Before Christmas arrived, Jiang Yumo had already come up with some ideas for the gift.
Although she hadn’t thought of any better ideas for the time being, she went to a boutique store and bought a beautiful notebook. She planned to copy down all the text messages between her and Duan Ye… This was actually her way of decompressing. With the art entrance exam approaching in just a few days, she was enveloped in stress. Even chatting with online friends and expressing negative emotions didn’t work as well. However, when she calmed down and copied the text messages with a pen, her mood unexpectedly became much calmer.
Copying the messages was also a way for her to review every little detail between her and Duan Ye.
The numerous beautiful memories allowed her to briefly relax.
She heard that some boys didn’t like carefully prepared gifts from girls, such as hand-knitted scarves or cross-stitch embroidery. They didn’t appreciate them, and some despicable boys even thought it was boring for girls to do such things… She knew Duan Ye wouldn’t be like that. This gift wasn’t expensive, but it represented her feelings. She hoped that even after the college entrance examination, after they started working, even when their phones were upgraded and the old messages couldn’t be found in the new phones, this gift could still retain the memories between them.
Memories that would never be forgotten.
Under such intense pressure, Christmas arrived as scheduled.
The festive atmosphere was strong, and Christmas trees were displayed outside the boutique stores. Christmas songs could be heard on every street and alley.
Even Mother Jiang, who didn’t understand much English, would hum “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” while cooking…
Coincidentally, this Christmas fell on a Saturday.
However, now Saturdays have nothing to do with Jiang Yumo. Others don’t have to stay for evening self-study, but she still has to go to the dance studio. Her dance teacher is very strict, but precisely because of that, Jiang Yumo has made rapid progress during this period. The dance teacher is worried that she might become arrogant, so the teacher secretly reassured her parents, telling them that as long as she performs normally, the possibility of passing the art exam is very high.
The boys also value Christmas a lot, or rather, they value any holiday.
Duan Ye started preparing gifts a month ago.
Zhou Ji feels that Duan Ye definitely has more experience in this aspect. He heard before that Duan Ye set off fireworks for Jiang Yumo on her birthday. Zhou Ji thinks it’s not a big deal, but judging from the girls’ reactions, it seems to be a very romantic thing.
Zhou Ji humbly comes to consult Duan Ye.
In fact, he’s seeking guidance. Friends shouldn’t keep secrets from each other, right?
Who knew that this arrogant Duan Ye completely ignored him and refused to reveal anything, no matter how he pestered him.
Zhou Ji : Stingy, so stingy!
How can Duan Ye still have the audacity to let others call him ‘Brother Duan’? What kind of brother is he, being so stingy like this?
In Zhou Ji’s eyes, Duan Ye has almost no flaws, except for being ungenerous in this regard.
After much contemplation, Zhou Ji sought help online and found what he thought was a brilliant idea. After preparing for a while after school, he had the driver take him to Linjiang Road, to Ning Zhiyu’s house.
This area was mostly comprised of old bungalows.
Due to its proximity to the riverbank, the walls were somewhat mottled and peeling.
This was arguably the oldest and most dilapidated place in Ningcheng.
Zhou Ji’s driver had difficulty driving into the narrow alley, so Zhou Ji didn’t trouble him and simply asked him to wait at the alley entrance. Zhou Ji arrived at Ning Zhiyu’s house excitedly. Before he even reached the doorstep, he saw her sitting there, doing laundry.
In front of her was a red large basin.
It was full of clothes. In such cold weather, she sat on a small stool, her fair hands immersed in cold water, vigorously soaping the clothes. Her fingers were freezing and red.
This scene struck Zhou Ji, and his smiling face froze. For a moment, he didn’t know what expression to make or what to say.
Upon seeing someone approaching, Ning Zhiyu looked up, intending to tuck her hair behind her ear. However, when she raised her hand, it was covered in soap bubbles from washing clothes, so she gave up and looked at Zhou Ji with a puzzled expression, asking, “Why are you here?”
Zhou Ji continued to stare at the basin of clothes and her hands absentmindedly. In a strained and difficult voice, he asked her, “Don’t you have a washing machine at home?”
Ning Zhiyu replied, “I do, but it’s broken. I’m still getting it repaired.”
She wanted to take advantage of the good weather in the next few days to wash and dry all the clothes.
She didn’t want to wait for the washing machine to be fixed.
In fact, she had already gotten used to washing all the clothes herself since she was young. Having a washing machine made things much easier, but now that it was broken, she could just hand wash them.
Zhou Ji almost blurted out two sentences, “You can take them to the dry cleaner” and “I’ll buy you a new washing machine,” but the words stuck in his throat. He remembered what Duan Ye had said, not to use those tactics in Ningcheng.
He restrained himself, holding his breath, and walked over to her. He reached out and pulled her up.
Ning Zhiyu was at a loss, “What are you doing?”
Zhou Ji replied in a low voice, “I’ll do it.”
In the shocked gaze of Ning Zhiyu, he sat on a small stool and rolled up his sleeves. He bent down, and when his hands plunged into the cold water, he had a moment, no, many moments of heartache. Perhaps he had never encountered a girl like Ning Zhiyu before. At this moment, he actually felt that God had been unfair to her.
He would make up for this unfairness.
Ning Zhiyu just watched quietly.
Zhou Ji was washing clothes, panting heavily. He was strong but lacked any method or technique. If it were any other matter, Ning Zhiyu would probably not be able to resist pointing out his mistakes, but…
She lightly pursed her lips and asked in a low voice, “Have you eaten?”
Zhou Ji turned to look at her. “Not yet.”
He was preparing to call her out and show her the surprise he had prepared, a surprise that supposedly no girl could resist, and then take her to a Western restaurant for a delicious meal.
If time allowed, he would also like to take her to the embankment to watch the stars and fireworks.
Ning Zhiyu made a sound of agreement. “What do you want to eat? I’ll make it.”
If it were a normal day, Zhou Ji would definitely be very happy, ecstatic even. But now he couldn’t bring himself to be happy. The old and dilapidated house, the pile of clothes, and her tired expression all made him feel an indescribable sense of bitterness. He continued washing the clothes and said, “Something simple, noodles will do.”
“Okay, I’ll go buy noodles,” Ning Zhiyu replied.
Watching her leave, Zhou Ji suddenly felt that this kind of Christmas would be good. He would wash the clothes for her, and she would serve him a bowl of steaming hot noodles. If he were to give her those surprises… no, they might not be surprises for her. She preferred this kind of interaction because he could sense the tenderness in her voice.
After thinking it over, he felt that those surprises shouldn’t go to waste.
After all, he had put effort into them.
Thinking about it, he decided to give them to his good buddy instead. After all, it’s better to benefit a friend than a stranger.
Zhou Ji made a phone call to the driver, gave him some instructions, and then happily went back to washing clothes.
He’s an endearing one.
Omg!!! So cute. His love in humbling him making him so cute!!!
Character development!