LM 07

Chapter 07 

**Strawberries**

The weather was scorching hot. Their skin pressed together. A faint scent of the man’s cologne, along with a hint of dryness, drifted from him. Su Hao’s hat was knocked off, and her long hair cascaded down. In the sunlight, her skin was like jade. She looked up, her gaze briefly colliding with Zhou Yang’s eyes, then pushed him away, barely managing to steady herself.

Su Qian, who had been momentarily stunned, quickly stepped forward and took Su Hao’s arm. Su Hao smoothed her clothes and said, “Thank you.”

Zhou Yang withdrew his hand, bent down to pick up the hat from the ground, and curled his lips into a smile. “You’re welcome.”

As he spoke, he casually placed the hat back on her head. His long, narrow eyes swept不经意地 across her slender waist. Then he picked up the two strawberry baskets, glanced at them, and said, “Mom, you worked fast. You used four hands to pick these, didn’t you?”

“Pfft. Watch your mouth.” Su Qian took Su Hao’s arm and followed behind. Su Hao glanced at the strawberry baskets out of the corner of her eye. Sure enough, Su Qian had picked a lot—her basket was completely full.

In comparison, her own basket looked pitifully sparse. Su Hao felt a little embarrassed and was about to say something when a woman’s voice rang out from nearby.

“Su Qian! You’re stealing my strawberries again!!!”

They turned to look. A woman in a qipao had just gotten out of a car. Leaning against her car door, she was hopping mad and shouting in their direction. Su Qian yelped, quickly took two faster steps, and pushed Zhou Yang’s back. “Go, hurry up—she’s spotted us!”

Zhou Yang let out a derisive snort and quickened his pace slightly. Su Qian thought he was walking too slowly, so she pulled Su Hao along to squeeze past him. Since there were strawberry patches on both sides and only a single path in the middle, Su Hao had no choice but to follow Su Qian. She tried to stay as far from Zhou Yang as possible. In the rush, the back of her hand brushed against the man’s large hand.

She pulled her hand back and, almost instinctively, wiped it on her clothes as if to clean it, then took Su Qian’s arm again.

Zhou Yang noticed.

He raised an eyebrow.

—

Two cars were parked up ahead. One was the one Su Qian had driven. She opened the door, and Su Hao got in. Su Qian went around to the driver’s seat. Amid the sound of Aunt Li’s furious shouts in the distance, she quickly started the car, backed up, and sped off. Outside the window, the tall man had just reached his car. He put the two strawberry baskets in the back seat, then walked around to the driver’s side. He wasn’t in a hurry to leave. He looked at his phone for a few moments before opening the door and getting in.

A short while later, his car followed the BMW back to the Zhou family’s main residence.

The temperature inside the car was worlds apart from the heat outside. After soaking in the air conditioning for a while, Su Qian led Su Hao out of the car and into the house. The house was very cool. Su Qian pulled Su Hao onto the sofa, took off her hat, and lounged lazily. Su Hao poured her a cup of tea.

Su Hao had heard her mother, Cheng Ling, talk about her friendship with Su Qian. Su Qian had always been a lively, outgoing person. Back in college, their dynamic was one of motion versus stillness—opposites that complemented each other. They became best friends and, despite the vast difference in their family backgrounds, had managed to stay in touch all these years.

Over the years, her mother’s only remaining close friend was Su Qian.

“Hao Hao, you’re just as comforting to be around as your mother,” Su Qian said, taking the cup and sipping her tea. Su Hao’s actions reminded her of Cheng Ling.

Su Hao smiled, poured herself a cup of tea, and had just raised it to her lips when Zhou Yang walked in carrying the two strawberry baskets. The heat was getting to him; he tugged at his shirt collar, set the baskets on the counter, then took out a cigarette, held it diagonally between his lips, glanced at the two people on the sofa, and said, “I’m going to the study.”

“Go ahead.” Su Qian waved her hand.

Su Hao drank her tea quietly.

Zhou Yang’s figure disappeared at the top of the stairs.

Su Qian asked Su Hao, “What do you think we should make with the strawberries?”

Su Hao looked at the two beautiful baskets, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Strawberry cake?”

“Think of something else.”

Su Hao thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered a new menu item. “Strawberry shortcake?”

“How do you make that?” Su Qian’s interest was piqued.

Su Hao glanced at the time, stood up, and said, “I’ll make it. You watch, Auntie.”

“Okay.”

Su Qian stood up and went to get the strawberry baskets. The housekeeper had the day off, so the house was empty. Su Hao went into the kitchen and mentally listed the ingredients she would need. Su Qian prepared everything for her. Su Hao tied on an apron, stood at the counter, cracked an egg, and used only half of the egg liquid.

She had cooked for a long time and knew how to make various pastries, so she worked quickly. Su Qian stood beside her, hands on her hips, watching without blinking. Su Hao knew that besides lemon chicken feet, Su Qian also loved strawberries. She also prepared to make some strawberry milkshakes, explaining the steps as she went along. The two women chatted while they worked.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. The tall man rubbed his brow, walked to the living room, bent down to pour himself a cup of tea, then unbuttoned his cuffs. He idly flicked the triangular succulent plant on the counter with his fingertip. The scent of tea wafted through the air. Zhou Yang casually glanced toward the kitchen and saw figures moving inside. He looked for a few more moments, then downed the strong tea in one gulp.

He had just set down the cup when Su Qian’s voice came from the kitchen. “Hey, hey, Zhou Yang, come in here and put these things away.”

He turned his head to see Su Qian holding some unknown object, and everything from the cabinet—cake papers and the like—was falling down. Zhou Yang clicked his tongue, walked around, and headed toward the kitchen.

They were missing one oil brush. Su Qian rarely used the kitchen and was rummaging frantically. When she opened the overhead storage cabinet, everything came tumbling down. Zhou Yang walked in, raised his arm (with the shirt sleeve already rolled up), and pressed it against the cabinet door.

Su Qian stood on tiptoe, hurriedly shoving things back inside, stacking them, pushing them in, muttering as she worked, “This is so disorganized.”

Su Hao’s hands were covered in flour, so she couldn’t help. She stood there with her hands raised, looking dumbfounded, with a cake paper stuck to her face. Seeing this, Zhou Yang let out a mocking laugh. “You two are pretty hopeless.”

As he spoke, he casually pulled the cake paper off Su Hao’s face. A bit of flour clung to the corner of her eye. She blinked, a hint of moisture at the corner of her eye. She glanced at him, then turned back to continue working with the flour.

Zhou Yang: “…”