Love in the Illusion

12

Chapter 12

On the weekend, Xu Sui arrived half an hour early at the Sheng household to tutor Sheng Yanjia, as they seemed to have rehearsals later. She didn’t want everyone to wait because of her own schedule.

As soon as she entered Sheng Yanjia’s room, Xu Sui delivered some bad news: "I have something to attend to later, so there won’t be any gaming session after the lesson."

The little curly-haired boy immediately slumped onto the desk, looking utterly dejected. "I haven’t played games for a whole week. I was just looking forward to soaring through the gaming world with Teacher Xu."

"Today we'll have an hour of math class, no games to play," Xu Sui deliberately paused for effect, patting his shoulder, "and the remaining hour we'll spend watching a movie."

The little curly-haired boy perked up immediately and changed his tune: "Teacher Xu, I can't wait to dive into the world of mathematics."

After Xu Sui finished teaching the math lesson seriously to the little curly-haired boy, Sheng Yanjia promptly cleared the desk spotlessly, turned on the projector, and asked excitedly, "Teacher, what are we watching? 'The Avengers' or 'The Lord of the Rings'?"

"Neither, we're watching 'Friends'," Xu Sui replied with a smile, shaking her head.

As everyone knows, "Friends" is one of the benchmark films for learning English and practicing spoken language, making Sheng Yanjia wish he could bang his head against the wall on the spot.

After the one-hour movie ended, apart from the two sets of math papers Xu Sui left for Sheng Yanjia, there was also a reflection essay on "Friends."

"It's all a setup, every bit of it! Teacher Xu, you're so mean!" Sheng Yanjia protested.

Xu Sui checked the time and said with a smile, "I won't chat with you anymore. This bad teacher has other things to attend to and must leave now."

Xu Sui hurriedly packed her things and rushed downstairs. She jogged through the living room, only to run into Aunt Sheng in the courtyard, who was organizing a mahjong game.

Aunt Sheng was dressed in a water-blue cheongsam with knotted buttons and a slit, draped with a woolen shawl, exuding charm and elegance. She was just lamenting the lack of a fourth player when she spotted Xu Sui, her eyes lighting up: "Teacher Xu, come join us for a game."

"I have something to attend to," Xu Sui said immediately, sensing trouble.

Aunt Sheng took a few quick steps over, stamped her foot, and grabbed Xu Sui's hand: "Just ten minutes, only ten. Old Li next door went to the bathroom—just fill in for him."

"But I'm not very good at it," Xu Sui lamented inwardly.

"No worries, we'll teach you," Aunt Sheng insisted, pulling her over without another word and seating her at the card table.

A wooden square table stood nearby with a fruit platter laden with dried fruits and melon seeds. The slanting sunlight cast a warm glow as the neighbors gathered around, their hearty laughter and playful banter mingling with the wins and losses of the game.

The German Shepherd lay at Aunt Sheng's feet. Seizing a break between card deals, Xu Sui sent Zhou Jingze a WeChat message: ["Um... I might be a bit late. You guys can start rehearsing without me."]

In less than a minute, the phone displayed a reply from zjz: 【Where are you?】

Xu Sui lowered her head to reply to the message: 【Still at Aunt Sheng's place. She's insisting I play cards, and I... don't really know how.】

Aunt Sheng was dealing the cards and had sharp eyes. She laughed and said, "Teacher Xu, no more phone. Even if it's texting your boyfriend, it's not allowed. Once you're at my card table, you need to focus."

Xu Sui didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she had no choice but to put her phone aside. She only knew a little about playing cards, having picked up some rules from watching her uncle's family play during New Year celebrations. But when it came to card games, she was a complete novice with no chance of winning.

After playing for ten minutes, Xu Sui realized her hand was terrible. Aunt Sheng had been beaming since the game started. She stole a glance at her phone.

Zhou Jingze replied with two words: ["Wait."]

Wait for what? Was he going to find reinforcements, or call Aunt Sheng so she could leave? Xu Sui's mind raced with guesses.

Xu Sui barely scraped through one round with her lousy card skills, but Old Li next door still hadn't shown up. With everyone in high spirits, she had no choice but to keep playing her terrible hand.

In the second round, Xu Sui's hand wasn't great. Just as she was hesitating whether to throw caution to the wind and play recklessly, a deep voice sounded:

"Play this."

At the same time, a pack of cigarettes and a silver lighter appeared on the table.

Xu Sui turned her head abruptly—Zhou Jingze had materialized out of nowhere before her, clad in a black windbreaker and gray pants, his lips thin and nose straight.

"Jingze, what brings you here?" Aunt Sheng asked.

"You've got my people detained here, so I came," Zhou Jingze replied with a smile.

Aunt Sheng's eyes darted between the two of them before she chuckled and said, "Alright then, same as always—best two out of three. Win twice, and you can leave."

Xu Sui's voice carried a hint of urgency, "Aunt Sheng, we really have something important to do, we need to rehearse..."

"It's fine, it'll be quick." Zhou Jingze interrupted her.

During the card game that followed, Xu Sui was even more distracted than before. Because Zhou Jingze stood right behind her, occasionally leaning down to offer guidance.

His elbow rested on Xu Sui's right side, the faint blue veins clearly visible. The black fabric of his clothes brushed against her shoulder, and Xu Sui found her senses heightened. He must have just washed his hair, carrying a refreshing minty scent with a hint of basil's bitterness.

Xu Sui's cheeks grew warm as a pair of well-defined hands reached over, thumb and forefinger pulling out a card. He chuckled softly, "What are you spacing out for?"

His fingertips accidentally brushed against Xu Sui's hand, so lightly it was like snow. The black mole on his thumb webbing kept appearing before her eyes, making Xu Sui feel uneasy, her breath quickening slightly. She dug her nails hard into her palm.

Xu Sui silently told herself to stay calm, to pretend she didn't care, and above all, not to give herself away.

Otherwise, her feelings for him would have nowhere to hide.

Xu Sui exhaled, trying hard to steady herself. Zhou Jingze was clever—his kind of cleverness carried a hint of mischief, offering a taste of sweetness first before catching you off guard.

Under Zhou Jingze's guidance, Xu Su won two consecutive rounds. Aunt Sheng pushed all the lost money toward Xu Su and pointed at him, saying, "Get out of here. If you stay any longer, I'll go bankrupt."

Zhou Jingze smirked mischievously, pulling a cigarette from the pack and clamping it between his teeth. He lowered his head to meet Xu Su's hesitant gaze: "This money..."

"Keep it. Buy some candy with it." Zhou Jingze laughed with the cigarette still in his mouth, his voice slightly muffled.

The two walked side by side out of the Sheng family courtyard. Zhou Jingze, with a cigarette between his fingers, walked slightly ahead. Xu Su stared at his shoulder, mustering the courage to say, "Thank you for what you did about Bai Yuyue."

Zhou Jingze turned his head and raised an eyebrow. "How did you know it was me?"

"Just a guess," Xu Sui replied.

"Alright," Zhou Jingze kicked a pebble at his feet and smiled lazily. "So how are you going to thank me?"

Xu Sui was about to say, "Anything within my power," but Zhou Jingze, with one hand in his pocket, tilted his head to look at her. His dark, rock-like eyes locked onto hers as he spoke with a meaningful tone:

"Or are you also inviting me to have milk tea?"