TGSS - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Extra 2

"What!"

Tan Qing heard Chen Xinluo clearly and the coffee in his hand smashed onto the floor. He asked in disbelief, "You are saying Liang Zhouyi is dating? Wait a second, are you sure you are talking about the Liang Zhouyi I know?"

Chen Xinluo glared hard at him, "Keep your voice down."

Tan Qing still had his mouth hanging open in shock. That was Liang Zhouyi, after all, single since birth for more than twenty years. How could she just leave the single club like that, just like that?

Tan Qing gritted his molars and started guessing one by one, "Who is she with? Zheng Xinyan? Host Zhou? It cannot be Vivian, right!"

Chen Xinluo pressed her forehead helplessly. She gave a bitter smile. She was still deeply shaken by how Chu He had confessed to Liang Zhouyi right in front of her a few days ago. She pulled open the curtains in Tan Qing's office and pointed toward Chu He's office.

Mainly, those two people had absolutely nothing to do with each other, so how had they secretly started dating?

Tan Qing clearly did not understand what she meant. He blinked blankly, "Who?"

Seeing Chen Xinluo's constipated expression, he frowned and walked out on his own. He wanted to see just what kind of miracle worker could win over Liang Zhouyi. So without another word, Tan Qing pulled open the office door, and then he froze solid. The scene before his eyes made him start screaming wildly in his heart.

Chu He was pinning Liang Zhouyi's arms tightly, while Liang Zhouyi sat on the desk leaning backward. Chu He's grip was so strong that Liang Zhouyi's arms went numb. As their lips and teeth tangled, Chu He vaguely sensed the door behind her being pushed open, but the tingling sweetness made her unwilling to let go of Liang Zhouyi, until the woman beneath her bumped her hard. Only then did she straighten up reluctantly and look behind her.

"I..." Meeting Chu He's sharp phoenix eyes, Tan Qing felt a sudden panic for no reason. His eyes widened and he stammered, "You... this thing, I, I, I interrupted..."

Liang Zhouyi's face was still flushed. She glanced at Tan Qing without any embarrassment, just hopped down from Chu He's desk, her long black hair shaking with the movement.

Chen Xinluo, who had followed him, covered her face in agony. She gave a light cough, "Sorry about that, President Chu, this is our company's cameraman, Teacher Tan."

Chu He looked him up and down, a smile curling at the corner of her mouth. She had almost forgotten that Tan Qing did not know her now.

So Chu He gave him a distant, slight nod, "Nice to meet you."

The corner of Tan Qing's eye twitched as he greeted Chu He in a daze. It was actually Chu He. Anyone in this industry knew Chu He. She took up several pages in the industry development research white paper, a ruthless, workaholic she devil. Two women who seemed absolutely impossible to ever date had both started dating at the same time, and with each other. Tan Qing swayed on his feet.

Liang Zhouyi patted the dazed Tan Qing perfunctorily, "I'll treat you to a meal another day, okay."

Tan Qing could only watch helplessly as Liang Zhouyi and Chu He walked out of the office hand in hand.

Looking at the dazzling sunlight outside the office building, Liang Zhouyi felt an urge to cry. She could not help tightening her grip on Chu He's hand.

"Gentler, gentler." Chu He winced a little in pain and leaned toward Liang Zhouyi, unable to resist rubbing against her.

Liang Zhouyi turned to look at her. Compared with the Chu He in her memory, the woman before her seemed much more mature, with a quiet composure settled by time. When she smiled faintly, it made Liang Zhouyi feel completely at ease.

Mature, yes, but it would have been better if this person were not so... so health-conscious.

Since reuniting with Chu He, Liang Zhouyi had come to realize that Chu He had become extremely attentive to her physical health, even... even starting to avoid sexual indulgence. Thinking of this made her teeth ache.

"What is wrong?" Chu He looked at the pensive Liang Zhouyi and her smile stiffened a little. What was this inexplicable feeling of being condemned?

"Nothing." Liang Zhouyi shook her head and looped her arm through Chu He's, asking her, "How do you want to spend New Year's Eve?"

Chu He's body stiffened. Countless not so wholesome ideas flashed through her mind, and in the end she whacked each one back down like playing whack-a-mole.

She sighed inwardly, but kept a perfectly serious face as she said, "It is not that much fun with just the two of us. Let us make it livelier and invite more friends."

Liang Zhouyi's face fell instantly. She gritted her teeth and laughed dryly, "Sure, invite them. Who could be livelier than you?"

Watching Liang Zhouyi pull her hand away and stride forward, Chu He could not help shaking her head with an amused smile. She had only been joking.

"Liang Zhouyi, wait for me!"

Chu He's tone was laced with laughter. The black-haired woman ahead did not stop walking, but she could picture the cute, annoyed pout on Liang Zhouyi's face right now. Her heart felt as soft as if it were soaking in warm water.

What Liang Zhouyi did not expect was that Chu He had not just been talking. She actually knocked and came in while Liang Zhouyi was chatting with Zheng Xinyan and the others.

"President Chu!" Zheng Xinyan was the first to cry out in surprise. Although learning about Liang Zhouyi and Chu He's relationship had hurt her a little, it did not stop her from feeling delighted to see Chu He.

"You are all here. What a coincidence. I have a question I would like to ask everyone."

Liang Zhouyi frowned. She eyed Chu He leaning against the doorframe with a sense of foreboding, because Chu He always had a way of not playing by the rules. The next second, that feeling became reality.

"Do you all usually do any hand exercises?" Chu He looked at everyone expectantly.

Tan Qing:

Zheng Xinyan doubted her own ears. She frowned and exchanged a look with Tan Qing, and they both saw terror in each other's eyes. Was this something you could say out loud?

When Zheng Xinyan saw Chu He nimbly wiggling her ten fingers, she failed to steady herself against the table and slid right off her chair.

The corner of Liang Zhouyi's eye twitched violently. She wished she could rush over and cover Chu He's mouth. Damn it, what on earth was she saying?

Tan Qing seemed to finally come to his senses from the strange atmosphere. His face turned bright red and he asked with some difficulty, "What... hand exercises?"

Chu He looked a little disappointed that he did not understand, "Just some fun hand activities. I wanted to ask if any of you know how to do them."

"I do not know how!" Tan Qing shot straight up from his chair, radiating an aura of righteous integrity from head to toe.

Chu He was a little baffled. If you do not know how, you just do not know how. Was that something to be so proud of that you had to shout it so loudly?

In the end, it was Chen Xinluo who saw the atmosphere growing more and more bizarre and said something to rescue everyone from the awkwardness.

"Mahjong, well, that is not something I have dabbled in."

"So you were talking about mahjong." Zheng Xinyan tugged awkwardly at the corner of her mouth, breaking out in a cold sweat. She fiercely despised her own dirty mind, then said excitedly as if to cover something up, "I know how to play mahjong! Are you inviting us?"

Chu He gave her a suspicious look. What had she thought it was? But Chu He continued, "Yes, New Year's Day is coming up soon, so I wanted to invite you all to spend New Year's Eve together."

Whether to cover up some emotion or not, Tan Qing and Zheng Xinyan agreed to Chu He's invitation without hesitation. Only Liang Zhouyi eyed Chu He with an unreadable expression, clenching her fists tightly. Well then, Chu He really was going to great lengths to avoid certain things.

Regardless, on the last day of the year they came to Chu He's home as promised. The mahjong table in the living room had been wiped over and over by Chu He. She performed some strange ritual over the table, muttering that she would definitely win.

Liang Zhouyi later tactfully asked Chu He whether she was somewhat superstitious. The question visibly deflated Chu He. Her eyes darkened as she answered Liang Zhouyi, "If a person has once been at the end of her rope, she has to believe in something to keep herself going, right?"

"Liang Zhouyi, I am telling you, tonight I will make you lose until you cannot fish a single coin out of your pockets!"

Tan Qing rubbed his hands together eagerly. He refused to believe that just because those two were lucky in love they could also dominate at the gambling table!

Facts proved that Chu He really could. She downed another glass of wine beside her, her spirits soaring. She looked around and found that even someone as steady and calm as Chen Xinluo was starting to fidget. Chu He's luck was damn good!

When Chu He reached for her wine glass again, Liang Zhouyi caught her hand. She was a little dazed, "Where is my wine?"

"Drink less. Move over, let me play." Liang Zhouyi smiled and nudged Chu He. Chu He did not move, looking reluctantly at the tiles in front of her.

"Let Zhou Yi play, President Chu, know when to quit while you are ahead."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Chu He was left both amused and exasperated. Her delicate face was still a little flushed as she pushed the mahjong tiles in front of her forward, "Fine, just do not come crying and begging me to come back later."

What Chu He said was not empty talk at all. Chu He played decisively, knew when to stop, and left people room to breathe. But once Liang Zhouyi sat down, Chen Xinluo could not smile at all. No one had told her Liang Zhouyi's ability to calculate tiles was this formidable.

Unlike Chu He, Liang Zhouyi had a heavy gambling streak and was never content with a simple win. That ability to count tiles combined with the favor of Lady Luck made the others want to back out. If they kept losing, they would literally lose the shirts off their backs.

"No more, no more." Tan Qing was the first to break down, "They say unlucky in love, lucky at cards. It is all fake!"

Liang Zhouyi smiled and tapped the tiles with her finger as she teased him, "Then you do not even have someone to be unlucky in love with."

Tan Qing gritted his teeth resentfully. Unable to come up with a retort, he could only bury his head and gulp down wine.

Chu He held her wine glass without drinking any more, just looking at several people sprawled in all directions across her living room. Luckily her carpet was soft and warm enough.

Liang Zhouyi nudged Tan Qing where he was wriggling on the floor, pushing him a little farther away, and together with Chu He helped the tipsy Zheng Xinyan and Chen Xinluo onto the bed.

"What do we do now?" Liang Zhouyi put her hands on her hips and caught her breath, glancing sideways at the slightly drunk Chu He.

"Come on, I will take you to set off fireworks." The wine was going to Chu He's head, her steps were starting to wobble, and her words were a little jumbled.

"They do not allow fireworks in this compound, right?" Liang Zhouyi hesitated.

"It is fine, I know where the blind spots of the surveillance cameras are." Chu He grinned at her a little smugly.

Seeing her like that, Liang Zhouyi could only play along and place her hand in Chu He's palm. Chu He dragged her around the house rummaging here and there for fireworks, and finally pulled out a red plastic bag, turning to smile at her with a slightly goofy look on her face.

"Pfft." Liang Zhouyi took the bag, half-carried Chu He, and supported her as they stumbled downstairs.

It was ten minutes to midnight. Liang Zhouyi put her phone back in her pocket. Her hands were a little red from the cold outside. She cupped Chu He's hands and breathed warm air onto them. Chu He's lips curved up, and the lenses in front of her eyes were fogged white.

"Silly." Liang Zhouyi scolded softly.

Chu He tilted her head hazily with drink, grabbed Liang Zhouyi's hand, and led her running crookedly through the compound.

Only when they reached the trash cans did Chu He stop. With trembling hands she took the red bag Liang Zhouyi had been carrying and spread the fireworks out on the stone bench nearby.

"Lighter."

Chu He held out her hand to Liang Zhouyi. Her figure looked very slender under the shadows of the trees. The woman wore a white cheongsam with a heavy coat over it, her makeup a little thick, exquisite like a doll. She danced around the lit fireworks, waving her arms, while Liang Zhouyi stood under the lamp with her arms crossed, watching Chu He.

The brilliant fireworks quickly went out. Beautiful things always vanished in an instant, just like the ones she had set off for Chu He on her birthday. But the difference was that the woman standing before her was still looking at her.

When the midnight bell rang on time, scattered fireworks burst in the sky in the distance, and Chu He smiled blearily at Liang Zhouyi.

She suddenly stretched out her arms and threw herself forward. Liang Zhouyi hurried forward in fright and wrapped her arms around her waist, stumbling back two steps from the impact. After hugging Liang Zhouyi, Chu He bounced up and down on the spot giggling, and Liang Zhouyi had no choice but to hold her waist and lift her off the ground.

Chu He closed her eyes and felt her hair flutter in the wind. She held Liang Zhouyi tightly. Above her stretched the night sky, and starlight glittered in her eyes. She gazed quietly at Liang Zhouyi, love overflowing from her moist eyes.

"Liang Zhouyi! I love you, I really love you so, so much..."

Liang Zhouyi's nose stung. She gently set Chu He down, feeling a hot, restless tingling spread through her chest, her blood seeming to boil through her whole body. She reached out to cup Chu He's face, rose onto her tiptoes, and pressed a soft kiss to her red lips. The rich scent of wine spread between their breaths, and Liang Zhouyi felt as if she too were getting drunk.

The kiss was very gentle, lingering and tender, as beautiful as fine snow suddenly fluttering down from the sky. Crystal snowflakes landed in their hair. Chu He and Liang Zhouyi half closed their eyes, focused only on breathing each other's air.

Liang Zhouyi pulled Chu He hard into her arms. She half opened her eyes to watch the snow falling all over the sky. Cold little flakes landed on Liang Zhouyi's face. She brushed the tiny snowflakes from Chu He's head, closed her eyes, and continued the kiss.

Even though her past had been covered in thorns that had once left her bruised all over, she would carry her scars and keep walking forward firmly, because she knew that on this road called life, there was now someone who would walk with her, until the end of time, until the end of the world...

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