After the sudden rain (Part 3)
Two steaming cups of hot cocoa were placed on the table. Solkov glanced at them briefly, then took his own cup.
He had brought Zhou Zeyi to this coffee shop before, but that was a long time ago. Back then, he had argued with her over a glass of carrot juice. Thinking back, it had been more than a year.
He hadn't been back since then, but he never expected to return to this place and meet the person in front of him.
To be fair, Sorkov knew more than Zhou Zeyu imagined, so of course he would never have any good feelings towards Cen Zheng. His only curiosity was why she had traveled all the way to Belgrade to find him, saying it was for Zhou Zeyu, but what exactly was her purpose?
Cen Zheng easily noticed his dislike, but didn't react. He picked up his hot cocoa, took a sip, and casually remarked, "Our preferences seem quite similar."
"She said it."
Sorkov spoke concisely, not intending to drink the cup in front of him. He recalled the first time he came here with Zhou Zeyi. She looked at the cup of hot cocoa in his hand and smiled uncontrollably, saying that someone she knew also liked sweets. Without a doubt, that person was her.
Cen Zheng seemed surprised by this remark. He raised an eyebrow, put down his cup, and gave a very polite smile. "Really? She mentioned me to you?"
often.
But he didn't say those two words out loud. The reason was simple: every time she mentioned Cen Zheng, she couldn't help but feel pain, and ironically, she herself wasn't even aware of this pain.
The person who caused this pain was sitting in front of him, peacefully enjoying a rich hot cocoa, with a thoughtful smile on his face, as if he had already guessed this, and quickly withdrew that trace of what could only be called a feigned surprise.
Sorkov quickly looked away, feeling a vague sense of unease. He couldn't pinpoint the source of this feeling; perhaps it was because he had never imagined he would meet Cen Zheng one day. He was completely unprepared, while the other party was clearly well-prepared.
He wasn't sure if he needed to waste any more time, but it was clear that this person was different from Lena; she wasn't so easily fooled, and he couldn't get away with just sarcasm. It was a difficult problem.
And it was obvious that, like him, she was very knowledgeable about many things.
"If you came here for Zhou Zeyu, then I'm curious why you didn't choose to meet her directly."
He scrutinized her, astutely pointing out the inconsistencies in her statement. It would have been easy for her to see Zhou Zeyi; she wouldn't have needed to go through all that trouble to come here to see him, unless, of course, she was afraid to see Zhou Zeyi.
Seeing a hint of subtle dislike flash in the other person's eyes, Solkov smiled, convinced that his guess was correct.
But she quickly regained her polite smile, and to his surprise, was surprisingly candid: "She doesn't want to see me."
Sorkov paused for a moment, then said, "But you seem quite certain that I will see you."
Cen Zheng smiled again, maintaining an appropriate and gentle attitude throughout, but Solkov knew that she was probably not that friendly, which could be seen from her words.
"Since I'm here for Zhou Zeyu's sake, you're unlikely to refuse."
To the point.
Sorkov suppressed the urge to sigh. He had just seen Lyena off when he ran into Cen Zheng. Almost every word she said was barbed, yet her smile was impeccable, and her eyes even held a hint of provocation. He was almost at a loss.
He even began to feel involuntarily sorry for Zhou Zeyu. He didn't like dealing with people who spoke in a cryptic way, yet Zhou Zeyu had spent so much time with her.
No wonder.
He looked at Cen Zheng again, meeting her somewhat probing gaze, as if trying to figure out what he was thinking during his momentary lapse of attention. However, Solkov quickly regained his composure and returned her a very perfunctory smile.
"I don't like wasting time. If you have something to say, say it as soon as possible. I won't refuse you when it comes to her, but I also don't have much patience."
Cen Zheng seemed to have anticipated his impatience, but his attitude remained nonchalant. He suddenly asked indifferently, "Do you like her a lot?"
Sorkov frowned slightly, unable to contain his impatience; he felt she had crossed the line.
"Yes, she's naturally very likable."
“I don’t think it’s the same for you.” He was almost completely losing his patience, but some confusion kept him going. He pursed his lips and his face returned to its expressionless state. “From what I know, what you did to her doesn’t seem to be friendly.”
Despite having done those things to hurt Zhou Zeyi, she still sits here with a clear conscience, intentionally or unintentionally flaunting her past close relationship with her. This is ridiculous in itself, and based on Sorkov's superficial understanding of Cen Zheng, she doesn't seem to be that stupid.
Cen Zheng picked up his cup again, took a sip, and glanced at him indifferently. "Based on your understanding... do you really know that much?"
Solkov closed his eyes briefly, but still shook his head honestly, "It's not deep, so I'm more curious about your purpose."
"My purpose?" She leaned forward slightly, her expression somewhat inscrutable. "It's simple. Zhou Zeyi wants to know the answer to his question, right? But given the current situation, I think I can only tell you."
"It's because she likes you."
Whether it was Solkov's imagination or not, Cen Zheng's expression seemed to subtly change after he finished speaking, as if he had suddenly admitted to something ridiculous. The playful tone that had always been there between his brows intensified, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, even looking at him with great interest.
Even in Belgrade, a city known for its tolerance, such an attitude was undoubtedly offensive. Sorkov couldn't hold back any longer and let out a cold snort.
"You're hardly an interesting conversationalist," he commented curtly.
“Me?” She chuckled. “Of course not. Sorkov, there’s only one person in the world who finds it interesting to talk to me, and you happen to know that person.”
He could feel the muscles in his face tense, and forced himself to take a deep breath. "What exactly do you want to say?"
Although such a description is not quite accurate, he couldn't think of a more suitable adjective than "show off." From the moment she met him until now, everything she had done seemed to be simply summarized by these two words.
It was as if she enjoyed seeing him suppressing his discomfort.
Sorkov was unmistakably disgusted; he made no attempt to hide his revulsion and averted his gaze from her face.
"Forgive me, I did get a little carried away." She seemed to sigh slightly, but there was absolutely no regret or self-blame in her voice. "Who told me to have completely lost her, while you have gained her?"
Cen Zheng chuckled softly, leaned back in his chair, creating some distance between himself and Cen Zheng, as if lost in some distant memory, his tone even sounding somewhat distant.
"It might sound a bit despicable to say that, but you can't deny that I am indeed a very important person to her."
Sorkov looked at her. "After what you did to her, do you still firmly believe this? It seems you're a little too confident."
"certainly."
However, to his surprise, Cen Zheng readily agreed, a cruel smile creeping onto his lips. "Aren't you curious? Zhou Zeyu, a person so clear about his likes and dislikes, why didn't he retaliate against me after learning the whole truth?"
After she finished speaking, she stared at his current expression, as if she found it amusing, and covered her mouth slightly, chuckling softly.
Solkov was also curious about this question, or rather, it was precisely because of his curiosity that he was willing to engage in this pointless conversation.
Zhou Zeyi could never be completely honest about Cen Zheng, so it's obvious that only one person knows the truth.
And that person was sitting right in front of her, with that irritating smugness and smile, quietly observing her expression.
"Given what you did to her, she has every reason to hate you, but she just didn't."
"Hate me?" She let out a hasty, almost comical laugh, briefly revealing the true face beneath her composed facade. "Then do you think I did these things to her because I hate her?"
certainly.
Sorkov has always believed this.
Many acts of malice, after years of fermentation, will naturally turn into hatred. This is not uncommon. At least he has personally experienced a lot of hatred, both from himself and from others.
If Cen Zheng didn't hate Zhou Zeyu, he simply couldn't imagine why she would do those things to hurt him.
Before meeting Cen Zheng today, Solkov might have firmly believed this, because he felt it was the only explanation. But the problem is, from the moment they met until now, every word and action of Cen Zheng has contradicted him.
She appeared to harbor absolutely no hatred.
Not a single bit.
Anything is acceptable: jealousy, regret, disgust, numbness, blame—anything is acceptable, all emotions are understandable.
But why is it that there is no hatred?
Sorkov froze on the spot, almost unable to believe himself, looking at her hesitantly, not knowing what to say.
This time, however, Cen Zheng did not wait for him to answer, or rather, it was not even a rhetorical question. Cen Zheng quickly followed up with his own words, which could be described as readily accepting advice.
Do you know how you and I are different?
She spoke very slowly, as if deliberately drawing out the sentence, "The love between you and her, and the love between me and her, are completely different things."
"So do you understand now? She will never hate me."
Sorkov didn't know how much time had passed, only that the silence between the two lasted for a very, very long time, long enough for him to gradually accept the reality. However, he did not wait for Cen Zheng to speak again.
"Then why do you treat her like this?"
"Because I realized it too late."
She seemed to have been drained of her soul, leaving only a shell stubbornly resisting, clinging to a precarious dignity. She looked into his eyes, her tone indifferent, yet with an undeniable jealousy.
“I am far less lucky than you. You may have seen through your own feelings long ago, but I didn’t. By the time I realized it, it was too late.”
"As for Zhou Zeyu, of course she can hate me, and it would be best if she did."
In a brief moment, the last trace of expression on Cen Zheng's face vanished, leaving only a completely blank expression as he stared intently at him.
“You could even argue that this is why I lied to her.”
Sorkov frowned, momentarily unable to grasp the meaning of her words. He paused, staring at her incredulously, "You..."
The answer is obvious; as Cen Zheng herself said, she lied.
And with that lie added in, that's the whole truth.
Solkov finally understood. His gaze slowly shifted from confusion to shock as he looked at the unmoved Cen Zheng, who remained fixed on him, silently waiting as if waiting for Cen Zheng to deduce the truth on his own.
He was still confused, and at this moment, that confusion was even mixed with an inexplicable anger.
Why did you tell me all this?
But the other party's response was nothing short of cruel.
Cen Zheng slowly forced a smile, which was almost ferocious, and looked at him, "I'm just giving you the choice, Sorkov. Right now, only you and I know the truth."
"Will you tell her?"
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