CH 77

After dinner, the adults set up the mahjong table and started playing. Xiang Wan was also invited to join and Yu Zhou’s aunt-in-law sat behind her, teaching her how to play.

Su Chang said that she had to return in the afternoon. Yu Zhou was worried about her health and the fatigue that driving for such a long time might bring, so she suggested Su Chang take a nap on the upper floor.

Having greeted the adults, Yu Zhou led Su Chang upstairs to her bedroom on the south side. This was where she and Su Chang stayed whenever they came home.

The bedroom was fairly large, featuring a small sofa, the wooden desk she used during her school days, as well as a tall bookshelf filled with high school textbooks and extracurricular magazines.

During her previous stays, Su Chang loved to flip through Yu Zhou’s old homework and essay books. Yu Zhou always liked to fill the squares completely with writing, as if she felt shortchanged if she didn’t.

Su Chang changed into Yu Zhou’s pajamas, which carried her familiar scent, and sat on the edge of the bed. Watching Yu Zhou draw the curtains and approach, she casually turned on the bedside lamp.

Standing in front of her, Yu Zhou could see Su Chang’s face clearly in the light of the lamp. There were faint dark circles under her eyes and her gaze seemed slightly strained; she was truly exhausted.

Yu Zhou felt a little sorry for her, lowering her head to look at Su Chang, she asked softly, “Do you really need to go back? My house has enough rooms for everyone to have their own. You look so tired, and I’m worried about you driving for another four or five hours.”

Su Chang reached up, gripping Yu Zhou’s right hand before giving it a gentle squeeze.

Gazing at Yu Zhou, who was so close, Su Chang spoke earnestly in a soft voice, “If I stay here, I might…”

Couldn’t help myself.

Yu Zhou swallowed nervously.

Sighing, Su Chang chose her words carefully, “If I don’t drive, I’ll probably have to drink at dinner with the elders tonight. With you staying next door, I won’t be able to… sleep well.”

She hesitated faintly as if she felt a little shy, but not noticeably so.

In fact, she was slightly tempted even now, wanting to hold Yu Zhou in her arms, especially since this position allowed her to easily wrap her arms around Yu Zhou’s waist, which she knew to be soft and comfortable, effortlessly accommodating her wavering rationality.

The fact that they used to be so close and knew that they liked each other weakened their control over their own actions.

Yu Zhou understood her meaning and the corners of her mouth pursed up involuntarily. Su Chang laughed as she watched Yu Zhou, with her finger hooking Yu Zhou’s palm lightly.

Withdrawing her hand, Su Chang leaned on the edge of the bed and looked at Yu Zhou.

“Then you… uh, take a nap, one hour? Two hours? I’ll wake you up later.” Even Yu Zhou couldn’t help but whisper.

Su Chang tilted her head and thought, “I’ll sleep until 4:30 am, get up, clean up and set off at 5 o’clock, so it won’t be too late when I get home.”

“Okay.”

Yu Zhou turned off the light for her before closing the door, and then went downstairs to play mahjong.

Xiang Wan looked at her thoughtfully, before she lowered her head to pick up her cards.

Soon it was 4:30 am, Yu Zhou went upstairs to call Su Chang as scheduled.

Su Chang was already awake, having actually not slept much at all, only dozing for a short while. She lazily smiled upon seeing Yu Zhou before efficiently getting out of bed to change clothes and prepare to leave.

There was only one table left for playing mahjong, as the remaining relatives had gone out shopping and had not yet returned. Ms. Zhao came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. Although Su Chang had spoken about leaving earlier, Ms. Zhao still wanted to keep her.

Yu Zhou’s family was always so hospitable.

“Mom, she has to meet a client; it’s very important. She just came here on her way.” Yu Zhou explained.

“How about I pack her some crispy meat and sausages to eat on the way if she gets hungry?” Ms. Zhao wiped her hands with her apron.

“Don’t bother. She won’t have time to eat while driving, and she won’t eat once she arrives to meet her client.” Yu Zhou thought it would be inconvenient, and she knew that Su Chang wouldn’t eat when she got home.

Unexpectedly, Su Chang gently agreed, “Okay.”

Ms. Zhao was delighted. She found some fresh-keeping bags and stuffed two big bags full before handing them to Su Chang. Then she and Xiang Wan escorted her out of the small garden. Finally, with only Yu Zhou accompanying Su Chang, they left.

With her hands in her pockets, Yu Zhou walked slowly with Su Chang to the intersection where the car was still parked.

Su Chang opened the car door, first placed the bags inside and then supported the backseat door without closing it. She stood there, looking down at Yu Zhou with slightly drooping eyes.

“What’s wrong? Is there anything else?” Yu Zhou stood in front of her, a little puzzled.

“Mhm.”

“What is it?”

Su Chang moistened her lips and asked her, “Can I have a New Year’s kiss?”

Ah, this.

Yu Zhou’s eyes flickered and her earlobes reddened again.

She unconsciously bit her upper lip as her heels lifted a little, feeling somewhat nervous.

“A- a French kiss?”

As soon as the words came out, she wanted to die. What was wrong with my brain?

Su Chang also froze for a moment. Then she laughed, breaking the tension. “Oh, so there’s that option.”

“No,” Yu Zhou’s ears and eyes were smoking as she fumbled to explain, “I mean, if it’s that kind of kiss, it’s not, not really appropriate.”

“Well, what about the other options?”

Yu Zhou was sure that Su Chang was flirting with her because she was finding it hard to resist.

Yu Zhou glanced at her and asked, “So the New Year’s kiss you mentioned earlier, where exactly were you going to kiss?”

Su Chang stared at her lips, raising her eyebrows slightly, “Here.”

“Or…” she tilted her head and looked at Yu Zhou’s slightly pink cheeks, “here.”

Yu Zhou felt as if Su Chang’s gaze had caressed her entire face.

She really wanted to say fiercely, “Neither, forget it, what are you doing, just leave. We have no relationship, are you sick?”

However, when she saw Su Chang’s hand holding the car door, thinking about how this delicate-looking hand had been driving for four or five hours straight and would still need to drive four or five more hours back, just to see her.

Yu Zhou’s heart softened.

Moreover, she thought about more things. On this first day of the Chinese New Year, when Su Chang returned home alone, what would she eat and who would accompany her?

It seemed that Su Chang had already been very restrained, not staying overnight at her home.

However, seeing her calm and composed appearance, it also seemed as if she was using the fact that she “didn’t stay overnight” to discreetly ask for a “next best thing”.

Yu Zhou looked at Su Chang and shook her head inwardly, “No, this isn’t Su Chang’s conspiracy.”

She wasn’t that smart.

She probably… just wanted it.

Yu Zhou let out a long sigh in her heart before she said in a mosquito-like voice, “The latter.”

It felt very awkward. As soon as Yu Zhou said it, she turned her head away with her eyelashes trembling slightly.

Su Chang’s eyes burst with small fireworks, and then she lowered her head and leaned in, lightly kissing Yu Zhou’s cheek.

Polite, without lingering too much, the cool touch didn’t stay long, almost like a peck on the cheek.

Then she said, “I’m leaving, Happy New Year.”

Yu Zhou’s heart felt sour and swollen. She stepped back a little and said, “How many times do you need to say Happy New Year?” You said it twice on the phone and kept saying it in person.

Su Chang was startled and then laughed. She said, “I say it so many times because I hope that you will truly be happy.”

I hope you will truly be happy, Yu Zhou. No matter what our relationship ends up being defined as, I hope that you will truly be happy.