Chapter 3: Cheap
When the knock came, Zhou Tianzui looked towards the bathroom, got up to open the door. It was the delivery person. She took the takeout and closed the door. You Ruxu had already come out of the bathroom.
“Come eat dinner.” Zhou Tianzui walked to the dining table, opened the takeout containers. Seeing there was no soup, she went to the kitchen and made a scallion and egg drop soup, which was You Ruxu’s favorite.
The person in the kitchen busied herself, beating eggs and seasoning, her expression serious, as if preparing dinner for a loved one, with no trace of the coldness from earlier.
You Ruxu recalled the night she came to this rented apartment. She followed Zhou Tianzui into the room, clutching the hem of her clothes in her hand. Zhou Tianzui asked her, “A Ran, can you tolerate me? My temper is really bad.”
She had seen all kinds of people since she was young, and had encountered many with bad tempers. At that time, she thought, how bad could Zhou Tianzui’s temper be? Later, she discovered that no one was like her.
It was truly, very bad.
You Ruxu lowered her head and saw a bowl of soup placed in front of her. The green scallions floated on top, the egg drop soup was light, with a few drops of oil. A white spoon was placed beside the bowl, making a crisp clinking sound as the bowl was set down.
Zhou Tianzui sat opposite her.
You Ruxu picked up the spoon, stirred the soup, and asked Zhou Tianzui, “When is the blind date?”
“Tomorrow night at 8 o’clock.” Zhou Tianzui said, “Don’t wait for me to come back for dinner.”
You Ruxu was silent for a moment.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Or, will you go with me?”
You Ruxu looked up: “Me?”
There was surprise and disbelief in her tone. She was actually inviting her to watch her go on a blind date? Even though she knew Zhou Tianzui had personality issues, she hadn’t expected this. How could she—
Zhou Tianzui nodded: “What’s wrong with having a friend accompany me on a blind date?”
Her expression was calm and indifferent, her tone cool, as if they hadn’t been intimate just moments before.
You Ruxu’s fingernails dug into her palm. She lowered her eyes, concealing her turbulent emotions.
Yes, they always presented themselves as friends to the outside world, even if they slept in the same bed every night, even if they did everything lovers should and shouldn’t do, they were—friends.
You Ruxu knew that it was normal for someone Zhou Tianzui’s age to be urged to get married. Her mother had repeatedly stressed it, even arguing with her on the phone last time, saying that if she didn’t go on a blind date, she shouldn’t consider her her mother anymore. Zhou Tianzui had a bad temper with others, but she listened to her mother. Only on this matter, she defied her mother’s wishes. She thought that after the argument last time, her mother would temporarily give up on the idea of her going on blind dates, but unexpectedly, she still had to go.
And she wanted her to go along?
You Ruxu took a deep breath, but it hitched in her chest, causing a sharp pain below her breastbone. The pain made her clutch her chest, half-leaning on the table. Zhou Tianzui frowned, reaching out. You Ruxu said, “It’s nothing.”
There were tears in the corners of her eyes, caused by the sudden sharp pain. She said, “Just a stitch.”
Zhou Tianzui paused, poured a glass of water, and placed it in front of her. She got up and sat beside her, her fingertips moving downwards, pressing on the spot below her breastbone, applying just the right amount of pressure to ease the pain.
You Ruxu slowed her breathing, returning to normal after a couple of minutes. She brushed away the tears from the corners of her eyes, took a sip of warm water, and said, “I have to go to the station tomorrow.”
Zhou Tianzui asked her, “When will you finish?”
Her news segment was usually at noon, the live connection was also at noon, and she rarely worked overtime at the station. She could finish any work at home, so she couldn’t hide it from Zhou Tianzui.
You Ruxu said, “It’s not set yet.”
Zhou Tianzui didn’t speak, but continued to press on the spot below her breastbone. The stitch had passed, so her touch held a different meaning.
You Ruxu said, “We haven’t eaten dinner yet.”
“You eat.” Zhou Tianzui said, “I’m full.”
Her appetite wasn’t very good. A bowl of fried rice could last her two meals. She had just hastily eaten a few bites and drunk half a bowl of soup, so she was indeed full, but You Ruxu hadn’t eaten yet.
She looked down at the scallion soup, the green scallions floating on top, a thin layer of egg white, a fragrant smell. She wasn’t really hungry, but she wanted to drink the egg drop soup Zhou Tianzui made.
During this time away, she had particularly missed the taste of this soup.
You Ruxu lowered her head, used her spoon to push aside the scallions, and took a sip. It was still the familiar taste. The warmth spread from her mouth, satisfying her taste buds and her empty stomach.
The evening news was playing on the TV. You Ruxu glanced up. It was the news about the counterfeit brand goods case in the city. She had been asked to cover it, but she declined.
Not long after the news aired, it became a trending topic. Before You Ruxu finished eating, she saw her leader posting in the group chat: [Such good material, you guys let it slip away. Talent! Talent!]
The TV station also needed ratings.
Compared to other TV stations and other time slots on the same station, the midday and evening news teams at Jindu TV Station often discussed topics together. Good projects were always prioritized for the evening news team, which made the midday news team leader very unhappy. They were usually suppressed, and this time, they finally got the news topic about the counterfeit goods first, but they actually gave it up voluntarily.
The leader was about to explode.
You Ruxu fiddled with her phone. Her editor messaged her: [Teacher You, the boss is so angry. We’re probably going to get scolded tomorrow.]
She typed on the screen: [Mm.]
The editor, looking at You Ruxu’s reply, automatically pictured her indifferent expression, accepting the criticism silently. Very quiet, but no one would bear to scold You Ruxu.
Initially, there were two choices for this topic, presented directly to You Ruxu. Everyone thought she would choose the counterfeit brand goods case, after all, it was a hot topic, public opinion was strong, even a related guess could become a trending topic, and it was easy to generate discussion and social attention, very suitable for their midday news team. Unexpectedly, You Ruxu chose to go to the countryside for an interview.
The evening news team laughed their heads off.
No wonder their boss was so angry.
They all said about You Ruxu: “Fake high-mindedness, what is she pretending to be? Does she really think she’s the bright moon, detached from the world?”
“With such a lack of social sensitivity, how can she be a reporter?”
It wasn’t really directed at You Ruxu personally, it was just the usual banter between the midday and evening news teams. If it wasn’t You Ruxu this time, it would be another reporter being satirized. However, the comment about her fake high-mindedness was somewhat tinged with personal feelings.
The editor wanted to send some comforting words, but looking at You Ruxu’s “mm,” it didn’t seem necessary. He gritted his teeth and sent: [Then, Teacher You, good night.]
You Ruxu typed: [Good night.]
She put down her phone and saw Zhou Tianzui go into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water came from inside. She put down her chopsticks, hearing the evening news still playing on the TV. The host was broadcasting another news item. She was somewhat absent-minded, occasionally glancing towards the bathroom.
Zhou Tianzui showered for about half an hour. When she came out, You Ruxu had already cleaned up the kitchen. She was tidying up her clothes, standing in the room that had been converted from a study. There was a tatami mat with several pieces of clothing on it, and a teddy bear, half-human-tall, rather thin, made of cheap material. After being washed several times, the fur had faded, clearly not a valuable item. Placed together with You Ruxu’s belongings, it was an eyesore, out of place.
She had bought this bear from a street vendor, forty yuan each. She bargained it down to thirty-five.
Before buying it, she hadn’t even planned on getting You Ruxu a birthday present. It was because the stall owner had a daughter with her. It was cold, and the little girl was shivering, her hands red, looking at her with longing eyes. Seeing she hadn’t left, the girl asked in a weak voice, “Sister, do you want to buy a teddy bear?”
Seeming to feel that someone her age wasn’t suitable to buy this, the little girl bit her lip after speaking, looking at her timidly.
She said, “How much?”
The girl’s mother immediately said, “Forty.”
With a firm tone. She looked at the mother, who had similar features to the little girl, but with a different expression. She said, “Thirty-five.”
Actually, at that moment, it wasn’t about the five yuan.
She was just hesitating whether to give You Ruxu a gift.
The woman nodded: “Okay.”
She immediately handed her the bear. The little girl smiled at her. She sighed, took the bear, and left. Later, she gave it to You Ruxu.
Thirty-five yuan.
And You Ruxu came back to this rented apartment with her.
Zhou Tianzui paused in the act of drying her hair, sat on the tatami mat, and looked down at the teddy bear. Seeing her focused gaze, You Ruxu couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She looked at the bear, her tone indifferent, “So cheap.”
For a moment, it was unclear whether she was talking about the bear.
Or about You Ruxu.
Or about herself.
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