Chapter 24: Who Will the First Slap Fall Upon? Part 1
Chu Yang had a very good relationship with Zhou Ningyu.
Back when he and Chu Yuanzhou were relying on each other to survive, their other relatives didn’t have much contact with them. They didn’t offer help, but they didn’t kick them while they were down either, which was decent enough.
The only one who truly helped them was likely Zhou Ningyu.
Chu Yuanzhou was a stubborn man with a bit of a chauvinistic streak. Even when life was tight, he wasn’t happy when Chu Yang said he wanted to get a part-time job during the summer break.
Every morning after waking up, he would haul Chu Yang over to Zhou Ningyuâs place and have her keep an eye on him.
For an entire summer, Chu Yang was forced to wake up early. Since he wasn’t allowed to work, what was the point of making him get up so early?!
At that time, he hadn’t reached the legal working age yet anyway, so most people wouldn’t have hired him. The “making money” he had in mind was selling things or tutoring others.
But Chu Yuanzhou, completely oblivious, had conjured up an image of his precious younger brother scrubbing dirty dishes in a grimy kitchen.
Chu Yang: “…”
Chu Yangâs desire to make money was genuine. Zhou Ningyu saw through him and assigned him some small tasks that were indeed very easy.
Every day, he would order lunch for Zhou Ningyu, take some documents to be printed, make her coffee, and organize her files.
Chu Yang didn’t think much of it. He also did his homework in Zhou Ningyuâs office, but he finished his summer assignments so quickly that they were done within a few days.
Bored, he began previewing the curriculum for the next school year in her office. Zhou Ningyu walked over, took a look, and laughed. “Youâre too hardworking. Are you planning to skip a grade?”
Chu Yang shook his head. “Iâm just a bit bored.”
Because Zhou Ningyu was family, his cheeks puffed out slightly in a display of minor discontent.
Zhou Ningyu laughed. “I see. Well then.”
“I see kids nowadays really like playing games. Why don’t you give it a try? Maybe you can make money from this industry in the future.”
Chu Yangâs eyes lit up. He knew there were several very popular games at the moment. His classmates would discuss which skins looked good during breaks, but he hadn’t paid much attention.
When he searched for the game and saw how much memory it took up, he hesitated again.
Zhou Ningyu smiled and handed him her spare phone. “Play on this. There are plenty of skins on the account.”
“Ah? You play too?” Chu Yang was surprised.
“I do. Did you think I only know how to work?” Zhou Ningyu laughed and pinched his cheek.
Chu Yang blushed slightly. “Does it matter if I lose?”
Zhou Ningyu: “No, itâs just a game. Winning or losing doesn’t matter as long as youâre having fun. Youâre still young, so don’t care too much about virtual victories or losses, and don’t get addicted, okay?”
“I know.” Chu Yang didn’t rashly jump into a match. He went to the training camp first to get a basic understanding before starting a quick match.
He was very talented, winning far more than he lost.
He was also very well-behaved; he wouldn’t ask for the phone unless Zhou Ningyu offered it.
Zhou Ningyu liked him very much and would often hand him the phone as soon as she entered the office.
However, Chu Yang wouldn’t start playing the moment he received it. He only played when Zhou Ningyu was actually in the office. The rest of the time… wherever Zhou Ningyu went, he followed.
This included inspections and meetings.
Chu Yang wasn’t a small child anymore, so it wasn’t strictly appropriate, but Zhou Ningyu was happy to have him. Chu Yang would watch Zhou Ningyu sitting in the center, her curly hair draped behind her, listening to project briefings… even her nails were very beautiful.
It could be said that before he had anyone he liked, his mental image of a partner was essentially someone like Zhou Ningyu.
He liked the “older sister” type.
Zhou Ningyu was highly capable and handled matters with thunderous efficiency. She occasionally lost her temper, and she didn’t hold back even when Chu Yang was there. But Chu Yang wasn’t afraid of her; he would wait for her to finish venting before speaking to her, and her anger would dissipate quickly.
The assistants noticed this and began to treat Chu Yang like a calming charm. Fortunately, Chu Yang usually stayed right by her side.
A week before summer break ended, Chu Yuanzhou stopped sending Chu Yang to Zhou Ningyuâs. He had received a decent salary and planned to take Chu Yang out for a few days.
To Chu Yangâs surprise, Zhou Ningyu actually paid him a salary. It wasn’t much, and the note read: [Salary for the little assistant]. It was like getting pocket money.
But seeing those words made Chu Yang very happy. Before he could say anything, Zhou Ningyu sent him another transfer, saying it was a reward for helping her rank up.
During the summer, the new season had caused her rank to drop. Zhou Ningyu hadn’t expected Chu Yang to be so gifted that he hit the highest rank in no time.
This actually made Zhou Ningyu reluctant to play, fearing her own lack of skill would cause her rank to drop again.
After the transfer, she insisted Chu Yang accept it and told him to come play again during the winter break.
Chu Yuanzhou frowned unhappily as he looked at their chat logs, but he didn’t say anything.
Chu Yang stayed with Zhou Ningyu for several holidays until she moved to another city due to company changes. He thought she wouldn’t come back, but unexpectedly, she hadâand she was staying for a while.
She said it was for a project and that sheâd return once it was finished; she might even stay until after the New Year.
Chu Yang was very happy. He didn’t have many relatives, so he cherished those who were good to him.
Thus, as soon as he heard Zhou Ningyu was returning, he couldn’t wait to confirm the time with Chu Yuanzhou and asked Zhou Ningyu if she needed him to pick her up.
Zhou Ningyu: “Sure. If youâre free, come pick me up. Big sister will take you out to eat.”
Chu Yang: “Iâm free. I don’t have classes in the morning.”
Zhou Ningyu: “Okay.”
On the day of Zhou Ningyuâs arrival, Chu Yang woke up early to get ready despite having no morning classes. Si Yao and the other two were surprised; they were used to waking up early, but why was Chu Yang?
Seeing him stand in front of the wardrobe for about three minutes made them feel even more that something was off. Was he going out?
Xie An immediately asked, “Do you have something to do? You have classes this afternoonâdo you need to take leave?”
The alarm had been set in advance, so it wasn’t a sudden emergency. Unless he was taking leave, Chu Yang shouldn’t be tossing and turning like this. It was a probe.
Chu Yang took out the clothes he wanted to change into and shook his head. “Picking someone up. Not taking leave; I’ll be back for classes this afternoon.”
“Okay.” Xie An didn’t ask further. Any more would be crossing a line.
But Si Yao clearly wasn’t someone who could let it go. To Xie Anâs satisfaction, he immediately followed up: “Picking who up? Not your brother, right? Youâre a student; why do you have to pick him up so early?”
“Itâs not my brother.” Chu Yang glanced at him, clearly having no intention of saying more.
He quickly changed and headed out. It wasn’t very cold these two days, so he just wore a thick grey hoodie paired with black trousers. He looked slender and every bit the fresh college student.
Chu Yangâs steps were light as he headed straight for the parking lot. He was in a good mood, a smile on his lips and earphones in his ears.
Suddenly, someone blocked his path. Chu Yang hooked his thumb into his earphone cord, the wire winding around his long fingers. “Is something the matter?”
“Hello… Chu Yang, I like you.” The person in front of him was flushing red, nervously handing over a love letter and chocolate.
Chu Yang didn’t have classes in the morning, and most people knew he liked to sleep in. They didn’t know his schedule for today, so there was no telling how long this person had been waiting downstairs.
Chu Yang sighed inwardly and said seriously, “I’m truly sorry, but I really don’t like men.”
The personâs hand stiffened, their eyes reddening, yet they were unwilling to leave. “But… youâve never had a girlfriend either. Many people might confuse their specific sexual orientation before theyâve been in a relationship… You can try with mâ”
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