Chapter 8

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It was a serene afternoon; the sky outside had been freshly washed by rain, the clouds drifting overhead, pure and white like cotton candy. Chen Xi drooped her eyelids, staring at the extra piece of rib in her bowl, lost in thought. Her uncle had just left and returned, and the previously furious aunt suddenly changed her demeanor, chatting animatedly with Zhou Yanzhou. Perhaps adults were inherently hypocritical, Chen Xi mused.

Zhou Yanzhou was in a good mood today, cooperating with the conversation, though most of his attention was on the young girl beside him. Noticing she was only picking at the rice and barely touching the dishes, Zhou frowned, thinking she was too picky an eater. No wonder she was so thin, practically skin and bones.

Perhaps everyone’s focus was on Zhou Yanzhou, oblivious to Chen Xi quietly pushing the rib aside and eating only the rice. As she ate, she thought to herself that this person was dangerously captivating, and she shouldn't get too close.

Zhou Yanzhou noticed her set the rib aside, raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Midway through, Zhou received a call. He glanced at the caller ID, then hung up and tossed his phone on the table, continuing to sip his soup. The caller persisted, calling again after failing to reach him. After Zhou hung up twice, impatience clearly showed on his face.

When the phone vibrated a third time, Chen Xi instinctively glanced over and saw Zhou pick up the phone and power it off. Before the screen went black, she caught the caller's name: Tang Yuan.

A girl’s name, right? What did she look like? How tall was she? Was she thin or plump? Chen Xi bit her chopsticks, her mind wandering, unknowingly beginning to pay attention to everything about Zhou Yanzhou.

The meal ended as normally as it had begun. Her uncle hurried off to handle business at the company, and Zhou Yanzhou’s driver waited in the parking area outside. Chen Xi had barely eaten, yet was the last to put down her bowl.

Her aunt went off for a beauty treatment, her cousin followed, leaving Chen Xi at home to watch the house. Once the living room had mostly emptied, Zhou Yanzhou returned, having forgotten his phone on the dining table.

At that moment, Chen Xi had just carried the leftovers to the kitchen and came back out. Seeing Zhou Yanzhou return, a spark of light flickered in her eyes, and she blurted out, “Why are you back?”

Zhou Yanzhou approached the dining table, picked up the forgotten phone, and looked up at the girl standing in the kitchen doorway. Her fair face was flushed with surprise, clear apricot eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Switching gears, Zhou suddenly asked, “You’re alone?”

Chen Xi gasped softly, blinking, then nodded timidly under his gaze.

Recalling the scene at the table, Zhou mused, “Want to go out and play?”

Half confused and half surprised, Chen Xi suppressed the restless flutter in her chest and hesitated, “Where to?”

Not familiar with Xiping, Zhou couldn’t think of a place instantly. He had been to bars, saunas, and chess rooms, but none were suitable for a high schooler.

After pondering briefly, he raised an eyebrow, “What do you have in mind?”

Suddenly, the initiative was handed over to Chen Xi, who was dumbfounded. She looked at Zhou incredulously, her face silently asking, “Are you serious?”

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Zhou Yanzhou was amused by Chen Xi’s silly expression. Standing by the dining table in the living room, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his phone, his dark eyes held a faint smile, his posture exuding an indescribable leisure.

Chen Xi was captivated by him, unable to look away for a long while.

Only when the sound of running water came from the kitchen did she snap back, whispering, “There’s a mountain nearby; people say wishes come true there. Interested?”

Bored, Zhou nodded without a second thought, unconcerned about the destination.

Chen Xi smiled secretly, her voice bubbling with excitement, “Wait for me a few minutes; I’ll go upstairs to get something.”

Seeing her eagerness, Zhou raised an eyebrow calmly. “Alright.”

At the time, he simply thought the girl was interesting, and this was a good way to pass the time.

Chen Xi went upstairs and changed into the pink princess dress she had hesitated over before, letting her shoulder-length hair down over her shoulders, looking tender and sweet.

With nothing else to do, Zhou wanted to smoke but felt it improper in someone else’s home. So he busied himself by scrutinizing the room’s decor.

The lady of the house had poor taste; the design was illogical and haphazardly mixed, barely passable.

While staring at an old-fashioned wall clock, footsteps echoed from the staircase. Zhou turned instinctively.

In the next moment, surprise and admiration flickered across his face. In his impression, Chen Xi was always simply dressed and shy. Seeing her emerge in the princess dress, he almost failed to recognize her.

His gaze unabashedly landed on her; the dress accentuated her slender waist, the hem just reaching her knees, revealing straight, fair, delicate legs. Her black hair fell smoothly across her chest, curling slightly at the ends.

At sixteen, she had already blossomed beautifully; in a few years, she would be even more stunning.

He couldn’t help but wonder, who would this good girl eventually belong to?

Shortly after leaving the house, Zhou sent the driver away and drove himself for the remainder of the trip.

Chen Xi had been sitting in the back seat, but after Zhou buckled his seatbelt, he didn’t rush to start driving. Instead, he looked into the rearview mirror at her and joked, “You treating me like your chauffeur?”

Before Chen could respond, Zhou pointed to the passenger seat beside him and said gently, “Come sit up front.”

Chen hesitated for two seconds, recalling scenes from novels, and muttered, “Can I really sit in the front passenger seat?”

Zhou was puzzled. “Why not?”

With serious eyes, Chen explained, “That’s the spot reserved for a girlfriend.”

Zhou had never heard such nonsense. He stared at her confused face for a few seconds before nonchalantly saying, “I don’t have that rule here. Get in.”

Noting Zhou hadn’t clearly said if he had a girlfriend, a flicker of disappointment crossed Chen’s eyes. At his urging, she slowly moved to the front seat.

No sooner had she settled than Zhou reminded, “Seatbelt.”

Chen responded softly, reaching to pull the belt but struggled. No matter how hard she pulled, the belt wouldn’t budge.

Zhou sighed slightly.

Next, he leaned over, his long arm reaching around her shoulder to grab the seatbelt effortlessly, pulling it free and clicking it into place.

As he leaned in, Chen held her breath nervously, staring blankly at the man suddenly so close.

At their closest, her nose almost brushed his ear. Though only a brief moment, her heart inexplicably quickened.

He smelled pleasant, with a faint, subtle fragrance, like a gentle breeze passing by.

Chen’s eyes followed his movements unconsciously, watching him fasten his own seatbelt with ease and calm, then withdraw smoothly. The natural, composed manner made her quietly purse her lips.

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Zhou caught Chen’s flushed face from the corner of his eye. Mistaking her embarrassment for trouble fastening the seatbelt, he smoothly changed the subject: “Do you know the way?”

Chen snapped back to reality, blinking slowly as she pieced together his question.

Taking a breath, she replied hesitantly, “Been there twice, not very familiar.”

Hearing this, Zhou promptly pulled out his phone, opened the built-in map app, and handed it to Chen. “Enter the address.”

Caught off guard, Chen stared at the phone, hesitated, then reached out to take it.

Finishing the input, she was about to return the phone when Zhou said, “Put your phone number in, too.”

Chen held the phone, hesitating. “I don’t have a mobile phone. Can I use the landline number at home?”

Puzzled, Zhou turned to meet her embarrassed gaze and suddenly remembered she was just a high schooler. Not having a phone was normal.

Though most students these days had phones, a few didn’t.

He furrowed his brow but said calmly, “Whatever works, as long as I can reach you.”

Hearing the last part, Chen’s mind raced with thoughts. She couldn’t help but smile faintly as she entered the home landline into the contacts.

For the rest of the trip, only the navigation voice filled the car. The road to the mountain twisted and turned sharply; Zhou drove with frustration, while Chen fretted over having left her number, wondering if she should buy a phone.

After an unknown amount of time, they finally glimpsed the mountain, which resembled a Bodhisattva from afar—no wonder it was a local attraction.

Zhou had no particular interest in gods or Buddha; he believed if someone truly sought a way out or liberation, they would be better off reading Mao’s selected works.

He glanced at the passenger seat and saw the girl had fallen asleep, curled up like a kitten. Instinctively, he eased off the gas.

Chen was awakened by a nightmare, blinking groggily to find the car stopped by a cliff, a vast abyss yawning below. Fear weakened her legs.

Zhou stood outside smoking, perched at the cliff’s edge, fingers holding a mostly burned cigarette, gazing aimlessly into the distance.

Hearing the car door close, he looked back to see Chen standing by the door, squinting nervously, afraid to look down. He couldn’t help but chuckle, “Afraid of heights?”

Chen’s feet seemed glued to the spot; she was frozen, unwilling to move or look around.

Zhou took a drag, crushed the cigarette on the ground, and reached out, “Come see, the view’s really nice here.”

His spot was even narrower and more precarious, barely big enough for two.

Chen was terrified, unable to move.

Seeing her trembling like a scared quail, Zhou laughed softly, “This scared? Want me to hold your hand?”

Maybe it was his gentle tone or her groggy state, but the usually fearful Chen actually placed her hand in Zhou’s large one, allowing herself to be coaxed, walking slowly beside him.

She dared not look down, clutching his hand tightly, gripping his coat nervously.

The mountain wind howled, threatening to sweep her away. She held on tighter.

At that moment, Zhou became her only lifeline.

Seeing her legs tremble uncontrollably, he couldn’t bear it and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, patiently coaxing, “Open your eyes and look—the view’s really beautiful.”

“Don’t be afraid, I won’t let you fall.”