Chapter 58 He will give her every summer
Jiang Meng touched the tips of her shoes, scratched her cheek, and sat up straight. Out of curiosity, she quickly glanced at the area he was covering—of course, it was all blocked by him, so she couldn't see anything. She immediately looked away and said, "You can use my restroom."
Chen Jizhou looked ahead, not at her, and said in a deep voice, "No need, just don't move."
Jiang Meng obediently replied, "Okay, okay, I won't move."
Chen Jizhou calmed down a bit, and his breathing became much easier. He smoothed his breath, ran his fingers through his hair, and sat up straighter: "If you don't understand this, can you put something else on it?"
"Okay, there are two minutes left. Let me finish watching."
"Um."
In those two minutes, Chen Jizhou grabbed the hoodie next to him and put it back on.
Jiang Meng played a domestic film for him and asked with concern, "Is it ready?"
"Much better."
He glanced to the side and saw her smiling.
Chen Jizhou spoke up: "Is it funny?"
"It's quite funny."
Seeing her smug smile, and knowing he couldn't bully her, he felt a bit helpless, almost laughing in exasperation, and gave a slight smirk. His sharp, roguish edge was mercilessly suppressed by her teasing expression.
Jiang Meng nestled in his arms, smiling sweetly: "Want another kiss?"
Chen Jizhou glanced at her and said, "Give me a break."
Jiang Meng pinched the hat drawstring on his chest and twirled it between her fingertips.
Even when he's dressed in all black, his aura is still sharp. Chen Jizhou seems like a friendly and easygoing person, but he doesn't actually open up to people so easily. His heart is deep and hard to fathom.
Jiang Meng played with his clothes for a while, then suddenly said, "Chen Jizhou, the dishes you brought today are all my favorites. But I hope you know that your feelings are also important. I also want to know if you're eating well and sleeping well, so don't just order what I like to eat. What you like to eat is just as important. In our relationship, I don't want the scales to always tip in my favor."
"Because you are also a part of my feelings."
"If you're not doing well, I won't be either."
They gazed at each other for a moment, and seeing the concern reflected in her eyes, it was hard not to be moved. She was the girl he had liked for so long, so very long; no amount of affection could compare to her words: "You are a part of my heart." Hiding his turbulent thoughts, Chen Jizhou silently and affectionately looked at her, but showed nothing. He calmed the ripples in his heart, simply smiled, gently patted her head, and casually replied, "Worried about me? Would a hedonist like me ever mistreat myself?"
Jiang Meng clicked her tongue: "Just answer me seriously."
Chen Jizhou nodded seriously, "Okay, I promise you."
"Isn't he secretly pleased? My wife is so loving towards me."
He didn't speak, but he raised his face and smiled, his lips red and teeth white, his eyebrows and eyes like crescent moons, filled with youthful, shining stars that would never grow old.
Jiang Meng admired his good looks for a while, "You look really handsome when you smile."
Chen Jizhou said without any modesty, "I think so too."
She chuckled: "You think so too? You should say, 'Then I'll smile more from now on.'"
He didn't care: "That's too obsequious. I'm just like this. I like what I like, and I don't care what I don't like."
Jiang Meng smiled, then suddenly remembered that A had once told her that quite a few people disliked her.
For every person who likes you, there is someone who dislikes you. For every person you like, there is someone who hates you.
It's only human nature.
Jiang Meng stared at him, lost in thought for a moment, and then said, "Still so opinionated."
His mother used to criticize him, often using the word "stubborn and unyielding."
But in Jiang Meng's eyes, he was like a steadfast tree, growing according to his own will from beginning to end. Brave, free, sincere, and passionate. Unchanging and unyielding.
"I'm lucky," she said. "I'm that kind of person now."
Chen Jizhou smiled and pinched her cheek: "Congratulations, you've finally learned something good."
After watching two episodes of a tedious period drama, Chen Jizhou got up to cook for her. He drew back the curtains and stood on the balcony at dusk. He didn't even let her help with preparing the ingredients. He cleaned the clams, soaked them in water to let them purge the sand, and used a potato peeler, knowing to stick a chopstick into the potato to avoid hurting his hand. She watched him quietly as he skillfully busied himself with the daily chores, having seen his wandering life, and clearly seeing the essence of home in him.
Stable and comfortable, a steady and long-term flow.
As the setting sun cast its glow on the man's broad, calm shoulders, she thought to herself, "If only he were really my husband."
The only thing Jiang Meng could do was unfold her folding dining table and find a place to put it in her small apartment.
After the meal, Jiang Meng insisted on washing the dishes.
Chen Jizhou told her to sit down next to him.
Jiang Meng retorted, "It's the same when I eat at my friends' houses. The person who cooks doesn't wash the dishes; the division of labor is very clear."
He glanced at her: "Am I a friend?"
"How about this, you wash half and I'll wash the other half."
Chen Jizhou saw her quickly wash a bowl, and he took it to check it: "You didn't wash it clean, let me do it."
...So that's the key point.
"You look down on me."
She should have shown her strength at this moment, but Jiang Meng didn't. She accepted Jiang Meng's disdain and simply put down her bowl and left.
Chen Jizhou leaned on the table and laughed for a while.
He tidied up the kitchen for her meticulously.
Jiang Meng sat on the sofa with her knees drawn up, looking him over. She remembered that the adults she used to know always disapproved of Chen Jizhou's unconventional and uneducated ways. They thought that people who didn't study hard were immature.
But many things simply depend on whether he wants to do them or not.
How could someone who can manage everything so quietly and take such good care of a grown woman be childish?
After finishing everything, Chen Jizhou opened the balcony door, stood there looking at her with a half-smile, and asked for her approval: "Are you satisfied, Miss?"
"One hundred points, one hundred points!"
He then slowly and deliberately made an exorbitant demand: "When it comes to wages, the hourly rate can't be lower than the market rate. I've been providing meals and conversations, so doubling the rate isn't unreasonable, is it?"
Jiang Meng said calmly, "Take my life if you want."
Looking at her stingy expression, he slowly suppressed his smile, silently looked at Jiang Meng, and then said, "If there's anything you're not satisfied with, tell me. I mean the whole process of us getting along."
"I'm not dissatisfied at all, why do you say that?"
"If you're with me, I'll definitely try my best to make you happy, so that when you look back on it later, you won't feel like you were wronged."
Chen Jizhou said, "After all, this is my first time being someone's boyfriend, so I don't know much and I'm afraid you'll feel uncomfortable."
Jiang Meng stammered, "I feel very comfortable."
She agreed verbally, but her brow furrowed slightly.
What does it mean to look back on it later?
Was his relationship with her also a part of his unresolved life, something he did at will?
Sure enough, such people are also calm and carefree when it comes to dating.
Jiang Meng was a little annoyed. Unable to hide her feelings, she asked directly, "Are you toying with my feelings?"
He frowned, and in a low voice, repeated her words, word by word: "Toying with your feelings?"
Chen Jizhou asked, puzzled, "Do I look that much of a jerk?"
"Aren't you a bastard?" Jiang Meng pursed her lips, remained silent for a long time, and finally managed to say, "I'm going to cry, Chen Jizhou, you owe me some money."
"What's wrong?"
He had a smile on his face and was speaking in a rather nonchalant tone, but when he saw her expression, he immediately realized something was wrong and Chen Jizhou rushed over and hugged Jiang Meng.
He asked again, amused, "What's wrong?"
Chen Jizhou gently stroked the back of her head and said, "I really like you."
He told her with utmost seriousness and deep gaze, "I really like you. Listen to my heart, Jiang Meng."
The ear pressed against her chest, hearing the pounding heartbeat, coupled with those two sincere words of "I really like you," helped her calm down a little.
He explained, "I just feel that time is precious, and being together is precious, regardless of the time limit. I want to remember every little thing I do with you right now, and I hope I can leave you with good memories too. During the time we're dating, the focus should be on the present. Did I express myself wrong?"
Chen Jizhou patted her head and gently smoothed her hair.
Jiang Meng sensed something was off: "Is that what you just meant?"
He said, "I'm just saying this, don't overthink it. If you care too much, I'll take it back."
"Then take it back. I am a little concerned."
Chen Jizhou nodded and said sincerely, "I take it back, I'm sorry."
He held Jiang Meng in his arms.
While playing basketball with Gao Yusen earlier today, Chen Jizhou received a call from Jiang Meng. People in love are naturally in a different state of mind. Gao Yusen was quite surprised and delighted by this, after all, Chen Jizhou's love can be described as going through thick and thin. His unwavering, persistent, and ten-year-long protection is something others may not know, but Gao Yusen has seen it all. However, the person involved seemed more composed than him. Chen Jizhou simply said: "Let her enjoy herself. I don't care."
Chen Jizhou was not being passive, nor was he feeling inferior.
He simply has a very typical air sign attitude: I love you, but you are free.
He hates being restrained, and he also hates restraining others.
Therefore, he was unwilling to force her with vows, nor would he use the past to blackmail her.
Chen Jizhou's life motto is this simple: cherish the present.
This was especially true when she was with Jiang Meng.
His desire for her happiness has never changed.
However, I didn't expect that letting things go unchecked would also be a mistake.
He misspoke, but quickly corrected himself, calmed Jiang Meng down, and then said playfully, "This isn't just a matter of being cautious; who knows, maybe one day you won't like me anymore?"
"Impossible, impossible!"
Jiang Meng's eyebrows furrowed in grievance. "Do you think I'm a womanizer and like a lot of people? But you're different from them. I don't know how to say it, but you said that I can only kiss you from now on. You're not allowed to be free and do whatever you want with me. You have to be controlling and possessive of me, and tie me down for the rest of my life so I can't escape!"
Chen Jizhou apologized repeatedly: "Okay, okay, I was wrong, I was wrong."
"Are you reliable or not?"
"I'm very reliable."
Chen Jizhou smiled and pulled her into his arms again. He thought that Jiang Meng might like him even more than he had imagined.
He felt so happy.
Chen Jizhou has always lived a happy life. He has chosen his own path, so this happiness is continuous and permeates his carefree life.
But what I created was completely different from what she gave me.
He had never felt such overwhelming happiness before.
Hearing her talk about the rest of her life.
"Like me, Jiang Meng, you've always liked me." He buried his face in her fragrant hair, and the desire he had never expressed for so many years finally reached her ears.
Of course, if he could, he would prefer to hold her tightly like this.
If she is also willing to love him, willing to look forward to a future with him, willing to grow old with him, and willing to have a home with him.
He would settle down without hesitation and provide her with the strongest support.
The sun sets, and night falls.
Jiang Meng turned off the air conditioner and fell asleep in his arms. When she woke up, Chen Jizhou was watching a ball game on silent mode. She felt a little cold, so she asked him to hand her a blanket. Jiang Meng snuggled under the blanket, looked out the window, and said with a touch of melancholy, "Summer is over."
Half-asleep, she heard Chen Jizhou reply, "I'll be back."
The melancholy vanished instantly upon hearing his words.
The magic of the "things take a turn for the better" principle lies in its ability to convince people that nothing is truly worth regretting or feeling down about.
For Chen Jizhou, no summer is the last summer.
He will give her every summer.
Bustling and vibrant, lush and verdant, magnificent and radiant, shining with boundless light.
-
In late autumn, when the weather turned cool, Jiang Meng returned to Pingjiang.
For a while, she almost forgot about her friend A's incident. Jiang Meng had asked Chen Jizhou about it once, and she casually mentioned a game she used to play called No Man's Land. He was playing the game in his room at the time, and Jiang Meng went over to stay with him for a while. He took off one of his headphones, listened to her talk, and then casually asked, "What?"
She said, "It's a game."
Is it a new release?
Jiang Meng looked at him with a very complicated expression for a long time.
Chen Jizhou looked at her for a while, then, remembering something, he said, "Didn't you ask me this question before?"
Jiang Meng didn't say anything more.
She did ask him.
During her senior year of high school, on the day she met Chen Jizhou, she asked him a question, and he gave her the same puzzled response.
Because of this, she was certain that he was not A.
Jiang Meng was initially curious about this matter, but gradually, as she grew to like Chen Jizhou more and more, she became less and less interested in knowing the truth.
She only occasionally compares the two people and finds them similar; she thinks they are probably just two people with similar personalities.
If it really is him, she might... be heartbroken.
Even if it's just a superficial recollection, she'll grit her teeth and interrupt her thoughts.
Stop thinking about it.
When you truly like someone, you can't bear to see them suffer.
However, given the long time and distance involved, and the presence of Fang Yuze standing between them, Jiang Meng couldn't calmly delve into the details.
She found it no longer interesting; it only hurt more and more.
She didn't ask when she was most curious, and afterwards, she didn't dare to ask again.
Just like back then at the mall entrance, Jiang Meng was afraid to go in and see Jiang Su, so she ran away at the last minute. Now she feels a similar fear again.
She only dared to ask casually, "Have you played that game?" His negative answer would give her a false sense of security.
She had a sliver of hope that her assumptions were wrong.
All she needed to do was enjoy a pleasant courtship with him, kiss him, and then lovingly and energetically await the arrival of the next day.
But on that day, when Jiang Meng was in her study at home, she found an old dictionary and noticed that a piece of paper had slipped out of the book.
The paper reads: "Let the winds and waves rise, I will sit firmly on the fishing platform."
These words were written by Chen Jizhou in his notebook years ago, torn out and stolen by her. The content itself was nothing special, just one of his philosophical sayings. But she traveled through time and unexpectedly saw his handwriting.
He had practiced calligraphy; there were traces of connected strokes and distinct brushstrokes…
Jiang Meng frowned and crumpled the paper in her palm.
Pingjiang is much colder than Yunzhou, so you have to wear a scarf when you go out. She went to the S University staff quarters and stood at the back gate. Before knocking, Jiang Meng hesitated for a moment. The wind blew autumn leaves to the ground. In the desolate autumn, she knew that no more boys who used to tease her would walk out of this courtyard.
If it started from that year, she couldn't imagine what it would feel like if the long-lasting affection settled over the years, or how she would endure the time of longing without being able to meet.
He also had to watch her date other people.
In the distant and cold rain, he came from abroad to say goodbye to her. He told her that he was not important at all. Was he in more pain than she was?
Jiang Meng didn't want to go any further.
But just as she lowered her hand, the door opened.
Jiang Meng forced a smile: "Grandpa."
Wang Jingbo went out to throw away the trash. There was a trash can right by the door. After throwing it away, he turned around and said with a smile, "Another person coming back?"
"Hmm." Jiang Meng responded softly, and asked directly, "Grandpa, you said last time that we practiced calligraphy at your house when we were little. Did you find it? Chen Jizhou's calligraphy."
Wang Jingbo thought for a moment and said, "Oh, that one, I found it. I didn't show it to you last time because you left in a hurry. Do you still want it?"
"I want to see."
Jiang Meng followed him inside.
Wang Jingbo took out a stack of "永" characters that Chen Jizhou had practiced.
So many "forever".
Forever and ever.
Jiang Meng stared at his childhood handwriting, each stroke cute and innocent, slightly vigorous, accompanied by a tantrum of displeasure, the writing became increasingly erratic, eventually becoming a complete mess, unrecognizable as a single character.
She could easily picture his angry outburst and his refusal to continue.
Jiang Meng laughed: "Why do people have to practice this when writing calligraphy?"
“The Eight Principles of Yong, you know, everyone writes these in regular script. The basics are so boring, if you don’t practice properly, you’ll end up writing like this,” Wang Jingbo said, pointing at Chen Jizhou’s calligraphy. “Don’t learn from him.”
Jiang Meng burst out laughing.
She had saved the words on the paper airplane in her phone's photo album and was slowly flipping through them, intending to take them out for comparison. However, Wang Jingbo assumed she didn't need the stack of Xuan paper anymore, so he piled it up and quickly put the writing away.
So, the photo Jiang Meng had opened was left there quietly. Before the screen went dark, she handed the phone to the old man and asked, "Could you help me see if this handwriting was done by Chen Jizhou?"
Wang Jingbo went back into the house, found a pair of reading glasses, put them on, put his hands behind his back, and carefully examined the writing. He said with certainty, "It was written by him. I recognize it."
Wang Jingbo smiled kindly, looking at Jiang Meng who was standing there in a daze: "What's wrong? What is Friend A?"
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