Chapter 14 – So Happy I Want to Lick My Paws

“Is he… good to you?” Xie Qian asked, then quickly explained, “I didn’t mean anything else by asking, it’s just—”

Shi Zhen raised an eyebrow. “Just?”

Xie Qian paused, the words on the tip of his tongue swallowed back down. “Nothing, just pretend I didn’t ask.”

He tried to suppress the irritation bubbling in his chest. Xie Qian felt like something must be wrong with his head lately. Otherwise, why would he be so interested in a young girl’s relationship?

Chasing after a girl barely in her twenties to ask if her boyfriend treated her well—how boundaryless could that be?

Xie Qian immediately regretted it.

Shi Zhen was a bit puzzled. She seriously thought back on how Shi Daguo usually treated her.

How to put it… Shi Daguo was a typical Northeastern man—somewhat patriarchal, but absolutely devoted to his wife and daughter.

Most of the household expenses were spent on daily necessities and her. Other than the occasional cigarette or drink, Shi Daguo had no other indulgences.

When he was younger, Shi Daguo worked outside the city. One day, he called Xu Ping saying his right arm felt numb and he was worried something was wrong.

She and Xu Ping both urged him to go to the hospital, but Shi Daguo refused no matter what.

But who in this world doesn’t care about their own health?

Shi Zhen knew Shi Daguo was scared. He was afraid of what might be found during a checkup.

If he needed treatment, the family would be tight on money.

If he didn’t get treated, he was the only pillar of the household. If he collapsed, the whole family would fall apart.

So maybe it was better not to know from the start. If he didn’t know, he wouldn’t have to face the fifty percent chance of bad news.

Thinking of this, Shi Zhen suddenly felt a pang in her heart. Shi Daguo treated her very, very well.

“He’s a man who stands tall with the sky on his shoulders,” Shi Zhen said with a smile, though a bittersweet one welled up in her eyes. “I love him very much.”

Xie Qian’s heart suddenly tightened. Shi Zhen’s eyes were too bright, her emotions laid bare without any attempt to hide them.

She must really love her boyfriend. If not, how could she give such high praise—“a man who stands tall with the sky on his shoulders”?

Xie Qian tried to force a smile. “Let’s not talk about that. Why don’t you try out your new phone?”

He pulled out the SIM card he had removed from the old phone and handed it to Shi Zhen. “Give it a try. This phone’s from the latest shipment from the capital—should be no problem.”

“Thank you.” Shi Zhen took the SIM card and smiled playfully. “Once Brother Xie makes a move, you know it’s solid. The phone must be perfect.”

Xie Qian couldn’t help but laugh. Are all young people this amusing when they speak?

He felt like Shi Zhen wasn’t much different from Yueyue—they both liked to say quirky things, and no matter how low your mood was before, it’d be lifted just by listening to them.

Then he suddenly thought of Jiang Yunxiao’s little cousin. The boy was only five, at that age where even cats and dogs avoid you. The way he talked was infuriating.

Xie Qian had only met the kid once and was already angry enough to want to toss him in a river to feed the fish.

Maybe only little girls are naturally likable, Xie Qian thought. He silently prayed that if he ever had kids, he’d have a daughter.

Shi Zhen had no idea that the man beside her was silently wishing for a daughter. She excitedly opened the phone packaging.

Wait a second!

Mate60 RS—if she wasn’t mistaken, this was the top-tier model from the brand.

And the storage—16GB + 1TB!

How much must this cost? At least over ten thousand, right?

Shi Zhen felt she had completely underestimated Brother Xie’s money power. She was about to be knocked out cold by his ability to throw cash.

Help! Being poor is painful, but why is it also painful when someone throws money at you?

How was she supposed to repay him?

Shi Zhen suddenly wished she were someone without a conscience. If only she had zero morals, then she could shamelessly accept everything this man gave her.

But she couldn’t do that. If someone treated her well, she wanted to repay them tenfold.

Shi Zhen wasn’t the type to people-please. The moment she sensed someone was calculating or insincere, she’d decisively cut them off and never look back.

On the other hand, if she sensed someone’s genuine care, she’d want to give them her whole heart in return.

Shi Zhen quickly inserted the SIM card into the phone, tidied up the home screen, then logged into her usual apps.

Then she opened WeChat, clicked on her conversation with Brother Xie, and held up the phone to him, pleading, “Brother Xie, I’m still in the little black room. Can you let me out?”

Xie Qian froze for a moment, as if recalling something. His pupils dilated slightly and he apologized, “Sorry, I—”

“It’s okay!” Shi Zhen said, smiling brightly at him. “I blocked you first, I made the mistake. So it’s not your fault at all.”

Xie Qian was completely struck by her smile. Half his heart went numb.

Shi Zhen had big eyes, and when she smiled, they turned into two crescent moons resting on her face.

How could someone’s eyes be so bright? How could someone’s smile be so radiant? Why did he feel like he was being pulled into her?

Turning his head away to restrain himself, Xie Qian quickly pulled out his phone and freed Shi Zhen from the little black room.

The next second, Xie Qian’s phone started going off non-stop.

He looked at the chat page and saw countless new messages. The screen was flooded with “commendation banners” that jumped out at him.

[Today’s lunchbox was delicious. Banner +10086]
[Good night. Banner +1]
[Script writing went smoothly today. Banner +666]
[Saw a little black cat again today. Banner +520]
…

Xie Qian scrolled up to the first banner and carefully counted—he had received 11,352 banners in total.

He suddenly felt like a roomful of banners was flying around him.

“Are these banners the kind with gold letters on deep red velvet?” Xie Qian asked with a smirk, eyeing Shi Zhen playfully.

The moment she heard the notification dings, Shi Zhen knew exactly what had happened.

WeChat! Just how many social death features do you have that I still don’t know about?!

She nodded awkwardly. “I’ll custom order a box one day. I promise your house will be covered with them.”

Xie Qian pressed his lips into a smile. “Deal. I promise to hang every single one up, not missing a single one.”

When Shi Zhen looked up and met his teasing gaze, her face flushed red. She immediately stood and grabbed the quilt on the sofa. “I’ll go put these in the closet.”

Then she turned and walked into the bedroom.

The abandoned pillow lay alone on the sofa. Xie Qian reached out and smoothed the wrinkles, and just from that, it felt like he could smell an overpoweringly sweet strawberry scent.

He swallowed, then slightly turned to glance toward the bedroom, confirming that Shi Zhen couldn’t see him before turning back.

His grip on the pillow tightened slightly. Like a guilty thief, he bent down and quietly sniffed it.

So sweet. He hadn’t realized when he started liking fruity scents.

Suddenly, he remembered the scene of Xie Longhui hugging Lan Yudie’s clothes and deeply inhaling her scent. That day, he had come home early and accidentally saw it. At the time, he thought Xie Longhui’s behavior was downright perverse.

Xie Qian snapped out of it, horrified.

How was he any different from Xie Longhui now?

Sticky emotions lingered in his mind, and Xie Qian could only feel a sweet scent hovering at the tip of his nose.

Just now… could he have become as twisted as Xie Longhui?

Shi Zhen had just put the blanket into the wardrobe when she heard a knock on the bedroom door.

Turning around, she saw Xie Qian standing at the doorway, holding a pillow in his hand.

“May I come in?” Xie Qian asked. “I left a pillow on the sofa.”

“Of course,” Shi Zhen replied.

Having received permission, Xie Qian quickly walked into the bedroom.

The room was filled with the scent of strawberries. He felt like a cat who had just smelled catnip, blissfully wanting to lick his paws.

Xie Qian shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

He handed the pillow to Shi Zhen, and after taking it, she placed it directly on the bed.

Xie Qian was a bit dazed. He cleared his throat awkwardly and asked, “This pillow… is it usually kept here?”

“This one?” Shi Zhen pointed to the pillow she had just set down. “I have to hold something to fall asleep, so I usually hug this one.”

“Brother Xie, do you have a cleanliness obsession? I’ve never used this pillow before. It’s not dirty!” Shi Zhen explained.

Xie Qian: …

Damn, he really was a pervert—a big one!

It had to be genetic. He must’ve inherited it from Xie Longhui. Otherwise, how could he have become so creepy?!

“N-no, I was just asking.”

Xie Qian pretended to stay calm and looked around randomly. His eyes suddenly paused when they landed on the computer on the desk.

Shi Zhen’s computer was still on, showing an open Word document. The top half was densely packed with words, and the bottom half was blank.

---

△ Yuntang knocked on the door. After a while, the sound of the door opening came from inside. Luo Jing opened it.

Luo Jing (in casual homewear): Who is it? (He looked surprised when he saw Shen Yucheng, then frowned.) You? Why are you here?

Yuntang (taking an urgent step forward, eyes firm): Luo Jing, can we please talk things through first? Even if we’re breaking up, I don’t want us to—

△ Before she could finish, Yuntang glanced through the door crack and saw a woman sitting inside. The woman was dressed provocatively and looked at her with a taunting expression.

Yuntang (in disbelief, pointing at the woman inside): Luo Jing, who is she?!

Luo Jing (averting his eyes, looking helpless and very impatient): Just go back. Don’t overthink. Let’s both cool down.

---

Xie Qian was captivated by the words on the screen. After reading them carefully, he asked, “Are you writing a script?”

Hearing that, Shi Zhen followed his gaze and saw her computer wide open. Shame washed over her in an instant.

Like a startled rabbit, she jumped off the bed and quickly shut the laptop. “Brother Xie, how could you… sneak a look at someone else’s stuff!”

Because she felt guilty, her voice grew softer with each word.

Seeing her reaction, Xie Qian’s curiosity only deepened. “So this is your reason for becoming ‘Don Quixote’? This is your knight’s dream?”

Shi Zhen felt like her secret identity had been exposed. She blushed and nodded. “Yeah… I’ve always wanted to be a great screenwriter. Maybe it’s not as wild or noble as a ‘knight’s dream,’ but it’s something I’ve stuck to for over ten years without giving up.”

“Brother Xie, do you think I’m being silly?” Shi Zhen looked down, her eyelashes hiding the emotions in her eyes. “Maybe I don’t even have any talent, but I’m still foolishly holding on.”

“You know what? All my relatives are telling me to take the civil service exam or apply for a stable job. They say I should be earning money by now.”

“I feel guilty too. My parents have always supported my choices. They never tell me about their financial struggles. And because of that, I feel even more guilty. I think I should’ve started working earlier…”

“What are you afraid of?” Xie Qian put away his smile and said seriously, “Do you know how lucky it is to have a dream? Just having one is already a blessing. Your parents love you so much—of course they’d want you to chase something you truly love.”

Shi Zhen’s eyes filled with tears. She lowered her head and said with a self-deprecating smile, “Brother Xie, has anyone ever told you you’re really good at comforting people?”

“Shi Zhen.” Xie Qian placed both hands on her shoulders and gently lifted her chin, making her meet his gaze.

The moment their eyes met, Xie Qian said, “I’ve never been good at comforting people. I only tell the truth. You’re amazing—and if you keep going, you’ll be even better.”

Shi Zhen smiled through her tears. In Xie Qian’s eyes, she saw a reflection of herself—small, but firm.

So this was what she looked like when talking about what she loved: tiny, but full of strength.

That’s right. To have something like this, something that even after failing a hundred or a thousand times you still can’t let go of…

That kind of courage to start over from scratch—how is that not great?

Or rather, in this world, is there any dream that isn’t great?