CH 21

Chapter 21: Do people have to line up to chase you now?

Xu Sui walked back to the dormitory, a bit dizzy. Her footsteps were unsteady that she felt her entire body drifting into outer space. When she got back to the dormitory, she couldn’t hold it in anymore longer. Her legs softened, and she fell back down into her chair.

1017 was nested under the table, and when Xu Sui came back, it meowed at her. She laid her head on the table and looked up. Both of her roommates had given her gifts.

She unwrapped the packaging and saw that Liang Shuang had given her a set of skincare products while Hu Xixi gifted her a delicate rose gold necklace.

She took out her phone and sent a message to the roommates that had yet to return, expressing her happiness and gratitude again. To calm the ups and downs of the night, Xu Sui decided to take a shower to compose herself.

After coming out of the shower, she touched her face with her hands and felt that it was still burning. While charging the warm water bag, she searched for the Cantonese song Zhou Jingze sang to her with her phone in one hand.

It was called “Yellow Gate” 《黄色大门》.

After Xu Sui searched up the song, she plugged in her white earbud and listened to it quietly. It sounded really nice. She suddenly remembered something and took out her phone, flipping through the photos.

One of the photos was taken when the candles were just lit on the cake. She took out the phone that time and snapped a picture. It looked like she was taking a photo of the cake, but she was actually taking a picture of Zhou Jingze.

He was standing on the side, and only his side profile was vaguely photographed in the corner.

If one doesn’t look carefully, they wouldn’t find out— this was her secret. Xu Sui selected the photo from the album and posted it to her Friends Circle.

After sharing the post, she closed her phone and recalled what happened today; her mind flickered like a movie on rewind.

Her mood today rose and fell. She laid on the table and took out her diary to record the moments, including when they were on stage together and Zhou Jingze praising her performance.

The birthday gift he gave her was a song, and most importantly, he wished her a happy birthday and hoped she was happy every day. Xu Sui already knew why he gave this blessing. It was because of last time when they were trying to get the doll, he learned about her sad past.

Thinking about it, he really is a gentle person, not the unruly and unrestrained kind displayed on the surface.

In the past six months, Xu Sui felt like she was dreaming. When Zhou Jingze was in high school, he was heaven’s favored one, a moon surrounded by a myriad of stars. On the other hand, she was inferior, sensitive, and dull— always apart from the crowd.

They didn’t have any interactions, seemingly separated by a galaxy.

Yet now, during the first snow, Zhou Jingze said to get “re-acquainted”. The two have now become friends.

Regardless of whether the blessing was because of her performance or just something polite to do, she was finally seen by him through her efforts.

Suddenly Xu Sui remembered a song she often listened to in her free time. She wrote a sentence in her diary:

I’d rather be unafraid of blushing, of embarrassment, and tenaciously attack, fighting for your recognition. 《情愿不怕脸红，顽强地进攻，争取你认同。》

Xu Sui stared at the diary in a daze. Accompanied by a loud “bang” sound, the bedroom door was pushed open, and the cold wind poured in. Xu Sui shivered from the cold and hurriedly stuffed her diary into the drawer.

“Damn it; it’s so cold outside. If I knew that, I wouldn’t have gone to the supermarket,” Liang Shuang complained.

Hu Xixi looked at her nails and brushed her hair, crying: “I suddenly miss the Sam’s Club at my house downstairs.”

“Time to wake up to reality,” Liang Shuang patted her head.

Xu Sui threw her phone on the upper bunk and turned to talk to them: “You guys could’ve asked me to come down and help carry the bags up.”

“No way! Today you’re the birthday star.”

Her roommates took a shower and did their skincare. Xu Sui went to bed and laid down early. She listened to a male cover of the song with her earbuds on.

Xu Sui then checked tomorrow’s schedule as usual before going to bed and went on WeChat. Her Friends Circle showed a red dot. She clicked into it and saw messages from people wishing her a happy birthday.

Xu Sui looked through the comments but didn’t see the name she wanted to see, staring at the photo she posted in a daze.

Red strawberries were decorated around the white cream cake in a circle. The picture photographed Hu Xixi, who was helping to light the candle, and on the far left, a tall black figure.

The profile of the side face was blurry, but if examined closely, one would find that the boy’s hand was very clearly photographed. The joints were clear and bony, and light blue veins extended throughout the hand. There was also a small, dark mole on the hand.

Xu Sui lowered her dark eyelashes and was about to close WeChat when suddenly, a red plus sign popped up.

She was a little nervous and clicked on it. ZJZ gave her a thumbs up. When she saw his name, she felt a shortness of breath.

The caption of the post was a lyric from the song he sang tonight:

The wardrobe hides a paradise.

The original sentence was supposed to be “The wardrobe hides a garden,” but she was afraid that others would see it, so she changed it to paradise. The next lyric of the song is—

The boy you like, always by your side.

Seeing Zhou Jingze’s profile picture, Xu Sui felt she was turned upside-down, like a layer of honey that glazed her heart. Even the air seemed to be thinner.

Zhou Jingze only casually liked her post, but it was different to her. If this was just her wishful thinking, then tonight was her short fantasy.

Treating it as a response to her tenacious offenses.

—

The next day, as usual, she packed her things and headed to class. She didn’t expect to attract everyone’s attention on her way. There was chattering, and some even took pictures of her.

Everyone’s overly attentive eyes made Xu Sui unconsciously speed up her pace.

When she arrived at the class, Xu Sui put down her books, and Liang Shuang pounced on her like an octopus. With a smile: “The goddess is here!”

“Huh?”

Seeing Xu Sui’s puzzled face, Liang Shuang took out her phone and showed her the forum with excitement: “I’m afraid you’re the only one in the school who doesn’t know that you were on the homepage of the two universities. Last night, when you played the drums, you were so good that everyone is talking about you now.”

Xu Sui took the phone and quickly swiped down the comments. They were all discussions and photos of her performance last night.

A: 【Whose this? Within one minute, I need to know her name, major, and what she likes.】

B: 【This young lady looks very attractive. Her eyes are very clear and lively.】

C: 【F*ck, this girl looks like a good girl at first glance, but very enthusiastic when playing the drum. Totally my type.】

D: 【Stop playing the drums, play me instead. I even thought about where our grave would be.】

Liang Shuang came over and grabbed her shoulder: “Baby, what about taking this as an opportunity to find someone. What type do you like? I’ll help you find some people to choose from.”

Xu Sui shook her head. Liang Shuang saw her innocent look and hesitated before asking: “Have you ever dated someone…… no?”

“Nope,” Xu Sui answered while taking out a book and pen, getting ready for class.

“Damn, what are you waiting for then?? Hurry up and fall in love,” Liang Shuang felt exasperated when she looked at the scholar’s expression.

Liang Shuang waited for her reply, but Xu Sui didn’t know how to tell her about her crush. Fortunately, the class bell rang. She sighed in relief and took the opportunity to switch the topic: “Class is starting now.”

After class, Xu Sui didn’t want to be talked about while eating, so she went to the cafeteria and packed a meal back to the dormitory.

Xu Sui opened the door and saw Hu Xixi petting the cat, jokingly: “Is Goddess Xu back?”

Xu Sui nodded calmly and put the meal on the table. Hu Xixi’s back was facing her, holding a toy playing with 1017. She took advantage of Princess Xixi being distracted and placed her hands on the back of her neck, smiling, “You’re still going on with it?”

Xu Sui had just returned from outside, and her hands and feet were chilly. The cold made Hu Xixi scream, and Hu Xixi immediately turned around and tickled her.

Xu Sui was ticklish and giggled. The two tangled together and quarreled for a long time. In the end, they both fell on the bed inadvertently.

Hu Xixi was lying next to her and suddenly remembered something: “Sui Sui, I have a guess I wanted to tell you last night.”

“Huh?” Xu Sui was lying on the bed, panting slightly.

“How come I feel like my uncle has a crush on you?” Hu Xixi said swiftly.

This sentence came out of nowhere, but it made Xu Sui’s heart throb. She still hadn’t calmed down her breath, but her chest was still panting.

“Everyone knows that he likes exceedingly charming girls,” Xu Sui smiled back, trying to make herself sound casual and relaxed.

“But last night, when everyone asked him to sing, he didn’t sing. But when he knew it was your birthday, he took the initiative to sing,” Hu Xixi said, recalling the scene last night, “That was unprecedented and shocking.”

“According to what I understand about my uncle, no one can force him to do anything. He’s the kind of person with an unruly personality and is easy-going. He never lets himself fall into a passive situation. Once he does, he would directly eradicate it,” Hu Xixi commented while playing with a ribbon on a hat. “He has always been like this…”

In high school, Zhou Jingze became obsessed with modified racing cars for a while that he wanted a modified car with his name engraved on it. He said his wish to his grandpa, who loved this grandson. On top of his excellent grades at school, his grandpa couldn’t reject that he naturally granted Zhou Jingze what he wanted.

On his seventeenth birthday, Zhou Jingze received a gift from his grandpa. However, Zhou Zhengyan took the car key and proposed to him a deal, “You can participate in this chemistry competition and get first place.”

Zhou Jingze lowered his eyes, and his voice was faint: “I don’t want to go.”

He didn’t hate chemistry but only had a general interest in it. Furthermore, he had his own plan of things to do. By participating and preparing for the competition, it would only disrupt his rhythm.

Moreover, Zhou Zhengyan generally ignored him. By suddenly asking him to place first in the chemistry competition, it was only either for business cooperation or keeping face.

Zhou Zhengyan sneered: “If you don’t do it, you can go to the garbage collection station to find your car.”

The atmosphere was deadlocked and tense. Zhou Jingze was silent for a long time and finally raised his head and smiled, touching his left cheek with the tip of his tongue: “Okay. I’ll go save your face.”

In the end, Zhou Jingze did maintain Zhou Zhengyan’s image, but not in the form of first place. Instead during the competition, he handed in a blank paper and gave a long list of his opinions on the questions in English. It was to tell them not to give such child’s play but to have harder questions.

Zhou Jingze was arrogant and frivolous. He was soon invited by his parents and received a warning from the committee.

After listening to Hu Xixi’s explanation, Xu Sui finally knew the reason why he handed in a blank paper in the first place.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Xu Sui said.

“My intuitions generally aren’t wrong. During this period, I’ll create more opportunities for the two of you to be together. You can take the opportunity to see if he’s special to you,” Hu Xixi turned around and winked at her.

The speaker had no particular intention, but the listener read their own meaning into it. Because of a small stone that Hu Xixi accidentally set, it made ripples in Xu Sui’s heart. She often wandered off into her thoughts when doing homework.

Would Zhou Jingze really like her, even if only a little bit?

On Friday, Xu Sui spent a whole day in the dim laboratory. After she finished her work, Xu Sui took out her phone and found that Hu Xixi had sent a text message asking her to go to the second canteen for dinner at 6:30 PM.

Xu Sui glanced at the time, took off her white coat, and walked out after packing up her things. When she came out of the laboratory, the sky was dark.

The frigid and harsh wind blew across the street while the dim yellow street lamp stood there quietly. Occasionally, there were sounds of basketball dribbling and boys cheering from the northeast corner.

Xu Sui grasped her collar unconsciously and hurried towards the cafeteria. When she arrived at the door of the second canteen, Xu Sui didn’t see Hu Xixi but looked up and saw Zhou Jingze.

Standing on the steps, Zhou Jingze was wearing a black coat, holding a cigarette between his fingers. He was casually chatting with others and occasionally rubbed his neck.

He stood under the tree, and the street light behind him struck obliquely, casting his shadow even longer.

Xu Sui stood there for a while. After the people waved him goodbye, he turned around and saw her. He then raised his hand to signal her to come up.

“Why are you here?” Xu Sui walked up the steps and came in front of him. In a surprised tone: “Where’s Xixi?”

The cigarette between Zhou Jingze’s fingertips was still lit. When he heard his words, he looked at her with a tint of surprise. What, was this the first time they met?

Nevertheless, Zhou Jingze turned to the side and called Hu Xixi. Xu Sui’s eyelids jumped when the call was picked up.

She had a bad feeling in her heart.

Sure enough, Zhou Jingze turned back to her after the phone call and said, “She said her stomach hurts and told us to go eat without her.”

Xu Sui froze on the spot. Her white face was covered by a ginger scarf, only revealing a pair of dark eyes.

Seeing that she hadn’t moved, Zhou Jingze raised his eyebrows:

“Why, not willing?”

“Ah. No, I’ll treat you out,” Xu Sui looked for her meal card in her pocket in a panic.

“Let’s go; look for it later,” a casual chuckle sounded above the top of her head. Zhou Jingze threw the cigarette, and the sole of his shoe extinguished the scarlet flame. He walked in the front with his hands in his pocket while Xu Sui followed behind. The dust under the streetlamp blew like little snowflakes, and the moonlight gradually faded behind them.

The two came to the noodle area on the second floor. Xu Sui took the meal card and stood in front of the window, “Auntie, can I have two bowls of shrimp noodles, one without green onions and coriander.”

“It’s two bowls without green onions and coriander,” Zhou Jingze corrected. He lowered his neck and nodded to the lunch lady at the window, “Thank you.”

Zhou Jingze straightened up again and tilted his head to look at her. His eyes overflowed with a careless smile: “What a coincidence. You don’t eat coriander?”

Hearing this, her dark eyelashes trembled slightly. She finally nodded: “Yea.”

Zhou Jingze and Xu Sui sat across from each other. The noodles were served quickly. Xu Sui took a sip of the soup; it was very fresh and hot that her body warmed up quickly.

Halfway through the meal, two or three boys came over and asked Xu Sui for her phone number. Although the other party repeatedly stated that he just wanted to be friends with her, she politely rejected them, emphasizing she wanted to focus on her studies.

After they left, she sighed in relief. When she turned around, Zhou Jingze looked at her carefully. His dark eyes were mixed with a slight smile:

“Really welcomed by people lately, huh?”

Xu Sui felt that no matter what she became or how popular she was, in front of him, as long as he focused on her, she would always be a little nervous.

Under his gaze, she was a little uncomfortable. The blush on her face spread around like gentle petals. After a while, she replied:

“Don’t laugh at me now.”

Zhou Jingze’s narrow eyes flashed a somewhat inexplicable emotion. As if joking and thinking about something, he slowly asked:

“Do people have to line up to chase you now?”