Chen Zhuo almost never got up at night, so he didn't dare touch her just now for fear of waking her. "Why did you wake up?" Shao Chengzhang asked.
"I don't know, I just woke up suddenly. Maybe my body sensed that you were back, so I woke up. Who made me miss you so much?" Chen Zhuo took his hand out of the quilt and opened his arms to him, "Come here, let me hug you."
Shao Chengzhang smiled. She always said he was sweet-talking her, but it was clearly her tenderness and affection towards him. He leaned down and snuggled into her arms.
"Are you tired?" she asked.
"Well, I was very tired, but now I'm not tired anymore after seeing you."
Shen Zhuo smiled and put his face against his cheek, "It's so cold." Shen Zhuo could feel the chill brought by his body through the quilt. Shao Chengzhang was in a hurry to come back. He didn't even turn on the air conditioner when he got into the car and rushed home.
"Then I'll go take a hot bath first." As he said this, Shen Zhuo hugged his neck tightly, not letting him move.
After holding him for a long time, Shen Zhuo felt that his face was no longer so cold, so he let him go slightly. When he got closer, he found that his eyes were full of red bloodshot. He had been staying up all night for four or five days in a row, and even an iron man must have been exhausted. Shen Zhuo couldn't help but feel distressed.
"My bed is very warm, come in first." At this time, not minding that he was still wearing his going-out shirt and trousers and had not changed into pajamas, Shen Zhuo moved in to make room for Shao Chengzhang.
"Hurry up, I need to go to the bathroom."
Shao Chengzhang obediently took off his shoes and went to bed. The quilt was warm and there was a faint scent of her shampoo on the pillow. He lay down and felt his whole body stretched out.
Shen Zhuo went to the bathroom and came back to find that Shao Chengzhang had fallen asleep. He didn't know if the recent work pressure was too great, but even when he was asleep, his brows were slightly furrowed. Shen Zhuo sighed and gently smoothed his eyebrows.
She wanted to take off his clothes, but she was afraid that the movement would wake him up, so she gave up. She turned off the bedside lamp, climbed onto the bed from the foot of the bed and lay down beside him.
Sensing someone beside him, Shao Chengzhang did not wake up, but subconsciously turned sideways and hugged the person next to him in his arms.
Chen Zhuo kept wondering if he was rushing to work because he said he wanted to take her to see the meteor shower, just like the last time he took her to the island. On Tuesday night, Shao Chengzhang unexpectedly went home before midnight. Everyone was working, and Chen Zhuo was very understanding: "There are meteor showers every year anyway, so there's no need to rush until tomorrow. If you have work, just get busy with it first."
"No," Shao Chengzhang explained. He'd already had his eye on the commercial land in Ya'an District, but a few companies had recently taken a liking to it. As a future landmark for City A, the government prioritized the project's development, so they switched to a direct bidding process for companies, requiring them to submit development proposals. Shao Chengzhang and his team had been working on this for the past few days.
"Is it done now?"
"Well, the general framework has been decided, and we can leave the details to them."
Shen Zhuo was relieved at this moment, as long as it didn't delay his work.
Shao Chengzhang had been so exhausted the past few days that he'd managed a rare sleep in. They had brunch and drove to a suburban RV campground, where Shao Chengzhang had his own RV. He said he'd thought about traveling in his RV when he got older.
"And me?"
"Before, I only thought about one person. But now," Shao Chengzhang glanced at her, "you are the core premise of everything I do."
Shen Zhuo leaned his elbow on the car window, tilted his head and looked at him with a smile: "That's more like it."
Because it was a weekday and the location was remote, there were almost no people here. The car parked in the parking lot, and Shao Chengzhang took Shen Zhuo into the reception center. The boss knew him and saw that he was busy and said he had no time to come. Shao Chengzhang said that he was married and introduced Shen Zhuo to him. The boss laughed and congratulated him twice. After exchanging pleasantries, he asked Shao Chengzhang what he wanted to eat.
Barbecue, hotpot and grilling are all available here. Shao Chengzhang listened to Chen Zhuo and she said she wanted all.
After ordering the food, the two of them walked into the campsite. Before they reached their RV, they saw a family of three camping there. The baby looked very young, and from time to time they could hear his laughter and screams.
Shao Chengzhang's RV was different from the campsite; it was a modified Mercedes-Benz 24J, charcoal gray and very cool. The artists Chen Zhuo had previously managed had always requested an RV for rest on set, and she wasn't surprised by this. But once inside, she found this RV wasn't cramped at all, and it was fully equipped with everything. Even the restroom had separate wet and dry areas, unlike the Ivecos on set, where the restrooms were so cramped they barely had room for legs.
Sure enough, it’s great to have money.
The staff immediately brought them folding tables and chairs, a camper van, and other supplies. It was winter, and it got dark early and was cold at night, so it was a good time to have a bonfire.
"Really?" Shen Zhuo's eyes lit up when he knew it. Shao Chengzhang pointed her in a direction, and she saw a bonfire pit surrounded by stones not far away.
"Let's go get some dry firewood later."
"Okay." Shen Zhuo's face was full of curiosity and anticipation. Shao Chengzhang couldn't help but laugh when he saw her clapping her hands happily like a child.
After a while, Shao Chengzhang found two pairs of cotton gloves from somewhere and asked Chen Zhuo to wear them, fearing that there were thorns on the branches that would prick his hands. After the two of them went into the woods behind and picked up two handfuls of thin branches, Chen Zhuo felt a little hungry. Shao Chengzhang went to the reception center to get the chopped firewood and asked the staff to bring the food, tableware, and pots.
The mother of a family of three next door came over with her baby to borrow a lighter from Shen Zhuo. Their lighter seemed to be out of gas, so Shen Zhuo lent it to her without saying a word.
"Son, what are you going to say now?"
"Thank you, sister." A childish voice sounded. Shen Zhuo didn't expect that this chubby child would call her sister, which made her laugh.
She squatted down and smiled at the baby, "Baby, how old are you?"
The baby fell silent, his big, sparkling eyes blinking. "You said I'm almost three," his mother reminded him.
Shen Zhuo poked his face and praised him: "You are so cute."
The mother and son left, and Shao Chengzhang also came back. He was responsible for setting up the pot, and Shen Zhuo put the tableware and ingredients on the table.
"Sister—" a clear childish voice rang out. Shen Zhuo turned around and saw that it was the baby who came over to return the lighter. In his hand, he was also holding a box of yellow-heart kiwifruit. Shen Zhuo saw that he was walking unsteadily and trotted over to take the things from him.
"You came here all by yourself, are you so impressive?" She squatted down and took the things from his hand. Seeing him stretch out a hand and look at her, she asked, "Hmm? Do you want me to hold you?"
The baby didn't say yes or no, he just stretched out his hand towards her. Shen Zhuo saw how cute he was and picked him up without hesitation.
"Oh my god, baby, you're quite heavy." Shen Zhuo carried him to the RV and asked Shao Chengzhang to take the lighter and fruit from her. Shen Zhuo teased the child: "Baby, look at what you called him?"
The baby said, "Uncle—uncle!"
Chen Zhuo burst out laughing, "Well, just call him uncle."
Shao Chengzhang raised his eyebrows: "What's wrong?"
Shen Zhuo snorted: "He called me sister. This means that in the eyes of children, you are much older than me."
Shao Chengzhang: “…”
Shen Zhuo lifted the child up a bit. Shao Chengzhang saw that she couldn't hold him any longer and said to him, "Come, uncle will carry you back."
The little baby understood and turned his head away, causing Shen Zhuo to laugh again, "Hahaha, he dislikes you."
Shao Chengzhang shook his head and snorted: "At such a young age, you only know how to find a beautiful sister."
At this time, the baby's mother came over and saw Chen Zhuo holding the child, so she ran over and said, "Son, why do you still let your sister hold you when you are so old? I am so embarrassed!" The child's mother took him from Chen Zhuo's arms.
"It's okay." Shen Zhuo smiled. When the mother and child were about to leave, she stopped them and said she wanted to give them some fruit. The baby's mother kept refusing, but finally Shen Zhuo took out a box of blueberries and asked the baby to hold it.
The weather was very good today. They sat under the canopy, eating and chatting slowly. By the time they finished eating, the sun had begun to set.
Since Shao Chengzhang had been in charge of the barbecue and hot pot, and Shen Zhuo had only been eating with his chopsticks, she volunteered to clean up the dishes and wash the fruit after the meal.
When she came out, she found that Shao Chengzhang was gone. She put the fruit on the table, walked out, and saw him standing not far away.
The setting sun shone down, stretching his shadow very long. Chen Zhuo walked a few steps closer and saw that he was looking at a family of three on the lawn. The young parents held the child's hands, one on each side, and lifted the child up to swing on the swing. With each swing, the child giggled, and the laughter sounded carefree.
I don’t know what he is thinking... But Shen Zhuo stared at Shao Chengzhang’s back and suddenly wanted to hug him.
"Shao Chengzhang!" He turned around when he heard Shen Zhuo calling him, "You have to catch me."
After saying that, Shen Zhuo trotted over, ran in front of him, then jumped onto him and hung on.
"Let's go light a bonfire, okay?" Shen Zhuo said with a smile, resting her forehead against his. Shao Chengzhang agreed and carried her back.
Shao Chengzhang piled up the firewood in a few steps, put the dry branches they picked up on top, and ignited it with solid alcohol. Soon, a small flame started.
In the blink of an eye, the sky had darkened. Chen Zhuo looked up and saw sporadic twinkling stars around the moon.
The firewood crackled and crackled, with occasional "bangs" as the wood burst and emitted sparks.
The family of three next door seemed to have left.
There was only her and Shao Chengzhang here, with a bonfire on the ground and the stars and moon in the sky. The two of them sat there quietly without saying a word.
Chen Zhuo couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth, enjoying the tranquility and happiness of this moment.
After the sun completely set, a slight breeze picked up, and the temperature plummeted. "Is it cold? If so, let's go stay in the car for a while. We still have about an hour before the game starts."
Chen Zhuo shook her head. She had finally come out, and she wanted to absorb more of the essence of nature and bask in the moonlight.
Shao Chengzhang got up and went to the car to get her a thick down jacket and hand warmers.
"Put your hand in, I'll warm you up too." Shen Zhuo put the hand warmer in her pocket. Her pocket was big, so she let Shao Chengzhang put his hand in. Shao Chengzhang's hands were not cold, but he wanted to hold her hand.
The temperature dropped, and fat burned faster, making hunger worse. Shao Chengzhang turned on the hot pot again and placed a grill over the fire. He cracked two eggs into a small tinfoil bowl, grilled some tofu and potatoes, and made her a dry sauce.
"When I was hiking in Yunnan Province, I saw locals eating roasted eggs and potatoes like this."
"Is Yunnan Province fun?" Shen Zhuo had never been there.
Shao Chengzhang was just recounting his journey to a certain gorge and mountain, where he had met many interesting people and tasted some unfamiliar food. Before he could finish his words, a meteor suddenly streaked across the night sky.
"Wife, it's started." He reminded her, but Shen Zhuo was too busy looking at him to look up at the sky.
"Ah, I missed the first meteor!" Shen Zhuo looked up at the night sky, blinking. She looked around, but could only see stars, not meteors. She got up and rushed to the bathroom in the car to avoid missing more.
As soon as she came out of the bathroom, she heard Shao Chengzhang calling her outside. She rushed out and happened to see a meteor passing by overhead. It was very, very fast and it would definitely not be visible in the brightly lit city.
And unlike those in TV dramas, the tails of real meteors are very short, like small fish jumping out of the deep sea to breathe, and then disappearing into the sea the next second.
"Hurry up and give me your phone. I want to take a picture—ah, no, no, no, let me make a wish first." Shen Zhuo was a little flustered.
Shao Chengzhang smiled and said, "It's okay. One night is enough for us to take a look. I'll take a picture of you and you can make a wish."
Chen Zhuo handed him the phone. She rushed forward, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together, resting them on her chin. Shao Chengzhang stood behind her and took her picture.
After making a wish, Chen Zhuo ran back and asked, "You don't even make a wish?"
"The wish I made on the shooting star didn't come true."
Shen Zhuo choked, "Who can help you realize what you said?"
"You." Shao Chengzhang stared at her and said, "Only you can help me realize my wish."
Shen Zhuo walked up to him and stood still, putting his hands in his coat pockets. "Then let me hear you. I'll think about how to help you achieve it."
Shao Chengzhang lowered his eyes to look at her, thought for a moment, and then said, "Wife, do you know the brightest star tonight? It's Pollux in Gemini. You're right, stars only have meaning when they are seen. So, can you let me be your star? Can you just look at me? Only when you look at me, my existence will have meaning."
"Shao Chengzhang..." Shen Zhuo was simply shocked by Shao Chengzhang's sudden confession.
She had never thought that she was so important in his heart, so important that he said he existed for her.
Chen Zhuo stood on tiptoe and hugged him, feeling extremely moved.
"You know, the Kazakh people don't have a direct way of saying 'I love you.' Their expression of 'I love you' translates to 'I see you clearly.' I like you, I love you, not because of your identity, your background, or how well-off you are. It's because I see your inner self, your thoughts, and what your heart desires."
"Shao Chengzhang, I have always seen you very clearly."
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