Night Rose

Zhou Zheng picked up her phone and casually asked, "Is your ex-boyfriend also in New York?"

"Hmm, what's wrong? Are you interested in him?" Su Jin finally found a place and parked the car in a suitable spot. "Give me your phone, I'll answer it myself."

Zhou Zheng didn't give it to him; he swiped to open the call and put it on speakerphone.

"Su Su." Lu Mingzhou's voice came from the other end of the phone.

Su Jin felt a pang of sympathy when she heard this person call her Su Su. She used to think it was a romantic gesture, but now it just made her feel disgusted.

"It's hung up!" Su Jin tried to grab the phone, but missed.

Lu Mingzhou heard the voice on the other end of the phone sound distant, but he didn't know what was going on. He quickly said, "Su Su, don't hang up! I have something to tell you."

"He has something to tell you." Zhou Zheng repeated Lu Mingzhou's words with exaggerated mouthing.

Su Jin glared at him, but he held up his phone and refused to give it to her. When Su Jin tried to snatch it back, she was about to throw herself into his arms.

"Speak quickly, we're not exactly friends who can chat casually anymore," Su Jin replied from a distance.

"I'm sorry, I was rash before and didn't understand our relationship. I'll come back to China to find you and clear up all the misunderstandings. Will you wait for me?"

Lu Mingzhou's tone was almost humble, a vulnerability he had never shown in front of Su Jin.

Su Jin stared silently at her phone, unable to ignore the presence of another person in this small space.

At this moment, Zhou Zheng was staring intently at her, as if anticipating her answer.

Under this oppressive silence, Su Jin realized that she felt no joy or anticipation for Lu Mingzhou's return to China; in her mind, their relationship had already ended.

"You don't need to come back."

Zhou Zheng was somewhat surprised; he had assumed Su Jin was someone who had lingering ties with her ex.

"No! I must come back. I've already bought my plane ticket, and I'll be in Nanyuan tonight," Lu Mingzhou said resolutely.

Su Jin suddenly raised her head, almost touching Zhou Zheng's chest, "How did you know I was in Nanyuan?! Did you investigate me?!"

"I...I'm sorry, I just really wanted to find you," Lu Mingzhou said softly.

"You can't do it this way. You know perfectly well that I hate it when people invade my privacy," Su Jin said angrily.

"Susu, I know I was wrong. Please let me stay by your side to make it up to you?"

"I'll land at 10 PM, and I hope to see you. If I don't see you, I'll have to stay out all night, and I don't know where to go."

"Good tea," Zhou Zheng said softly, his eyes fixed on Su Jin.

Su Jin felt uneasy under his gaze, so she suddenly raised her hand and covered his mouth, glaring angrily at Zhou Zheng.

However, Zhou Zheng's beautiful eyes were still smiling, which made her feel uneasy.

"Who's talking over there? Su Su, is there anyone else with you?" Lu Mingzhou suddenly asked. The man's voice was very pleasant, and although it was soft, he still managed to catch it.

Lu Mingzhou suddenly felt a little panicked, afraid that if Su Jin had someone else by her side, she would no longer love him.

"No, you misheard," Su Jin said, trying to cover up her mistake. She was too lazy to explain to Lu Mingzhou who Zhou Zheng was, and she didn't want Lu Mingzhou to know what she was doing.

"Yeah, right." Zhou Zheng grabbed her wrist and casually put the phone to his mouth. "Hi, Su Jin's ex-boyfriend."

"I'm telling you on her behalf, you don't need to come."

After saying that, Zhou Zheng hung up the phone.

Lu Mingzhou immediately called again, but this time, no one answered.

The phone rang twice, but I kept dialing.

Su Jin took the phone, silenced it, and placed it on the center console.

She looked up at Zhou Zheng. "Zhou Zheng, why did you provoke my ex-boyfriend? Hmm?"

"Isn't this helping you refuse? You told him not to come, but he wouldn't listen. The man next to you is helping you refuse; surely he wouldn't be so ungrateful?" Zhou Zheng shrugged.

"Even if he misunderstands that I'm your current boyfriend, I'm the one who's at a disadvantage, and I accept it."

"You're crazy!" Su Jin punched Zhou Zheng on the shoulder. "You don't understand him at all. If he knew I had someone else by my side, he would definitely fly back immediately."

"Then why don't you just not go pick him up? He's lying to you, trying to gain your sympathy. Do you really believe that a grown man would lose himself in a place like Nanyuan? Or that he can't find a place to stay?" Zhou Zheng said.

Su Jin's mind was a jumbled mess of emotions, and she covered her forehead, unsure how to explain things to Zhou Zheng.

Seeing her conflicted expression, Zhou Zheng subtly moved his fingers and took out a silver kitten ornament from his pocket, waving it in front of her.

"Didn't you decide to throw it away?"

Su Jin took the kitten in surprise, a wave of sadness washing over her. "How did it end up with you? I thought... you really threw it away."

Seeing her lost expression, Zhou Zheng roughly understood that she still hadn't let go of her ex-boyfriend, so he shouldn't overthink it.

"This kitten..."

Zhou Zheng looked at her, and Su Jin sighed softly.

"The kitten was a ring toss game I won with him abroad. He had arranged with the shop owner beforehand to put the kitten design that I had liked for a long time into the nearest box."

"People always want to see things too far ahead, not what's in front of them. I threw almost a hundred hoops that day, and I didn't hit a single one that was far away."

He suggested I throw in the first box, and I reluctantly did so, but I ended up getting the item I wanted most.

Zhou Zheng wanted to say that you should really look at what's in front of you, instead of focusing on your ex-boyfriend who's far away overseas.

Su Jin didn't hear his thoughts. She looked up at him and said, "What's past is past. I don't want it anymore. Can you find me a trash can to throw it away?"

"If you don't want it anymore, give it to me. I finally found it on the roadside, and it cost me twelve minutes of parking fees." Zhou Zheng casually stretched out his hand.

Su Jin tossed the silver object into Zhou Zheng's hand. Without turning around, she fastened her seatbelt. "Get out of the car, I'm going back."

"You drive the car away, and I'll walk there tomorrow, right?" Zhou Zheng said quietly.

Su Jin was used to being with them and could drive freely, so she asked in surprise, "So you're making me walk home?"

"I didn't tell you to go home. Come on, let's go to Brother Zhou's house. I'll cook for you." Zhou Zheng unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car first.

Su Jin's earlier melancholy vanished, replaced by the lingering satisfaction of being captivated by Zhou Zheng's culinary skills.

"Then you can take me back later."

"Okay," Zhou Zheng replied, glancing at Su Jin's phone and chuckling.

Not overthinking? That's impossible.

He kept her tied to his side, waiting to see who could get rid of her.

Ex-boyfriend, that's all in the past.