Chapter 139: Before I Knew It
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Lou Cheng was happy when he heard Yan Zheke’s sigh. He laughed mischievously and said, “This isn’t what you call an intimate couple feeding each other. This is called showing care to a disabled person, okay?”
While speaking, he moved his right shoulder slightly.
“Pu…” Yan Zheke was amused by Lou Cheng’s antics. “You sure know how to make fun of yourself!”
“A bout of self-deprecation everyday makes life both sunny and beautiful.” Lou Cheng said wittily.
As the time they a.s.sociated with each other grew longer and longer, he felt that he was able to express his natural qualities before the girl better and better. He no longer felt as uncomfortable as before and was always able to act humorous and speak scintillating witticisms at the appropriate occasions.
Yan Zheke covered her mouth with her left hand with charm adorning her countenance as she giggled in a low tone. “Let me shower you with a little more sunlight then~”
She extended her chopsticks and broke a braized meat ball in brown sauce in half with it. Then, she moved the small piece of the food beside Lou Cheng’s mouth.
This time she no longer avoided his gaze. Her eyes were clear, and a faint smile adorned her countenance. She looked like a small pond a person’s heart could drown itself in.
Lou Cheng was so enraptured he nearly couldn’t move his eyes away. He ate the small piece of braised meat ball in one gulp and stuffed his own mouth to the brim. He didn’t know if it was a figment of his imagination, but he seriously felt as if the food was much tastier than usual.
Yan Zheke watched Lou Cheng’s cheeks wriggle continuously as he chewed. She wore a faint smile on her face as she propped one side of her cheek with her left hand. She felt that this was even more interesting than eating herself.
After Lou Cheng was done eating the meat ball piece, he brazenly lowered his voice and said with a faint smile, “I’ve received and felt your sunlight. It has shone all the way into my heart!”
Yan Zheke broke into a laugh and turned her head away. With a slight blush, she protested coquettishly, “You are acting so sappy right now! Are all boys this sappy after they start dating another girl?”
“This I have no idea. This is only my first time dating, and it’s not like I’ve watched how other people date before.” Lou Cheng chuckled and answered, “Come on, you should devour your food too. Don’t just show care to the disabled person.”
While the aftertaste of the girl feeding him was lovely, it would be a great sin if she became hungry because of this!
Yan Zheke laughed at his words yet again, her voice both soft and gentle. Then, she picked up a coca cola chicken wing and ate with delicate bites.
Lou Cheng felt as if time was pa.s.sing like the wind amidst feeding, eating and chatting. It was as if the dishes and full bowls of rice had reached the bottom in just the blink of an eye.
It was at this moment he remembered something and said on purpose, “Coach Yan, you might actually have the opportunity to go on stage next week.”
“Ah?” Yan Zheke was surprised at first. Then she joked in amus.e.m.e.nt. “Oh my, you’re cursing senior brother Sun Jian and the other two that they would get injured, you know?”
Lou Cheng retaliated with a look of ‘grief’. “Do I look like such a person?”
“Yes, you do!” Yan Zheke gave a sure answer before breaking into a lovely and beautiful laughter.
Lou Cheng also broke into a laugh of his own, and he waited until the girl’s laughter had subsided before saying seriously, “Actually, I’m a little worried about senior brother Li Mao. I don’t know if he can overcome his own anxiety. If the situation turns serious, he might just break under the pressure and quit before the name list is turned in.”
“That’s true…” Yan Zheke recalled what happened last semester. “I wonder if it’ll be effective if we arrange senior brother Li Mao to receive psychological therapy…”
Lou Cheng gave it a thought and said, “I think we’ll only be putting greater pressure on him and make him doubt himself even more if we get him to attend a therapy session at such a time. Plus, it’s not like a week of therapy is going to do anything. In the end, it’s up to him whether he could walk out of his anxiety.”
“Mm. Coach s.h.i.+ probably has a plan in store. It’s not like he doesn’t know about this.” Yan Zheke muttered thoughtfully. Suddenly, she exclaimed in a soft voice. “In that case, I might be going on stage… What do I do? What do I do? I’m suddenly feeling a little nervous…”
Lou Cheng laughed mischievously and said, “It’s normal to experience moderate anxiety. It could even bring out your abilities even more.”
After he said this, he exposed his real scheme. “How about this: why don’t we meet tomorrow afternoon to continue out actual combat training?”
Yan Zheke said worriedly, “But you’re hurt.”
“I’ve only injured an arm. I’m still more than capable to act as a sparring partner!” Lou Cheng patted his chest with his left hand exaggeratedly. “I can’t possibly fail to restrain myself from using my right arm when sparring with you now, can I?”
“Who knows~” Yan Zheke purposely dragged her sentence when she answered him. After pondering for a moment, she said, “Alright, then you should watch out yourself.”
“Got it.” Lou Cheng beamed with joy. “You should head back to your dormitory, take an afternoon nap and restore your vigor when special training is done tomorrow. I’ll come and look for you at 3 p.m., and we will train at the martial arts club for one hour… Oh right, I heard that ‘The Fantastic Wizard’ is a pretty great movie. Why don’t we find a cinema at the city center and take a look? When we’re done it should be around 6 or 7 p.m., and it’ll be the perfect time to eat dinner at that Stone Fish restaurant I mentioned before. It has amazing reviews.”
This was the dating plan that he had come up with a long time ago. If he lost to Fearless Squad, then he would use the excuse of relieving his mind of worries and ask Yan Zheke out to watch a movie and eat at Stone Fish. If he accidentally completed his small goal, then of course he would use celebrating his victory as an excuse instead.
At any rate, there were all the reasons in the world to invite Yan Zheke out on a date!
Yan Zheke revealed a little of her pearly white teeth as she listened to his plans. “What a coincidence, my roommate said that we’ll be having a collective event tomorrow and head out to watch ‘The Fantastic Wizard’ together.”
“Ah…” Lou Cheng felt as if someone had smacked his head with a stick upon hearing this. His mind spun quickly as he tried to ponder a way to bewitch the girl to his side.
It was at this moment Yan Zheke let out a humph, looked sideways and said,
“But since you’re a disabled person right now, I guess I have no choice but to disappoint them. Reluctantly.”
“Alright! Coach Yan is both beautiful and kind!” Lou Cheng was overjoyed by her answer and praised her.
There was no need to check out the spots for this date. They were all locations he had checked out last time!
After he was done praising, he asked in pa.s.sing, “You seem to share a pretty good relations.h.i.+p with your roommates.”
“Yeah, there’re dormitories with good and bad relations.h.i.+ps everywhere. You guys should be the same as well, right?” Yan Zheke asked back with relative curiosity.
Lou Cheng nodded. “The roommates we share in our two little dormitories aren’t the kinds who fuss over minor matters too much, and their habits are still acceptable. We fit each other well. On the other hand, there’re two weirdos in the big dormitory next to ours. One guy would find someone to voice chat if whenever he’s free everyday, not caring if his roommates are resting or not. Another guy had terrible hygiene habits, and he wouldn’t wash his clothes even though they’re worn so long and the stink is about to permeate to the air. Therefore, they’re always arguing with each other over there.”
Yan Zheke smiled faintly and said, “It’s almost the same here at the girl’s dormitories, although girls might have a more meticulous mind, pay more attention to details and care about more things. I always head out early and return late, and I seldom stay inside the dormitory unless it’s sleep time. Surprisingly, my relations.h.i.+p with them is better this way.”
They chatted about this for a little while. Yan Zheke knew that Lou Cheng hadn’t recovered from his fatigue yet, and she urged him in concern to return to the dormitory and rest. She planned to finish the homework she had acc.u.mulated last week.
By now it was evening, and the sky was already dark. After sending Yan Zheke to the entrance of the three buildings, Lou Cheng chatted with her for a little while longer before finally parting reluctantly and watching her walk to the dormitory’s main entrance. Suddenly, he saw Yan Zheke turning around and smiling beautifully at him while bathed in lamp light,
“Cheng, you did really well today!”
After Yan Zheke was done doing her cutesy, encouraging posture, she hurriedly turned around and ran into the unit’s pa.s.sageway like she was escaping.
Lou Cheng was stunned by the sight and came to himself only after a long time had pa.s.sed. He could not hold back the smile on his face.
She’s saying that I did an excellent job beating a powerful opponent this evening!
Inside the pa.s.sageway, Yan Zheke pressed the two hands that had been warmed by Lou Cheng onto her own cheeks. As she experienced the heated blush of embarra.s.sment and happiness on her cheeks, she scolded herself on the inside. “Why had I shouted it out for real! It’s so embarra.s.sing!”
When she thought this, she suddenly realized something. Earlier, she had fed Lou Cheng with her chopsticks before eating her own meal!
“D-does this counts as an indirect kiss?” Yan Zheke subconsciously came to a stop at a corner of the pa.s.sageway. Her eyes looked both vexed and embarra.s.sed.
…
Lou Cheng returned to his dormitory with light footsteps, recalling every moment of his interaction with Yan Zheke along the way.
Suddenly, he said to himself with delight, “I don’t think she changed her chopsticks, and she ate her food with the same chopsticks after she fed me… this is an indirect kiss!”
The moment he thought this, Lou Cheng immediately felt that the meal earlier had become one hundred times, no one thousand times sweeter!
“Er, isn’t this thought a little too indecent…” Lou Cheng worked hard to put himself into serious mode, but he just couldn’t help but recall the memory.
…
Yan Zheke returned to the bedroom and found that all of her roommates were around. Therefore, she inhaled silently, gathered her courage and said,
“I can’t watch the movie tomorrow.”
Why is it?” Li Liantong turned away from the report on top her study desk and asked in surprise.
After a moment’s hesitation, Yan Zheke ultimately decided not to lie and be frank. “I’m going on a date with my boyfriend…”
The more she said, the lower her voice became.
“A date? Boyfriend?” s.h.i.+ Xiangyang, who was playing with her cell phone while lying on the bed immediately sat up and asked in surprise.
Li Liantong and Zong Yanru, the third girl who was playing games on her computer stood up in unison too and asked with a look of gossip,
“You have a boyfriend now?”
“Since when did you have a boyfriend?”
Yan Zheke’s embarra.s.sment was out of control as she was stared at by their s.h.i.+ny eyes. She barely managed to maintain her cool and answered normally, “I-it was during Valentine’s Day. I didn’t announce it because our relations.h.i.+p isn’t quite that steady yet until now.”
“W-was it that boy who stopped you at our dormitory entrance?” Zong Yanru and Yan Zheke studied the same specialized course, and it was she who had accompanied Yan Zheke back home that day. She was a natural and unrestrained character who cared little for trifles, and she was the lubricant of good relations.h.i.+p within their small dormitory.
“Of course not!” Yan Zheke bit her bottom lip softly before saying, “He’s a squadmate from the Martial Arts Club, and a former high school schoolmate.”
“I told you that it’s only a matter of time since you always visit the martial arts club both day and night. Now it has turned into an actual reality!” Li Liantong joked and prodded further. “How does he look like? Is he very handsome?”
“No, his countenance is a little normal. I guess he looks clean and easy to the eye.” Yan Zheke said honestly.
Li Liantong suddenly convulsed with laughter after she thought of something. “There’s something I’m not sure if I should say.”
“If it’s too dirty then no thank you!” Yan Zheke said without hesitation.
There were only two girls in her dormitory that were under the economic and trade faculty, whereas the other two girls were under clinical studies. While Li Liantong never had a boyfriend, she was both dirty and rotten in the yaoi sense. She was very capable of spouting shocking words at times. However, she would turn dignified and pure once she was in the presence of outsiders.
Li Liantong laughed mischievously and said, “Since his countenance is normal, then he must have a lot of essence on the inside~”
She emphasized on the word ‘essence’ greatly, causing people to get the implied meaning the second they heard it.
“Pooh! h.e.l.lo Dirty Tong, goodbye Dirty Tong!” Yan Zheke let out a laughing abuse.
Meanwhile, s.h.i.+ Xiangyang said in grief and indignation, “I can’t accept that a beautiful and cute girl like Ke is kidnapped by another boy just like that! There are plenty of boys in our specialized course who are probably going to cry like h.e.l.l after this. The last time Ke gifted me a textbook they were so shocked they thought I was a G.o.d! They would come to me and make discreet inquiries about you from time to time!”
Her s.e.xual orientation was normal, but she had a soft spot for beautiful things including beautiful girls, and her catchphrase was who wouldn’t like a girl white, fragrant and soft?
“Our university’s boys would probably be heartbroken by this news as well. The goodies had escaped from the family!” Zong Yanru also joked before asking further with curiosity, “Ke, just what kind of a boy is he?”
Yan Zheke thought seriously before breaking into a smile, “He’s kind of a dumb guy, a very dumb guy… but, I guess I can say he’s considerate and gentle. Sometimes, he could be very humorous and charming too. He is more attentive and more serious than others…”
While talking, she recalled the fresh cream cake Lou Cheng gifted her, how he might have looked when he was checking the spots, and his dumb look when he purposely covered up his effort.
While she was reminiscing, Li Liantong suddenly brought a mirror before her and laughed mischievously. “Ke, your current appearance is seriously the model of a girl who has fallen head over heels in love! As expected, the women in love are always beautiful!”
Yan Zheke looked at the mirror in astonishment, and she found that the corner of her mouth had lifted before she knew it. Her cheeks were faintly blushed, her eyes looked like they held stars in them, and when she looked around she exuded gentleness and hid happiness inside her heart. She looked as if she was embarra.s.sed or happy, and she was so beautiful that she caught even herself slightly off guard.
Is this how I look right now?
But it’s only been ten days since Cheng confessed to me. It’s only been ten days since I try to accept him…