EOD Chapter15

What Lu Zhao didn’t expect was that in the end, they bought three big bags of stuff, and it was Zhou Zefeng who paid for it.

Originally, when they passed by the snack shelves, Lu Zhao still felt that Zhou Zefeng’s words “take whatever you want to eat” were overly arrogant. It wasn’t until Zhou Zefeng scanned the self-service shopping QR code that Lu Zhao realized he was serious.

To this, Zhou Zefeng explained, “I just got my salary, it’s my treat.”

“There’s no reason to let a college student treat me to a meal. If people found out, where would I put my face?” Lu Zhao covered Zhou Zefeng’s face to block the facial recognition payment. Zhou Zefeng smiled without pulling his hand away. As his fingertips deftly keyed in the password, he leaned in close to Lu Zhao’s face and said, “Then make sure no one finds out. You can buy me a meal next time.”

Lu Zhao reached out to push his face away and stuffed his phone back into his pocket, “That works too.”

Zhou Zefeng cheerfully paid the money, carried the bags all the way to the trunk, and set them down. As he looked at the three large bags, he voiced a late concern: “What are we going to do if we can’t finish all of this tonight?”

“Put it in the fridge.”

Zhou Zefeng thought to himself that with so many things, the fridge definitely wouldn’t be able to fit them all.

As a result, when they returned to Lu Zhao’s house and he saw him open the fridge to stuff the desserts and fruits inside, Zhou Zefeng realized he was still too naive.

The last time he cooked in Lu Zhao’s kitchen, he hadn’t noticed this big refrigerator. He didn’t expect that Lu Zhao, who favored cold-toned decor, would specifically clear out a section of his fridge at home to store fruits and all kinds of desserts.

Zhou Zefeng had sharp eyes and saw the orange cake he had given Lu Zhao yesterday sitting in the corner; it was already half-eaten and sealed in a box.

“Is this delicious?”

Lu Zhao looked up, glanced at it, and said, “It’s just average.”

“Is that so?” Zhou Zefeng smiled and took the cake out, “Then I’ll eat it, don’t let it go to waste.”

Lu Zhao snatched the cake back, put it back in its original place, and glared at Zhou Zefeng, “Taking something without asking is considered stealing.”

“Hey, I bought this, okay?”

“So, what if you bought it?” Lu Zhao arranged everything neatly, took the orange cake out, placed it on the dining table, and opened it to eat, “It’s mine now.”

For a moment, Zhou Zefeng was both angry and amused. He didn’t like eating sweets, but seeing Lu Zhao like this made his teeth itch with irritation. Seeing that Lu Zhao was about to finish the last bite, he grabbed Lu Zhao’s wrist and said, “You won’t even give me a single bite?”

Lu Zhao fed the spoon to Zhou Zefeng’s mouth. Just as Zhou Zefeng was about to bite down, Lu Zhao suddenly pulled back a little and said with a smile, “Call me Gege, and I’ll let you eat it.”

Zhou Zefeng: ……

Seeing Zhou Zefeng’s easily teased look, Lu Zhao fed the spoon over again. Zhou Zefeng awkwardly took a bite of the hard-won cake, and his mouth was instantly filled with fragrance. Seeing his puffed-up cheeks looking very much like a hamster, Lu Zhao couldn’t help but reach out and poke them, leaving Zhou Zefeng dazed.

Lu Zhao hooked his finger, gesturing for Zhou Zefeng to lean in close as if he had something important to say.

Zhou Zefeng swallowed the cake, thinking it was something serious, and leaned his face in.

Lu Zhao gave Zhou Zefeng’s earlobe a light pinch, amusement coloring his voice as he said, “If you won’t call me that now, don’t end up crying yourself hoarse tonight.”

Zhou Zefeng’s face flushed red all the way to the base of his neck. He tried for a long time to come up with some harsh words to throw back, but one of the parties involved had already casually stood up to prep the ingredients. Zhou Zefeng sat in his original spot to compose himself for a moment, then slowly moved over to open the sliced fatty beef packages and plate them for the table.

As it grew late, the floor-to-ceiling window in Lu Zhao’s living room caught the setting sun, reflecting onto Lu Zhao’s earnest profile and outlining it with a cute, soft fuzz rim. Zhou Zefeng took one look and didn’t dare look again, focusing intently on the work in his hands.

“Do you eat spicy hot pot?” Lu Zhao took out a pot.

“No, is there a split pot?” Zhou Zefeng couldn’t handle spicy food, and since yesterday, he had been dealing with a stuffy nose and a sore throat, so he didn’t want to add fuel to the fire.

Lu Zhao put the pot back and swapped it for a divided hot pot, saying matter-of-factly, “You really shouldn’t eat spicy food.”

Zhou Zefeng thought he knew his throat was uncomfortable, and the movement of his hands chopping vegetables became cheerful.

At six o’clock in the evening, the tomato soup base in the split pot began to bubble, and all the ingredients were also ready.

Lu Zhao was picking out wine in front of the red wine rack. Zhou Zefeng sat at the dining table and opened his phone, browsing through the pictures of the big moon and family photos posted by his classmates and friends on his Moments. Mixed among them was an incongruous post: [Feeling emo :)]. Zhou Zefeng tapped the screen and gave a thumbs-up to his good friend Qin Wei, who was thousands of miles away in a foreign country.

[The Mid-Autumn moon is full and bright; may your dreams be just as sweet! May the sweetness of Mid-Autumn mooncakes bring you health and togetherness. Wishing you a joyful Mid-Autumn Festival! [Moon][Mooncake][Jade Rabbit Pounding Medicine]]

Looking at the chat window that Qin Wei suddenly popped up in, Zhou Zefeng felt utterly speechless.

[Is it a repeat performance?]

Zhou Zefeng hadn’t even settled scores with Qin Wei yet. It was this idiot who had mistakenly caused him to think yesterday was Mid-Autumn, and now he had copy-pasted and sent it all over again.

Qin Wei sent a bright picture of the sun: [The sun abroad isn’t as round as the moon back home; I want to go home so bad [About to cry]]

Qin Wei was a friend Zhou Zefeng had met while recuperating abroad. Qin Wei was studying there, and the two had bonded over basketball. They used to hit the gym together regularly, but after Zhou Zefeng returned to China, the time difference meant they kept in touch less often.

Zhou Zefeng raised his phone, snapped a picture of the moon through the floor-to-ceiling window, and sent it to Qin Wei.

He recalled his days abroad, where being alone was the norm. Meeting Qin Wei later on had given him some company, but by then, there were less than three months left before his return to China. Most of the time, Zhou Zefeng had operated on his own.

After returning to China, his old high school friends were away at universities in other cities. The roommates he hadn’t gotten along with before were still impossible to get along with. He did have one or two friends on the swimming team, but it was strictly a causal relationship centered around playing ball. Zhou Zefeng rarely opened his heart to people and had already grown used to loneliness.

With a chime, Qin Wei replied.

[Are you alone too [About to cry] Companions in misery]

Zhou Zefeng shifted his gaze from the jade-plate-like full moon outside the window to Lu Zhao, who was swishing meat in the pot by the dining table. He suddenly realized that, without his noticing, something was quietly changing.

His dried-up, weed-choked heart was slowly and tightly wrapped in lush green vines and soft moss. He could clearly perceive this process, yet he didn’t feel suffocated; he only felt warmth.

Zhou Zefeng couldn’t help but smile, and texted Qin Wei back:

[I’m not.]

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