Chapter 46

After returning home, Wen Ci kept regretting. She shouldn’t have gotten so drunk last night and said all that nonsense. She also shouldn’t have confessed as soon as Zhou Wu looked at her this morning. She had no self-control at all.

But what she said was that she liked Samoyeds, not Zhou Wu, so it should be fine, right? Who says drunk words can’t be half true and half false?

Wen Ci thought about it and when night came, after taking a shower, she saw Zhou Wu calling. Her mind screamed don’t pick up! Pretend to be asleep! But her finger honestly pressed the answer button.

She thought, if Zhou Wu brought up what happened last night again, she would just pretend to be clueless.

But Zhou Wu didn’t mention it.

It seemed like he was smoking on the balcony. The light was dim, and occasionally a wisp of smoke drifted by. “Not ugly, go ahead, just leave your phone there.”

Wen Ci put down her phone, planning to make it a quick call, but was stopped by Zhou Wu. He seemed to smile a little. “Set the phone up, I don’t like looking at the ceiling.”

Wen Ci hurriedly set her phone upright. “Sorry, is this visible?”

“Yeah.”

This was the first time Wen Ci had hastily dried her hair. When she rushed back to her phone, Zhou Wu was already half-lying on the bench on the balcony, with Yeye squeezed beside him, curiously peeking with its eyes and ears.

Wen Ci smiled. “Yeye.”

Yeye immediately stuck out its tongue and just as it barked, Zhou Wu pressed its head down and moved it aside, blocking him. “Finished drying? What are you going to do next?”

“Preparing lessons. School’s starting soon.” Wen Ci said, then felt something was off. Shouldn’t she have hung up after saying that?

She was worried that if they kept talking, Zhou Wu would bring up last night’s incident, but she didn’t really want to end the video call.

Wen Ci realized she was always conflicted about things related to Zhou Wu.

As she thought about how to cover up, Zhou Wu asked, “Can you prepare lessons while on video? I won’t disturb you.”

Though she didn’t know why he insisted on keeping the video on, Wen Ci answered without thinking. “Yes.”

He said he wouldn’t disturb her, but shortly after the video connected, Zhou Wu leisurely asked, “Which university did you go to after graduation?”

Wen Ci mentioned the name of a good teacher’s college in her hometown.

Zhou Wu said “oh” and after a while suddenly asked, “What was your height and weight in the first year of high school?”

Wen Ci froze. “Why?”

“Just curious.”

“Weight 78, height 1.6 meters.”

“Don’t lie, Teacher Wen.” Zhou Wu laughed.

“…1.55 meters,” Wen Ci said, nudging the tip of her nose with the back of her pen, “But I really am 1.6 meters now.”

—-

The two of them continued this back-and-forth. Wen Ci thought she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on her lesson plans, but somehow, she did. It seemed like Zhou Wu was paying attention to her progress, only speaking when she paused for a short break. Then she would glance at him, answer, and continue with her work.

A familiar sense of comfort that she hadn’t felt in a long time washed over her.

Wen Ci suddenly remembered how, when she was in high school and felt tired, she would stretch lazily and casually turn around to look at Zhou Wu in the last row, like recharging herself.

Zhou Wu was usually looking down at his work or sleeping. His elbow would lazily rest on the desk, or he would be surrounded by other boys talking. He was handsome, good at sports, and wasn’t too proud. He was well-liked by everyone. She had turned around three years in a row without ever catching his gaze.

But not like tonight. Every time she looked up, Zhou Wu was looking at her.

She didn’t know how much time passed, but the cicadas outside had fallen silent. Wen Ci put down her pen, and Zhou Wu asked, “Finished?”

“Finished the ones for tonight.”

“What’s your plan for tomorrow?”

“…The library.” Wen Ci felt a little ashamed of herself for being so boring.

“Got it,” Zhou Wu said, pulling Yeye closer. Finally willing to let the dog see, he rubbed its face and lazily ordered, “Say goodnight.”

Tool dog Yeye: “Woof.”

After drinking the night before, Wen Ci woke up early. She slept in until after 10 AM the next morning.

She tidied everything up, put on her white canvas bag, and went downstairs. Before leaving, she habitually said, “I’m going to the library.”

“Have lunch first, then go,” her mother said.

Wen Ci was surprised by the response, paused for a moment, and then answered, “Okay.”

During lunch, her mother served her several dishes and finally reminded her not to stay out too late, to come back for dinner on time.

Wen Ci knew her mother was no longer angry.

Although family cold violence didn’t affect Wen Ci in the slightest, it made her happy that they could reconcile. So much so that in the afternoon, while writing lesson plans at the library, she couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“Hello, excuse me, is this seat taken?” A voice interrupted her.

Wen Ci stopped writing and looked up. It was a boy, holding a few books, his expression slightly awkward and shy, looking like a university student.

Wen Ci recognized him. He had been sitting a few tables ahead earlier, and there had been some noise from his friends.

“No.”

He smiled, pulled out a chair, and was about to sit down. “Then I—”

“But there are plenty of other empty seats nearby. If possible, I’d appreciate it if you could sit elsewhere,” Wen Ci smiled gently and asked, “Also, if you go back to sit with your friend, could you please lower your volume a little? Thank you.”

The boy sat back in his original spot. His friend immediately came over and teased him. “So, what happened? Rejected?”

The boy leaned back and said, “It felt like she politely told me to get lost, who understands?”

“I told you, I’ve seen a bunch of people try to talk to her this month, and none of them succeeded.”

“But I really like her type… am I not handsome enough?” The boy muttered. Honestly, he was good-looking, and being young, even his dejected appearance had a bit of sunshine to it.

“Handsome—hey, wait, look,” his friend bumped his arm, “Someone’s going over there. Damn, she’s tall.”

Wen Ci had great focus, and the brief interruption earlier hadn’t distracted her. She lowered her head and continued reading, with her hair tucked behind her ear, revealing her fair, simple face.

“Hello.” A lazy voice, with a hint of a carefree tone. “Can I sit here?”

The pen paused on the paper. Wen Ci looked up and stared blankly at the person in front of her: “…”

On the other side, three male university students watched as Wen Ci nodded. The tall figure pulled out a chair and sat down.

After a few seconds of silence, one friend sighed: “As expected, love doesn’t care about the order of arrival.”

The male student who had made the approach was not convinced. He stood up from his seat. “No way, I need to see what that person looks like. Why should he sit here?”

He pretended to go grab a book, circled around, and returned to his seat. His friend asked, “What did you find?”

The boy covered his face with the book, recalling the face he had just seen—the man seemed to see through his intentions and glanced back at him with a somewhat arrogant indifference.

After a while, he helplessly admitted, “I give up.”

—-

Wen Ci was completely unaware of this. She was holding her pen, staring blankly at the person sitting across from her. “Why are you here?”

Zhou Wu, empty-handed, said, “I came to read.”

Wen Ci was startled. “What book are you going to read?”

“I don’t know.” Zhou Wu lazily pointed at the table, “You pick one for me.”

“…”

Wen Ci rummaged through her white canvas bag and finally handed the English exam prep book to the person who had returned from studying in the U.S.

This was Zhou Wu’s first time reading in the library. The seat felt a little small for him, and his long legs stretched casually under the table, not very politely pressed against Wen Ci’s small legs.

He didn’t mind, though. He picked up the yellow book and flipped through two pages with a serious expression.

Wen Ci found it odd. She thought maybe he wasn’t familiar with the library’s book sections and was too lazy to find a book. Leaning forward, she whispered, “What kind of books do you want to read? I’ll go get one for you.”

“No need, I’ll just read this.”

“You’re reading this… don’t you find it boring?”

“No.” Zhou Wu said, “I’m reading your notes.”

The book had many of Wen Ci’s annotations. Her handwriting didn’t match her gentle appearance. The neat and tidy writing looked lively, with strokes that were casual but clear.

Wen Ci thought Zhou Wu must have something to talk to her about, but to her surprise, he really sat across from her all afternoon. After finishing the yellow book, he read through her lesson plans. Wen Ci felt her writing was too sloppy and wanted to suggest he read something else, but he refused: “Teacher Wen, don’t whisper in the library.”

Wen Ci: “…”

They sat there until 5 PM, then both left the library.

Zhou Wu asked, “Want to grab a bite?”

“I need to go home for dinner today,” Wen Ci apologized.

Zhou Wu casually took her canvas bag. “I’ll walk you back.”

The parking lot near the library was full, so Zhou Wu had to park in the open lot across the street, and they had to cross a pedestrian bridge.

Zhou Wu was dressed casually today in a black T-shirt and pants, looking like he belonged to the same year as the earlier university student. But even in such casual wear, carrying Wen Ci’s simple white canvas bag with a small smiling sun drawn on it, he still looked a little out of place.

Back in high school, Zhou Wu never carried a backpack; he just carried his books in his hands. Now, though, he was wearing one.

Wen Ci looked at him for a while, finding it a bit odd but also amusing. She tugged at the bag but couldn’t move it. “Zhou Wu, I can carry it myself. It’s not heavy.”

Zhou Wu didn’t let go and carried it naturally. The air had a slight dampness, and he looked up at the dark sky. “Teacher Wen, did you bring an umbrella?”

“Check in my bag,” Wen Ci replied.

Zhou Wu opened the flap of her canvas bag. “Take a look.”

Since Zhou Wu was too tall, Wen Ci had to stand on tiptoe to look inside. She didn’t find an umbrella, but she saw her phone screen light up.

The message was from Dou Yiqing.

[Yi Qing: OMG! Did you see the news in the Moments? Duan Wei and Xiang Wenwen really divorced, and Duan Wei directly posted the divorce certificate!]

—–

Thunder rumbled as a heavy downpour began.

Wen Ci was a little distracted. Just as the large raindrops hit her face, Zhou Wu looked down, and their heads bumped together, their hair tangled.

“Is it there?”

The phone screen went dark just before Zhou Wu looked down. Wen Ci was holding onto the canvas bag strap and let out a quiet sigh of relief. “No.”

Zhou Wu blocked her hair with his hand. “Then we’d better walk faster.”

They had just reached the middle of the bridge, with no way to turn back, and there was nowhere to hide from the rain. They could only run forward. Although Zhou Wu was shielding her, the rain was too heavy, coming from all directions. By the time Wen Ci got in the car, she was soaking wet, with droplets collecting at the ends of her hair and slowly dripping into her collar.

The heavy rain pounded on the car roof, making a deafening noise. Zhou Wu didn’t rush to take her home but instead drove into the nearest underground parking lot, opened the door, and got out.

Wen Ci had been silent since getting into the car, her mind in disarray. She thought about a lot of things until the car door next to her opened, bringing her back to her senses.

Zhou Wu was holding his jacket and nodded toward her. “Scoot over a bit.”

Wen Ci slid sideways into the passenger seat, lowering her head. Zhou Wu used the jacket he always kept in the car to gently wipe her hair. His movements were light, and after quickly wiping it down, he said, “Look up.”

Wen Ci obediently looked up.

Zhou Wu had no experience drying hair. After rubbing her hair for a while, it wasn’t dripping anymore, but it was a mess. Wen Ci’s fair face was buried among the chaos.

How silly.

Zhou Wu met her gaze for a few seconds and couldn’t help but tilt his head and smile.

Zhou Wu was also drenched, and annoyed by the hassle, he pushed his hair back. His features were sharp, and his handsomeness was immediately striking. Back in high school, when the school enforced strict rules, many of the boys in his class were forced by Yu Binhong to get buzz cuts. The other boys, who were forced to have their hair shaved, felt so ugly they often joked about wanting to die, but Zhou Wu didn’t have any excess hair to cover his bold face. During that time, girls who would pretend to walk past their classroom increased in number.

Now, his face held a slight smile, and his sharp features softened, showing another kind of beauty.

Wen Ci held onto the car seat, gripping tightly.

During the school celebration, when she knew that Duan Wei was sending ambiguous signals to Zhou Wu, Wen Ci had been resisting contacting him. Her rational mind told her that she shouldn’t try to sleep with him in that situation.

Now, after Duan Wei had clearly stated that she still liked Zhou Wu and had gotten a divorce, it seemed even more inappropriate.

After all, they had agreed that this relationship would only last until Duan Wei changed her mind.

Wen Ci calmly thought about it, but when she came to her senses, she was already leaning toward Zhou Wu. Their lips were almost touching—

Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow, turned his face away, and dodged. “What’s wrong?”

While Wen Ci told herself not to, she heard herself awkwardly ask, “I won’t have dinner at home tonight. Can I go to your place directly?”

Before Zhou Wu could answer, his phone suddenly rang. He kept his hand on Wen Ci’s head, still under her hair, while answering. In the empty parking lot, Qin Yun’s loud voice could be heard: “Bro, Duan Wei couldn’t find you and came to me. What’s going on? By the way, did you know she’s divorced?”

Zhou Wu answered, “Yes, I know.”

Wen Ci’s head buzzed, and an overwhelming sense of shame surged up. What was she doing just now? She had actually planned to stay with Zhou Wu for a little longer during the time he didn’t know, maybe kiss him again or sleep with him one more time.

By the time Zhou Wu said something else, Wen Ci couldn’t hear it. Only when he hung up the phone did he refuse.

“Can’t.” Zhou Wu was still wiping her hair. He said, “I won’t be your casual fling anymore, Teacher Wen.”

“…Okay.”

Her heart sank to its lowest point, her face flushed with shame, almost struggling to breathe. Wen Ci rarely had such despicable thoughts, and her first attempt had failed miserably, especially in front of the person she cared about the most. It was too embarrassing, too humiliating.

She avoided looking into Zhou Wu’s eyes, repeating, “Okay, I’m sorry.”

Wen Ci tried to remain calm and wanted to end things with some dignity. “If you have something to do, you can go ahead. I’ll wait here until the rain stops, and then I’ll take a taxi back. I hope you and Duan Wei get back together soon.”

After speaking, Wen Ci grabbed her canvas bag and tried to get out of the car, but Zhou Wu stopped her, pressing her head back down with his coat.

“You wished wrong, Teacher Wen.”

Zhou Wu looked at her intently, his tone relaxed but clear, speaking slowly to her, “I ended things with her the year we graduated. I never thought about getting back together with her.”

“….”

Those few words were difficult to comprehend. Wen Ci hugged her canvas bag, her mind filled with questions. The last one that came out was, “Then why don’t you want to be a fling anymore? Is it uncomfortable with me?”

“….”

Now it was Zhou Wu’s turn to be caught off guard. He raised an eyebrow and answered candidly, “No, it’s actually amazing.”

Wen Ci stared at him, silent, her eyes filled with an expression of confusion.

Zhou Wu met her gaze for a long time before sighing and laughing. “Didn’t you smell something when you got in the car?”

Wen Ci’s head was filled with thoughts, and all she could hear was the sound of the rain. She could only smell the dampness. When Zhou Wu said that, she vaguely noticed a faint fragrance.

Zhou Wu opened the back door and took out a bouquet of flowers.

A bouquet of white lisianthus.

“I was originally planning to give them to you at dinner. But then I thought, if we can’t have dinner, I can give them to you in the car.”

“Wen Ci, I don’t want to be your fling anymore because I want to pursue you.”

“It’s not because being with you is amazing—though it was at first.” Zhou Wu couldn’t help but laugh at himself. He was drenched, his ears flushed, and he lowered his gaze at her. His dark eyes were shining, and even his youthful awkwardness seemed more intense than others. “Later I realized, even when we’re not in bed, I still want to be with you. Watching movies, walking on the beach, daydreaming in the library…”

“I’ve never pursued anyone before. I thought about it all night, starting from the basics—confessing and giving flowers. I’ll think of the rest later.”

One of them sat in the car, the other stood outside, and it was hard to tell whose face was redder. The silent underground parking lot was filled with the sound of their heartbeats, heavier than the rain falling on the car roof.

Zhou Wu didn’t mention what he had discovered. He handed her the flowers, smiling softly, and made a low request.

“Teacher Wen, give me a chance to pursue you.”