OBS Chapter 73 Missing Her
Chapter 73 Missing Her
Zhou Liya went to the jewelry counter on the first floor.
"Comrade Cheng, Aunt Zhang's birthday is coming up soon, and I'd like to pick out a gift for her. Could you help me with some suggestions?"
Aunt Zhang is Zhang Mei, Cheng Zheng's aunt.
"You choose, I'm not quite sure what she likes."
How should Cheng Zheng describe this aunt? His impression of her since childhood has been that she loves to meddle. She always interferes in and makes decisions about everything in his family, big or small.
But his mother seemed to be under a spell; whenever something happened, she would pull his aunt aside and talk about it, no matter how small the matter.
"Comrade Cheng, what do you think of this brooch?" Zhou Liya pointed to a simple leaf brooch under the counter.
Cheng Zheng glanced at it casually and gave a perfunctory "hmm".
Zhou Liya immediately decided, "Then I'll take this one. Please wrap it up for me."
She turned around and picked out some for herself.
She had just been assigned a job at No. 103 Middle School, which was located next to a ministry compound. Almost all the children who could attend this school had parents who worked in ministries. Every single one of them had a remarkable background.
As a teacher who teaches these children, dealing with such families over a long period of time can accumulate a lot of connections. If I need help in the future, it will only take a moment to ask for it.
Most people would probably do it for the sake of the child's teacher.
Of course, not just any school graduate can be assigned to No. 103 Middle School. Either you have exceptional abilities and stand out from the crowd, or you have connections and a powerful backer.
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Zhou Liya belongs to the latter category.
Her family used their connections to get her into the school so she could build connections. Being a teacher was just her starting point, not her final destination.
To put it bluntly, being a teacher means inhaling chalk dust. Although you are respected, it's a very tough job.
She wanted to be a leader, sitting in her office drinking tea and reading the newspaper; that was her ultimate goal.
She has already paved the way for her career; all that's left is marriage.
As the saying goes, it's better to marry well than to work hard.
Her goal was clear: to marry into a wealthy family.
So her parents never skimped on her clothes and appearance. How could she attract men if she didn't dress up nicely lately?
Having money in your purse gives you confidence. Most women don't dare to look at jewelry counters; they're timid and hesitant, avoiding eye contact with the salesperson, let alone asking them to take something out for them to try.
But Zhou Liya was different. She walked over and pointed directly at a silver bracelet in the counter, confidently asking the salesperson to bring it out.
Sometimes, people are just like that. When you're timid and overly polite, the other person doesn't take you seriously. But when you're bossy and act like you can't handle anything, the other person suddenly starts to respect you.
The sales clerk was about to say something like, "If you can't afford it, don't try it on," but when she saw the arrogant look on the other person's face, and then looked at the handsome and distinguished-looking man in military uniform standing next to her, she didn't dare to say a word and obediently took out her key to open the counter.
Anyway, they don't seem like they can't afford it.
The waiter took out the silver bracelet and placed it on the tray. Zhou Liya picked it up and put it on her wrist. The bracelet was somewhat like the Miao ethnic style, about one finger wide, with some three-dimensional relief carvings of flowers and plants on it.
After Zhou Liya put it on, she held it up to the light, gesturing to her wrist. Her skin was naturally yellowish, and under normal lighting, the silver bracelet didn't enhance her complexion; instead, it made her skin appear even more yellow. But the department store lights were so bright, especially the jewelry counters—they were dazzling.
Even dark skin looks reflective in the light.
So Zhou Liya put on the silver bracelet and thought it looked absolutely gorgeous. After admiring it for a few seconds, she turned to Cheng Zheng and asked, "Comrade Cheng, does it look good?"
There was no longer any shyness or bashfulness in her eyes, only a longing for jewelry.
Cheng Zheng glanced at it indifferently, "I don't understand."
What does that mean?
Zhou Liya's face stiffened slightly. The saleswoman, being shrewd, quickly added, "Oh, so your boyfriend means that men like them don't appreciate women's things. That's perfectly normal. Many men who come here with their partners to buy jewelry don't really know much about it; if their partners like it, they buy it, and the men just pay for it. Right, buddy?"
The sales clerk looked at Cheng Zheng with a smile, waiting for his approval before readily handing over the money.
Zhou Liya was surprised that the sales clerk was so good at handling things. Her expression softened, and she looked up at Cheng Zheng's cold profile. She thought that as a factory representative, his salary must be high, and his family had such a good background... She was already looking forward to him buying the bracelet for her.
Meeting the two intense gazes above him, Cheng Zheng's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. His expression remained indifferent, and his voice was devoid of warmth: "She is not my girlfriend."
They completely ignored what the salesperson was saying.
"Heh, heh..." The saleswoman laughed awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood..."
Zhou Liya's face flushed, and she stiffly forced a smile as she said to the sales clerk, "This is our first blind date today."
"Oh, I see," the saleswoman nodded, then changed the subject, "Sir, this bracelet really looks good on you, and it's very reasonably priced at only 26 yuan. Look, even tiny pearl earrings cost over 20 yuan!"
The salesperson pointed to the inside of the counter.
Zhou Liya looked over and thought it looked pretty good. "Let me try on the pearl earrings."
The sales clerk took them out, and Zhou Liya put them on and looked at herself in the mirror. The small pearls on her earlobes were pretty, but they were too subtle to be noticeable.
Jewelry is something you wear to show off to others.
Instead of spending 20 yuan on such a small pearl earring, you might as well spend 20 yuan on a big silver bracelet that everyone can see when you wear it.
Zhou Liya pouted, took off the earrings and returned them to the sales clerk: "They're not pretty. I don't really like this one. I'd rather have the silver bracelet."
"Okay, I'll write you the receipt." The sales clerk put the pearl earrings back in their place, then buried her head in her notebook and began writing, all the while holding Zhou Liya's hand.
"I love serving such a straightforward and generous lady like you. When I came to hand over my shift today, I saw another lady try on those pearl earrings. She really liked them, but she couldn't afford them. Why even try them on if you can't afford them? Isn't that just a waste of our time?"
"My colleague is such a fool, actually letting her try it out. I should just roll my eyes at her and tell her to go cool off somewhere else!"
As Zhou Liya listened, a faint smile appeared on her lips. Her gaze swept over the pearl earrings almost imperceptibly, and her tone was full of superiority: "Some people are just like that, vain. They're poor but love to dress up. They can be satisfied just by trying on something they can't afford."
"Hehe, you bet..." The sales clerk laughed along, clipped the ticket in her hand to the wire above her head, and slid down to the cashier.
Zhou Liya glanced at Cheng Zheng, and seeing that he didn't react, she had no choice but to go to the cashier to pay herself.
The moment she turned around, her expression fell. She had brought him shopping specifically to buy him a gift and also to try and get something out of him, so that even if he didn't like her, she wouldn't have come all this way for nothing.
To everyone's surprise, he didn't react at all when he heard that he had to pay.
After paying, Zhou Liya returned with the silver bracelet on her wrist and smiled shyly, "Comrade Cheng, let's go."
"Wait a minute," Cheng Zheng stepped forward, his slender fingers tapping lightly on the glass counter, his dark eyes coldly fixed on the sales clerk. "This one, get me a brand new one, and wrap it up for me."
The saleswoman felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, and it took her several seconds to realize what he meant: "Sir, you mean... these pearl earrings?"
"Yes," Cheng Zheng said succinctly.
"Okay, okay..." The sales clerk quickly wrote out the invoice.
After paying, Cheng Zheng returned to pick up the earrings and gestured to Zhou Liya, "Let's go."
Zhou Liya's face lit up with a smile as she followed him out, saying, "Actually, pearl earrings are quite pretty too. I was just about to buy a pair next time..."
She paused here, glanced at the earrings Cheng Zheng was holding, and looked expectantly.
But after waiting for a while, Cheng Zheng didn't react at all and kept walking forward.
Zhou Liya didn't dare to say anything more, but she was still hoping for something. Surely the earrings weren't like the candied hawthorns—bought for him himself?
Yes, that's right, she didn't misunderstand.
He probably wanted to give her the things when he dropped her off at her doorstep.
Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the family compound and stopped at the same time.
Zhou Liya touched the bracelet on her wrist, looked up shyly, and said, "Comrade Cheng, I'll go in first then."
Cheng Zheng grunted in response, and without any further pleasantries, turned to leave.
"Comrade Cheng!" Zhou Liya called out to him anxiously. Cheng Zheng turned around, and Zhou Liya's gaze fell on the packaging bag in his hand. She prompted, "Comrade Cheng, have you forgotten something?"
"What?" Cheng Zheng switched the packaging bag from his left hand to his right hand, his expression natural.
Zhou Liya gritted her teeth and forced a smile: "Ear...earrings..."
"What's wrong with the earrings?" Cheng Zheng raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Liya blushed, she had already hinted at it to this extent, how could he still not understand?
But she was reluctant to give up; he couldn't very well keep the earrings for himself. After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally asked, "Are you planning to give these earrings as gifts?"
"Yes," Cheng Zheng replied crisply.
Zhou Liya's face froze, and she suddenly realized that he had bought the earrings as a gift, but not for her.
She looked up at him, and he looked back at her, but his eyes were completely expressionless and devoid of any warmth.
He stood there tall and straight, with broad shoulders and a ramrod-straight back, exuding a cool and aloof aura. His face was exceptionally handsome, with deep-set eyes, a high nose, thin lips, and a tight, powerful jawline, all combined to create a strikingly handsome appearance that made girls blush and their hearts race at first glance, unable to meet his gaze.
Cheng Zheng's gaze lingered on her face for only two seconds. Seeing her stunned and speechless, her face turning red and then white, he had nothing more to say. He turned around decisively and strode away.
Zhou Liya stood there, her face pale and embarrassed, as if nailed to the spot. After a long while, once she was sure he was really gone and that the earrings really weren't for her, she stomped her foot hard, gritted her teeth, and turned to walk home.
When Cheng Zheng returned home, Gao Jie and Zhang Mei were both there, as expected.
Visiting patients was just an excuse; he was just trying to get Zhou Liya to meet him.
Seeing him return so quickly, Gao Jie and Zhang Mei both showed a hint of surprise. Zhang Mei greeted him with a smile, "Ah Zheng is back! Why so early? Didn't you go for a walk with Liya? You could have gone for a stroll or seen a movie."
Cheng Zheng didn't answer Zhang Mei's question, but turned his gaze to Gao Jie, "Mom, don't arrange these kinds of dinners for me again."
Upon hearing this, Gao Jie's smile vanished: "Not going to make arrangements? Do you expect me to let you continue getting involved with that illegitimate daughter?!"
Zhang Mei quickly stood up to chime in, feigning concern: "Ah Zheng, your mother is doing this all for your own good. Putting aside the fact that Shen Qing's mother interfered in your parents' marriage, just look at Shen Qing herself—she shares the same father as you! Given that blood relation, how can you develop feelings for her?! Isn't this...isn't this all messed up?!"
Zhang Mei raised her hand dramatically to her forehead and continued...
"Look how wonderful Liya is! She comes from a respectable family, has a decent job, and is a perfect match for you! If you don't like her, that's okay too, your aunt will find you someone else!"
"Auntie," Cheng Zheng frowned upon hearing her words, "We'll handle our own family matters; we don't need your interference."
Zhang Mei blushed, speechless, and then turned to Gao Jie, "Sister-in-law, who am I doing this for? I'm just worried about you, and for the good of your family! Several single men in our hospital want to go on blind dates with Zhou Liya. She's a teacher, so she won't have to worry about her children's education after marriage. Many people are interested in that, but I was the one who snatched her away first, saying how outstanding and handsome my nephew is..."
Zhang Mei went on and on about how she was doing her job, and Gao Jie immediately scolded her son: "Chengzheng! How could you talk to your aunt like that! She's your elder, and she only introduced Zhou Liya to you because she wanted what was best for you. Instead of being grateful, you turn around and blame her for meddling. When did you become so insensible?!"
"Oh, sister-in-law, that's just Zheng's temper. You've only been resting for two days, don't make yourself so angry that your chest hurts again," Zhang Mei advised.
"How could I not be angry? Such a huge scandal happened in our family, and not only did he not help me, he was also thinking about that illegitimate daughter. He's just trying to drive me crazy!"
"Oh dear, Ah Zheng is your son, he'll definitely stand by your side, unlike his older brother..."
The living room was filled with chatter, and Cheng Zheng pursed his lips and silently walked upstairs.
"Look at him! He doesn't even respect me as his mother! Just like his father!" Gao Jie accused Zhang Mei, pointing at her son's back.
……
Cheng Zheng returned to his room, closed the door, and shut out the noise from downstairs.
He threw the packaging bag on the bed, took off his coat, lay down on the bed, and raised his hand to pinch the space between his eyebrows.
After a few seconds of blankness, he turned his head and his gaze fell on the paper bag next to him. He reached over, opened it, and took out the jewelry box inside.
The pearl earrings lay quietly on the velvet cushions, radiating a lustrous glow under the dim light of the room.
He picked one up, feeling a cool touch on his fingertips, and a certain image involuntarily appeared before his eyes.
Lin Shuyao looked at herself in the small round mirror. Her hair was black and her skin was fair. Her eyebrows and eyes were charming. Tiny pearls adorned her fair earlobes. Her lips were slightly upturned and her eyes were bright and full of joy.
After hearing the price, she quietly took the earrings off again.
Cheng Zheng recalled the image of her pale face, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the smooth pearl, his Adam's apple bobbing gently, and his eyes deep and unfathomable.