It is 11:30 PM.
Zhou Xiaqing has been lying stiffly in bed for an hour, yet she shows no sign of falling asleep.
In truth, her state of mind today is the best she has had in a long time. She had fun during the day, and for once, she hadn’t been trapped in a loop of overthinking or anxiety in the evening. Her body, active all day, is exhausted. The outside is quiet, the room is dark, and all the conditions for sleep are met, but for some reason, she still cannot drift off.
Insomnia, that old stubborn habit, is as persistent as ever, standing its ground every single night—as unyielding as a scoop of rock-hard, frozen ice cream.
Ice cream?
…Suddenly, she wants to eat ice cream.
And so, at 11:40 PM, Zhou Xiaqing changes her clothes and heads downstairs.
Ten minutes later, she successfully gets her matcha ice cream.
Not long after leaving the convenience store, she gets a strange, strong premonition, and her footsteps involuntarily slow down.
Acting on a whim, she looks back, and sure enough, she sees Chen Jinshan.
She had passed by a silhouette behind the shelves in the convenience store earlier—she knew that figure looked familiar for a reason.
He is walking slowly out of the store, his head bowed, concentrating intently on his phone.
Unlike his high-energy demeanor during the day, his expression is tense now, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he has encountered something bothersome.
In his other hand, he holds a yellow drink.
Perhaps it is the excess excitement from being unable to sleep in the middle of the night, or perhaps it is a hidden impulse for revenge, but Zhou Xiaqing doesn’t call out to him. As he is about to walk past her, she does something unexpected—
She suddenly hops a small step toward him and intentionally raises her voice to startle him: “Chen Jinshan!”
Chen Jinshan is caught off guard. He stops abruptly and then looks up.
Zhou Xiaqing’s bright, shimmering eyes crash into his heart, catching him completely off balance.
Her eyes are curved like crescent moons, flashing with clear, brilliant light, and they also hold the smugness and slyness of a successful prank.
Gone is her usual calm and reserved nature; she had bounced over as cute as a little rabbit, but her expression is that of a fox whose devious plan has succeeded.
Seeing that he doesn’t react for a long time, Zhou Xiaqing instantly pulls back all unnecessary emotions and adopts a calm tone: “Scared stupid?”
Chen Jinshan regains his composure, though his heart is still pounding like crazy. He pretends to be calm, nearly stuttering, “You really believed that? Looks like my acting is pretty good.”
Her gaze falls on the drink in his hand. Zhou Xiaqing asks casually, “Is the banana milkshake good?”
Chen Jinshan stares fixedly at her face and blurts out, “…It’s very sweet.”
“Can you guys even drink that kind of stuff?”
“It’s fine to have it once in a while.” After a pause, he looks down and gazes intently into her eyes, repeating it as if to himself, “Very sweet.”
The two walk side-by-side back to the hotel.
She takes a lick of her ice cream every now and then; he occasionally takes a sip of his milkshake.
She asks him what time his flight is tomorrow; he asks her which city she plans to visit in the coming days.
She mentions that Auntie Yu and her mother are having a great time traveling in China and have sent her many photos; he says he has seen his mom’s constantly updated Moments.
The two of them chat just like ordinary childhood friends, the atmosphere flat and harmonious, as if the dramatic friction from before had never existed.
It is nearing midnight, and there are only a few people on the street.
Zhou Xiaqing turns the corner ahead of him, and in an instant, a bicycle zooms past, scraping against her arm.
She nearly trips, but luckily, Chen Jinshan is quick-witted and grabs her arm.
The ice cream uncontrollably mashes into his clothes, and her hands are covered in it as well, leaving them looking somewhat disheveled.
“Are you okay?” Chen Jinshan asks, not waiting for her answer before turning her head to check her arm. He inspects it thoroughly before he finally feels relieved.
Zhou Xiaqing looks up at him, just watching his every move quietly, without saying a word.
He sets the milkshake aside, takes a tissue from his jacket pocket, and first wraps up the deformed ice cream with one sheet, placing it on the side. He then pulls out another tissue, has her open her hand, and begins to wipe her palm.
Her palm is sticky and unbearable, and the spaces between her fingers are covered in green liquid. He lowers his head, cleaning and wiping her with slow, careful movements.
Observing him at such close range for a long time, Zhou Xiaqing finally notices that his pupils are extremely dark, his eyelashes are very long, his inner eye corners are sharp, and his outer corners droop slightly. The outer corners have a faint pigmentation, making them, all in all, very beautiful “puppy dog eyes.”
His nose is straight, his facial structure is stereoscopic with smooth lines, and combined with his superior height and build, a thought flashes through her mind—the phrase her friend Zhang Mingzhu often says: “Sparrows eating crickets—damn, he’s handsome.”
He truly is handsome.
Just as she is lost in thought, Chen Jinshan suddenly looks up, meeting her gaze. “That’s about clean. Go back and wash it again.”
His pale lips move as he speaks. Zhou Xiaqing feels as if she has tinnitus; she can’t hear a word he’s saying.
Her heart is itching.
It feels like a cat is scratching at it.
Reason and desire are pulling at each other wildly. Zhou Xiaqing struggles to steady her mind, then opens her mouth to remind him: “Your clothes got stained, too.”
Chen Jinshan wipes his clothes off casually and replies indifferently, “It’s fine, I’ll deal with it later.”
Zhou Xiaqing gives a dazed, “Mm.”
“Zhou Xiaqing.” Seeing her unusual state, he cannot help but ask, “What are you thinking about?”
Like a key unlocking a memory, the scenes from early morning flash through her brain constantly.
Under the impact of those sultry images, desire defeats reason and takes the upper hand. The impulse that was already stirring suddenly suppresses everything else, and she now has only one thought.
“I am thinking…” Zhou Xiaqing hears her own voice, “how I can subtly hint that you should sleep with me one more time.”
Silence.
One second, two seconds…
Chen Jinshan gazes at her in silence. After a moment, he confirms with her: “Do you… really want that?”
She does not hesitate for a single second: “I do.”
Extremely determined to have it.
Of course, she does.
She definitely wants to.
She absolutely must.