Zhou Zhuofei was lying around, feeling bored, so she turned on the TV. However, her attention kept drifting towards Xiao Wang.
Even though she knew what he was up to, her eyes couldn't help but follow him, wanting to know where he was and what he was doing.
Thinking about her peeping actions, Zhou Zhuofei couldn't help but laugh. Between the two of them, who was more like a puppy?
At that moment, Xiao Wang was standing on the balcony, looking down at the buttons on the washing machine. His serious profile was incredibly charming.
In Zhou Zhuofei's eyes, Xiao Wang was just as handsome as he was when working hard at any other time.
Seeing that he seemed unable to figure it out after looking for a while, Zhou Zhuofei asked, "Do you need help?"
"No, I can handle it."
Even though he said so, Zhou Zhuofei had already stood up and walked over to tell him how to operate the washing machine.
"Pour the fabric softener and detergent in from here. The bottles are over there."
Zhou Zhuofei only needed to give instructions, and Xiao Wang quickly got to work. Soon, the washing machine started running.
Xiao Wang put his arm around Zhou Zhuofei and kissed her on the forehead. "Go and sit down. I'll call you when the meal is ready."
"Just make something simple. Otherwise, I'll go downstairs and buy a couple of dishes."
There was no reason for her to be the only one enjoying his efforts. He was here to date her, not to do housework for her.
"Do you have a particular restaurant in mind?"
"Not really," Zhou Zhuofei said, nuzzling her head into Xiao Wang's chest. "I just don't want you to get too tired."
"I want to cook for you. Otherwise, what's the use of the kitchen utensils I brought?"
Zhou Zhuofei thought he had a point, so she let go of him. "Then let me help you."
"Sure."
The two of them went into the kitchen and divided the tasks. One was the helper, and the other was the chef. But after seeing Zhou Zhuofei cut a few potato strips, Xiao Wang wouldn't let her continue.
Zhou Zhuofei knew her knife skills were poor, so she embarrassedly gave up the kitchen knife and did other odd jobs instead.
Just as Xiao Wang was stir - frying in the kitchen, Xiao Wang's phone rang in the living room. Zhou Zhuofei, who was looking for something to do, shouted, "I'll get it for you!"
She quickly ran into the bedroom. The window had been open for a while, but there was still a faint, indescribable smell in the air. Zhou Zhuofei tried her best to ignore it. She found Xiao Wang's coat on the hanger by the bedside and took out the ringing phone from the pocket.
Seeing that the caller ID was [Mom], Zhou Zhuofei didn't dare to delay and quickly took the phone to the kitchen.
"It's your mom's call."
As she spoke, she handed the phone to Xiao Wang. He turned off the stove, took the phone, and walked out of the kitchen.
"Hello? I'm having a meal... It's okay. You guys eat... Alright."
In less than a minute, Xiao Wang ended the call and walked back in. Seeing Zhou Zhuofei's concerned expression, he forced a smile and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Did your mom ask you to have dinner?"
"Yeah, but I said I was already eating." Xiao Wang relit the stove and continued stir - frying.
Asking about having dinner so late, it was probably just for show. Thinking about what Xiao Wang had said about his younger brother coming back, it was easy to figure out what was going on.
Xiao Wang finished cooking and put the dish on a plate. Turning around, he saw Zhou Zhuofei still standing in a daze at the kitchen door. He reminded her, "What are you daydreaming about? It's time to eat."
Zhou Zhuofei came to her senses. Seeing Xiao Wang holding the plate, she instinctively stepped forward to take it. "Let me have it."
"No, the plate is too hot." Xiao Wang said as he walked towards the dining room.
The more considerate and thoughtful he was, the more unfair Zhou Zhuofei felt it was. Xiao Wang had already done so well, but his mother was still so partial.
When she sat down at the table, Xiao Wang immediately noticed that she was in a bad mood and asked with concern, "Why are you unhappy again?"
Wait, what was she doing?
Zhou Zhuofei realized something. Xiao Wang hadn't shown his feelings in front of her because he didn't want to ruin the atmosphere. Then why was she going to mess things up?
She should just enjoy the meal. If there were problems, she should deal with them later. She couldn't waste Xiao Wang's hard work.
This was definitely a huge improvement for her. She was starting to learn to control her emotions and think rationally.
She took a deep breath, composed herself, and smiled at Xiao Wang. "I'm not unhappy. I was just thinking that you might have to go back after dinner. I'll miss you."
Zhou Zhuofei's words of missing him meant more than a thousand others. The annoyance brought by the phone call just now vanished. Xiao Wang replied softly, "I can stay a little longer. There's nothing to do at home anyway."
"Then let's play a game later. I've had a two - player game for a long time. I originally planned to play it with Du Yu, but we never got around to it."
"Sure."
Zhou Zhuofei was really happy now. After dinner, they sat on the sofa. Zhou Zhuofei found the game controllers, did some adjustments to make sure they were connected, and then gave one to Xiao Wang. She started teaching him the basic button operations.
Before, she had also shared her gaming experiences with Xiao Wang, but found that he wasn't very familiar with it, so she shared less later.
Whether it was out of caution or consideration for others, she was indeed more careful when it came to this kind of thing.
After teaching for a while, Zhou Zhuofei was surprised to find that Xiao Wang wasn't completely unfamiliar with the game and quickly got the hang of it. She asked, "Have you played this before?"
He replied, "I used to play with Chenchen a few times, but we haven't played much since he started high school."
Chenchen was Xiao Wang's younger brother. Zhou Zhuofei didn't know his full name, but since Xiao Wang never avoided talking about him and even called him affectionately by his nickname, it seemed that the relationship between the two brothers wasn't bad.
Zhou Zhuofei casually leaned over and nudged Xiao Wang with her arm. "It doesn't matter. You can play with me from now on."
Xiao Wang smiled gently. "Okay."
The game Zhou Zhuofei wanted to play was a two - player casual puzzle - solving game. This kind of game really tested the cooperation between players. Sometimes, no matter how good Zhou Zhuofei's skills were, without a good partner, it was all in vain.
From Xiao Wang's gameplay, it was obvious that he hadn't played games for a long time. At first, their cooperation was a complete mess.
But despite Zhou Zhuofei's usual boisterous personality, she was incredibly tolerant when it came to games. She knew that games were easy to buy, but good partners were hard to find. So she was extremely patient with all her friends who were willing to play games with her.
With her patient help and Xiao Wang's efforts, they gradually developed some teamwork and managed to pass several levels.
They played until the night outside grew darker. Zhou Zhuofei pressed the pause button and stretched. "Ugh... My back is so sore."
She glanced at Xiao Wang, and he didn't show any signs of being overly absorbed or extremely interested.
Originally, she thought Xiao Wang was a person who kept his true feelings under wraps. No matter what happened, he wouldn't show his preference for it.
But it wasn't until this afternoon that she realized her judgment was wrong. Xiao Wang wasn't unable to show his feelings; he just didn't do it easily.
So now she could roughly tell what Xiao Wang thought of this game. He must neither like nor dislike it.
To verify her judgment, she asked, "What do you think of this game?"
Sure enough, she got a reply that it was okay.
Zhou Zhuofei put down the game controller and wriggled on the sofa like an earthworm until she moved in front of Xiao Wang. "Will you give me a massage?"
Without the slightest hesitation after hearing that, Xiao Wang put down the controller and started massaging Zhou Zhuofei.
"Were you too tired this afternoon?"
"What could I be tired of?" Zhou Zhuofei lay on Xiao Wang's knees, enjoying the massage service contentedly.
Xiao Wang knew quite a lot about massage, probably because people who worked out would more or less know something about human anatomy.
If that was the case, then Xiao Wang's claim of being self - taught wasn't without basis.
She looked back midway and saw that Xiao Wang had a focused look on his face, with a hint of relaxation and joy between his eyebrows. It seemed that he really liked doing this.
Xiao Wang massaged her earnestly for twenty minutes until a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. Then he stopped and told Zhou Zhuofei that it was done.
Zhou Zhuofei stretched and found that her back did feel much more comfortable.
"Doctor Xiao, you're simply a miracle doctor!"
As she praised him, she made fists with both hands and pounded on Xiao Wang's arms. "Then do you want me to give you a massage?"
Xiao Wang said yes and stretched out his arms cooperatively. After pounding for just a few times, Zhou Zhuofei felt tired. It seemed that the physical difference was indeed an objective fact.
Xiao Wang wasn't surprised at all. When Zhou Zhuofei couldn't pound anymore, he reached out to massage her forearms.
Seeing that he still had the same strength and showed no sign of fatigue, Zhou Zhuofei couldn't help muttering, "Your physical strength is so terrifying. You're just a monster."
She admitted that she was really weak, but Xiao Wang's strength was also an objective fact.
"You were just calling me a miracle doctor, and now I've become a monster?" Xiao Wang asked teasingly and pulled Zhou Zhuofei into his arms to make it easier to move.
"Seriously, should I start working out?"
"From a long - term perspective, exercising is definitely healthier."
"Okay, it's decided. I'll play the boxing game at home tomorrow!"
"That's not bad. As long as you're willing to take action, it's progress."
Hearing Xiao Wang's words, Zhou Zhuofei happily put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Why are you so nice?"
Xiao Wang never said anything to dampen the mood, nor did he perfunctorily agree. It seemed that the more time she spent with him, the more she would like him.
"That's for you to answer."
"Answer what?"
"Ask yourself why you're so cute." After saying that, Xiao Wang buried his head in her shoulder and took a deep breath. "Why do I like you so much?"
When he looked up, Zhou Zhuofei examined his expression carefully again and was sure that this was how he looked when he showed his affection.
Once her judgment was confirmed, her heart was like soaking in a honey jar, so sweet that it melted. It turned out that loving someone was really that simple.
It could make you completely put aside all prejudices, requirements, and principles and devote yourself whole - heartedly to the process of loving someone. At this stage, you would only consider one question - how to make the other person happier.
The next day, after Zhou Zhuofei finished the pork cutlet curry sandwich made by Xiao Wang, she was fully engaged in her work, looking forward to getting off work earlier. Whether it was to see Xiao Wang or play games, getting off work was something worth looking forward to.
Just as she was concentrating on her work, Jiang Shen suddenly appeared at the office door and walked straight to her workstation.
"Long time no see, Miss Zhou."
