202 Pei Zhiâs Confession on New Yearâs Eve
The lights in the villa shone on the group of men and women sitting on the carpet drinking.
The sound of glasses clinking stopped. Chu Yuzhou cleared his throat and suggested, âHow about we re-experience our childhood?â
âHow?â
âBy playing the games we played in childhood.â
!!
âWhat kind of game?â Qian Yue took the tissue from Zhou Yanshen.
He glanced at Lin Jiao. âHide-and-seek.â
Zhou Yanshen said, âThat sounds fun.â He looked around. âThis place is big enough. Itâs not easy to find.â
âWhoâs playing the seeker?â
âRock Paper Scissors. Whoever loses will play the seeker.â
Lin Jiao thought that no one wanted to play, but to her surprise, they were cooperative.
She clenched her fist and reached out her right hand.
Thenâ
She and Qu Shao lost.
âStand at the back.â Chu Yuzhou found a suitable spot for the two of them. âQu Shao, set the alarm.â
âFor how long?â
âThree or four minutes.â
Qu Shao agreed. âItâs starting.â He and Lin Jiao faced the white wall and listened to the footsteps leave.
As soon as the alarm went off, he turned off the screen. âIâll be in charge of the first and second floors. You go to the third floor and the rooftop.â
âOkay.â Lin Jiao slowly turned around.
She walked up the spiral staircase and was about to go up to the third floor from the corner when she stopped because the floor was filled with small lamps.
She stopped at the staircase on the third floor nervously.
An arrow made of roses came into view.
She followed the arrow to the left. Wherever she passed, LED lights in the shape of stars lit up. Under the light hung different photos.
The first photo was taken three years ago on Pei Zhiâs twenty-seventh birthday. She stood on his right and smiled shyly.
The second photo was taken two years ago. On the night of the second day of Chinese New Year, they sat at the entrance of the Pei familyâs small courtyard and set off fireworks.
The third photo was taken a year ago. They cosplayed as Joker and Harley Quinn on Halloween and went to Zhou Yanshenâs house for a party.
In the past, they didnât have many photos together. Now that she looked at the photos, she realized that he was looking at her sideways in every photo, his eyes filled with unconcealable gentleness.
Lin Jiao walked forward with red eyes.
This year, there were more photos of them together on different occasions.
Be it in Paris or at his house, every photo brought back many memories.
Walking to the end of the arrow, she gently pushed open the glass door. Hundreds of silver-white balloons were blown into the night sky by the wind.
There was a note hanging on every balloon string. She could clearly see every line of words.
âJiaojiao, I like you.â
âBe my girlfriend, okay?â
The moment the balloons floated away, the mist in Lin Jiaoâs eyes turned into tears.
She retracted her gaze with tears in her eyes and looked at Pei Zhi, who was standing at the end of the sea of roses. She picked up her dress and ran towards him.
The moment Pei Zhi pulled her into his arms, fireworks shot up into the sky.
The P and L-shaped fireworks lit up the ink-like night and bloomed with a dazzling light.
âJiaojiao.â He wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and leaned over to touch her forehead. âI like you.â
His voice was trembling, indicating his nervousness.
Lin Jiao sniffed. She grabbed the corner of his suit jacket tightly and sobbed. âI like you too.â
âI havenât asked yet.â
âThen ask.â
Pei Zhi looked into her tear-stained eyes. âAre you willing to be my girlfriend?â
âIâm willing.â
âSay that again.â
Lin Jiao stood on her tiptoes. âI am willing.â She pressed her lips against his and closed her eyes to feel his breathing.
A cheer came after they kissed.
Zhou Yanshen, who was leaning against the wall, witnessed the entire confession and suddenly felt that the love candle he used last time didnât look as good.
He looked sideways at Qian Yue. When he saw the envy in her eyes, he decided to ask Pei Zhi for advice before confessing next time.
âI want to be in a relationship too.â Chu Yuzhou sighed, causing everyone to look at him
âThen do it.â
âBut no one wants to be in a relationship with me.â
âI donât think so.â Qu Shao blew out a puff of smoke and elbowed him. âThe one you saved last time is not bad.â
...
Chu Yuzhou was speechless.
He shook the images of the girl in his mind and followed them back unhurriedly.
The glass door opened and closed. A cold wind swept up the roses, making them dance in the air.
The heater in the living room rushed in from all directions, dispelling the lingering coldness on them along with the alcohol.
âNew Yearâs Eve is in four hours.â Jiang Ye looked up at the clock opposite. âTime passes too quickly.â
âThatâs right.â Shen Yi sat on the carpet. âI feel like I didnât do anything this year.â
Chu Yuzhou said, âMe too.â He forked fruits from the fruit plate and asked Pei Zhi, âBrother Pei, how many bedrooms are there upstairs?â
âSix.â
âThen weâll sleep here tonight.â
Pei Zhi said, âTheyâre all king size beds. Go up and pick whichever one you like.â
âIs this villa yours?â
...
âYes, I bought it a few years ago.â
âThen why arenât you staying here?â Lin Jiao leaned on his broad shoulder and took two sips of red wine.
âItâs too big and I feel lonely here.â
âIndeed.â Zhou Yanshen understood his feelings. âItâs suitable for a family of three to live here.â
âThatâs why Iâm not buying a villa.â Qu Shao raised his glass and toasted them. âBut I donât mind if my boss gives me one.â
âItâs not like you canât afford it.â
âHow can buying it myself and getting it for free be the same?â
His reply made everyone laugh. Zhou Yanshen placed his hand on his shoulder and smiled playfully. âIn your dream, you can have everything you want.â
âAre you in my dream? If not, I donât want to dream.â
âI think youâre thirsty.â He picked up the red wine bottle and filled Qu Shaoâs glass.
Qu Shao carefully placed the glass on the coffee table and found the dice cup from the cabinet. âItâs boring to just drink. Who wants to play?â
âAll of us.â
âWhy donât we take turns?â
Shen Yi got some more dice cups and placed one in front of each of them.