White Mouse (Part 1)
Zhou Zeyu felt that she might have made many wrong decisions in her life, but as things stand, there was one thing she did quite right: she accepted Mrs. Elberlint's invitation to afternoon tea.
After all, "cookies that can make you forget your troubles" really do seem to make you forget your troubles, Zhou Zeyu thought to herself in a daze before she became intoxicated.
The slender ladyfingers are fragrant, filled with rich chocolate sauce, and topped with a layer of finely chopped nuts. One bite fills your mouth with the aroma of wheat and the rich fragrance of chocolate, and even a subtle hint of jasmine.
It is simply a masterpiece.
The professor's wife sat beside her, resting her head on her hand, watching Zhou Zeyu take small bites of the cookie with loving eyes, a look of happiness on her face. "Darling, it tastes pretty good, doesn't it?"
Zhou Zeyu was so overwhelmed by the deliciousness that she could hardly speak. She decided to completely retract her previous doubts about the little cookie and use all her strength to praise the professor's wife's cooking skills. Now she fully understood why the professor himself would gain so much weight in such a short time.
The lady smiled broadly, her face glowing with delight, "I'm so happy you love it. I've prepared a lot for you."
"Didn't you prepare one for me?"
The wooden door creaked open, and Zhou Zeyu reflexively looked towards the doorway. His eyes widened when he saw the person's face.
She increasingly felt that this guy was like a randomly spawning NPC on the map, appearing wherever she went, and that she couldn't escape him no matter where she fled.
Solkov greeted the lady with a smile, then glanced at her with amusement before gracefully sitting down in a large armchair, crossing his legs naturally, and casually picking up a magazine from the coffee table to flip through.
“You didn’t tell me you’d be back today,” the professor’s wife said with a hint of reproach, “so of course I didn’t prepare your portion.”
"Okay, new reason."
The lady rolled her eyes in annoyance, then grabbed Zhou Zeyu's hand and said resentfully, "He is Sorkov, my son, the rebellious fellow."
Zhou Zeyu nodded seriously, then looked at the annoying person in question. The person in question remained calm and continued reading, looking down at the book with an indifferent expression, as if completely unaware of their whispers.
The lady kicked his chair again and opened her mouth as if to introduce Zhou Zeyu, but Solkov interrupted her with a smile, putting down his book and saying first, "I know him."
Zhou Zeyu's brow twitched, and she looked at Solkov, who was also staring at her. The two stared at each other for a quick second, then looked away with great seriousness. She looked down at the flowerpot, and he looked up at the antenna.
This was the first time Zhou Zeyi had seen him dressed properly and obediently. Without seeing his bare upper body as she remembered him, she could perfectly imagine his abs, smooth and soft muscle lines, and his strong and long legs...
To be honest, she had seen many men and women who worked out, but few had such a perfect physique as him. Any more and he would look too muscular, any less and he would look too thin. If you don't judge him based on personal feelings, he would definitely have a perfectly healthy and beautiful physique.
The pursuit of physical beauty is a normal human reaction, Zhou Zeyu comforted herself, trying hard not to let her gaze drift towards him, but she kept seeing him standing there wet, looking at her with resentment and helplessness, water sliding down his shoulder blades and slowly flowing over his abdominal muscles.
She swallowed hard, patted her face, stuffed the remaining biscuit into her mouth and ate it, then got up to say goodbye.
The lady stopped her, picked up a packaged biscuit and handed it to her. Zhou Zeyu hesitated for a moment, or rather, struggled for a long time, before waving her hand and refusing: "I'm sorry, madam, I can't eat too much."
"What's wrong? Are you on a diet lately?"
Zhou Zeyu opened his mouth, but unconsciously sighed. After pausing for a moment, he replied, "No, I am an athlete, and I can't eat too much sugary food."
The lady seemed somewhat shocked, and although she looked very regretful, she eventually smiled at her understandingly and very loudly hinted to Solkov to invite her out for a drink.
Zhou Zeyu hurriedly tried to refuse, but when she turned around, she found the other person already standing at the door waiting for her, with his hands in his pockets and his earphones in, looking completely expressionless. He didn't seem to be doing it voluntarily, but he didn't seem to be forced either.
Fearing she might disappoint his wife, she silently accepted the invitation. The place Solkov chose was a very old coffee shop in the city center, with a sign that said it had been around for fifty years and a thick menu. But Zhou Zeyu didn't look at it and just ordered a carrot juice.
"What a unique flavor." Solkov stared at her yellowish-brown juice and spoke in a tone that was half-teasing and half-cold.
Zhou Zeyu took a sip, and the bizarre taste assaulted her taste buds as it had countless times before. She almost couldn't control her expression and vomited, but she still managed to restrain herself after hearing his words, cleared her throat and regained her calm expression: "Replenishing Vitamin C, no burden."
He raised his eyebrows, looking indifferent, picked up the cup in front of him and took a small sip. "I guess it's just a habit of athletes."
Zhou Zeyu crossed his arms and looked at him with great interest. Although he said it was a guess, his tone was so certain that it was impossible to ignore. It could be said that he was quite sure.
Why do you say that?
"Because I am also an athlete."
Zhou Zeyu chuckled, mimicking his earlier teasing gaze, and casually made a joke, "A cyclist?"
Sorkov gave a subtle smile, as if he was genuinely amused, but he quickly concealed it. “I only drink fruit and vegetable juice during training, but not outside of training. You don’t need to maintain an athlete’s condition all the time.”
“It’s absolutely necessary,” Zhou Zeyi blurted out, his speech involuntarily quickening. “You need to maintain that state constantly.”
“By standard, you’re not exactly an active athlete right now.” He looked at her sharply and pointed out the problem incisively, “So your behavior isn’t perseverance, it’s just adding to your troubles.”
No one interrupted her, but she suddenly stopped, her desolation overshadowing her initial anger. She lowered her head, her expression visibly heavy.
In fact, she knows her current state better than anyone else, but she always tries to numb herself for a while longer, as if by maintaining a healthy lifestyle every day and persisting in physical training and skill practice, she can prevent herself from falling too far behind and get back on track at any time.
But perhaps that would only cause unnecessary trouble.
“Don’t overthink it, I didn’t mean anything by it,” he said, his tone devoid of any sharpness, simply offering words of comfort. “I just think you’re taking your athletic career too seriously.”
Zhou Zeyu looked up, but he wasn't looking at her. He was just slowly breaking up the latte art on the surface of his coffee with a small spoon, his tone was indifferent, but his words seemed to have a hidden meaning.
“You can’t say that,” she said. “It’s no exaggeration to say that for over two decades I’ve practically lived for it.”
"So you're sitting here drinking carrot juice instead of preparing for the game. Because you're too easily distracted by it."
The thick, historically significant menu was pushed in front of her. Solkov pointed to the leather cover, gesturing for her to open it and take a look: "Alright, now order another drink according to your preference."
Zhou Zeyu glanced at him suspiciously, slowly flipped open the menu, squinted and struggled to make out the information on it, "Uh... what is this?"
Matcha Latte.
"And this one?" she asked, pointing to another string of names.
"American style".
"Hmm..." She pondered for a moment, looking curiously at the dark glass in Sorkov's hand, "What's yours?"
"Hot cocoa." He took another sip, a contented expression on his face.
Zhou Zeyi was a little surprised. She had naturally assumed that the cup was black coffee, but she hadn't expected him to like something so rich and sweet.
She seemed to remember something and smiled slightly: "Your tastes are quite similar to someone I know; she also likes sweets."
"Really?" he replied casually. "And you? What are your preferences?"
So she lowered her head and thought for a while, then honestly shook her head and pushed the menu back, "I don't know what I like to drink."
Solkov nodded without surprise, took the menu and handed it back to the waiter, "Okay, then one of each."
Sorkov seemed to know immediately what she was going to say, and calmly watched her with his legs crossed. "To be honest, I don't think your treatment is very effective at all. Because you can't completely separate yourself from your athletic career. You care too much, so you feel pressure, then fear, and then it's a cycle of pain."
After such a long string of words, she was completely speechless.
Zhou Zeyu paused, lowered her eyes, and listened quietly to his words. She found that she had no intention of refuting him, because what Solkov said was completely correct.
This feeling is like taking a day off during finals week. On the one hand, you want to rest and recharge, but on the other hand, you worry that your stagnation will cause you to fall too far behind. The longer you struggle with this, the more conflicted you become, and in the end, it only amplifies your anxiety.
"So what should I do?"
"Forget your prefix. You don't need to deliberately reduce your sugar intake to maintain your condition, nor do you need to force yourself to drink carrot juice for health reasons. Just be yourself."
"Be yourself..." Zhou looked at Sorkov in a daze. Sorkov was also looking at him. The two stared at each other for a moment, then she turned her head slightly and nodded very slowly.
"And then what? What should be the first step?"
Sorkov didn't speak. He tapped the table lightly with his index finger, the walnut wood tabletop making a dull sound. Zhou Zeyu looked at the table in response, where dozens of different drinks were displayed.
"Find the one you like to drink the most." He rested his head on his hand, his expression casual, but his tone was very persuasive.
Zhou Zeyu glanced at him warily, suddenly feeling as if she were a lab rat in an experiment, and the experimenter in front of her was patiently guiding her step by step according to the plan.
As if he could read her mind, Sorkov suddenly gave her a sinister smile, whether to intimidate her or to express clumsy goodwill, "Want to know why I did this?"
Zhou Zeyi was a little scared by his inexplicable smile. To cover up her embarrassment at being exposed, she could only force a dry laugh, "Sorry, I was just curious, after all, we're complete strangers..."
“My minor is related to this,” Solkov explained succinctly. “Obviously, you are my material.”
Then she keenly recalled the first time they met, when he sat on a bench late at night with a thick book in his arms. Combined with his occasional cold and tired demeanor afterward, everything made sense. This guy was indeed tormented by his thesis.
Zhou Zeyu chuckled silently a few times. She wondered why this guy would be so kind as to help her get rid of her psychological barrier. Sure enough, there's no such thing as a free lunch. He was definitely using her as a guinea pig.
Being a guinea pig is certainly unpleasant, but it's better than receiving something for nothing. So, she casually picked up a glass, took a sip, and found it to be a typical case of cloyingly sweet milk with a strong strawberry flavor. She frowned and put it aside.
Solkov then placed another colorful cup in front of her, containing a small glass of scarlet liquid, and gestured for her to try it.
Zhou Zeyu took a big gulp, and her nasal cavity was attacked by a strong smell of alcohol without any warning. In an instant, she felt a dense, needle-like sensation between her lips and teeth, and her whole body trembled violently. She covered her mouth and coughed violently, her cheeks burning and numb.
She coughed until her eyes were blurry with tears, and when she looked up to get a tissue, she met Solkov's gaze. His expression became complicated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't, but he seemed more startled by her.
Actually, she herself was fine once she came to her senses; in fact, she even felt a tingling sensation that went straight to the top of her head. But Sorkov seemed quite frightened by her, and stood there stunned for a long time before managing to utter these few words: "This... can't be drunk so fast."
"What is this?" Zhou Zeyu picked up the small cup and examined it carefully, even smelling it with interest. He asked curiously, "Is it wine? Why does it not smell like wine?"
Sorkov stared wide-eyed and remained silent for a long time, then suddenly leaned closer and stared intently at her flushed face, muttering to himself thoughtfully, "Yes, but it shouldn't be like this."
"What shouldn't be?" Zhou Zeyu looked at him suspiciously.
"Are you feeling drunk?" he asked.
Zhou Zeyu shook her head, even more sober than before. So she honestly shook her head, picked up the glass and took another careful sip. This time she understood why they said this wine needed to be drunk slowly. The first sip was too strong, but upon closer tasting, a sweet cherry aroma emerged. It was a very refreshing and mellow wine.
She smacked her lips and nodded approvingly, "Delicious."
Sorkov's expression shifted from confusion to surprise, but before Zhou Zeyu could get a good look, he cleared his throat and returned to a blank expression. For some reason, he suddenly spoke in a slightly awkward voice, "Is this your first time drinking?"
Zhou Zeyu nodded, and a crack immediately appeared in Sorkov's calm expression. She believed she was witnessing something unbelievable and incredible.
"Impossible... Can a novice drink vodka?" He turned his head to look out the window deliberately, then raised his hot cocoa and took a big gulp as if to cover up his ignorance.
"Is there something wrong with this wine?" Zhou Zeyu asked.
Zhou Zeyu nodded and announced, "It's my favorite cup."
Sorkov shrugged, and Zhou Zeyi noticed that he seemed to be pretending to be open-minded. She suspected that this guy might have a low alcohol tolerance or be unable to drink, which led to his stubbornness and skepticism towards people with a high alcohol tolerance.
Thinking of this, a smile that was definitely not malicious slowly appeared on her face. As she smiled, she stared at Solkov, who was scribbling something in his notebook. He typed very fast, but the words he wrote were practically garbage. She couldn't understand a single letter.
The two of them wasted the entire afternoon in this chaotic way, spending an hour agonizing over the difference in taste between sherry and vodka, or frantically finishing all the drinks on the table. So, as it was time to say goodbye, Zhou Zeyu felt like he had drunk so much that his brain was full of water.
The wind was a bit strong, and the stray hairs around her ears were blown around wildly. She hurriedly tied her hair back with a hair tie. Sorkov walked beside her and suddenly asked her out of the blue, "Would you be put off?"
Zhou Zeyu stopped and glanced at him in confusion, then, remembering the memorable vodka, shook her head and replied simply, "No way." After all, she wasn't paying.
Solkov nodded, patted her shoulder crisply, and turned to leave: "Okay, see you at eight tomorrow morning."
Seemingly noticing Zhou Zeyu's shocked expression, he added, seemingly politely, "Thank you for your cooperation."
The hair tie snapped suddenly, and Zhou Zeyu irritably rubbed her messy hair. She had always heard that foreigners had no sense of propriety, and now she finally understood it. This guy didn't hold back at all and treated her like an experimental subject from the start.
But it's not a bad deal. Anyway, I have nothing to do lately, and like I said, she doesn't have to pay for it.
And she happened to be very curious about what this guy would do next.
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