Before Lu Jiaheng left, Cheng Yi threw him a farewell party. Ever since the young master Lu got his pet rabbit at home, he’d turned into a complete homebody who never went out. His happiest moments were now accompanying his girlfriend to the library, playing with her, buying her treats, and when they had occasional disagreements, he’d be unhappy all day until he pitifully went to apologize and comfort her.
As a result, the WeChat group centered around Lu Jiaheng (though ironically he wasn’t a member) changed its name from “Found Love But Don’t Understand Love From Then Till Now” to “A Woman’s Heart is Like a Needle in the Sea – Let Go Early to Break Free Early,” with young master Lu held up as their prime negative example. Every time they discussed him, they’d sigh and shake their heads in dismay.
Lu Jiaheng maintained a “one eye open, one eye closed” attitude about this, and actually seemed to quite enjoy it.
Cheng Yi suffered with mixed feelings while worrying day and night about his roommate Lin Baiyang’s survival.
Because of previous events, Chu Zhi had always been a bit reluctant to interact with Lu Jiaheng’s circle of friends. Apart from those she already knew well like Cheng Yi and Lin Baiyang, she hadn’t met any others.
Lu Jiaheng didn’t mind. Since getting a girlfriend, his range of activities had shrunk dramatically. All phone calls were met with “not looking,” “not going,” “don’t know,” “don’t bother me.” Even when Cheng Yi invited him to eat, he would ask Chu Zhi if she wanted to go.
Usually when it was just Cheng Yi and the others, Chu Zhi would go. Today there were many people, and Chu Zhi felt he should indeed spend time with his friends before leaving, so she said understandingly: “You go ahead, but don’t stay out too late, come home early.”
Lu Jiaheng was still holding his phone, nodded, and said carelessly: “Not going.”
Chu Zhi: “…”
Cheng Yi was quite annoyed: “Lu Jiaheng, you’re really the typical example of valuing love over friendship. Let little Zhi come too, there’s no one else today, Lin Yuqing is here too.”
When Lu Jiaheng heard Lin Yuqing was there, he wanted to go even less.
But Chu Zhi quite liked Lin Yuqing, so she simply went along with him.
Lu Jiaheng’s flight was early the next morning. The man was dragged out by her, reluctantly leaving home, and still wanting to run back even after getting in the car.
On his last day, he just wanted to be with Chu Zhi.
Chu Zhi sat in the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and said very sadly: “Lu Jiaheng, you won’t see Cheng Yi for a long time, won’t you miss them?”
Lu Jiaheng loosely held the steering wheel, lazily drooping his eyelids: “I’ve seen them for over twenty years, I’ve seen enough of his face.”
“…”
Chu Zhi: “Oh.”
Chu Zhi felt men were really heartless. Her eyes rolled, and she turned back: “So if we’re together for over twenty years, will you want to like someone else?”
Lu Jiaheng turned his head: “Who else?”
Chu Zhi leaned against the passenger seat backrest, hearing this, silently turned her head and looked at him reproachfully: “See, you do have such thoughts.”
“…”
Chu Zhi thought for a moment and solemnly reminded him: “Lu Jiaheng, I’m quite popular too. If you dare find other girls in these two years, I’ll get ahead of you and find a man first, then give you green hat.”
“…”
Lu Jiaheng’s hand slipped, and the car screeched to a stop at the roadside.
He turned his head, narrowing his eyes slightly: “Find a man?”
Chu Zhi shrank her neck, also moving backward, but was firmly bound by the seatbelt, unable to move.
Meanwhile, Lu Jiaheng was already leaning closer.
As his departure time drew nearer, this person became increasingly unrestrained and mischievous. When gentle, he seemed like he could melt and drown her, but sometimes he would suddenly become insecure, finding different ways to make her call him various names, and would bite her if he wasn’t satisfied.
Chu Zhi had read a manga before where the protagonist occasionally showed expressions and looks similar to his, called “turning dark.”
Lu Jiaheng was hovering on the edge of turning dark, his eyes hazy as he propped one hand against the car door frame, enclosing her before him, his voice low and mellow: “Am I not enough for you?”
Chu Zhi swallowed and looked at him firmly: “Lu Jiaheng, did you read CEO novels again last night?” She cleared her throat and laughed coldly, “Little vixen, am I not enough to satisfy you?”
Lu Jiaheng: “…”
Chu Zhi got more and more excited and began enthusiastically recommending: “I read a CEO abandoned wife story the other day, where after the female lead was dumped by China’s richest man, she got together with Asia’s richest man, it was so good!”
“…”
Lu Jiaheng let out a long sigh and gently tapped her smooth forehead with his finger: “Getting cheekier?”
Chu Zhi cried out in pain and very pitifully covered her head with both hands, looking at him accusingly, that pitiful expression almost seeming real.
The little girl had learned quite a few bad habits.
As the lights began to come on, the street’s cars created brilliant streams of light, and in the darkness, the girl’s eyes seemed especially bright and endearing.
Cheng Yi’s urging call came again. Lu Jiaheng straightened up, and although he knew she was probably pretending, he was still afraid she might really be hurt, and couldn’t help reaching out to rub her head, his tone indulgent: “You really have me wrapped around your finger, don’t you?”
Chu Zhi grinned and actively pushed her head forward, nuzzling against his palm: “Lu Jiaheng, your character setting has collapsed, CEOs don’t say lines like that, you need to be more domineering.”
Lu Jiaheng glanced at her from the corner of his eye: “Let’s eat first, I’ll be domineering after eating.”
As per international custom, the crown prince and princess were the last to arrive.
Cheng Yi kept calling repeatedly to hurry him, but he himself had just arrived when Lu Jiaheng and Chu Zhi pushed open the door.
Lu Jiaheng took her bag, naturally and skillfully pulled out the chair for Chu Zhi, and casually placed the bag behind his own chair.
Seeing this, Cheng Yi pushed back the chair he had just pulled out and snickered: “Your Highness, the chair is so heavy, I want you to pull it out for me too!”
Lu Jiaheng raised his lips and swept him a glance.
Cheng Yi shut up.
Though it was meant to be the crown prince’s farewell dinner, once things got lively it seemed to have nothing to do with Lu Jiaheng at all. Since Lu Jiaheng had an early morning flight, he just drank soda with Chu Zhi, while the rest were drinking various alcoholic beverages. By nine o’clock, the atmosphere was still very lively.
Chu Zhi had long wanted to taste what it was like. The last time she’d encountered alcohol was at the drama club gathering, but was stopped by Yuan Ci. This time, watching them drink glass after glass, she was curious and a bit envious.
The little girl’s eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the bottles in front of them.
Lu Jiaheng had just gone out to take a call, and Lin Yuqing turned to look at her, tilting the bottle towards her: “Want a drink?”
Chu Zhi hesitated for a moment, seeming eager to try, and asked: “Which one tastes better?”
Lin Yuqing smiled, asked the waiter for a glass, casually took out a bottle of vodka, poured one-third, then took her orange juice and poured in the rest, finally adding one-third of Sprite.
Lin Yuqing gently swirled the glass and handed it to her, propping her chin: “This tastes better.”
Chu Zhi thanked her and took it, looking at the yellow liquid inside.
It actually looked no different from her orange juice, except the color wasn’t as deep or concentrated.
She brought it to her nose and sniffed; it still smelled like orange juice, mixed with a hint of alcohol.
Just as Chu Zhi was about to taste it, Lu Jiaheng came back.
The drink in her glass looked not much different from juice, so Lu Jiaheng didn’t pay attention.
Chu Zhi thus openly brought it to her lips and stuck out her tongue to taste.
It was spicy, mixed with the sweet and sour of juice and the fizz of soda.
Chu Zhi frowned, adjusted to it, and took a few small sips.
She held the glass and drank for a while, watching as a third went down, when Lu Jiaheng turned his head and softly asked: “Are you full?”
Chu Zhi put down the glass, stuck out her tongue, and turned to look at him.
As soon as she opened her mouth, she let out a hiccup.
It smelled of alcohol.
Lu Jiaheng: “…”
He froze for two seconds, picked up the glass the little girl had put down, and brought it to his face to smell.
Lu Jiaheng’s lips turned down as he looked sideways: “Who poured this for you?”
Chu Zhi alertly said: “I poured it myself.”
Lu Jiaheng clearly didn’t believe her but didn’t say anything, just put the glass aside and brought his own fruit juice in front of her: “Drink this.”
Chu Zhi widened her eyes: “Why?”
“No reason.”
“I want to drink that one, it tastes good.”
“It doesn’t taste good.”
Chu Zhi wouldn’t have it, leaning in close to look at him: “Lu Jiaheng, are you one of those male chauvinists who won’t let their girlfriends touch alcohol?”
Lu Jiaheng’s eyelid twitched: “No.”
Lu Jiaheng looked at her.
Chu Zhi had an expression that said she wouldn’t give up without an answer.
She had only drunk less than half a glass, and currently showed no reaction, looking no different from usual.
Lu Jiaheng quietly watched her for a while, licked his lips, his expression somewhat helpless: “If you get drunk, I won’t be able to leave tomorrow.”
Chu Zhi was stunned for a moment, then quickly assured him: “I think I probably have good drinking manners, even if I get drunk I won’t stop you from leaving.”
Lu Jiaheng’s expression was a bit complex.
He didn’t know how to explain to her, supporting his brow with one hand, his thumb rubbing his temple: “This isn’t about whether you’ll let me leave or not.”
Chu Zhi’s head silently withdrew, and she “Oh”-ed: “Then next time?”
“…Next time.”
They spoke quietly, only Cheng Yi and Lin Yuqing sitting nearby saw it. Cheng Yi was simply dumbfounded, silently exchanged an incredulous look with Lin Yuqing, and leaned over to marvel in a low voice: “His Highness is really something else, a real gentleman, not taking advantage of this opportunity? Not taking any liberties at all, is he really raising little Zhi like a daughter?”
Lin Yuqing glanced at him: “Ah Heng has become human, when will you become one?”
Cheng Yi: “…?”
Cheng Yi felt so wronged, why was he being scolded?
The day Lu Jiaheng left, Chu Zhi woke up very early.
Originally, she didn’t want to see him off at all, but now she suddenly felt a bit of regret.
She had also gone to sleep very late last night, and now sat with dark circles under her eyes, tossing and turning in bed, looking at the time – he should be at the airport now.
In a dozen hours, they would be half a world apart.
Chu Zhi wanted to send him a message, thought about it, then put down her phone and buried her head in the pillow, kicking her legs.
After kicking unhappily for a while, she picked up her phone again, curled up in her blanket, and typed out a message to him word by word: Are you on the plane yet?
Lu Jiaheng quickly called her back.
Chu Zhi answered but didn’t speak for a long while.
Lu Jiaheng was also silent.
His background was a bit chaotic, spacious yet noisy, with occasional airport announcements sounding.
After a while, Chu Zhi slowly spoke: “Have a safe journey.”
He “mmm”-ed, paused, then called her: “Chu Zhi.”
Chu Zhi curled up more in her blanket, forming a ball, with the phone quietly pressed against her ear: “Hmm?”
His voice was low, his pace very slow, his words deep and clear: “When I come back, let’s get engaged.”
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