The Hot-tempered Young Master and His Village Flower Child Bride - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Strength Training

Chu Zhi Lu refused to let Zhao Xunyu get close to her, leaving him heartbroken.

But he only had himself to blame. He had already upset her by going out with Li Yi and skipping lunch. The fact that he put on his shirt when he saw her but didn’t worry about being seen by other girls only fueled her resentment.

After returning home and having lunch, he solemnly promised her that he wouldn’t touch her again until they were officially together and that he would pursue her respectfully.

Good. Chu Zhi Lu was touched. She would have been even more touched if she could erase the memory of his clinginess from the previous two days.

Needless to say, she readily agreed.

After she nodded, Zhao Xunyu emphasized, “Believe me, I’m serious about you. I’m not just impatient to take advantage of you without taking responsibility.”

Chu Zhi Lu didn’t know what he and Li Yi had talked about. It hadn’t affected her directly, so she calmly nodded, acknowledging his words. After Zhao Xunyu finished speaking, he tried to hold her hand, but she refused. 

“You said you wouldn’t touch me.”

Zhao Xunyu froze. “… Holding hands is okay, right?”

“No, you said you would respect me. Besides, who has intimate contact before being together?”

“But we kissed…”

“So, aren’t you going to admit your mistake and make amends by taking things slowly?”

“Yes, but—” Zhao Xunyu frowned, struggling to find the words.

“Look,” said Chu Zhi Lu, standing up. “Let’s just leave it at that. No more physical contact before we get together. I’m going to read.”

“…”

Only after Chu Zhi Lu had gone upstairs for a while did he sort out his thoughts and come up with what he should and wanted to say. The main point he wanted to convey wasn’t about keeping their distance, but rather, that he was serious and respectful toward Chu Zhi Lu.

He knocked on her door, but she said she was busy and would talk to him later.

Zhao Xunyu was in the wrong and didn’t dare make trouble anymore.

However, Chu Zhi Lu didn’t come downstairs until 5:30 p.m.

He diligently and painstakingly made dinner and went upstairs to call Chu Zhi Lu down. She didn’t refuse and came downstairs to eat with him. He began to suspect that she hadn’t ignored him because she was angry but because she had genuinely been busy.

Of course, Zhao Xunyu couldn’t cook anything delicious. He made scrambled eggs with tomatoes and seaweed egg drop soup, but it was edible.

Chu Zhi Lu didn’t comment and ate in silence.

Zhao Xunyu, however, was self-aware. “It doesn’t taste good, but I’ll learn how to cook properly,” he said.

“Mm.”

After dinner, Zhao Xunyu volunteered to wash the dishes and told Chu Zhi Lu to rest in the living room. When he finished, he came out to find the living room empty. The lights and TV were on, making the room seem even more desolate and lonely.

He slumped against the kitchen door frame and sadly hummed a melancholy tune. “Little cabbage… yellow in the field… two or three years old… haa…”

After his bout of sadness, he took a watermelon and some lychees from the refrigerator, prepared them, and took them upstairs to Chu Zhi Lu.

She accepted the fruit and thanked him.

Zhao Xunyu said, “It’s my duty. What are you doing?

“Reading.”

“Can I read with you?”

He looked at her with puppy-dog eyes, acting cute and pitiful. Chu Zhi Lu remained cold. “Go to your room. If you want to read, I’ll lend you a book.”

“I… I want to sit with you and read it.”

“It’s inappropriate for an unmarried man and woman to be alone together.”

Bang—

Zhao Xunyu was rejected.

“…”

Dejectedly, he went back to his room and picked up ‘The Darling of the Cold School Bully’. He moved a chair to sit by the door and waited for Chu Zhi Lu to open it. Initially, he wanted to immerse himself in the book to pass the time. However, after reading two or three pages, he couldn’t stand the melodrama, so he read quickly and carelessly.

Still, he slammed the book shut before reaching the halfway point.

His evaluation was: It’s better to play ‘Qing-Zang Plateau’ on repeat.

He threw the book back on the bed, put his hands behind his head, leaned back, looked at the ceiling, and began singing. He listened to a variety of music and had several favorite singers. But now, the only song in his head was his father’s favorite, ‘I’m Really in Love with You,’ which he’d heard countless times at home:

“Oh… I secretly fell in love with you… but I dared not tell you… because I knew I couldn’t give you what you wanted… I could only secretly think of you and watch you… I was always too cowardly. I couldn’t say, ‘I’m really in love with you.’“

Zhao Xunyu sang the classic love song with emotion, but somehow made it sound sickly and lifeless.

He was bored, but he didn’t disturb Chu Zhi Lu. Her door remained closed. He sang the song over and over, slowly singing each word and sighing after every two.

After ten o’clock, he found his old ‘brick’ phone and started sending text messages to Chu Zhi Lu.

-Dear user Ms. Chu Zhi Lu! Your exclusive little Zhao’s battery is below ten percent. To prevent him from losing contact, shutting down, or malfunctioning, please recharge him by giving him a hug. He extends his heartfelt gratitude in advance!

The message went unanswered.

Could she have been asleep?

After another half hour, Zhao Xunyu couldn’t sit still. He propped himself up on his hands and leaned his head and upper body on the floor. He squinted to see if there was still light in Chu Zhi Lu’s room. As luck would have it, Chu Zhi Lu’s door opened at that moment.

“…” Chu Zhi Lu’s steps to the outside stopped.

“…” Zhao Xunyu’s scalp went numb, and he flipped over.

“Cough… I… I’m doing some strength training,” he said.

Chu Zhi Lu glanced at the chair by the door. “Mm. Continue. I’m going to shower.”

“…” Zhao Xunyu wanted to hug her, but he had just been lying on the floor, and she had seen him. He could only watch her go into the bathroom.

It was pouring rain in his heart.

Why had he been so stupid?