Chapter 42
When Chi Jun returned to the rented courtyard, it was already five o'clock in the evening.
As he climbed the stairs, he glanced at his report card for the nth time, still finding it amusing:
Xu Qingzhou is truly a tight-lipped person.
She never mentioned such achievements to him in any boastful way, leading him and the male ghost to believe that she was a sure-fire academic failure. They even nervously practiced their self-cultivation as parents of academically challenged students in advance.
If I had known this would happen, I should have thrown Xu Qingzhou's report card in Zhang Yiming's mother's face when she was showing off, so she could see how outstanding Chi Jun's sister was.
"Hey, Xiao Xu's back."
A greeting came from the opposite direction.
Chi Jun looked up and saw that it was the mother of a senior high school boy on the third floor across the street.
He smiled and said, "Yeah."
As they passed each other, the woman noticed the report card he was holding:
"You went to your sister's parent-teacher conference, right? These are... her midterm exam results?"
It was only at this moment that Chi Jun realized that he, who usually didn't care about anything, was now strangely overcome with a desire to show off.
He scratched his brow and hummed in agreement.
Sure enough, the woman asked the next second:
How did the exam go?
Chi Jun's lips curled up slightly without him even noticing.
"Not bad, first in the class."
The woman's eyes widened instantly.
"Wow, that's amazing! Let me see."
She took the report card and quickly discovered that Xu Qingzhou was ranked seventh in the grade.
The women had all seen how busy the young girl was in the rented courtyard. Now, staring at that "seventh" ranking in the grade, and thinking of her own son's terrible grades, she couldn't help but express a mix of envy and sighs, saying a lot of things. Before ending, she patted Chi Jun's arm and said:
"Look how easy this little sister is to take care of. You're so lucky, Xu."
Chi Jun smiled.
After the woman left, Chi Jun whistled in a good mood, holding the report card in his hand, and went upstairs to the second floor.
Xu Qingzhou was cooking at the end of the corridor.
Looking from behind her, steam was rising from the pot; she couldn't tell what was being cooked.
"Xu Qingzhou".
He called out.
The little girl didn't react and remained standing with her back to him.
Chi Jun stepped forward and waved the report card in front of her.
The little girl then came to her senses and turned to look at him.
Chi Jun crossed his arms and stared into her eyes. Suddenly, he remembered the night before last when he had patted the girl on the shoulder with great seriousness and comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, I won't laugh at your grades."
At that time, Xu Qingzhou actually nodded and said "okay," without mentioning his midterm exam results at all.
Looking back now, could she have been secretly mocking him back then, deliberately waiting to embarrass him at the parent-teacher conference?
Thinking of this, Chi Jun raised an eyebrow and said meaningfully:
"Great grades, you're a top student."
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
She sensed the sarcasm in Chi Jun's words, pursed her lips, and remained silent.
Chi Jun unfolded the report card, tilted his head, and looked her over: "Why have I never mentioned that you were number one in the class?"
The obvious questioning tone made Xu Qingzhou lower his head.
She pulled out a pen and paper: "You didn't even ask..."
"You won't tell me unless I ask?"
Chi Jun crossed his arms, looked down and chuckled, "You're quite modest."
"Why didn't you say that when I told you that night I wouldn't laugh at your bad grades?"
Xu Qingzhou glanced at him, then lowered her head and slowly wrote:
I'm afraid you'll be unhappy if I tell you.
"What, you think I'd be happy if you kicked a report card in my face?"
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
In fact, Chi Jun wouldn't really get angry over such a small matter. He just wanted to tease Xu Qingzhou. Seeing that she had nothing to say, Chi Jun snorted and didn't say anything more. He turned around and was about to go inside.
But as soon as she took a step, her hem was tugged.
Chi Jun paused, turning to look at Xu Qingzhou: "What's wrong?"
Xu Qingzhou still clutched the hem of his shirt, looking up at him with a flicker of emotion in her eyes. But after a moment of eye contact, she bit her lip and lowered her head to write a line on the paper:
What do you want to eat for breakfast tomorrow?
Chi Jun glanced at the pot of boiling water and frowned.
"You haven't even had dinner yet, and you're already thinking about tomorrow morning?"
Xu Qingzhou: [I just have a question]
Chi Jun observed her discreetly and uttered two words:
"Anything is fine."
Xu Qingzhou then fell silent.
Chi Jun entered the room, placed the report card on Xu Qingzhou's desk, and when he turned around to get the book, he paused slightly, changed direction, and walked to the window in the corridor.
Through the glass, he could clearly see Xu Qingzhou standing in front of the stove, pouring flour from the basin into the pot.
She probably wanted to make dumpling soup.
Before the flour could be mixed into large and small lumps, it was poured directly into the boiling pot.
A few seconds later, Xu Qingzhou obviously realized it too. She suddenly became flustered, first staring at the boiling pot helplessly, and then hurriedly turned off the heat.
Finally, staring at the mess in the pot, he seemed to fall into deep thought.
Chi Jun frowned as he looked at it.
He slightly pushed the window open: "Xu Qingzhou."
Xu Qingzhou suddenly turned around.
Chi Jun stared straight at her:
"Is there something you need?"
Xu Qingzhou paused for a moment, then shook his head.
Chi Juncai didn't believe she had nothing on her mind, but he didn't ask. He simply tossed the book onto the small dining table and said:
"Stop cooking, let's go out to eat."
Xu Qingzhou glanced awkwardly at the mess in the pot, and quickly took out paper and pen to explain that she could make a new dinner. Just as she was about to write, Chi Jun interrupted her:
"I just want to eat a wild meal tonight."
Xu Qingzhou paused for a moment, then lowered his hand.
*
In the end, Chi Jun and Xu Qingzhou had dinner at a spicy hot pot restaurant.
During the meal, Xu Qingzhou tried her best to appear as if nothing was wrong, but Chi Jun, who had lived and eaten with her for so long, was able to quickly sense her emotional changes.
He didn't try to start a conversation; he just kept picking meat into Xu Qingzhou's bowl.
"Have some of this."
"This...this...and this."
Xu Qingzhou looked at the mountain of various meats piled up in the bowl and couldn't help but ask:
Aren't you going to eat?
Chi Jun rested his chin on his hand and looked at her nonchalantly: "I'm afraid if I eat too much and get fat, no girl will like me anymore."
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
She picked up a piece of bacon and was about to put it in her mouth.
Chi Jun seemed to remember something, then suddenly changed the subject, looking at her and saying, "But you're different."
Xu Qingzhou paused.
How are they different?
Then Chi Jun leisurely added a small green vegetable to his bowl.
"You're at a crucial stage of your studies right now. Gaining a little weight will help prevent you from falling in love too early."
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
For some reason, Chi Jun's eyes seemed to have a deeper meaning.
Xu Qingzhou held a piece of bacon to her lips, but couldn't help wondering: Had she done something that made Chi Jun mistakenly think she was about to start a relationship?
But after careful consideration, the answer is: no.
*
After the meal, Xu Qingzhou was about to leave the restaurant when Chi Jun said:
"Since we're already here, let's look around a bit before we head back."
There was a shopping mall next to the restaurant, and Xu Qingzhou was dragged inside.
Xu Qingzhou knew this market. It was filled with shops selling all kinds of accessories, nail salons, and clothing for women. On weekends or holidays, it was always bustling with women of all ages crowding inside to pick out clothes and jewelry.
This kind of place naturally gives people a feeling of enjoying consumption, which Xu Qingzhou found a little difficult to adapt to.
Chi Jun, however, seemed to have a goal in mind, pulling her straight inside, eventually turning east and west before stopping in front of a clothing store.
"Boss, could you get me a size S for that dress?"
The female boss was sitting behind the cashier watching videos. Upon hearing this, she immediately smiled and responded, then went to get the dress.
Xu Qingzhou looked over.
It was a light black and gold patterned horse-face skirt, bright in color and cool in style.
She originally thought it was for Chi Jun to wear, but the female boss handed the dress to her instead.
Xu Qingzhou quickly waved his hand, indicating his refusal.
Chi Jun reached out and took the dress, saying, "What's the rush? Try it on first."
Xu Qingzhou glanced at the female boss standing next to her, then at Chi Jun, pursed her lips, and awkwardly pulled Chi Jun aside: "I don't have much money; this kind of dress isn't suitable for me."
Unexpectedly, Chi Jun smiled as soon as he finished speaking.
“What a coincidence, I’ve got some extra cash lately,” he raised an eyebrow, “and I’ve got nothing better to do than send you something.”
Xu Qingzhou was taken aback.
Undoubtedly, the phrase "I wanted to give you something" filled her with joy and touched her heart.
But she wasn't foolish enough to actually believe Chi Jun's words—that he had a lot of money.
Where would he get so much money?
Occasionally going out for a spicy hot pot meal costing forty or fifty yuan is already a luxury for them... at least for her. This horse-face skirt is something she absolutely cannot buy again.
Chi Jun seemed to have read her thoughts and asked, "You don't believe me?"
Xu Qingzhou responded with silence.
Chi Jun stared at her, then suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, "Ah!"
"I forgot to tell you, I recently found a job and made some money."
Work?
Xu Qingzhou was a little confused.
When did he start looking for a job?
Chi Jun didn't offer any further explanation. He simply shoved the dress into her arms and, following the female boss's instructions, pushed her into the changing room.
"It's just a dress. You can pay me back when you make money in the future."
Chi Jun just said it casually.
Upon hearing these words, Xu Qingzhou abruptly stopped, turned around with her clear, bright eyes, and stared at him in a daze.
Chi Jun found her stare amusing, and deliberately put on a stern face: "What, you don't want to pay me back?"
Xu Qingzhou shook his head.
She paused, then took out a pen and paper and wrote a sentence:
I need to go to university before I can earn money through part-time jobs.
After she finished writing, she stared at him expectantly.
Chi Jun didn't notice the fleeting probing and caution in her eyes, and he pulled back the curtain and shoved her inside.
"Then you can pay me back when you go to college. If you don't have a job after college, you can pay me back after you graduate and find a job."
As he lowered the curtain, Chi Jun peeked through the gap and saw Xu Qingzhou holding a dress in her arms. She turned around, her eyes bright as she looked at him. Her face, which had been expressionless and blank all night, finally broke into a smile.
It's the kind of laughter that comes from the heart, a genuine and joyful laugh.
Chi Jun chuckled.
She was happy to pay back the money.
But as he turned around, he belatedly realized something and frowned.
Having eaten, lived, and had fun here for so long, these words about "future life" just came out of his mouth so naturally...
University.
Will Xu Qingzhou still be here when he goes to university?
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