Night Rose

It was just taking off her apron, such a simple action, but on Zhou Zheng, it looked incredibly sexy.

Su Jin internally complained, but her body honestly sat down at the dining table.

Zhou Zheng didn't need anyone's help to cook; he even put the rice on the table for Su Jin.

As he handed her the chopsticks, Zhou Zheng deliberately asked, "How was it? Sister Su, wasn't that thoughtful?"

"That's truly beyond words," Su Jin said, impressed.

Stir-fried loofah soup, tomato and enoki mushroom with sliced ​​beef, stir-fried chrysanthemum greens with pork, served with a bowl of perfectly cooked rice—the aroma of these simple home-style dishes is so enticing that you can't put your chopsticks down.

A triumphant look flashed across Zhou Zheng's face, but he quickly suppressed it. "Eat slowly, it's hot."

The last time Su Jin heard this was before she went abroad. Her mother and grandmother saw that she was eating quickly and were worried that she would burn herself, so they gave her some advice, which was both funny and heartbreaking.

After starting work, she and Lu Mingzhou were both very busy. They could only grab a bite to eat in their spare time. If they ate too slowly, they would delay their progress. Occasionally, they would burn their mouths and get blisters, which would hurt for half a month.

After the meal, Zhou Zheng was clearing away the dishes. Su Jin watched him busy in the kitchen and felt a strange sensation.

"Zhou Zheng, you're perfect to be a wife."

"Don't you want to listen to what you're saying? I'm a man, Engineer Su, are your eyes playing tricks on you?" Zhou Zheng replied from the kitchen.

Su Jin shook her head seriously, "No, you don't understand, 'wife' is a term."

Zhou Zheng peeked at her from the kitchen. "That won't do either. It can only be your husband."

As the two were bickering as usual, a heavy rain started outside.

The torrential rain instantly enveloped the world. Looking down from the balcony, Su Jin saw people running wildly in the rain without umbrellas, while those who went out with umbrellas almost had their umbrellas blown inside out by the wind.

"Why is the rain so heavy today?" Su Jin muttered to herself, seemingly preoccupied with something.

Zhou Zheng walked behind her and calmed down in the cool rain. "It's normal for the weather to change a lot. You'll understand once you live in Nanyuan for a while."

She won't stay in Nanyuan for long; she might have to leave after the competition ends.

Su Jin didn't say these words aloud, but simply held out her hand to shield her face from the raindrops that were hitting her.

"Come inside. It's raining too hard for you to leave. Watch some TV," Zhou Zheng said.

Su Jin turned around and almost bumped into Zhou Zheng, who was still standing in the same spot.

She thought Zhou Zheng would leave first, but he stood right behind Su Jin, like a wall.

Standing at 1.9 meters tall, Su Jin glanced up at him, and Zhou Zheng was also staring at her.

The man had sharp, handsome features and a rugged look. His buzz cut added to his thuggish charm. The two were so close that Su Jin could even smell the hormones emanating from him.

Su Jin held her breath slightly, raised her hand and poked his pectoral muscle, pushing him back a few steps.

Zhou Zheng obediently stepped back, without forcefully stopping her.

"You startled me," Su Jin said softly, without any hint of blame.

The sound of rain outside was accompanied by lightning, and occasionally a few muffled claps of thunder.

Su Jin turned on the TV, randomly selected a channel, and watched it with great interest.

Zhou Zheng called his older sister, who had just delivered food to his grandfather. The rain outside was so heavy that she didn't know when it would stop.

"Don't come over tonight. I'll stay at the hospital and take care of the old man. It's raining so hard, it's not convenient to go back anyway."

Zhou Zheng refused, knowing that his older sister was tired from taking care of others, and he would feel uneasy if he made her keep watch at night.

"Big sister, you're working non-stop all day long, it must be too tiring. Let me come over instead."

The older sister comforted him, "I'll get wet too when I get home. My son has something to do today and can't pick me up. I might catch a cold if I go home in the rain, and how will I take care of Grandpa if I catch a cold? Don't you think so?"

With this explanation, Zhou Zheng had no other choice but to agree.

"Okay, I'll give you an extra day's pay, and you'll get paid for staying with me at night too."

"Oh, that's perfect, young man." The older woman smiled broadly and handed the phone to the old man. "You talk to your grandfather. He had a check-up today and is feeling much better. He's even watching TV now, for a longer time than yesterday."

"Xiao Zheng? Don't worry, don't wander around in this heavy rain, just stay at home." Grandpa's voice came from the other side, and he did seem to have more energy than before.

This older sister really took good care of him, which lightened Zhou Zheng's burden considerably.

"Okay, I'll listen to you. Don't watch for too long, get some rest." Zhou Zheng covered the phone.

"I know." Grandpa smiled at my eldest sister. "That child is always so worried; she cares about me even more than my youngest daughter!"

The older sister smiled and praised him for being lucky, and the two hung up the phone while chatting and laughing.

Zhou Zheng sat back down in front of the TV. Seeing that Su Jin was watching a melodramatic period drama, he propped his head up and sat down on the sofa behind her to watch with her.

The plot was so melodramatic that Zhou Zheng almost fell asleep several times.

The sound of rain outside the window gradually subsided, and no one mentioned going home.

As the TV series neared its end, Su Jin, in high spirits, pressed the button for the next episode.

The phone rang at an inopportune moment.

Su Jin looked down and saw that it was the domestic number Lu Mingzhou had used before he went abroad. She hadn't deleted it, and it showed the character "洲" (zhou).

Zhou Zheng reached out and hung up the phone. He put his hands on the sofa, rested his head on her shoulder, and reminded her in a half-asleep voice.

"watch TV."

His voice was so soothing that Su Jin's ears burned. She turned her head to look at him and saw that Zhou Zheng was extremely sleepy, and he rarely showed an expression similar to that of someone his age.

Su Jin quietly raised her phone and took a picture of him.

"Click."

The phone camera was still on. Zhou Zheng glanced at her but ignored her.

Su Jin glanced at the time; the rain outside the window had lessened, and it was time for her to go home.

"Wake up, take me back." Su Jin nudged him.

Zhou Zheng didn't react and continued to sleep soundly.

Su Jin suspected he was doing it on purpose, so she reached for the keys. "Then I'll drive the car away myself and pick you up tomorrow."

"No." Zhou Zheng pressed down on her hand.

The warmth of her body instantly reached her fingertips through the thin fabric, and she couldn't help but pull her fingers away.

Under her fingers, the muscles in Zhou Zheng's thighs instantly tensed.

An ambiguous atmosphere lingered, accompanied by the background music of a TV drama, until the ringing of the telephone broke the silence.

Lu Mingzhou not only called, but also sent a text message.

Zhou: The rain at the airport is heavy, just like the day we met. Susu, I want to see you. If I can't see you, I'll have to ask my aunt for help.

Su Jin suddenly jumped up, staring at the seemingly warm but threatening text message, and narrowed her eyes.

How dare he threaten me? And he even managed to find my Achilles' heel.

"What are you doing?" Zhou Zheng asked, half-asleep, propping his chin up.

He was immediately sobered up by Su Jin's words.

"I'm going to the airport to pick up my ex-boyfriend."