STT – Chapter 24
by Little PandaGuess What I Want?
The fireworks display continued for over half an hour. The crowds at Jiangxin Plaza lingered for a long time, standing and watching, and it was not until past one in the morning that the plaza slowly quieted down…
Yet Lu Zizheng and Jiang Huaixi did not wait for the fireworks to fade or the crowds to disperse. At the height of the bustling noise, they drove away.
A grand feast inevitably leaves loneliness in its wake, and bustling prosperity gives way to desolation. The fireworks would eventually have to stop, and Lu Zizheng could not bear to witness that moment. She prayed that this display of fireworks between her and Jiang Huaixi would only leave behind the most brilliant beauty in their memories, free from the solitary coldness of an ending.
After driving Lu Zizheng back to the entrance of Mother Lu’s residential community, Jiang Huaixi got out of the car as well. Resting one hand on the car door, she looked at Lu Zizheng, a trace of hesitation unexpectedly showing in her expression.
Lu Zizheng furrowed her brows slightly, somewhat puzzled. “What is it?”
Jiang Huaixi’s fingers gripping the door twitched slightly. Only then did she part her lips and say in a calm voice, “Are you free tomorrow afternoon? My… my grandmother is celebrating her eightieth birthday1, and she wants to invite you to our house for a meal.”
Lu Zizheng clearly had not expected this at all. The invitation was so sudden that she froze in nervousness for a moment, her eyes widening slightly as she stared blankly at Jiang Huaixi.
Seeing Lu Zizheng standing there in a daze, looking somewhat troubled, Jiang Huaixi’s eyes dimmed. She lowered her head and let out a small laugh, pretending not to care as she said, “If it’s inconvenient, don’t worry about it.” Indeed, such an invitation was rather abrupt and far-fetched. Lu Zizheng was naturally someone who disliked socializing, so it was only normal for her to refuse. Yet, even though she had prepared herself for rejection, why did she still feel a sense of loss at this moment?
She shook off her inexplicably low spirits, cast another glance at Lu Zizheng, who was still lost in thought, and gave her usual instruction: “Go on in. I’m leaving.”
Bending down, she got into the car and shut the door, her movements smooth and seamless.
Seeing that Jiang Huaixi was about to start the car and leave, Lu Zizheng finally snapped out of it. Taking several hurried strides, she rushed to the side of the car and tapped lightly on Jiang Huaixi’s window.
Jiang Huaixi rolled down the window, only to see Lu Zizheng leaning down, looking at her with burning eyes as she explained in a panic, “I’ll go.”
Jiang Huaixi’s eyes lit up in an instant, and a smile threatened to spill from the corners of her lips. Yet she deliberately knit her brows slightly and said coldly, “Are you swearing at me?2“
Lu Zizheng let out a soft laugh. Calming herself down, she said seriously, “What time tomorrow? I’ll wait for you at home.”
Jiang Huaixi’s expression softened as she said, “Is two o’clock alright?” She then added, “Grandmother doesn’t want a grand celebration, so it’s just a family dinner. You don’t need to be too nervous.”
Lu Zizheng’s eyes wavered, and her brows slowly knit together. Jiang Huaixi had failed to comfort her; hearing this, she actually felt even more nervous. Why would she be invited to a family dinner…
Jiang Huaixi seemed to read her mind, teasing, “Grandmother thinks I’m too well-behaved and worries I’ll make bad friends, so she asked me to bring you home for her to see if you’ll lead her precious grandchild astray. You seem a bit nervous; it looks like you also think you’ve corrupted me.”
Lu Zizheng said, amused, “In that case, my mother should chase you out of the house with a broom. Alright, Grandmother’s precious grandchild, I get it. I’ll wait for you at my place tomorrow.” Seeing that it was getting late, she waved her hand at Jiang Huaixi in farewell. “I’m heading in. Drive safely, precious grandchild.” As if afraid of hearing Jiang Huaixi’s retort, she quickly pattered away.
Jiang Huaixi did not roll up the window immediately. Watching Lu Zizheng skip away with a rare, childish bounce, the corners of her mouth curved upward. She ran like a fool, completely discarding her image. And yet, Jiang Huaixi liked it very much…
Lu Zizheng returned home, inserted her key, and opened the door. Just as she was about to switch on the entryway light, she realized the living room light was already on. Closing the door behind her, she peeked into the living room as she changed her shoes, only to see her mother standing by the water dispenser, holding a cup and drinking water, her face looking a little weary.
Having changed into her slippers, Lu Zizheng asked her mother in confusion, “Mom, why are you still up so late?”
Mother Lu set her cup down on the small shelf beside the water dispenser and said, looking a bit weary, “It was a bit noisy outside just now, so I couldn’t sleep. I came out to get a sip of water.”
Lu Zizheng suspected nothing. Seeing that her mother had only hastily thrown on a light jacket, she said with concern, “It’s mostly quieted down outside now. Go back to sleep. You should know better than to come out without throwing on a thicker coat.”
Mother Lu laughed and said, “From your tone, anyone would think you’re the mother and I’m the daughter. Alright, I’m going back to bed, and you should quickly wash up and sleep too.” With that, she turned to head back to her room, but then remembered something and turned back to ask Lu Zizheng, “Did Huaixi eat the dumplings?”
Lu Zizheng froze. Dumplings? Oh, right, the dumplings! She remembered now—when she had entered the high-rise with Jiang Huaixi, she hadn’t brought them along and had left them in Jiang Huaixi’s car. She had forgotten about them afterward, so they had to still be in Jiang Huaixi’s car…
She fished out her phone, intending to call Jiang Huaixi, but then she hesitated. What would she even say? Tell her to leave them alone? The more she emphasized it, the more suspicious it would seem. If Jiang Huaixi so much as loosened the bag, she would see the chopsticks and the food container inside. How would Lu Zizheng explain that?
Before she could come up with an excuse, her phone vibrated twice. Lu Zizheng swiped open the screen and saw a picture message from Jiang Huaixi. Opening it, she saw a photo of an empty food container with a pair of chopsticks lying beside it. Below the photo, Jiang Huaixi had written: Although they were indeed too ugly to show off, out of appreciation for your kind thoughts, I still gave you face and ate every last one. Don’t be too touched.
Lu Zizheng simply sent her a cold “goodbye” emoji and locked her phone. Then, she turned to ask her mother, who was waiting nearby for an answer, “How did she know I was the one who made the dumplings?”
Mother Lu blinked and replied candidly, “Oh, I told her. Not long after you went down, I was worried the dumplings would get cold if left too long and upset her stomach. I also thought Huaixi might be driving and couldn’t answer the phone, so I sent her a text: ‘Zizheng remembered how much you love dumplings and wrapped some for you herself. Go ahead and enjoy your night out, but eat the dumplings first. They’re bad for the stomach if they get cold.'”
Lu Zizheng smacked her forehead, crying out in embarrassed annoyance, “Mom! Who said I was thinking about her?!”
Sensing trouble, Mother Lu turned around and slipped away. “Ah, I’m suddenly feeling a bit sleepy. I’m going back to my room to sleep…”
Lu Zizheng sighed, heading to the bathroom to wash up with a feeling of utter helplessness.
How were they ugly? They looked perfectly fine, alright?! If they were so ugly, you shouldn’t have eaten them! Lu Zizheng felt like she was brushing her teeth with far too much force, to the point where her gums were about to bleed. It was all Jiang Huaixi’s fault.
Driving on her way home, Jiang Huaixi felt her ears burning3 slightly. Glancing at the ugly rabbit sitting on her dashboard, she could not help but smile.
The next morning, Lu Zizheng had breakfast, said goodbye to her mother, and headed home. Stepping out of the residential community’s gates, she hailed a cab and went straight to the mall. All through the ride, she was deep in thought, wondering what gifts she should bring to Jiang Huaixi’s home.
Yet even by the time she arrived at the shopping mall, she still had not reached a decision.
She rarely socialized in her daily life, let alone visited other people’s homes. It was not that she was ignorant of social etiquette; it was just that understanding it was one thing, while executing it well was another. The Jiang family was extremely wealthy. Lu Zizheng could not think of anything they might lack, nor did she have any idea what they liked.
She sent a text to Jiang Huaixi: What do your parents and grandmother like?
Jiang Huaixi replied within seconds: They’ll be happy just to have you there. You don’t need to bring anything.
…
Lu Zizheng looked at the dazzling array of gift displays in the mall, completely at a loss. She locked and unlocked her phone screen repeatedly, when suddenly, a thought struck her.
She opened her phone’s browser, went to Baidu, and typed: first time…
As soon as she entered those few words, search suggestions popped up: “What gifts to bring the first time visiting a girlfriend’s home,” “What is a good gift for meeting a girlfriend’s parents for the first time,” “What to bring when meeting the parents for the first time”…
Oh, that was not what she had intended to ask at all; she had simply wanted to look up what to bring when visiting a friend’s house. Seeing these suggestions, however, she felt inexplicably nervous, and her face began to flush. Actually, it’s basically the same thing, so there’s no harm in looking, right? With that thought, Lu Zizheng’s index finger trembled slightly as she tapped the first suggestion: “What gifts to bring the first time visiting a girlfriend’s home”…
After carefully reading through several dozen minutes of enthusiastic advice from internet users, Lu Zizheng closed the page and sighed. What everyone suggested was nothing more than alcohol, cigarettes, high-quality tea, health supplements, or items tailored to the family’s tastes. Since she did not know their specific preferences, she could only go with the crowd. She did not expect to earn extra points; she only hoped she would not lose any.
Oh, why did she care so much about her impression score with Jiang Huaixi’s parents?!
Lu Zizheng moved from one shopping center to another, browsing through four or five malls before she finally managed to get everything. In the end, she bought top-grade tea leaves for Jiang Huaixi’s parents, health supplements for Jiang Huaixi’s grandmother, and a finely crafted international chess set for Jiang Huaichuan.
After leaving the mall, Lu Zizheng made a detour to a hair salon. By the time she stepped out with her hair neatly styled, it was already past noon. She grabbed a quick lunch outside, then rushed home carrying her numerous bags.
Once home, she took a shower and began trying on one outfit after another. It had to look elegant and natural, or maybe fresh and bright… No, this won’t do. Ugh, this won’t do either. Glancing up at the clock, she realized she was running out of time. Ah, forget it. This will have to do.
When Jiang Huaixi called to say she had arrived, Lu Zizheng was still standing in front of the mirror, having just applied her lipstick. Hanging up, she carefully scrutinized her reflection once more. While she might not be as stunning as Jiang Huaixi had been the previous night, she should at least look decent.
Today, Jiang Huaixi’s hair was back to its usual long, straight, black style. Wearing long boots, simple pencil pants, a sweater over a collared shirt, and a trench coat, she stood by her car looking clean and refreshed. Yet even in such simple attire, she was a striking sight.
Lu Zizheng had not dressed up so meticulously in a very long time. Walking toward Jiang Huaixi step by step, she felt a faint nervousness upon seeing the slight look of surprise in her eyes.
Jiang Huaixi furrowed her brows slightly when she saw the bags in Lu Zizheng’s hands. She reached out to take them, placed them in the back seat, and opened the passenger door. Stepping aside to let Lu Zizheng in, she curled her lips into a smile and said, “It seems you still weren’t convinced yesterday when I said I was prettier than you. Is that why you couldn’t wait to even the score today?”
Lu Zizheng offered a faint smile as she got into the car. Looking back, she asked with a smile, “So, do I win today?”
Jiang Huaixi was momentarily dazed. Feeling a bit self-conscious under her gaze, Lu Zizheng looked away and lowered her head. Jiang Huaixi’s eyes curved in amusement, and her smile widened as she said softly, “Alright, I’ll let you win today.”
Lu Zizheng responded with a soft grunt, sounding somewhere between satisfied and dissatisfied.
During the drive, still feeling anxious, Lu Zizheng glanced at the gift bags in the back seat and asked Jiang Huaixi, “I didn’t know what your parents would like, so I bought some tea for your mom and dad, health supplements for your grandmother, and an international chess set for Huaichuan. Do you think those are appropriate?”
Jiang Huaixi knit her brows and said, “You spent too much. They’ll definitely think it’s inappropriate.”
Lu Zizheng gasped in nervousness. “Ah!”
Jiang Huaixi then let out a gentle laugh. “Don’t worry, they’ll love them. But as I listened to your list, I didn’t seem to hear any gift for me. What did you prepare for me?”
Lu Zizheng cast a glance at her and replied calmly, “There’s nothing for you.”
Jiang Huaixi raised her eyebrows, displeased. “I’m the one who’s been driving you around and doing all the legwork, so why do those sitting comfortably at home get gifts while I, the most hardworking one, end up with nothing?” She paused, then asked in a serious tone, “Do you think that’s fair?”
Pretending to agree, Lu Zizheng said earnestly, “Hmm, it does seem a bit unfair. Well then, tell me, what do you want? Let’s see if I can give you what you want.”
Jiang Huaixi looked sideways at her with burning eyes. After a long pause, her lips curved into a faint smile. “I can’t think of anything for now. Let’s say you owe me.”
Lu Zizheng hummed softly, “Offer expires if you take too long.”
Jiang Huaixi turned her head back to the road without refuting. On her beautiful profile, Lu Zizheng saw a faint, tender smile that was utterly captivating.
Zizheng, can you guess what I want?
Footnotes
- In Chinese culture, reaching eighty is considered a major longevity milestone, traditionally celebrated with significant family gatherings and respect for the elder.
- The Chinese phrase 'wǒ qù' (I go) can be used as a mild swear word or exclamation of surprise, similar to 'damn' or 'damn it,' which is why Jiang Huaixi plays on this double meaning.
- In Chinese folklore, ears burning or heating up is a superstitious sign that someone is speaking of or thinking about you.
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