22 Meticulousness

After the group departed, Huo Chensi hailed a taxi to head to their next destination.

Inside the car, Yu Xijin, naturally boisterous, and the outgoing Huo Chensi were soon chattering away the moment they met.

"Cici, you have no idea! In the escape room earlier, Huo Chensi was so scared he shouted for his mommy right on the spot. I was dying of laughter," Yu Xijin teased.

Huo Chensi, protective of his pride, immediately retorted, "That’s a total lie! I don’t know who was calling me ‘daddy’ back there!"

"Don't even start, it was definitely you!" Yu Xijin argued, unconvinced. "Aside from having a halfway decent brain, you’re more timid than a girl."

Hearing her acknowledge his intelligence made Huo Chensi laugh despite himself. "Fine, fine. Since you’ve complimented me, I won't hold it against you, kid."

"Are you insane?" Yu Xijin rolled her eyes. "I said you were a 'bad review'! A bad review, you idiot!"

"..."

While the two continued their bickering, Jiang Ci turned to look the other way.

The boy was sitting by the window. Perhaps feeling tired, he rested his head on his hand, which was propped against the window frame, his eyes closed as if he were taking a light nap. Even amidst the noisy car, he seemed to possess a quiet, solitary world of his own.

From her angle, his profile was smooth, his jawline sharp, and his bone structure striking. Even in rest, his face couldn't help but stir her heart in subtle ways. Knowing he was resting, Jiang Ci’s gaze shifted from cautious to increasingly bold.

Suddenly, she thought she saw the corner of Zhang Heyu’s mouth twitch upward.

Zhang Heyu’s eyes were slightly narrowed; he smiled and shifted his position, his leg accidentally brushing against Jiang Ci’s. Jiang Ci’s heart thumped wildly, and she didn't dare to move a muscle.

Twenty minutes passed.

The group stepped out of the car, and Huo Chensi dragged them to an arcade near the school. Both Jiang Ci and Yu Xijin were visiting such a place for the first time, looking around with curious eyes.

"Brother Yu, what brings you here?"

The arcade was owned by the older brother of a guy named Huzi, who helped out at the shop every holiday. He hadn't seen Zhang Heyu in a while, so he was quite surprised to see him today.

"Just to play," Zhang Heyu replied concisely.

Just as Huzi was about to say more, a voice rang out from nearby.

"Seriously? You’re so busy looking at Brother Yu that you didn't even notice I arrived?" Huo Chensi clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.

Huzi looked toward the source of the sound. Aside from Huo Chensi, he noticed two girls he had never seen before standing about half a meter away.

Huo Chensi rolled his eyes at him and introduced them one by one. "This is our class monitor, Jiang Ci—Brother Yu mentioned her before—and her friend, Yu Xijin."

Jiang Ci paused, instinctively glancing at Zhang Heyu.

"Holy crap! You’re the Jiang Ci that Brother Yu said was pretty?"

Huzi walked up to her, wiped his hands on his pants, and reached out with a grin, wanting to shake her hand. The next second, he was yanked away by his collar by someone else. "Watch it."

Huzi replied with an "alright" and then greeted them both with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Jiang Ci, Yu Xijin. I’m Deng Hu, from the vocational school next door."

"Nice to meet you," Jiang Ci said.

"Nice to meet you too!" added Yu Xijin.

Seeing the pretty girls put Huzi in a good mood. He patted Huo Chensi on the shoulder and said with a laugh, "You guys go ahead and play. Call me if you need anything."

Just as Huzi was about to head off, he remembered something. "Oh, right, the lounge inside is open. There are board games there. If you want to rest, just go in. You know where the key is."

"OK!" Huo Chensi waved his hand. "I’m going to go get some game tokens. Let’s go play!"

"Sure."

Yu Xijin looked around the environment, finding it quite decent with plenty of gaming facilities. Once they had the tokens, Jiang Ci didn't know what to play, so she simply followed Yu Xijin to the claw machines, which most girls seemed to enjoy.

Jiang Ci stood in front of one machine, her eyes fixed on the most prominent Strawberry Bear inside. She lingered there for a few seconds before a cold, handsome face reflected in the glass caught her eye, making her freeze.

"You want the Strawberry Bear?" Zhang Heyu had come over at some point. His proximity made Jiang Ci feel a strange, itchy sensation in her heart.

"...Yeah. Yu Xijin tried a few times but couldn't get it, so I figured I probably..."

Before she could finish, she heard the clatter of coins hitting the metal slot.

Zhang Heyu tilted his head, his tone still languid. "Give it a try."

Jiang Ci circled the machine, determined the position, and pressed the button. The claw picked up the bear slightly, but it felt weak, failing to lift it properly. Jiang Ci felt a bit awkward and glanced at Zhang Heyu. "Forget it, I can't catch it."

"Dummy." Zhang Heyu poked her cheek, smirked, and fed a few more coins into the machine.

Jiang Ci pursed her lips, her apricot-shaped eyes fixed intently on him. The boy, who usually appeared lazy and roguish, was now focusing seriously on the bear inside the machine. He leaned over, the white light illuminating his face, the slight upturn of his lips making him look even more effortlessly charming.

No matter how he looked, he always managed to make Jiang Ci’s heart race.

Using only three more coins, Jiang Ci watched as the Strawberry Bear tumbled down into the retrieval bin. She looked at Zhang Heyu in disbelief.

"I got it!" A bright smile bloomed on Jiang Ci’s face. She retrieved the bear and clutched it in her arms. "Zhang Heyu, you’re amazing!"

Her excitement was evident; she was clearly overjoyed.

Watching her happiness, Zhang Heyu couldn't help but smile too. "That happy?"

Jiang Ci nodded, hugging the bear tightly as if she couldn't let go. "This is the first time in my life I’ve ever received a stuffed toy as a gift."

*The first time?*

Hearing this, Zhang Heyu frowned. He could tell her joy wasn't faked, but why was it her first time? In his memory, children were supposed to have plenty of toys and dolls by the age of two or three.

Jiang Ci noticed his confusion and smiled, explaining, "My mother never liked me when I was growing up. She thought I was a burden, a drag. She rarely came home, sometimes only once every year or two. Later, she left me with my grandmother, who made a living selling desserts from a pushcart."

"Back then, we didn't have much money, and my grandmother didn't know anything about toys or dolls. I never grew up playing with them. Actually, I never even went to kindergarten. I used to hear others talk about how many toys they had in kindergarten!"

As she spoke, Jiang Ci lowered her head, hugging the Strawberry Bear a little tighter.

"And then?"

"When I grew up, I realized how short on money my family was, so over time, I stopped wanting them. So, before today, I didn't have a single toy, let alone a stuffed animal."

As a good listener, Zhang Heyu didn't interrupt her, though he felt a pang of heartache. Even as she told him this, her smile hadn't faded, yet he caught a flicker of sorrow in her eyes.

Seeing him silent, Jiang Ci felt a sudden sense of disappointment, though her face remained bright. "Sorry, that must have been boring to listen to, right?"

Looking at the young girl's face, Zhang Heyu felt an overwhelming discomfort, as if his heart were being squeezed by an invisible hand. He wanted to hug her, but he was afraid of being rejected. Stuck in this hesitant, conflicted state, he only hated that he felt he had no qualification to stand by her side and offer comfort.

All he could do was fulfill her little wishes.

After a moment of silence, he bent down to look her in the eyes and asked, "What about now? What kind of toy do you want?"

Jiang Ci smiled and shook her head. "No need, I have this one now." She held up the Strawberry Bear and gave it a little shake in front of him.

He paused, his eyes filled with tenderness. "Just a Strawberry Bear?"

"Yeah, one is enough." Jiang Ci didn't dare to ask for more, because she knew that everything she truly wanted was hard to come by.

Zhang Heyu didn't press the matter; he simply turned around and fed more coins into the machine.

After the group finished playing, they went to the lounge Huzi had mentioned to rest.

"I just ordered some fried chicken and soda," Huo Chensi said, glancing at Zhang Heyu. "Brother Yu, let's go grab them together!"

Zhang Heyu nodded and stood up to leave, with Huo Chensi following behind.

With the two of them gone, Yu Xijin looked at the Strawberry Bear beside Jiang Ci, along with a few other medium-sized dolls—the ones from the claw machine outside.

"Cici, those were all caught for you by Zhang Heyu, right?" After spending the day together, she had realized that Zhang Heyu treated Jiang Ci quite differently.

Jiang Ci nodded.

Yu Xijin curled her lips, smiling with gossipy curiosity. "We've known each other for so long now, tell me—are you starting to have feelings for Zhang Heyu?"

Jiang Ci let out an "ah," her expression hesitant. She pursed her lips, not daring to say anything.

"I used to think he was a total jerk, but after interacting with him, he seems different from the rumors." Yu Xijin remembered how, after coming out of the escape room, Zhang Heyu’s eyes never left Jiang Ci; whenever he sensed a change in her mood, he would find ways to talk to her.

Yu Xijin paused and added, "He’s very attentive toward you."

Jiang Ci froze, unsure of how to respond.

"I think I have to take back what I said," Yu Xijin said firmly. "I’m taking back that advice I gave you about not liking Zhang Heyu."

Jiang Ci blinked. "You change your mind pretty fast."

"My eyes are sharp!" Yu Xijin leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "I think Zhang Heyu likes you."

In an instant, a small stone seemed to drop into Jiang Ci’s heart, sending ripples spreading out layer by layer. Her face remained calm, but she shook her head. "He wouldn't. He wouldn't like me." She felt she wasn't good enough for someone as great as Zhang Heyu.

"Don't be so absolute, you..."

Before Yu Xijin could finish, Huo Chensi’s voice rang out from the door: "I’m here!"

The conversation was cut short, and Yu Xijin didn't continue. Jiang Ci let out a sigh of relief.

After Huo Chensi placed everything on the table, he heard Yu Xijin ask, "Where’s Zhang Heyu?"

"He’s outside. Said the arcade was too stuffy and he needed some air before coming back."

Hearing this, Jiang Ci bowed her head, lost in thought. A moment later, she stood up, muttered, "I’m going to the restroom," and walked out.

Yu Xijin paused. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No need, you guys go ahead and eat." Jiang Ci closed the door behind her.

Huzi was at the front desk playing on his phone when he saw Jiang Ci come out of the lounge. "Are you looking for Brother Yu?"

Jiang Ci nodded.

"He’s right over there. Just turn the corner and you’ll see him," Huzi said, pointing the way with a grin.

Jiang Ci thanked him and followed the directions, finding Zhang Heyu standing on the second-floor balcony. He was leaning slightly against the railing, his black T-shirt billowing in the wind. With his broad shoulders and narrow waist, and the loose strands of hair on his forehead tousled by the breeze, he looked weary and languid.

Perhaps feeling the intensity of her gaze, he turned his head. He was clearly stunned the moment he saw Jiang Ci.

"What are you doing here?"

Jiang Ci walked closer to him. A scent of tobacco hit her nose, and as her gaze shifted downward, she saw a cigarette held between his slender, bony fingers. She had never seen him smoke before.

"First time I’ve seen you smoke," Jiang Ci said, looking out at the nearby buildings—mostly old, dilapidated houses.

"Yeah." Zhang Heyu paused, turned to the side, and stubbed the cigarette out in an ashtray. "It didn't bother you, did it?"

Jiang Ci shook her head, smiling, her dimples deepening. "Why did you suddenly come out here to smoke?"

Perhaps because he had been smoking, his voice was a bit raspy. "What about you? Why did you come out?"

"If I said I was worried about you," Jiang Ci looked up at him, "would you believe me?"

Zhang Heyu was slightly taken aback, then suddenly smiled. "I would."

"Are you in a bad mood?" Jiang Ci gathered her courage to ask, her heart racing.

"Yeah, a little." Zhang Heyu looked away from her, shifting his gaze to a white stray dog crouching by the side of the road below.

After a moment of silence, just as Jiang Ci was about to ask why he was in a bad mood, she heard him speak again.

"Jiang Ci, have you always been unhappy?"

Jiang Ci was stunned. She looked at him, her eyelashes fluttering. "Not really. I was happy when I was with my grandmother, and I’m happy when I’m with everyone else."

After saying this, she looked at Zhang Heyu, only then realizing what he meant by being in a bad mood.

She spoke, her voice very soft and uncertain: "Is it because of me?"