(1)
“Yo, Zhu Ying, your driving skills are pretty impressive.”
Zhou Chao sat behind the bed, tilting his head as he watched Zhu Ying expertly drift in the game, her fingers dancing on the keyboard.
“That combo spray is really smooth.”
“Hmph, I’m even better at Audition. Want to try?”
Zhu Ying lifted her face proudly, even managing a sidelong glance at him while playing.
“Shouldn’t you go easy? Otherwise, An’an might get woken up…”
Wang Xinru whispered.
“Don’t worry. Xiao Jing can’t hear anything right now anyway.”
“If she could get woken up, that’d be a good thing.”
“Yeah, who knows when she’ll recover.”
“What if she never recovers?”
Zhou Chao’s tone carried a hint of teasing.
“If she never hears again—hmm—there’d be even more cute ways to play around.”
“Cute and play? How do those even connect?”
“Hey—”
The half-closed door suddenly swung open with a push, and Yu Mingfei called out as she entered, one hand on her hip.
“Little ones, lunch is ready!”
It was just past one in the afternoon.
They’d been delayed because there were quite a few dishes to prepare today, but honestly, if Mingfei hadn’t called them, no one might have even felt hungry yet.
“Now that you mention it, I am getting a bit hungry… I didn’t even have breakfast today.”
Zhou Chao rubbed his stomach and nimbly swung his legs off the bed.
“Feels like it’s been cooking forever.”
“Well, it’s to celebrate the little brat’s return.”
“Shouldn’t that be in the evening?”
“Pfft, what does a kid know? Noon is the best! Drinking at noon while basking in the sun, feeling warm all over, and you won’t wake up with a headache the next day because you’re not going to bed right after.”
“Drinking, huh… An’an was just signaling me earlier that we should drink today.”
“Middle schoolers drinking isn’t a great idea…”
Wang Xinru mumbled quietly.
“Haha, just a little bit. It’s a celebration. Zhu Ying, you drinking?”
“I’m not. If you dare to get Xiao Jing drunk, you’ll regret it!”
“Me get her drunk?”
Zhou Chao laughed helplessly.
“You really don’t know my alcohol limit, do you?”
“Hey, you’re such a flirt, always changing girlfriends, and you’re not even good at drinking?”
“Is there necessarily a connection?”
“Like getting girls drunk so you can do whatever you want.”
“That’s mutual consent, not illegal stuff, okay!”
“Enough chatting, come eat!”
Yu Mingfei shook her head, waved her hand, and went ahead to the dining table.
Zhu Ying gently shook An’an’s body.
She knew An’an couldn’t hear, but still softly called her name a couple of times.
“Xiao Jing, Xiao Jing—”
Sleepy, An’an’s eyes fluttered open.
She half-sat up, supporting herself with one hand, then, as if her strength was gone, slid back down.
Zhu Ying hurried to catch her, and the girl lazily rested her chin on her fiancée’s shoulder.
“Xiao Jing is always so soft and drowsy right after waking up. It’s adorable.”
“She’s always been like that…”
Wang Xinru nodded gently.
“Xiao Ru, write it down on the Jiewen. Otherwise, she won’t know what to do.”
“Mm—”
Wang Xinru grabbed the Plastic Pen attached with a magnet and quickly wrote the two characters for eat, then handed it to An’an.
An’an, who couldn’t hear a thing, yawned hugely, the sound like a tiny tiger’s roar.
Yet she was completely unaware—perhaps she even thought she yawned quite elegantly.
Everyone glanced at each other and couldn’t help but laugh.
An’an tilted her head in confusion, shooting them a puzzled look before climbing out of bed on her own.
They stopped writing on the Jiewen and instead entertained her with exaggerated gestures and expressions.
Watching her face switch from confusion to sudden realization was far more entertaining than regular conversation.
When someone can’t hear, their facial expressions seem to become especially vivid.
***
(2)
Nine plates and a big bowl of Soup were spread out on the table, a feast fit for a holiday.
“You all have to take good care of Xiao Jing during her school days, and whatever secrets about her, don’t let anyone else find out.”
Yu Mingfei poured drinks for everyone in turn, smiling peacefully.
“Of course. I’d never betray my bros!”
Zhou Chao patted his chest confidently.
“Mm… I definitely won’t either.”
“I don’t even need to say it, right?”
Zhu Ying tilted her head and poked the face of An’an, who was busy wrestling with a Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw.
“But with Xiao Jing like this, can she really go to school?”
“I actually asked her if she wanted to wait until she recovered, but she insisted on going.”
“That’s understandable.”
Zhou Chao nodded.
“Being alone at home for too long is boring. Plus, she’s probably afraid of being distanced from her friends if she skips school for too long.”
“True~ Xiao Jing is really afraid of being lonely!”
“Haha, let me tell you. When we first started junior high, we all went out to play, but left him behind. He couldn’t find us and was downcast, head lowered. When I went to find him, I saw his eyes were red.”
“Did he cry?”
Zhu Ying blinked.
“I suspect so. Haha—”
“Eh? Really? I thought An’an was the type who wouldn’t get upset over things like that?”
“Maybe it was because he just started junior high and was afraid of being abandoned by his friends.”
“When we got lost outside as kids, he never cried…”
“Haha, it’s not about being lost, Wang Xinru!”
“Yeah, Xiao Ru, you still don’t get it? The point is—Xiao Jing’s afraid of loneliness.”
“Hmm, now that you say it, that sounds right. She hardly ever plays alone.”
“Her name means ‘quiet,’ but she’s actually a little one who loves lively places.”
Yu Mingfei propped her chin in her hand, smiling softly, then suddenly raised her glass high.
“Alright, here’s to hoping the little one recovers her hearing soon, so you can’t badmouth her to her face anymore! Cheers!”
“Cheers~~!”
Zhu Ying raised her glass filled with juice.
Zhou Chao brought his half-filled Glass Cup of Jiu close to An’an.
She was focused on gnawing a chicken claw but immediately caught on, eagerly grabbing the cup with her oily little hand and clinking it against everyone else’s.
Maybe because she couldn’t hear the sound, she hit a bit too hard, the crash almost making everyone worry the glass would shatter the next second…
But seeing her boldly down the Jiu in one gulp, then smack her lips in satisfaction, everyone couldn’t help but smile.
“Quiet Xiao Jing is just way too cute!”
“Haha, she seems even more genuine than usual.”
Just as An’an reached for another chicken claw, she suddenly looked up, blinking those big eyes at everyone, as if asking what was going on.
“Everyone’s saying you’re cute, you know?”
Yu Mingfei smiled and held up the Jiewen that had been resting on the table.
An’an pulled a displeased face, wiping the grease off her mouth with the back of her hand, then shot a sidelong glance at Zhou Chao, who was stifling laughter.
Without warning, she raised her middle finger.
Even though she couldn’t hear, she probably guessed he’d said some “bad things.”
Zhou Chao laughed heartily, shaking his head while saying “Not me!” and pointing hard at Zhu Ying.
Zhu Ying widened her eyes, staring at the middle finger trying to twist direction, making An’an shrink her neck instinctively and sheepishly pull her hand back, pretending nothing had happened as she resumed her battle with the Pickled Pepper Chicken Claw.
This time, she gnawed it down to just one finger bone and triumphantly held it up in front of Zhu Ying.
“Pfft hahaha… This little one is just too mischievous!!”
Yu Mingfei laughed so hard she almost rolled on the floor.
Wang Xinru covered her mouth, her laughter making her eyes sparkle—she really did look quite pretty when only her eyes were visible.
“Humph~!”
Zhu Ying leaned in and bit off the chicken claw representing the middle finger. An’an visibly shuddered.
“Dare to flip me off? Believe me, I’ll bite off your middle finger next time!”
An’an pouted, muttering something softly, then suddenly grabbed Zhu Ying’s delicate, jade-like hand and gently bit her middle finger.
Of course, she didn’t really bite down, just lightly grazed it with her teeth, eyes wide in mock threat.
Zhu Ying was not about to be outdone, even pushing her middle finger further into An’an’s mouth.
An’an made a disgusted face, spat it out, and gave a couple of disdainful “tuts.”
“An’an, that’s no good. Show some manly pride!”
“What manly pride? Xiao Jing is a cute girl now. Zhou Chao, don’t lead her astray!”
“Damn it, even if she turns into a girl, she can’t be that weak.”
“I-It’s just couple’s teasing…”
Wang Xinru nervously waved her hands.
“Zhou Chao, don’t take it so seriously…”
“No, no.”
Zhou Chao shook his head.
“I just think couples should be equal. Otherwise, the relationship won’t last. You can’t keep bullying An’an, even if she’s small and vulnerable. She’ll feel inferior, become fragile. You have to respect a man’s pride too.”
“Pfft.”
Zhu Ying rolled her eyes and added some Jiu Cai Chao Dan to An’an’s bowl.
“Here, I’m helping your manly pride grow!”
Zhou Chao twitched his eyelids and covered his forehead in helplessness.
An’an didn’t seem to understand, her big eyes spinning twice, then pointing to her cup of Jiu and making a toast gesture.
“Wanna toast?”
Zhu Ying raised her Glass Cup in confusion, but An’an shook her head.
“She probably means for you to drink with her.”
“Oh~ Hmph, little Xiao Jing wants to get me drunk, huh?”
Zhu Ying lifted her chin.
“Feifei Jie—pour me some Jiu too!”
“Got it!”
So—
Ten minutes later, Zhu Ying, unable to outdrink An’an, drunkenly collapsed into her arms, curling up like a little kitten.
An’an looked proudly at Zhou Chao, as if showing off her ‘manly spirit.’
Though being able to hold her liquor wasn’t exactly manly, Zhou Chao laughed and gave her two thumbs up.
“Not bad, buddy!”
“Hmph hmph!!”
What An’an probably didn’t notice was the mischievous wink Zhu Ying gave Wang Xinru, the only one who caught the gesture, as she lay in her arms…