Chapter 48

  The chef also had a lot of holidays, and there were not many dishes to eat. Yuan Zhi took all the light-tasting ones, several plates full, and then brought people to find a window seat to sit down.

  He Sheng bit his chopsticks and said, "Too much, can't finish eating."

  "It's okay, our school has some stray dogs. If we can't finish it, we'll feed them." Pushing a bowl of steamed winter melon forward, "Eat up!"

  He Shuang ate slowly and carefully, while Yuan Zhi sat beside her, occasionally picking up dishes for her.

  "Why aren't you eating?" He Sheng looked up at him with a spare glance.

  "I'm so fed up with eating every day, and you're the one who insisted on coming here." Yuan Zhi put a cup of hot water beside her, "Drink some water first, don't just stuff your face with food."

  He Sheng listened and took a sip, then said, "These dishes are quite delicious."

  "Nonsense, it's great to have a good meal for once."

  Two people were chatting intermittently when two women with tall figures, avant-garde clothing and makeup walked over.

  "Yuan Zhi, you haven't gone home either?" Zhang Yanyu placed the plate on their table with a gentle clink, her eyebrows raised as she scanned his face with a hint of shyness.

  "Hmm." Yuan Zhi responded perfunctorily, tapping the table and saying to He Song, who was staring blankly: "What are you looking at? Eat quickly!"

  He Sheng hastily lowered his head again, Zhang Yuer glanced over with a slanted eye. This little girl had been seen by her as soon as Yuan Zhi entered the door, and the two of them were very affectionate, hugging and rubbing each other, making people feel unbearable. But looking at it, there was nothing special about it. She didn't understand what Yuan Zhi saw in this little girl!

  A corner of his mouth curled up in mockery as he pulled over the person who had been silently standing beside him and said, "Wanyue, let's sit down too."

  Just as they were about to take a step forward, Yuan Zhi blocked their way, his face calm and his tone indifferent. "There are plenty of seats in the cafeteria, you can find another table, this one is not convenient for us."

  Zhang Yan'er was taken aback, being openly rebuked in front of everyone made her feel quite embarrassed, and at the same time a bit resentful. She forced a smile and said: "Isn't it more lively with more people?" Then she turned to He Song who was still dazed, "Little girl, what do you think?"

  Yuan Zhi's eyebrows furrowed even tighter, he had no good feelings towards this kind of woman who was flirting and showing off, his face also started to look unpleasant, with a slightly impatient emphasis "I'll say it again, it's not convenient, besides, I don't seem to be very familiar with you, is this how Zhang usually gets close to people?"

  He Wanrui pulled her and whispered, "Yaner, let's go!"

  "I won't!" She shook off He Wan Yue's grasp, glaring at Yuan Zhi with a huff. "What makes you think you can talk to me in this tone? Do you know how many people want to get close to me? You..."

  Yuan Zhi coldly interrupted her, "Then trouble you to find them, I don't want to get close to you, okay?" He stood up and took over He Shuang's backpack, pulling He Shuang who was still holding chopsticks, "Let's change places to eat!"

  When she came out of the position, He Song was tripped again. After standing firm, she couldn't help but turn her head to look at He Wan Yue, who was comforting Zhang Yan Er on the side. The other person's eyebrows and eyes were clear and calm, very different from the person in memory, but no matter how big the change was, the general outline of the five senses was still there, and inside, a sense of familiarity that was distant and familiar came out, this familiarity came from the subtle similarity with the expression she used to have.

  "Go on, He Sheng, what are you looking at!" Yuan Zhi urged.

  He Sheng hurriedly followed, walking a few meters away before subconsciously turning his head back. Coincidentally, their gazes met with He Wan Yue's, and across the distance of several dinner tables, both parties were stunned for a moment, with some things suddenly becoming clear.

  Across thousands of mountains and rivers, across the fleeting years, they truly have a predestined relationship.

  The sun is about to set, leaving only a faint pink that can barely linger for a moment. The line of sight also becomes blurred in the evening.

  Yu Zhi turned his head and looked at He Sheng who was a little strange, "What's wrong? You're so quiet."

  "No." He Xiong quickened his pace and walked alongside him, hesitantly asking, "Were those two from earlier your classmates?"

  "No, just a schoolmate, not from our department." Yuan Zhi switched the backpack to his other hand and put the other hand on her shoulder. "Later we'll go to Zuixiangluo for dinner, their dishes are quite authentic and the taste is okay. After eating, we'll stroll around the pedestrian street over there, then head back to the hotel to sleep. Tomorrow we'll head home."

  "Are you okay with not sleeping in your dorm room?"

  "Who told you I wasn't going back to the dorm?" Yuan Zhi raised his chin, with a clear smile teasingly said: "Little guy, so you want to sleep with your brother? Then either give me a kiss, and I'll consider it!"

  After finishing speaking, she leaned her face towards He Song and said, "Come on, give me a kiss!"

  He stared at him with a dumb expression, the face close to his was clean and delicate, couldn't even find pores, it seemed like he could feel the warmth on it when he breathed, rubbing his hands, his face turned red, "I didn't mean that, I didn't let you sleep with me, really!"

  Yuan Zhi curled his lip, ruffled her hair, "Look at you, so anxious, is it necessary? I'm considered handsome and elegant, sleeping with me, aren't you gaining something?"

  "No!" He Sheng waved his hands repeatedly and dryly opened his mouth to repeat, "No!"

  "Whatever!" Yuan Zhi stood up straight and stopped teasing her.

  The dishes at the corner of the drunk angle are really good, He Sheng ate a lot with his head down, and when he came out again, it was a bustling pedestrian street. Neon lights illuminated the entire city, and there were many high-end shops around, as well as several snack stalls and a wandering singer with a hoarse voice like creased manuscript paper.

  Yuan Zhi took her on a stroll around the city where they first met, and even played with a game console, pinching a black-eyed, chubby raccoon pendant.

  "Come on, turn around and I'll help you put your backpack on." Yuan Zhi smiled mischievously and said, "It's rare that it only took 10 tries to succeed, last time I tried 20 times and still didn't make it."

  He Sheng turned around and looked at the other plush toys in the game console, each one was about the size of a fist, and the workmanship was average. Ten yuan was actually nothing to show off, it was expensive!

  Things are hung well, Yuan Zhi deliberately pulled and pulled, nodded in satisfaction, "It's quite solid, not bad."

  Let go, patted He Song's back, "Come on, it's been a long time, you must be tired, let's find a place to sleep early."

  There are many hotels in the city, and there is a hotel with a good reputation on almost every street that passes through the bustling night market.

  Yuan Zhi finished the registration at the counter and pulled He Sheng to take the elevator up, the room was on the fifth floor, a standard double room, and the facilities inside looked very high-end as soon as they entered.

  "You go take a bath first, and I'll take one after you're done."

  "What are you doing sleeping here?"

  "Hmm, what else?"

  "But you just said you didn't want to be with me."

  Yuan Zhi smiled slightly, his eyes still fixed on the TV, "Just kidding you, and yet you really believed it."

  He Sheng blinked, took out a change of clothes from her backpack and entered the bathroom. The bathroom was not big, but it had everything she needed. She adjusted the water temperature, confirmed that it was normal, then went to the toilet first. When she was about to flush the water, she was stunned. There were buttons with text labels next to the toilet lid, but there was no flush button. She pressed all of them, treating a dead horse as if it were alive, but still couldn't find it.

  She was worried, how could this hotel even have such an advanced toilet, she stood there frowning for a few seconds, then put down the lid and went out to find Yuan Zhi.

  "Huh? What's wrong?" It had been some time since she went in and came out, so seeing her completely unclean state was quite startling.

  He Sheng's expression was somewhat unnatural, "The toilet can't flush water."

  Yuan Zhi raised an eyebrow, "Something's wrong?"

  "I don't know, I just can't find the button."

  "Yes, stay by my side."

  "I pressed every one of them, no."

  Yuan Zhi let out a remote control and walked in with her. The small bathroom was crowded with two people, and there was no room to stand.

  He dived in, felt around for a moment, and 'gurgle gurgle' sounds of water came immediately.

  "Huh?" He Song leaned forward, rubbing his arm, "Which one did you press?"

  "Look at the very bottom, on the belly of that horse." Yuan Zhi stretched out his hand and pointed, "Do you see it?"

  A square of the same color as the toilet, without any sense of concavity or convexity. If you don't look carefully, you won't even know that this thing exists independently. He Zhong nodded, "This thing is really made to be hidden."

  "Nonsense, no matter what, they have to play out some characteristics to attract customers."

  "Customers can't be attracted just by using a horse toilet."

  "It's hard to say, maybe some people just have this quirk of liking toilet bowls?"

  He Sheng said this and still managed to show a shameless expression, looking very speechless.

  They each took a bath and went to bed, but possibly due to the change in environment, He Song seemed very spirited and showed no signs of sleepiness. The bedside lamp was on, and they lay side by side facing each other.

  Under the orange lamplight, Yuan Zhi wore a gentle and warm expression, making his handsome features even more attractive.

  He Sheng was an honest person. She curled up in the quilt and exposed half of her face, saying in a muffled voice: "You seem to look better than before."

  Yuan Zhi nodded and said proudly: "A man changes eighteen times when he grows up, of course, the longer the more beautiful!"

  He Sheng responded with a gentle echo.

  "Just like you look much better than before." Yuan Zhi coughed, his eyes flickering as he looked at her, "Hey, I've become more handsome, do you like me more now?"

  He Sheng looked at him with slightly red earlobes and nodded vigorously, "Uh-huh."

  Yuan Zhi couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth, and quickly glanced at her. The child was staring at him with a bright and innocent gaze, her eyes burning with focus. Yuan Zhi suddenly felt his face heat up, and hastily turned over to sleep on his side, but his heart was racing fast. He felt a little inexplicable, but not uncomfortable.

  After a long time, there was a rustling sound from He Sheng's side, followed by her questioning voice: "I turned off the lights."

  Yuan Zhi stared at the embroidered pattern on the window curtain in front of him and said, "Yes, close it!"

  A loud bang was heard and the room fell dark.

  The faint sound from He Shuang's side rang out again and then quieted down, followed by her even breathing.

  After a while, "He Sheng!" Yuan Zhi called out in a low voice.

  The other party did not respond.

  He waited for a while, then quietly got up and turned on the light again. He squatted down beside He Song's bed, the child burying his face in the quilt, sleeping soundly.

  Yuan Zhi slowly lifted the quilt covering her head, He Sheng was lightly snoring and didn't react at all.

  This girl either doesn't sleep, or when she does, she's as still as a rock. She usually speaks in a low voice, and when she's happy, she'll purse her lips and smile secretly. When she's sad, she'll hang her head and stare blankly. He Song is very simple, simple like a piece of white paper, where any emotion can be clearly revealed.

  She wasn't beautiful, but after becoming a ghost, she looked very delicate and had a good temperament. The more Yuan Zhi looked at her sleeping face, the more satisfied he became.

  His hand slid gently along the contours of her face, finally coming to rest on her slightly parted lips. His index finger pressed lightly, and the warm, soft sensation sent a shiver through him. This experience was so strange, it made his back hair stand on end, and he couldn't help but want to curl up, yet at the same time, a completely contradictory feeling of release emanated from within.

  Fingers wandered for a long time, then leaned in close, until their breaths merged, lips touched, minds were dizzy, hearts were satisfied, and tongues yearned to delve deeper.

  But reason still prevailed, and after lightly licking her lips with the tip of his tongue, he quickly retreated, Yuan Zhi touched his mouth, his entire face was already flushed red, his eyes were wet and exuding a natural charm, he turned his head and took a few deep breaths before calming down, when he looked at He Song again, who was still oblivious, he thought to himself, it's this person, maybe not perfect, but somehow can't seem to leave anymore.

  This realization actually existed before, it's just more obvious tonight.

  The next day, He Shuang woke up to see Yuan Zhi sitting by the window, his long legs crossed and propped on a tea table, with earbuds in his ears, his fingers tapping rhythmically on his knees, his eyes slightly closed, and the soft morning light shining on him, giving off an air of devoutness.

  He Sheng rubbed his eyes and sat up, "So early!"

  Yuan Zhi took off his headphones and stood up, "Still sleeping?"

  "I'm not sleeping."

  She hastily got up and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Yuan Zhi followed her to the door, leaning against the door frame to look at her. He Sheng now had a mouthful of foam, and was looked at by his straightforward gaze, feeling a bit awkward. She lowered her head to take a look at herself, then turned back to him, saying vaguely: "What's wrong? Is there something on me?"

  "No." Yuan Zhi's gaze swept over her head, "Ah, wait, I'll braid your hair later."

  He Sheng puffed out his cheeks, his face full of surprise, and spat out water. "Can you?"

  "There's always a first time, right? I'll give it a shot!"

  He Sheng put down the cup and toothbrush, started running water to wash his face, nodding as he did so, "Alright!"

  After washing up and returning to the room, Yuan Zhi walked over to the dresser, picked up a comb and bent it into an arc. "Will it be too soft?" He looked at He Song's messy long hair. "Don't break it later."

  "Let's change to another one!" He Sheng jumped onto the bed and took out a small box from his backpack, opened it and inside was a small wooden comb, "This was bought by Jia Yin last time and given to me, it's really useful."

  Yuan Zhi took it from her hand, tossed it upwards a few times, and found that it was no bigger than the palm of his hand. The surface was carved with floral patterns, and to be honest, it looked quite good, but could something so small really be used?

  He Sheng had already consciously untied the rubber band, smoothed his hair with his hand, and sat cross-legged with his back to Yuan Zhi, calling out in a clear voice, "I'm done!"

  Yuan Zhi sat down on the bed with one leg curled up, scratched the back of her head, and inserted a comb into her hair to brush it downwards. He Shuang's hair was very fine, soft, and abundant, but its color wasn't purely black; instead, it had a subtle yellow tint, making it closer to a rich brown hue. Some people said that yellowish hair was caused by poor nutrition, but Yuan Zhi didn't know if this was true or false. Considering He Shuang's previous eating habits, her nutrition should have been quite comprehensive.

  It's very convenient for boys to have short hair, they can just grab it casually and go out. Even if they use a comb, it's more efficient than long hair. Therefore, Yuan Zhi couldn't control his strength well, and the comb came down, causing his hair to clump together in an instant.

  "He exclaimed and stopped his action, 'It's knotted!'"

  He Sheng covered his head with his hands, "You're too strong!"

  "Okay, okay, I'll be gentler." He straightened He Song's head and started to use his hands to tease out the tangled hair. A few strands came out with a slight tug, bringing with them a stinging pain that made He Song furrow his brow, silently opening and closing his mouth.

  After more than half an hour, He Song was dragged down a bunch of hair and shook his head, refusing to let him do it. He quickly tied up his ponytail and jumped aside.

  Yuan Zhi was disappointed, but he didn't force her again.

  Went downstairs to check out and had breakfast, then took a bus back to school.

  Yuan Zhi took her to the places she often frequented, the library, the stadium, and finally brought her to the side of a fake mountain, where there was water, trees, and stone benches, creating a unique landscape.

  "You wait here for me, I'll go back to the dormitory to get our luggage, and then we'll head home." Yuan Zhi instructed.

  He Sheng responded with a sound, then watched Yuan Zhi walk away.

  Sunlight passed through the gap in the artificial hill and shone on her, warm to the point of being hot. She looked around for a while, then slowly walked towards the inside. Over there was a wooden pavilion, next to which stood an ancient waterwheel, as well as a bluestone path exposed above the water.

  On the lawn, several female college students sat scattered, reading books. He Sheng walked slowly along the path and finally stopped beside a towering tree. On the other side of the tree was a wooden chair with someone sitting on it. He Sheng hugged the trunk and took a peek, He Wan Yue was kneeling on it, turning her pen to do exercises.

  In such a large campus, they bumped into each other again. He Sheng was somewhat surprised and was considering whether to reveal himself when the other person suddenly stood up and turned around. Both of them were stunned for a moment, and He Sheng quickly hid behind a tree.

  He Wan Yue furrowed her brow, then hugged the book and walked around to the back of the tree, looking at He Sheng who was hanging his head.

  It's been four or five years since we last met, and both of us have undergone earth-shattering changes. This unexpected encounter was unforeseen by either of us, and both sides were at a loss for words. Adding to the awkwardness was our previously not-so-close relationship.

  He Wanrui tapped her pen lightly on the book and broke the silence first, "How have you been these years?"

  He Sheng stared at his toes and nodded, "Not bad."

  "I heard you and that guy from our school are living together."

  "Yuan Zhi?" He Sheng raised his head, "En, it was his father who took me away."

  Yuan Zhi's reputation in school was not small, and his family background was somewhat understood. Born in such a rich environment, it seemed that he wouldn't be worse off anywhere else. As Qian Zhao Di said, without the He family, He Song would only live an even better life.

  Although He Sheng's departure made her feel a little pitiful, in her heart she didn't say that she hoped but also wished that she could be slightly better off. Now seeing someone truly radiant and unlimited appearing before her own eyes, she felt a subtle sense of unwillingness. Human thoughts are forever so delicate and contradictory.

  He Wan Yue's eyes were complex as she looked at her for a while, and said lightly: "It's fine."

  She twisted her school bag strap, actually she also wanted to ask about the others in the He family, but she found that she couldn't utter those two affectionate terms for parents. As she grew older and gained more knowledge, she understood many things, possibly looking gentle and weak, but she didn't think of herself as a very kind person. From her earliest memories to the end, she couldn't find any goodness from them, on the contrary, there were too many painful memories etched in her mind, the bond was too weak, and the parents in the books shouldn't be like that either.

  "Grandpa, are you okay?" After hesitating for a long time, he finally only asked this one question.

  "Not too good, after all, I'm getting older."

  "It's the same." The law of birth, aging, illness and death is inescapable for anyone. She continued, "What about you?"

  "That's it."

  He Sheng nodded silently, not knowing what to say. Today was a bit windy, and the leaves were rustling loudly. The two of them fell silent for a while, and just as He Yuanyue was about to speak again, someone walked over quickly.

  "How did you end up here?" It was Yuan Zhi, who was in a hurry, and the existence of He Wan Yue made him frown involuntarily. The gaze that looked over also carried vigilance.

  He Wan Yue smiled and tilted her head slightly, then said to He Sheng: "I'll go first."

  "Oh, okay!" After a pause, he added, "Goodbye."

  He Wan Yue just waved her hand, they were still good without seeing each other, it didn't mean much.

  Yuan Zhi asked He Sheng, "What did she say to you?" after the others had walked far away.

  Nothing, just asking about my recent situation.

  "What's going on?" Yuan Zhi raised an eyebrow and asked in surprise, "Do you know each other?"

  He Sheng nodded after a pause, "Yes, she is my second sister."

  Yuan Zhi widened his eyes, "Your sister? I haven't heard you mention her before, and you didn't say anything yesterday either."

  Won't be running into each other in the cafeteria anymore? The kid didn't react much either!

  He lightly tapped on He Song's arm and raised an eyebrow, saying: "You deliberately deceived me?"

  "No." He Song took a step back and rubbed his arm, "Thought we wouldn't run into each other, doesn't make much sense to say anything anyway."

  Yuan Zhi recalled what He Sheng had said before about the situation in that household, fragmented and not detailed, but he could also sense the thinness of their emotions.

  "Did He Yuanyue bully you before?"

  "No." They just didn't get along.

  Yuan Zhi didn't ask anything else, raised his hand and put it on her shoulder. "Let's go home, Miantuan is back too, he just called me, let's go find him to play."

  "He Shou Si is back?" He Sheng turned his head to look at Yuan Zhi, "When did he arrive?"

  "See you this morning!"

  "Oh, what wonderful news! I'm overjoyed!"

  "I'm going back now too, aren't you happy?"

  "How wonderful!"

  Two people walked out slowly with their shoulders leaning on each other, the warm sunlight shining down on the earth, the young man happily hugged his girlfriend, laughing wildly and unrestrainedly, no one thought about having any connection with the past again, they all thought it was just a reunion without any follow-up.

  Author's note: Thank you everyone for the encouragement, is this chapter satisfying enough? Yesterday I was actually asking you to praise my word count... ⊙﹏⊙b

  He Wan Yue is the fuse, but the effect is not great, and her role in the play will not be much like her opening.

  Tomorrow is Sunday again, wish everyone a happy weekend, see you on Monday evening, enjoy reading!

  By the way:

  In this life, whether short or long, there will always be some things that don't go as planned. At our age, what we think about the most is emotions. The other day, a friend who hadn't contacted me in a long time sent me a message, and her mood was very low. I asked her why, and later found out that she had broken up with her boyfriend. They met in high school, and now it's been seven years. Last year they were still telling me that they would get engaged and married this year, but after the new year, things turned out like this. The reason is that the boy's parents are all opposed to their relationship. If they want to be together, they can wait until they're thirty years old. If at thirty years old they're still so determined, then his family will compromise and let them get married.

  The most important seven years for a woman have been wasted, and the so-called thirty is not just a number, but also a gamble with the little youth left in a woman. I am deeply moved, but after being moved, I don't know how to respond. In fact, everyone understands the truth, as long as the man insists, what's the use of the parents' opposition? To put a woman in such a difficult situation can only be said to be the responsibility of this man, and his attitude is not resolute enough.

  But in her hometown, she is a legendary figure! In other words, she spent seven years wishing everyone a happy Valentine's Day. There's nothing happier than two people in love spending their lives together!