Chapter 36

The two of them stayed on the rooftop for a long time. By the time they returned home it was already half an hour later.
Qiao Zhenzhen was using Chi Shen’s bathroom. Halfway through her shower she fretted about how to put her wet underwear back on. Just as she stood there unsure what to do, Chi Shen, who had been quiet outside for a long time, suddenly knocked on the door.
“Everything all right?” Qiao Zhenzhen asked. Although she trusted his character, the knock still startled her while she was showering.
Hearing the note of surprise in her voice, Chi Shen paused, then said, “I bought a hair dryer and left it by the door.”
His hair was very short; he usually didn’t need a hair dryer, so he had never bought one.
Qiao Zhenzhen hesitated, thanked him, and waited until he left before opening the bathroom door a crack.
Then she saw not only the hair dryer on the floor but also another small box.
She brought everything inside and only after unwrapping it did she realize it was a set of disposable underwear, the stretchy, one-size-fits-most kind that fits almost any woman. Qiao Zhenzhen hadn't expected he'd thought of that; she smiled and felt a faint flush rise to her cheeks.
Chi Shen was still dripping wet. She didn't dare linger in the bathroom, so she put on the disposable underwear and then slipped into Chi Shen's clothes, the pant legs several inches too long, and came out to blow-dry her hair.
Chi Shen couldn't bring himself to look at her. He waited until she began drying her hair before slipping into the bathroom; he washed for less than five minutes and came back out.
"Let me dry your hair," Qiao Zhenzhen said, handing him the hairdryer the moment she'd finished transferring money to Zhao Lianqiao's account. "It's getting chilly, every time you wash your hair you need to dry it right away, or you'll risk a stroke and facial paralysis."
"…Okay." Chi Shen lowered his head and agreed.
Qiao Zhenzhen sat down on the sofa, clearing a spot for him to dry his hair.
His hair was short; two or three minutes with the dryer and it was essentially dry. When she switched the dryer off, the room fell quiet. Chi Shen unconsciously fiddled with his trousers, and for the first time he didn't even dare glance at her.
After a long silence, Qiao Zhenzhen finally spoke. "I paid for Zhao Lianqiao's phone. This was your mistake, you have to cover it, get the money and give it back to me tomorrow."
"Okay." Chi Shen stared at the hairdryer as he promised.
"You should get a phone too, so I won't be unable to reach you in the future," Qiao Zhenzhen added.
Chi Shen again could only agree.
Then an even longer silence settled.
Qiao Zhenzhen had been exhausted from a full day of exams, and she'd just endured two major shocks to both her body and spirit; she was too tired to talk. After sending Qin Jing a message to come pick her up, she curled up on the sofa and fell quiet.
She was merely resting, but through Chi Shen's eyes it took on a different meaning.
His complexion grew paler and paler, and his fingers tightened on his trousers until Qiao Zhenzhen's phone vibrated and he suddenly let go.
"My mom's here to pick me up. I'm going," Qiao Zhenzhen said, and started to go downstairs.
Chi Shen stood up instinctively. He rose too quickly and yanked the hairdryer off the couch, sending it clattering to the floor and smashing down on his foot.
"Be careful, are you hurt?" Qiao Zhenzhen frowned at once.
Chi Shen stared at her for a long beat, then asked cautiously, "Do you not want me anymore?"
Qiao Zhenzhen blinked. "What?"
"…You don't want me anymore." This time he said it as if it were a fact.
Qiao Zhenzhen was speechless for a long moment. She put on an earnest expression and asked, "How did you figure that out?"
She was only curious why he would think such a thing, but to Chi Shen it sounded like she had confirmed his worst fear. His dark eyes filled with despair in an instant.
Qiao Zhenzhen had never seen him like this before and was stunned herself.
"I'll change, please don't abandon me," Chi Shen begged. The same man who a moment ago had dared to be confrontational now looked like a frightened cat pleading not to be left behind; if forgiveness meant he could stay, he seemed ready to do anything.
Qiao Zhenzhen's phone buzzed again, a message from her mother urging her to hurry. She glanced down, sighed, and said, "I would never stop wanting you. How could I?"
Chi Shen kept staring at her, as if he still didn't quite believe her.
"Be good. Don't overthink it. Get a good night's rest, you have school tomorrow," Qiao Zhenzhen said, opening the door and starting to run down the stairs. Halfway down she sensed something and turned back, seeing him standing at the doorway, hollow-eyed and stricken with despair.
Qiao Zhenzhen paused for a second, then rushed back up.
Chi Shen had already sunk deep into his own feelings when he heard her footsteps return. He looked down in surprise as Qiao Zhenzhen rose on her toes and, without missing a beat, pressed a light kiss to his thin lips.
Chi Shen froze in an instant.
"See? I still like you, so stop making things up in your head," Qiao Zhenzhen said, ruffling his hair.
Chi Shen was still dazed.
"Of course you should reflect on what you did, and you mustn't do those things again. I don't want people to use ugly words about the guy I like," she added, pinching his cheek before turning and running back down the stairs.
Chi Shen watched her until she disappeared, then, after a long moment, pressed his lips together and obediently closed the door.
When Qiao Zhenzhen reached the bottom of the building the rain had already stopped. Qin Jing stood by the car and frowned the moment she saw her daughter. "Why are you wearing Chi Shen's clothes?"
"Don't ask," Qiao Zhenzhen muttered. "It started pouring and I got soaked." She paused, then added, "I forgot my clothes, they're still in his bathroom. I was going to go get them, "
"Leave them," Qin Jing cut in. "It's late, let's go home." She urged her daughter into the back seat.
Qiao Zhenzhen thought that sounded sensible and slid into the back. Qin Jing shot her a look and drove off.
On the way home Qiao Zhenzhen kept sneaking glances at her mother in the rearview, watching her expression. Qin Jing drove with a cool look on her face and, when Qiao Zhenzhen glanced over for the third time, she finally said, "If you want to ask something, ask it straight, don't hem and haw."
"…Mom, if you see me wearing Chi Shen's shirt, you wouldn't read anything into it?" Qiao Zhenzhen asked. With most other parents, she thought they'd have blown a fuse.
"Since you asked, of course your mother will trust you," Qin Jing snorted lightly. "I've raised you for over a decade, don't I know what you look like when you're guilty? Besides, you promised you wouldn't do anything out of line before you graduate high school, and I take you at your word."
Qiao Zhenzhen wanted to ask whether a kiss counted as "out of line," but she decided not to tempt fate. Instead she smiled sweetly, "Thanks for trusting me, Mom."
Qin Jing gave a short huff. "How do you think you did on the exam today?"
"…Can we not talk about something so depressing?" Qiao Zhenzhen pouted.
Qin Jing shot her a look. "All these years of driving you around are so you can do better on exams, and you tell me that's a depressing topic? Don't tell me nothing's changed since before."
“…There is a difference,” Qiao Zhenzhen said guiltily, glancing at her, “I didn’t take the exercises seriously before. This time I did.”
“Anything else?” Qin Jing asked again.
Qiao Zhenzhen cleared her throat. “The questions were a bit harder for me this time. There were a lot I couldn’t do. Just... be mentally prepared, I might do terribly.”
“Not bad. At least you know which problems you couldn’t solve. That’s progress.” Qin Jing nodded.
Qiao Zhenzhen: “…” Her mother’s rose-colored glasses for her weren’t normal.
After a day of running around, Qiao Zhenzhen fell asleep as soon as she got home and only woke reluctantly when the alarm sounded the next morning.
The aftereffects of sprinting up fifteen flights the day before had arrived: her legs ached and trembled, she could barely find the strength to walk, and after writing so much, her hands were sore. She suddenly had the urge to call in sick.
…But calling in sick now would probably drive a certain sensitive boy mad.
He’d surely assume she was staying home to avoid him. Qiao Zhenzhen tutted and hurried to wash and leave.
Thanks to that, she arrived ten minutes earlier than usual and saw him in a corner the moment she stepped off the bus. The instant she reached out to greet him, she clearly saw him exhale in relief.
“Let’s go eat.” she said with a smile.
Chi Shen nodded and walked with her toward the breakfast shop by the school. People kept sneaking glances at them along the way, and a few even whispered excitedly together, though she couldn’t make out what they were saying.
At first Qiao Zhenzhen didn’t think much of it, but the feeling soon grew strange,
She and Chi Shen had often been glanced at when together, but never this much.
“Is there something on my face?” Qiao Zhenzhen tugged at Chi Shen.
Chi Shen checked her carefully, then shook his head.
“…Then what are they staring at?” she muttered, and the two of them went into the breakfast shop.
Inside the shop, it was even more obvious: the moment they walked in, every pair of eyes turned toward them. A few people looked at them and then at their phones, as if comparing something.
Qiao Zhenzhen frowned and stopped one of them. “What are you talking about?”
“N-nothing!” the student blurted, then dashed away.
Qiao Zhenzhen grew more puzzled but ordered two baskets of soup dumplings and sat down with Chi Shen to eat.
By the time they’d finished, she’d almost grown used to being stared at and calmly fished out some change to pay.
Just as she was paying, there was a gasp from the corner. She frowned and looked over; the person promptly ducked their head.
“…Weirdo.” Qiao Zhenzhen muttered and took Chi Shen’s arm as they headed to school.
The walk to school drew the same attention, but Chi Shen remained composed and Qiao Zhenzhen quickly settled down too; together they ignored the onlookers. She had assumed the oddness would stop once they were inside, but in class the treatment continued, several acquaintances fell silent when they saw her, as if about to speak but holding back.
“What’s going on?” she asked, frowning.
A classmate was about to pull out a phone, then caught sight of the homeroom teacher and hastily put it away.
Qiao Zhenzhen blinked and then turned to meet the homeroom teacher’s gaze.
“Qiao Zhenzhen, come to my office with me,” the homeroom teacher said, then looked at Chi Shen, who was seated. “Chi Shen, come too. The rest of you, go to self-study.”