Thirteen Wonders (ShíSānYāo) : Chapter 23 - One Tong, Nine Tong
Chapter 23: One Tong, Nine Tong
After recovering from her illness, Zhou Yao was back to normal within a few days. Minor illnesses come and go quickly, usually without any major issues. However, ever since then, whenever it rained and they met at the alley entrance to go to school together, Chen Xuze would always ask her, “Did you bring an umbrella?”
During a rare moment of free time, Chen Xuze visited Zhou Yao’s home, and they studied together. He brought up the topic again, “Do you still get cold easily?”
Zhou Yao shook her head. “Not at all. I’m not that delicate. I rarely get sick, you know that.”
Instead, it was Chen Xuze’s hand that caught Zhou Yao’s attention as he wrote. Her gaze lingered, pausing again and again.
“Does your hand… still hurt?”
Chen Xuze parted his lips, then hesitated before saying, “…Yeah.”
Hearing that, Zhou Yao immediately rummaged through the house, looking for the kind of ointment older folks often used—passed down through generations, almost like it had some kind of magic, guaranteed to heal anything.
For once, she put her trust in it. She applied the ointment to his healing wounds, her fingers gently massaging it in.
Her movements were delicate and steady, as if she was soothing every lingering itch between his bones. But at the same time, in some other places, an entirely different kind of itch began to spread—deep, restless, impossible to ignore.
Zhou Yao massaged Chen Xuze’s fingers for a long time. By now, she should’ve stopped, but suddenly, he wasn’t willing to let her go.
“It still hurts a little.”
“Still?”
Hearing that, Zhou Yao gave up the idea of stopping. She squeezed out more ointment and continued, patient as ever, massaging his knuckles.
Under the warm glow of the night lamp, a few moths outside the window flung themselves against the glass. The noise and chaos of the outside world had nothing to do with them. Chen Xuze quietly watched her face, the light casting a soft golden hue over her fair skin.
For a moment, he felt like one of those moths outside—desperately crashing into the glass. If he could, he would break through everything just to stay in this warmth forever.
……
Zheng Yinyin ranked 75th in the entire grade. Not only did she receive a reward from their teacher, but her parents nearly teared up with joy. At that moment, the achievement felt even more profound to her. To commemorate it, she specially carved two handmade keepsakes for Ying Nian and Zhou Yao.
Using this as an excuse to celebrate, Ying Nian gathered a group of friends at one of his family’s villas. The top floor had been renovated years ago by his father, styled like an old-fashioned KTV lounge. The moment they stepped inside, they were surrounded by extravagant gold and dazzling lights—if there were a couple of waiters lined up, it would’ve been indistinguishable from an actual KTV.
Celebrating Zheng Yinyin was just part of the reason. Truthfully, they were all exhausted and hadn’t had a proper chance to unwind in ages. It was rare for them to gather like this, so everyone was in high spirits.
Their private KTV couldn’t compare to a real one—there was no hard liquor, but stacks of fruit wine filled the place. They had watermelons, melons, and all kinds of seasonal and off-season fruits. They had personally bought and prepared them, cutting everything into bite-sized pieces until the entire glass table was overflowing with colorful fruit.
The atmosphere was lively from the start—loud singing, enthusiastic dancing, everyone scrambling to grab the mic as if they were afraid of missing their chance to be the main performer. Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze weren’t particularly interested. They sat quietly in a cozy corner by the glass table, a soft carpet underneath them, making it extra comfortable.
They settled in, chatting casually like they always did. The only difference was that tonight, their conversation was accompanied by an unpredictable mix of both pleasant and ear-splitting singing in the background.
Zhou Yao’s gaze naturally landed on Chen Xuze’s hand. The last time they talked, he had said it hurt, and she had massaged his fingers for half the night. The thought still lingered in her mind.
“Does your hand still hurt?”
Chen Xuze shook his head. “Not anymore.” Then, as if it were second nature, he added, “It’s been cold lately—make sure you dress warmly and don’t catch a chill.”
Zhou Yao smiled. “Okay.”
She watched the others laughing and messing around, then suddenly sighed. “It won’t be long now—high school will be over soon.”
Chen Xuze agreed. She asked, “Where are you spending the New Year this year?”
“Probably with my parents.”
“Then when you have time, come to my house. I’ll ask my mom to make sticky rice balls for you.”
He tugged at the corner of his lips and agreed.
The table was filled with colorful fruit wine. Chen Xuze picked out an orange-flavored one and poured her a small glass. “Try it, it smells nice.”
Zhou Yao never refused anything from him. If anyone in the world meant her harm, it certainly wouldn’t be Chen Xuze.
She took a sip and smacked her lips. “It really does smell nice.”
Chen Xuze kept drinking, one glass after another. Then, like a magician, he started mixing different drinks together, blending them into entirely new colors.
Zhou Yao’s eyes lit up. “That looks amazing!”
He poured her a cup. She took a sip, and sure enough, it tasted as good as it looked.
In the warmth of this atmosphere, Zhou Yao let herself get carried away by the moment. Tilting her head slightly, lost in thought, she murmured, “The future… it’ll only get better and better.”
Chen Xuze didn’t respond. He knew that before leaving the house tonight, Zhou Yao had just been scolded. Her mother had accused her of always running around, never staying home, only knowing how to play, and being completely irresponsible.
And all because she hadn’t polished her brother’s incense burner to a spotless shine—she had left a faint trace of ash on the base.
Zhou Yao suddenly asked, “Have you ever met my brother before?” Then, before he could answer, she laughed. “I forgot, we’re the same age. If I don’t remember him, you definitely wouldn’t.”
But Chen Xuze said, “I remember.”
“I have a good memory. I remember he wasn’t as smart as you, not as good-looking as you, not as well-behaved as you. He used to run around with a bunch of chubby kids who liked catching tadpoles and throwing them at girls.”
“They're really not well-behaved.”
Zhou Yao was momentarily stunned. She wanted to believe it but felt it was impossible. “Then why does my mom…”
“Zhou Yao.” Chen Xuze suddenly called her name. “You need to understand, some things don’t stem from love—they come from guilt.”
Silence spread.
She suddenly wanted to ask—then what about you? What about your feelings for me? Are they out of guilt, or something else?
Chen Xuze seemed to realize the deeper implications of his own words and spoke again. “If it were me, and I felt guilty toward someone, I would offer them protection and help within a reasonable range. But to prevent painful memories from resurfacing and tormenting both of us, I would choose to keep my distance.”
“For me, that’s the safest and most appropriate approach.”
Amidst the noise, the two of them were having a heart-to-heart. Chen Xuze’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it wasn’t drowned out by the background music.
“Do you know? Anything you are willing to cherish with all your heart, no matter what it is, holds the same importance as yourself.”
—He had something like that too.
The conversation was getting deeper, teetering on the edge of something hard to pull back from. Both of them tacitly stopped, neither continuing further. Chen Xuze poured a special mix of three different fruit wines for Zhou Yao.
“Here, try this. The orange flavor is the strongest, with the other two complementing it. It smells great.”
Zhou Yao didn’t know if she was lost in thought or just didn’t feel like speaking. She took the glass, finished it, then asked for more—one cup after another.
At Ying Nian’s place, it was safe. This was her own rooftop, nothing dangerous would happen. Everyone was letting loose, playing freely. Unless someone lost their mind and tried to jump out the window, there was nothing to worry about.
Later in the night, Chen Xuze was pulled away by the other guys. Ying Nian and Zheng Yinyin came over to chat with Zhou Yao.
“You and Chen Xuze talked for so long—what were you two even talking about?” Ying Nian was curious. “How do you have so much to say to him? If it were me, I could manage two words at most—anything more would kill me!”
Zhou Yao just smiled. “Nothing much.”
Zheng Yinyin, seeing her indifferent attitude, said, “Ugh, I don’t get you at all. Do you know how many girls at school have their eyes on him?”
Ying Nian had the exact opposite attitude. “I don’t see what’s so great about him. Honestly, my brother is way better! At least he’s always smiling. Sure, most of the time he’s an idiot, but at least he’s a funny idiot, right? Being with someone like that is way more fun.”
Zheng Yinyin clicked her tongue. “Say what you want, but he really stands out. Do you guys know? Yesterday, another lower-year girl confessed to him!”
“For real? That bold?”
“Yeah! You know how the lower grades split each class into A and B? A is the advanced class, and B is for the arts or special admissions students. The one who confessed was a junior from a B class. A whole group of them stopped him in the hallway, no shame at all, and one of them just shouted, ‘Chen Xuze, I like you!’”
Ying Nian popped a cherry tomato into her mouth and shook her head. “Are younger girls today all blind?”
“And what did Chen Xuze do?” she asked, completely oblivious to Zhou Yao’s silence.
“He just left without saying anything. But—” Zheng Yinyin leaned in with some juicy gossip, “before he left, he looked at the girl for a long time—at least five or six seconds! Everyone noticed! The juniors are all freaking out, saying she might actually have a chance!”
……
Zhou Yao listened quietly, her head feeling light from the alcohol. She didn’t say a word. But she heard everything, understood every detail.
Chen Xuze was confessed to again.
A girl boldly told him she liked him.
Another girl shouted ‘I like you’ at him.
It had happened before, plenty of times. But this time, something was different—this time, the always indifferent Chen Xuze actually paid attention.
For a few seconds.
She wondered—were those few seconds beautiful?
……
Feeling drowsy from the wine, Zhou Yao waved her hand. “I need to lie down on the couch for a bit. I’m sleepy. Just a little while.”
Ying Nian asked if she wanted to go downstairs to a guest room, but she refused. “It’s just the alcohol hitting me suddenly. I’ll be fine soon.” So the two of them covered her with a blanket and went off to grab more food.
Zhou Yao lay there for ten minutes before slowly opening her eyes. Her head was still spinning but not as badly. She sat up and grabbed someone nearby. “Where’s Chen Xuze?”
“In the restroom,” they replied.
She paused for a moment before walking toward the restroom.
Knock knock. She rapped on the door. A cold voice from inside: “Occupied.”
“It’s me.”
There was a brief silence before the sound of a zipper, then flushing, then running water. Finally, the door opened.
Zhou Yao’s face was flushed, and she nearly stumbled into him. He steadied her with a frown. “Are you drunk?”
A sudden wave of guilt hit him. He shouldn’t have let her drink so much, even if it was just fruit wine. He sighed internally.
He reached for her wrist, intending to pull her over to wash her face, but she suddenly kicked her heel back—bang! The door shut, bouncing slightly before settling into place.
“You got confessed to again, huh?” She tilted her head, eyes slightly narrowed as she looked up at him.
Chen Xuze sensed something off about her and furrowed his brows, just as he was about to speak— She suddenly grabbed his collar with both hands, pulling him down slightly. He was much taller than her, so it took effort on her part. Her voice was soft and drunkenly slurred, “How did she confess?”
She paused for two seconds, then suddenly yanked him down even more.
Mmwah—
Just like that, Zhou Yao kissed him on the chin.
Outside, a guy was about to enter the restroom. He reached for the door, but through the small gap, he caught a glimpse of what was happening inside—and immediately froze.
Zhou Yao was holding onto Chen Xuze’s collar, and he was slightly bent forward toward her. She swayed slightly, and he immediately wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her.
Drunk and dazed, she looked up at him. “Was it like this…?”
The guy outside suddenly felt an urgent need to pee—not because he had to go, but because he was in complete shock.
Most would have expected Chen Xuze to push her away, to tell her to sober up and stand properly. Instead, in the next second, he calmly said, “No, not like that.”
“Then…”
Chen Xuze pulled her closer, his arm tightening around her waist. His eyes lowered to her flushed face, so close to his.
“Do it again,” he said softly. “Higher this time.”
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