Thirteen Wonders (ShíSānYāo) : Chapter 43 - Show
Chapter 43: Show
The relationship between Zhou Yao and her mother continued in this strange balance.
No matter whether Zhou Yao went to the market in the morning, afternoon, or evening, she would always run into her mother there. If she went in the evening, she’d even get scolded: “It’s already evening! All that’s left are the vegetables others picked through and didn’t want. Why are you so dumb?”
Zhou Yao would quietly explain herself for various reasons, but her tone lacked any real resistance.
As this happened more often, Chen Xuze also started getting mentioned more frequently. Every time, Zhou Yao’s mother never forgot to criticize: “Why is it always you going out to buy groceries? What’s Shisan doing at home? Huh? Is he so lazy he can’t even take a few steps? Does he not eat unless you’re there?”
“These men, every single one of them, have no sense of initiative. If you don’t tell them, they won’t lift a finger…”
It was as if she was lecturing Chen Xuze, but at the same time, it felt like she was scolding Father Zhou.
Zhou Yao found it amusing. One day at the dinner table, she suddenly thought of it and told Chen Xuze about it. She hadn’t expected him to stop eating immediately, his expression turning more serious.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“Tell you what…?”
“Tell me what your mom’s been saying.” Chen Xuze frowned slightly. “She’s said all this so many times and still hasn’t seen me. She must think I’m completely unreliable.”
“She won’t! My mom just says things offhandedly. If she’s not talking about vegetables, she has to talk about you.”
“But she wouldn’t scold the vegetables,” Chen Xuze said seriously. “She scolds me.”
Zhou Yao: “…”
From that day on, no matter what, Chen Xuze insisted on going grocery shopping with Zhou Yao. He was a man of action—once he decided something, he followed through. The next day, just as Zhou Yao was about to grab her basket and head out, she turned to find him already dressed and ready to go. No matter how she tried to refuse, it was useless.
Sure enough, they ran into Mother Zhou at the market. However, the warm approval or pleased look they had imagined did not appear.
“Shisan, you must be really busy at home, huh?”
“What are you studying every day?”
“I never see you step out. What, trying to keep your skin fair?”
“What’s a boy doing being so pale?”
“Look at the one next to you, that lump of charcoal—black and white, what a contrast.”
Mother Zhou eyed him critically. Before, she had been quite satisfied with him, but now, after all those trips Zhou Yao had to make alone, her gaze carried some sharpness.
As the so-called ‘lump of charcoal’ standing next to him, Zhou Yao wasn’t actually as dark as her mother exaggerated. She hadn’t gotten any fairer since the start of summer, but she hadn’t tanned much either—her mother was just being dramatic.
Chen Xuze considered explaining himself, but in the end, he decided to let her vent. No matter what she said, he simply listened and responded concisely, assuring her he would change.
Thus, he finally passed the ‘first test.’
From then on, he went to the market with Zhou Yao every day. Her mother no longer targeted him, but soon, Ying Nian came along to stir things up.
In Chen Xuze’s mind, summer break was meant to be spent entirely at home with Zhou Yao—cherishing every moment together, enjoying coolness amid the heat, savoring leisure as time slipped by, and finding joy in the unbearable days. That, to him, was perfect.
But then, Ying Nian showed up at their doorstep with an invitation: “Come to the capital with me next Monday! It’s the perfect chance for you to check out the place before you move there for school. You’ll be living there for a long time!”
Zhou Yao hadn’t expected this request. “Why do you suddenly want to go to the capital?”
Ying Nian chuckled awkwardly. “Our team has a competition there. And, well, I always travel alone. This time, I want some company, so I thought of you and Yingying. I haven’t asked her yet, but I wanted to check with you first.”
Zhou Yao wanted to decline, but Ying Nian had a whole arsenal of convincing arguments: “You just graduated high school—you should go on a trip!” “Traveling with friends is an important experience!” “Everyone deserves a relaxing vacation!” She bombarded Zhou Yao so thoroughly that she couldn’t even find a way to argue back.
While she was still considering, the two of them sat cross-legged, facing each other. Ying Nian watched her expectantly, while Chen Xuze arrived with a plate of watermelon, sat down, and casually remarked, “A trip to the capital wasn’t in my plans. I might not have time.”
Ying Nian shot him a sideways glance. “I wasn’t inviting you.”
Both Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze looked up at her.
“I meant for Zhou Yao to go with me. Zhou Yao! If Yingying comes, then it’ll be the three of us!” Ying Nian stared at Chen Xuze. “Three girls, or just two if it’s just us. No you, okay?”
As soon as she said that, Chen Xuze’s expression darkened. Ying Nian knew he wouldn’t want to be separated from Zhou Yao. She squeezed between them and threw herself onto Zhou Yao’s arm, clinging to her like a spoiled child.
No matter how much Chen Xuze wanted to refuse, since Zhou Yao agreed, the decision was made. Deep down, he wanted to spend every single day of summer with her, but she had never traveled far before, never truly explored the world outside. He couldn’t bring himself to take that choice away from her.
Over the years, Zhou Yao had saved up a good amount of scholarship money, and after transferring to No. 7 High School, she received even more. For this trip to the capital with Ying Nian, she used her own money. Zhou Ma tried to give her some, but she refused.
As for Zheng Yingying, she was visiting relatives for half a month and couldn’t go, so in the end, it was just Zhou Yao and Ying Nian.
Five days and four nights—not too long, not too short. The two of them even bought new suitcases for the trip. Since summer clothes were light and they didn’t need to pack much, the luggage was easy to handle, which was the only thing that somewhat reassured Chen Xuze.
Even though Zhou Yao was paying for her own expenses, Ying Nian, in her usual extravagant style, covered both their flights—first class, no less. She also booked the hotel. When Zhou Yao offered to split the cost, Ying Nian put on such an incredibly convincing ‘you don’t think of me as a friend’ fake-crying act that she got scared into backing down.
They went out to stroll and eat, and along the way, Zhou Yao accompanied Ying Nian to watch an unexpected match. From the first day they checked into the hotel, every night before bed, Chen Xuze would video call Zhou Yao.
Ying Nian, always lurking just outside the camera’s view, would glance over and shake her head, sometimes making silly faces at Zhou Yao.
That evening, Zhou Yao and Ying Nian planned to take an early bath before heading out for a walk. The night breeze was pleasant, and the city lights were beautiful. Just as they were about to start, Chen Xuze’s video call came in. Zhou Yao lay on the bed and answered, just as Ying Nian’s voice rang out from the bathroom:
"The water's ready, Yaoyao! Come soak in the bath!"
Chen Xuze’s eyebrows furrowed on screen. “You're taking a bath together?”
Ying Nian walked out, both of them still in their clothes, having not yet changed into bathrobes. Seeing Zhou Yao lying on the bed video-calling Chen Xuze and overhearing his question, she couldn't help but reply, “Of course! A bath is way more relaxing when shared! Not only are we bathing together, but we also sleep together—hugging each other to sleep!”
She finished her declaration, completely ignoring Chen Xuze’s darkening expression, and urged, “Hurry up and get in! We still need to head out later!”
Zhou Yao responded affirmatively, then turned back to the video chat with a helpless smile. “We're about to go out for a walk, so I need to bathe first. I can't talk right now. If anything comes up, I'll text you later.”
“You're going out at night?”
“Yeah, it's still early. We're just going to stroll around nearby and get some street food. We might even bring some back for a late-night snack.”
Chen Xuze wanted to argue that they could just order food delivery instead, but before he could say anything, Zhou Yao ended the call. Just like that, she abandoned him to go bathe with Ying Nian. The two girls happily soaked in the same bathtub.
……
After their bath, they felt refreshed. They sprayed mosquito repellent, ensuring no bugs would come near them, and set off to indulge in delicious street food, hand in hand, feeling lighthearted and carefree.
Chen Xuze sent her a few messages, but Zhou Yao was too busy to reply immediately, leaving long gaps between responses. Ying Nian, noticing this, teased, “Serves him right! Even he has times when he loses favor!”
As they wandered into a plaza, Ying Nian suddenly became excited.
“Hey, hey! Look! That big screen is playing my team's promo! Ah! I see Yu Linran!” She had sharp eyes and, glancing to the side, noticed a billboard beside the screen. It was either a diamond ring or a wedding advertisement, displaying four huge words against a pink backdrop: “Will you marry me?”
“This is perfect!” Ying Nian shoved all her food and even her phone into Zhou Yao’s hands. “Take a picture for me! Make sure both the billboards are in the shot! And wait until Yu Linran’s face appears on the left screen before taking it! I'll strike a cute pose and hold still!”
Given the weight of responsibility, Zhou Yao had no choice but to comply, adjusting her angles to get the perfect shot.
Capturing a flawless photo was no easy task, especially when trying to position someone between two advertisement screens while waiting for the right image to appear on one of them. Zhou Yao crouched, tiptoed, and leaned sideways, attempting five or six times before finally snapping a perfect shot for Ying Nian.
Excited, Ying Nian ran over to check the photo. In it, Yu Linran’s promotional image appeared on the left, its colors crisp and vibrant. On the right, the pink wedding ad displayed the words ‘Will you marry me?’ in bold letters. Standing in the middle, Ying Nian cupped her cheeks, looking blissfully happy—like she was about to marry the man in the promo.
“c is amazing!” Ying Nian gushed. “Yaoyao, you're incredible! I'm going to treasure this photo, print it out, and frame it!”
“Isn’t that a bit much…” Zhou Yao chuckled. Seeing how thrilled Ying Nian was, she glanced at her own phone screen. Chen Xuze had sent multiple messages, but she hadn’t had the chance to reply.
The most recent one read: “What are you doing?”
Zhou Yao thought for a moment. “Niannian.”
“Huh?”
“Take a picture for me too.”
“Huh?!” Ying Nian snapped out of her photo-admiring daze.
“You don’t have to include the promo on the left. I’ll stand under the pink billboard, and you can just take a picture of me there.”
Since Zhou Yao had put so much effort into capturing the perfect shot for her, Ying Nian held back from teasing her obvious intentions. She took the photo, knowing full well that it was meant for Chen Xuze.
“Will you marry me?”
Forget asking Chen Xuze—any guy, 99% of them, would have to say yes! If anyone dared say they wouldn’t marry Zhou Yao, Ying Nian would personally beat them up!
Zhou Yao’s photo turned out effortlessly stunning. She stood beneath the glowing pink billboard, a soft smile on her lips, flashing a simple ‘V’ sign. Beautiful people always looked good in photos—no special effort was needed.
……
Far away at home, Chen Xuze struggled to suppress the urge to call Zhou Yao again. His phone vibrated. A new message.
He opened it— and saw a photo.
Under the dazzling night lights, Zhou Yao stood beneath the pink glow of the billboard, smiling at him with a ‘V’ sign.
And behind her, the billboard displayed four bold words:
“Will you marry me?”
……
Many years later, during a gathering with their close-knit group of friends, someone brought up this moment.
And that was when they realized—
The two girls who had taken pictures under that pink ‘Will you marry me?’ billboard…Both had, in the end, married the very people they had wished for.
And lived the happiest, most fulfilling lives imaginable.
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