Only for You to See

Actually, the drama club no longer needed the two of them to help out, but Lin Miaomiao hadn't mentioned it. Everyone else got along well with Chen Lu and was happy to have him around to shoot the breeze with them.

So Chen Lu still came running whenever he had free time, hanging around the drama club and goofing off.

He ate the breakfast Liang Zhirou brought him in the morning, then treated her to lunch in return.

Don't ask. If anyone did, he was there to help.

Chen Lu had insisted on treating her to meals. If Liang Zhirou didn't agree, he wouldn't drink her porridge anymore. Unable to win against him, she had no choice but to agree, and Chen Lu was happy to help her eat better.

Chen Lu kept saying that giving should go both ways, but Liang Zhirou didn't understand and continued to foolishly study what he liked to eat.

One week before the school anniversary performance, the costumes they had ordered finally arrived early one morning.

They were school uniforms from the Republic of China era, much like the ones in many TV dramas.

The men's version was a gray Zhongshan suit, while the women's was a blue top with a black skirt.

A classic look.

Lin Miaomiao excitedly took a men's outfit and a women's outfit over to Chen Lu and Liang Zhirou, intending to ask whether they wanted to try them on.

She had originally planned to keep the extra set as a memento, but after thinking it over, she decided to give it to Chen Lu and Liang Zhirou instead. Besides, there was no one in the entire drama club better-looking than the two of them, so she could feast her eyes too.

Instead, she found them sitting side by side. Chen Lu was staring at his phone without moving, while Liang Zhirou slept soundly with her head resting on his shoulder.

She had probably leaned against him by accident after falling asleep. She would surely die of embarrassment when she woke up.

Chen Lu made a shushing gesture and turned to glance at the girl sleeping so soundly. Catching the delicate fragrance of this silly girl's hair, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Not long after Liang Zhirou had arrived and sat down, she had fallen asleep. Then, somehow, she had leaned against him, and his heart still hadn't settled down.

Going nonstop between school and part-time work every day has really worn her out...

He thought.

Lin Miaomiao said nothing more. She waved the men's outfit in her hand and mouthed, "It's. For. You."

Chen Lu shook his head, turning it down.

She pointed at the women's outfit, then at Liang Zhirou.

Chen Lu immediately nodded like a chick pecking at grain, gesturing for her to leave the clothes.

Lin Miaomiao naturally understood what was going through his head. She rolled her eyes at him in annoyance, dropped the clothes off, and went back.

Half an hour later.

Seeing that it was time for Liang Zhirou's daytime part-time job, Chen Lu moved his arm slightly and asked softly, "Aren't you supposed to go to work?"

"I'm not going today." Half asleep, Liang Zhirou seemed to feel that her pillow wasn't behaving itself. She leaned further against it and gently rubbed her cheek on it.

Chen Lu swallowed unconsciously. "Hm? Why not?"

He found it strange. He had never seen Liang Zhirou go a day without needing to work a part-time job before.

"That shop doesn't need anyone to hand out flyers anymore, and I haven't found a new job yet."

"Then that's perfect. Take the day off."

He looked at the girl beside him, talking to him with her eyes closed, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

At this distance, Liang Zhirou's delicate cheeks and soft skin were on full display. For some reason, he felt as though he had them all to himself.

After all, no one else had discovered just how pretty Liang Zhirou was, nor did they have the chance to gaze at her from this close.

Her striking figure was a mere witch before a great sorcerer compared to her looks.

But Chen Lu liked looking at her eyes best.

"Mm."

The girl answered softly, her voice low. Still looking half asleep and groggy, she rubbed against Chen Lu's shoulder again like a kitten, seemingly quite comfortable.

Only in the next second did she realize something was wrong and spring to her feet.

Whether from her nap or from embarrassment, Liang Zhirou's cheeks were quite rosy.

She hurriedly looked around, then quickly wiped her mouth to see if she had drooled.

If she had drooled while sleeping on Chen Lu's shoulder, she would find a river and jump right in.

The girl's eyes darted around nervously, but she didn't dare look at Chen Lu.

Liang Zhirou could hear nothing but the pounding of her own heart, and her cheeks felt terribly flushed.

I only meant to close my eyes and rest for a bit. How did I end up leaning on Chen Lu's shoulder when I woke up...

He's going to laugh me to death...

Will Chen Lu think I'm really frivolous...

"You took advantage of me," Chen Lu said with a chuckle, looking at the girl's blushing, bashful face.

"I-I'm sorry!"

Chen Lu frowned, not particularly satisfied with that answer. "You think an apology settles it? You got to use my body for free, and now you're not taking responsibility?"

"Huh?" Liang Zhirou panicked even more. It was as if her CPU had burned out; her brain simply wouldn't work. She wouldn't have been surprised if steam started coming out of her head the next second. "Then how do you want me to take responsibility...?"

Chen Lu had wanted to tease her a little longer, but he couldn't hold back his laughter. Laughing, he pulled the flustered girl over and sat her down properly in the chair beside him.

"I'm only teasing. You looked so tired that I couldn't bring myself to wake you. Want to sleep a little longer?"

Liang Zhirou lowered her head, still looking terribly embarrassed. "N-no, I'm fine."

To be honest, she had almost believed him when he told her to take responsibility just now, and had spent quite a while wondering how she should do it.

After all, back where she came from, what she had done could already be considered hooliganism.

Even with the internet as developed as it was, children in mountain villages were still nowhere near as open-minded as those in big cities.

Seeing what other people did was one thing; whether she could accept doing it herself was another.

"I'm sorry..." Liang Zhirou still felt that what she had done was somewhat rude.

Chen Lu found that a little strange. In TV dramas, the heroine would blush shyly and then pretend nothing had happened.

Why does she keep apologizing?

Resting his cheek in his hand, Chen Lu continued joking, "If you really feel bad about it, let me sleep on your shoulder next time. Then we'll be even."

"No, we can't. We're friends. We can't do that..."

"But we're best friends."

"Even best friends can't..."

"There's nothing improper between us. What are you afraid of?" Chen Lu looked completely serious.

Liang Zhirou was a little bewildered. She felt as though Chen Lu was about to talk her in circles.

She quickly shook her head. "Even good friends who have nothing improper between them can't do that."

"No, good friends who have nothing improper between them can." Chen Lu kept a straight face. "You have to let me do it once in return, don't you? Isn't it normal for good friends to help each other out and give and take?"

Liang Zhirou was thoroughly confused, her eyes blinking. "J-just once?"

She asked tentatively, afraid Chen Lu would raise the price on the spot.

She looked so aggrieved that Chen Lu couldn't resist wanting to tease her further.

"Sure."

Having achieved his goal, Chen Lu didn't dwell on the matter, lest Liang Zhirou wake up fully and catch on.

The girl lowered her head, too embarrassed to speak, and silently removed her hair tie to redo her hair.

Her dark hair spilled down her back like a waterfall, glossy black and free of split ends. He wondered how this silly girl took care of it to keep it in such good condition.

"When you're not working, could you leave your hair down instead of wearing a ponytail? I think you look pretty with it down too."

Chen Lu regretted it a little as soon as he said it, feeling that he was meddling too much.

To his complete surprise, Liang Zhirou agreed immediately.

"Okay." With that, she put the hair tie away, slipping it around her wrist like a bracelet.

Liang Zhirou tidied her hair a little and sat obediently beside Chen Lu, looking gentle and charming.

Only then did she notice the strange clothes beside her. Curious, she picked them up and looked them over.

"Lin Miaomiao gave those to you," Chen Lu explained. "Want to try them on?"

Liang Zhirou froze for a moment, then shook her head like a pellet drum. Although they were perfectly proper clothes, she still found it strange.

"You should try everything once."

Chen Lu shamelessly kept coaxing her. "We agreed on this before. You have to learn to be more confident. This is part of the plan."

"L-let's give them back to her later." Liang Zhirou lowered her head, her cheeks feeling even hotter as thoughts flew through her mind.

How can he keep asking for an inch and taking a mile...

I already agreed to let you sleep against me...

Liang Zhirou, oh, Liang Zhirou! How can you be so depraved? You can't keep lowering your bottom line!

You have to learn to say no to him!

The girl finally made up her mind.

But then Chen Lu suddenly leaned close to her ear and joked, "If you're shy, you can just show me and no one else. You wouldn't want your good friend to be sad, would you?"

The sudden warmth by her ear sent a tingle through her whole body, and her slender waist went weak.

The sweet, silly girl didn't even think to move away. After pondering for a long while, she gave a slight nod, as if possessed.