20 – When there’s nothing else to do, eat Liuliu Plum
Zhou Yuchuan sat with his hands crossed behind his head, one leg casually propped over the other. A pair of Bluetooth earbuds were tucked in his ears, and he chewed gum with an air of utter nonchalance.
His relaxed demeanor made it seem as though he hadn’t been the one to offer the mint earlier.
Seeing this, Xin Jushang understood but said nothing, simply closing her eyes to continue resting.
The journey was long, with no rest stops for a considerable stretch, so Xin Jushang gradually drifted off to sleep.
When the accompanying teacher announced they had reached the nearest service area, Xin Jushang jolted awake, lifting her head abruptly. She realized with a start that she had been leaning on Zhou Yuchuan’s shoulder the entire time she was asleep.
She had slept for over an hour, and throughout that time, Zhou Yuchuan hadn’t moved an inch—even though his shoulder had gone numb from staying in one position for so long.
Before Xin Jushang could even say thank you, Zhou Yuchuan stood up indifferently, lifting his eyelids. “Going out to buy some water?”
He asked Xin Jushang.
Xin Jushang was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.
So the two of them stepped off the bus one after the other. Breathing in the fresh air, Xin Jushang felt a wave of refreshing clarity wash over her.
The bus could only stop at the service area for about fifteen minutes, leaving them with little time to move around freely.
“I’ll go buy water. Wait here for me.”
After instructing Xin Jushang, Zhou Yuchuan headed straight for the convenience store ahead. He returned with a large bag filled to the brim with water and various drinks.
“Take your pick.”
Zhou Yuchuan held the bag open in front of Xin Jushang. Inside were several bottles of mineral water and a few different flavored beverages.
Xin Jushang thought for a moment before selecting a bottle of lemon water. She then lifted her gaze. “I’ll transfer the money to you.”
“Transfer my ass.”
Zhou Yuchuan laughed in exasperation. In his eyes, letting a girl pay was never an option.
The remaining water and drinks, Zhou Yuchuan handed over to the accompanying teacher, asking him to distribute them to the bus driver and the other students.
Soon, it was time to set off again, and they returned to the bus.
Zhou Yuchuan sat down naturally in the seat next to Xin Jushang. Li Han, who entered later, hesitated as she looked at Zhou Yuchuan, seemingly debating whether to switch back to her original seat.
“Zhou Yuchuan…”
Li Han had just started speaking when Zhou Yuchuan cut her off.
“Xin Jushang’s motion sickness is pretty severe. If you don’t mind her throwing up on you…” Zhou Yuchuan deliberately left the sentence hanging.
At his words, Li Han hurriedly took a seat next to Jiang Zheng in the back row. She still had to solve a few more practice problems during the journey and couldn’t afford to be disrupted by Xin Jushang.
Zhou Yuchuan scoffed. Beside him, Xin Jushang, who had remained silent until now, finally couldn’t hold back any longer and stealthily pinched Zhou Yuchuan’s waist.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t an ounce of extra fat on his waist, so Xin Jushang’s little move felt more like tickling him.
But Zhou Yuchuan’s eyes lit up with mischief, wanting to tease Xin Jushang. He deliberately pretended to be in pain, putting on an expression of extreme agony.
“Zhou Yuchuan, are you okay?” Xin Jushang panicked, leaning in quickly to check his “injury.”
However, the next second, Zhou Yuchuan pulled a bag of Liuliumei from the inner pocket of his jacket and handed it to Xin Jushang, grinning with a particularly roguish charm. “If you’re fine, have some Liuliumei, Xin Jushang.”
He stuffed the bag of Liuliu plums into Xin Jushang’s arms, then closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, deliberately avoiding the look on Xin Jushang’s face at that moment.
Xin Jushang lowered her gaze, looking at the extra bag of Liuliu plums in her arms, and slowly curled the corners of her lips into a sweet, almost cloying smile.
By the time they arrived in City B, it was already past one in the afternoon. The accompanying teacher led them to the pre-booked hotel and assigned everyone their rooms.
As the best private middle school in all of City C, Hengmu had always been extravagant. While students from other schools had to squeeze two or three into a room, Hengmu students each had their own room.
And they were staying in a four-star or above hotel.
Xin Jushang’s room was located toward the back on the third floor. After putting down her luggage, she sprawled out in a starfish shape on the hotel’s soft bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling.
Yet Zhou Yuchuan’s face, with its roguish grin, kept surfacing in her mind.
She shook her head, trying to cast aside this unrealistic and terrifying thought.
But the more she tried to forget, the clearer Zhou Yuchuan’s image became in her mind.
“I must be going crazy,” Xin Jushang murmured.
She patted her flushed cheeks, got up, and went to the sink to splash cold water on her face, hoping to clear her head.
The math competition was scheduled for nine o’clock the next morning. The team leader had notified them to gather in the hotel lobby before seven in the evening. So there was still plenty of time to get some sleep.
After the bumpy morning journey, Xin Jushang felt exhausted all over. Now that she finally had a chance to rest properly, she set an alarm for six-thirty and fell into a deep, heavy sleep.
It felt like she had a very long dream.
In the dream, she was in college and had a boyfriend. Every day, she went to classes, the cafeteria, and the library with him, holding hands and even kissing during evening walks on the sports field.
The dream was very hazy. Xin Jushang tried hard to see the boy’s face clearly, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t.
She cupped the boy’s face, straining to open her eyes wide, her nose pressed against his.
Suddenly, the boy spoke in a playful, irreverent voice—
“Xin Jushang, isn’t your boyfriend a feast for the eyes?”
The voice sounded more and more familiar.
In the dream, Xin Jushang frowned. Just then, the mist before her cleared completely, and the boy’s face appeared clearly before her eyes.
…It was actually Zhou Yuchuan?!
Xin Jushang jolted awake from the dream, covered in a cold sweat, thoroughly frightened by this sudden nightmare.
Right then, the alarm she had set for six-thirty in the evening went off. Without time to dwell on it, she hurriedly took a quick shower and made it downstairs to the lobby just before seven.
Xin Jushang scanned the room but didn’t see Zhou Yuchuan, letting out a sigh of relief.
Just then, a voice tinged with surprise rang out beside her: “Xin Jushang, are you staying at this hotel too?”
Xin Jushang turned her head and met Jiang Xie’s eyes.
Jiang Xie scratched his head, smiling very shyly, like an embarrassed boy.
Looking at Xin Jushang’s stunningly beautiful face, Jiang Xie’s face flushed red all the way to his ears.
“Yes,” Xin Jushang nodded, not intending to continue the conversation with Jiang Xie.
But Jiang Xie gently tugged at the corner of her clothes and said softly, “Xin Jushang, actually, back in middle school…”
Before he could finish his next words, he was interrupted by Zhou Yuchuan, who arrived late—
“Count to three, and get your damn hand off.”
His voice was hoarse and angry, as if he hadn’t fully woken up.