Chapter 33 Part 1

Every day was so busy and fulfilling, yet Chi Nuan still felt like she was muddling through in a daze.

Her contact with Gu Ningzi did not break off because of this, and Chi Nuan truly experienced the torment of longing. She wanted to stop liking Gu Ningzi so much, but she could not help replaying every moment they had spent together.

Her sleep quality deteriorated badly. She slept poorly at night, and her workload during the day did not decrease, so she slimmed down visibly at a rapid pace.

Chi Qingchuan saw it all and felt heartbroken. He tactfully suggested that she end her part-time job early. After all, there were still more than half a month before school started, and it was her senior year—why not stay home and review her lessons?

Chi Nuan also felt overwhelmed, yet she did not dare to let herself idle.

She feared that once she had free time, she would endlessly miss Gu Ningzi.

In mid-August, Zhou Damao’s birthday arrived. Chi Nuan received his message with the party time and location, and an invitation for “everyone” to grace it with their presence.

It was probably just a mass text.

Chi Nuan called Zhou Damao to ask for leave.

On the day of Zhou Damao’s birthday, close to 11 p.m., as Chi Nuan was doing her English homework, she received a call from Xu Dan.

“We had so much fun, it was super lively.”

Xu Dan’s happy voice was infectious, and Chi Nuan smiled too. “Really?”

“Even Gu Ningzi came. Zhou Damao said the Class Monitor was the hardest to invite in the whole class.”

“…” Hearing that name out of nowhere from Xu Dan’s mouth left Chi Nuan dazed for a long while.

Gu Ningzi had returned to Yuncheng?

She had returned, but had not told her.

Of course, Gu Ningzi had no obligation to report every little detail.

Her heart churned with discomfort. Chi Nuan pressed her palm over her eyelids, and after a long time, she let out a long, choked sob.

The next day, Chi Nuan still went to work at the Bakery. She busied herself in the back kitchen all morning, and when she came out at noon to tidy the shelves, the Boss Lady asked her, “Xiao Chi, why are your eyes so swollen? Want some ice to put on them?”

Chi Nuan said it was nothing, but she still applied the ice pack the Boss Lady stuffed into her hands to her eyelids.

The weather those past few days had been scorching hot by day with showers in the evening. After dinner, another downpour started outside. By seven o’clock, when the hour hand pointed there, the rain finally tapered off.

“Little Chi, do you have a boyfriend? Tomorrow’s Qixi Festival.” Sister Mu, who was manning the register, was also part-time. She was a university student in S City and had just confirmed her relationship with her boyfriend before the holiday, though they were temporarily long-distance.

Chi Nuan said, “Not yet.”

Sister Mu: “I don’t know what surprise my boyfriend’s going to give me. I asked if he had a gift, and he said ‘Guess.’ How am I supposed to guess?”

A customer came up with a tray to check out, and Chi Nuan began skillfully packaging the bread.

The customer paid, picked up the bag, and left the store. Sister Mu continued, “Little Chi, let me tell you, whether a boyfriend is good or not shows in how he handles holidays and anniversaries. Sure, even if he does something, it doesn’t prove he’ll be devoted heart and soul, but if he doesn’t care about these things during dating, then either he doesn’t care about you, or his emotional intelligence is rock-bottom, or he’s just stingy beyond belief. Any of those are deal-breakers. Why would we girls go looking for hard mode, right?”

Chi Nuan smiled and subconsciously pulled out her mobile phone from her pocket, lighting it up. There were no message notifications on the screen.

Sister Mu sidled over and nudged Chi Nuan’s waist with her elbow under the counter. “Quick, doesn’t this person look super cool?”

Chi Nuan looked up from her mobile phone.

The new customer stood outside the store, folding her umbrella. She wore a thin black linen shirt, Silver Chain glasses perched on her nose bridge, and her skin was very fair.

She leisurely shook the rain off the umbrella’s surface, placed it in the umbrella bucket by the door, and walked in.

Chi Nuan rubbed her eyes, her heartbeat uncontrollably speeding up.

Gu Ningzi.

Gu Ningzi stood at the counter, her lips curving first into a silent smile. Then she lowered her gaze to browse the menu on the counter and, seeing fruit teas for sale, said, “Lemon Tea.”

Sister Mu asked her, “Will you drink it here or to go?”

Gu Ningzi said, “Here.”

Sister Mu entered the order and handed the receipt to Gu Ningzi, but Chi Nuan intercepted it midway. “Sister Mu, put it on my tab. …She’s my classmate.”

Gu Ningzi found a seat first. Chi Nuan meticulously prepared a cup of Lemon Tea for her and brought it to her table.

Gu Ningzi stood to take it, finding the experience somewhat novel and intriguing. “Thanks.”

Chi Nuan: “No problem.”

Gu Ningzi sat back down. Chi Nuan positioned herself as an ordinary classmate and asked the question anyone would upon reuniting after a long time: “When did you get back to Yuncheng?”

Gu Ningzi said, “Last night.”

Chi Nuan was startled. “So you went straight to Zhou Damao’s party after getting back?”

Gu Ningzi looked at her. “I thought you’d be there too.”

Chi Nuan: “…I had to work.”

“Mm.” Gu Ningzi nodded and checked the time on her wrist. “You get off at nine?”

“Eight-thirty.” The weather had been bad lately, and sales were down, so the Boss Lady said there was no point waiting around empty-handed and decided to close half an hour early.

Gu Ningzi: “Got it. I’ll wait for you.”

Chi Nuan glanced at her quickly. “Do you have something to do, or…?”

A small dimple appeared on Gu Ningzi’s porcelain-white cheek, her eyes shimmering with amusement as she said, “Came to see you, and to take you home.”

She had driven through the heavy rain just to wait nearly an hour, all to see her and then drive her home?

…Why?

After seven-thirty, the Boss Lady hung a sign outside the store for a limited-time buy-one-get-one-free on fresh bread, drawing a steady stream of customers again.

Chi Nuan busied herself packing bread while Sister Mu whispered in her ear during a lull, “Your classmate should consider being a celebrity or something.”

Chi Nuan looked over.

Gu Ningzi showed no expression, just sitting there flipping through a magazine. In the bustling shop with people coming and going, she was as serene as a patch of moonlight, yet everyone’s gaze was inevitably drawn to her.

Chi Nuan’s brows relaxed, and she smiled genuinely from her heart. Realizing her emotions were too obvious, she bit her lower lip to rein them in.