From Zhou Yuwen’s perspective, with just a slight tilt of his head, he could clearly see down Tao Tian’s tank top. Right now, she was cozily snuggled against him.
Tao Tian knew exactly what she was doing, intentionally leaning into Zhou Yuwen. Zhou Yuwen, though not actually drunk, didn't see the need to push her away. After all, her closeness felt quite pleasant.
Pretending to be a little tipsy, Zhou Yuwen leaned against the back seat, half-closing his eyes. Tao Tian kept pressing closer, and initially, Zhou Yuwen was careful not to wrap his arm around her waist. But as his arm got tired hanging midair, he let it rest on her waist.
Not only did Tao Tian not resist, but she even acted playful, making a silly face and nudging his hand further around her waist with a soft hum.
This was the kind of almost untouchable intimacy both n and won enjoyed. In the dim light, Zhou Yuwen kept leaning slightly away from Tao Tian. But Tao Tian kept inching closer, her long legs elegantly crossed, leaning fully onto Zhou Yuwen.
Her shapely legs were truly sothing to admire, her fitted skirt and high heels adding to her allure as she curled up in the car.
"Hey, do you know who that guy was, the one talking to you earlier?" Tao Tian whispered to Zhou Yuwen, her lipstick making her lips look glossy as she spoke in soft, accented Mandarin. She knew exactly how to trigger a guy’s interest.
"Mhm," Zhou Yuwen barely responded.
So Tao Tian continued, saying she had looked him up online—that man was the vice president of a Zhejiang business tea association.
"I heard he’s worth over a billion. You’d never guess it," she murmured to herself, still surprised that a person of his caliber wanted to take Zhou Yuwen as a godson.
"If you really beca his godson, wouldn’t that make you even more impressive?" Tao Tian’s eyes glowed in the darkness as she gazed up at Zhou Yuwen from where her head rested on his lap, close enough to touch him.
But Zhou Yuwen only closed his eyes, feigning sleep, ignoring her.
“Hmph!” Tao Tian pouted when he didn’t respond, grabbing his arm and wrapping it around herself, as if hugging a beloved comfort object.
She thought he was drunk, but Zhou Yuwen simply didn’t want to talk.
Perhaps worn out, Tao Tian soon drifted off to sleep while lying on his lap.
When the taxi reached the school entrance, Zhou Yuwen gently woke her up. “We’re here.”
Tao Tian groggily sat up. “Are we there?”
Without a word, Zhou Yuwen paid the driver and got out.
It was close to ten o’clock, and the campus entrance was rather quiet. The streetlights cast a dim glow over the area.
Zhou Yuwen draped his blazer over his arm, wearing only a thin shirt with the sleeves rolled up, creating a casually charming look in the soft light.
Tao Tian, still drowsy, rubbed her eyes as she got out of the car. “You’re not drunk?”
“It was just a little wine; it’d take more than that to knock
out,” Zhou Yuwen said calmly, his gaze now clear and sober, nothing like the man who had been in the car.
“Then, earlier…?”
Tao Tian wanted to bring up the little monts they shared in the car but thought better of it, deciding not to ntion it.
Zhou Yuwen said, “Well, I’ll leave you here.”
“You’re not going back to the dorm?” Tao Tian asked, clearly reluctant to part.
“No, I stay off-campus,” Zhou Yuwen replied.
Tao Tian suddenly rembered how Zheng Yanyan had once bragged in the Arts Departnt that Zhou Yuwen had bought a place in Lanting, and she chuckled. “Oh right, I heard Yanyan say you have a place in Lanting.”
“Mhm,” Zhou Yuwen’s tone towards her was lukewarm.
“Aren't you going to walk
back to the dorm?” she asked, still reluctant to part.
Zhou Yuwen chuckled, “Senior, you can’t possibly have forgotten the way to your dorm?”
Feeling slightly disappointed, Tao Tian thought for a mont and said, “Oh, right. I’m kind of hungry. Want to join
in the alley for so clams?”
Zhou Yuwen checked his watch, a piece he had bought in Macau, planning to decline. But before he could answer, Tao Tian had already taken his arm.
“Co on, keep
company!” she pleaded.
Unable to say no, Zhou Yuwen agreed.
Tao Tian, still in high heels, looked like a princess running away from a ball, embodying a certain kind of charm that only heels could bring, especially for a woman like her.
When she set her sights on a guy, Tao Tian wouldn’t hesitate to pursue him, dropping hints with her words or through close physical contact.
The campus entrance wasn’t deserted; there were still students returning late from their part-ti jobs. But unlike the others, dressed plainly, Zhou Yuwen wore a suit, while Tao Tian had on a fitted skirt and heels.
Few recognized Zhou Yuwen, but Tao Tian was well-known. When people recognized her, they did a double-take and then glanced at Zhou Yuwen.
Tao Tian, usually distant, was now acting like a lively, innocent girl around Zhou Yuwen, chattering away about everything from her clumsiness to the tasty, spicy clams in the alley.
She even insisted on treating him to clams.
Zhou Yuwen joked, “Save your hard-earned money and buy yourself so makeup.”
“I don’t mind spending this little bit! I’m treating you!” she said with a pout.
Zhou Yuwen said, “I’m not in the mood for clams.”
“Oh, co on, you have to try them!” Tao Tian replied, hands on her hips.
She started talking about how great the clams were.
“Trust , I’ve been eating them for three years!”
As they chatted, the two of them strolled into the alley. Tao Tian kept up the cute, lively act while Zhou Yuwen asked her how she found her work that day.
“It was pretty nice, good pay, not too tiring,” she replied.
“Well, if you’re up for it, let’s do this more regularly. Maybe we could work out a long-term arrangent with you and your friends,” Zhou Yuwen suggested.
“Zhou Yuwen!” Tao Tian huffed in frustration.
“Yeah?” Zhou Yuwen asked, curious.
“Can’t we just not talk about work for a bit?” she complained.
“What else would we talk about? Romance?” Zhou Yuwen teased with a grin, clearly joking.
“Sure!” she shot back with a playful smile. “Think you’re brave enough?”
“Want to try,” he teased.
“But,” he added with a sigh, “I have a girlfriend.”
Tao Tian pouted and whined, “You’re just ssing with .”
“Well, aren’t we here to eat clams? Where are they?”
The alley by the school was part of an old residential area, a mix of shabby houses rented out to migrants. Over ti, it had turned into a cheap food street with everything from clams to barbecue and Su Bei-style rolled noodles.
The food stalls were bustling, filled with students and workers grabbing a bite on their way ho. Tao Tian’s striking looks stood out as she walked alongside Zhou Yuwen, drawing a lot of attention.
“Here it is! Two servings of clams, please!” Tao Tian ordered cheerfully at a food stall.
The owner, recognizing Tao Tian, smiled and asked, “Out with your boyfriend?”
Blushing, Tao Tian leaned on Zhou Yuwen’s arm and asked with a mischievous smile, “What do you think, Auntie? Don’t we look like a good match?”
“A perfect match!” the stall owner laughed.
That afternoon, Zheng Yanyan was in her dorm, bored and halfheartedly scrolling through her phone, glancing at Zhou Yuwen’s WeChat profile now and then. His unchanged profile picture was oddly comforting.
She turned to Lu Lin, sitting nearby, “Lu Lin, it’s been three days. Why hasn’t Zhou Yuwen co looking for ?”
“Why don’t you just ssage him and ask?” Lu Lin replied nonchalantly, painting her toenails.
Seeing Lu Lin so indifferent, Zheng Yanyan pouted and slid onto her desk. “Stop painting your nails. There’s no one to impress. Co chat with !”
Lu Lin muttered, “How do you know no one will notice?”
“Agh, this is so frustrating!”
“Just ssage him then!” Lu Lin repeated.
“But I’m always the one apologizing first! He could at least co comfort !” Yanyan complained. “Do you think he’s planning to break up with ? I an, he hasn’t even changed his profile picture.”
Lu Lin thought Yanyan was overthinking things. Her advice was to go and talk to him directly, but Yanyan refused.
“If he cares about , he wouldn’t stay away like this.”
“Oh, so you understand that?” Lu Lin teased.
“Then why won’t he co find ?”
Not knowing what else to say, Lu Lin finally comnted, “If you want to keep a guy, it takes more than just feelings—you have to be close physically, too.”
Yanyan blushed, embarrassed but frustrated. “Even if I wanted to, he hasn’t co looking for ! Am I supposed to just throw myself at him? That’s way too forward.”
“Well, there’s nothing more to be done, then.”
Y
anyan thought for a mont. “Hey, Lu Lin, want to go online?”
“Nope.”
“Co on, you’re always online. Why not today?”
“Not in the mood.”
“Please! Just co with !”
Unable to resist Yanyan’s pleading, Lu Lin finally agreed. They rented a private room at the Internet café and played gas until around nine o’clock.
While playing, Yanyan was clearly distracted.
In the boys’ dorms, Chang Hao noticed her online and felt a surge of anticipation. They had exchanged accounts over the sumr, so he recognized her handle.
He wanted to invite her to play, but, recalling their last awkward encounter, hesitated. After a long internal debate, he decided to just watch her gaplay.
Yanyan, though, wasn’t paying much attention and kept losing.
After watching her for a few rounds, Chang Hao finally ssaged her, “Tough loss last round.”
After about ten minutes, she replied, “Mhm.”
Emboldened, he offered, “Want
to carry you this ti?”
“No thanks, I’m waiting for my boyfriend,” she replied coolly.
Disappointed but unsurprised, Chang Hao thought, People really can be gluttons for punishnt.
“Oh, you two made up, huh?”
But Yanyan didn’t respond, and soon, she shut off the ga and turned to Lu Lin. “Hey, Lu Lin, it’s nine already. Let’s go.”
“I just got started,” Lu Lin replied.
“Co on, didn’t you say Zhou Yuwen goes to the alley at nine to get food?”
Finally, Lu Lin looked up at her. “So, dragging
here was all for this?”
“Obviously!” Yanyan glanced anxiously at the clock.
Lu Lin sighed, “You should forget it. He’s not at school tonight.”
“?”
“He took Tao Tian and the others for part-ti work.”
“???”
Yanyan was stunned. “How do you know all this?”
“It was posted in the departnt chat on Monday. You never check departnt ssages, do you?” Lu Lin said, imrsed in her ga.
“Ugh,” Yanyan muttered, feeling tears welling up. So her efforts to arrange this ‘coincidence’ had been for nothing?
Lu Lin finished her ga around 9:30. Noticing Yanyan’s disappointnt, she sighed and said, “That’s why I told you, just talk things out. What kind of couple doesn’t ssage each other for three days? Keep this up, and he’ll probably find soone else.”
Her words startled Yanyan. “Really?”
“How would I know?”
Finished with their ga, they returned to campus. Lu Lin suggested they pick up so food in the alley, and Yanyan, still feeling down, agreed. Both were dressed casually in jeans and simple tops since they hadn’t planned on anything special.
After wandering around, they decided to order so clams to go. But as they approached the stall, Yanyan noticed a familiar pair—Zhou Yuwen and Tao Tian, standing together.
Tao Tian’s hand rested comfortably on Zhou Yuwen’s arm, laughing as she ordered their food.
“Two servings of clams, Auntie!”
For a mont, Yanyan was so stunned she didn’t even recognize them until Zhou Yuwen turned to her, eting her gaze directly. Seeing him with Tao Tian made her heart sink, her eyes instantly filling with tears.
Sensing Yanyan’s discomfort, Tao Tian quickly released Zhou Yuwen’s arm and said, “Don’t get the wrong idea, Yanyan. Zhou Yuwen had a lot to drink at the eting, so I’m just helping him out.”
Yanyan forced herself to stay composed, mumbling, “What he does… it has nothing to do with .”
Reviews
All reviews (0)