Chapter 36
The group was divided into two teams, standing on opposite sides of the river.
Jiang Lai sat on a rock with a baseball cap tilted askew on her head, swinging her legs and holding a stem of foxtail grass between her lips. She looked exactly like she had back in school whenever she was being mischievous.
In the end, it was Song Shiyuan who couldn’t take it anymore. She reminded her softly, and Jiang Lai pursed her lips before obediently lowering her legs.
She tugged at the corner of the girl’s shirt and muttered, “A-Yuan, are we really going to stand here all morning?”
“No. They’ll probably announce the rules in a bit. Be patient.”
Song Shiyuan looked at her bangs, damp from the fine drizzle, and carefully smoothed them back into place.
Across from them, Gu Xizhou, with her sharp eyes, immediately noticed the scene. She tugged at the woman’s arm in surprise and pointed it out to her. “Teacher Cheng, look! Those two are so well-behaved.”
The woman merely glanced over lightly before withdrawing her gaze. “You look pretty well-behaved too.”
Leaning against a tree trunk, Xu Zhiyi said lazily, “Would you believe a word she says?”
“Then Teacher Cheng has good taste, doesn’t she?”
The group chatted for a while longer before Director Zhang stepped forward and announced the competition rules.
The moment Jiang Lai heard them, her eyes widened. “No way. You’re starting with something this exciting?”
The man patiently explained, “It’s to help the members get closer.”
She swallowed and looked a little guilty. “But the other side is Cheng Shuyang and Xu Zhiyi. Even if you gave me ten times the courage, I still wouldn’t dare go after their wristbands!”
The man smiled innocently. “Then if you lose, tonight’s dinner and the dishes are your responsibility.”
Before Jiang Lai could say anything, Lin Wanqiu behind her let out a miserable howl.
The girl shot her a glare on the spot, and the latter immediately clamped her mouth shut, understanding at once.
“Fine then…”
“Good luck. I’m rooting for you.”
The man patted her shoulder, then returned to the sidelines.
On the opposite side, Gu Xizhou rolled up her sleeves, looking excited.
Jiang Lai sighed and crouched to tie her shoelaces while speaking to Song Shiyuan. “I’ll go hold off Xizhou later; you deal with Aunt Cheng, okay?”
“…Then why don’t you hold off Teacher Cheng?”
“Me?”
Jiang Lai pointed at herself, looking completely unconvinced. “I know my limits. If you want me to do the dishes and cook dinner, then go ahead and let me hold off Aunt Cheng.”
The girl pressed her lips together. “All right.”
Over on the other side, Gu Xizhou was also discussing tactics.
“Teacher Cheng, then I’ll trouble you to stop Jiang Lai.”
The woman’s brows drew together with a trace of uncertainty. “I may not be able to stop A-Lai.”
“No, no, no. That’s not right.”
Gu Xizhou wagged a finger and softened her tone. “She listens to you the most. Just say a few soft words to her later, and she definitely won’t bear to stop you.”
The woman unconsciously rubbed her arm with her fingertips, as if considering it.
“Teacher Cheng~”
Gu Xizhou made herself look pitiful and shook the woman’s sleeve. “You really can bear to let us wash the dishes? I just got my nails done; they can’t get wet. Please have pity on me, okay?”
Xu Zhiyi let out a cold snort and said sarcastically, “You’re not Jiang Lai. Acting cute for her won’t work.”
“I’ll give it a try then.”
The woman lifted her eyes, helpless amusement surfacing in them. “But I can’t guarantee I’ll really be able to stop her.”
“That won’t happen. If you make a move, A-Lai definitely won’t bear to lay a hand on you.”
As soon as the whistle blew, Jiang Lai immediately grabbed Song Shiyuan and ran in the opposite direction.
Song Shiyuan, not understanding what was going on, looked at her for an explanation.
“We’ll find a place to hide first, then catch them off guard later.”
Jiang Lai looked back at her with a smile.
Song Shiyuan froze for a moment.
She couldn’t quite remember when Jiang Lai had last held her hand. Before they broke up? Or some other time?
Once again, led by the hand, she suddenly remembered those days years ago when the two of them had hidden from the paparazzi. The girl had been just like this then, gripping her hand tightly in front, smiling brightly as she ran, still not forgetting to complain along the way.
“A-Yuan, look at them. Aren’t they so stupid? And they still think they can catch us. Don’t even dream about it. Don’t worry; I’ll definitely protect you.”
The scene overlapped with the present, and her eyes suddenly prickled with sourness.
“A-Yuan, what’s wrong?”
When she came back to herself, she found the girl looking at her with concern.
“Nothing. Just got dust in my eye from the wind.”
She lowered her head so the girl wouldn’t see.
Jiang Lai nodded and pulled her into a patch of grass, still muttering confidently, “They’ll definitely send Aunt Cheng after me. That’s just unreasonable. If I can’t afford to offend her, can’t I at least hide from her?”
She kept rambling, entirely unaware of the expression on the girl beside her.
“…If it really is Teacher Cheng coming after you, then what?”
“I definitely couldn’t bear to lay a hand on Aunt Cheng. But as for the rest…”
She patted the girl’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I definitely won’t let you lose either. I’ll give it my all.”
It had to be said, the spot she found was perfect for hiding. From the loudspeaker, they could hear the constant announcements of other teammates being eliminated.
“I knew it. Lin Wanqiu is definitely the one dragging us down!”
She angrily plucked a handful of grass by the roadside.
“All right, aren’t there still just the two of us? Don’t be mad.”
The girl comfortingly patted her back.
“Teacher Cheng, have you found A-Lai?”
The woman’s brows and eyes were filled with a smile. She kept signaling to Gu Xizhou to look at the grass not far away, and the latter immediately caught on, soon spotting the corner of a white shirt.
Jiang Lai had no idea danger was approaching and was still chattering away, complaining about Lin Wanqiu.
“A-Lai…”
“What is it?”
“I feel like something’s off. Why is it so quiet?”
“Quiet is good, isn’t it... huh?”
With sharp eyes, she spotted the two people closing in on her and hurriedly stood up.
“A-Yuan, let’s split up and run!”
Before the words had even fallen, she took off to the left. Song Shiyuan reacted immediately and also sprinted wildly to the right.
She had only run a few steps when she heard Cheng Shuyang’s gentle voice from behind her. “A-Lai, that way is a dead end.”
Her pace unconsciously slowed.
Song Shiyuan had already been cornered by Gu Xizhou; the outcome was obvious. And the woman was standing just a few steps away from her, smiling as she looked at her.
“Run. Why aren’t you running anymore?”
Gu Xizhou came panting over to regroup with the woman, triumphantly raising the wristband in her hand.
“You’re cheating. Two against one!”
Gu Xizhou shrugged, smiling innocently. “The rules didn’t say we couldn’t.”
“Aunt Cheng…”
She stamped her foot in frustration, pouted, and looked pitifully at the woman, trying to win her over by acting spoiled.
“Hey, hey, hey, stop right there!”
Seeing that expression, Gu Xizhou’s alarm bells went off. She hurriedly stepped in front of the woman. “Not that. No acting cute!”
Seeing that tactic wouldn’t work, Jiang Lai bit her lip and turned to run the other way; but behind her was nothing but an endless stretch of bushes, and that made her heart tighten with unease.
“Aunt Cheng, can’t you bear to? Am I not your favorite person anymore? Let me off just this once, okay?”
She drew out the end of her words, her voice so soft it sounded soaked in syrup, sweet to the extreme.
“Aunt Cheng, don’t go soft on her. Who knows what she’s planning in her heart!”
The woman’s heart softened at the way Jiang Lai looked at her, but her feet didn’t move an inch.
“Bleh, bleh, bleh. That trick doesn’t work anymore.”
The girl laughed at her mercilessly.
“Tch, childish.”
Jiang Lai turned her gaze back to the woman, still trying one last time. The woman smiled and shook her head at her.
“All right.”
Gu Xizhou was in an excellent mood. “Give up. Tonight’s dinner is definitely going to be made by you!”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll put something in it?”
Jiang Lai shot back without mercy.
“Suit yourself. Anyway, Teacher Cheng has to eat too.”
Jiang Lai: “…You’re ruthless.”
The woman coughed lightly and tapped her shoulder. “All right, stop teasing her.”
“Fine. For Teacher Cheng’s sake, I’ll be generous and let you off.”
The girl hummed a tune as she bounced away.
The woman walked toward her, then crouched down and carefully brushed the dirt off the cuffs of her pants. “Why are you always so careless? Your pant legs are covered in mud.”
Her voice was soft and sweet. “Aunt Cheng, it’s okay. I can clean it up myself.”
“Be good. If you lose, you’re not allowed to cheat.”
The woman pinched her cheek, her smile deepening.
Seeing the amusement in her eyes, the resentment in Jiang Lai’s heart instantly melted away by more than half. She muttered, “I know... But what do you want to eat tonight?”
That evening, the guesthouse was full of laughter and chatter.
Jiang Lai sat in front of the barbecue grill, her movements practiced and smooth, but her face wore a distinctly unwilling expression.
Gu Xizhou had dragged over a small stool to sit beside her and supervise, issuing commands without a shred of politeness. “Jiang Lai, that one’s burnt. Watch it when you grill.”
“Hey, listen to you.”
She laid a skewer on the grill and shot her a glare. “This is all your fault for insisting on barbecue. And you’re not even helping me!”
“The game rules said the losers cook...”
A sharp look was suddenly thrown at her.
She awkwardly rubbed her nose and silently turned the skewers over. “Fine, I won’t say anything. But really, these chicken wings will get overcooked if you leave them any longer; they’ll be impossible to bite.”
“I know.”
Though she was stubborn with her words, she still obediently took the wings off the grill. “What do you know? This is called crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.”
A drop of oil splashed onto the back of her hand. She didn’t have time to dodge, and soon a red mark was left behind.
“Let me have a bite,” Gu Xizhou said, reaching for the skewer in her hand.
Jiang Lai dodged at once. “There are plenty more on the grill. Take your own.”
After speaking, she took the skewer and walked over to Cheng Shuyang, who was talking to someone else.
Noticing someone approaching, the woman looked up. “A-Lai?”
“Aunt Cheng, this is for you.”
She handed over the skewer. It was still steaming hot, and the honey glaze that had just been brushed on it glistened enticingly under the lights.
“It was just grilled. I didn’t put any chili on it.”
Her voice softened on purpose. “I know you don’t like chili.”
The woman was stunned for a moment, then took it with a smile and thanked her.
“Would you like to try it and see if it suits your taste?”
“All right.”
The woman took a light bite; it was crisp on the outside and tender inside.
“This is really well grilled. Better than Wanwan’s by a lot.”
Jiang Lai scratched her head a little shyly. “I’m glad you like it. There’s corn over there too. I’ll grill some and bring it to you in a bit.”
The woman nodded with a smile. “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
Jiang Lai waved a hand. “Then I’ll head back.”
“Wait.”
The woman caught her wrist and tapped the tip of her nose, teasing her. “Did you rub charcoal all over your face?”
“Huh?”
Still confused, she reached up and touched her nose, only to come away with a handful of ash.
Her face instantly turned bright red. “Then I’ll go wipe it off...”
“No need; I have wet wipes here.”
The woman’s eyes glinted as she smiled and leaned her face closer. “Then I’ll trouble Aunt Cheng to wipe it for me.”
“What’s my reward?”
“Aunt Cheng hurt my feelings so much this morning. Shouldn’t you coax me a little?”
Director Zhang, standing nearby, looked at them with a subtle expression and thought to himself, I shouldn’t be here; I should be under the car.
“How did I make you unhappy this morning?”
The woman raised an eyebrow, but her fingertips had already found the wet wipes on the table.
Jiang Lai immediately began counting the woman’s crimes on her fingers.
“Are these really not just you being petty?”
Knowing full well that she was only pretending to be wronged, the woman still couldn’t help teasing her.
“No, they’re not...”
The woman helplessly shook her head and took out a tissue, carefully wiping the ash from her nose. Her movements carried a tenderness that was hard to notice at first glance. “All right, stop being mad.”
Jiang Lai lifted her face. Taking advantage of the moment when the woman wasn’t paying attention, she snatched the tissue from her hand and made a face at her. “Aunt Cheng, your skill at coaxing people still needs some improvement.”
After saying that, she shot off like the wind before the woman could catch her.
Watching her retreating figure, the woman’s smile deepened.
Clearly she was the one who wanted to act spoiled; she just had to find so many excuses for it.
Author’s Note: