Chapter 11 Nijou-neechan, please don't agree to his request.
"What's wrong with you?" She decided to follow her heart.
"There are some things I've been keeping to myself for a long time. I had a few drinks with dinner tonight, and I wanted to take advantage of this moment to tell you."
"Haha, what could we possibly need to think so carefully before saying?" Her eyes sparkled. "You're not going to point out my flaws, are you? Go ahead and say it, I'll consider it seriously and promise not to change."
I was nervous all night, but now I'm not so nervous anymore.
Looking at her familiar, bright smile, he suddenly felt a sense of relief.
"Zhizhi, I'm sorry for causing you trouble at your supermarket today."
"Li Jiajing, you've already apologized three times today. It's such a small thing, why are you still holding onto it?"
"Yes... I feel a little guilty. I don't know what's wrong with me today. Actually, I didn't mean to make things difficult for that kid. It's just that I saw you being so nice to him, and I thought..."
"Jiajing, what exactly are you trying to say?" Xu Zhiyu interrupted him.
His palms were sweating. He pulled a dark blue box from his pocket, opened it, and inside was a delicate rose gold bracelet with a constantly sparkling four-leaf clover in the center.
"This is a Swarovski four-leaf clover bracelet. I see a lot of girls like wearing jewelry from this brand. Zhizhi, this is for you..."
The crystal at the center of the four-leaf clover features a clever openwork design, and it will tremble gently no matter how you hold it, appearing exquisite and dazzling under the illumination of the square's lanterns.
Ah Yu didn't take it directly, but leaned forward to take a peek.
"Is it a special day today? Are there any gifts to receive?"
"Today was just an ordinary day, but if you agree to be my girlfriend, then it will be extraordinary. Today is our first day together."
I finally got to say it; it wasn't as difficult as I'd imagined.
He stared at her intently, his mind blank.
Ah Yu was stunned, her mind blank.
She didn't know whether she should agree or not.
Yes, she wanted to be in a relationship, she wanted to have a boyfriend, she wanted to end her more than 20 years of single life, and she wanted to wear this beautiful bracelet.
But why?
Why couldn't she nod readily?
Why is it that the word "willing" gets stuck in my throat and I can't say it?
Why was she, who longed for love so much, not happy when Li Jiajing—a tall, handsome man from a good family—confessed his feelings to her?
At this moment, all she could feel was helplessness, embarrassment, and even a desire to escape.
"It's okay, it's okay, Zhizhi, you can think about it. I'll probably stay at the store for a while this time, so there's no rush. You don't need to answer me right away."
The usually talkative and lively Boss Xu fell silent, and the atmosphere became so cold that Li Jiajing felt uneasy.
“I’ve never been in a relationship, Jiajing.” She put away her playful tone and took his feelings seriously. “I long for love, I long for a boyfriend, I long for someone in a small supermarket who is willing to do boring things with me and waste time with me.”
Hearing this, he thought there was hope, but Zhizhi's tone sounded strange.
“In those few dozen seconds of silence just now, I fantasized, fantasized that this person was you, because I don’t know if I like you, so I can only clumsily imagine it in this way…” She paused slightly, “I seem to be a little slow in this regard. It wasn’t until after Zhang Zhi left today, until just now after watching the movie, that I noticed your strangeness.”
"It's not that you're slow-witted, it's that I'm slow-witted. I've been hiding it all along. Because I didn't dare to say it, I was afraid that in the end we wouldn't even be able to be friends anymore. It was Zhang Zhi who kept encouraging me. To be honest, I'm quite timid. I can't remember when I started liking you. Maybe it was the first time in the store, or maybe it was in the many times we met afterward."
Hearing him say that, she became bolder. "Jiajing, so, if I reject you, we can still be friends, right?"
He paused, taken aback.
"No... I'll think about it?"
"What are you thinking about?" She smiled calmly. "How much does this bracelet cost, or how good will you be to me in the future?"
Li Jiajing was speechless.
“If you think those are the kinds of issues I need to consider, then I don’t think that’s liking. I don’t want to lose you as a friend, Jiajing.”
"Then what do you mean by 'like'? Did you reject me because of him?" He choked up.
"who?"
That was too direct, so he changed his question: "Do you have someone you like right now?"
"No." This time she answered decisively, "What I mean by liking someone is that I won't hesitate or be afraid."
"What?"
She tilted her head and thought for a moment, "You won't hesitate to confess because you're afraid of the answer, and I won't hesitate to answer or be afraid to hear your confession."
He didn't quite understand what Zhizhi said, but he did understand that she had indeed rejected him.
No matter how hard he tried to hide it, the disappointment still enveloped him like a huge net. His heart felt light, empty, so empty. He forced a dry smile, his voice hoarse: "It's okay."
At that moment, Ah Yu suddenly slapped him hard, dispelling the sense of loss that surrounded him.
"Hey, cheer up! I may not be able to give Boss Li romantic love, but I can give you a strong revolutionary friendship! It's just that I, Xu Zhiyu, am not fortunate enough to enjoy Boss Li's vast fortune! Next time we play mahjong..."
Li Jiajing was amused by her: "What? Are you going to let me win next time we play mahjong? Are you going to deliberately lose to me a little?"
"Dream on! Next time I play mahjong, I'll bring a megaphone and tell my mahjong buddies that Mr. Li, the owner of the coffee shop, confessed his feelings to me! I, Xu Zhiyu, truly have irresistible personal charm~"
"Hey! No..."
She skipped away, and Li Jiajing scratched his head as he chased after her.
"You really can't tell anyone about this! Give me some face, Sister Yu!"
The two distanced themselves, seemingly back in their school days, running freely in the square. Ah Yu's voice was distant and clear: "You'd better hurry up and find a pretty girl to give your bracelet to, otherwise I'll win it all over you in one night next time we play mahjong! Anyway, this thing is in my pocket now!"
He chased after her, knowing she was just saying that to comfort him. The disappointment in his heart gradually dissipated as he ran. Looking at the pink sun in the distance, he suddenly felt a little despicable.
He doesn't even remember that she loves grapes. How can someone like him be worthy of selfishly possessing the light?
.
As night deepened, the electric scooters in the courtyard honked softly.
She was wearing a face mask and snuggled under the covers when she could hear the sound of water dripping from the awning of the building next door; someone upstairs was watering their flowers.
The phone screen is currently showing the WeChat chat between the user and Li Jiajing.
She didn't show her emotions when comforting him that night, but in fact, she was more flustered than he was when faced with such a sudden confession.
I don't know if it's because of her mother's influence, but she has a strong sense of empathy. As a friend, she didn't want to see Jiajing sad, but she would never be perfunctory with her feelings. If they started something so hasty, then if they broke up later, it would be truly regrettable, and there would be no reason to be friends anymore.
Yeah?
She only told half of what she wanted to say that evening—
[In those few seconds of silence, I fantasized—I imagined you were the one keeping me company while I spent my boring time in the supermarket. But what's going on? You were clearly wearing gray today, so why does that figure always appear white?]
good evening.
.
The next day, a light drizzle fell.
She can sleep in on weekends because no one will be waiting at the door with a sour face, urging her to open it.
My dad had already gone to work by now; his job as a chef starts at 8 am. My mom worked the night shift all night and didn't get home until 9 am this morning. She had dark circles under her eyes, but she looked energetic.
Every time Ayu sees her mother working the night shift, she feels sorry for her and tries to persuade her to quit. But she can't bear to give up the social security contributions she's made for twenty years and always says that she can retire in a few more years.
She shook her head and sighed. At times like these, she would question whether her decision to return home from the big city was the right one. But she would quickly cheer herself up again. The small supermarket was doing well, and once things were more stable, she could open a business on the second floor and her income should increase several times over.
I took out the minced meat and eggplant puree that I had cooked in advance last night from the refrigerator. This morning, I'm going to give the kid a taste of something a little stronger – minced meat and eggplant puree noodles!
It's mainly because she wants to eat it herself.
.
An hour later, she and the boy sat facing each other in their usual corner seat by the window.
Mr. Xu stared at the boy opposite him with anticipation.
He stirred the sauce on the noodles, looked at the thick layer of oil on top of the broth, and swallowed hard without making a sound.
To be honest, from the time he was born until he was 17, he had never eaten anything so greasy in the morning.
Ah Yu's father was a chef, and he took her to restaurants since she was a child. Whenever a new and delicious restaurant opened in Mu Shui City, the chefs would go and taste it to see if it was salty or bland. She had tasted all kinds of meat and fish dishes since she was a child, and developed a strong palate. Now she was enjoying the noodles in front of the boy.
Her happiness makes him happy.
He also tried taking big bites of noodles, the steam melting the ice in his eyes and revealing a hint of satisfaction.
But such bliss is easily shattered; the voice of Aunt Wang, the singing sensation next door, drifts in through the open door, carrying musical notes:
"Ah Yu—I heard you want to date? Didn't yesterday's one go wrong? Aunt Xu told me this morning on her way home from get off work. Why didn't you say you wanted to date sooner? Your aunt has connections, I can introduce you to someone!"
A note from the author:
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Boss Xu: "Hungry, but selective. I'll choose the people I like myself, not be passive!!"
Don't worry, little angels, Xingmian has plenty of strength and methods up her sleeve! ^-^
P.S. Who would like to donate a bottle of nutrient solution to me? (I'm a begging author). 99 doesn't look right, so I'd like to make it 100, is that okay?
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