Tao Zhi hesitated for three seconds between “pretend not to see or hear him and just walk away” and “turn around and face the pain,” feeling the former would seem more deliberate and awkward.
She stayed still against the glass window for two seconds, then turned her head back one increment at a time. She felt so stiff she could almost hear her bones making “click click” sounds as she turned.
Tao Zhi turned to look at Jiang Qi Huai, putting on a fake smile: “You’re here?”
Jiang Qi Huai looked at her without expression.
Tao Zhi maintained her smile, forcing her stiff lips to curve up, raising her arm to pat his shoulder twice, saying naturally: “Work hard, okay?”
“…”
For a moment, Jiang Qi Huai thought she was the owner of this convenience store.
Tao Zhi instinctively wanted to slip away. That earlier rush of impulse and lonely courage had been completely scared away by him. She didn’t know why she had to come find him when she hadn’t even sorted out her own feelings clearly, looking at him to confirm something.
It was all his fault for looking too good when he was correcting her essay.
It was all his fault.
Tao Zhi thought somewhat huffily.
Before she could step away, an elderly man walked up behind Jiang Qi Huai.
The man appeared to be in his sixties, looking spirited and energetic, his smiling eyes crinkling as he looked at her and asked: “Is this a classmate?”
Jiang Qi Huai made an “mm” sound.
Tao Zhi finally reacted, quickly greeting the elderly man: “Hello, Grandpa.”
“Ah, hello,” the elderly man looked at her kindly and said, “Did you come to play with Ah Huai?”
“…”
No, I just came to check on his work progress.
Grandpa Jiang’s one sentence put Tao Zhi in another dilemma. She thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Seeing her nod, Grandpa Jiang seemed very happy: “Good that you came to play. Ah Huai has made friends at his new school.”
Tao Zhi instinctively glanced at Jiang Qi Huai.
The young man lowered his eyes, his cold aura completely gone, looking very quiet.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but when standing next to the elderly man, he gave off the feeling of having retracted his sharp shell, becoming softer.
The lone wolf turned into a golden retriever.
Tao Zhi found it quite curious. She was good at pleasing elderly people, so she smiled and said: “Grandpa, Jiang Qi Huai is very popular at school, everyone likes to spend time with him.”
When copying homework during morning self-study.
Grandpa Jiang became even happier: “Ah Huai has a good nature, he’s been likable since he was little.”
“…”
Tao Zhi didn’t know what to say for a moment. She simply couldn’t connect Jiang Qi Huai with the phrases “good nature” and “likable.”
Jiang Qi Huai raised his eyes, and seeing her indescribable expression knew exactly what she was thinking. He sighed: “It’s windy outside, let’s go back first.”
Grandpa Jiang nodded, then looked at Tao Zhi: “Have you had dinner yet, young lady?”
“Not yet.”
Grandpa Jiang: “Then come on up, have some food before playing with him. Grandpa will cook something delicious for you.”
Tao Zhi: “Ah? Ah…”
Huh???
Jiang Qi Huai’s home was on this street. Turning into a small alley beside the convenience store, the old residential building had weathered vermillion walls, cement stairs covered in small advertisements, low ceilings, and narrow corridors.
Their home was the last unit on the third floor. Tao Zhi stood at the doorway watching Jiang Qi Huai unlock the door, following last inside, still not understanding how things had developed this way.
Jiang Qi Huai stood at the entrance and turned on the lights.
The ceiling light in the living room was warm yellow. The living room was small, visible end to end at a glance. The dining table was placed by the door, with an old redwood tea table and a sofa covered in a faded cover.
Tao Zhi only glanced once, then didn’t look around anymore, obediently lowering her head to change shoes.
She went in and took off her coat, not tossing it carelessly but folding it neatly and placing it aside, then sat on the sofa with both hands on her knees.
Like a well-behaved elementary school student.
Grandpa Jiang washed his hands, asked if she had any dietary restrictions, then went into the kitchen.
Jiang Qi Huai followed him in, then poured her a glass of water.
Tao Zhi took it, saying a soft “thank you.”
The water was warm, dispelling the chill from standing outside. Tao Zhi held the glass and took small sips, secretly glancing toward the kitchen.
The door wasn’t closed. Jiang Qi Huai stood at the sink washing vegetables, then took out a piece of red meat from the refrigerator.
He closed the fridge door and looked out.
Tao Zhi quickly pulled back her head, looking down at the water in her glass.
Voices occasionally came from the kitchen.
Tao Zhi hesitated, put down her glass, and poked her head around the doorway: “Do you need help?”
Jiang Qi Huai was pulling out a cutting board to chop vegetables: “Go back and sit down.”
“You get out too, taking up space with your height,” Grandpa Jiang shooed him away unhappily. “She came to play with you. Today this old man will show off his skills, don’t steal my thunder.”
Tao Zhi burst out laughing with a “pfft.”
Jiang Qi Huai had no choice but to put down what he was holding, wash his hands and leave the kitchen.
Tao Zhi leaned against the wall, smiling at him.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing,” Tao Zhi was still smiling. “Just didn’t expect our usually arrogant Your Highness to be such a good boy at home.”
Jiang Qi Huai couldn’t help but make a “tsk” sound, raising his hand to knock her head as he walked inside.
Tao Zhi covered her head and followed him: “Why do you always hit my head! It’ll make me stupid!”
“I’m whacking a mole.”
Tao Zhi was displeased, following behind him making silent faces with exaggerated gestures.
Jiang Qi Huai suddenly turned around.
Tao Zhi’s movements immediately froze, her expression tightening as she looked at him calmly.
Jiang Qi Huai silently curved his lips, walked to the bedroom door, pushed it open and moved aside.
The bedroom was a rather private place. Tao Zhi stood at the door, hesitated for a moment, and didn’t go in: “Can I go in?”
“Do I need to formally invite you?”
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt?” Tao Zhi said seriously.
Jiang Qi Huai ignored her and walked straight in.
Tao Zhi followed behind him.
His bedroom wasn’t very large either. There was a bed by the window, a desk at the head of the bed, and a wardrobe against the wall. Opposite was a huge bookshelf taking up an entire wall, packed full of books.
Compared to Tao Zhi’s room full of clutter, his room looked clean, tidy and utterly ordinary.
The only highlight was the wall next to the desk, covered in photos.
Tao Zhi hadn’t expected Jiang Qi Huai to have this side to him.
She said emotionally: “Who knew our cold and aloof prince would have such a delicate and fragile artistic youth’s heart.”
“Stop being weird.” Jiang Qi Huai walked to the desk, rifled through a pile of test papers and books, then pulled one out and handed it to her.
“What’s this?” Tao Zhi took it and looked.
“Wang Qian Xiong 365 Series — Selected English Essays”
Tao Zhi: “…”
Tao Zhi looked up at him with eyes like she was looking at a devil from hell: “I come to play at your house and you make me look at selected essays?”
“Do you still have time to play?”
“…”
Fine then.
Tao Zhi walked to the desk and sat down, opening his essay collection.
Jiang Qi Huai left the bedroom.
Tao Zhi couldn’t focus on reading. Just thinking about sitting at Jiang Qi Huai’s desk, being in his bedroom, made her feel itchy inside. She pretended to flip through a couple pages, put the book on the desk, and stood up.
She walked to his small wall of photos.
His choice of photos was a bit strange. A half-finished puzzle, a remote control for a toy car, a calico cat napping in the sun on a wall in the small alley.
On the light-colored photos, she could see small black writing in the bottom left corner, only visible up close. She didn’t look, feeling these were secrets belonging to him alone.
At the bottom was a row of night sky photos.
Tao Zhi immediately recognized the one they took from the Ferris wheel at the amusement park.
At the time, Fu Xi Ling had sent a string of photos to the group chat, over ten photos including that candid shot of her.
Jiang Qi Huai had only chosen one to put up. Through the Ferris wheel cabin’s glass window, the sky held a grand and brilliant ceremony, magnificent flowers blooming in the clear night, dyeing the night sky with colorful points of light, sparkling like stars.
Besides that, there was nothing else in the frame.
He hadn’t chosen the one with her in it.
Tao Zhi lowered her eyelashes and pressed her lips together.
Although this was natural, although it was what she expected, when directly confirming that this person didn’t like her, she still felt somewhat stifled.
It was like a tiny thorn had lightly pricked her heart. Not obvious, even fleeting, but that subtle little pain spread through her body, making her feel sad from head to toe.
She really didn’t have anything worth him liking.
Her personality wasn’t cute, her grades weren’t good, her looks were okay but he was so handsome — appearance was probably the thing he cared least about in this world.
Besides that, she had nothing she could show off, nothing to make him look at her differently.
Tao Zhi walked back to the desk, pulled out the chair and sat down, lowering her head to look at the English essay book open in front of her.
The letters floated past her eyes, but she suddenly couldn’t recognize any of them. It was as if Jiang Qi Huai was standing tall before her, looking at her coldly, mocking her presumptuousness.
When the bedroom door was pushed open and Jiang Qi Huai walked in, he saw the young girl lying on the desk, listlessly flipping through the book in front of her.
Hearing the sound, she lazily raised her eyes slightly to glance at him.
The young man still carried a hint of coolness, probably having just been outside. Tao Zhi didn’t ask, just withdrew her gaze and continued spacing out.
A small plate of strawberries was placed on the desk in front of her.
Tao Zhi was startled.
The bright red strawberries were arranged one by one in a clear glass fruit dish, covered in crystalline water droplets, each one plump and vibrantly red. Just looking at them seemed to make you taste their sweet and tart juice spreading in your mouth.
She loved strawberries, and often bought strawberry-flavored candy and milk at school.
She blinked and looked up: “You went out to buy strawberries?”
Jiang Qi Huai made an “mm” sound, sat on the edge of the bed and casually grabbed a book, glancing at the essay in her hands: “It’s been over ten minutes, still on this one?”
Tao Zhi didn’t notice what he said, only feeling that the little thorn that had pricked her heart earlier suddenly took root, then slowly grew into a tiny, tender green sprout that gave a little shake.
That stifling sadness that had been choking her slowly dissipated bit by bit.
She put down the book and picked up a strawberry to bite into.
Cool and sweet.
She ate two, then stopped, pushing the plate toward him before continuing to read.
The bright desk lamp was lit in the bedroom. The two of them gathered under the light reading their respective books, not speaking for a while, the bedroom atmosphere quiet and peaceful.
Tao Zhi finished reading two essays and their paragraph-by-paragraph analysis notes. She was getting sleepy and propped up her head, yawning as she secretly glanced up at him.
She had taken his spot, so he sat on the edge of the bed, long legs stretched forward, eyes lowered as he focused on whatever he was reading.
He really was handsome.
He was just handsome.
Especially, particularly, most handsome when focused on doing something.
Tao Zhi withdrew her gaze and thought silently.
The small writing on his photos was his secret, and now she had her own secret too, a secret of one person.
It was like they had another thing in common.
This realization made Tao Zhi happy again.
After a while, Jiang Qi Huai noticed from the corner of his eye that she hadn’t taken any more strawberries.
He looked up: “Not good?”
Tao Zhi lay on the desk and made an “mm” sound, realizing what he meant.
She looked at the plate of beautiful strawberries and said reluctantly: “They’re very good.”
Jiang Qi Huai thought it was because dinner would be ready soon or something.
“But these are expensive,” Tao Zhi looked up, her dark eyes looking at him, eyelashes rising softly as she said slowly, “I want to save them for you.”
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