44: Notes from a Paranoid Educated Youth 13

After dinner, Zhou Linchuan habitually got up to clear the table.

After storing the leftover food, he started washing the dishes.

After washing up, he started tidying up the rest of the house. He looked down and realized the stove was sparkling clean, without even a trace of ash.

The floor was also swept clean; not a single strand of hair could be found.

He stood rooted to the spot, his fingers unconsciously rubbing together.

When did she do all this?

Not only did she start bustling around to make dinner as soon as she returned, but she also cleaned the house inside and out so thoroughly.

His chest felt as if it had been soaked in warm water, aching and soft.

He turned to look at Wen Ci, only to find her sitting on the edge of the kang, her fingers twirling a strand of hair, looking at him with something she wanted to say.

Wen Ci had been wondering when to speak. Now, seeing him look over, her eyes immediately lit up. She jumped off the kang and moved closer to him.

"Captain Zhou, look!" She turned around, her back to him, and pointed to the braid on her head. "Sister Xinghua and the others braided it for me. Does it look good?"

Her hair was dark and soft, braided into an intricate fishtail braid, with the end tied with a red string.

Zhou Linchuan's gaze involuntarily fell on her hair.

The dark, lustrous braid made her neck appear even fairer, and the beautiful braid trembled slightly with her head tilt.

Like a little bird deliberately showing off its feathers.

His breath hitched.

His gaze gradually moved downwards.

Wen Ci's nape glowed delicately under the kerosene lamp, and the red string made her neck appear long, like a silent invitation, inviting him… to undo her braid.

To undo everything about her.

Zhou Linchuan's Adam's apple bobbed, his fingers curled slightly, almost unable to resist touching that red string.

"Good, good-looking."

His voice was hoarse beyond belief, even a little stammering.

Wen Ci turned around at this moment and saw that Zhou Linchuan's ears were red, almost dripping blood, and even his neck had a faint pink hue. She tilted her head in surprise,

"Really? Does it really look good?"

He turned his face away, not daring to look at her, his fingers unconsciously gripping the tablecloth, his knuckles white.

She was waiting for him to continue praising her.

But his breathing was already erratic; how could he speak?

Wen Ci suppressed a laugh, deliberately leaning closer. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

Zhou Linchuan suddenly took a step back, hitting the stove with his back, gasping in pain.

"Really!" His voice was a little louder. Then, realizing his reaction was too strong, he immediately lowered his voice. "…Not lying to you."

Wen Ci finally couldn't help but laugh aloud, her eyes curving into crescent moons. "Then do you like it?"

Zhou Linchuan: "…"

He opened his mouth, and after a long moment, didn't know how to answer.

Like what?

Was it her braid, or… her?

While Zhou Linchuan's mind was in a jumble, Wen Ci's fingertips hooked the end of her hair, and she glanced at the floral cloth bundle on the kang.

That was what Zhou Linchuan had brought back earlier.

She really wanted to know what was inside.

She poked it just now; it felt soft.

"What is this?" This time, she reached out to touch it curiously in front of him.

Zhou Linchuan's breath hitched. He subconsciously wanted to stop her but forcefully held back.

She was used to fine fabrics; would she dislike this coarse cloth?

Would she think he was shabby?

He clenched his fists, his Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and finally, he said in a hoarse voice, "…For you."

He paused, then added, "Take a look."

Wen Ci had been waiting for his words, so she immediately pounced to untie the bundle.

"It's really for me?" Her voice was joyful, and her slender fingers quickly unfolded the fabric.

A goose-yellow jacket, with delicate hidden patterns embroidered on the collar, glowing softly under the kerosene lamp.

A pair of dark blue work pants, with unbelievably neat stitches.

It looked expensive at first glance.

She suddenly looked up, her eyes bright as if holding stars. "You bought it?"

Zhou Linchuan turned his face away, his voice muffled. "Mm."

He paused, then added stiffly, "Just bought it casually."

He was afraid she would dislike it.

Next time, he would definitely buy her the best.

Wen Ci shook out the clothes and held them up to herself, the fabric rustling.

Zhou Linchuan secretly watched her expression out of the corner of his eye, his heart beating so fast it hurt.

Would she like it?

Would she dislike the color for being too rustic? Dislike the fabric for being too coarse?

He imagined Wen Ci used to wear exquisite qipaos and silk blouses, and his chest felt as if a stone was pressing down on it.

The pressure in his heart grew, and he became even more afraid that she wouldn't like it…

But the next second.

"Zhou Linchuan!" Wen Ci suddenly pounced, grabbing his arm. "I love it!"

She looked up, her face flushed with excitement. "When did you measure me? The waist fits perfectly!"

She twirled around with the clothes, the hem flying. "The collar is also beautiful, even more exquisite than those in department stores!"

Zhou Linchuan stood rooted to the spot.

She… really liked it?

It wasn't politeness, it wasn't perfunctory; her eyes were shining, and she was incoherently happy.

The stone in his chest suddenly melted, turning into warm sugar water, bubbling and gurgling.

He looked down at her joyful expression, his lips unconsciously curving upwards. "…Try it on."

Wen Ci immediately started to take off her clothes, then suddenly stopped, pointing at him. "Turn around, no peeking!"

Zhou Linchuan's ears flushed. He immediately turned and left the room, then closed the door.

But he had good hearing, and listening to the rustling sounds of her changing clothes inside the house, his fingertips secretly dug into his palm, and certain images uncontrollably appeared in his mind.

*

Meanwhile.

Lin Hongying was practically fuming when she got home.

She slammed the room door shut, then slowly slid down to the floor, her back against the door.

Thinking of Wen Ci's ugly face when she deliberately embarrassed her that afternoon, she felt nauseous.

"Don't be so anxious, Sister Hongying ~" Wen Ci had blinked her innocent eyes at the time. "Beginners are all like this."

The girls' snickers around her pierced her eardrums like steel needles.

She suddenly grabbed the enamel basin and smashed it against the wall. Amidst the loud clang, a wave of grievance welled up in her heart.

If Zhou Linchuan were here, he would definitely protect her. He definitely wouldn't stand by and watch her be bullied.

He would definitely kick Wen Ci away and then gently hold and comfort her.

In the previous life, Wen Ci had no right to enter the Women's Director's home to learn how to use a sewing machine, so why had everything completely changed now?

The oil lamp in the house cast her shadow on the wall, twisted like a ghost.

Lin Hongying remembered Zhou Linchuan's retreating figure as he carried Wen Ci away at the struggle session, and her heart felt a pang of block.

Zhou Linchuan clearly didn't like Wen Ci, so why was he suddenly so good to her?

As she thought, she suddenly sneered, "Wen Ci, do you think you've won?"

What kind of person was Zhou Linchuan?

He was a madman who would choke people's necks in the middle of the night to check up on them!

He was a pervert who would lock people in a cellar for three days just to hear a soft word!

Those terrifying fears of the past now became her most vicious expectations.

She looked forward to seeing Wen Ci's panicked and bewildered expression.

Zhou Linchuan would definitely not let her off easy.

Wen Ci would suffer a more tragic fate than she did in the previous life.

Moreover, the person Zhou Linchuan liked must be her, not a delicate young lady like Wen Ci. Wen Ci couldn't do anything, how could she compare to her?

Today's sewing machine incident was only because she didn't want to learn it. If she wanted to learn, she would definitely be hundreds of times better than Wen Ci.

Yes, that's right.

And Zhou Linchuan being deliberately good to Wen Ci, saving her in front of her, must have been to attract her attention and also to make her jealous.

Lin Hongying felt she had figured it out.

Zhou Linchuan had been madly in love with her in the previous life, so he must have already fallen in love with her at this time, and now he was trying to use such methods to attract her attention.

As long as she was a little nice to Zhou Linchuan, or just appeared in front of him, he would definitely choose her again instead of that woman Wen Ci.

It was just a pity, she now disdained a madman like Zhou Linchuan.

The man Wen Ci had set her sights on was merely a man she had discarded and found unworthy.

Moreover, as long as she crooked her finger, Zhou Linchuan would return to her side.

As Lin Hongying thought, she finally managed to soothe herself, and her mood instantly brightened.