Chapter 50
Despite saying that, Chi Jun very honestly stuffed his phone into his pocket.
Seeing his action, Xu Qingzhou squinted his eyes happily.
The wind howled past, swirling snowflakes into a flurry of motion. Xu Qingzhou and Chi Jun walked back side by side, and strangely enough, they felt less cold.
After walking a few steps, Xu Qingzhou's stomach suddenly growled.
She paused, silently clutching her stomach, pretending nothing was wrong, but the next second, Chi Jun's leisurely voice came from the right:
Are you hungry?
Xu Qingzhou looked at him, and after two seconds, she pursed her lips shyly and nodded cutely.
*
Fifteen minutes later, in the soup shop lit by warm yellow lights, Xu Qingzhou and Chi Jun sat facing each other at the second table on the right.
Xu Qingzhou still wore her little red hat on her head, and in front of her was a bowl of steaming wontons. She held a spoon in her hand and ate them slowly, one spoonful at a time.
Chi Jun didn't order anything; he was just fiddling with his phone using the store's Wi-Fi.
It was so late, and there were only two customers in the store. The proprietress was sitting behind the cashier, idly scrolling through her phone. Various noisy and disruptive sounds came from the phone, and suddenly, a female anchor's voice rang out.
"With New Year's Day just around the corner, a new year begins. Five days before New Year's Eve, Qisheng Lakeside Park has already started preparing..."
The store was quiet, so the female anchor's voice clearly reached Xu Qingzhou's ears.
It turns out that there will be a New Year's Eve countdown fireworks show at the lakeside park this year.
Xu Qingzhou had never been interested in these things before, thinking that it was just another mundane and boring year passing by.
However, this year, Chi Jun has joined my side.
Thinking back on the arduous journey through thick and thin, the fear, worries, and hardships, but also the joyful second half of the year, Xu Qingzhou inexplicably felt a sense of ritual that he wanted to commemorate.
She twitched her fingers holding the spoon, looked up at Chi Jun, then took out a pen and paper, wrote a line, and pushed it to the other side.
How about we go to Qisheng Lakeside Park to watch the fireworks on New Year's Eve, January 31st?
Chi Jun was focused on fiddling with his phone and didn't see it.
Xu Qingzhou simply poked the back of his hand with his chopsticks to remind him to look.
Chi Jun then noticed the card in front of him, stared at it for a moment, and raised an eyebrow:
"Only with me?"
Xu Qingzhou knew he was still bothered by being left behind, so he quickly nodded and added on the paper:
[Invitation Only]
Chi Jun said "Oh," and looked down at his phone, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Xu Qingzhou got a little anxious and grabbed his wrist and shook it.
Chi Jun then looked up at her and deliberately asked, "Why did you arrest me?"
Xu Qingzhou pouted and stared at him expectantly.
She clearly knew he was teasing her, but she still insisted on getting an answer from him.
Chi Jun's lips unconsciously curled up, but he raised an eyebrow and said casually, "We'll see. After all, so many people want to spend New Year's Eve with me."
I might not have time to give it to you.
Upon hearing this, Xu Qingzhou pursed her lips and took back the paper card in disappointment.
Seeing her looking dejected yet still adorable, Chi Jun stared at her for a while, then couldn't help but tap her index finger twice on the table.
"I can go if you want."
Xu Qingzhou suddenly looked up at him, her eyes bright.
Chi Jun originally wanted to say, "You should beg me properly," but for some reason, when he saw the steaming wontons in the bowl, he blurted out:
"Feed me a bite of wonton."
Xu Qingzhou must have been stunned by the cold. Upon hearing this, all she could think about was spending New Year's Eve with Chi Jun. She immediately scooped up a spoonful of wontons and fed it to Chi Jun.
Chi Jun ate it with the spoon.
The two locked eyes, paused, and belatedly realized that the atmosphere seemed a little strange.
Just then, accompanied by a "click" sound, a flash of light appeared in my peripheral vision.
Chi Jun looked up and saw the proprietress blushing as she put away her phone, laughing awkwardly, "I'm so sorry, you two look so perfect together, I couldn't resist taking a picture. I'll delete it right away, I'll delete it right away..."
Perhaps the atmosphere was so quiet it was suffocating, because after the proprietress finished speaking, she made up a few words as if trying to find something to say:
"Seeing you young couples, your relationship is so sweet, it reminds me of my first love back then..."
Young couple...
If Chi Jun heard this, he would suspect that she had ulterior motives towards him.
Xu Qingzhou quickly turned to look at the proprietress, shaking his head and waving his hands to indicate that they were not a couple.
But she was met with an ambiguous look from the landlady—
"I understand, I understand~"
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
You don't understand.
She then turned her gaze to Chi Jun, hoping that he would either speak up for her or receive her clear-headed look, urging her not to misunderstand her.
Chi Jun glanced at her, showing no intention of explaining, but simply chuckled and tapped his index finger lightly on the table twice.
"Eat quickly."
"..."
Xu Qingzhou could only continue eating her wontons in silence, wondering why Chi Jun didn't explain or tease her about being taken advantage of.
That's really strange...
*
As the saying goes, "It's cold before the frost, and chilly after the snow." After two or three snowfalls in December, the weather truly entered the depths of winter.
The northwest wind howled, and the bare branches stretched out to the sky with claws outstretched, with only one or two leaves swaying on the branches, looking desolate and forlorn.
However, the bleak winter could not dampen people's enthusiasm for welcoming the new year. On New Year's Eve, Xu Qingzhou and Chi Jun finished dinner, studied for a while, and read books. Around 11 o'clock, they set off for Qisheng Lake Park.
They thought there wouldn't be many people, but when they arrived, they were just glad that the two of them hadn't come by car, because the traffic on the side of the road was already a complete mess.
Looking into the distance, under the streetlights, the lakeside was crowded with people. There were voices, laughter, and the occasional crying of children. Security guards in fluorescent vests, carrying equipment, patrolled and shouted instructions.
"Step back! Step back!"
"This parking lot is full, move forward! Move forward!"
"..."
Chi Jun pulled Xu Qingzhou forward, but it was difficult to move even a meter in the crowded throng.
Unexpectedly, even so, she still managed to run into Li Rui.
Li Rui was arguing with a girl who was pulling his ear when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head with difficulty and his eyes lit up instantly:
"Holy crap! Xu Jun! Sister! What a coincidence, you're here to watch the fireworks too?"
Xu Qingzhou smiled and nodded.
Just as Li Rui was about to speak again, his face was pulled back.
The girl whispered something in his ear, and he immediately beamed with smugness, patting his chest.
"This is my best buddy."
The girl clearly felt he was exaggerating the intimacy of their relationship, gave him a teasing glare, and then turned to greet Chi Jun and Xu Qingzhou with a beaming smile.
"Hi, hello. My name is Li Ming."
Chi Jun nodded slightly: "Hello, Xu Jun."
Xu Qingzhou waved gently in response.
Li Rui added at the opportune moment: "Her name is Xu Qingzhou."
Li Ming: "Hello, Zhouzhou!"
Xu Qingzhou smiled, a little shy because of the intimate way she was addressed.
After a brief exchange, Xu Qingzhou learned that the girl was Li Rui's uncle's cousin. She had come to Li Rui's house for the holidays and, having heard that there would be fireworks to mark the New Year's Eve countdown, insisted on dragging Li Rui along to join in the fun.
The argument between the two just now stemmed from Li Ming's suggestion that she should ride on Li Rui's shoulders when setting off fireworks so she could see them more clearly. Li Rui, however, felt this violated his macho principles and absolutely refused to agree.
Li Ming was still complaining at this moment:
"What kind of brother are you? It's one thing to be not as handsome as other brothers, but you won't even let me ride your bike to watch the fireworks. Let me tell you, you'll never find a girlfriend like this!"
Li Rui retorted, "You're always talking about other people's brothers, but you should also take a look at their sisters."
He pointed at Xu Qingzhou: "That girl is pretty and gentle. If you were as slender as her, I might let you ride her for a bit—"
"Li Rui, what do you mean? Do you think I'm fat?!"
"Oh dear, you're not fat, you just have a lot of meat on you..."
"..."
The two had a tremendous argument.
Xu Qingzhou and Chi Jun exchanged a glance, remained silent, and moved to the side to avoid being drawn into the battle.
Fortunately, the fireworks countdown was about to begin soon.
It seems that everyone has had a tough year, and as they look forward to the arrival of the new year, the restless crowd has gradually quieted down.
Li Rui and his sister stopped arguing and looked at the distant lake with everyone else.
Li Rui ultimately refused to let Li Ming ride on his shoulders.
He had been dragged along by force, and wasn't really in the mood to watch the fireworks. He absentmindedly followed the crowd, glancing at Chi Jun from time to time.
"Xu Jun, there's a Sichuan restaurant nearby that's pretty good and authentic. Let's go there for a meal after we're done—"
Before he could finish speaking, Li Ming pulled his head back.
"Shut up! You can't even be respectful when watching fireworks!"
"Damn it, what's so special about being pious about a piece of crap firework?"
"You don't know anything. I heard that making a wish while watching the New Year's Eve fireworks is very effective."
"..."
The siblings started arguing again, and Xu Qingzhou silently remembered: I heard that making a wish while looking at fireworks is very effective.
It works very well.
Suddenly, a gasp rang out from the crowd.
Xu Qingzhou looked up and saw that colorful lights had begun to appear on the curtain wall of a building across the lake, marking a countdown.
"10"
"9"
“8”
“7”
The crowd spontaneously began to count down, their voices growing more unified and louder.
"...3!"
"2!"
"1!"
Amidst a wave of enthusiastic cheers, a loud "bang" was heard, and countless colorful fireworks, trailing long streaks, rose into the dark night sky, bursting into a dazzling display of vibrant colors with each explosion.
Remembering what Li Ming had just said, Xu Qingzhou immediately clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.
A few seconds later, she opened her eyes with satisfaction and glanced at them casually.
Unexpectedly, Chi Jun was also staring at him from the side.
Their eyes met, and Xu Qingzhou felt an awkwardness, as if her superstition had been exposed. She blinked, turned her head away, and pretended to ignore what had happened.
However, it still couldn't escape the other party's eyes.
Chi Jun: "What did you wish for?"
Xu Qingzhou remained silent, her eyes darting left and right, up and down, but she avoided looking at Chi Jun.
— He was determined to pretend he was deaf.
Chi Jun chuckled and playfully flicked her ear.
"When did our Zhouzhou become a little deaf person again?"
"..."
Our Zhouzhou...
Xu Qingzhou knew that Chi Jun's "Zhouzhou" was teasing, but the same two words sounded very different from Li Ming's when they came out of his mouth. There was an intimacy mixed with a vague ambiguity, and it seemed that even the place where his ear was touched had an unusual heat spreading out.
Xu Qingzhou unconsciously touched his ear, suppressing the subtle turmoil in his heart, and made no reaction, determined to continue pretending to be deaf.
However, the next second, she suddenly saw out of the corner of her eye that Chi Jun bent down and got closer to her.
Before Xu Qingzhou could even hypnotize herself, she heard Chi Jun's warm, breathing voice flood her ears like a tidal wave:
"I just made a wish, I hope Zhouzhou—"
He paused, looking at her with deep eyes, and added, word by word, "—You like me."
Xu Qingzhou: "?!"
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