novellhall Chapter 35 Do you have someone you like?
Chapter 35 Do you have someone you like?
Once the car merges into the midday rush hour traffic, it can no longer go fast.
BJ's midday roads are like a river completely blocked out, with each car like a drop of water being pushed forward, stopping and starting, and having to brake again before even traveling two hundred meters.
The song playing in the car was Zhou Jielun's "Garden Party," which Wang Zi'an played by connecting his phone to the car's Bluetooth system.
Jay Chou's voice flowed lazily from the speakers, singing about balloons, candies, and egg pancakes.
The melody was light and gentle, easing the silence in the car.
But Zhou Ye remained silent.
She was huddled in the passenger seat, the seatbelt slung diagonally from her shoulder to her waist, leaving a dent in her oversized down jacket.
Her hands were on her knees, her fingers unconsciously circling the zipper pull of her down jacket.
Her face was turned straight ahead, looking at the traffic, the traffic lights, and the brake light that was slowly dimming.
But her eyes weren't very honest.
He would steal a glance to the left every now and then, then quickly look away.
A few moments later, it would steal another glance, like a kitten testing a can of cat food, wanting to get closer but afraid of being discovered.
Wang Zian was focused on driving, his hands tapping lightly on the steering wheel, his fingers long and clean, with distinct knuckles.
Sunlight streamed in through the side window, casting a soft line of light and shadow across his face.
Her face flushed a little more.
He turned his head back to face forward and tucked his chin further into the collar of his down jacket.
"What's wrong with me today! I keep making a fool of myself in front of him!"
"This is so embarrassing!"
Just as she was having a little internal struggle, the car reached another intersection.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Wang Zian's voice suddenly came from the left.
He didn't turn his head; his gaze remained fixed on the red light ahead, a subtle but undeniable smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"What did you say?" Zhou Ye asked in a panic;
"Keep talking about what to eat!" Wang Zian turned to look at her, and the smile finally spread from the corner of his mouth to his eyes.
"You were quite eloquent just now. When you were reciting the names of the dishes, you were even clapping for yourself while you were speaking."
"Ugh! You!"
Zhou Ye finally poked his face out from under the collar of his down jacket.
Her face was still red, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.
She took her right hand off her knee, made a small fist, and waved it in front of Wang Zian.
"Don't laugh at me! I might really bite you."
Wang Zian raised one hand in a gesture of surrender, and then waved it twice near the car window frame.
Zhou Ye looked at his hand, pulled his small fist back, and turned his face to the window, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.
The green light came on, the car restarted, and continued forward.
After that joke, the atmosphere in the car seemed to have opened a window, and the thick silence from before finally dissipated.
The two gradually started chatting.
···
Soon, the two arrived at Dian Dou De.
It was only along the way that Wang Zian discovered that Zhou Ye was very talkative.
They kept gossiping about their art exam preparation class.
What? This girl was caught dating two boys at the same time? What? That boy keeps changing girlfriends, changing one every two weeks on average, more often than changing socks? What? Their vocal music teacher and dance teacher seem to be dating, and the students bumped into them in the hallway? It's all just gossip about relationships.
She could name three or four people and describe the relationships between five or six individuals in every single incident. She would turn around in her seat and, when she got excited, even reach her hand in front of the steering wheel.
Wang Zian parked the car, turned off the engine, and removed the key.
Then, while unbuckling his seatbelt, he casually asked, "So, what about you? Do you have a crush on anyone?"
The carriage suddenly fell silent.
Just as Zhou Jielun's song finished playing, during the brief interval before switching to the next song, the only sounds in the carriage were the faint hum of the engine slowly cooling down and the silence between the two people.
Zhou Ye glanced at him first, then quickly looked away, looking out the window, then at the watch face, then at his knees, and then back out the window.
The eyes are like a bird that has lost all its footing, drifting aimlessly, unable to find a place to settle.
Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't.
Her fingers began to unconsciously circle the zipper pull again, round and round.
Wang Zian didn't notice any of this; he had only asked casually, and he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door without a care in the world.
"Get off the bus!"
"Ah~~ Oh~!" Zhou Ye hurriedly responded and got out of the car as well.
After getting off the bus, Wang Zian stood in front of Dian Dou De and looked up at the store.
The interior is decorated in a classic Chinese style, with a facade designed in the style of Lingnan arcade buildings, featuring blue bricks, gray tiles, carved wooden windows, and a black plaque with gold lettering hanging above the door.
The aroma of tea and snacks mingled with hot tea wafted through the crack in the door, making my stomach rumble again.
Upon arriving at a familiar place, Zhou Ye instantly perked up again.
Walking up to Wang Zi'an, he raised his head and said, "Come on, today I'll let you taste our Cantonese flavors!"
After saying that, she happily went inside.
That little ponytail swinging back and forth is pretty cool.
Wang Zian watched her retreating figure, smiled, and followed her inside.
During mealtimes, there are many people dining.
The lobby on the first floor was packed with people, and waiters pushing dim sum carts weaved through the crowd, with steaming baskets on each cart emitting plumes of white heat.
There are almost no empty tables left.
Wang Zian glanced around and was prepared to wait for a table.
However, Zhou Ye found the boss and spoke a few words of Cantonese that the boss couldn't understand.
The boss nodded and led Zhou Ye forward. Zhou Ye turned around and gestured for him to follow.
The two were led to the second floor and into a small private room.
The shopkeeper smiled and led the two over. Before entering the room, Wang Zian nodded slightly to the shopkeeper.
After the manager left and the door to the private room closed, cutting off most of the noise from outside, Wang Zian finally spoke: "Who is this person?"
"The store manager here!"
"Your relative?"
"No!" Zhou Ye blinked, looking completely matter-of-fact. "A stranger."
"Then why were you being so mysterious just now?"
"Hahaha~~!" Zhou Ye suddenly burst into laughter, "I fooled you, didn't I! I booked this private room well in advance."
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, her chin on the back of her hand, and looked at him with bright eyes. "Wasn't my acting amazing?"
Wang Zian rolled his eyes at her speechlessly; she was truly a quirky and mischievous girl.
"Yes, yes, that's awesome!"
"Order, order!" Zhou Ye's attention turned to the menu.
She looked down at the menu, her finger tracing the rows of dishes as she muttered to herself.
In no time, she had ordered seven or eight kinds of tea and snacks.
Shrimp dumplings, steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce, red rice rolls, honey-glazed char siu buns, Liwan boat congee, satay tripe, lava buns, and durian pastries.
Soon the tea and snacks were served, and each one looked delicious and appealing.
The two chatted while eating, and the topic unknowingly turned back to the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy.
With half a shrimp dumpling stuffed in her mouth and her cheeks bulging, Zhou Ye mumbled that she was still worried about failing the third round of testing; but Wang Zi'an knew very well that she would pass.
The two of them spent half an hour eliminating all of these things.
The key point is that Wang Zian discovered that Zhou Ye's appetite was exceptionally good.
But if you can eat so much, why do you look so thin?!