The Hot-tempered Young Master and His Village Flower Child Bride - Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Having achieved her goal, Chu Zhi Lu fell asleep, leaving Zhao Xunyu in a state of confused chaos.
He remained motionless for a long time before stupidly touching his lips as if to preserve some evidence. He tried to recall how he had lost his first kiss, but sadly discovered that it had happened in a flash. The only thing he was sure of was that their lips had touched – the rest was completely blank.
The first kiss he had imagined should have been a whirlwind of fluttering heartbeats, ten times faster than usual. Slowly, almost painfully, he would come closer amidst a flurry of falling petals.
Zhao Xunyu felt a mixture of emotions. His heart was beating erratically as he half blamed, half questioned, “What did you mean by that?”
“…” Chu Zhi Lu breathed steadily against his shoulder.
A vague and inexplicable kiss kept Zhao Xunyu tossing and turning all night.
When he finally managed to fall asleep for a while, he dreamed that Chu Zhi Lu was standing at his door, looking at him and saying, “You still owe me a kiss.” Just as he was about to ask how someone could randomly kiss someone while drunk, she leaned forward and yellow and white chrysanthemum petals began to fall from the ceiling.
He fought the feeling, wanted to say that this was not the kind of atmosphere he wanted, but he could not speak. He was desperate, and then he woke up. …
Zhao Xunyu cursed under his breath, then stood up, opened the door and looked outside.
No one was there.
He had carried Chu Zhi Lu home. She hadn’t woken up since she fell asleep. Zhao Xunyu found some makeup remover wipes, gently removed her makeup, and wiped her face with a towel before letting her sleep.
Zhao Xunyu sighed deeply and threw himself onto the bed.
Countless thoughts ran through his mind that night…
If Chu Zhi Lu apologized, how should he respond?
If she said she would take responsibility, should he accept it?
If she avoided the subject, how could he naturally and subtly ask for an explanation?
Had Chu Zhi Lu ever treated others like this before when she was drunk?
Could this really be considered his first kiss?
Wouldn’t it be awkward to see each other all the time without having a relationship after kissing?
How do you start a relationship without going through the usual ambiguous phase?
Could they talk about it first? Have him contact his father and get everything ready for his confession. Then, after he officially confessed, they could start counting the days of their relationship.
Although he hadn’t thought about dating Chu Zhi Lu before, he did like her, right? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have found her cute, he wouldn’t have felt agitated and secretly excited after she kissed him, and he wouldn’t have gotten excited when he looked at her, right?
How should he confess? Would it sound a bit fake if he talked about overcoming mountains of swords and oceans of fire, life and death together? If he just said he liked her, would she be disappointed?
Should he write a relationship guide?
At four in the morning, Zhao Xunyu was still wide awake and wanted to wake up Chu Zhi Lu right away to see what she thought. He would not be able to rest until this matter was resolved.
At dawn, Zhao Xunyu got up and went for a one-hour morning jog in the village. When he returned at 7:30, Chu Zhi Lu’s door was still tightly shut.
He took a shower for five minutes.
Then he went downstairs to the kitchen, crushed a piece of ginger, and threw it into the pot. He added brown sugar and water and boiled it, adding vinegar to taste, to make a sobering soup for Chu Zhi Lu.
He peeled and sliced several peaches and arranged them on a plate. He prepared separate containers of washed plums and peeled and pitted lychees. He filled the plate with fresh fruit and placed it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.
He checked the time: 8:15 a.m.!
Why? Every second felt like a year!
He tiptoed upstairs, the cold door still blocking his way.
Zhao Xunyu hunched his shoulders and went downstairs. He swept, mopped, wiped the tables, windows, and armrests, tidied up various things, meticulously, earnestly, and with a proper attitude. When he was done, he sat down on the sofa and expectantly turned on his phone.
9:23 am.
He went upstairs again. Regardless of whether Chu Zhi Lu was awake, she should be awake by now!
Zhao Xunyu swallowed and mentally prepared himself before knocking on Chu Zhi Lu’s door.
“Little Sister A-Lu?”
“…”
Zhao Xunyu continued to knock. “Little sister A-Lu, wake up. I made you some hangover soup.”
After a while, he heard a muffled voice from inside, “Got it.”
Zhao Xunyu went downstairs, heated the hangover soup, and made noodles and eggs for breakfast – the extent of his culinary skills.
Chu Zhi Lu came down half an hour later. Zhao Xunyu felt his heart beat faster with every step she took downstairs, and he inexplicably felt anxious.
Chu Zhi Lu’s hair was still damp, and Zhao Xunyu asked her to sit down on the sofa. The hangover soup, egg noodles, and fruit plate were on the coffee table.
After Chu Zhi Lu sat down, she tilted her head to look at him, her eyes clear.
“Drink it quickly, and then have breakfast.”
Then have a heart-to-heart talk with him!
Zhao Xunyu had been agonizing all night and all morning, waiting for this final judgment that had not yet come!
Chu Zhi Lu took a sip of the… um, uniquely flavored hangover soup, pursed her lips, and asked, “Did you eat?”
“Yes, yes. Eat quickly.”
He had eaten some fruit while preparing the fruit platter and was restless, unable to eat properly.
While Chu Zhi Lu ate breakfast, Zhao Xunyu reviewed his prepared lines several times.
His gut feeling told him that something was wrong. Chu Zhi Lu looked calm and collected. There was not the slightest hint of embarrassment, shyness, or hesitation, nor did she seem about to bring up what had happened last night.
It’s like a boat passing through the water without leaving a trace…
Her reaction was not at all what he expected.
So he decided to change tactics and take the initiative.
Chu Zhi Lu noticed his gaze drifting towards her, seemingly hesitant to speak. She wondered if she should lie and say that she didn’t remember what she did after getting drunk.
Seeing her put down her chopsticks and finish her meal, Zhao Xunyu cleared the bowls. He wanted to give himself time to prepare.
He returned, sat down, and cleared his throat. “Um, little sister A-Lu, you woke up quite late today.”
The corner of his eye twitched and he wanted to slap himself! Hadn’t he prepared a script and planned to ask her directly if she remembered what she did last night?!
Why did he start with such nonsense?!
Chu Zhi Lu’s voice was calm. “Mm, I sleep more deeply when I’m drunk.”
Thank goodness, back on track. “Oh... do you remember what you did after getting drunk last night?”
Their eyes met, both searching.
One was expectant, the other hesitant. They remained silent for a moment.
Zhao Xunyu couldn’t hold back any longer and gave another hint, his expression becoming serious.
“Um, after you got into the taxi, you said that you felt uncomfortable. Do you remember?”
Chu Zhi Lu bit her lip slightly, torn internally. Should she say she didn’t remember, or should she apologize directly?
Was it reckless behavior after drinking, or was she emboldened by alcohol?
Retreating might maintain the status quo, but honesty – would it push him away, create distance, or would it bring them closer, open up more possibilities?
She didn’t show it on her face, but she was weighing the pros and cons in her heart.
Zhao Xunyu waited anxiously.
“You’d better squeak some.”
“Squeak.” Squeak first as a sign of respect.
Then quickly analyze the pros and cons.
“…” Was it against the rules to act cute and plead innocently like this with a cold face?
When Chu Zhi Lu saw him freeze, she blinked.
“Squeak.“
Buying herself more time.
“You…” Zhao Xunyu’s voice processor crashed.
Chu Zhi Lu vaguely replied, “I… don’t really remember.”
Zhao Xunyu laughed angrily. It had been more than a minute since she started thinking. If she didn’t remember anything, he didn’t think she could stay silent for a whole minute! Did she think she could get away with it just by putting on a blank face and pretending to be calm?
Was she trying to act innocent and let him hang?
Zhao Xunyu crossed his arms. His tone was displeased; he discarded his prepared lines and guidelines.
“You kissed me last night. Do you remember? Think carefully before you speak. Can you clearly remember?”