Addicted to You - Chapter 14

After getting off the bus, Zhou Yiheng still hadn’t left. He gave her backpack back when they reached the bottom of her building. They stood facing each other, unsure what to say, yet reluctant to part.

“During the holiday, I…”
“What?” Xu Yu was still immersed in the lingering dusk.
“Can I come find you?” Zhou Yiheng finished the sentence he’d been interrupted on earlier.

Her mind felt foggy, reacting almost instinctively. Xu Yu quickly agreed, “Okay.”

He beamed like a puppy rewarded for completing a task, double-checking, “Really?”
“Mm-hmm.” Xu Yu’s face flushed slightly.

“I’ll come find you tomorrow,” he said, then immediately backtracked, “No… I’ll contact you first.”

Xu Yu was just about to say she didn’t have an account yet when he started reciting his phone number.
“Call this number when you do,” Zhou Yiheng said. He seemed to be making mistakes today, repeating the word ‘then’, “No, wait. I should write it down for you.”
“I can remember it.” Things about him didn’t seem hard to remember.

Zhou Yiheng was visibly pleased by this, the corners of his mouth lifting subtly. “Give me your phone number.”
His expression was rare – like… a peacock courting.

Xu Yu smiled. “I’ll contact you.”

*

After showering, Xu Yu took a phone out of a white box. Her grandmother had bought it for her with money saved up for a long time before Xu Yu came to Beicheng.

Her grandmother had heard from the neighbor next door that all the city kids had phones. When she went to the phone shop, the salesperson said this was the model young people liked. Even though it was expensive, she brought it back for Xu Yu anyway.

Since her grandmother didn’t have a phone, Xu Yu had never turned it on before.

While the phone booted up, she silently recited the phone number he’d given her. She opened the contacts list, saved the number, and entered the note as a single letter: ‘Z’.

She registered an account and added Song Yuan as a friend.

By the time she was done figuring it out, over an hour had passed. She was starting to get somewhat familiar with the phone.

At some point, two notifications appeared: one saying Song Yuan had invited her into the Class 11 group chat, and another showing a friend request from someone with the nickname “Zz”.

She clicked accept. When filling in the nickname, she unhesitatingly wrote the same name she’d used for his contact in her phone.

Seeing the system message in the chat window – “You are now friends and can start chatting!” – Xu Yu thought for a moment, unsure what to say. Finally, she just sent a “Hello”.

Waiting was agonizing. One second, two seconds… no reply.

He must not have seen it, Xu Yu comforted herself. Then she felt a bit silly for feeling so restless over an unanswered message.

Putting the phone down, she focused back on her homework.

…

…

At 11:30 PM, Xu Yu finally finished her physics homework. As she was about to sleep, she heard her phone vibrate.

Instantly, she froze as if paralyzed. Was it spam? Or was it him? Her heart raced like a startled deer as she grabbed her phone.

The moment she saw it, she felt a surge of surprise and joy. She tapped the screen forcefully to open the chat window. It was him. A voice message.

Before playing it, Xu Yu turned the volume down low, held the phone to her ear, and pressed play.

A young male voice, laced with laughter, came through. There were faint sounds of other people talking and the whoosh of wind in the background. “Xu Yu, your greeting style is seriously old-fashioned.”

The three-second message ended. Unconsciously, she played it again.

Confirming he really was teasing her made her feel a little uncomfortable. She looked back at her own message – just a simple greeting, yet he called it old-fashioned. She didn’t want to reply anymore.

Just as she was about to put the phone down, another message came through.

This time, it was text.

Z: [I know you saw it.]

Her heart skipped a beat. He always seemed to guess what she was doing.

Z: [Still not asleep? What are you doing?]

She typed out “Doing homework” and sent it.

The other side seemed glued to the chat, replying instantly: [Then do it.]
She replied: [I’ve finished.]

As she waited, the chat header showed “Z is recording…”. A new voice message arrived.

She pressed play.

The young man’s voice was always unsettlingly charming. “Xu Yu, didn’t expect you to be so smooth.”

Smooth? What did he mean by that?

Xu Yu’s face flushed, her heart pounding.

She wouldn’t send anything else.

Within a minute, he messaged asking why she wasn’t talking, asking if she was shy, then said he was joking. The last message was an apology and a “Good night.”

Seeing that last one made her incredibly happy.

The villa was buzzing with excitement. Everyone was celebrating the start of the golden week holiday. Only one person sat staring at his phone with a silly grin.

Lin Qi sat down opposite him and raised his soda can. Zhou Yiheng saw it, picked up his own, and they clinked cans mid-air.

Lin Qi asked cheekily, “Who you chatting with? Smiling like an idiot.”

Zhou Yiheng laid his phone flat on the table. “None of your business,” he said smugly, taking another swig.

“Your little deskmate?”

He didn’t answer, just smiled.

Lin Qi knew. No denial meant he was right.
“You really like her?”

Zhou Yiheng found the question strange, as if he couldn’t possibly have feelings for someone. It annoyed him. “What’s it got to do with you?”

Lin Qi sneered, “If she knew your dating history, she’d probably run a mile.”

That pissed him off even more. Zhou Yiheng got up, hooked an arm around Lin Qi’s neck, and hauled him up. “I’ll beat you so bad tonight you’ll admit defeat. Loser calls me ‘Dad’.”

5 AM at the villa. Only three hours had passed since last night’s party. Everyone was still sound asleep in their rooms. The path outside was wet from the recent drizzle. One person walked out, umbrella in hand, following the stone-paved path.

The car windows were tightly shut. The sky outside was growing darker. Watching the flowers and trees pass by on the road to her place, Zhou Yiheng felt his mood brighten too.

So, the sky should clear soon.

…

…

Having had two nightmares in a row, Xu Yu hadn’t slept well. She woke up at 8:30 AM, having completely missed her 7:00 AM alarm.

She went straight to the bathroom. The sound of the toilet flushing mixed with the vibration of her phone on the table. Like any normal weekend, she had breakfast and then buried herself in studying, completely forgetting about the phone.

People came and went in the residential complex, inevitably glancing at the figure on the bench.

Light grey hoodie, a small embroidered English logo on the back, dark pants, and his signature hype-brand sneakers.

The wind was chilly. Zhou Yiheng sneezed, pulled his hood up with one hand, and covered his head completely.

A little boy wandered over, crouched in front of him, and stared curiously. “Big brother, what are you doing here?”
“Waiting for someone,” he replied.
“Waiting for your girlfriend?” The kid was sharp, seeming to know what a girlfriend was by age three.
“No.”
“Oh.” Unfazed, the kid continued, “I saw you bring a sister back last time. That sister was really pretty. Is she your girlfriend?”
Kids only seemed to notice pretty or ugly.
“No,” he said again.
“Oh. Did that sister dump you?” the kid asked.

Human patience has limits. He was already in a bad mood from lack of sleep and an hour spent freezing in the wind. Now this toothless brat was mocking him. He was about to explode when the kid’s mother appeared.

The mother saw him too and sniped, “Kids these days are so devoted, waiting downstairs even after getting dumped.”

That was the last straw.

Zhou Yiheng pulled out his phone. It had been an hour and a half since he messaged her, nearly 11:00 AM. He couldn’t wait any longer. He directly called her on voice chat.

Xu Yu, deep in concentration over a math problem, jumped at the sudden call. She got up to grab her phone, saw who it was, and answered. Before she could ask why he was calling, a complaint blasted through.

“Xu Yu, did you really not see my messages, or are you ignoring me on purpose?” he yelled into the phone.

Confused, Xu Yu switched out of the call screen to check. There were several messages from him this morning – actually, starting from the early hours.

2:05
[You asleep? I can’t sleep.]
2:21
[Insomnia.]
3:01
[Sweet dreams. See you when it’s light.]
5:21
[Awake? I’m on my way to you.]
7:35
[I’m here. Downstairs.]
9:11
[Up yet?]

Six messages in total.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t look at my phone,” she said guiltily.
“I’m freezing to death,” he grumbled.

Xu Yu tentatively asked, “You’re still downstairs?”
“Yeah.”

Her eyelashes fluttered. She stayed frozen, phone in hand, not even noticing the pen that fell to the floor. Then she bolted out the door.

Four flights of stairs suddenly felt endless.

As she neared the bottom of the stairs, she saw him.

Zhou Yiheng hung up the call and walked towards her, umbrella in hand.

Hearing a ‘ding’, Xu Yu glanced at her phone – call ended. She slipped it into her pocket and walked slowly towards him.

Her breath was still a little ragged; she tried to steady it.

“At least you’ve got a conscience, knowing to come see me,” Zhou Yiheng muttered.

Maybe it was the running, but Xu Yu’s face was flushed. “Why are you looking for me?”

Zhou Yiheng was genuinely a bit irritated now, his voice louder. “Didn’t I say last night? I’m coming to find you today.”

Perhaps the morning math problems had scrambled her brain. Xu Yu genuinely had forgotten. She apologized profusely.

Seeing her sincere expression, the little spark of anger in the boy instantly died out.

“So… where are we going now?” Xu Yu was clueless about fun.
“Let’s eat first.”
“Huh?”
“I’m hungry.”

Inside a clay pot rice noodle shop.

Breakfast rush was over; only two customers were inside.

Although Xu Yu had said she’d already eaten, he still ordered two bowls.

The moment the owner brought them over, the boy dug in, head down. He must have been starving.

The girl ate slowly, putting one noodle strand in her mouth at a time, like knitting a sweater. “Eating like that, you’ll finish next year,” Zhou Yiheng teased.

Xu Yu helplessly stuffed a mouthful in. She genuinely couldn’t eat another bite. “I really am full,” she repeated.

He’d initially thought she was just being modest when she said she’d eaten. Seeing her now, he realized she meant it. Zhou Yiheng reached over, took her bowl, and started eating.

Xu Yu’s eyes widened. That was hers! She’d eaten from it!
“What’s wrong?”
“That’s the one I ate from!” she said, blushing.
“I know,” he replied nonchalantly.

She had no words for his shamelessness.

Remembering his messages from last night, Xu Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you…”

Zhou Yiheng looked up just then, grabbing a napkin to wipe his mouth.

Xu Yu saw there was still some left in his bowl. “Aren’t you going to finish it?” she asked, swallowing her earlier question.
“You want to carry me later if I eat too much?” he teased.
She shook her head honestly. She couldn’t carry him.

They left the noodle shop. The sky was clearing, light growing brighter, steam rising from the damp ground.

Zhou Yiheng asked what she had been about to say earlier.

So interrupted conversations could be picked back up. Xu Yu finished her question – asking why he hadn’t been able to sleep last night.

They walked side-by-side along the street, unplanned, moving forward together.

Zhou Yiheng stepped into a small puddle. The splashed water hit her ankle, cold, but just right against the day’s warmth.
“Feel anything?” he asked without answering her question.
“What?”
He smiled. “The water hitting your foot.”

Xu Yu thought he was childish. She was about to say ‘no’ when he spoke first.

The boy spoke deliberately. “Last night, Lin Qi asked me if I liked you…” He paused. Xu Yu felt herself freeze for a second, then kept listening.
“…I didn’t answer.”

Her heart felt like it was on a rollercoaster, rising and falling.
“But he knows my silence means yes.” Xu Yu heard him chuckle. “He mocked me, saying if you knew about my past dating history, you’d definitely stay far away.”

Zhou Yiheng stopped walking. She stopped too, staying where she was.
“So Xu Yu,” he asked, “if you knew about all that, would you stay far away?”

A group of students walked towards them, probably classmates hanging out. The path was narrow. As they got closer to the pair, Xu Yu instinctively took a step closer to him.

She met the boy’s gaze directly. “On the first day of school, I knew you weren’t a good person,” she responded. “But we’re still standing here together now.”