24 Cutting in Line

Could Zhang Heyu have fallen for me?

The thought popped into her mind, and Jiang Ci’s heart skipped a beat. She liked Zhang Heyu, but she couldn’t just sit around indulging in such delusions about him in private. Jiang Ci tapped her head, trying to snap herself back to reality. Resigned, she flopped onto her bed, staring up at the stark white ceiling as a sudden wave of sleepiness washed over her. Her eyelids grew heavy, and before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.

The next afternoon.

Jiang Ci had told her grandmother in advance that Zhang Heyu would be coming over for dinner, so the old woman had started bustling about the kitchen early on. Just as the table was set with a feast, the phone in Jiang Ci’s pocket vibrated. She pulled it out to check, and as expected, it was a message from Zhang Heyu.

[Zhang Heyu: I’m near your place.]

Jiang Ci wiped her hands and typed back.

[Jiang Ci: Wait for me, I’m coming down now.]

After sending the message, she let her grandmother know and headed downstairs after taking off her apron. She hurried as fast as she could, terrified that Zhang Heyu might be annoyed if he had to wait too long.

Zhang Heyu had stopped by a fruit shop near her neighborhood and was walking toward her building when he saw Jiang Ci rushing out of the residential complex. Jiang Ci caught her breath, and as she looked up, she caught his gaze. The young man was wearing a simple white T-shirt with a slightly low neckline that revealed his sharp, angular collarbones. His dark eyes held a hint of a smile.

"What are you running for?"

Jiang Ci swallowed hard. Her gaze drifted downward, and she noticed the bag in his hand.

"I was afraid if I arrived late, I’d miss you and you’d be upset," she said with a faint smile. "Why did you bring fruit?"

Zhang Heyu replied with casual indifference, "I passed by and picked some up. I couldn't exactly come to your house empty-handed, could I?"

"Well, thank you," Jiang Ci said.

They walked to her home together. Jiang Ci handed him a new pair of guest slippers, and they changed their shoes before entering.

"Grandma, Zhang Heyu is here."

"Wonderful!"

Hearing her grandmother’s voice from the kitchen, Jiang Ci said to Zhang Heyu, "Make yourself at home, or look around if you’d like."

"Mm."

Jiang Ci went into the kitchen to help, but her grandmother shooed her out. "Go keep Xiao Zhang company. I’m almost done here."

With no choice, Jiang Ci washed some fruit and stepped back out. Zhang Heyu was standing in front of the TV cabinet, his gaze wandering until it landed on a photo frame beside a vase. The photo inside showed Jiang Ci, her grandmother, and one other person—likely Jiang Ci’s mother. Zhang Heyu picked up the frame and frowned. This woman looked strangely familiar.

Just as he tried to get a better look, a shadow swept past his side. A slender arm darted out and snatched the frame from his hand.

"Don't look at that, have some fruit instead." Jiang Ci instinctively hid the frame behind her back, her smile forced. "Dinner is almost ready."

Zhang Heyu clearly noticed her tension, but he didn't press the matter, simply nodding.

Not long after, Jiang Ci helped her grandmother carry the last dish to the table, and her grandmother invited Zhang Heyu to sit.

"Xiao Zhang, my cooking isn't half bad, come try it." As she spoke, her grandmother began piling food into his bowl.

Zhang Heyu took a bite; it tasted better than anything from a restaurant. "Grandma, your cooking is truly excellent. I love it."

"I’m glad you like it, Xiao Zhang, that puts my mind at ease!" her grandmother said. "Eat more, you and A-Ci are still growing, you need the nourishment."

"I will, thank you," Zhang Heyu said. "Grandma, you should eat more too, your health is important."

Jiang Ci smiled. "You heard her, Grandma, make sure you eat plenty too."

Her grandmother beamed, feeling a sense of relief to see Jiang Ci finally bringing a friend home.

"This is A-Ci’s favorite—black sesame paste. When she was little, she used to cry and fuss until I made it for her."

Hearing this, Zhang Heyu turned his gaze to the bowl of black sesame paste beside him. The aroma was intoxicating. He took a bite; it was sweet but not cloying, thick and silky.

"Is it good?" Jiang Ci asked with a smile.

Zhang Heyu glanced at her, nodded, and then looked back at her grandmother. "Grandma, would you mind teaching me how to make this?"

"Of course, of course! Come over next time and I’ll teach you."

"Okay."

"Alright, alright, enough talking, the food’s getting cold," her grandmother urged with a persistent, happy smile.

After dinner, Zhang Heyu and Jiang Ci cleaned up the dishes together. Just as Jiang Ci turned on the faucet, Zhang Heyu brought in the last of the bowls. Seeing her holding the dishcloth, he held out his palm and gestured for her to hand it over.

Jiang Ci froze, looking at him with suspicion. "You're going to do it?"

"Why? Does student Jiang Ci not believe I can wash dishes?" Zhang Heyu raised an eyebrow, his voice trailing off in a teasing tone. "Am I really that incompetent?"

Jiang Ci waved her hands, denying it. "...No, I, of course, I believe you?"

A privileged son of heaven like Zhang Heyu had likely stepped into a kitchen at home only a handful of times. Her tone clearly signaled her disbelief. Zhang Heyu laughed, shook his head, and snatched the cloth from her, brushing past her to wet it.

Jiang Ci was forced to step back, yielding the space to him. To her surprise, he actually knew how to wash dishes. Watching his well-defined fingers get wet, the bubbles clinging to the back of his hand, he looked incredibly alluring.

She stared for a long while.

Jiang Ci swallowed hard and suddenly remembered, "You're a guest. Doesn't it feel a bit wrong to have you doing the dishes?"

"You’re just as good at stating the obvious as Huo Chensi," Zhang Heyu said, placing the last bowl on the rack. "You only realized I was a guest after the job was finished."

Jiang Ci touched her head awkwardly. "My mistake, I’m sorry."

"Tell me, how are you going to compensate me?" Zhang Heyu stood there, his posture relaxed, his eyes lowered as he wiped his hands in a leisurely manner.

Jiang Ci blinked. "How do you want me to compensate you?"

"Tell me about that secret crush of yours." Zhang Heyu curled his lips. "I’ll forgive you if you do."

Jiang Ci: "..."

Jiang Ci sighed. "I can't tell you the name, but anything else is fine."

"Deal," Zhang Heyu agreed readily.

Thinking it wasn't appropriate to talk inside, Jiang Ci led Zhang Heyu downstairs to sit on a bench under the large banyan tree.

"What do you want to know?" Jiang Ci thought for a moment. "Only three questions."

Zhang Heyu frowned. "That’s not what you said before. You didn't mention a limit."

"Only three," she insisted. She was terrified that he might guess the person she liked was him.

Zhang Heyu compromised with a nod. After a few seconds of thought, he asked his first question.

"Are they in our grade, in the senior year?"

"Yes."

"Are they in the senior science experimental class?"

"Yes."

"Is their name Zhang Heyu?"

"Yes."

The words slipped out before her brain could process them. When Jiang Ci realized what she had said, she was completely stunned. As for the person whose scheme had succeeded, he couldn't suppress the growing smile at the corners of his mouth.

Her heart pounded erratically, her mind in chaos. Jiang Ci stared at him in shock, forgetting to even argue back.

After a long silence, Jiang Ci turned her head away. "...It’s not you."

"Student Jiang Ci, it took you a whole minute to deny it was me—it’s hard not to suspect that I’m the object of your secret crush." Zhang Heyu dragged out his tone, intentionally teasing her.

Jiang Ci’s cheeks had turned a deep shade of pink without her realizing it. As the night deepened and the surroundings grew dark, she was thankful for the shadows, or he would have seen just how red her face had become. She believed she had hidden it well; he couldn't possibly know.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you, Zhang Heyu?"

"Yep, on purpose." Zhang Heyu’s voice was lazy. He leaned back, hands folded behind his head, looking utterly carefree and languid.

Jiang Ci suppressed her racing heart and let out a sigh of relief, only to hear him add, "If you like me..."

Her entire body stiffened at those words. Reflexively, she interrupted him, self-deprecatingly joking, "With so many people who like you, where would I even stand in line?"

Hearing this, Zhang Heyu suddenly laughed and nodded in agreement. "True. As of now, you might be standing quite far back."

Jiang Ci knew that, of course, but her heart still ached with a bitter, sour pang. In Zhang Heyu’s world, he didn't see her.

After a few seconds of silence, that low, deep voice echoed in her ears again. "But I don't mind letting you cut in line."

A sudden gust of wind blew, accompanied by his words. Beneath the rustling leaves of the tree, the two of them sat, turning their heads to look at each other. The wind tousled Jiang Ci’s hair. In the vast, empty courtyard, Jiang Ci couldn't hear anything else—only the thumping of her own frantic heart.

Recalling her suspicions from the night before, she was now absolutely certain of how Zhang Heyu felt. She couldn't believe he was being serious, and she didn't dare gamble her true feelings on a whim.

"Don't tease me," Jiang Ci said, not daring to look into those soulful eyes of his, terrified that she might reveal her true heart.

Zhang Heyu couldn't tell what the girl was thinking; she had buried her feelings too deep, without leaving a single trace. Perhaps, in her heart, that secret crush was the most important person in her life.

After a long silence, Zhang Heyu felt a surge of jealousy, and his voice sounded sour. "Don't hang yourself on one tree. There’s nothing wrong with liking someone else."

Jiang Ci couldn't help but chuckle. "Like who, for example?"

"Zhang Heyu."

His answer was unusually certain.

Jiang Ci’s heart skipped a beat, her thick eyelashes trembling. Her throat felt dry. She swallowed, cleared her throat, and said, "You’re quite narcissistic. Who recommends themselves as a romantic interest for someone else?"

"Well, I’m the first," Zhang Heyu said, following her lead without a moment's hesitation.

Jiang Ci was speechless, left without a retort.

When they returned inside, her grandmother was still watching TV in the living room. Seeing them return together, her face lit up with even greater joy.

"Grandma, I’m heading back now. Thank you for your hospitality." Zhang Heyu bowed slightly to thank her.

Her grandmother stood up. "Xiao Zhang, wait a moment!"

Jiang Ci frowned and followed her grandmother into the kitchen. "Grandma, what are you doing?"

Moments later, Jiang Ci walked out carrying two bowls of black sesame paste.

Her grandmother said, "Xiao Zhang, take this home to eat."

Zhang Heyu didn't want to waste the old woman’s kindness, so he took the containers from Jiang Ci and thanked her. "Thank you, Grandma. I’ll come visit you again."

"Good, good, good." Her grandmother patted his arm; it was clear she was very fond of the boy.

Jiang Ci followed him outside, when suddenly she heard him say, "You don't need to walk me out. Saves you an extra trip."

Jiang Ci paused. "Is that really okay?"

"It’s not like I don't know the way," Zhang Heyu chuckled. "Are you silly?"

Jiang Ci couldn't argue with him and stayed behind to keep her grandmother company.

When Zhang Heyu returned home, the house was brightly lit.

"Finally back," Cheng Yaoyao muttered, cracking melon seeds on the sofa. A woman sat beside her.

The woman looked toward the entryway, her tone gentle. "Son, where have you been? Where have you been wandering off to?"

"Don't think of your son so poorly." Zhang Heyu changed his shoes and walked into the house with the black sesame paste given to him by Jiang Ci’s grandmother.

Lu Qing glanced at him, her gaze falling on the containers in his hand. "What did you buy? Want to let your mother have a taste?"

Zhang Heyu set the items in front of them, his expression neutral. "Black sesame paste."

"I like this." Lu Qing smiled and reminded him, "Your father is upstairs in a video conference."

Zhang Heyu hummed in acknowledgment and sat to the side, fiddling with his phone. "How long are you staying this time?"

"Not sure." Lu Qing frowned. "I’m not trying to be difficult, but your father and I haven't even been back for a day, and you’re already wanting us to leave?"

Zhang Heyu pinched the bridge of his nose. "It’s just that you two show off your affection every single day. It’s annoying for anyone to watch."

Lu Qing smiled and picked up a bowl of sesame paste to eat. It tasted surprisingly good. "Where did you buy this? It’s actually quite delicious."

"I didn't buy it."

"Oh? Did your girlfriend give it to you?" Lu Qing had heard rumors that her son was dating someone and tested the waters.

Cheng Yaoyao pricked up her ears, ready for the gossip.

"Not yet. I'm pursuing her." Zhang Heyu curled his lips, his expression perfectly calm.

A flash of surprise crossed Lu Qing’s eyes. "You’re pursuing a young lady?"

Cheng Yaoyao’s eyes widened. "Brother, are you really going to pursue Sister Jiang Ci?"

"Jiang Ci?" It was the first time Lu Qing had heard the name, and since Cheng Yaoyao mentioned it, that meant she had met her.

Cheng Yaoyao nodded. "She’s my tutor, and Brother’s friend."