Chapter 78: Zhizhi Gently Patted You
Indeed, people can’t simply stay cooped up indoors all the time.
After their walk along the river, Li Wanyin felt a rare sense of relaxation and joy that only a holiday could bring—no pressure of job hunting, no urgency for work the next day, and her entire demeanor shone with ease.
By the time the two of them, with the cat in tow, returned home, it was already half past ten at night.
Li Wanyin went to her room first and changed into her comfortable shorts and a T-shirt she used as pajamas. Since Chen Shian hadn’t taken his shower yet, she went to wash her feet, freshen up, and brush her teeth.
Droplets of water clung to her lovely face, pure as a lotus just emerged from water.
“Shian, I’m going to bed first, alright?”
“Mm, you’re going to sleep so early tonight, Wanyin. Are you very tired?”
“Haha, not tired, just sleepy. Sometimes you need a good sleep to mark the end of the day.”
Her words were a bit abstract, but Chen Shian could sense what kind of tiredness she meant—perhaps like the contented drowsiness that comes after a satisfying meal.
“By the way, we’re climbing Shuiche Mountain tomorrow, right? Shian, what time do you want to leave?”
“No rush, Wanyin. Get your rest, we’ll go whenever you wake up.”
“Alright then, good night~”
“Rest early.”
Li Wanyin closed her door and returned to her room.
Chen Shian picked up his change of clothes and went to shower.
After his shower, he hung up his laundry, turned off the lights, and went to his room with the cat.
He picked up his charging phone and opened WeChat, which had apparently been closed in the background at some point.
A flood of messages popped up, including more than forty new friend requests.
It was the weekend, and many classmates had their phones. Seeing “Daoist” join the group chat, they quickly sent him friend requests.
Both boys and girls, some with their names in the note, some without. Chen Shian accepted all, and for those without notes, he simply asked, “Who are you?”
The vice class monitor Qiu Yufu, the girl in front of him Zheng Yining, Xie Mengxuan, and many classmates he’d barely spoken to all added him.
Suddenly, his Moments feed was full—screenshots from games, photos of places they’d been that night, people posing with bubble tea, pictures of their cats and dogs…
For the first time, Chen Shian glimpsed his classmates’ lives outside school—something quite interesting to him.
He didn’t find it boring; as he chatted idly with his new friends, he scrolled through their posts. He’d always enjoyed observing people. The lives of others were often more fascinating than any book.
Most of his classmates lived lives he’d never experienced growing up in the mountains.
As he browsed, two new posts appeared.
The first was from Wanyin, who’d just gone to bed.
Little Echo: [Photo]
No caption, just a photo—one he’d taken of her by the river earlier.
Clearly, Li Wanyin really liked the picture: she’d even made it her profile photo.
Chen Shian commented with a thumbs-up emoji and liked the post, as if catching her still awake.
The second post was from Wen Zhixia, who’d gone home after school.
Zhizhi: [Photo]
Caption: Happy birthday to Mom~! Wishing you happiness every day, forever young and beautiful~! Love you, Mom~!
Chen Shian opened the photo full-screen.
The living room was dim, lit only by the candles on a large cake. A woman, bearing a strong resemblance to Wen Zhixia, wore a playful birthday hat, hands clasped and eyes closed, making a wish. The candlelight cast a warm glow on her face.
Beside her, Wen Zhixia—still in her blue-and-white school uniform, head tilted, flashing a (＾－＾)V sign beside her cheek.
It was a very heartwarming photo. He wondered if the person who took it was Zhixia’s father; the father wasn’t in the frame, but a big hand making a peace sign appeared from the edge.
Perhaps such a happy little family was what nurtured Zhixia’s lively, passionate spirit.
Chen Shian had never met her parents, but he could easily imagine them—a father as the pillar of the home, a mother calm and thrifty, both open-minded, youthful in spirit.
Happy families are all alike, or so one says. Perhaps his judgment wasn’t perfect, but given his knack for reading people and Zhixia’s character, he was probably right.
He exited the full-screen photo and typed a comment:
“May Auntie be blessed with the company of longevity and peace; may your home be graced with virtue and fortune everlasting.”
He also liked the post.
Almost immediately, as if she’d been waiting for him, a message from Zhixia popped up:
Zhizhi: [Have you eaten yet? 【Minion Arrogant】]
The [Minion Arrogant] emoji, Chen Shian thought, looked more like a pouting sulk.
What was this? The class monitor sulking for no reason was one thing—now Zhixia too?
He was the innocent one here! If anyone had reason to be upset, it was him—caught between these two troublemakers, with neither showing any sympathy for the poor little Daoist!
Chen Shian: [I’ve eaten long ago【Minion Arrogant】]
System: Zhizhi patted you.
Chen Shian tapped her avatar and patted her back.
System: You patted Zhizhi and said, “I’m sorry.”
Chen Shian was full of questions—he hadn’t learned how to set up these pat responses when he searched online!
On the other end, Wen Zhixia was taken aback. She’d set up that pat response ages ago, never expecting him to trigger it so perfectly.
Whatever little annoyance she had vanished, and she couldn’t help but giggle under her blanket.
Stupid Daoist! Dummy!
She hadn’t really been angry—like Lin Mengqiu earlier, she realized her sulking that afternoon was for no reason at all, just a sour, stuffy feeling. Thinking back, as his friend, Chen Shian hadn’t done anything wrong. If she’d just ignored seeing him with Lin Mengqiu, it would’ve been fine. But for some reason, seeing the two of them walking together, she simply couldn’t stop herself from walking over…
Now, with clarity of mind, she thought: let him and the class monitor do as they like! They’re all friends—who’s guilty, who cares…
If the Daoist himself didn’t feel awkward, why should she? Hmph!
Oh, Lin Mengqiu, are you the flustered one?
Ha! Just a little test and I caught you out, didn’t I? You really do… do…
The girl on the bed suddenly sat up.
No, no, that can’t be right…
In the darkness, her big, beautiful eyes were round with surprise, her expression growing serious.
But after pondering for ages, she came to no conclusion; the seriousness faded to confusion, and she curled up under her blanket again.
She lit up her phone. On the screen was a message from Chen Shian.
Chen Shian: [How did you set up that pat response? Where do you find it?]
Zhizhi: [……]
Look at him! She’d spent the whole night turning over her feelings, and all he cared about was how to set up the pat function. Was that really important?
Zhizhi: [Figure it out yourself.]
Chen Shian: [Did you give the gift to your mom?]
Zhizhi: [I did! She really liked the wood carving of the plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum.]
Zhizhi: [She didn’t believe you carved it yourself, said she’d never seen such delicate work! I argued your case for ages! Aren’t you going to thank me?]
Chen Shian: [Thank you, Zhizhi【Hands clasped】]
Zhizhi: [You’re welcome【Smile】]
Wen Zhixia had to laugh, a little exasperated. Sometimes it was hard to reconcile the old-fashioned way he replied with the fact that he was only eighteen.
In fact, she hadn’t told him: when she gave her mom the carving, both parents were quite suspicious about what kind of “friend” Chen Shian really was.
Her mother even whispered to her, asking if she was secretly dating him… The girl had been so flustered she thought her face would catch fire!
She’d protested her innocence, saying they were just friends, her heart was focused on studying, and such things were out of the question. Only after much persuasion did her parents believe her.
Little episodes like this, of course, she’d never tell Chen Shian.
Not because she felt guilty—there was nothing to feel guilty about!
Wen Zhixia rolled over, hugged her pillow, and continued messaging him:
Zhizhi: [Mom says thank you. She thinks you’re very thoughtful and wants you to come over for dinner sometime. Dad says he’d like to see your carving skills in person—he says the carving is amazing, better than any of the craftsmen at our family’s factory.]
Chen Shian: [Your family has a factory? What do you make?]
Zhizhi: [Solid wood furniture and such.]
Zhizhi: [By the way, you use wood for carving, right? If you need any, I can get it from the factory.]
Chen Shian: [You’re going to steal it?]
Zhizhi: [Nonsense! It’s my own family’s—how is that stealing!]
Chen Shian: [【Panda head wicked grin】]
Zhizhi: [【Panda head beaten black and blue】]
Chen Shian: [I’ll let you know if I need any. I’m not picky about wood—it’s just a pastime, a way to cultivate my mind. If you’d like to learn, I can teach you.]
Zhizhi: [Sure!]
Chen Shian: [I’m off to sleep.]
Zhizhi: [Go ahead.]
Just as Chen Shian was about to turn off his phone, another message came through—a voice message.
Zhizhi: “Good night.”
He could tell she’d recorded it quietly under her covers, her voice soft and small.
He replied with a sleepy Minion emoji, turned off his phone, closed his eyes, and was asleep within seconds.
…
In the other room, Li Wanyin, who’d said she was going to bed early, was still awake.
Her friends in the group chat were all curious about her new profile photo.
[Three whole years! It’s been three years since you changed your profile pic!]
[Well, well, Wanyin’s gone and found someone behind our backs, hasn’t she? @Little Echo]
[No, I haven’t!]
[Then who took that photo you posted? Don’t tell us it was a stranger—we don’t believe a stranger could take such a good one.]
[Right? You all think it’s really well taken, don’t you?]
[Don’t change the subject!! Answer us!!]
[Really, I’m not seeing anyone—a roommate helped me take it.]
[Male or female?]
[Didn’t I tell you before? The younger guy who practices Baduanjin.]
[…]
[Oh no, girls, I’m starting to believe it now, what should I do?]
[Surprise inspection! We need a surprise inspection!]
[?]