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“We are indeed a fake couple,” Deng Yi confirmed, flicking another Monstera leaf.
Zhou Ji'an turned his head and met his eyes, immediately knowing what he hadn't finished saying.
"How about becoming a real couple?" Deng Yi asked calmly.
Just as I expected.
Zhou Ji'an disliked him repeating this topic, and said in a huff, "Have you been single for too long?"
Deng Yi sighed, "Yes, it's been a long time."
His easy admission left Zhou Ji'an speechless, and he lowered his head to check the time on his phone.
There are still at least five hours until it gets dark and I go to bed. Are we going to talk about this topic for all five hours?
What do other normal couples usually do when they are alone together?
Zhou Ji'an really wanted to check on her phone, but she could clearly feel Deng Yi looking at her.
He always looks at her like this. He used to look at her like this, and even after all these years, he still does. If someone else saw him like this, they would probably think he was extremely affectionate.
Only Zhou Ji'an knew that his eyes were filled with affection for everyone he looked at.
"Is there any work that needs to be done today?" Deng Yi looked at her for a while, feeling more and more real. He could be sure she was real without even touching her.
"No," Zhou Ji'an shook his head.
After joining the new company, Zhou Ji'an's hourly wage increased, his workload decreased, and he had more time to do things he liked better.
During the three months she lived in Deng Yi's house, she worked with Lu Jiani and other members of the discussion group to build a gender equality data platform. In recent days, the platform has become more popular. After reading some feedback and social news, Zhou Ji'an had the idea of developing anti-harassment software.
However, she hasn't discussed it with the other members of the group yet. She plans to try building the framework herself first, and then tell them when she has enough time and energy and a relatively high success rate.
Or should we go to Lu Jianni's house now to discuss this, and then come back tonight?
Deng Yi spoke first, before Zhou Ji'an: "The pool water temperature isn't high enough for swimming today. How about we go see a stand-up comedy show?"
Zhou Ji'an had visited several times with Lu Jianni and the others before, and each time the experience was good. Hearing Deng Yi say this, he became interested and said, "I want to."
Her attention was diverted, and she seemed to have completely forgotten what they had just been talking about; her face was filled with pure joy.
Deng Yi couldn't take his eyes off him.
Sometimes, when he misses her so much that he tosses and turns at night, he repeatedly recalls moments like these.
In such moments, he will gradually feel his own existence and realize that his behavior, language, and emotions are being seen and accepted.
Deng Yi couldn't control himself and touched her face again. "It doesn't start until 7:30. We can have dinner at home before going out."
Zhou Ji'an is very sensitive. After reuniting with Deng Yi, he would touch her from time to time. Each time, his body would give a clear reaction, but she did not reject it. This reminded him of the conclusion he had drawn many years ago.
She probably won't be able to like anyone else in this lifetime.
"Is the venue far from here?" Zhou Ji'an resisted the urge to turn his face towards him.
"It's a ticket someone gave me. I didn't look at it carefully, but it shouldn't be too far." Deng Yi gently stroked her incredibly smooth cheek one last time before letting go. "Has your skin gotten better since you stopped eating sweets?"
Zhou Ji'an didn't expect his topic to suddenly turn to her skin. He hesitated for a moment before replying, "I don't know, but it's possible that I haven't been exposed to the sun as much since I started working."
"Do you want to take a nap?" Deng Yi asked.
Her face immediately flushed red.
Deng Yi's heart was in turmoil. "There are still four or five hours left. We can't just stand here and chat like this forever."
Is it just a short nap?
Zhou Ji'an doubted him and exposed him: "I don't believe you."
Deng Yi chuckled softly. He was suspected and exposed, but he was in a great mood. "I really just wanted you to rest."
Zhou Ji'an has a habit of taking a nap, but in the current situation, would he be able to fall asleep if he actually lay down on the bed?
If you can't sleep during the day, won't it be even harder to fall asleep when it gets dark and you're finally ready to go to bed?
Zhou Ji'an sensed something was wrong; she had actually begun to convince herself to accept Deng Yi's proposal.
Deng Yi: "It will take more than an hour to sit here, and with the round-trip travel time, it may take more than two hours."
His specialty has always been patient guidance.
Zhou Ji'an struggled and tried to resist: "Then we might as well go out now."
Once they're outside, no amount of coaxing will work.
Deng Yi raised an eyebrow and asked, "What about dinner? Don't you dislike eating out?"
Previously, when Zhou Ji'an wanted to cook in the tea area of Deng Yi's studio, her excuse was that she didn't like eating out.
Her inferiority complex prevented her from revealing the real reason.
Deng Yi never exposed her true feelings; he still believes she doesn't like eating out.
"For dinner, I'll just buy something and have a bite." Zhou Ji'an had already decided to go to the convenience store to buy teriyaki chicken rice balls.
Deng Yi nodded: "Okay, I'll go get the tickets."
Zhou Ji'an relaxed considerably and nodded in agreement, saying, "Okay."
Unexpectedly, he smiled again.
He really loves to laugh too much.
The two quickly tidied themselves up and went out.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the residential compound, Zhou Ji'an suddenly realized, "Aren't you driving?"
Deng Yi: "We'll take the subway; there won't be any traffic jams, and it'll be faster."
Zhou Ji'an didn't understand: "You can take the subway?"
In Jishi during winter, the wind blows stronger and stronger, causing even light and heavy things to tumble and swirl.
Deng Yi: "Why can't I take the subway? Wasn't our first meeting on the subway?"
Zhou Ji'an wanted to say that she didn't mean it that way, but because of his words, he quickly fell into memories.
That year, Zhou Ji'an arrived in Jishi for the first time. Dragging his suitcase and carrying the money he had earned working in an electronics factory, he walked out of the train station full of hope and boarded the subway to school.
After the college entrance examination, Zhou Ji'an did not want to spend much time with his parents, so he followed his junior high school classmate Zhao Haiyan, who had no intention of going to university, and took a long-distance bus to work in an electronics factory in a small coastal county.
Every day, they wear blue workshop uniforms and begin assembling mobile phone parts to the music of "The Smurfs Song".
Each person at each workstation only needs to assemble one mobile phone part.
The assembly line work, with two shifts a day and night, and up to twelve hours of standing work every day, made Zhou Ji'an feel desperate.
She was both desperate and relieved.
Because she knew she had performed quite well in the college entrance examination, perhaps better than in any other exam she had taken since high school.
She was certain that she would be different from the others in the workshop, that she would go to university, and become an extraordinary person.
When Zhou Ji'an and Zhao Haiyan checked their college entrance examination results, Zhou Ji'an looked at Zhao Haiyan's score and couldn't help but say, "Why don't you go back and repeat a year?"
Zhao Haiyan ignored her, quickly washed up, lay down on the iron bunk bed, and made the most of every minute to follow her Korean idol.
After the dormitory lights were turned off, Zhou Ji'an heard Zhao Haiyan chuckle. She turned to look at Zhao Haiyan's bed, and the light from her phone screen shone on Zhao Haiyan's face.
Zhao Haiyan was genuinely smiling.
Zhou Ji'an vaguely sensed that there was something wrong with his mindset, but he had not yet figured out what the problem was.
One day, while Zhou Ji'an was waiting for the workshop door to open on a chair outside the workshop, he noticed a little girl next to him with rough and dark hands.
Following those hands, she saw a youthful, yet equally rough and dark-skinned face.
Zhou Ji'an immediately became friendly with her and learned during their conversation that she was a student organized by the school to work there.
When Zhou Ji'an asked her age because of her overly youthful face, she stammered out a number.
Zhou Ji'an determined from the way she glanced at her classmates of the same ethnicity that she was probably even younger.
After that, Zhou Ji'an would give the little girl any good food he had, and he would often ask her to play. He also said he wanted to write a letter to the little girl.
While they waited outside the workshop for the door to open, the little girl would always hold Zhou Ji'an's hand and compare it to her own, saying, "Your hands are so white and soft."
At these times, Zhou Ji'an would feel even more sorry for her.
Based solely on this limited information, Zhou Ji'an concluded that the little girl was living a miserable life, but she had not yet realized that her concern and sympathy had taken a turn for the worse.
One day, Zhou Ji'an went to the little girl's dormitory again and asked her about her hometown and why they were sent to such a far place to earn money at such a young age.
Suddenly, the little girl's classmates rushed in. When they saw Zhou Ji'an, they greeted him warmly, but after a while, they secretly watched Zhou Ji'an and laughed.
Because they were speaking their ethnic language, Zhou Ji'an didn't know what they were saying, but her intuition told her that they were laughing at her.
Finally, under Zhou Ji'an's persistent questioning, she learned that the little girl she had been caring about had told her classmates that Zhou Ji'an had a big bottom, which was perfect for having sons.
At that moment, Zhou Ji'an was shocked, disgusted, disappointed, and ashamed. A mix of emotions overwhelmed her, and she almost didn't know how to end the situation. In the end, she forced herself to remain calm, gave them a lecture in the tone of an older sister, and then never had anything to do with the little girl again.
We only exchange casual greetings when we bump into each other on the street occasionally.
A while later, at lunchtime, Zhao Haiyan said, "That little girl you used to be friends with has changed so much. She straightened her hair and got her ears pierced."
The uneasy feeling that Zhou Ji'an had before resurfaced.
As she chewed on her dry rice, a casual glance caught sight of the little girl setting down her plate.
It has indeed changed completely.
Zhou Ji'an didn't pay much attention, because today was her last day at the electronics factory, and she would be heading to Jishi to attend university tomorrow.
She felt that she was different from everyone else in the factory; she didn't belong here, and she wouldn't waste her youth and energy here only to earn a reward that didn't match her efforts.
Around 9 p.m., after getting off work, Zhou Ji'an returned his workshop uniform and regular factory uniform. As he walked back to his dormitory, he listened to Zhao Haiyan introduce her newly followed idol group.
Zhao Haiyan carefully explained the information of each member. After listening for a while, Zhou Ji'an brought up the old topic again: "Are you really not going back to repeat your studies? Do you plan to do this kind of work from now on?"
Zhao Haiyan's face darkened instantly. She put on her hard-soled shoes, shook off her, and went up the stairs.
A jarring thud echoed through the hallway, as if trying to shake off the mold stains on the white walls.
Before shaking off Zhou Ji'an, Zhao Haiyan said disdainfully, "Don't assume everyone is like you, enjoying reading and studying. Besides, I don't think going to university is anything special."
Zhou Ji'an was stunned on the spot.
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