Chu Zhuo took Yu Suili to see his bedroom.

The room is decorated in a light yellow, creamy style. The computer desk in the corner is spotless, with the mouse pad and keyboard neatly arranged. Green plants on the balcony sway in the breeze, and the soil in the flowerpots is still damp.

Chu Zhuo's heart softened.

Yu Suili sat at the foot of the bed, glancing at all the decorations before calming his wildly beating heart. He asked, "Zhuobao, what did you mean by what you said after we watched the meteor shower at Xunshan?"

Before Chu Zhuo could press for details, he automatically added, "What did that sentence mean—'let me be bolder'? What did it mean? Could I really be bold?"

"..." Chu Zhuo stared at him silently for a few seconds, then pushed the computer chair, its small wheels rolling loudly, and dragged it to Yu Suili in one go.

With the chair back facing the man, he straddled him, elbows against the chair back, hands lightly supporting his chin, and said with a warm smile, "Yu Suili, you've already said what you wanted to hear. What do you want to hear now?"

The boy's voice was much clearer and more pleasant than it had been in the first few days after he woke up. His clean and clear throat made his heart beat wildly.

Yu Suili stepped on the wheel, securing it so he couldn't escape, then pried open the boy's hands, cradling the boy's thin chin in her palm: "I want to hear you say, does Zhuobao have feelings for me too? I'm not just having wishful thinking, am I?"

The man's calloused palm gently tickled Chu Zhuo's chin, causing a slight tingling sensation. Chu Zhuo flinched, and the large hand moved down to his neck, easily pinching his Adam's apple: "Zhuo Bao, are you just teasing me without taking responsibility?"

"No way." Chu Zhuo's voice was soft as she spoke, her Adam's apple bobbing. "Yu Suili, you're threatening me."

Yu Suili raised an eyebrow and suddenly leaned closer. At a distance where their breaths almost mingled, he meticulously tried to discern the emotions in the boy's eyes.

Passionate, sincere, imbued with what he desired.

"I'm threatening you." He couldn't stop swallowing, a dryness rising on his tongue, burning between his teeth. "I like you, Chu Zhuo, please date me."

Chu Zhu suppressed a laugh: "You're really earnest in your request, Yu Suili."

"Please, let me be with you." Encouraged, Yu Suili blurted out, "I will treat you well, cook whatever you want to eat, accompany you wherever you want to go, and love only you in this life. I fell in love with you the first time I saw you."

"My life is in your hands." Chu Zhuo's light-colored eyes shone with a warm affection as she spoke with focused determination, "Yu Suili, what I want to say is that I like you very much too."

The man's tense heartbeat could be clearly heard in the bedroom; it was faint, yet its presence was undeniable.

"Zhuobao, you always surprise me." Yu Suili moved his palm down, grasped Chu Zhuo's fingers, raised them to cover his eyelashes, lowered his head, and touched the boy's red lips briefly. "I love you."

Yu Suili withdrew his wrist.

Chu Zhuo's hand fell down due to inertia, and he simply clenched it into a heart shape: "Did you hear me?"

Yu Suili chuckled, lowered her head slightly, and tightly wrapped the heart-shaped pendant in her hand, tucking it into her chest: "I received it too."

After Pei's parents finished cooking, they noticed that their child and Yu Suili had become much closer. They were marveling at how true friends they were, their relationship had grown so intimate.

After lunch, Yu Suili said he was leaving: "Uncle and Aunt, I have some work to take care of this afternoon, so I'll be leaving now. I trust you about Chu Zhuo's health."

"Okay, let's go. I'll definitely take good care of Zhuozhuo." After closing the door, Pei's mother turned around and thought about it rationally. Something about Yu Suili's words didn't sound quite right.

She must take good care of her children, needless to say.

With doubts in her heart, Pei's mother began her daily routine of nourishing Chu Zhuo's body.

As for Yu Suili, who said he had work to do that day, he would come to bother him every few days, to the point that Pei's father got used to preparing an extra pair of bowls and chopsticks.

In another very self-disciplined daily routine, Yu Suili helped clear the dishes, and Pei's mother and father met with Aunt Zhang from the neighborhood to discuss nutritional recipes before heading out in the afternoon.

Such opportunities are rare, so Yu Suili seized every chance to get close to Chu Zhuo: "Zhuobao, when would be a suitable time for me to visit next year?"

"Let's pick a date on the Chinese almanac. Mom has been very superstitious about this lately," Chu Zhu sincerely suggested.

Chu Zhuo wanted to wait until Pei's parents calmed down before bringing up the matter of them being together.

Yu Suili leaned down and licked the boy's lips: "When I get back, I'll buy a calendar, flip to the nearest auspicious day, tear out that page, frame it, and hang it on the wall to remind me at all times."

Chu Zhuo slapped his face away: "It'll be available during the Spring Festival, is Brother Sui going to surprise us with a family bucket?"

Yu Suili was just saying it casually, cupping the boy's face and teasing him sincerely: "Judging from Zhuobao's tone, it sounds a bit frightened. Let's forget about it and choose another day later."

Chu Zhuo smiled and said, "Yeah, spring or summer is fine."

In the end, they were together.

After taking supplements for more than half a month, Chu Zhuo's cheeks regained some flesh, and the countdown to the Lunar New Year's Eve was approaching.

After the Spring Festival, Pei's mother and father returned to Lishui City. They have been stocking up on goods in the past few days, putting up Spring Festival couplets on the door, and personally cutting out lucky paper-cut window decorations.

The character "福" (fortune/blessing) can be seen everywhere in the house: on the door switch, on the kitchen refrigerator door, on the living room TV cabinet, on the teapot base, on the bathroom vent, and even Chuzhuo specially bought a pair of red slippers with the character "福".

As Pei's mother supervised him putting on his "Fu" (good fortune) slippers, she said with satisfaction, "We're planning to welcome all good fortune next year. Let's end this terrible year here and say goodbye for good."

"Mom is right." Chu Zhuo smiled and took Pei's mother's arm.

"What are you talking about? Come and serve the dishes. What are you two whispering about?" Pei's father roared in a rough voice.

"Coming right now, what's the rush?" Mrs. Pei retorted gracefully.

The table was laden with dishes, half prepared by Pei's father and half by Pei's mother. Chu Zhuo was not allowed to add any of her own food, and was even chased out of the kitchen by Pei's mother for trying to help: "Zhuo Zhuo, go and rest. You've just recovered, don't overwork yourself."

Mr. Pei fiddled with the camera he had just bought, set it up on a tripod, set a countdown timer, and then jogged back.

With a click, the three of them took a family photo.

Mr. Pei then ran off to get the camera.

Mrs. Pei looked through the photos with satisfaction: "Zhuozhuo looks good no matter how he's photographed. He's truly my son."

Mr. Pei chimed in, "Yes."

The couple admired Chu Zhuo's photos for a moment and discussed which ones to print and put in the album.

The Pei family did not have the custom of staying up all night on New Year's Eve. Chu Zhuo, who had just woken up from the car accident, was forced to go to bed early and did not even finish watching the Spring Festival Gala.

After Chu Zhuo finished washing up, she sent a WeChat message to Yu Suili, and a video call popped up on his end.

"Good evening, Zhuobao, have you had your New Year's Eve dinner yet?" After asking, Yu Suili noticed the other person's light blue pajamas and changed the subject, "Going to sleep?"

Chu Zhuo nodded: "Mom told me to get some rest early."

"You should go to bed early." Yu Suili's eyes flashed. "Zhuobao, there seems to be something dirty on your neck."

Chu Zhuo tugged at her collar: "Where? I just took a shower."

"The camera is too shaky, I can't see clearly. Can you move closer so I can take a closer look?" Yu Suili's tone was very gentlemanly, and there was no indication that he harbored any malicious intentions.

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