CH 22

Chapter 22: The cat is both of yours.

Zhou Jingze’s question without a subject was easy to misunderstand. Xu Sui’s heart was pounding, and her mind went blank. She was startled:

“Huh?”

He raised his eyebrows: “Really is popular.”

It turned out that the subject was not him, but just an ordinary question. Xu Sui sighed in relief, but at the same time, she felt a wave of disappointment. She regained her energy and whispered: “Really not.”

At night, Xu Sui returned to the dormitory. As soon as the door opened, Hu Xixi leaped forward faster than 1017. She grabbed Xu Sui’s arm and asked:

“How did it go?”

Xu Sui pulled her hand away and took a few sips of water first. Under Hu Xixi’s eager eyes, she slowly said:

“Not much, just ate a meal like usual. Your uncle treats me as a friend.”

Hu Xixi’s face filled with disappointment: “My instinct has always been very accurate though. Is it really wrong this time?”

Xu Sui didn’t reply and pulled out a chair. She took out some books and started reviewing them but couldn’t concentrate. Hu Xixi laid down on the blanket; she suddenly spoke and tentatively asked:

“Then do you… like Zhou Jingze?”

When Xu Sui heard these words, the red pen in her hand made a heavy stroke on the white page. She tried to calm her mind: “How do you know?”

“Ah, your eyes when you look at him. Also, you look calm and quiet and a bit cold. But, in front of him, you blush very easily,” Hu Xixi said.

Xu Sui thought she hid it well but didn’t expect it to be found out.

A crush can’t be hidden.

Hu Xixi was one of her few friends, and… she felt relieved that there was someone who could listen to her. After all, it was too hard to have a crush on someone. Finally, Xu Sui nodded: “Yes, then you—”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep it a secret,” Hu Xixi interrupted and zipped her mouth.

While the two were chatting. Liang Shuang returned home frantically carrying the supper. She placed a box in Xu Sui’s hand: “Baby Xu, when I went to the cafeteria for supper, I saw the coriander dumpling that you love. I packed a box for you.”

“Whoa, thank you,” Xu Sui received the box with delight.

Although Xu Sui’s crush on Zhou Jingze was revealed, nothing has changed. Since this semester was about to end, everyone has been busy preparing for the exams.

In the medical university, no matter how early Xu Sui wakes up, the library would always be full. She even wonders if these people live in the library. Occasionally, Xu Sui got a spot near the corridor.

But the wind near the corridor was swift and cold, and Xu Sui couldn’t stand it after sitting once.

Hu Xixi watched Xu Sui’s face turn pale and with a distressed expression: “Let’s go to a cafe outside the university. I know a cat cafe nearby, and the environment is quiet and warm. There are also many cute cats there.”

“Okay,” Xu Sui nodded.

When mentioning the cat, 1017 lay on Hu Xixi’s lap, sticking to her like a hairball, and stared at them dissatisfied, “Meow—”

“Oh,” Hu Xixi bent down and pinched 1017’s face. She raised her head and said to Xu Sui, “Let’s also bring 1017. It must be bored too.”

Before Xu Sui even replied yet, 1017 immediately rolled off Hu Xixi, like a round orange, and sat beside her foot, clearly two-faced.

“Fine,” Xu Sui said.

She bent down and hugged the fat orange in her arms. She was going home during the winter vacation, and her mother was allergic to cat fur. It was going to be a problem.

When the two went out, snow was falling from the sky again. It was light like a transparent feather. Everywhere was covered with snow, as if seemingly entering a galaxy.

They came to the cat cafe Hu Xixi mentioned and opened the door. It was full of college students.

Everyone sat together and ordered a cup of coffee. Once people finished reviewing in the afternoon, they played with the cats when they were tired.

Fortunately, there were still a few tables empty. Hu Xixi went to the front desk to order coffee, while Xu Sui sat in the corner and took 1017 out of her backpack.

She thought that 1017 was going to play, but when Xu Sui turned on the computer, the kitten jumped up along the end of the table. Its chubby paws moved, and after finding a comfortable position, it fell asleep.

Xu Sui smiled; how could there be such a lazy cat.

After setting up everything, Xu Sui devoted herself to reviewing. Before she knew it, most of the coffee had already been drunk. Three hours passed like this. When Xu Sui was a little tired after a long time at the table, she raised her hand and rubbed her stiff neck. Her eyes swept aside inadvertently.

Her heart jumped. Where is the cat?!

Xu Sui inspected the table with her hands and looked at the bottom of the table. There was no shadow of 1017, nor was it around. Xu Sui’s tone was anxious: “Xixi, the cat is gone?”

“Huh?” Hu Xixi subconsciously looked around and comforted: “Don’t worry, it should still be in the cat cafe. We’ll separately look for it.”

Xu Sui nodded. Losing the cat wasn’t a huge issue but, she looked around while whispering 1017’s name. When Xu Sui was looking for the cat, she accidentally bumped into a girl’s book at a nearby table. The book and pen fell to the ground.

Xu Sui picked up the book and pen and apologized: “Excuse me. I’m looking for an orange cat. Did you happen to see it?”

The girl took the book and replied: “I saw it just now. It was heading towards the direction of that window.”

Xu Sui thanked her and walked towards the southwest by the window. While bending over, she whispered “meow—” to draw it out. Finally, she saw 1017 sitting on a man’s lap. The cat was on its back, looking very comfortable.

“Meow—1017, come here,” Xu Sui called out quietly.

When she raised her eyes, she came into contact with a pair of dark and deep eyes. She raised her gaze. The man had a handsome face and was holding the cat in one hand while the other arm was resting on the table. He was spinning a pen.

At this moment, he was looking at her with a faint smile.

If this person wasn’t Zhou Jingze, who else could it be?

He was petting the cat and heard a soft “meow” cry. His gaze was on her. She was wearing a white sweater with a low bun, looking up with a pair of clear eyes. She was bent down on the ground as if she was creeping under his feet. This sight made his throat itchy.

Zhou Jingze raised his eyebrows: “Your cat?”

“Yes, mine’s,” Xu Sui stood up.

Zhou Jingze pressed his tongue against his left cheek and said in a lazy and scornful tone: “Mine’s.”

At this moment, 1017 saw the situation and clung to Zhou Jingze. He gently stroked her cat with his hand. Xu Sui saw the scene and cursed the white-eyed cat in her heart.

“Your’s?” Xu Sui’s eyes flashed with confusion. She paused, and in a firm attitude: “But it’s my cat.”

Sheng Nanzhou, who was sitting across reviewing, couldn’t understand why Zhou Jingze was teasing a girl and explained: “This cat is Wei, the one that Jingze lost three months ago.”

Xu Sui couldn’t comprehend it for a while. The cat she picked up was the one that Zhou Jingze lost? Hu Xixi, who rushed over from behind, happened to hear this conversation and pointed out:

“Don’t fight; the cat is both of yours.”

Xu Sui’s eyelashes quivered when she heard the word “yours” and did not speak. Hu Xixi pulled out a chair and sat down, continuing to talk: “You guys come here to review too?”

“Yes, the library is too damn crowded,” Sheng Nanzhou replied, “But coming here, Master Zhou also attracts girls too much. He sat down only for a while, and several girls came to ask him for his contact.”

“Tsk,” Hu Xixi sighed, pointing to the cat, “But Uncle, I didn’t expect it to be Wei.”

“Well,” Zhou Jingze responded lazily, raising his eyes to look at Xu Sui, “You have raised it quite well. It gained a lot of weight.”

When he first picked up the cat, it was very thin. He didn’t expect to see it as fat as a ball in three months. Zhou Jingze’s voice was low, and there was a captivating smile:

“Don’t worry; you have the final say.”

Xu Sui sighed in relief. She watched Zhou Jingze hold the cat and plucked up the courage to say: “I can’t take it home during winter vacation. Can you help me raise it?”

Zhou Jingze was about to speak when a tall girl with a beautiful face came over. When she walked over, the end of her long, curly hair swept Xu Sui’s face inadvertently.

Drowned by the smell of the perfume, Xu Sui heard the girl ask generously: “Hello, do you want to get to know each other? I also have a cat in my house, a purebred Burmilla. They can play together.”

The girl stood confidently and naturally in front of Zhou Jingze. Xu Sui sat aside and lowered her eyelashes, pretending to be relaxed by folding a paper crane. It was obvious that the paper had been folded countless times, but she couldn’t fold it well at this moment. Her black eyelashes looked relaxed, but looking carefully, there was a crease in between.

Zhou Jingze leaned back on a chair, with one long leg propped on the ground. His eyes stayed on her for less than a second and then retracted.

His tone was daunting and arrogant: “No, my cat is wild and will bite.”

The rejection was blunt and direct. The girl was disappointed and left. Xu Sui felt that her heart fell high in the sky to the ground.

——

At the end of January, the final exams ended. On the day of leaving university, Xu Sui packed up her things. She pulled a suitcase and showed up at Zhou Jingze’s house with the cat.

Master Kratos was barking excitedly when he saw Xu Sui, wagging his tail and circling her. Some time ago, when they were rehearsing and practicing music at Zhou Jingze’s house, Xu Sui would often bring beef jerky and toys, playing with him. It’s not surprising that the German Shepherd would behave like this.

Seeing it trying to fawn her, Zhou Jingze gave it a fake knock and pointed at it: “Don’t forget whose following you every day to pick up your sh*t.”

He wailed and had to put down his wagging tail reluctantly, not daring to praise again.

Zhou Jingze turned his gaze to Xu Sui and saw that she had brought her cat litter over. He felt amused:

“Xu Sui, I’ve raised it before, and those things have not been thrown away.”

She was too worried and felt a little awkward when he said that. Zhou Jingze let her in, and he deliberately went to boil a pot of water. He took out a bottle of ice water from the refrigerator to drink.

“1017 is a bit squeamish. It’s allergic to pollen. You… take care of it well,” Xu Sui advised.

“Ok,” Zhou Jingze agreed.

He raised his head and drank a sip of ice water. The water flowed down the corners of his lips and dripped onto his throat. The curve was sharp, and it looked cold and sexy. Xu Sui was embarrassed to continue watching, so she lowered her head to play with the cat.

“You’re going back today?” Zhou Jingze saw the suitcase beside her feet.

“Where’s your home?”

Xu Sui replied with a smile: “Jiangnan, in an ancient town called Liying. It’s very beautiful there. You can come visit if you ever have the chance to go there.”

Zhou Jingze nodded. He tightened the bottle cap and put the water on the table, in an indifferent tone: “It’s in the south, far from Beijing. Why did you come so far here to attend university?”

Of course, it was because of you.

Xu Sui looked at him and almost blurted out these words. But she reworded: “Because I got used to here when I transferred from high school, and I like snow.”

The two chatted. Xu Sui told Zhou Jingze to pay careful attention to 1017. She glanced at the time, and her heart jumped: “Please take care of 1017. I have to rush to the high-speed rail station.”

Xu Sui hurriedly got up and walked out with the suitcase. Suddenly, a low voice called out to her. Xu Sui turned around and didn’t know when Zhou Jingze got dressed. He wore a black coat and combat boots, carrying a free and wild expression.

His slender fingertips hooked a bunch of keys: “I’ll send you off.”

“Thank you.”

It was snowing again. Zhou Jingze drove Xu Sui to the high-speed rail station. The heater was turned on, and Xu Sui sat in the passenger seat. Two clouds steamed out of her white cheeks.

She looked at the white snow outside the window and asked: “What do you usually do during holidays?”

Zhou Jingze drove the car, and in an unscrupulous tone: “Skiing, bungee jumping, racing, anything exciting and fun.”

“But aren’t these very dangerous?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. It’s worth dying one day in the sunset at a boulevard, knowing that I spent every second in contentment,” Zhou Jingze said half-truthfully.

On one hand, he is a real living person in this world, and it’s normal for him to die alone without being remembered by others.

After all, his mother was like this.

Zhou Jingze’s hands were on the steering wheel, and his joints were clear. Xu Sui’s voice suddenly sounded from beside him:

“Sunrise is no worse than sunset; wait awhile,” Xu Sui’s tone was serious.

Zhou Jingze was stunned and slowly smiled after hearing the words: “Okay.”

“After all, you made a big taboo by saying these things in front of a prospective doctor,” Xu Sui joked.

After driving for nearly an hour, they finally arrived at the high-speed rail station. There were a lot of people coming and going to the high-speed rail station. The red display in the lobby showed Xu Sui’s high-speed rail that she was going to board was about to arrive.

Before saying goodbye, she remembered that she wouldn’t see Zhou Jingze during the winter vacation and felt a bit of emptiness in her heart. She raised her eyelashes and said cautiously: “Can I see the cat during the winter vacation?”

” Okay. I’ll send videos and posts for you,” Zhou Jingze said in a sloppy tone.

The voice of staff instructing passengers to enter the rail and check the tickets rang through the lobby. Xu Sui waved and turned around, walking towards the entrance.

“Xu Sui,” Zhou Jingze called to her.

She stood in the crowd and turned her head. Zhou Jingze was a few feet from her. He was wearing a black coat with snowflakes on his shoulders. The crowd passing by appeared in a blur.

One was a boy with a sloppy look and an overwhelming temperament, while the other was calm. Their eyes met in mid-air, like an auto-focused photo.

Zhou Jingze was smoking a cigarette with one hand. His thin lips curved and in a casual tone:

“Teacher Xiao Xu, see you next year.”

Xu Sui smiled. Glancing at him, the smile on the corners of her lips widened.

“Ok, see you next year.”