Love in the Illusion

6

Chapter 6

"Thank you." Xu Sui picked up the water beside her and quickly tilted her head back to drink, using it as a way to avoid Zhou Jingze's gaze. She gulped down several mouthfuls before her throat felt slightly better.

"Are you sad?" Hu Xixi asked.

"Him?" Sheng Nanzhou sneered, turning around to approach Zhou Jingze, reaching out to grope his chest in an exaggerated manner. "Shu Huan, you have no heart!" he said in an affected tone.

Zhou Jingze remained unruffled, leaning close to his ear with a doting tone, whispering softly, "Be good, I'll let you touch me when we get back tonight."

Sheng Nanzhou recoiled from him as if electrocuted, putting distance between himself and Zhou Jingze, cursing, "Stop f*****g seducing me, I'm straight!"

"Your Lord Zhou doesn't care about the breakup; losing 'Wei' is what really broke his heart," Sheng Nanzhou said.

"No way, you only picked it up less than a month ago, took it to the hospital for shots and checkups, and it's already gone?" Hu Xixi said.

"Hmm," Zhou Jingze responded indifferently, lowering his voice as he muttered, "ungrateful cat."

After the group finished eating, Zhou Jingze went to wash his hands in the restroom behind the cafeteria. When he came out, he was drying his hands with a paper towel and said, "Let's go."

"Bye, chubby girl, bye, little Xu," Sheng Nan Zhou waved at them with a grin.

Xu Sui nodded slightly, but Hu Xixi immediately clenched her fists and snapped, "Bye my foot, who wants to see you anyway."

After they left, Xu Sui and Hu Qianxi walked back to their dormitory side by side. Although they knew about Bai Yuyue and Zhou Jingze's breakup, they decided to pretend they didn't.

Because Bai Yuyue seemed genuinely heartbroken over this breakup.

A new week arrived, and it had rained the night before. Pushing the door open to step outside, the air was filled with the scent of fresh grass, mingled with the earthy smell of rain-soaked soil.

Not long after Xu Sui boarded the bus, the weather shifted unpredictably. The sun emerged shortly after, its bright rays piercing through the bus window, so glaring that Xu Sui instinctively raised a hand to shield her eyes.

The tutoring interview was scheduled for 4 p.m., and Xu Sui had to transfer buses three times to get there. Sweat made her clothes cling to her back, and the jolting ride left her pale and nauseous.

Finally, Xu Sui got off the bus just before four and entered Amber Lane, searching house by house for number 79 according to the address her senior had given her.

Not long after getting off the bus, Xu Sui still felt severely nauseous. She walked slowly when suddenly, she spotted a convenience store in the distance—a 7-Eleven, its sign featuring a bold red number 7 surrounded by a green border.

As Xu Sui approached, the automatic doors slid open with a soft "ding."

"Welcome." A lazy, emotionless voice sounded.

Xu Sui looked over and was surprised to see Zhou Jingze. The guy was casually slouched in the chair behind the counter, his dark eyelashes lowered, his expression weary and indifferent, as if he hadn't woken up yet.

He had a cigarette tilted in his mouth, his elbow bent, revealing taut muscle lines as he lowered his head to play a game. From the side, the prominence of his cervical vertebrae was striking—aloof yet alluring.

Perhaps having held the same posture for too long, Zhou Jingze raised a hand to rub his neck. When he looked up and saw it was Xu Sui, he slightly raised an eyebrow: "You?"

"I came over for something," Xu Sui said, her voice tinged with nervousness.

Zhou Jingze nodded absentmindedly and went back to playing his game. Xu Sui turned around and stood in front of a row of refrigerators, picking through the items. Behind her, the sound of "KO" from the game kept coming. Zhou Jingze wasn't even looking at her, yet Xu Sui felt unbearably tense, simply because the two of them were alone in the same space.

Xu Sui froze for a moment, forgetting what she had come into the convenience store to buy. The cold air from the refrigerator rushed over her, sending a shiver down her spine. In the end, she hastily grabbed a carton of white peach-flavored milk.

At the checkout counter, Zhou Jingze tossed his phone aside and stood up to scan the items. As Xu Sui paid, Zhou Jingze noticed something off about her—her face was unusually pale, making her dark eyes stand out starkly and appear fragile.

"What's wrong? You don't look well," Zhou Jingze said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on her.

"Just a bit carsick," Xu Sui replied.

Zhou Jingze pressed his tongue against the inside of his left cheek and smirked before tossing out a remark, "Wait here."

He turned around, rummaged for a jacket, and gave it a vigorous shake. A box of pressed candies tumbled into his palm. Opening the lid, he casually picked one, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. The mint candy crunched loudly between his teeth as he mumbled indistinctly, "Hold out your hand."

Xu Sui's slender eyelashes fluttered as she extended her palm. Suddenly, a handful of green mint candies rained down out of nowhere, clattering like a bestowed reward. She dared not look up, afraid to meet his gaze, and instead stared blankly at his hand—his fingers distinct with knuckles, a black mole resting on the webbing between thumb and forefinger, swaying before her eyes.

"I eat these candies often; they seem to help with dizziness," Zhou Jingze mumbled around the cigarette dangling from his lips.

Five minutes later, Xu Sui stepped out of the convenience store. Standing under the blazing sun, she clutched the candies in her sweaty palm. That day, the scorching heat threatened to melt her, yet she felt inexplicably happy.

Xu Sui unwrapped one of the candies, tucking the wrapper into her pocket. Though the mint was cool, she tasted sweetness instead.

Who would have thought that fate's coincidences would pile up on the same day? She took a wrong turn, wandered for half an hour before finding No. 79 Amber Lane, only to realize it was right behind the 711 convenience store.

Xu Sui stood at the door and politely rang the bell. "Coming!" someone called out, followed by quick footsteps approaching to open the door. It was an auntie who answered.

The housekeeper led Xu Sui inside, where she finally met the lady of the house. She was a stunning woman in her forties, dressed in a figure-hugging skirt, exuding charm.

"You must be Xiao Xu? Your senior already told me about you. Just call me Auntie Sheng. Come, have some fruit—I just cut it," the woman said warmly.

"Thank you," Xu Sui said, looking at her and asking, "Which child needs tutoring?"

"Oh, my memory! I forgot to mention—it's my youngest son. Let me call him downstairs," Aunt Sheng called toward the staircase, "Sheng Yanjia, come down now! The new tutor is here. Stop pestering your brother to play video games."

No response.

Aunt Sheng smiled awkwardly: "Xiao Xu, why don't you come upstairs with me? I'd like to see how you conduct the trial lesson."

"Okay." Xu Sui nodded.

Xu Sui followed the woman upstairs, and the two walked to the third room on the left. Standing at the door, Xu Sui immediately spotted two people engrossed in playing games.

"Sheng Yanjia, still pestering Brother Jingze to play games? I'll give you three seconds to get out here," Aunt Sheng said calmly. "Old Li downstairs, the scrap collector, has been eyeing your game console for a long time."

The sound of the game abruptly ceased—

Hearing the familiar name, Xu Sui's heart skipped a beat. Zhou Jingze put down the Switch controller, turned around, and was momentarily stunned to see Xu Sui before breaking into a grin. What a damn coincidence.

"Class is starting," Zhou Jingze said as he stood up and patted the kid's head.

Sheng Yanjia clung to Zhou Jingze's pant leg, pleading desperately, "Bro, please, just one more game with me."

"No, you're too terrible," Zhou Jingze crouched down and pried his fingers off one by one, chuckling lazily. "Go to class properly."

Zhou Jingze raised an eyebrow as he stepped out of the room and saw the scene. Standing in front of Xu Sui, he met her puzzled gaze and briefly explained, "He's Sheng Nan Zhou's younger brother. My family also lives nearby. The convenience store belongs to his family, and I'm helping to watch it for a while because Aunt Sheng went to play mahjong."

Being reported by a junior, Aunt Sheng felt embarrassed. She pushed Zhou Jingze out and preemptively said, "Don't block Teacher Xu's class!"

"Alright."

The trial lesson was relatively short. Xu Sui taught for about thirty minutes before Aunt Sheng expressed her satisfaction and even had her younger son welcome the new teacher.

Sheng Yanjia, with a head of curly hair and a chubby little face that clearly showed reluctance, could only force himself to say against his will, "Welcome, Teacher Xu."

Xu Sui smiled. Aunt Sheng saw her out, just as they ran into Zhou Jingze sitting on the couch, about to leave. Aunt Sheng immediately stopped him, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Where else? Home, of course," Zhou Jingze replied with a helpless smile.

"No way. You're all alone at home. What's the point of going back? Stay for dinner. Auntie will make your favorite braised eggplant," Aunt Sheng said.

Zhou Jingze gave a lazy smile. "At this rate, I might as well become your son."

"Perfect timing. I've been wanting to sever ties with Sheng Nanchou as mother and son for a while now. You can take his place," Aunt Sheng said expressionlessly.

Zhou Jingze lowered his head, shoulders shaking with laughter, his expression relaxed and cheerful. In the end, he didn’t leave.

Aunt Sheng saw Xu Sui out, holding her hand and chiding gently, "I told you to stay for dinner."

Xu Sui shook her head with a smile. "I still have some things to do, and I need to go to the library later."

"Xiao Xu, I was very satisfied with your trial lesson just now. Sheng Yanjia has only half a year left before his minor exams, and this kid's grades—I might as well have raised a pig, it would do better. I hope you can help him. Of course, I understand your concerns about the commute; it is quite a hassle to come here. Why don't you think it over tonight? You can contact your senior later."

In the evening, Xu Sui returned to her dorm and found a clean glass jar. She placed all the peppermint candies Zhou Jingze had given her inside, not daring to eat a single one.

By ten o'clock, she was still the only one in the dorm. Xu Sui rested her chin on her hand, staring blankly at the glass jar. Suddenly, Hu Xixi pushed the door open and said, "Suisui, did you miss me?"

"Yes." Xu Sui smiled sweetly.

"I heard from Liang Shuang today that you went for a tutoring interview. How did it go?" Hu Xixi sat down.

Xu Sui poured her a glass of water and thought for a moment. "It went well. What a coincidence—the family I interviewed with turned out to be Sheng Nan Zhou's, and the student I'd be teaching is his younger brother."

"Amber Lane?! Damn, who sent you all the way out there? It's quite far from the school. You must be exhausted, Sui Sui," Hu Xixi said with a look of concern. "But I think Sheng Nan Zhou's brother was indeed looking for a tutor."

"Hmm," Xu Sui replied, hesitating slightly as she recalled something and asked Hu Xixi, afraid she might seem overly concerned, "Xixi, I heard from Aunt Sheng that Zhou Jingze lives alone?"

Hu Xixi sighed: "Well, their family situation is a bit complicated. They used to live together as a family on Amber Lane. His mother passed away when he was in ninth grade, and his father wanted to move out, but Zhou Jingze refused. To this day, he still lives in that villa all by himself. Luckily, he's had a German Shepherd since childhood to keep him company."

"I see," Xu Sui responded, suddenly remembering the faint smile in Zhou Jingze's eyes that afternoon when he sat on the sofa and Aunt Sheng invited him to stay for dinner.

Not long after, the senior sent her a message asking if she had made up her mind about the tutoring job. Xu Sui thought of those dark, silent eyes and typed in the chat box:

I've thought it over, I want to go.

"Sure," Xu Sui nodded.