A Young Woman's Heart

"Is this dessert?"

"If only we could eat the clouds in the sky," Zhou Yong chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Thinking about the song by one of our class bands... 'Colorful Cloud Ice Cream,' it probably reflects my current thoughts."

"A band?" Tian Tingchan's face showed a hint of longing. "I also thought about forming a band when I was in high school."

"Oh? Really? And then..."

"But in order to get into the university I want, I gave it up. Besides, we are an off-campus band, and participating requires a lot of our extracurricular time."

"Oh, oh..." Zhou Yong's answers were mostly so boring; the phrase "not good with words" was perfectly fitting for him.

"But I still had a summer vacation, didn't I?" Tian Tingchan gazed at the sky, as if recalling that wonderful memory. She rested her chin on her hand and unconsciously murmured to herself, "The first time I wore a dress in front of so many people, and I even put on such beautiful makeup..."

"Huh...?" Zhou Yong didn't react for a moment.

As if realizing something, Tian Tingchan straightened her back, which had been sitting lazily: "I...I've never worn a skirt before...I mean...back then my family always made me wear my father's old clothes."

"Oh, oh—" Actually, if she hadn't said anything, Zhou Yong wouldn't have even realized what was wrong.

Tian Tingchan lowered her head and slurped up a mouthful of noodles, her tone tinged with embarrassment: "Why can you only say 'oh oh'?"

"Ah."

"...I can't stand you anymore. By the way, there should be some desserts at home."

"No, no, those are your snacks..." Zhou Yong knew very well that Tian Tingchan's situation was not good. She was frugal and probably wouldn't even eat snacks herself, so of course he couldn't let her waste them.

"It's nothing, someone gave it to me." As if afraid he would misunderstand, Tian Tingchan turned her head slightly and added, "It was given to me by an older sister."

"I guess I won't need it. I didn't bring you anything to eat."

"Isn't this it?" Tian Tingchan looked at him, resting her chin on her hand.

Zhou Yong scratched his cheek somewhat awkwardly, until he saw the two bags of coffee on the windowsill behind him, which made him breathe a sigh of relief: "Ah, coffee? This... it's not worth much, and it doesn't fill you up."

Tian Tingchan was clearly taken aback for a moment, then repeated as if in agreement, "Um, coffee..."

"Ding-dong, ding-dong." The ringing doorbell broke the seemingly frozen silence.

The moment Zhou Yong's bottom left his seat, Tian Tingchan had already run out barefoot.

I opened the door, and there stood a young woman with her hair meticulously braided.

She handed over a paper bag and nodded to Tian Tingchan with a half-smile: "Miss asked me to bring you some fruit and snacks."

"Nianlu, thank you..." Tian Tingchan took the paper bag, frowning with some confusion, "Where is Sister Ziya?"

“She went on a date.” Nianlu’s smile finally broke out. “Hmm… she was acting like a spoiled child.”

"That's wonderful, she is."

"Okay, that's all, I'm leaving."

"Would you like to come in and have a seat?"

"No, I still need to make a reservation for Miss."

"it is good……"

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

The setting sun outside the window dipped a little lower, and the sky was tinged with a faint purple hue.

The clouds are as soft as gradient-colored cotton candy.

"Oh, we were just saying we wanted some snacks, and they've already been delivered?"

"It's Sister Ziya. She's been taking care of me in this city. If it weren't for her... we probably wouldn't be here today."

"Uh?"

"I may no longer exist." Tian Tingchan took a deep breath and put on a smile again. "Actually, I am already very happy with my life now."

“Contentment brings happiness,” Zhou Yong agreed.

However, Tian Tingchan's expression was somewhat strange. After glancing at him sideways, she ultimately said nothing, but simply spread the fruit and snacks from the paper bag on the table.

The quantity was small, but the items were all exquisite.

Strawberries, blueberries, sliced ​​cantaloupe, out-of-season pineapple... cream cake, pork floss bread...

"What an exquisite afternoon tea."

"The afternoon is almost over."

"cough……"

"Actually, I don't like eating too much of these fruits and snacks."

"Don't you like it?"

"...I'm afraid that if we stay too refined for too long, we won't be able to go back to that state."

"It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance."

"Well, so simple meals suit me better." Tian Tingchan handed him a small spoon. "You can eat, just help yourself."

"Uh, I'm actually not that hungry..."

"Dessert after dinner, wasn't that what you said?"

"Well... Brother Chan, I won't stand on ceremony."

"When have I ever asked you to be polite?" Tian Tingchan poked his forehead lightly with her finger, sounding annoyed.

In that instant, Zhou Yong felt a tingling sensation in his heart, as if an electric current had surged through him. For a moment, he even couldn't help but want to hold her hand tightly.

But in the end, it didn't move at all.

"When do you get your holiday?" Tian Tingchan picked up the box of strawberries, went to the kitchen to wash them, and then sat back down, eating them in small bites. Zhou Yong even suspected that she could eat a dozen bites of that tiny strawberry...

"It'll be soon, right? Final exams are over at the end of the month and then it'll be vacation time. What about you, Chan-ge?"

"We'll be on holiday in a couple of days."

"Universities start their summer break so early?"

"Ah."

Are you going home for the holidays?

Tian Tingchan didn't answer directly, but her eyebrows curved into a terrifying smile: "What do you think?"

"Ah... spending the New Year here?"

"Ah."

"Won't it be too boring to be alone during the Chinese New Year?"

"It's nice to have some peace and quiet."

"Let's go out for a stroll on New Year's Eve. We have a lot of guests coming to our house this year, and I don't want to stay at home."

Tian Tingchan lowered her head and gently rubbed the corner of her eye with her soft fingertips, as if there was some dirt there that hadn't been washed off.

She suddenly devoured most of the strawberry, her cheeks bulging out: "Hmm... is there a girl you like in your class?"

"Pfft!" Zhou Yong coughed violently, "Uh...uh..."

"Of course there are! Who doesn't like pretty girls?"

"Uh... I used to... I guess, it was my current deskmate."

"What does it look like? Why don't you like it anymore?"

"Blue eyes, she's mixed race, and quite pretty. It's not that I don't like her anymore, it's just that, haha, I'm just an ordinary person, right? How could I possibly be with her? So I'll just appreciate her beauty."

"...If you like someone, just try pursuing them. How will you have a chance if you don't try?"

"Haha, I got a cold shoulder, and it'll be awkward if we meet again in the future, so forget it..."

Tian Tingchan was somewhat exasperated with him: "So what are your plans for the future?"

"Uh, I don't know either. Let's just take it one step at a time. Anyway, I'll focus on getting into university first. Actually, I'd like to study medicine, but my grades don't allow it." Zhou Yong seemed to sense the atmosphere becoming somewhat serious, and gave an awkward laugh, changing the subject. "Talking about things that far ahead is pointless. Who knows what the future holds... How about we think about where you want to go for the New Year, Chan-ge?"

Tian Tingchan crossed her legs slightly and said, "The city must be very quiet during the New Year."

"Based on my experience, it will definitely be deserted."

"I wonder if we can go up those tall buildings."

"Some might still be open? What's wrong?"

“I want to go to the top of a very tall building and look down on the city. There won’t be many people on the streets then, and it will feel like the whole city belongs to me. Don’t you think that’s beautiful?”

"No problem. We'll just look around and see if there are any buildings we can still get into. Usually, there's a back door, so we can sneak in when the security guards aren't looking."

Where would you like to go for a stroll?

"Me? I don't really have any particular thoughts. I think the kind you mentioned is pretty good."

"Shall we spend New Year's Eve together?"

"Of course! Oh, and I'll also bring some snacks and dinner from home. Let's eat on the rooftop and celebrate the New Year together, and we can even watch the sunrise the next day!"

"But it will be very cold."

"So... I guess I'll just have to wear more layers?"

"Then what will you do then..."

"At that time?"

Tian Tingchan looked down at her legs, and finally just bit her tongue and shook her head: "It's nothing."

"When the time comes, can you hold me?" She kept the words she hadn't finished saying deep in her heart.

……

Chapter 143 Preparing Gifts