Chapter 67

After Lin Zhen's mother entered the kitchen, the atmosphere in the living room became somewhat awkward. Lin Zhen coughed and whispered to Tang Zheng, "How much did you spend on those things? I'll pay you back later."

Tang Zheng replied, "I naturally gifted that to auntie with good intentions. Furthermore, your argument of paying me back, are you looking down on me?"

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

Fine.

Although there were only three people at the meal, Lin Zhen's mother filled the entire table with dishes. Yesterday, she brought sausages and bacon over for Lin Zhen as well as a few cooked dishes. Therefore, she made their hometown's delicacies for Tang Zheng to experience. During the meal, she made inquiries to clearly understand Tang Zheng's age, work, monthly income, and family circ.u.mstances. Lin Zhen felt like facepalming as she listened.

Tang Zheng, however, had already mentally prepared himself well before coming over, so this time, Lin Zhen's mother's quick-fire questioning did not scare him away. It seemed that every aspect of Tang Zheng was very pleasing, as Lin Zhen's mother's smile became increasingly brilliant.

After the meal, Lin Zhen helped her mother put away the dishes and utensils. Tang Zheng felt bad sitting there alone and thus wanted to help as well. Lin Zhen was carrying a bowl in her hands when she saw him about to stand up. She turned her head and sent him a look, warning him to not cause trouble. When she had turned around, however, Tang Zheng got up. Their lips met.

Tang Zheng: "&h.e.l.lip;"

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

The two of them had not returned to reality yet after being terrified by this occurrence by the time Lin Zhen's mother had walked out from the kitchen. She half-covered her eyes and exclaimed, "Oh! You youngsters, so pa.s.sionate."

The two of them separated at top speed, too embarra.s.sed to speak of it. Tang Zheng hurriedly explained, "That, I suddenly recall that I have a matter to attend to. I'm taking off!"

Tang Zheng, just like last time, ran off.

Lin Zhen's mother mockingly smiled at Lin Zhen. "Aiyo, this young man is still very pure and innocent. There wasn't even tongue, yet he looks so bashful."

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

Her feet rapidly took her out of the room, a pa sound accompanying her as she slammed shut the door.

Left behind in the dining room, Lin Zhen's mother was confused. How come just a moment ago, they were very comfortable with answering her questions, and then, in a blink of an eye, they became shy like little girls?

"I indeed cannot understand you youngsters," Lin Zhen's mother mumbled to herself before continuing to tidy the table.

She stayed at Lin Zhen's place for three days. During this time, she mentioned several times to Lin Zhen how Tang Zheng should join them again, but Lin Zhen refused on the notion that Tang Zheng was too busy with work.

On the fourth day, after she drove her mother back home, she drove, alone, to the studio. Since that accident last time, she had not contacted Tang Zheng, not since that awkward red envelope chat.

She kept recalling that kiss, however—even in her dreams. The influence simply insisted on lingering on. Closing the door to her office, Lin Zhen felt her temple ache dully. It must have been too long since she last touched a man intimately, so that was why a single kiss disturbed her so much.

No, no, that was not a kiss; that was an accident.

After comforting herself again, Lin Zhen felt that she could not spin a coc.o.o.n around herself.1 She wanted to go outside and explore. Very quickly turning on her computer, she went online and bought herself a plane ticket to Italy.

Going abroad for vacation was something she had intended to do long ago, but Jian Yan couldn't go. There was no one else she wanted to invite for the time being either. Now, that was a good thing; she wanted to go alone even more.

Once she finished buying the ticket, she felt relaxed and invigorated. She sent a message to Jian Yan to show off. 「I'm going to Italy.」  

Jian Yan: 「Why are you going to Italy? The fas.h.i.+on show circuit doesn't frequently visit there?」

Lin Zhen: 「Because that place has the most handsome men. Plus, I heard Italian men are the most likely to speak words of love. :)」

Jian Yan: 「&h.e.l.lip;」  

Jian Yan: 「Are you going on this trip to tour Italy or to see handsome men?」  

Lin Zhen: 「Is there a difference?」  

Jian Yan: 「&h.e.l.lip;」  

Lin Zhen: 「I can bring back local specialties for you.」  

Jian Yan: 「Handsome Italian men?」  

Lin Zhen: 「Hahahaha possibly. Should I dare to bring you one?」  

Jian Yan: 「Don't dare. I don't need one『smile』」  

Lin Zhen: 「&h.e.l.lip; Goodbye.」  

After Lin Zhen left for Italy, she updated Moments every day. The majority of the posts centered on Italian men, though.

「Today I saw this little brother at the park, very handsome! If Chinese men also dressed like this, the number of happy women should increase by fifty percent 『smile』」

「Waiter at a restaurant, very easy on the eyes. He asked me what I wanted to order; I wanted to say him.『shy』」

「When I left the hotel to call a taxi, a car came over, and the little brother ahead of me allowed me to go first, saying ladies first. Ah, my long aged shoujo heart.」 2

「The little brother selling flowers on the street suddenly gifted me a rose! Should I get his contact details?!」  

Tang Zheng watched on Moments her live broadcast for four days before he finally could no longer help but comment below: 「Maybe this is the last one. Giving it away, he could stop work for the day『shrug』」

Suddenly seeing Tang Zheng's name, Lin Zhen stared at it blankly for a moment. Certain memories once again began arising in her mind. She rolled her eyes and replied to his comment. 「So says a Chinese man who never understood what is called romantic 『smile』」   

Just as she posted the reply, she received a new comment.

Mama: 「Daughter, I have been watching for so many days. How come I have not seen a photo of Tang Zheng? Didn't you go on the trip with him?」

Lin Zhen: 「&h.e.l.lip;」

Mama: 「You posted pics of those men; how are they as handsome as Tang Zheng.」

Lin Zhen: 「&h.e.l.lip;」  

Mama, your aesthetics might be questionable&h.e.l.lip;

She pursed her lips and decided to block her mother on Moments henceforth.

Mn, Tang Zheng should also be blocked.

She stayed in Italy for one week before hurriedly returning home before the Lantern Festival.3 Before the end of the new year, everyone was in a hurry. The studio also didn't hold its annual meeting. This time, she took advantage of the Lantern Festival and used that as a reason for gathering. She brought her studio colleagues plenty of Italian products, like red wine, spaghetti noodles, tomato sauce, chocolate—everything she could think of.

Tonight, everyone bustled with cheer, but after she returned home, Lin Zhen sat in the absolutely empty living room, instead feeling even more lonely.

Luckily, she also had a lot of work. Although somewhat satirical, that old popular saying had just come true—'Jie is not alone; jie has work to keep her company.'

At the end of February, her childhood best friend's son was already one-year-old. The other had intentionally called her and said that she must join the one-full-year feast.

Lin Zhen promised, but her heart, from beginning to end, held a mix of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy hot, and salty feelings. She thought about two to three years ago, when they were both young ladies about to turn thirty years old, and roasting together about 'what about a man was good' and 'how, if worse came to worst, they could marry each other.'

In the blink of an eye, however, her son was already turning one, yet Lin Zhen was still alone.

Contemplating heavily, Jian Yan was also like this, always saying that she had misandry yet still finding a boyfriend first.

Always, it was just her alone.

Tonight, she dreamt once again, a dream about that guy who gave her the heart trembling, fear inducing kiss. After waking up, she wiped away the cold sweat on her forehead and mentally reflected on herself.

Lin Zhen ah, no matter how much you desire a man, you also cannot not pick what you eat when hungry!4

Tang Zheng was actually thinking about contacting her the entire time. Every day, he would trudge through her Moments, watching her turn into an enchantress, but since he roasted that guy who gave her a flower, he realized Lin Zhen hadn't updated Moments about an Italian little brother and felt slightly happy. It seemed that she was listening to him!

When he mentioned this to He Xiu, the other seemed to be looking at him as if he was r.e.t.a.r.ded. 「Why didn't you consider that she might have blocked you?」  

Tang Zheng: 「&h.e.l.lip;」  

He indeed hadn't considered that. A man like him who was loved by all, apart from He Xiu, who would have the heart to blacklist or block him?!

But he still stealthily asked Jian Yan if Lin Zhen had recently updated Moments about Italian little brothers. Jian Yan directly sent him a screenshot, and from that screenshot, he could make out Italian brothers of all kinds of charm.

Tang Zheng: "&h.e.l.lip;"

She had actually blocked him! Hehe, who would even bother to look at something like that anyway?5

The two of them were relatively stalwart, neither wanting to be the first to contact the other. When Lin Zhen celebrated Lunar New Year, she hadn't returned to her hometown then, but this time, she was attending the one-full-year feast and had to.

Because the two of them were high school cla.s.smates, the feast also had many old cla.s.smates attending. The guests were relatively nice. Lin Zhen chatted about work with them, and while they were inferior in success compared to Lin Zhen, they made a fuss about how she was still unmarried.

Lin Zhen was also considered to be someone who survived great storms. This weapon compared to those of her family's three aunts and six grandmothers fell extremely short. She simply didn't expect that her childhood best friend would also say something like this.

Previously when the two of them were unmarried, they had talked about how being alone gave them so much freedom, but now she was married and felt that Lin Zhen should also get married.

Perhaps it really was as some people say; a best female friend will at some point leave you, and all they'll care about is their husband and their child.

Once she left the one-full-year feast, Lin Zhen first returned home to visit her mother and pa.s.s along some things from her trip to Italy as well.

Seeing her return with spaghetti noodles and tomato sauce, her mother felt her hair stand on end as she exclaimed, "Heavens, you actually dared to buy noodles!"

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

She smiled at her mother and said, "Therefore, I gifted you some to eat."

Lin Zhen's mother said, "Good child, listen to mother. There is nothing difficult in the world that cannot be overcome. If you are wronged, tell mama. Don't cook noodles to eat, okay?"

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

Okay. 

"Right, how come you didn't bring Tang Zheng with you on your trip?" Lin Zhen's mother put away the gifts and began interrogating her daughter on her feelings.

Lin Zhen countered, "Why would I go with him?"

Her mother blinked and remarked, "What, are you fighting?"

"Ai, I don't know what you're talking about." Lin Zhen picked up her bag, intending to withdraw first. "I'm leaving. I need to go to work tomorrow."

Lin Zhen's mother followed behind her, yelling out, "Next time bring Tang Zheng home for dinner~!"

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

Returning from her hometown, Lin Zhen's mood was not particularly good. That friend of hers had sent her a message, and Lin Zhen hadn't replied yet. Then one day, she suddenly received news of Jian Yan marrying.

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

She absolutely wanted to break off relations with Jian Yan! Those rus.h.i.+ng to marry before her, she wanted to break off relations with each and every one of them!

Perhaps finally sensing Lin Zhen's rage, Jian Yan sent an additional message, saying that tonight, the Heavenly CEO Society of VOICE would come.

Lin Zhe was successfully enticed and dragged You You from the studio to come along with her to celebrate with Jian Yan.

She originally thought about going to a fancy restaurant to eat and such, but Tang Zheng straightforwardly invited them to a KTV in the end. Seeing the message from Tang Zheng, that old memory seemed to be roused.

The two of them were both awkward with one another. Luckily, there were a lot of people here today, and the ambiance was lively. The two of them were not that uncomfortable. Tang Zheng ordered a lot of beer and dragged Jian Yan and You You into drinking some. Lin Zhen, because she drove, drank beverages instead.

&h.e.l.lip;If she had known earlier that the person who hadn't drunk alcohol would be in charge of driving Tang Zheng home, she definitely would have been the first one drinking.

Tang Zheng had arrived in He Xiu's car, and now that He Xiu was driving Jian Yan home, He Xiu couldn't give Tang Zheng a ride. Tang Zheng was thus pushed onto her.

She seemed to be driving the drunk Tang Zheng home quite frequently, but this time, Tang Zheng was especially troublesome.

"I haven't eaten my fill earlier. Let's go out to eat."

Lin Zhen looked indifferent. "When your return home, you can call for the kitchen auntie to make you whatever you want to eat."

Tang Zheng continued to be noisy. "My home is too far from here; I might starve to death by the time you drive me home! You also don't want me to die in your car, right?!"

Lin Zhen's lips quirked. "I can kick you out the moment before you stop breathing."

"That's premeditated murder; you'll go to jail. Why would you go to jail for me."

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

She didn't understand. Tang Zheng had such a small alcohol tolerance, so why did he like drinking?!

"Then just take me to your home. Your home is closer." Even though Tang Zheng was drunk, he still miraculously remembered the route. "Right, turn left at the intersection ahead."

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

Ultimately, she couldn't change this wine-crazy man's mind and brought him to her apartment to fend for himself.

"Does your apartment have anything to eat?" Tang Zheng asked as he dizzily sat down on the sofa.

Lin Zhen took out a package of spaghetti noodles and tomato sauce from the refrigerator. "Spaghetti, do you want to eat some?"

"Yes!"

Lin Zhen chuckled and went to the kitchen to cook the noodles.

When she brought over the noodles, Tang Zheng had nearly fallen asleep. Looking at the brightly colored noodles, Tang Zheng twirled some up with a fork and brought it to his mouth.

Ke—ke— His face twisted as he coughed violently, his complexion unsightly as he choked out to Lin Zhen a single word. "Water&h.e.l.lip;"

Lin Zhen turned around to grab a gla.s.s—pa—and set it on the table.

After drinking several mouthfuls, Tang Zheng felt much better. He felt as if he had a new lease on life. "I didn't expect&h.e.l.lip;your spaghetti to be so difficult to eat&h.e.l.lip;"

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

So he previously thought only her Chinese noodles were unpalatable?

Her cooking was not distinguished between countries!

She stood beside Tang Zheng, who kept looking down at her from his towering position. "I shouldn't talk big, but my noodles&h.e.l.lip;even my mom wouldn't dare to eat them."

Tang Zheng: "&h.e.l.lip;"

He picked up the fork again and twirled up some strands. He brought it up to his mouth as if he was viewing death as a return home. Lin Zhen silent watched him from the side. Tang Zheng swallowed the noodles and, with difficulty, said, "I dare to eat your noodles. I still don't compare to those Italian men who talk pretty?"

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

"That kiss earlier&h.e.l.lip;"

"Can you not mention that?!"

Tang Zheng: "&h.e.l.lip;"

He slowed his speech, correcting himself. "I think our collaboration&h.e.l.lip;should perhaps be upgrade."

"Upgraded how?"

"For example, maybe something will truly develop between us?"

Lin Zhen stared at him for a while before saying, " Then finish eating your plate of noodles."

"&h.e.l.lip;Are you saying that if I finish eating and am still alive, the heavens foreordained us to be together?"

Lin Zhen: "&h.e.l.lip;"

She thought about withdrawing the plate, but Tang Zheng promptly placed his hand on hers.

"What are you doing?" Lin Zhen raised her eyes to look at him.

Tang Zheng swallowed his saliva and voiced a difficult decision. "I'll&h.e.l.lip;eat it."

Author's Note:

Finished!!!

Thank you to readers who have accompanied me from the very beginning up until now. Also, thank you for being willing to spend money to support the official publication. Love you all! Muah~! Muah~!

We'll see each other again when the next book starts!

Expressing thanks to sponsors

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To be enmeshed in a trap of her own devising ↩ Basically 'touches the heart which hasn't been touched in a long time' ↩ Night of the 15th of the first lunar month ↩ Beggars can't be choosers, except in this case, LZ is saying she should be choosy ↩ Phi's addition to the line:  (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻ ↩