Zhаng Lurаng thоught bаck for а mоmеnt аnd fеll silent.
Su Zaizai undеrstоod immediаtely, thе smilе аt hеr liрs fаding slightly.
She fеlt a bit stifled and asked gloоmilу, "Thеn what imрrеssiоn dо yоu hаvе оf mе?"
Zhang Lurаng licked the соrner оf his mouth, hesitatеd for a mоment, but deсidеd tо bе hоnеst: "I thоught you wеrе a bit strаngе."
Su Zаizai widеned hеr еyes, fееling somеwhat wronged: "Strаnge how?"
This timе, Zhаng Lurаng staуed quiet and didn’t sау аnything mоrе.
Su Zаizаi thоught bаck tо hеr behаvior during hеr first yeаr of high sсhооl.
...Well, mауbе it wаs true.
She deсided not to bring up the рast anymоre and сhangеd thе subjeсt: "What about now?"
The person beside her, who had been silent, remained silent.
Growing a bit impatient, Su Zaizai was about to throw a tantrum when she heard him speak.
"Not anymore."
After walking along the beach for a while, the two soon returned to the parking lot and drove back to the hotel.
Su Zaizai walked to the front desk to check in. After giving her name, she handed over her ID card.
The staff member looked at the two of them and reminded, "If two people are checking in, both need to provide their ID cards."
Hearing this, Zhang Lurang took out his wallet from his pocket and pulled out his ID card.
Before he could hand it over, he heard Su Zaizai beside him say softly, "No, it's just me staying."
Caught off guard, Zhang Lurang turned sharply to look at her.
After getting the room key, Su Zaizai pulled Zhang Lurang aside to talk.
"Lurang, think about it—you haven’t been home in so long, and if you stay at a hotel with me now... and we’re not even married yet. What would your parents think of me?"
Zhang Lurang glanced at her and said in a low voice, "Then I’ll go back."
"Mm, don’t be stubborn this time."
"..."
"Next time, come offer yourself up," Su Zaizai shamelessly added.
Zhang Lurang understood her concerns and didn’t say anything more.
He walked her to her room and gave her a few worried reminders.
As Zhang Lurang was about to leave, Su Zaizai suddenly said, "If you’re unhappy, just come over, okay?"
Zhang Lurang gave an "mm" in response and waited until she locked the door before leaving the hotel.
When he arrived home, Father Zhang, Mother Zhang, and Zhang Luli were still in the living room, chatting idly.
Zhang Lurang hadn’t been back in a long time and felt a bit out of place.
He stood in the entryway for a moment, about to greet them and head to his room, when Zhang Luli, sitting on the sofa, spotted him and called out, "Brother!"
Zhang Lurang finally moved and walked over.
"A Rang, are you staying here for winter break?" Mother Zhang suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Zhang Lurang looked over and answered honestly, "I’ll go back in a couple of days. I’ll come back with Uncle on New Year’s Eve."
Mother Zhang seemed a bit displeased and wanted to say more, but thinking of the empty house over the past two years, she quickly backed down.
Beside her, Father Zhang flipped through the newspaper in his hands but didn’t speak.
Zhang Lurang said goodbye to them and returned to his room.
Not long after, Zhang Luli entered his room without even knocking.
Zhang Lurang was sitting on the bed. When he saw him come in, he just glanced up briefly before looking away.
Zhang Luli climbed onto his bed and sat cross-legged: "Brother, I plan to work over there for a few years after graduation before coming back."
"Mm."
"I told Mom and Dad, but they don’t agree."Hearing this, Zhang Lurang finally reacted, frowning as he said, "You..."
Before he could finish, Zhang Luli continued, "I won't listen to them. I just want to stay there. I've already made up my mind."
Zhang Lurang nodded, looking at his phone without speaking.
Zhang Luli didn’t mind his indifference and kept chattering away, "Bro, have Mom and Dad’s attitudes changed? That’s why I didn’t come home last year."
Zhang Lurang glanced at him, somewhat puzzled.
"When I was around, they always thought it was your fault because they thought you were rebellious and disobedient," Zhang Luli analyzed confidently. "But bro, you actually managed not to come home for three years. That’s cold."
Zhang Lurang ignored him.
"Are you really going to work in City Z after graduation?"
Zhang Lurang, annoyed by his pestering, kicked him lightly and said, "Go back to your room."
"So, are you working in City Z?" Zhang Luli persisted.
"Yeah," he finally replied, adding, "I’m staying there."
Half a year later, the two began preparing for their senior-year internships.
Su Zaizai and Zhang Lurang’s internship companies were quite far apart, about an hour and a half by car.
Their professions naturally involved a lot of late nights and overtime, so they saw each other much less than before.
Su Zaizai’s workplace was at an advertising company near Z University.
To her surprise, she discovered that Xie Linnan also worked at this company, coincidentally in the same department.
However, since their sophomore year, Su Zaizai hadn’t spoken much to him. When they met, she only greeted him with a hint of unfamiliarity.
After that, she quickly forgot about him.
Zhang Lurang interned at a large software company near Jinghua. Whenever he wasn’t working overtime, he would drive Lin Mao’s car to Z University to have dinner with Su Zaizai or bring her food.
If they squeezed in time, they could meet about four times a week, including weekends.
One day, two weeks into their internships.
Su Zaizai came out of the company, waited outside for a while, and got into Zhang Lurang’s car.
Zhang Lurang was wearing a shirt and suit pants, with his tie properly knotted. His lips were straight, but they curved slightly upward when he saw her. "What do you want to eat?" he asked.
As he spoke, he habitually leaned over to help her fasten her seatbelt.
Su Zaizai sat obediently, thinking carefully before replying, "Let’s have barbecue."
Zhang Lurang hummed in agreement, thought about the location of the restaurant, and soon started the car.
Su Zaizai idly breathed on the car window and carefully wrote the character "Rang" (meaning "to let" or "to allow") stroke by stroke.
After a while, she suddenly turned her head and sighed.
"Lurang, since we’ve both been staying up late so much lately, should we compete to see who goes bald first?"
Just then, the light turned red, and Zhang Lurang stopped the car.
Hearing this, his temple twitched as he said, "No competition."
Su Zaizai didn’t say anything else, looking somewhat downcast.
The barbecue restaurant wasn’t far from Su Zaizai’s company, only about a five-minute drive.
Zhang Lurang found a parking spot and, after parking, didn’t rush to get out of the car.
Su Zaizai lowered her head to unbuckle her seatbelt.
Just as she was about to get out, Zhang Lurang grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer, and asked softly, "What’s wrong?"
Su Zaizai looked at him, hesitated, but couldn’t hold back. "I got scolded by the director again just now."
Zhang Lurang paused, then reached out to ruffle her hair. "What did he say to you?""He said the copy I wrote was terrible, and no matter how many times I revised it, it was still terrible." Perhaps because Zhang Lurang was by her side, Su Zaizai's emotions finally erupted. "I wish I could be like you, good at everything..."
It felt like she was back during the college entrance exams.
Step by step, she had endured so much hardship and breakdowns—all part of the price of growing up.
But fortunately, Zhang Lurang was always there by her side.
Zhang Lurang's eyes darkened, his throat bobbing as if suppressing something.
Soon, he leaned over, pulling her onto his lap, looking down at her with a coaxing tone in his voice.
"What did he say was wrong with your copy?"
Su Zaizai sniffled, wiping her tears on his shirt.
"He said it was too rigid, too formal."
Zhang Lurang nuzzled her forehead with the tip of his nose, half-jokingly.
"How could you possibly write something rigid?"
Hearing this, Su Zaizai looked at him with red-rimmed eyes, saying nothing.
"Don't take others' words too much to heart." After a moment's thought, he added, "I get criticized a lot too, for all sorts of reasons. I'm not good at everything."
Su Zaizai refuted him earnestly, her voice muffled.
"You are good at everything. Those who criticize you are just jealous."
Zhang Lurang's previously heavy mood instantly lifted, and he let out a low chuckle, amused by her.
He leaned down to kiss her eyes, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"How about this—whenever someone criticizes you, I'll give you a gift?"
Su Zaizai was already feeling much better and went along with his words. "No need for gifts. If I get criticized, just kiss me—the kind that's really rough."
"No." Zhang Lurang refused firmly.
Su Zaizai was taken aback.
Before she could say anything more, Zhang Lurang's lips moved downward, meeting hers.
He bit her full lips, as if taking her earlier words to heart, with a bit of force.
Su Zaizai heard him mumble indistinctly, "What if no one criticizes you anymore?"
Her eyes widened slightly as he added,
"I think you're good at everything too."
The two lingered in the car for a while before heading into the barbecue restaurant.
Zhang Lurang held the tongs, carefully placing a few pieces of meat on the grill and flipping them over.
Su Zaizai nibbled on the meat he had grilled for her when she suddenly remembered something.
"Lurang, we're graduating in less than a year."
Zhang Lurang set aside the tongs to mix some sauce for her, placing it in front of her.
Hearing Su Zaizai's words, his expression shifted, and his voice deepened. "Su Zaizai, don't try to take everything from me."
Su Zaizai blinked innocently. "I'm not taking anything."
Zhang Lurang glanced at her but said nothing.
Su Zaizai stared at him for a moment, puzzled. "Why do I feel like you're always angry?"
He sighed and asked seriously, "Don't you want me to be good to you?"
"Huh?" Su Zaizai thought carefully. "You... are already very good to me..."
Before she could finish, Zhang Lurang continued, "You have to give me some opportunities too."
His voice carried a hint of frustration.
Su Zaizai dazedly replied, "Oh," and lowered her head to continue eating.
After a while, she finally understood."I won't propose to you then, but I've thought of so many ways." Mentioning this, Su Zai Zai suddenly felt a bit unwilling. "No, I want to use them too. How about we each propose once?"
Zhang Lu Rang added a few more pieces of meat to her bowl and said calmly, "When will you ever act normal?"
Su Zai Zai grinned shamelessly and asked, "Don't you like it?"
Zhang Lu Rang lifted his eyes slightly, glancing at her briefly.
His expression showed little fluctuation, his face as impassive as ever.
His voice was as gentle as jade, like the scattered raindrops outside the window.
"I do."
Chapter 61
It turns out I’ve never been good enough all along.
She just never said it.
—Zhang Lu Rang
The barbecue shop was bustling with noise.
Warm yellow light shone down, blending with the surrounding sounds, creating a cozy atmosphere.
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