Thirteen Wonders (ShíSānYāo) : Chapter 39 - Show
Chapter 39 : Show
Ying Nian and the others had hotpot at Chen Xuze’s place. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful—it was easily the happiest day Zhou Yao had spent since the start of summer break.
After playing around for a while, everyone started heading home. By around nine o’clock, the group had dispersed.
In the following days, they planned to gather at Chen Xuze’s place again, but since some people went traveling with their families and others returned to their hometowns for summer vacation, they couldn’t gather enough people. As a result, no one came to bother the two of them again.
As for Ying Nian, though she had confidently declared she would check in on Zhou Yao every few days, as soon as the tournament season began, she packed her bags and followed SF Team’s match schedule, flying from city to city. After settling into each new place, she would spend the daytime sightseeing and shopping, then head to the stadium to cheer on her beloved Yu Linran during matches.
Zhou Yao was completely forgotten—without the slightest bit of hesitation.
Chen Xuze seized the chance to stir things up in front of Zhou Yao. “See? She still likes that guy the most.”
Zhou Yao couldn’t help but laugh, thinking that Chen Xuze was especially cute at times like this.
A week had passed without her seeing her family. Even though they lived in the same alley, it was as if both sides were deliberately avoiding each other. She had no idea how her father was persuading her mother, and she purposely avoided thinking about it—pretending it wasn’t happening, a bit like self-deception.
Chen Xuze let her be. As long as she was happy, he didn’t mind playing along. If she wanted to ‘forget’ everything, he was more than willing to forget it all with her.
They developed a habit of taking afternoon naps.
That day, Zhou Yao took longer than usual washing up in the bathroom. When she came out, she saw Chen Xuze reclining on the rocking chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, eyes closed as if he had fallen asleep. The curtains weren’t fully drawn, and the sunlight fell on him. Worried that he might be uncomfortable, she tiptoed over and was about to wake him when she noticed his brows furrow slightly.
She reached out to touch his face—it was burning hot. Feeling his forehead, she caught him just as he opened his eyes. Zhou Yao panicked. “Why is your forehead so hot? Are you sick?”
“No.”
“You’re still denying it!”
Zhou Yao turned to fetch some medicine, but Chen Xuze pulled her back. “I just need some sleep. I’ll be fine.”
He refused to cooperate, leaving Zhou Yao with no choice. They lay down on the bed under a thin blanket. As the ‘patient,’ Chen Xuze wasn’t scolded this time for his usual sleeping position—he held her from behind, and she didn’t push him away.
“Should I turn down the air conditioning? I don’t want you to feel worse later,” she asked.
“No need,” he said. “It feels good. You get hot easily.”
“If you start feeling worse, you have to tell me. We’ll go see a doctor.”
“Okay.”
Zhou Yao kept thinking about it and couldn’t fall asleep. Behind her, perhaps because of his ‘discomfort,’ Chen Xuze also remained awake for a long time. His arm was wrapped around her waist. The room was quiet, without a sound.
After a while, his hand started moving upward. A little more time passed, and his hand continued to inch higher—bit by bit, inch by inch, until—
Zhou Yao, exasperated, grabbed his hand. “What are you doing?”
From behind her, he said, “They say girls should unfasten their bras when sleeping. It’s bad for breast health otherwise.”
“......” Zhou Yao’s face instantly turned red.
“You don’t need to unfasten it! It’s not like I’m sleeping for seven or eight hours!”
Chen Xuze was silent for a moment before adding, “The one you’re wearing right now is the one we bought the other day, right? The store clerk said the fabric was really nice. I just wanted to check if it’s comfortable.”
“I don’t need you to check! It’s perfectly fine!”
Chen Xuze didn’t say anything else. Zhou Yao turned to look at him, only to see the ‘patient’ frowning slightly, looking uncomfortable.
Her heart softened instantly. She thought, He’s ‘sick’ right now. It’s not right to argue with him…
After hesitating for a long time, Zhou Yao finally turned away and mumbled under her breath, “Just a little… only for a moment…”
Chen Xuze’s brow twitched slightly. The hand pressed against her stomach slowly moved upward, slipping beneath her loose shirt, crossing the threshold, finally reaching its destination. One hand at first, then two—completely unrestrained.
Zhou Yao curled up in his arms, burning all over, as red as a cooked shrimp.
Chen Xuze now had a thorough understanding of the fabric’s quality. About ten minutes later, he very considerately helped Zhou Yao fix her disheveled clothes, smoothing them out before resting his hand back on her stomach.
Not long after, his hand started moving downward.
Zhou Yao immediately grabbed his hand, turning her head to glare at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“…” Chen Xuze fell silent. The one above was newly bought, but the one below wasn’t.
Unable to come up with an excuse—and caught red-handed by Zhou Yao’s sharp instincts—his hand was completely immobilized.
Finally, he suddenly sighed and leaned in close to the back of her neck. With his eyes closed, he murmured, “Yaoyao… I feel awful.”
—He was playing the pity card now.
Zhou Yao hesitated. She wanted to say something, but looking at his face, the words wouldn’t come out. He had loved and protected her for so many years. He was young, full of passion—it was only natural for him to have thoughts like these.
But, but…
A thousand thoughts flashed through Zhou Yao’s mind. After hesitating for a long while, she ultimately relented.
Sensing her hand relax, Chen Xuze once again achieved his goal.
Zhou Yao, however, suffered for it. She had brought it upon herself. Half an hour later, she was pressed against the bed from behind, her face buried in the pillow, nearly on the verge of tears.
Finally, he let her go.
Zhou Yao took a long time to recover before getting up to change. She nearly tripped in the process.
When she returned to the room wearing a nightdress, she started feeling that something was off. Wasn’t she wearing even less now than before?
Chen Xuze was sitting against the headboard, wiping his fingers with a tissue.
Zhou Yao’s face heated up. She put on a serious expression and sternly warned, “Stop messing around. I really don’t have any clean underwear left to change into!”
Her washed underwear was all hanging outside to dry—if this one got messed up too, she’d have nothing left.
Chen Xuze nodded, appearing quite ‘understanding.’ But his eyes were anything but calm.
—Like scratching an itch through a boot. Not satisfying enough.
After all that tossing and turning, Zhou Yao finally got a good afternoon nap.
When she woke up and touched Chen Xuze’s forehead again, she realized it wasn’t hot at all. She said in surprise, “Hey, you're not feverish anymore!”
Chen Xuze nodded. “Maybe I was just feeling a little off earlier.”
Of course, he wouldn't tell her the real reason—his forehead had been hot simply because he'd been sitting in the lounge chair by the window. The curtains weren’t fully drawn, and the sunlight had been shining directly on him. Since he didn't like having the air conditioning blowing too cold on him, he had deliberately chosen that spot. After being under the sun for a while, compared to her cool skin, his forehead had naturally felt burning hot.
That was definitely not something he could tell her.
……
Upon learning that her mother was out, Zhou Yao finally made a trip home. She carried some snacks into the house, set them on the table, and called out, “Dad, I saw a stall selling the Fried Dough Twist you like, so I bought some.”
Zhou Ma immediately got up to greet her, making her sit down and not even caring about the Fried Dough Twist anymore. He asked, “Are you hot? Do you want some fruit? Something to drink?”
Zhou Yao shook her head. “No, I'm fine.” Zhou Ma sighed. “Yaoyao, be good and come home, alright? Don't stay mad at your mom.”
“What did she say to you?” Zhou Yao looked up and asked.
Zhou Ma fell silent and let out a sigh.
Zhou Yao understood. She said, “No, I think it's better not to come back. It would just stir up trouble and make the house uneasy.”
“You don't have to talk to her, just ignore her. Stay home, do what you need to do. If she starts an argument, I'll handle it. Just come home, alright?” Zhou ma continued to persuade her.
Zhou Yao insisted on not coming back and shook her head.
Seeing no way to convince her, Zhou Ma fanned himself and said, “It's not good for you to keep staying at Shisan’s place either. It’s a hassle for him. You’re not causing any trouble, right? Help out with house chores when you can. Shisan isn't very familiar with these things, so do more to make up for staying there. And remember, as a guest, you should be polite, okay? If you’re making things difficult for him, it’s better to come back sooner.”
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhou Yao’s face. She didn’t dare to tell her father the truth.
She was definitely a ‘polite’ guest! And Chen Xuze treated his guest exceptionally well—holding her in his arms every night, refusing to let go even for a second!
After chatting for a while, Zhou Yao left before her mother came back. Zhou Ma stood at the door, watching her walk away with helplessness written all over his face.
……
Over the past few days, Chen Xuze had finally earned the privilege of sleeping in the bed—not just for afternoon naps, but at night as well.
Zhou Yao felt like his past aloof and reserved demeanor must have been an illusion. Ever since their first kiss, he had developed a strong passion for kissing. Every night before bed, if he didn’t make a fuss, he absolutely wouldn’t sleep peacefully.
But this time, something felt different. Things seemed to be spiraling out of control. She lay in his arms, her body burning up, as if she were melting.
“Xuze…”
“…Xuze…”
She could barely hear her own voice—it was soft, airy, barely there.
His heavy breathing brushed against her ear. “Do it with me, okay? Hmm?”
She wanted to speak, to say many things. She wanted to move, to show an expression. But in the end, all of it turned into a helpless, long-delayed nod.
……
Chen Xuze was usually a man of few words, but in moments like this, he wouldn’t stop talking.
Zhou Yao, teary-eyed, pleaded, “Stop... talking…”
But he insisted.
“Do you like it?”
“Do you like it or not…”
The long, painful moments finally passed, and there was finally a hint of pleasure and unbearable tension. Tears welled up in Zhou Yao’s eyes as she answered in a soft murmur, “…Mhm.”
But he still didn’t stop.
“Xuze… stop talking… don’t talk…” Zhou Yao had no idea if she was in heaven or hell. The only thing real was Chen Xuze and everything he was doing to her.
His breath and his voice matched the rhythm of his movements, relentless.
“There's a new themed hotel over on Ninth Street, you know about it?”
Zhou Yao didn’t know if she answered or shook her head.
Only his voice echoed in the room.
“Jiang Jiashu and the others went there, stayed a night…”
“The big round bed room… The ceiling has a giant circular mirror… You can see everything happening on the bed, every single detail…”
Chen Xuze’s breathing deepened, sweat dripping from his forehead.
“Next time, we’ll go there too…”
“I want…” He leaned into her ear, whispering.
Zhou Yao curled her toes, her whole body flushed red, already whimpering with tears.
And his voice lingered—
“I want you to see… every single scene that we do together—”
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