Chapter 155: Zhou Chao and Strawberries

(1)

“Ah… mm… tonight… tonight’s moon… wuwu… so beautiful…”

“Yes, the bright and pale moonlight… it’s like milk.”

“I really love this house, really love this skylight, being able to… to look right at the stars… ah!”

“Haha, this isn’t exactly… any skylight. Hey… the whole roof is gone!”

“Ugh… I wish time could… slow down…”

“Then I’ll go slow.”

“Xiaomei, you’re so romantic, to actually find… ah… such a beautiful place… mm…”

“Are you calling me Xiaomei too? You should call me Chao-ge.”

“Chao-ge~”

“Haha!”

“Wuu—”

“Are you happy?”

“So happy…”

***

(2)

On the outskirts of the small town, there were always many abandoned, dilapidated houses like this.

Some used to be villages, others were once temporary warehouses for goods, or maybe even watchtowers or sentry posts.

And a crumbling Stone House sat at the highest point of the village—right on the hillside.

Most of the roof had been torn off, tiles scattered everywhere inside and out.

Thanks to the stone flooring, it hadn’t rotted away like wood, but in the damp corners, moss crept everywhere, and tenacious weeds struggled up from between the stones.

Right under the gaping hole in the roof, a small space had been cleared.

The messy junk was pushed to one side, and piles of straw—no one knows from where—covered the ground.

On top of the straw, a thick picnic blanket was laid.

The side dish for this picnic was strawberries placed in the corner. As for the main course…

“Ha… smoking a cigarette… feels good.”

“Chao-ge~”

“Don’t mess around, let me rest a bit.”

Zhou Chao held his cigarette between his fingers, took a deep drag, exhaled a curling puff of gray smoke, and looked up at the star-studded sky.

No matter how the scantily dressed girl next to him nestled into his arms, he didn’t spare her a single glance.

The girl drew circles on Zhou Chao’s chest with her finger: “Chao-ge~ I really love you~”

“Ha… me too.”

There was a trace of mockery at Zhou Chao’s lips.

“But, you’re about to go to college. Is it really okay to be wasting your time out here now?”

“I’ve already been guaranteed admission to college! Isn’t that awesome?”

“Impressive. No wonder you’ve changed boyfriends once a month since the new term started.”

“No way, it’s just that those guys don’t understand love. They only want to do it with me, but they don’t actually love me~”

“Oh, really? But we just met a few days ago, and we’ve done it too.”

“You’re different. I can feel you really love me. Even though you’re actually younger than me, you feel just like a college student.”

“Ha… You just broke up and now you’re with me, is that really okay?”

“It’s fine, once I broke up, he has nothing to do with me. And besides, I never even did it with him! Don’t think I’m that easy, okay?”

“What about before?”

“Only with my first… but I swear, I didn’t know anything back then. I was just bullied one-sidedly. And he can’t even compare to you!”

The girl’s face showed some disdain.

“He could only last like ten minutes at most.”

“Haha…”

“I never thought anyone could be so good at it!”

“How long have we been here?”

“Two hours!”

“Mmm, pretty normal then.”

Zhou Chao took another drag on his cigarette.

“After all, it wasn’t just once, heh…”

“Zhou Chao, why did you choose to be with me?”

“Because you’re pretty.”

“And?”

“Gentle, considerate, and you have a nice voice.”

“But, don’t you think I’m the type of girl who messes around?”

“No. You only do it with people you really love. It’s just that they didn’t treasure you.”

Zhou Chao stubbed out his cigarette on the stone floor and finally turned to smile at the girl beside him.

“I’ll cherish you.”

“Mhm! You’re definitely the best man I’ve ever met! Even though you’re so much younger, you’re way more mature than the others!”

“Haha… I’ve just been through a lot, that’s all.”

When Zhou Chao turned his head, the smile vanished instantly, replaced by a deep frown.

“Getting older doesn’t always make you mature. I don’t think I’m all that mature either—just more than my peers…”

“Chao-ge~ You don’t have to be so humble, hehe. I still like calling you gege. Can you call me meimei?”

“Meimei?”

“Yeah, yeah!”

“Xia Meimei, you’re looking so rosy and cute right now, so pretty I want to take a bite out of you.”

“Then bite me!”

“Come on, bring your little face over so I can have a bite.”

“Gege, please bite~”

“Mm—!”

“Hehe, it tickles! Pfft—!”

“Shall we go back, my cutest, most beautiful, gentle and considerate Xia Meimei?”

“No way, I want to snuggle with Chao-ge a bit more~”

“Don’t touch randomly, I’m tired.”

“Hehe~ I really love you, truly like you, you’re the only one I’ll ever love in this life. Will you stay with me forever?”

“Of course.”

Zhou Chao answered readily, as if it were pure reflex, so much so that the words came out before his brain could even think about it.

“I’m a little hungry. Let’s eat strawberries, Chao-ge~!”

“Mm, they won’t be fresh tomorrow.”

Zhou Chao glanced at the basket of strawberries from Fang Qiang’s place.

“Small towns don’t just have good watermelons, the strawberries are famous for their sweetness too.”

“Yeah, I’ve been eating them since I was little, never get tired of them!”

Xuxia picked up a strawberry and stuffed the whole thing in her mouth, then turned back with flirtatious eyes and leaned close to Zhou Chao’s collarbone.

“Chao-ge~ Let me give you a strawberry mark!”

“Hm?”

“That way you’re mine. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

“Love you lots.”

“I love you too.”

“Mm—look! Strawberry!”

“Haha, that was hard, you even left bite marks.”

“Chao-ge, can you give me one too? Here, right here.”

“That’s not your collarbone.”

“I want it right here!”

“Okay, Xia Meimei, don’t move.”

“Mmm—”

“Strawberry mark’s done.”

“Mm-mm, such a pretty strawberry! Here—let me feed you one.”

“Sweet with a hint of sour, that kid Qiang really gave me the best strawberries.”

“Yeah, it’s delicious. Where should we go tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? I have to help out my bro.”

“Nooo, take me to the movies tomorrow—”

“Be good, don’t make a fuss.”

Zhou Chao narrowed his eyes slightly, messing up Xuxia’s hair with his hand.

“My brothers are really important to me.”

“More important than me?”

“Hehe…”

“I’m mad!”

“Why aren’t you comforting me?”

“I don’t think you’d sulk over something this small. After all, Xuxia is such a gentle and considerate girl.”

“Hmph… of course I’m not mad, I was just teasing you.” Xuxia pouted. “So, I’m not going home tonight. Let’s do it again tomorrow morning!”

“Haha—sure.”

“Hehe~ Chao-ge, I love you so much!”

***

(3)

At nine o’clock at night, the house was steeped in a tranquil peace, with only a hint of noise coming from the big room next door.

Zhu Ying wiped her damp hair with a towel.

She glanced several times at the hair dryer hanging on the back of the door, but in the end didn’t take it down.

She just wrapped her hair in the towel and sat down at her computer.

Just then, the flip phone on her desk started buzzing.

From the little screen on the cover, she could see the caller ID: Qiqi.

“Hello? Qiqi? Calling this late?”

“Xiaoying, how about tomorrow, are you free?”

“Tomorrow? Tomorrow… hmm… what’s up?”

“Kindergarten outing. Need to take the kids for a spring trip. Come help out, okay? Me and my dad can’t handle all those little brats alone.”

“Is just me enough?”

“If you could bring your little An Jing from home, that’d be even better.”

“But An Jing’s helping Fang Qiang clean tomorrow.”

“Aiya, why do boys need help cleaning anyway?”

“So I guess we can’t count on her.”

“I’ll ask Zhou Chao later. With one more person, we can barely manage. If there’s two, even better.”

“Zhou Chao… hmm. Qiqi, what do you think of Zhou Chao?”

“Not much, why?”

“He… I’m telling you, this is from An Jing and me—he already has a new girlfriend.”

“So what?”

“…Clearly he was so flirty with you, almost together, and now he finds someone else!”

“Tsk, I was just joking around with him. You really think I’d fall for that kind of player?”

“Phew, good then. He’s An Jing’s best friend, but I really think you shouldn’t get with him. I’m a bit worried he’ll be a bad influence on An Jing, too!”

“Hehe, then you better watch out! Guys like our little An Jing are actually pretty popular with girls, you know.”

“I know! Hmph… but she’d never be like Zhou Chao! And anyway, I really trust An Jing, she’s not like the average guy.”

“Tsk tsk, whatever, I’ll still ask if Zhou Chao can help out tomorrow.”

“Who knows, ask him then.”

Zhu Ying held the phone in one hand and idly fiddled with the mouse in the other, not even sure what she wanted to open.

“So, Xiaoying, you can come tomorrow?”

“Probably… Oh right, why not call Xiao Ru too?”

“Her phone’s off. I’ll try again later~”

“If it’s all girls, it’ll be easier, right? But just so you know, I’m not good with kids.”

“No problem, just help keep them in line. I’ll arrange everything.”

“Okay!”

“How about you ask your An Jing at home, see if she can come?”

“Let’s not bother.”

“Hm?”

“An Jing has things she wants to do, too.”

Zhu Ying moved her cursor to close the QQ chat she’d just opened.

“It’s enough that I help out~”

“Tsk tsk, fine then, I’ll call Xiao Ru again.”