Chapter 55
Admittedly, when Chi Jun said those words, coupled with Xu Qingzhou's face from that angle, there was a certain seductive quality to it.
Xu Qingzhou thought that other girls would probably not be able to handle it in this situation.
But who is she?
She is Xu Qingzhou—a person who had long been warned by Chi Jun not to harbor ill intentions towards him, and who herself had often reminded him not to be presumptuous.
So at this moment, aside from feeling awkward and shy when she accidentally kissed Chi Jun's cheek, Xu Qingzhou was completely immune to anything else Chi Jun did.
However, Xu Qingzhou was a little resentful after being told so often that "you have ulterior motives towards me."
Her face flushed, she quickly stood up straight, took out paper and pen, and said:
【I don't】
He paused, then continued writing with a hint of resentment:
You insisted that I dry your hair for you.
Chi Jun remained lying down. Hearing her slightly complaining tone, he not only didn't get angry, but even casually put his hands behind his head and looked at Xu Qingzhou with great interest.
"Oh, so it's my fault then?"
Realizing that he had lost his balance, Chi Juncai pulled her up.
Xu Qingzhou pursed his lips, somewhat lacking confidence, but still stubbornly insisted.
【certainly】
After thinking for a moment, she added: "If you don't want others to have bad intentions towards you, it's best to avoid letting others do things like drying your hair for you from the beginning."
After all, not every girl is like her, constantly reflecting on herself and "not being presumptuous."
But as soon as he finished speaking, Chi Jun suddenly got up from the bed, sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, and stared at Xu Qingzhou with a provocative and playful expression, saying:
"I want you to wipe it for me."
He paused, looked at Xu Qingzhou, his smile suddenly faded, and his eyes darkened.
"It's not so bad if you try something funny once in a while."
The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
Xu Qingzhou stared at Chi Jun, seemingly unable to grasp the meaning of those words, remaining silent and motionless for a long time.
As the clock ticked, her sluggish brain seemed to finally start working a little, and her face visibly flushed red.
Is it what she... understood it to mean?
As the little girl's cheeks flushed, Chi Jun's eyes grew increasingly deep.
In the quiet little rented room, he stared intently at Xu Qingzhou, his gaze becoming increasingly direct.
After a long while, Chi Jun's lips twitched, and he was about to speak—
"Brother Jun!"
Suddenly a cry came from outside the door, and the male ghost rushed in, howling like a banshee.
He burst through the door, grabbed Chi Jun in his arms, and started crying uncontrollably. His crying filled the air with noise, ruined the atmosphere, and even darkened Chi Jun's face.
He impatiently flicked his wrist, and the male ghost was instantly thrown three meters away.
What's gotten into you again?
Xu Qingzhou was startled by these words and was about to reflect on her actions when Chi Jun turned his head and explained to her:
"It wasn't something I was talking to you about, it was just..."
He frowned, seemingly pondering how to explain to Xu Qingzhou. Two seconds later, he circled his finger twice in mid-air before tapping the small dining table:
"Well... there's this ghost that I'm fairly familiar with."
"..."
Xu Qingzhou remembered.
After all, when the pen moved on its own and wrote on the paper that day, the first thing it said was—I am a ghost, and I am Chi Jun's friend.
Whether it was because he had seen so many strange things that he had become accustomed to them, or because Chi Jun's remarks about "malicious intentions" were more unsettling than ghosts, Xu Qingzhou just wanted to get away from Chi Jun and this atmosphere as quickly as possible.
She nodded perfunctorily.
【You guys chat, I'll go cook】
After saying that, she turned and left.
Seeing that she had even forgotten to put away the paper and pen, and only realized that she was still holding the paper card when she stood in front of the stove and reached for the spoon, Chi Jun silently smiled.
The male ghost saw this scene clearly, and while he sighed, he also felt a sense of relief.
He rubbed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said:
"Brother Jun, I've thought it through."
Chi Jun looked away from him, his smile still lingering.
"Think clearly about what?"
The male ghost pursed his lips, recalling the scene he had witnessed at the car accident site an hour earlier.
It was raining heavily at the time, and even the pitiful withered leaves that clung to the branches and refused to fall were mercilessly torn off by the wind and blown everywhere.
Therefore, neither the staff nor the onlookers saw Chi Jun and Xu Qingzhou disappear.
But the male ghost who rushed there saw it all clearly at a glance—
Chi Jun held the little mute boy in his arms.
The little mute boy was perfectly fine; he wasn't dead, and he wasn't even injured.
The male ghost stood there, his mind a jumble of emotions, a complex mix of feelings filling his chest: shock, melancholy, disappointment, regret, but even more than anything else... was the joy of finding the little mute girl again.
This was an emotion that even he himself hadn't expected to arise.
In addition, there is a sense of relief and happiness that arises from Chi Jun holding the little mute child, a feeling that "life can continue as it is."
For the first time, he actually had this kind of expectation—
Hopefully, Chi Jun and the little mute can continue living together for now, and that this peaceful life can continue.
“Jun-ge, I’m not hoping you’ll leave anymore. It’s fine if you don’t leave. I think life is pretty good right now, really.”
As the male ghost spoke, he wiped away his tears again.
He thought that Chi Jun would definitely feel relieved after hearing this and feel relaxed just like him.
But after he finished speaking, Chi Jun just looked at him, his eyes seeming to be looking at something very, very far away, and he didn't say anything for a long time.
After a long silence, he asked cautiously:
"Brother Jun, don't you want to stay?"
Chi Jun looked at the male ghost, his eyes flickering.
He remembered that at the beginning, the balance of "returning to the fox clan" was undoubtedly weighed down heavily.
But as time went by, the balance of "living with Xu Qingzhou" seemed to gradually become heavier. Until tonight, when he discovered that Xu Qingzhou might have died, he was shocked to realize that the two sides of the balance had already been balanced without him noticing.
Through the glass window, Chi Jun looked at Xu Qingzhou, who was stirring the porridge in front of the stove.
The steam enveloped her, creating a hazy, peaceful, and heartwarming scene reminiscent of everyday life.
Chi Jun withdrew his gaze, and after a long while, replied with a single word.
"think."
He gave a clear answer.
However, Chi Jun knew better than anyone else:
I really don't want to leave.
And those old grudges, they can't let go of, that's for sure.
*
After New Year's Day, the days seem to pass by faster and faster.
With the end of the semester fast approaching, Lianghua Middle School is putting on a grand show with its final exams, which will be a joint exam across three districts and will include district-wide rankings. The exam format will strictly follow the college entrance examination standards to allow students to get used to it in advance.
Therefore, Xu Qingzhou had to temporarily give up looking for a part-time job, and because of his studies, he was staying up later and later. Sometimes, when Chi Jun woke up in the middle of the night, he found Xu Qingzhou asleep at his small desk, still clutching a pen in his hand.
This situation continued until the final exams ended three days later.
Fortunately, Xu Qingzhou did quite well in the end, ranking first in her class, second in her grade, and among the top twenty in the entire district.
Just before the holiday, the school organized another meeting for parents of senior high school students to discuss the results of the exam.
As usual, Chi Jun went.
However, compared to the last midterm parent-teacher meeting, Chi Jun, as Xu Qingzhou's parent, received much better treatment this time.
The main reason was that the homeroom teacher, Lao Zhao, had specifically praised the students who ranked first in the final exam, so everyone knew that Chi Jun was the parent of Xu Qingzhou, who ranked first in the class.
After the parent-teacher meeting ended, Chi Jun's seat was surrounded by enthusiastic parents.
Besides asking him how he usually manages Xu Qingzhou's studies and his diet, he also inquired about Chi Jun's love life and offered to introduce him to potential partners.
Chi Jun was almost overwhelmed by the group of parents, their constant chatter making him dizzy and his ears feel like they were about to explode.
Fortunately, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Zhao, came over at that moment and dismissed the parents who came forward to talk to him with a single sentence.
"Xu Qingzhou's parent, please come to my office."
Having been thoroughly scolded last time, Chi Jun naturally assumed that as a troublesome parent, he would be reprimanded by Old Zhao again on his way to the office.
Unexpectedly, when they arrived at the office, Old Zhao was quite amiable. He only told Chi Jun about how Xu Qingzhou hadn't submitted the application form for studying at school during the winter break when the semester ended.
"Actually, this self-study is mainly for students who are a little lacking in self-discipline. I'm not worried about Xu Qingzhou in this regard. In addition, she has already learned the textbook content. Now it's just a matter of filling in the gaps in her knowledge. It's not a big deal if she doesn't come to this self-study."
"However, I hope that even at home, we parents can do our part and provide a good learning environment for our students..."
"..."
Old Zhao rambled on for a good 20 minutes, but when translated, it boiled down to just one sentence—
You, as the older brother, mustn't hold Xu Qingzhou back.
Seeing Chi Jun's smile fade and then disappear, leaving the office expressionless, the male ghost almost laughed himself to death.
"Everyone else is having parent-teacher meetings, but I think if this keeps up, the homeroom teacher will have to call Xiaozhouzhou over and hold a student meeting specifically for you, this troublesome parent!"
Chi Jun: "..."
He glanced coldly at the male ghost: "Are you done? If you're done, get lost."
The male ghost looked like he wanted to be punched: "No, no, I want to follow you. Xiao Zhouzhou said she'd take me out for hot pot tonight."
Chi Jun couldn't be bothered with his attitude.
Since revealing his existence, the male ghost is now clinging to Xu Qingzhou even more than he is to Chi Jun.
Mainly because Xu Qingzhou is human, it is more convenient for her to offer food to the male ghost. In addition, Xu Qingzhou has a good personality and is always willing to help. The more the male ghost interacts with her, the more he likes her. Now he calls her "Little Zhouzhou" more affectionately than Chi Jun does.
Furthermore, in order not to frighten Xu Qingzhou each time he appeared, the male ghost even invented his own way of greeting him:
He used a few withered leaves to circle around Xu Qingzhou, and finally folded them into a rose, presenting it to the little girl.
Every time Chi Jun saw those unfashionable roses, he couldn't help but complain:
"earth."
The male ghost, however, was quite proud of this:
"What do you know? I'm just being a gentleman."
Thanks to Chi Jun's help in making some connections, he can now ask Xu Qingzhou directly with his voice: "Little Zhouzhou, do you like it?"
Xu Qingzhou smiled: [I like it]
At each of these moments, Chi Jun would receive a mocking sneer from the male ghost.
Not only that, even the rabbit next to them would shake its head and sigh:
"Tsk, he's not even as good as Zheng Yangshu, let alone a ghost."
Chi Jun: "..."
Of all the people in the room, he seemed the most superfluous at that moment.
*
Upon arriving at the bookstore, the male ghost found Xu Qingzhou studying in a corner and used his old, clumsy way of greeting him again.
Xu Qingzhou accepted the withered leaf with a smile in her eyes and turned to look at Chi Jun.
Chi Jun bent down and picked up her schoolbag.
"Let's go eat."
Tonight's hot pot dinner was suggested by Chi Jun. Xu Qingzhou originally didn't want to eat, thinking it was too expensive, but Chi Jun shut her up with just one sentence—"I want to eat."
After a moment of silence, Xu Qingzhou nodded.
【good】
Hot pot restaurants are always busier in winter than usual. When the two arrived, the restaurant was bustling with noise, and there was only one small table left. The waiter led them in.
When the menu arrived, Chi Jun picked up a pen and deliberately drew a bunch of marks on it. Xu Qingzhou just watched from the opposite side, remaining silent.
Chi Jun twirled the pen between his fingers and looked at Xu Qingzhou:
"Aren't you going to stop me?"
Xu Qingzhou forced a smile: "If you like it, then eat it."
Chi Jun stared at her for a while, deliberately trying to scare her.
"I'll bankrupt you."
Xu Qingzhou smiled but remained silent.
Chi Jun suddenly lost interest in sketching. Since he couldn't possibly eat that much anyway, he casually scribbled some more off and pushed the menu and pen in front of Xu Qingzhou.
"You order, I'll go make the dipping sauce."
Xu Qingzhou nodded and took the menu and pen.
Heading towards the condiment area, Chi Jun hadn't gone far when he turned back to complain to the male ghost: "It's all because of those lousy things you said to her before. Now she doesn't even dare to order food."
The male ghost knew he was in the wrong, but he still muttered something under his breath.
"Well... you've always been someone of high status, I was just stating the facts. It's just that Xiao Zhouzhou thinks you're a member of the fox clan's royal family and wouldn't dare mistreat you... I can't stop her from doing whatever she wants..."
Chi Jun sneered.
"Now you're washing your hands of it all. If you really bankrupt her, will you take responsibility?"
The male ghost teased:
"Wow, I've never seen you so worried about Xiao Zhouzhou before."
Chi Jun reached out and slashed the male ghost's forehead.
After preparing the dipping sauce and returning home, Xu Qingzhou had already ordered his meal.
The hot pot base has been served, and other dishes are being placed on the table one after another.
Chi Jun frowned after just one glance:
"I didn't order goose intestines or luncheon meat."
The waiter looked somewhat surprised and was about to check the order when Xu Qingzhou timidly raised his hand across from him: "[I ordered]."
Chi Jun understood; these were the very items he had previously marked and crossed out, but Xu Qingzhou had actually ticked them back up for him.
Chi Jun moved his lips slightly, glanced at Xu Qingzhou who, after learning his true identity, was even careful to take care of his feelings during meals, but ultimately remained silent.
The pot quickly boiled, and the two of them took turns putting meat and vegetables into it.
Before eating, Xu Qingzhou made sure to offer some food to the male ghost.
The male ghost was so moved by eating hot pot for the first time that tears and drool flew from his mouth. He kept talking while eating, and his voice was trembling with excitement.
Xu Qingzhou and Chi Jun both found it funny, but seeing him spitting everywhere, Chi Jun finally couldn't help but say "Shut up." Just then, a female voice came from behind them.
"Xu Jun?"
The two instinctively looked in the direction of the sound.
Xu Qingzhou paused, chopsticks in motion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
