r18novel Chapter 281 Attraction
Chapter 281 Attraction
The next evening, He Yushui came back from get off work from the factory carrying a cloth bag. As soon as he turned into the alley, he saw a tall young man in a blue Zhongshan suit standing next to a telephone pole with a book in his hand.
"Comrade He Yushui!" When the young man saw her, his eyes lit up and he walked over quickly.
He Yushui smiled but didn't stop: "Zhou Qisheng, why are you here again?"
Zhou Qisheng scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "I... I just happened to be passing by, and was wondering if I could run into you."
He Yushui glanced at him and understood clearly in her mind - he had been playing this "just happened to pass by" scene for half a month.
"You got off work early today?" Zhou Qisheng followed her footsteps, his tone filled with undisguised excitement.
"Well, there's not much work today." He Yushui answered softly, but couldn't help glancing at him. Zhou Qisheng was an officer in the district government's propaganda department. He wore a pair of black-framed glasses and was gentle and polite, unlike the loud and gruff workers in the steel mill and water plant.
The two walked side by side, and Zhou Qisheng suddenly took out two movie tickets from his pocket: "Comrade He Yushui, the Red Star Cinema will be showing The Red Detachment of Women tomorrow. I got the tickets. Do you want to... go with me?"
He Yushui's heartbeat quickened, and her fingers twisted the corners of her clothes unconsciously. She actually wanted to go, but she was afraid of being seen by people in the courtyard and gossiping.
"I..." She hesitated.
Zhou Qisheng saw her concerns and quickly added: "It's okay. If you are afraid of what people say, we can go in separately and sit in the last row where no one will notice."
He Yushui was amused by his nervous look and finally nodded: "Okay."
Zhou Qisheng suddenly smiled brightly, as if he had received some great news.
However, there is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. After a few days, people in the alley began to talk about it.
"Hey, have you seen it? Yu Shui always walks with a man recently." Aunt Gong in the front yard was picking vegetables while muttering to her neighbors.
"I saw him. I don't know which unit he is from. He was wearing glasses and looked quite gentle."
"What do you mean by gentle? I heard his family background is not good. His father used to be a small clerk for a capitalist..."
These words soon reached He Yushui's ears.
That night, she sat in the room in a daze and didn't even hear Sha Zhu calling her to eat.
"Yushui, what's wrong? Have you lost your soul?" Shazhu held the bowl and looked at her with a frown.
He Yushui came back to his senses and forced a smile: "Brother, I'm fine."
Yu Li was feeding Xiao Mudan nearby. Seeing this, she put down her bowl and chopsticks and asked softly, "Is it because of Zhou Qisheng?"
He Yushui was stunned and looked up at his sister-in-law.
Yu Li smiled and said, "People in the alleys may gossip, so don't take it to heart."
Sha Zhu finally reacted and widened his eyes: "What? Yu Shui, you have a girlfriend?!"
He Yushui blushed, lowered her head and ate her food without saying a word.
Sha Zhu slapped his thigh and said, "Great news! What does that guy do? What kind of person is he?"
Yu Li rolled her eyes at him: "Why are you so anxious? Yu Shui hasn't said anything yet."
He Yushui bit her lip and finally spoke: "His name is Zhou Qisheng, he works in the Propaganda Department of the District Government, he's a nice guy...but..."
"What is it?" Sha Zhu asked.
"He, he didn't say he likes me either." Yu Shui's voice was so soft that only she could hear it. After saying this, her whole face turned red. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the corners of her clothes, and she wished she could bury her head in her chest.
Sha Zhu and Yu Li looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.
"He didn't say he liked you?" Sha Zhu rubbed his face and raised his voice unconsciously, "Then why does he wait for you at the entrance of the alley every day? Is he bored?"
Yu Li quickly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Keep your voice down!"
He Yushui's eyes were red, and her voice was muffled: "He...he was just passing by, so we bumped into each other and had a chat..."
Sha Zhu slammed the table and said, "Bullshit! Can we have a smooth journey for half a month? Is this kid being a hooligan?"
"Brother!" He Yushui said anxiously, "Don't talk nonsense! He is not that kind of person!"
Yu Li sighed, took Yu Shui's hand, and asked softly, "So what does he usually tell you?"
He Yushui lowered his head, his voice as soft as a mosquito: "Just... ask about work, talk about the books he reads, and sometimes... sometimes he will take me home."
Sha Zhu frowned: "That's it? Nothing else?"
Yu Shui shook her head, feeling bitter in her heart. Zhou Qisheng had indeed never said anything that crossed the line, and he had never even touched her hand. But every time she saw him, her heartbeat would speed up uncontrollably. This feeling was both sweet and tormenting.
Zhou Qisheng sat at his desk, turning the pen in his hand around and around. Sister Liu from the Propaganda Department came over with a teacup and asked with a smile, "Xiao Zhou, why do you always go to Luoguxiang recently?"
Zhou Qisheng's ears instantly turned red, and his pen dropped on the table with a "click": "I, I'll go over there to deliver the materials..."
Sister Liu said "Oh" meaningfully, "Really? But I heard from the neighbors in Luoguxiang that there is a young man wearing glasses who often follows Director He's sister from the steel mill. I heard that she is very pretty... I wonder if that young man has any bad intentions?"
Zhou Qisheng picked up the pen in a panic and almost spilled the ink. His reaction said it all.
Sister Liu patted his shoulder and lowered her voice: "Young man, if you like someone, you should say it out loud. Don't hesitate. Be careful that someone else will get there first!"
Zhou Qisheng's fingers tightly grasped the pen, his knuckles turned white. He swallowed and said in a tense voice, "Sister Liu, you don't know... I heard that her brother is Director He of the canteen of the steel mill, nicknamed 'Silly Zhu', and is famous for his bad temper in Luoguxiang..."
Sister Liu chuckled, and the water in the teacup sloshed out: "Just because of this?" She moved closer and lowered her voice: "Let me tell you, Director He came to our district government cafeteria a few days ago to exchange cooking skills. He seemed very friendly."
"That's because you didn't see it..." Zhou Qisheng pushed up his glasses, his voice getting smaller and smaller, "Last month I went to the steel mill to deliver materials, and I saw with my own eyes that he grabbed a mischievous temporary worker by the collar and threw him out of the cafeteria... The man weighed at least 160 kilograms..."
The office door was suddenly pushed open, and Wang, the union secretary, poked his head in: "Xiao Zhou, Director Li is looking for you... Hey? Why are you so pale?"
Zhou Qisheng's hand trembled and the pen fell again. Sister Liu helped him pick it up while holding back a smile: "Go ahead, and ask Director Li if he knows Director He. Maybe he can help you to mediate."
Zhou Qisheng wiped his sweat as he walked along the corridor. When he passed the bulletin board, he suddenly stopped - the glass window reflected his pale face and messy hair. He quickly straightened his collar and suddenly realized that he looked so cowardly that he couldn't even get past He Yushui, let alone Sha Zhu.
"No..." He whispered to himself in the glass, "I have to act like a man..."
That afternoon, Zhou Qisheng finished his work report ahead of schedule. When the bell rang, he rushed out of the office and headed straight for the department store.
"Comrade, I want the sturdiest pair of leather shoes!" He pointed to the shiny three-joint leather shoes on the counter.