Chapter : 14
Zhou Qingluo looked at the ruined cake. “Did you decorate this?”
Lou Yang: “……”
Zhou Qingluo really admired kids with strong learning abilities. He asked sincerely, “Aren’t you a software engineering major? You learned cake decorating in just a month?”
Lou Yang was silent for a moment, then said, “My colleague spent almost three hours decorating that cake!”
Lou Yang glanced at Jiang Shiyan, who was politely attending to the guests, and whispered, “That Jiang Shiyan is such a jerk. He teased someone for four years and dumped them just like that.”
“……”
Zhou Qingluo looked at Jiang Shiyan, who smiled and dealt with the guests as if the earlier incident had nothing to do with him.
Zhou Qingluo then looked at the wilting roses and ruined cake, and sighed deeply.
He suddenly remembered a line of poetry—
“The withered orchids see off the guest on Xianyang road, if heaven has feelings, heaven would also grow old.”
Close to ten in the evening, the banquet ended and the guests had all left. Zhou Qingluo and Lou Yang started clearing the dessert table.
Tonight, their dessert table was especially quiet. No one came by, as if all the sweets, just like the big cake, had been tainted.
Lou Yang lamented, “Even though they already paid, if Sister Cui saw so much left over, she’d feel awful for days. She’d call these people useless, wasting food just for show.”
Zhou Qingluo thought for a moment, then said, “Let’s sell it at the night market.”
Lou Yang: “?”
Zhou Qingluo had been doing delivery for a month and knew the local commercial areas well. There was a night market not far away. Because it was too hot during the day, people only went out at night. The night market was especially lively.
Zhou Qingluo said excitedly, “We have both props and food. Let’s set up a dessert table at the night market and sell it cheaply. It’ll definitely sell.” He paused, then added, “But it’ll be two more hours of hard work. Are you coming?”
Lou Yang really admired Zhou Qingluo. No matter the situation, he always seemed to find a way.
The two immediately agreed.
At the parking lot, Zhou Qingluo felt a bit urgent. “Wait for me, I need to use the restroom.”
Inside the restroom, the smell almost made him choke.
There was a strong mix of smoke and alcohol, and someone was vomiting in a stall.
While Zhou Qingluo was relieving himself, the door suddenly opened, and someone staggered out.
He flushed, pulled up his pants, and was about to zip up when a shadow on the wall was suddenly covered by another shadow.
Zhou Qingluo turned around and nearly screamed.
Song Ling’s hair was messy, his face pale, and his eyes hazy with drunkenness.
Zhou Qingluo calmly zipped up and tried to walk around him.
Song Ling followed step by step. After several rounds back and forth, Zhou Qingluo sighed, speechless.
Song Ling’s eyes twitched, then he suddenly pulled Zhou Qingluo into his arms, burying his head in his neck, holding him so tightly he couldn’t move.
Zhou Qingluo: “???”
The two shadows on the wall intertwined. Zhou Qingluo felt like a wounded leopard had wrapped itself around him, ready to bite if it got upset.
He was thinking this when Song Ling actually bit him lightly on the neck, then licked it as if tending a wound.
Zhou Qingluo snapped awake.
He pushed Song Ling forcefully. “Let go of me!”
Song Ling held him even tighter, voice choked, mumbling drunkenly, “Please, don’t go, don’t leave me. You said you wouldn’t leave me.”
Zhou Qingluo realized Song Ling had mistaken him for his true love.
He was both amused and exasperated. No matter how he coaxed, Song Ling wouldn’t let go and kept mumbling the name of his true love.
“Turns out an embrace deep into the bones hurts this much! Damn!”
Zhou Qingluo went along with it, patting his back to comfort him, gasping: “I’m not leaving, baby. Whoever leaves is a fool. Just let go first before we ruin everything!”
Song Ling finally relaxed slightly. Zhou Qingluo pushed him back.
But Song Ling’s reflex was faster; he grabbed Zhou Qingluo’s waist again, holding him close.
Zhou Qingluo cleared his throat and pointed to his face. “Look closely, I’m Zhou Qingluo.”
Song Ling stared blankly.
Zhou Qingluo tried to stay calm. “The Zhou Qingluo who worked so hard to get close to you? Don’t let me succeed. If something happens between us, you’ll be impure. Impure, and you don’t deserve true love, understand?”
He almost cried at how convincingly he said it.
Song Ling’s scattered gaze slowly focused. His hands around Zhou Qingluo’s waist loosened.
Song Ling murmured his name, “Zhou Qingluo?”
He suddenly remembered that day under Jiang Shiyan’s building, hearing the name made the dark neighborhood light up, the sunflower on his yellow helmet swinging.
And also Zhou Qingluo fussing over a few Red Bull coins at the internet cafe, and the clumsy way he fell while protecting the cake cart.
Song Ling’s expression relaxed. He smiled and let go.
Zhou Qingluo: “?”
“Oh, Zhou Qingluo, that funny guy.”
Zhou Qingluo: “……”
Seeing him teasing like that, and inexplicably taking advantage of him, Zhou Qingluo was annoyed. He gritted his teeth, bent his knees, and forcefully bumped his stomach.
Song Ling cried out in pain and fell to the ground holding his stomach.
Zhou Qingluo: “Wasting time on meaningless things, that’s funny. Isn’t living properly enough?”
Author’s note:
Zhou Qingluo: “Impure, you don’t deserve love.”
Song Ling, with sparkling eyes: “I’m pure as jade, I deserve it.”
Chapter 7
The little incident didn’t affect Zhou Qingluo’s enthusiasm for earning money. He collected his thoughts, organized the remaining desserts from the banquet, and pushed them to the night market.
Lou Yang came along, half-doubting, half-curious, to help Zhou Qingluo set up the stall.
