The two of them went to the supermarket together and bought a lot of things along the shelves. When they got
into the kitchen, Zhou Tuoxing realized that his right hand was still not functioning well, and he couldn’t
even handle chopping vegetables.
He made mistakes while reflecting on himself but didn’t regret it because He Chuan Zhou actively came in to
help him handle the ingredients.
They stir-fried three dishes, not very smoothly, taking about an hour. When they brought the food to the
table, they remembered they hadn't cooked rice, so they quickly boiled some noodles and mixed them with the
sauce.
He Chuan Zhou drank a little alcohol.
To be precise, she didn't eat much. Although it was her own request, after casually eating a few bites and
giving a "not bad" evaluation, she took out a can of beer from the fridge and sat quietly at the table
drinking.
Her eyes occasionally looked a bit dazed, but they quickly became clear again when looking at him. Her mood
remained very calm, but she seemed listless, as if Zhou Tuoxing had ordered her to sit alone and entertain
herself, and she obediently complied.
Zhou Tuoxing didn’t know her alcohol tolerance, just like he didn’t know she smoked and drank.
To him, this kind of pastime always felt like a self-destructive decay, and these two things didn’t have
much of a numbing effect on him, at most reminding people around, “I’m very upset, don’t bother me.”
He smoked out of boredom each time. He didn’t drink often because getting drunk and falling asleep would
make him think of unhappy memories of He Chuan Zhou, similar to the scene now. The subsequent narrative
would lead to various abnormal and uncontrollable thoughts.
However, he did not stop her.
A sad, venting He Chuan Zhou was much more vibrant than the polite, smiling person sitting next to him. He
didn’t like taking care of an intoxicated person with unclear intentions, but He Chuan Zhou was an
exception.
If this person lay in his arms with dazed eyes, he could let her lean on him for a night, warmly comforting
her, and he would even feel moved by her.
On the surface, Zhou Tuoxing still said, “When did you learn to drink?”
“Don’t drink too much, and don’t smoke. If you’re upset, you can talk to me.”
“Uncle He’s matter will be resolved soon.”
He Chuan Zhou’s skin wasn’t resistant to alcohol. Even though she drank only about a bottle and a half of
low-alcohol beer, her face had already started to flush slightly. It was an excellent constitution for
pretending to be drunk to escape social drinking.
Zhou Tuoxing looked at her and said, “I returned to City A at the end of September last year.”
“I know,” He Chuan Zhou said.
Zhou Tuoxing wanted to say something but stopped, then changed the topic, “If you live alone, can you cook?”
He looked down at He Chuan Zhou’s wrist. It was too thin, the bones clearly defined, a strong indication of
irregular meals and poor living habits.
He Chuan Zhou was not very enthusiastic about answering his question and ignored it, asking in return, “Why
didn’t you apply to the police academy later? I thought you would persist.”
Zhou Tuoxing fell silent at this question. When He Chuan Zhou didn’t get a response and lowered her head to
focus on eating, he finally spoke, “I think the police can’t protect everyone. Sometimes, the police need
protection too.”
He Chuan Zhou might not have heard clearly and made a confused sound, “Huh?”
So Zhou Tuoxing told her about his university life.
In his freshman year, he worked part-time in the school canteen. The canteen provided him with enough meals,
but Xiao Chen, a fool who wanted to copy his homework and make friends, often brought him takeout without
any notice.
Zhou Tuoxing disliked waste, so he ended up eating an extra meal with Xiao Chen each time. Xiao Chen took
the opportunity to ask him many questions and wrote them down in his notes.
Once, his parents asked him to take care of his sister. He took her to the library, but she sneaked off to a
classmate’s house to play games and turned off her phone. He couldn’t find her for a long time and was
kicked out by his stepfather. His sister didn’t return home until after 9 PM.
Years later, his sister said she no longer remembered this incident.
He didn’t like interacting with that family, and this incident pushed him to his limit, leaving him with no
desire to accommodate them.
He remembered these things very clearly, not to bring them up someday, but to narrate them clearly and
reasonably to He Chuan Zhou when they met, hoping she would comfort him.
Although it was baseless and unrealistic, he always felt that He Chuan Zhou was a cure-all.
Of course, the reality was different from what he imagined.
He Chuan Zhou’s responses were evidently unconsidered answers. No matter what he said, it was either “Hmm”
or “Really,” occasionally pulling a smile and saying, “You go on,” while resting her chin on her hand, her
eyes fixed on him, looking as if she was listening attentively.
This expression was too deceptive, but Zhou Tuoxing chose not to believe it.
When he talked about starting to have a stable income and deciding to move out because one roommate stayed
up late and another snored, he stopped his monologue, put down his chopsticks, and called her name, “He
Chuan Zhou.”
He Chuan Zhou responded quickly to her name, “What?”
Zhou Tuoxing hesitated, then said, “Are you an idiot?”
He Chuan Zhou’s eyes widened slightly. The bright lights made her eyes gleam, looking clear with no hint of
drunkenness. She reached for the cup on the table and lifted it.
Zhou Tuoxing thought she was angrily going to splash water at him and immediately grabbed her wrist to stop
her.
He Chuan Zhou’s body temperature was a bit high, possibly due to the alcohol, while Zhou Tuoxing’s hand was
cold and rough. Every inch of his palm tightly pressed against her skin, like ice meeting fire.
He Chuan Zhou didn’t let go, persistently pushing the cup towards him.
Zhou Tuoxing, feeling somewhat helpless, loosened his grip, letting her move as she wished.
As it turned out, he was wrong again.
He Chuan Zhou merely lifted the cup to his lips, slowly tilting it to give him a drink of water.
Zhou Tuoxing looked a bit confused. His slow and stiff expression made He Chuan Zhou laugh. She seemed
amused and said, “Drink some water, calm down,” as she put the cup down.
Zhou Tuoxing’s hand was still on her wrist, and she didn’t pull away, acting as if she hadn’t noticed.
In the long silence of over two minutes, Zhou Tuoxing’s mind analyzed many things. Finally, he had to admit
that He Chuan Zhou’s behavior didn’t align with her usual logical thinking. His eyes flickered, and he asked
in a certain tone, “He Chuan Zhou, are you being irresponsible?”
After finishing the bottle of beer, He Chuan Zhou crushed the bottle with her fingers and put it aside,
casually asking, “What does responsible mean?”
Zhou Tuoxing thought for a long time.
He Chuan Zhou neither looked at him nor gave any hints or avoided denial.
So he bluntly said, “It means clearly expressing whether you like or dislike something.”
He Chuan Zhou said, “Like what? You never asked.”
Zhou Tuoxing’s heart raced, his tone becoming less calm and his expression more serious, his voice tight
with emotion, “If I said it, would you agree?”
“That’s not certain.” He Chuan Zhou turned her head, her expression contrasting sharply with his tension,
with a carefree smile and said something intimidating, “I’m fickle and like to bully people.”
He Chuan Zhou was much harsher to him than to others. It wasn’t about liking to bully people, just liking to
bully him.
According to Zhou Tuoxing’s interpretation, her non-rejection was an active approach. Because He Chuan Zhou
was good at rejecting everyone. Those she spared were exceptions.
Zhou Tuoxing had a strong impulse and followed his instinct, lightly kissing her pale lips.
He Chuan Zhou maintained a fixed posture, watching him approach, then pulling away a short distance. She
withdrew her hand and touched the corner of his lips. Slowly, she traced his lip line, gently wiping away
the remaining moisture from his lips.
They could hear each other's intertwined breaths, creating an ambiguous and lingering rhythm.
He Chuan Zhou smiled at him, and Zhou Tuoxing felt like his entire vision was filled with her smile. His
swelling brain simply interpreted it as happiness. He reached out, placed his hand behind her head, and
leaned in once more, kissing her intimately, exchanging their flavors at length.
The fragrance of wheat spread in their mouths, slightly bitter with a hint of lingering sweetness.
Accompanied by the rapid heartbeat and bright light, it made them feel dizzy.
The food on the table had already cooled, but Zhou Tuoxing’s heart burned hot.
He realized that his assumptions about He Chuan Zhou were correct, only that she was adept at disguising
herself. But it didn’t matter, he still got everything he wanted from her.