Chapter 22: Closeness
You Ruxu sat in the backseat, next to Yu Qiao. This was perhaps the first time she had been so close to Yu Qiao. Yu Qiao seemed to have mistaken her for Zhou Tianzui, leaning against her shoulder and calling out, “Xiao Tian.”
Zhou Tianzui, driving, didn’t say anything.
You Ruxu was silent for a few seconds, then replied, “Mm.”
Yu Qiao asked, “What’s the date today?”
You Ruxu said, “The 23rd.”
“The 23rd.” Yu Qiao said, “Your dad is getting paid in a few days, let’s take you to the amusement park, alright? Last time you didn’t get to ride the roller coaster, you were so upset.”
You Ruxu looked at Zhou Tianzui, who was driving.
Zhou Tianzui’s profile was obscured by the headlights of oncoming cars. You Ruxu said, “Okay.”
She didn’t know what else to say, only agreeing.
Yu Qiao continued to ramble, “Your dad too, still hasn’t come home so late. It’s raining heavily, should we take him an umbrella?” She then said, “It’s raining so hard, Xiao Tian.”
You Ruxu turned to look out the window. The rain really was heavy.
Yu Qiao chattered along the way, sometimes about family matters, sometimes about her father, and then about Zhou Tianzui: “Your teacher called me yesterday. You’re still being naughty at school, acting like a three-year-old. It’s all your dad’s fault for spoiling you!”
Zhou Tianzui continued to drive in silence.
You Ruxu closed her eyes, feeling Yu Qiao lean against her more heavily. She took a thin blanket from the side and covered Yu Qiao, listening to the gradually steadying rhythm of her breathing.
The car was quiet. No one spoke until Zhou Tianzui parked.
The car stopped downstairs. Zhou Tianzui turned around and looked at You Ruxu in the darkness. She said, “Are you scared?”
You Ruxu’s voice was hoarse, her throat itchy. She coughed twice and said, “No.”
Yu Qiao also woke up. She sat up, looking at Zhou Tianzui in confusion: “Xiao Tian?”
Then she saw You Ruxu: “Xiao Xu, why…”
She didn’t finish her question.
She seemed to realize what she had done.
Her face paled.
You Ruxu said, “Auntie, we saw you on the road just now and gave you a ride back.”
“Oh.” Yu Qiao gratefully accepted the excuse, “I’m getting old, my mind isn’t what it used to be. I probably wanted to go out and buy something. Have you two eaten dinner yet?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Not yet.”
“Perfect, let’s eat at home.” Yu Qiao said, “I just bought some ribs, I’ll make you some soup.”
You Ruxu looked at Yu Qiao.
For a moment, she was disoriented.
She thought Yu Qiao’s “you two” referred to Zhou Tianzui and her father.
She quickly snapped back to reality and said, “Thank you, Auntie.”
“You’re welcome.” Yu Qiao got out of the car, looking at the damp car seats. “I’ll wipe them down for you later.”
“No need.” You Ruxu said, “They’ll dry soon.”
“Alright then.” Yu Qiao said, “Let’s go upstairs.”
Her attitude towards You Ruxu was warmer than usual, less distant. Zhou Tianzui followed them into the apartment.
You Ruxu had been here twice before, during the New Year when she didn’t go home, and Yu Qiao had invited her over. But Yu Qiao had always kept a certain distance. You Ruxu sensed that Yu Qiao was a little afraid of her, so she rarely came here.
Today, it was different.
Yu Qiao went into her room to change clothes and said to Zhou Tianzui, “Xiao Tian, get Xiao Xu some clothes to change into. You two should change quickly.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Okay.”
She looked at You Ruxu: “Come to my room.”
You Ruxu followed Zhou Tianzui to her room.
Zhou Tianzui rarely came home, but her room was tidy and dust-free. The bedding on the bed had a fresh laundry scent. You Ruxu stood behind her as Zhou Tianzui rummaged through the closet, asking, “What do you want to wear, a tracksuit?”
You Ruxu said, “Anything is fine.”
Zhou Tianzui searched, finding clothes from years ago, even dresses from her university days. Looking at them, she suddenly wanted to see what You Ruxu would look like in a dress and took one out, handing it to her. You Ruxu was slightly surprised: “Don’t you have a tracksuit?”
“They’re too small.” She looked at You Ruxu. “You won’t fit.”
You Ruxu muttered, “Are they really that small?”
Zhou Tianzui looked at her, smiling: “Don’t you touch them every night? Don’t you know whether they’re small or not?”
“I…” Seeing her playful expression, You Ruxu didn’t retort. Zhou Tianzui handed her the dress. You Ruxu hesitated for a moment, then took it, about to go to the bathroom, when she heard Zhou Tianzui say, “Change here.”
They were face to face.
Zhou Tianzui said, “I don’t have any new underwear here, wear mine for now, make do.”
They were neatly folded and placed in a drawer on the side. Zhou Tianzui took out a set and handed it to You Ruxu. You Ruxu had never worn her clothes before. She held them like a hot potato, her face instantly flushing, the redness spreading across her pale skin.
Zhou Tianzui looked at her blushing face and pursed her lips.
Her gaze softened.
You Ruxu said, “You change first then.”
Zhou Tianzui asked, “Why?” She said, “Do you want me to help you?”
“No.” You Ruxu refused, watching as Zhou Tianzui undressed. Her skin beneath the undergarments was pale, the scars on her lower back visible. Zhou Tianzui didn’t seem to mind, her fingers on the buttons. Just before she unbuttoned her shirt, she turned around, her back to You Ruxu.
Her shoulder blades were delicate, moving like butterfly wings as she undressed, the lines exceptionally beautiful.
Zhou Tianzui finished dressing, putting on a T-shirt and a beige jacket, and said to You Ruxu, “I’ll go out first.”
You Ruxu breathed a sigh of relief, still clutching Zhou Tianzui’s clothes tightly in her hand.
After Zhou Tianzui left, You Ruxu changed her clothes. Although they slept in the same bed every day, their relationship wasn’t truly intimate. Zhou Tianzui never talked about the past, and neither did she ask about You Ruxu’s. All the excuses You Ruxu had prepared remained unspoken.
They were like two animals, huddling together for warmth in the cold.
Asking no questions, ready to part ways when the weather warmed.
Even though they might be hurt by each other’s thorns in the process.
In her heart, Zhou Tianzui was like a hedgehog.
But now, she looked like a hedgehog without its thorns. You Ruxu suddenly understood why Zhou Tianzui never talked about the past. She looked down, finished changing, and looked around the room. The furnishings were old, nothing looked new. She felt a little uncomfortable in the ill-fitting dress, especially wearing Zhou Tianzui’s underwear, a strange sense of shame washing over her, but along with this shame came a unique connection and intimacy with Zhou Tianzui.
It seemed that only now were they truly getting to know each other.
Starting to draw closer.
This feeling was absurd.
After all, they slept in the same bed every night.
But You Ruxu didn’t want to deny it. Her heart was beating faster than ever, thinking about Zhou Tianzui.
There was a knock on the door. Zhou Tianzui’s voice called out, “Teacher You.”
Even in the formal address, You Ruxu heard an intimacy she hadn’t heard before, hidden within the polite title, a secret code between them. You Ruxu thought she must be going crazy.
She came back to her senses: “Coming.”
She opened the door. Zhou Tianzui saw her come out in a white dress, without a jacket, and said, “Your jacket’s on the bed.”
You Ruxu turned and saw a blue cotton jacket on the bed. It was a bit much to wear a cotton jacket on a day like this, but they had just been caught in the rain and were indeed cold. She put it on, instantly feeling much warmer.
The aroma of stir-fried dishes wafted from the living room.
Yu Qiao smiled, “Xiao Xu, come sit down. Xiao Tian, pour Xiao Xu a glass of hot water.”
Zhou Tianzui agreed, watching You Ruxu as she stood there, taking a few extra glances. You Ruxu lowered her head, following her gaze. The dress was long, reaching her knees, her calves bare, a little cold when she first came out, but the cotton jacket dispelled the chill.
She asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Zhou Tianzui said, “It fits well.”
She went to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and handed it to You Ruxu, saying, “Keep it, consider it a gift, Teacher You.”
“I—” She couldn’t possibly wear it outside. Before she could say anything, Zhou Tianzui pushed the glass towards her and, while her mother was busy cooking, lightly touched the back of You Ruxu’s hand with her fingertip.
A light tap.
You Ruxu was momentarily speechless, as if a cat had gotten her tongue.
Yu Qiao asked, “What are you two talking about?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Nothing, Mom, Teacher You said she really likes this dress.”
“Xiao Xu likes it?” Yu Qiao returned to the living room with a dish, looked at the dress You Ruxu was wearing, and said, “It looks better on you than on Xiao Tian.”
You Ruxu often wore professional skirts, suits, and black stockings for work, a completely different image from now. Wearing the white dress, without makeup, her skin fair and delicate, her hair loose behind her, she looked like a recent university graduate, untouched by the complexities of society, simple and pure. Yet this air was tempered by her inherent maturity, a beauty difficult to describe.
Like uncut jade.
Yet also like a meticulously crafted masterpiece.
A strange, perfect blend.
Zhou Tianzui sat beside her, admiring this unparalleled beauty.
Yu Qiao busied herself in the kitchen, occasionally asking a question or two, which Zhou Tianzui answered. After sitting quietly beside You Ruxu for a while, she got up and went to the kitchen: “Let me do it, Mom, you go and rest.”
“I’m not tired.” Yu Qiao said, “You rarely come home, how can I let you cook?”
“It’s the same no matter who cooks.” Zhou Tianzui said, “It’s been a while since I cooked for you.”
There was a time when Yu Qiao wasn’t feeling well, and Zhou Tianzui did all the cooking. It had been a long time. Yu Qiao smiled: “Alright, you cook, I’ll cut some fruit.”
Zhou Tianzui took the ladle and watched Yu Qiao busy herself nearby. After cutting the fruit, Yu Qiao said, “Hey, Xiao Xu, she…”
“She won’t overthink it.” Zhou Tianzui said, “And she won’t say anything either.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Remembering earlier, Yu Qiao was a little hesitant, “Xiao Xu is a good person.”
Perhaps because of what happened tonight, Yu Qiao’s feelings towards You Ruxu had shifted slightly. She felt that You Ruxu wasn’t so aloof and distant anymore, her attitude becoming much warmer.
You Ruxu watched the two talking in the kitchen. Soon, Yu Qiao came out with a plate of fruit and said, “Xiao Xu, have some fruit.”
You Ruxu took the plate with both hands: “Thank you, Auntie.”
Although they weren’t as distant as before, it wasn’t easy to suddenly become completely at ease. Yu Qiao looked around, searching for something to say, “The rain probably won’t stop, why don’t you and Xiao Tian stay here for the night?”
Zhou Tianzui emerged from behind Yu Qiao, placing a dish on the table. The food looked delicious, its colors vibrant under the light.
She also said, “The rain is too heavy, stay here for the night.”
You Ruxu looked up at Zhou Tianzui, their eyes meeting. You Ruxu paused, then said, “Okay.”
Zhou Tianzui: Teacher You, help me buy some clothes, you know my size anyway.
You Ruxu: …
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