TGSS - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Transparent

Tears streamed down along Chu He's fingertips, and Liang Zhouyi's suppressed sobs spilled from between her lips. She lifted her palm and looked at the ring through tear-blurred eyes, letting out a short laugh. "Chu He, you really are too much."

The perfectly fitting ring sat snugly on her middle finger. She stroked its surface with affection, then suddenly clenched her fist and pinched her palm hard. It was not a dream, but everything had come so easily that it felt intensely unreal, almost dreamlike.

Liang Zhouyi's voice trembled at the end. She reached out and embraced Chu He right in front of her, letting action speak for words. Tears slipped along their pressed cheeks and down to her neck, scalding hot, with a force that seemed to burn everything away. Even if this really was a dream, she could not bear to wake up.

Chu He stiffened slightly at the sudden embrace, then quickly wrapped her arms around her slender shoulders. The mission had not shown as completed, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Ding...

The sound nearly made Chu He's heart stop. The System, which had not appeared for a long time, offered congratulations. "Congratulations in advance, Host, on completing the mission. It seems you have chosen to take this path after all."

Chu He suppressed a flicker of anger. "What path? You really are busy, only showing up to scare me."

"It's not as if you're the only Host I have. There was a year-end performance review recently, and the Main Deity cares a great deal about such things."

"Your Main Deity sounds quite... quite the capitalist, huh? Sys, can I ask you for something..." Chu He finally voiced her request.

The System seemed not to have expected this request from Chu He. It seemed to struggle for a long time before replying. "According to regulations, it is not allowed, but the Host has completed missions very efficiently, which has saved us a lot of energy. Your humble System can submit an application and see if it works."

Liang Zhouyi breathed in the scent of Chu He's hair and only after a long time did she fully calm down. She let go somewhat at a loss, trying hard to regain her usual composure, but faced with Chu He's brand new status, she could not help recalling her own madness of the past few days and did not know what to do with herself.

"What kind of expression is that?" Chu He saw her awkward, almost nervous look, as if she even recoiled from her touch, so she caught Liang Zhouyi's hand and held it tight again, teasing her. "You were not this coy in bed two days ago."

Liang Zhouyi instinctively tried to pull her hand back but failed, so she lowered her voice to stop her. "Chu He, stop talking."

After speaking, she glanced around awkwardly to see others' reactions, but the quiet corner had drawn no attention at all.

"Liang Zhouyi," Chu He said with amusement, "we are just dating, not doing anything heinous. Why are you acting so sneaky?"

Liang Zhouyi's gaze fell on their clasped hands. "You... tsk, at least stop saying 'in bed' every other sentence."

Chu He licked her lips. This version of Liang Zhouyi instantly brought out her mischievous streak. As if thinking of something, she leaned close to Liang Zhouyi. "If you do not like being on top, let me try next time. I prefer to take the initiative."

Liang Zhouyi was thrown into disarray by her words, her face flushing crimson as she said viciously, "You couldn't."

After saying this, she feared Chu He would start arguing with her on the spot, so she pulled Chu He out of the shop.

Chu He let herself be pulled along obediently, following Liang Zhouyi's steps lazily, the tension in her heart easing.

"I need to go to the company," Chu He said suddenly after getting in the car.

Liang Zhouyi said, "Haven't you already handed everything over?"

Chu He gave a light cough. "I want to take my plants home and say hello to Tan Qing while I'm there. Then we can set off. Let's go to Y Province first."

Liang Zhouyi was taken aback. "But I still want to save a little more money. If we start before we're ready, I probably won't have enough funds to sustain my long-term plans."

Chu He lifted her chin. "It is fine, I have money."

Liang Zhouyi narrowed her eyes. "But I do not want your money. Besides, are you sure your brother will not use this as some kind of leverage to come after me in the future?"

"How could he..." Chu He denied it quickly at first, then became a little uncertain. She could not quite gauge Chu Ze's temperament, and the more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed. After all, he was ruthless.

Liang Zhouyi continued, "Wen Xiaoying did the same thing back then to save on the platform's cut: she privately took money from a male fan, whose wife later turned around and reported her. The matter blew up, and every cent was returned."

Hearing that name suddenly, Chu He frowned. "How is that the same? I am not your patron."

Liang Zhouyi was noncommittal, and the topic was shelved. The car ran smoothly. Though it was the most familiar scenery on the way to work, in the cramped space at this moment, the exchange of glances bred ambiguity, and the air grew thick. Liang Zhouyi could not suppress the upturn of her lips as she reached out to touch the ring, a little shy. "When exactly did you prepare this? I thought you..."

Chu He held back a laugh. "Thought I was just playing with you? You still haven't answered me. Why can't I? What am I lacking?"

Liang Zhouyi recalled how inexperienced Chu He had been and put on a cold expression. "You're no good at any of it."

If she really let her take charge, it would turn the world upside down.

Though very unconvinced, Chu He swallowed her retort. Fine, she would humor Liang Zhouyi for now. In any case, it would not be up to Liang Zhouyi then.

---

Tan Qing rushed over from outside to pick up Chu He and Liang Zhouyi, carrying his equipment and somewhat out of breath. "You disappeared for several days, I called you and you did not answer. If you had not still replied to my messages, I would have called the police."

Tan Qing was about to say more when he suddenly froze, like a squeaky chicken whose neck had been squeezed. He rubbed his eyes, his jaw nearly dropping at the sight of their clasped hands. "What is going on here? Were you two not still fighting over the engagement a few days ago..."

Realizing he had let something slip, Tan Qing quickly covered his mouth, blinking, at a loss for a moment.

"Oh, really?" Chu He smiled. "That mouth of yours is still too noisy. You spill everything, whether you should say it or not."

"No way," Tan Qing retorted. "Last time, Liang Zhouyi told me not to tell you that she had seen you with that woman. I didn't."

Liang Zhouyi: "..."

Forget it, this person is hopeless. Liang Zhouyi pressed her forehead, silently turning her face away to avoid looking at him.

"I will settle accounts with you when I have time!" Chu He glared at him fiercely. "How has the company been lately? You did not kill my plants, did you?"

Tan Qing shrank back, a little guilty. "The company is actually doing pretty well. Wen Xiaoying has already terminated her contract, and she probably can't make a comeback. It's just your money tree... it may have had a little accident."

Chu He did not understand until she saw the bald plant, her vision darkening, barely recognizing it.

"Where are my leaves!"

Tan Qing mumbled, "Maybe it is winter, so it is losing hair?"

Chu He nearly launched a kick at him. "I think you won't be needing that little bit of hair either."

"Fine, it is just a small potted plant. I cannot watch over it all the time. Zheng Xinyan scalded it to death with boiling water." Tan Qing quickly shifted the blame.

Liang Zhouyi held back the somewhat agitated Chu He and exchanged a look with Tan Qing, as if neither of them understood when Chu He had developed this habit of buying little things.

Tan Qing packed Chu He's things one by one and put them in the trunk, only then putting on a somewhat distant expression. "Chu He, sorry, let us not contact each other for a while."

Chu He understood. "What did Chu Ze do that you cannot talk about?"

Tan Qing frowned. At first he had not known why Chu Ze acted that way, but now seeing the two completely entangled, what was there not to understand? His tone was a little awkward. "You know, I cannot go against my family either. I am afraid I cannot help much with you and Liang Zhouyi."

"It is fine," Chu He said, showing understanding. She had never expected Tan Qing to do anything anyway.

Liang Zhouyi fell silent, a faint panic rising in her heart. Chu He hated trouble. Wouldn't she eventually grow tired of dealing with all this mess?

"Goodbye," Chu He waved to him, watching Tan Qing's retreating figure. At this moment she did not know this farewell would be the end of her acquaintance with Tan Qing.

"Chu He, is it worth it for me?" Liang Zhouyi's palms were a little cold. She could hear the seriousness of the situation in Tan Qing's tone.

Chu He carefully counted the things and closed the trunk. She glanced sideways, smiling. "Is it still too late for me to regret now?"

Liang Zhouyi's face quickly turned cold. "Do not make that kind of joke, it makes me sad."

Chu He immediately raised her hands in surrender. "My fault. But classmate Liang Zhouyi, if you do not trust yourself, you should trust me. I will never regret the choices I have made in this life."

"Liang Zhouyi, I now invite you to start a new year, a new journey with me. Are you willing to take me on your travels?" Chu He spoke in a playful tone, but every tiny change in her expression showed how serious she was.

Liang Zhouyi laughed along and lightly thumped Chu He's chest. "Before that, I want to take you home with me for a visit, so you can see my mother one last time. I'm not sure this will be my last time going home."

Chu He had never imagined that she could sit peacefully at the same table with Liang Zhouyi and her mother. Liang Zhouyi's family home was in a remote town within the city limits. Her mother earned a little money doing odd jobs, so Liang Zhouyi was still the main source of living expenses for her mother and younger brother.

By the time they drove to the vicinity of Liang Zhouyi's home, it was already night. The two walked along the pitch-black path, a dog across the river barking wildly. The noise brought Liang Zhouyi's mother out in her apron before Liang Zhouyi even had time to open the door.

"Zhou Yi," Mother Liang rubbed her hands excitedly when she saw Liang Zhouyi, but the smile on her face froze when she glanced at Chu He.

"Hello, Auntie," Chu He said with a polite smile. She really did not have much goodwill toward Liang Zhouyi's mother.

Liang's Mother's originally fawning and hopeful look instantly turned gloomy. She looked at Liang Zhouyi. "Why did you not tell me in advance you were coming back? Have you eaten?"

In the end, she did not stop Chu He from entering, simply acting as if she had not seen her. Since her quarrel with Liang Zhouyi last time, Mother Liang had not been able to reach her by phone, and could not find her even when she went to the apartment. She herself did not know how to face this daughter who bristled with thorns, unable to forgive her yet no longer able to keep berating her.

Hu Baofeng was half-reclining on the sofa. When he saw Liang Zhouyi, he did not acknowledge her, merely giving a cold snort before scampering upstairs with his phone. A mess of dishes lay spread across the table. Mother Liang tidied up in a fluster, saying awkwardly, "Zhou Yi, your company will be on holiday soon, right? Come back earlier for the New Year this year, I will make you something delicious. You could ask for leave, come back early, and get to know more friends..."

"Mom, this is my girlfriend, Chu He," Liang Zhouyi frowned and interrupted her fantasy. Would making friends just be another bizarre blind date she had dug up from somewhere?

"Liang Zhouyi!" Mother Liang's hand froze as she wiped the table. She put down the rag and clutched her chest, breathing heavily. Her other hand, dry, red, and swollen, gripped the corner of the table as she hoarsely called Liang Zhouyi's name. "Must you treat me like this? Must you make me unable to hold my head up in front of everyone before you are satisfied? Do you know how they'll point fingers at me and curse me behind my back?"

"Then just treat me as if you do not have this shameful daughter," Liang Zhouyi said softly but firmly. "I came today to take my remaining things. I probably will not come back again."

"What do you mean?" The muscles on Mother Liang's still elegant face twitched faintly, her expression desolate. "You mean you do not want to acknowledge me as your mother anymore? Do you have any conscience, Liang Zhouyi? You take after your father!"

Hearing her say this, Liang Zhouyi remained completely unmoved. "You will always be my mother, so I will give you what I should. It is just that I do not think we need to see each other again."

Slap!

The slap snapped Liang Zhouyi's head to the side. Chu He pulled her close, her expression dark with terrifying anger. Liang Zhouyi stroked her cheek and shook her head at Chu He. She licked the corner of her lip and continued, "What needed to be said I already made very clear last time. If you still insist on arguing over who was right or wrong in that matter, then do you not also bear responsibility? If it had not been for you and Hu Baofeng in the year of my college entrance exams, I would not have ended up at that school, much less met Wen Xiaoying, would I?"

"You... you ungrateful wretch, I should have strangled you when I gave birth to you," Mother Liang said with bloodshot eyes, her lips trembling, her expression distraught.

Even though she no longer cared, she could still vaguely recall the young woman who had shielded her beneath her body and faced that man's club alone. Liang Zhouyi's heart could not help but twinge. She took a deep breath and continued, "As for Hu Baofeng, if you continue to spoil him blindly, then his future will be yours to bear. I will not take care of him in any way again."

"He is your brother!"

"He is your son," Liang Zhouyi's voice overpowered Mother Liang's. "I have said all I have to say."

There was very little Liang Zhouyi needed to pack. Most of it had already been taken to her rented apartment. She only packed some childhood photos and small things like notebooks. When she and Chu He left, her mother's curses continued to pour out, along with pots and pans thrown at them. Until the end, Mother Liang still held a shred of fantasy that perhaps Liang Zhouyi was speaking in anger, even though the truth was not so.

Chu He held herself back until her lungs felt ready to burst, barely managing not to lash out. Liang Zhouyi, on the other hand, felt a great weight lift from her heart. The shackles she had carried for so long had disappeared at some unknown time. She gripped Chu He's hand to comfort her. "Do not be angry, this is the last time. From now on, nothing can hold me back anymore."

If anything can hold me back, it can only be you.

Just as Liang Zhouyi finished saying this, she blinked hard, her hand loosening unconsciously. She thought she saw Chu He's shoulder turn slightly transparent, but the glimpse was so brief that she wondered if it had only been her imagination.

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