CH 118

Chapter 118: Invitation To Travel

Zhou Muxian was very calm, with a hint of a smile in his eyes.

He remained silent for a while, and during this time when no one spoke, Chen Sheng felt a pressure he had never felt before.

Zhou Muxian played with the nail on Chen Sheng’s ring finger, which was slightly long and needed to be trimmed with a nail clipper.

“You see, if you cut off the nail, it will still grow back, but if you accidentally cut off half of your finger while cutting the nail, it won’t grow back.”

Chen Sheng listened blankly, feeling some unease in his heart, but not daring to admit it.

Zhou Muxian let go of his hand and said, “Chen Sheng, our relationship was agreed upon early on, and we can stop at any time. Since it’s already stopped, I think it’s better not to force it. In this relationship, anyone has the right to call it off, right? Fortunately, it’s both you and me. There won’t be any trouble and we won’t have any worries.”

Chen Sheng was stunned. This was not what he had imagined. Why, why did Zhou Muxian want to stop? Clearly, he had been…

“Do you like someone else?”

Zhou Muxian’s face stiffened for a moment, but it was quickly concealed. “No.”

“Then, why…”

“I’m tired,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Never mind, since we’ve both finished eating, let’s just go our separate ways.” He stood up casually, went to the counter to pay the bill, and pretended to say nonchalantly, “We agreed from the beginning that this aspect of our relationship would not affect our other emotions.”

Chen Sheng swallowed stiffly and replied, “Of course.”

. . . . .

‘What a quiet night it is today!’

Zhou Muxian lay on his pillow, with no lights on in the room, staring at the ceiling above him in the dim light.

It was like that night during the summer when he was sixteen years old, traveling with his friends. After a whole day of noise, he and a few buddies rented a three-bedroom suite. In the middle of the night, he felt stomach pains due to eating too much spicy food during the day.

He couldn’t sleep because of the pain, so he could only gasp for air while staring at the ceiling. It was Chen Sheng who noticed his discomfort and helped him pour hot water, sitting on the floor next to him and talking.

Many years have passed since then, and he doesn’t remember what they talked about that night, but he remembers that after everyone else fell asleep, only one person lowered their voice and spoke in the dimly lit night.

The light back then, just like now, was hazy, and he could see the tables, chairs, and benches, but couldn’t see anything clearly.

But no matter how long the night is, the day will always come, and when the day breaks, all the illusions in the haze will be shattered. Zhou Muxian kept scrolling through his phone. The era of information technology is really good, even in times of discomfort, as long as he has his phone, there is always some comfort and he can distract himself by looking at something else.

Zhou Muxian isn’t a phone addict. He used to live a very fulfilling life, having something to do every day, and he didn’t even know which apps could entertain people.

He was extremely bored, looking at everything and searching for everything, from celebrity gossip to the friend circle of an old classmate he barely knew.

But no matter what he did, he couldn’t be too happy in that state of mind.

These things didn’t interest Zhou Muxian at all, which was a really bad thing.

It wasn’t until he stumbled upon a picture of egg yolk pastry posted by an online friend named Chili a few hours ago that he laughed unconsciously.

He remembered mentioning once that he missed the old-fashioned egg yolk pastry from his hometown, which was different from the ones made by the fancy cake shops now.

Those egg yolk pastries used to be made and placed in a specially large bamboo basket, and small vendors rode their bicycles through the streets and alleys, selling them in old residential buildings.

Zhou Muxian hadn’t seen them much before he went abroad, and he didn’t know where that person bought them from.

The size of an egg tart, the layers of pastry spun into circle after circle, and when you took a bite, it was fragrant, crispy and sweet, with a very authentic egg flavor.

It was still daytime in China, and Zhou Muxian thought for a moment that it wouldn’t be a bother to chat with his online friend at this time.

Stars: “Where did you buy the egg yolk pastry from?”

The response came quickly, and after practicing for a while, Chili‘s English had improved rapidly.

Chili: “I happened to come across it today.”

Stars: “You’re spreading your poison late at night.”

Chili: “I’m not sure if it meets the mailing standards, but if it’s possible, I can send you some.”

Stars: “Thank you, but food items might not pass through customs.”

Stars: “Chili, have you ever liked someone?”

Chili: “?”

Stars: “After a relationship ends, what is it that you can’t let go of, liking or habit?”

Chili: “Are you not feeling good?”

Stars: “It’s nothing, I’m just talking nonsense.”

Chili: “I’ll show you something.”

He sent a video version of a public service advertisement, with a young girl who had been dumped as the main character.

She was decadent, sad, lonely, and desperate. She repeatedly tried to find her ex-boyfriend’s shadow in every corner of her home, habitually reaching for her phone.

One day, the bright sunshine shone on her face. With the free time she would have spent cuddling with her boyfriend, she started to rearrange her house and replaced items with her own preferred style.

She started planting green plants, reading books in the sun, making travel plans, and backpacking alone.

She began to enjoy her life with plenty of time, and all the previous gloom dispersed. Her face was bright and confident with a smile.

It was just the right time when chili sent a message, “Are you ready to live a better life?”

stars: “If I say I’m not ready, wouldn’t that be letting you down? Maybe I can just go on a spontaneous trip.”

chili: “That’s great, go to a beautiful place, relieve your mood, and who knows, maybe you’ll have some new adventures.”

stars: “Do you have any good recommendations?”

chili: “I think Venice is pretty good. It’s not too hot in the summer. I’m planning to go there in a few days.”

stars: “Do you want to go together?”

Ranran, who was doing homework next to them, looked up in confusion and looked at the man in front of her, “Dad, why did you suddenly stand up?”

Jin Yuan smiled foolishly and sat back down, “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. You go back to your homework.”

The little girl put her hands on her hips and said, “You can only date after you finish your exams next year! Dating now will affect your studies!”