Еxtra Chарter: Thinking оf Peасh
During hеr first уеаr of high schоol, Shang Zhi Tao's clаss hеld a Nеw Yeаr's Еvе рartу, оrgаnizеd bу the сlass cultural соmmitteе member who еncourаged evеrуоnе tо реrform. Thаt уeаr's rulе wаs that еverуоne had tо hаve а performаnce, evеn if it mеаnt plаying a treе.
Тhе clаss hаd mаnу аrtistiс students, аnd singing аnd danсing slots fillеd up immediаtelу. Тhе homеrооm tеacher thеn suggested, "Let's not all just sing аnd dance; it might mаke our сlass sееm laсking in talent." So, some male classmates hurriedly learned magic tricks overnight. Shang Zhi Tao and He Yun exchanged glances, suddenly at a loss for ideas.
They volunteered to play a tree or hold up signs for other performances, but the classroom was too small—there was simply no space for a tree alongside the singing and dancing acts.
Finally, Shang Zhi Tao said to the cultural committee member, "How about I perform calligraphy? He Yun can grind the ink."
"Great! After you finish, we'll frame it and hang it at the back of the classroom. That would be very meaningful."
The classmates Shang Zhi Tao encountered back then were quite fun. Though there were troublemakers in the class, they were all good to her, likely because she always sincerely wished others well.
Shang Zhi Tao and He Yun indeed performed calligraphy and ink grinding. With a small table set up in the classroom, they began their performance halfway through the party. The host introduced, "Next, Shang Zhi Tao and He Yun will perform calligraphy simultaneously. Other performances will continue, and the calligraphy will be displayed at the end."
Every class was holding parties, but Shang Zhi Tao's class had the fragrance of ink. As soon as the school leaders entered, they smelled it and laughed, "Calligraphy as a performance—that's quite nice."
And so it passed.
Shang Zhi Tao and He Yun breathed a sigh of relief. School ended early that day, and as they packed up their stationery and left the classroom, they saw some senior male students. Spotting Shang Zhi Tao, they whispered among themselves, "Is that the student who performed calligraphy?"
It seemed so.
A couple of days later, someone slipped Shang Zhi Tao a love letter in the hallway. She asked, "Who is this for?"
"I don't know!" The male student blushed and walked away. Shang Zhi Tao didn’t know who to give it to either—it certainly wasn’t for her—so she thought she’d ask the boy for clarification if she saw him again. But she forgot what he looked like, and the matter was dropped. She was quite oblivious.
Shang Zhi Tao had always thought that only Xin Zhaozhou had liked her during her school days because his affection was so obvious. The first time he saw her, he told his classmates, "From now on, during lectures in the auditorium, save me the seat next to Shang Zhi Tao."
"And in the cafeteria, stand behind her in line."
"Reserve the seat opposite hers in the library."
"Wherever you see her, let me know immediately."
The fuss was too much. At first, her female classmates told her, "That class heartthrob Xin Zhaozhou likes you."
"Why would he like me?" Shang Zhi Tao refused to believe it. She just thought it was a coincidence that Xin Zhaozhou sat opposite her in the library, stood behind her in the cafeteria line, and a week or two later, during lectures, her female classmates would leave a seat beside her, which Xin Zhaozhou would quickly occupy.
In her naivety, she watched as Xin Zhaozhou stood before her, blushing, and said, "Shang Zhi Tao, I like you."
In the winter of Nanjing, he carried flowers in his arms and gave them to her.
So he really did like her.
She truly was a slow-to-realize person; only when someone showed clear favoritism could she sense it. Now, she could feel Luan Nian's love for her because his partiality was too evident.
When Shang Zhi Tao opened her eyes, the sky was already bright.It seemed like she hadn't slept this well in a long time. Drawing back the curtains, she saw the gloomy, dim sky outside and could feel the humidity even from inside the window. It was about to rain.
Luan Nian had his arm over his eyes: "Shang Zhi Tao! Close the curtains!"
"No!"
Luan Nian jumped out of bed, pulled the curtains shut, picked her up, and tossed her back onto the bed: "Close your eyes! Sleep!"
Locking her against his chest, his tone wasn't particularly pleasant: "Hurry up!"
"Okay."
Shang Zhi Tao closed her eyes; she really did want to go back to sleep. She wrapped her arm around Luan Nian's waist, found a comfortable spot for her leg between his, and drifted off again. The two best nights of sleep she had each week were when Luan Nian was with her. This tyrant wouldn't allow her to wake up early—as long as he was there, they slept until the sun was high in the sky.
This time, they slept until the afternoon.
When they opened their eyes, it was indeed raining outside—a torrential downpour.
"The weather forecast says it'll rain for two or three days. The Monday morning flight will probably be delayed."
"Monday is a full day of meetings. I can join remotely. Let's leave on Tuesday."
Over the past two years, everyone had developed the habit and ability to work and collaborate remotely. Lumi said to Shang Zhi Tao: "I really wish you could teleport your husband—my stubborn donkey, the head of Lamy China—back to Beijing on time every Sunday."
"Why?"
"Because when he's not in the office, our lives are even harder."
When Luan Nian worked remotely, he faced fewer distractions, making his mind even sharper. He went through each department's work one by one, leaving behind a long list of to-dos. When he was in the office, he met with this person and that, so the to-dos were fewer, and life was a bit easier.
The two of them lay in bed watching the rain outside. Luan Nian played his "lazy" playlist, and neither of them spoke. Shang Zhi Tao traced her finger along Luan Nian's chin; the stubble on his face made her heart itch a little.
Shang Zhi Tao's phone rang. She casually picked it up and glanced at it—it was actually Xin Zhaozhou: "How have you been lately? I heard you got married."
Shang Zhi Tao glanced at Luan Nian and tossed her phone aside, not wanting to reply to Xin Zhaozhou in front of him because Luan Nian was a "petty man."
Luan Nian wasn't a perfect lover; his flaws were as numerous as his strengths. Possessiveness was his biggest flaw, and Shang Zhi Tao knew it well. Just the name "Xin Zhaozhou" was enough to make him angry.
"Not replying?"
"Huh?"
"Aren't you going to reply to the message?" Luan Nian asked her. He didn't even need to look intentionally to know she was feeling guilty.
"...It's not urgent."
"Xin Zhaozhou?"
"?"
He had seen it when she opened her phone—this guy was really sneaky.
"He's asking how you've been lately! Not replying?" Luan Nian gave her a sidelong glance, clearly implying, "Let's see what you're up to."
"I'll reply." Shang Zhi Tao took out her phone and replied to Xin Zhaozhou: "Yeah, I got married. I'm doing pretty well."
"Just that?" Luan Nian was clearly dissatisfied. "Doing pretty well" wasn't specific enough. He wanted Shang Zhi Tao to reply in more detail—like saying her husband was especially handsome or treated her particularly well—so that "pretty well" would have a concrete shape.
Speaking of "husband," Shang Zhi Tao never called him "husband."
As if the word "husband" was somehow strange.
"Should I add more details? That would seem like showing off. No need, right?" Shang Zhi Tao tossed her phone aside again. "I'm hungry."
"Then go cook."
"I'm not good at cooking.""I'm six years older than you, so chances are I'll die before you. You can't cook—what will you eat when I'm gone?"
"..."
Shang Zhi Tao scoffed, wrapped herself in clothes, jumped off the bed, and after a quick wash, headed to the kitchen. The house had everything, but when she saw the ingredients, she had no idea where to start. Luan Nian stood there watching her fumble around until she finally gave up, turning to him with a pitiful look, silently pleading for help.
"Call me husband."
"?"
"Call me husband, and I'll cook for you."
Luan Nian wanted to hear how it felt when Shang Zhi Tao called him husband. What was the point of getting married if he never even heard the word "husband"? Wouldn't that make it a wasted marriage? Did he just marry a buddy?
Shang Zhi Tao hesitated for a long time before awkwardly uttering, "Husband."
Luan Nian's mouth twitched downward—it felt really strange. "Don't call me that again."
He pushed Shang Zhi Tao out of the kitchen. Recently, she had taken to gnawing on bones like a dog. Luan Nian had pressure-cooked a pot of lamb spine the night before, and now he turned on the heat, asking Shang Zhi Tao to wash the vegetables. Then he put on a raincoat, dressed Luke in one too, and took him downstairs to pee. Luke was getting old and wasn't as energetic as before. The wet grass was slippery, and he stumbled. Luan Nian chuckled in the rain, teasing him, "Not so tough anymore, huh?"
Luke probably understood, barking at Luan Nian in response.
"Nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone gets old someday," Luan Nian said, deliberately hitting Luke's sore spots.
The rain poured heavily, soaking both man and dog. Luan Nian hung the raincoat by the door, pulled Luke over to dry and blow-dry his fur, worried he might get sick. They said older dogs couldn't afford to fall ill—each sickness aged them further—so the whole family treated Luke like a treasure. Even Dr. Liang, whenever he saw him, would fuss over him like a precious relic, even giving him a proper check-up.
Luan Nian teased Dr. Liang, "You didn't study veterinary medicine."
"The principles of medicine are universal, don't you know?" Dr. Liang said after examining Luke. "Our Luke is in great shape, healthy as can be. He'll live to be a long-lived dog."
After all the fuss, the lamb spine was ready. The two sat at the dining table, ready to eat. Shang Zhi Tao suggested having a drink, but Luan Nian refused. "I'm not drinking."
Luan Nian had quit smoking and drinking because Dr. Liang had once casually mentioned: as you get older, if you still plan to have a child, it's best to quit smoking and drinking. He didn't smoke much—just a few cigarettes a day, sometimes none—but he drank often. Ever since Dr. Liang said that, he hadn't touched a drop.
"I think we can have a little, husband," Shang Zhi Tao teased him deliberately, laughing when she saw goosebumps rise on Luan Nian's neck. "Now you call me 'wife' and see how it feels!"
"Wife."
Shang Zhi Tao savored the word for a moment—it wasn't bad.
"Just a little drink?" Shang Zhi Tao wanted a small sip, but Luan Nian handed her a soda water. "You're not drinking either."
"You used to say there were no taboos," Shang Zhi Tao protested.
"Try drinking and see what happens?" Luan Nian didn't bother arguing, just glared at her.
Shang Zhi Tao obediently took a sip of soda water, then put on disposable gloves to gnaw on the lamb spine. She loved chewing bones, so Luan Nian had cooked a pot of lamb spine and leg bones just for her. She felt deeply content.
"So, Xin Zhaozhou just wanted to catch up with you?" Luan Nian asked her. He was so petty—even after an hour, he still remembered this.
"No."
"?""He transferred five thousand yuan to me, saying it was to wish me a happy marriage. I didn’t accept it."
Luan Nian glanced at her. Shang Zhi Tao really knew how to handle things.
"Why did he transfer money to you?" Luan Nian asked again.
"...Because he got married... I..." It was a wedding gift. It’s been so many years, and we won’t even see each other now—it’s just a gesture. After all, there’s still some friendship left from our school days.
"Accept it."
"What?"
"The wedding gift he sent you—accept it."
"And then?"
"I’ve had my eye on a hat. Buy it for me."
"..."
Shang Zhi Tao still couldn’t quite read Luan Nian. She thought he’d be jealous, but it turned out he just didn’t want to lose out. So she picked up her phone, accepted the transfer, and thanked Xin Zhaozhou.
"Transfer the money to me."
Luan Nian wanted to see what it felt like to spend Shang Zhi Tao’s ex-boyfriend’s money. He accepted the transfer and went to order the hat—two colors, nice.
After finishing, he said to Shang Zhi Tao, "It’s just an ex-boyfriend. No need to avoid mentioning him around me. I have ex-girlfriends too, and you know a little about them. But I think I’m a bit better than you because I don’t stay in touch with my exes."
Luan Nian raised an eyebrow at Shang Zhi Tao, waiting for her response.
Shang Zhi Tao wasn’t going to respond—she was planning to annoy Luan Nian to death. She just focused on gnawing her bone, eating happily.
Since she didn’t respond, she was the one who suffered.
In the afternoon, while she was reading, Luan Nian lifted her from the chair and placed her on the cold table.
Her skin touched the chill, and she shivered.
"I’m cold."
"You’ll warm up soon." Luan Nian wrapped her in his arms, his forehead pressed against hers, and asked, "Do you feel how much I favor you now?"
Shang Zhi Tao tilted her head up and bit his lips, indicating that she did.
"There will be even more favor in the future."
"Just accept it."
Luan Nian thought to himself, whether it’s Xin Zhaozhou or any other ex, they can all step aside. This woman is with me, and I’ll take good care of her myself. Everyone else can just stay away.
It would be even better if we could have a child.
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