STT – Chapter 61

When you gaze at me, I see the whole world in your eyes.

One night in mid-April, after turning off the lights, Lu Zizheng found her usual comfortable sleeping position in Jiang Huaixi’s arms, preparing to sleep when Jiang Huaixi suddenly asked her, “Zizheng, Aunt Lin said she needs to go to the field to harvest vegetables the day after tomorrow, and she might not have time to come over to help us cook. She asked if we could go over to her place for dinner.”

Without lifting her head, Lu Zizheng gently nuzzled Jiang Huaixi’s chest and replied warmly, “I’ll listen to you.”

Jiang Huaixi stroked Lu Zizheng’s hair, laughing, “Since when have you been so obedient?”

Lu Zizheng looked up, frowning at Jiang Huaixi with dissatisfaction, “It seems you haven’t been paying attention to how I feel, hmph.”

Amused, Jiang Huaixi touched her nose and quickly changed the subject, “Alright, then we’ll go over for dinner. But, let’s go earlier and see if we can help out a bit.” Her words were full of thoughtfulness.

Lu Zizheng looked at Jiang Huaixi’s serious expression and suddenly burst out laughing. She saw Jiang Huaixi’s aloof and ethereal demeanor, imagining her with a straw hat on her head, pant legs rolled up, holding a sickle, bending over in the field to “hu ha hu ha” harvest vegetables, and felt an inexplicable sense of discord.

Jiang Huaixi asked in confusion, “What are you laughing about?”

Biting her lip, Lu Zizheng couldn’t help but laugh, her imagination running wild, amused by the little play she had created in her mind. Suddenly, she sat up and began to perform animatedly in front of the still-dazed Jiang Huaixi.

She picked up a pen and a book from the bedside cabinet, holding the book upright on the quilt with one hand, and gently sliding the pen over it with the other, lowering her voice to coquettishly exclaim, “Zizheng, come quickly and see, why can’t this vegetable be cut?”

Jiang Huaixi’s expression froze, looking at Lu Zizheng, her face a bit darkened…

Lu Zizheng, caught up in her excitement, didn’t notice as she played both roles, clearing her throat, and with a gentle and warm voice, replied, “Huaixi, how can you be so silly? The sickle’s blade is on the other side, you’re holding it the wrong way. Come, let me teach you.”

The coquettish voice sounded again, “Ah, Zizheng, I cut my hand, it hurts so much.”

Just as Lu Zizheng was about to continue her performance, she saw Jiang Huaixi suddenly sit up as well, with a half-smile stopping her hand that held the book. Under her astonished gaze, Jiang Huaixi put her index finger into her mouth, gently coaxing, “Come, this way it won’t hurt…”

Lu Zizheng’s laughter instantly froze, and she felt her whole body suddenly grow hot, as a red blush slowly crept up her cheeks. She hurriedly tried to pull her hand away.

However, Jiang Huaixi lightly sucked on Lu Zizheng’s index finger, her teeth gently closing, biting softly, not letting Lu Zizheng pull away.

Lu Zizheng’s heart raced unbelievably fast, her breathing became heavy, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her nose. She stammered and scolded, “Huai… Huaixi, what are you doing?”

Jiang Huaixi raised an eyebrow, with a teasing smile, said, “I saw you having fun alone, so I thought I’d join you.” As she spoke, she slowly moved closer to Lu Zizheng, gently capturing her lips, unknowingly pushing Lu Zizheng onto the big bed. As their lips and teeth intertwined, Lu Zizheng heard Jiang Huaixi’s soft laughter saying, “Playing alone isn’t as fun as with two people. Since you’re interested, I’ll join you in the play.” Speaking, Lu Zizheng felt Jiang Huaixi’s hand already crossing her lower abdomen, moving downward…

Instinctively, Lu Zizheng hurriedly grabbed Jiang Huaixi’s hand, her chest heaving violently, and with the last bit of reason, she gasped to Jiang Huaixi, “But my script wasn’t written like this…”

Jiang Huaixi raised an eyebrow, her eyes sideways, smiling cunningly, “On set, it’s crucial to listen to the director.” Her hand had already started teasing Lu Zizheng bit by bit, consuming her last shred of reason: “The director now feels that the scene should continue like this to be more exciting. So, will you cooperate?”

Lu Zizheng opened her eyes, biting her lip, and looked into Jiang Huaixi’s eyes, misty and gentle as if they could hold water. She watched Jiang Huaixi gently kiss her with eyes half-closed, her long curly eyelashes fluttering, and a doting smile gradually appeared at the corner of her lips. She closed her eyes, softly responding to Jiang Huaixi’s kiss, her grip on Jiang Huaixi’s hands gradually loosened, and instead, she tightly clasped Jiang Huaixi’s neck, silently accepting this unexpected pre-sleep game…

Jiang Huaixi’s lips curved into a beautiful arc, letting out a gentle sigh: “That’s a good girl…”

However, on the morning of the day Jiang Huaixi mentioned, after eating breakfast, just before the two were about to leave, Jiang Huaixi suddenly said to Lu Zizheng, “Zizheng, I just received a call and need to take a car to a nearby city to discuss something today. Can you go to Aunt Lin’s by yourself?”

Lu Zizheng was clearly very surprised, as she hadn’t heard Jiang Huaixi mention anything about it before, and was momentarily dazed. But it was only for an instant, and the next moment she understandingly said, “Okay, no problem, you go take care of your business, I’ll be fine.”

Jiang Huaixi apologized, “Sorry, I can’t accompany you, I’ll try to get back in the evening to have dinner with you.”

Although Lu Zizheng felt somewhat disappointed, she still shook her head and considerately said, “I’m fine, don’t rush, take your time on the road.”

Jiang Huaixi smiled, kissed Lu Zizheng’s forehead, and stood at the door to see Lu Zizheng off: “You go to Aunt Lin’s first, I might need to wait for the car to arrive.”

“Okay.” Lu Zizheng agreed warmly, reluctantly giving Jiang Huaixi one last look before turning to leave.

Thus, for the whole day that followed, Lu Zizheng indeed did not see Jiang Huaixi again.

By evening, the sun had set, and the moon was quietly climbing up. Lu Zizheng had already had dinner at Aunt Lin’s house, yet there was still no news from Jiang Huaixi.

Lu Zizheng stood at Aunt Lin’s door looking out, feeling inevitably somewhat worried.

She hesitated and took out her phone, pondering whether she should call to ask Jiang Huaixi when she would return. She was also worried about disturbing Jiang Huaixi during her discussions. Just as she was indecisive, Aunt Lin suddenly pulled her aside, pleading with difficulty: “Zizheng, my daughter just called, saying she’s reached the seaside boardwalk with the child, but she has something urgent and needs to return. She will leave the child there and wants me to go and wait to pick him up. It’s so late, and the children haven’t eaten yet. I have to prepare dinner, so could I trouble you to help pick him up?”

Lu Zizheng was slightly taken aback, then she smiled, put away her phone, and agreed without hesitation: “Okay, no problem, Aunt Lin, it’s just at the boardwalk, right?”

Aunt Lin nodded and said, “Yes, right there. Thank you so much.”

Lu Zizheng smiled and lightly shook her head, then stepped forward and walked out.

The sun had completely set, and night had fallen. The wind outside was a bit strong, gusting in waves, making Lu Zizheng shiver involuntarily. She rubbed her nose, thinking as she walked about how Huaixi seemed to be wearing something a bit thin when she left in the morning. Would she be cold when she returned, since her cold had just recently gotten better…

She began hesitating again, wondering whether she should call and remind her to be careful not to catch a cold when she returns.

Hesitating all the way, she unknowingly arrived at the boardwalk. The tall street lamps on both sides of the road were dim due to years of disrepair, but they were better than nothing. The surroundings were dim and silent, with only the sound of the wind and waves; there was no sign of a child anywhere.

Lu Zizheng stood at the entrance of the boardwalk, arms crossed, feeling somewhat uneasy in the darkness. A sea breeze blew past, and the cold made Lu Zizheng sneeze. She was comforting herself with the thought that “perhaps Aunt Lin’s daughter hasn’t arrived yet,” when suddenly, she heard clattering footsteps behind her. In the quiet night, they sounded particularly distinct, startling Lu Zizheng into a full-body tremble, reflexively turning around to investigate.

As soon as she turned around, a black unidentified object covered her eyes, plunging her into terrifying darkness. Frightened, Lu Zizheng instinctively screamed and flailed her arms and legs. In her panic, she suddenly heard a familiar light laughter: “Haha, hahaha…”

Lu Zizheng immediately stopped her movements, reaching out to grab the unidentified object covering her eyes, but Jiang Huaixi was quicker, helping her remove the coat from her face and gently draping it over Lu Zizheng’s body. Then, embracing Lu Zizheng, she said displeasedly in her ear, “Your body is so cold, going out in this cold, don’t you know to wear more clothes?” After speaking, she couldn’t help but soften her voice and teased, “But, Zizheng, you’re so timid, your reaction is really cute.”

Hearing Jiang Huaixi’s cool and clean voice that she cherished so much, feeling the real touch on her body, and the familiar scent of hair at the tip of her nose, Lu Zizheng’s panicked and racing heart finally began to calm down. With new anger added to old grievances, once Lu Zizheng calmed down, her first reaction was anger. She bit Jiang Huaixi’s shoulder with moderate force and resentfully said, “Is scaring me fun? Didn’t you say you’d be back to have dinner with me? You were out all day without a single call.”

Her tone was indeed somewhat plaintive, which amused Jiang Huaixi, making the curve of her lips more pronounced. She rubbed her face against Lu Zizheng’s and softly complained, “But, you didn’t give me a single call either.”

Lu Zizheng bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then explained, “I was afraid of affecting your work.”

Jiang Huaixi laughed softly, released Lu Zizheng, and lowered her head, her beautiful eyes like ink gently gazing at Lu Zizheng. She said seriously, “Silly, in my heart, nothing is more important than you. So, if you miss me, it’s the top priority in my heart. Only my work affects it, not the other way around. In the future, if you’re worried about me, miss me, or have something to tell me, don’t hold back, just honestly tell me, okay?” She hoped Lu Zizheng wouldn’t restrain herself so cautiously. In her presence, Lu Zizheng should just be her most genuine and frank self. No matter what kind of Lu Zizheng, she was always her favorite.

Lu Zizheng raised her head and gazed at Jiang Huaixi’s cool and exquisite yet unusually gentle face, dazedly murmuring, “Huaixi…”

Jiang Huaixi knew that Lu Zizheng had taken it to heart, knowingly blinked her eyes, touched Lu Zizheng’s cheek, took Lu Zizheng’s hand, turned around, and with a smile said, “Come, let me show you something.”

Unexpectedly, Lu Zizheng withdrew her hand and retreated, saying, “Huaixi, I need to wait here for Aunt Lin’s grandson and them.”

Jiang Huaixi turned her head back, seeing Lu Zizheng’s serious and earnest expression, couldn’t help but curve her brows and eyes happily, “Hmm, then before we go over, let me tell you a secret. Well, actually, I am Aunt Lin’s granddaughter you are waiting for. Hello sister, I’m Jiang Huaixi.”

Lu Zizheng frowned, not immediately understanding, but when she finally realized that she had been deceived by Jiang Huaixi and Aunt Lin together, she was already being pulled forward by Jiang Huaixi.

She saw, as she and Jiang Huaixi stepped into the second section of the boardwalk, the pitch-dark boardwalk suddenly lit up with lights twinkling like stars, as Jiang Huaixi turned back to her with a brilliant smile and a crisp snap of fingers, illuminating Jiang Huaixi’s affectionate and charming face.

And then, she heard Jiang Huaixi sigh slightly, with a hint of melancholy, say: “Although I think celebrating this kind of anniversary is too girlish and not in line with my style. But I think, you are quite sentimental and might like it, so I reluctantly went along.”

Jiang Huaixi’s voice suddenly inexplicably softened, and under the warm dim light, Lu Zizheng vaguely noticed that the always calm and composed Jiang Huaixi seemed to have a girlish, mysterious blush on her face.

With their fingers interlocked, Lu Zizheng turned back and leaned closer to Jiang Huaixi, resting on her shoulder, and then heard Jiang Huaixi softly say to her, “Zizheng, happy one-month anniversary.”

At that moment, Jiang Huaixi saw Lu Zizheng’s eyes looking at her, shining brilliantly, more dazzling than the stars…

LP: Re-translated on September 27, 2024