TGSS - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Travel

That brief but clear glimpse that day still weighed heavily on Liang Zhouyi's mind, so even though Chu He had been enthusiastically planning their route and working on an operations plan with her these past few days, she remained dejected, as if some ominous premonition lingered and kept her from sleeping peacefully.

"Zhou Yi," Chu He called. After failing to get a response from Liang Zhouyi for the third time, she straightened her crossed legs, walked over in her robe, and waved her open hand before the dazed Liang Zhouyi's eyes. "What are you thinking about, so absorbed?"

"Nothing." Although Liang Zhouyi was so anxious she could hardly think clearly, she still forced herself to look at the plan Chu He had written. One glance left her stunned. "So many places, it would take us a year to finish them all."

Chu He's smile faded a little and she said seriously, "It doesn't matter, we will finish them. You must follow the route plan I gave you and go to these places, because I will go too."

"What kind of thing is that to say, of course you will go with me." Liang Zhouyi did not quite understand why she was emphasizing that.

Chu He bit her lip. Just this once, let her be selfish and make Liang Zhouyi follow the route she had given.

On the day Chu He packed, she brought almost everything from home. Only then did Liang Zhouyi suddenly realize how faint Chu He's traces of living in her home were, like a tenant ready to leave at any moment.

"What about your plants?" Liang Zhouyi said with a laugh. "They won't just die like this, will they?"

Chu He wore sunglasses, her expression calm. "It's fine, they will live well. Someone will watch over them."

System: "Can you change the wording, 'watch over' sounds a bit inauspicious."

Chu He: "Piss off, how is that application I asked about going?"

The System sighed. "The Main Deity agreed."

The weight on her heart finally lifted. Chu He looked at Liang Zhouyi's back and her nose stung. She tightened her grip on the handle of her suitcase, and when Liang Zhouyi called to her, her voice was very steady. "Coming."

Because Liang Zhouyi had never been on a plane before, she felt a sudden panic during takeoff, clutching Chu He's hand and refusing to let go. Only when they rose steadily into the air did the color return to her pale face. She turned to look out the window. A sea of white clouds churned around the fuselage, and the golden sunset glow tinged the blue sky with purple. It was a dreamlike color she had never seen before, so beautiful it felt almost unreal.

"Chu He, look!" Liang Zhouyi momentarily forgot her discomfort and tugged tightly at Chu He's arm. Chu He turned her face slightly. She was wearing sunglasses, and Liang Zhouyi assumed she was looking out the window, not realizing that Chu He was gazing at her with a sorrowful look, as if trying to commit her brightly smiling face to memory.

Chu He gently rested her head on the excited Liang Zhouyi's shoulder, her cheek against Liang Zhouyi's hair. Liang Zhouyi's hair seemed to have grown a little longer, falling well past her shoulders when loose. Chu He reached out and twirled a strand around her fingertip. The calm, peaceful feeling made her not want to think about anything, only hoping time would pass as slowly as possible, even if it could stay frozen at this moment forever.

Liang Zhouyi actually knew Chu He was a fairly rigorous person, but she did not understand why Chu He was rigorous to the point of filling almost an entire year of her itinerary, writing down almost exactly where to go on which date and what to do each day.

Even after they arrived at their hotel, Chu He was still wearing those glasses and clacking away at her writing, so Liang Zhouyi began to feel dissatisfied.

"Are you some kind of planning personality, can't we be a little more spontaneous?"

Chu He made a soft sound of acknowledgment without looking up. "I'm just writing it down first, you can change it later if you want."

"I definitely will change it, I don't like being so constrained." Liang Zhouyi tossed her things aside, drew the curtains and flopped onto the bed. From this angle, looking out the window she could see the majestic snow capped mountains, the open view lifting her mood. Even though it was night, Liang Zhouyi could imagine how beautiful it would be tomorrow when the sun spilled over the peaks and onto the nearby courtyard with its traditional Chinese architecture.

She rolled around on the bed, picked up her camera and suddenly snapped a photo of Chu He, who was frowning in concentration as she typed. Chu He seemed to sense something and turned to look at her, a doting smile on her face. Liang Zhouyi suddenly could not bear to put the camera down. How could someone look so beautiful in every frame, so dear to her? She truly felt that Chu He's smile at this moment outshone all the scenery in the world.

Chu He closed her laptop. She was wearing a loose gray sweater and looked very languid. When she stood, the white gauze skirt around her legs fluttered, its hem seeming to tease at Liang Zhouyi's heart, leaving her unbearably restless. Chu He sat on the edge of the bed, half holding Liang Zhouyi, and sighed, "Do I look good?"

Liang Zhouyi was knocked back a little by her pounce and quickly reached out to wrap her arms around her slender waist. Chu He's waist was very slim, and her lower abdomen had a thin layer of muscle from exercise. Only she knew how beautiful Chu He looked when she tensed her body. Liang Zhouyi swallowed unconsciously, then felt that her thoughts at this moment were not quite right and immediately pushed them away.

Chu He buried her head in the crook of her neck and laughed softly, her warm breath brushing Liang Zhouyi's skin and making it tickle. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing." Liang Zhouyi felt a little guilty and pretended to be serious. "I was thinking about what to shoot tomorrow."

Chu He suddenly understood. "Oh, so you weren't thinking about me, it seems I was flattering myself."

Liang Zhouyi pressed her lips together. "Is teasing me that fun?"

Chu He suddenly showed a slightly wicked smile and pushed Liang Zhouyi down onto the bed. "It is fun, and now it's even more fun."

Her hands began to wander mischievously over Liang Zhouyi's body. Liang Zhouyi was extremely ticklish, and pinned to the bed she could hardly muster any strength, tears streaming from being tickled so much, her face flushed red. She could only lie there tearfully and let Chu He have her way. She suddenly felt grateful that Chu He had been completely without strength that day, otherwise the outcome then was really uncertain.

In the end Chu He let Liang Zhouyi go, rolling over to lie beside her. "We have to go out early tomorrow morning, I won't tease you anymore."

Liang Zhouyi turned her head, covered in sweat. Outside the window the sky was clear, and beside her was the person she loved most. She closed her eyes and suddenly felt that no matter how many bad things had happened before, she was willing to forgive and let go. So a person could really have old wounds healed by the happiness right before her eyes.

That night Liang Zhouyi slept very deeply, as if she had never slept so peacefully in her life. Chu He listened to Liang Zhouyi's soft breathing without a trace of sleepiness. She propped herself on her elbow, her long curls falling like a waterfall. She curved her long eyes and leaned close to look at Liang Zhouyi, finding that the brow that had long been tightly furrowed had finally relaxed. Up close, that delicate and tranquil face held a hint of stubbornness and wildness, which matched Liang Zhouyi's personality very well. Chu He reached out and brushed her long lashes. Liang Zhouyi shifted slightly but did not wake.

She cherished the moment and gently pressed a kiss to Liang Zhouyi's eyelid, slowly leaning her body against hers, as if trying hard to absorb that faint scent on Liang Zhouyi, as if it were an indispensable part of her.

Before dawn, Liang Zhouyi was pulled out from under the covers by Chu He. Chu He looked very energetic and handed clothes to Liang Zhouyi without giving her a chance to argue. "It's time to go, do you still want to see the sunrise or not?"

Liang Zhouyi was sleeping soundly and looked groggily at Chu He's mouth opening and closing. She sighed, suddenly not quite sure whether they were fulfilling her dream or Chu He's. She felt Chu He seemed far more eager than she was.

In the end they saw the sunrise exactly as Chu He had planned. When the golden sunlight spilled over the snow-covered mountains, it was breathtakingly beautiful. The wind around them was strong, making the colorful little flags tied together dance. Chu He stood not far in front of Liang Zhouyi, her arms spread as she stood at the edge of the slope, her whole figure blurred in the sunlight. The wind was indeed strong, as if it might sweep the slender person away directly.

Liang Zhouyi's heart gave a heavy thump and she suddenly ran toward Chu He with all her strength. Her long black hair was blown into a mess, but she still pushed against the wind and ran over to pull Chu He tightly into her arms. Only then did her pounding heart settle. Her eyes red, she pulled Chu He away a little, cupped her face and kissed her hard.

Chu He was almost left breathless by the sudden kiss. Lips pressed together, Liang Zhouyi's kiss always carried a desperate, all-or-nothing feeling. Chu He's fair, slender fingers threaded into Liang Zhouyi's hair and pressed her hard toward herself. She half closed her eyes, and the orange-red light spilling over the two of them gilded them in gold. As their tongues entwined, Liang Zhouyi seemed determined to swallow her whole. Around them there were kind cheers and squeals, but they heard nothing, as if only each other's breathing was clear, only the tingling on their tongues could prove that the woman in her arms was real.

In the end Liang Zhouyi was the first to give in, for no other reason than that her lung capacity was not as good as Chu He's. She pushed Chu He away, panting and bent over, feeling as if she would suffocate from kissing. Liang Zhouyi licked her lips and smiled brightly. Chu He wore a lingering smile as she crouched down to look at her. In their exchanged gaze, an atmosphere no one else could intrude upon grew and spread between them.

Liang Zhouyi was finally helped down the mountain by Chu He. At this moment she truly felt what several years of life as a corporate drone had brought her. The abundant energy she had in junior and senior high school had really been worn away by work until almost nothing was left.

"So you should exercise properly from now on, who is the one who can't keep up?" Chu He teased her.

Liang Zhouyi glared at her indignantly, her calves still trembling. She was just about to say something when she was stopped by a hesitant female voice. Liang Zhouyi turned sharply and came face to face with someone familiar.

"Zhou Yi, it really is you!" Xiang Qianqian looked very surprised. "I was just wondering if that person looked like you, but I thought I shouldn't run into you here at this time, so I didn't dare to recognize you."

"What a coincidence." Liang Zhouyi gave a faint nod. She thought whatever little friendship she and Xiang Qianqian had had already vanished after the unpleasantness when they parted, and she had not expected her to take the initiative to greet her.

"This is my boyfriend." Xiang Qianqian shyly pulled the man beside her over to introduce him.

Liang Zhouyi had a flash of realization. "I used to hear you mention him all the time at the company, finally I get to meet him."

Xiang Qianqian and the man beside her both stiffened slightly. Xiang Qianqian said awkwardly, "This is my current boyfriend, I met him at my new company. I guess I have you to thank for letting me meet the right person."

Liang Zhouyi frowned and thought for a moment. Thank her for the fight and resignation? If she was to thank anyone, shouldn't the person she should thank most be Chu He? She clearly remembered it was Chu He who had referred her to her current company, so why was she now acting as if she did not really know Chu He.

Thinking that, she said it. "It's not because of me, if you want to thank someone, thank Chu He."

Unexpectedly, a very puzzled expression appeared on Xiang Qianqian's face, and her voice stuttered for a few seconds. "Who is Chu He?"

Liang Zhouyi felt as if she had been doused with a basin of ice water in the dead of winter. All the past incongruities linked together. She grabbed Chu He beside her, her expression agitated. "It's her, Chu He! The person who referred you to your current company!"

Liang Zhouyi suddenly felt despair. She stared fixedly at Xiang Qianqian, as if every word she was about to say could pass a death sentence on her on the spot.

Seeing Liang Zhouyi's anxious look, Xiang Qianqian burst out laughing. "I'm just joking with you, of course I remember President Chu, our boss. But how come you are together with President Chu now?"

Seeing her gossipy look, Liang Zhouyi instead breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a kind of exhaustion from sudden release of tension. "I resigned, and came here to travel with Chu He."

Xiang Qianqian nodded as if she understood, and her next sentence plunged Liang Zhouyi's heart to the bottom again. "I do remember President Chu, but I don't think I ever really had much interaction with her. Wasn't it you who recommended me to that company?"

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