Chapter 54 ☆ Shoe Repair (Part 1)

Cheng Yaoyao had just eaten a popsicle, her voice had a hint of cold sweetness, and her eyes were filled with surprise: “Do you want me to go?”

Xie Zhao’s palms were sweating, and the words rolled on his tongue a few times before he finally said with difficulty, “But the art troupe is a good place, you…”

Cheng Yaoyao took out the registration form from her bag and waved it in front of Xie Zhao. “Okay, then I’ll go and sign up now. The art troupe offers good treatment and also provides dormitories. I signed up today and can move in tomorrow.”

“So soon?” Xie Zhao’s eyes widened. Cheng Yaoyao noticed his reluctance, which he couldn’t hide in time. “Didn’t you say… you didn’t want to go?”

Xie Zhao’s face was always very still, but at this moment, his jaw muscles were tense. His hypocritical look was fresh and interesting to Cheng Yaoyao. She made up a story in all seriousness. “What Lin Jiaqi said makes sense. The art troupe pays well, and they can help me get a city hukou. Don’t you want me to sign up too?”

“No, I don’t want to!” Xie Zhao wanted to scream, but his throat seemed to be pinched by an invisible hand, and he couldn’t speak.

Cheng Yaoyao stood in front of him, her beauty so radiant that it made the sun seem dull. With her long legs, was there any place more suitable for her than the art troupe? She was so beautiful; was she really going to live a shabby life in the countryside?

Cheng Yaoyao waited for a while, and her face tightened completely: “I’m leaving!”

She ran away angrily, holding her head high, but after taking a few steps, she suddenly sprained her foot. “Ouch!”

Her body tilted, and she fell backward, but a pair of large hands from behind supported her firmly, preventing her from hitting the ground.

Cheng Yaoyao’s heart was pounding. She held onto Xie Zhao’s hand and stood up straight, feeling both angry and ashamed. She looked down and shouted, “My shoes!”

Cheng Yaoyao was wearing a pair of white lace-up leather sandals, which made her ankles look slender and delicate, and her insteps look pale. At this moment, the strap of the sandal at the ankle had broken, which was the cause of her fall.

Cheng Yaoyao gritted her teeth in anger. It must have been Wu Man who pushed her down on purpose and tore the shoelaces. And with her earlier outburst, it was no wonder the shoelaces were broken.

Xie Zhao half-knelt and gently held Cheng Yaoyao’s toes and ankles. “Move, did you sprain it?”

Cheng Yaoyao tried to move her foot. “It doesn’t hurt; I didn’t sprain it. But my shoes…”

Xie Zhao said, “There isn’t a shoe repair stall nearby. Can you manage with it like this?”

As soon as Cheng Yaoyao lifted her foot, the shoe hung awkwardly from her toes, the broken strap resembling an ugly gaping mouth. “No! This is too ugly!”

Seeing this, Xie Zhao said, “I’ll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy you a pair of cloth shoes.”

“I don’t want to wear those!” Shoes from the supply and marketing cooperative required shoe tickets, and the cloth shoes that didn’t require tickets were mostly dark brown or black with white soles and buckles. They were as rustic as they could be. What’s more, Cheng Yaoyao wore a dress today; pairing it with cloth shoes would be a disaster.

Cheng Yaoyao almost suffocated just imagining it and shook her head desperately. “Too ugly, I don’t want to wear cloth shoes. I’d rather walk barefoot!”

Xie Zhao looked up at Cheng Yaoyao’s delicate face and sighed. “This place isn’t far from the machinery factory. I’ll take you back to get the tools to fix it.”

Cheng Yaoyao tapped her chin with her fingertips, thought for a moment reservedly, and finally nodded. “Okay then.”

Xie Zhao used one of Cheng Yaoyao’s silk headbands to wrap around the sole of her shoe, tying it twice and making a bow so that Cheng Yaoyao could barely walk. He then took her back to the machinery factory.

The sun was blazing brightly, and the playground of the machinery factory was covered in white mist. Various mechanical parts, tires, and iron cars were parked on the playground. The young workers were sweating under the sun but continued to work tirelessly. The smell of motor oil was floating in the air, like male hormones that could ignite at any moment.

Cheng Yaoyao stood far away in the shade of a tree, watching Xie Zhao go over and talk to a leader-like person. After a while, he returned with a toolbox. “Let’s go.”

Xie Zhao walked in front, deliberately keeping his distance from Cheng Yaoyao. A bunch of young people on the playground still stretched their necks to look over, their eyes following the light yellow and graceful figure, Their eyes were almost bleeding. The master’s and leader’s scolding was in vain.

Several old locust trees were planted under the dormitory building, casting thick shades all over the ground. The two-story dormitory building was square, and Xie Zhao’s dormitory was on the second floor. As soon as Cheng Yaoyao entered the room, she smelled a strong odor of sweat.

She wrinkled her nose slightly. Xie Zhao had already rushed in, picked up a stool that had fallen to the ground, and kicked his dirty shoes under the bed. Then he said, “Sit down.”

Xie Zhao opened the windows and doors wide, letting in sunlight and a breeze. The air in the room finally became fresh.

Cheng Yaoyao walked to Xie Zhao’s bed and sat down, looking around curiously. This was a dormitory for twelve people, with six bunk beds. There was a table by the window, with a lunch box and a teacup on it.

Xie Zhao’s bed was by the window and was the cleanest one. There was nothing on the bed except a mat and a pillow. Cheng Yaoyao sat on the edge of Xie Zhao’s bed and said, “It’s quite clean.”

Cheng Yaoyao sitting on his bed reminded Xie Zhao of the night at Xie’s house when Cheng Yaoyao had lain defenselessly on his bed, burrowing into his arms like a cat… That erotic scene came into his dreams every night, making Xie Zhao’s lower abdomen burn. He quickly pinched his palms to regain his composure.

Xie Zhao opened the toolbox, stained with engine oil, took out a few tools, and said to Cheng Yaoyao, “Give me the shoes.”

Cheng Yaoyao tiptoed and walked to Xie Zhao.

Xie Zhao reached out to untie the sky blue headband and took off the broken sandal from her foot. His fingers inadvertently brushed against her silky skin, and his Adam’s apple moved.

Xie Zhao took the sandal and toolbox and sat far from the dormitory door, trying to avoid suspicion.

Cheng Yaoyao asked, “Is it okay for you to take me back to the dormitory?”

Xie Zhao shook his head. “It’s okay, just stay here.”

Xie Zhao held up the broken part of the sandal, looked at it carefully in the sunlight, cut a small piece of leather, added hot-melt glue, and began to repair it carefully.

Sunlight and the shadows of the trees fell on Xie Zhao. His profile had deep lines, and he looked serious and earnest while working, revealing an indescribable charm.

Cheng Yaoyao propped up her chin and watched him. Her anger gradually dissipated. She took the initiative to speak. “Can you repair shoes?”

“Yeah,” Xie Zhao said, comparing the shoelaces and repairing the broken ends with a file.

“How come you know everything?” Cheng Yaoyao swung her bare feet. Her voice was sweet and soft, like melted ice cream.

Xie Zhao made a mistake, and the file cut his finger. Blood began to drip, and a strong smell filled the room. The cut reopened, and Xie Zhao frowned. Before he could do anything, Cheng Yaoyao gasped and stared at his hand in shock.

“It’s okay,” Xie Zhao said hurriedly. “It’s just a little cut. Look.”

Cheng Yaoyao shrank back into the bed as if she had seen a ghost and covered her nose tightly with one hand. “You… take your hand away!”

Xie Zhao quickly put his hands behind his back, but Cheng Yaoyao still shouted, “No… Go wash your hands! Stay away from me!”

Cheng Yaoyao’s eyes were red, filled with tears, and she looked frightened. Xie Zhao quickly dropped his shoes and file, saying, “Don’t be afraid, I… I’ll go wash my hands now.”

Xie Zhao turned around and strode towards the faucet at the end of the corridor. The overwhelming attraction finally dissipated somewhat. Cheng Yaoyao put her hand down, her heart pounding. She almost pounced on him… But the strong and pure smell lingered, prompting Cheng Yaoyao to climb out of bed and walk towards the door step by step.

On the file, there was a drop of blood that had not yet coagulated. Cheng Yaoyao reached out and touched the red spot. The contrast between her slender, white fingertips and the blood was shocking.

I’ve clearly absorbed enough Yang energy today… Cheng Yaoyao stared at the blood on her fingertips, frowned, and put it into her mouth as if possessed.

A strong gaze fell on her face. Cheng Yaoyao looked up and saw Xie Zhao standing not far from her. He stood with his back to the light, his face an unreadable mask.

Cheng Yaoyao’s heart suddenly tightened, and she hastily put her hand down, stammering, “Have you… have you washed your hands?”

“Well.” Xie Zhao said with slight hesitation, “The bleeding has stopped. Can I come over?”

Cheng Yaoyao sniffed, and the strong smell in the air gradually faded. “Okay.”

Cheng Yaoyao turned around and ran back to the bed, feeling uneasy, wondering how much Xie Zhao had seen. She stared at her bare feet and didn’t dare speak for a long time.

After a while, Xie Zhao put down his tools and came over with the shoe in his hand. “It’s fixed.”

Cheng Yaoyao looked at his hand and saw that the white shoelaces had been glued together seamlessly. Only upon closer inspection could she see a trace of glue. “It’s really fixed. You’re amazing!”

“Try it on,” Xie Zhao said, half-kneeling and holding her ankles. The white soles of her feet, which had just touched the ground, were slightly dusty. He wiped them carefully with his palms, his posture extremely natural and serious.

Cheng Yaoyao moved her toes, stepped on Xie Zhao’s palm, and couldn’t help laughing. “It’s itchy.”

“Don’t run around barefoot next time.” Xie Zhao held her ankle, put on her shoes, and tied the laces.

Seeing his unchanged expression, Cheng Yaoyao gradually relaxed. After putting on her shoes, she stood up and walked a few steps. She was very steady. “No problem, it’s exactly the same as before!”

“Okay.” Xie Zhao put away the tools. “I’ll take you out.”

When Xie Zhao took Cheng Yaoyao out, they had to walk across the playground, which caused a stir. Someone from a distance shouted “Sister-in-law,” and a burst of friendly laughter followed.

Xie Zhao’s face was blank, but his muscles were tense, and his steps were uneven. When they reached a quiet corner of the street, Cheng Yaoyao calmly asked, “Did you hear what they called me?”

The sun was shining brightly. Sweat broke out on Xie Zhao’s forehead, and his heart boiled like magma, but his lips were tightly pursed.