Zhang Zhaomu felt a wave of pleasure wash over her.
"I didn't yell at you," he tried to explain gently, "I was just reminding you."
"You have a low alcohol tolerance, and you're quite pretty; drinking too much could easily lead to trouble."
"Hehe~" Xiang Qing immediately cheered. "Thank you, I know I'm pretty, so my mom taught me to be wary of boys, because they'll try every possible way to have designs on me~ And my mom said that everyone does, without exception."
At this point, she gave a soft snort, "I knew not everything Mom said was true! Zhang Zhaomu wouldn't have any ulterior motives!"
Zhang Zhaomu's lips twitched slightly.
No, please believe Auntie, at least this statement is true.
I had such ulterior motives!
"Alright," he changed the subject, "You've had your yogurt, now get ready for bed."
"Wait a minute!" Xiang Qing said seriously, "I haven't finished speaking yet!"
She nudged Zhang Zhaomu's arm and said, "I'm happy you complimented my looks, but I'm very unhappy you said I can't hold my liquor!"
"I'm naturally good at drinking! I wasn't drunk at all today!"
Zhang Zhaomu said helplessly, "You're not drunk yet? Don't you have any self-awareness?"
"Of course I know! I can still drink!" Xiang Qing immediately became anxious. "If you don't believe me, let's keep drinking! I'll go out and buy some liquor, white liquor!"
"No, no, no, I believe you!" Zhang Zhaomu quickly coaxed, "You're not drunk, you're not drunk, but it's really late, go to sleep."
"I don't want to sleep!" Xiang Qing buried half her face under the covers, only her sleepy eyes looking over. " Zhang Zhaomu, I want to watch a movie, a horror movie!"
Zhang Zhaomu was starting to lose control; his dead memories were attacking him relentlessly.
Going to the movies again? We already embarrassed ourselves badly last time! And that was with Chen Zhen around!
Now, a man and a woman are alone together, and this guy is only wearing underwear. If a horror movie were to play...
Xing, very Xing!
Zhang Zhaomu shook his head vigorously. "I won't watch it, I have morning self-study tomorrow."
"Let me see one... I definitely can't sleep right now!"
Xiang Qing pleaded pitifully.
"I need to sleep," Zhang Zhaomu said helplessly. "I have to get up for my morning run tomorrow."
"Then you can sleep here," Xiang Qing said cleverly. "It's almost the same as watching together. I won't be scared if you're next to me."
Zhang Zhaomu:
That Little Mute who's had a drink is really troublesome.
She was already quite stubborn in certain situations, with a relentless drive to achieve her goals, and this stubbornness only intensified after drinking.
Zhang Zhaomu didn't think he could convince her; in her current state, she could argue with him all night.
Therefore, Zhang Zhaomu decided to choose the simpler method.
He resisted the urge to say, "Then I won't be polite," stood up, and said, " Little Mute, if you don't behave, I'll tell your mother."
"Ah?" Xiang Qing trembled. "No!"
"So, will you listen to me or not?"
"I'll be good! Super good!"
"Should we go to sleep now?"
"I've already closed my eyes! I'll fall asleep soon!"
Sure enough, this was the killer move against the Little Mute.
Seeing that the other person had obediently closed their eyes and was sleeping soundly, Zhang Zhaomu's tone softened a bit, and he said, "Sleep well, don't go out, I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning."
"Uh-huh!"
Goodnight, Little Mute.
Goodnight, Mom... Zhang Zhaomu.
Zhang Zhaomu walked out of the room quietly, closed the door behind her, and breathed a sigh of relief.
So tired.
I'm very tired because I ran fifteen laps in one go.
I'm also very tired. Both Chen Zhen and the Little Mute have had a tough night.
Moreover, he underwent a test of humanity by impersonating an ancient monarch... Zhang Zhaomu felt his willpower was now astonishingly strong.
people!
Even Liu Xiahui would have to kowtow to me if he saw me!
He gave a wry smile, not finding anything to be happy about.
He can act recklessly and without regard for consequences in many things, such as studying or his own life, all of which can be euphemistically called living in the moment.
But all of this is only related to myself. Whether I'm a salted fish or a bad one, it's all my own business.
But if something might hurt someone, that's a different story; you have to handle it carefully, and even avoid doing it if possible.
For example... love.
Based on his life experience, this was undoubtedly something that not only concerned him personally, but also something that would undoubtedly hurt others.
Hurting your partner during courtship can lead to hurting your family after marriage, especially after having children, as it can damage their entire lives.
Zhang Zhaomu knew this way of thinking was a bit extreme. Maybe the kind of love that lasts from youth to old age, as in legends, really does exist, but... why take such a huge risk for a chance that's so incredibly rare, one that most people might never even encounter in their lifetime?
Wise people do not fall in love.
I finished washing up almost with my eyes half-closed when I got home, and then I couldn't go to sleep right away because there was still one part of my fitness plan to complete.
One hundred sit-ups.
This was like adding insult to injury for Zhang Zhaomu, especially since she was already extremely tired and couldn't possibly finish it all at once.
After finishing the sit-ups, he felt completely exhausted, and his abdominal muscles even felt a bit strained.
"In this state, you won't even be able to get out of bed tomorrow, will you?"
With this thought in mind, Zhang Zhaomu fell asleep as soon as her head hit the bed.
Around 5 a. m., Zhang Zhaomu opened her eyes, yawning.
The expected body aches and pains did not occur. Apart from not having slept enough, Zhang Zhaomu did not feel any discomfort in his body.
Having learned from yesterday's lesson, Zhang Zhaomu first obediently did fifty sit-ups on the bed before getting up and going into the bathroom.
Looking at her somewhat listless reflection in the mirror, Zhang Zhaomu suddenly began to miss the days when she was in the "cat" persona. At least back then, she slept really well every day.
Fitness Expert are turning into night owls.
He raised his arm and struck a bodybuilding pose.
Well, nothing has changed much...
That's natural. If you could build muscle just by exercising for a day, there wouldn't be any fat people or skinny people in the world.
Because Zhang Zhaomu had told Chen Zhenzhen that they would meet at Liu's Noodle Shop, she didn't rush to have breakfast. Instead, she changed into some comfortable clothes for exercise and jogged towards the school.
With plenty of time, Zhang Zhaomu finished running fifteen laps, went home, took a shower, and tidied herself up. It wasn't even her usual time to leave the house yet.
So they rushed to Liu's Noodle Shop and immediately saw Chen Zhenzhen standing at the shop entrance.
He glanced at her expression and, finding it unchanged, quietly circled behind her and suddenly slapped her on the shoulder. " Chen Zhen!"
Chen Zhenzhen was startled and turned around to scold, " Zhang Zaowan, are you uncomfortable if you don't act like a jerk for a day?!"
"Yes!" Zhang Zhaomu readily admitted.
Yes, it's definitely more comfortable to see Chen Zhen like this. Last night, he was crying and sobbing, it felt like he was possessed by someone.
"Why don't you go in?" he asked.
" The Little Mute hasn't eaten yet, let's just pack it up and take it to the hotel," Chen Zhenzhen said. "That way we won't take up their seats."
"Wow, that's thoughtful!" Zhang Zhaomu nodded, and was about to order from the owner when Chen Zhenzhen pointed to the plastic bag on the table next to her, "I ordered a long time ago, just waiting for you, hurry up and take it."
"Was my portion increased?" Zhang Zhaomu asked.
"Beef noodles, one sausage and two eggs, the ultimate set meal, satisfied now?" Chen Zhenzhen rolled her eyes.
"You really understand me!" Zhang Zhaomu praised, giving a thumbs up.
The two walked side by side towards the hotel. Zhang Zhaomu finally couldn't contain his curiosity and glanced at Chen Zhenzhen, saying, "So, what exactly were you thinking about last night? Can you tell me now?"
Chen Zhenzhen pursed her lips, her eyes slightly lowered. "You really want to hear it?"
"Of course!" Zhang Zhaomu said matter-of-factly. "What? Are you going to keep it a secret from your buddy?"
Chen Zhenzhen hesitated for a moment, then said, "No, it's not that. I was going to tell you anyway, but I wasn't sure if now was a good time."
"Does it have to be the right time?" Zhang Zhaomu said impatiently, " Chen Zhen, you weren't always this indecisive."
"That makes sense." Chen Zhenzhen nodded, then took a deep breath, stopped, turned to look at Zhang Zhaomu, and said softly, " Zhang Zaowan."
"Hmm?" Zhang Zhaomu also stopped and looked at her.
Her eyes were very complicated, an expression that Zhang Zhaomu had never seen on her face before.
"I thought about a lot last night." Chen Zhenzhen unconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes. "I thought about the past, the present, and the future..."
"I know, contemplating life, I do that all the time, then I realize it's pointless," Zhang Zhaomu chimed in with a laugh. "After all, thinking about it too much won't change my current 'couch potato' status."
" Zhang Zaowan, don't interrupt me," Chen Zhenzhen said. "I'm speaking very seriously right now."
"Alright, alright." Zhang Zhaomu waved his hand. "You can continue."
"I think we're just good friends, so why am I getting angry so easily lately, especially when I see you being intimate with Duan Chan'er and the Little Mute? It makes me feel really uncomfortable," Chen Zhenzhen said softly.
Zhang Zhaomu couldn't help but tease, "That's definitely because you're jealous!"
"Mm." Chen Zhenzhen nodded.
Zhang Zhaomu: "?"
Wait a minute! I was just joking, what do you mean by nodding?
" Zhang Zaowan, I don't want to deceive myself anymore." Chen Zhenzhen looked directly into Zhang Zhaomu's eyes, her gaze more resolute than ever before. "I've been telling myself over and over again that we're just good buddies. My unusual emotions are just because I'm too used to the days when it's just the two of us hanging out, and it's just that your sudden change has made me uncomfortable."
"But... that's not how it is."
Last night, I imagined the future we once envisioned: I'd go to university, and you'd work as a network administrator near the university. No matter what, we'd always be best friends and hang out together forever... But I realized that future is becoming increasingly blurry; it won't come to pass.
"No," Zhang Zhaomu said, increasingly sensing something was amiss, and he couldn't help but want to interject.
But Chen Zhenzhen immediately covered his mouth with her hand and continued, "So, I feel I can't run away anymore."
" Zhang Zaowan."
Her palms were sweaty, her gaze wandered for a moment, then she looked back at Zhang Zhaomu with a firm tone.
I hereby declare that my friendship with you has changed.
"I like you!"