Pat Me Please

“Pat Me Please” was recorded halfway through when the previously mentioned offline comic convention finally arrived.

After taking two days off for themselves. Yu Zhou excitedly packed her luggage and shared a taxi with Su Chang to the airport.

Before departing, Su Chang was mad at her once again.

Hahaha, the word “again” is so fitting here.

Because Yu Zhou received her first royalty payment today, she took a good look at the amount, screenshotted it before sending it to Ms. Zhao, and also placed it in her WeChat Moments visible only to herself as a souvenir. Then she started to wonder if she owed anyone money.

This is such a great habit.

After thinking about it, she remembered Su Chang. She still owed Su Chang a little interest which wasn’t supposed to be delayed for so long, but things always change faster than plans.

So while eating lunch and scrolling through her phone, she said, “I still owe you some money. Transferring the interest to you now, not bad, huh?”

Su Chang’s hand holding the chopsticks paused, her face expressionless, but Yu Zhou knew she was angry.

Because she chewed a mouthful of green vegetables for quite a while, slowly and gently.

Yu Zhou hurriedly explained, “I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just used to completing a task like checking it off a to-do list, or else I get really uncomfortable.”

“If you don’t like it, after I transfer the money, you can transfer it all back to me.”

“Just don’t let me shortchange anyone, I have OCD. It’s so uncomfortable.”

She blinked her eyes while offering Su Chang a round meatball with an ingratiating smile, as if presenting a treasure. Look, doesn’t it resemble her round heart?

Su Chang let out a shallow breath, her expression gentle, but she didn’t touch the meatball, instead, she picked one up by herself.

Yu Zhou panicked, she put down her bowl and grabbed the edge of the table with both hands, her puppy-dog eyes pleading for forgiveness.

“CV-sama, I was wrong.”

Su Chang took a bite of rice.

“Hey, did you get the walls in your house painted? If it’s done, can I move in?” Yu Zhou thought of an excellent way to demonstrate her loyalty, showing her absolute determination to marry into the Su family and rise to greatness.

Sure enough, CV-sama raised her eyelids and glanced at her.

“It’s done,” Su Chang said.

See? So stingy!

“Wow!” Yu Zhou laughed with a bit of flattery, “What colors did you get? They must look amazing.”

“The first floor is milk coffee brown, the bedrooms upstairs are light gray, and the background wall in the master bedroom is dark green. You said you liked those colors before,” Su Chang said softly.

“I like?” Yu Zhou’s voice also lowered, as they spoke back and forth with a touch of meaningfulness.

But when she was painting the walls, they were still going through breakup. Did Su Chang miss her every day, even over trivial matters? Or had she always believed that they would get back together?

“So, does it look good when it’s finished?”

“Very good.”

“Then when we come back from Huizhou, let’s move in, okay?” The words were spoken softly and tenderly.

“Okay.”

Yu Zhou looked at her smiling, ayo, not angry anymore.

Huizhou was much hotter than Jiang City. It was only June or July, yet the city felt like it had already reached the peak of summer. A quick glance at the streets revealed young girls wearing short shorts and skirts, radiating youth and quite a feast for the eyes.

As first-tier cities, the infrastructure and urban landscape of Huizhou and Jiang City were quite similar. However, Huizhou was near the sea, so the air had a sticky saltiness to it. It was also very humid, and since Yu Zhou’s nose was always sensitive, she couldn’t help but sneeze several times as soon as she stepped off the plane.

The comic convention was scheduled for the following morning, and since there was no need for a dress rehearsal, they had a whole day to stroll around Huizhou.

Peng Xiangzhi and Xiang Wan led the way, walking ahead, while Yu Zhou followed closely behind, holding Su Chang’s hand. The four of them headed straight for the food street.

Freshly fried thin crispy potato chips were dipped in rich, milky ice cream, Yu Zhou fed to Su Chang. She, however, avoided the ice cream and only took a small bite of the chip. Next, Yu Zhou raised a skewer of beef balls to Su Chang’s lips, waiting for her to delicately taste a little before she answered Yu Zhou’s questions of “These beef balls are handmade, aren’t they? They’re so chewy, aren’t they?”

As soon as Yu Zhou went out, she became like a bird that had been set free, chirping away and finding everything fascinating. Even the small trinkets she would normally disdain to glance at on Taobao or Jiang City’s street stalls became interesting when they were wrapped in the skin of “tourist souvenirs.” She wanted to buy this and that.

She even bought a plain white wide-brimmed hat. Su Chang was helpless, as Yu Zhou always loved to buy hats when traveling. They were usually around 20 to 30 yuan and would get damaged the next day or get squashed in the suitcase, losing their shape after they went back.

But Yu Zhou believed that hats were essential. They symbolized a sense of ceremony, meaning one had to wear something they wouldn’t normally wear in their city to feel the casualness of being a visitor.

Traveling meant being a passerby, not caring about others’ opinions, breaking free from constraints.

That was the true essence of traveling.

Upon leaving the small snack street, there was a slightly larger alley adjacent, with the signboards of various restaurants set at contrasting heights. They were just about to open the Dianping app, intending to find a well-reviewed restaurant when Yu Zhou suddenly let out a “Huh?” , her gaze fixed on a young girl’s back.

“What’s wrong?” Su Chang squeezed their interlocked fingers as she looked in the same direction.

Suppressing a tiny surge of excitement, Yu Zhou said, “The book she’s holding… Is it ‘Shrine’?”

Before she could even finish her sentence, a smile spread across her face.

“Let’s go see, let’s go see.” She glanced at Xiang Wan and Peng Xiangzhi, then shook Su Chang’s hand in anticipation, her body practically bouncing with excitement.

The four of them sneakily followed the young girl, with Yu Zhou pulling Su Chang closer in a hurried stride. When they were just two or three steps away, Yu Zhou bent down to get a better look at the book in the girl’s hand.

The cover… It was really “Shrine”.

The little figure inside Yu Zhou’s heart clenched its fists, shaking with excitement.

It was her first time encountering a reader! She wanted to go around and see what this reader looked like.

So she exchanged a pleading glance with Su Chang, before straightening up, linking arms with her, and casually walking past the girl. As she did, she casually called over her shoulder to her friends, “Wanwan, Director Peng, hurry up.”

The call was gentle and the reader holding “Shrine” looked up at her.

The eye contact lasted only a second, but Yu Zhou’s heart skipped a beat.

The girl was quite ordinary, just like Yu Zhou herself, easily lost in the crowd. Yet, because she was holding that book, she and Yu Zhou shared a small secret, even though they didn’t know each other.

The girl had no idea that the young woman who had schemed to catch a glimpse of her was the very same storyteller who had brought her both joy and sorrow on a certain night.

Yu Zhou lowered her eyelashes and smiled lightly, silently saying hello and goodbye to the girl in her heart.

Since they had activities the next day, their playtime wasn’t too extravagant; they only had dinner and drank a little before returning to their hotel to rest. The next morning, Yu Zhou woke everyone up around seven or eight—her excitement about attending the comic con for the first time was palpable.

As they were having breakfast in the hotel, Peng Xiangzhi sat down opposite Yu Zhou with a full plate of food and immediately started gossiping.

Listening to gossip in the morning was unusual, and Yu Zhou’s senses were still waking up, making it a struggle for her to keep up with the conversation.

Peng Xiangzhi picked up a custard-filled bun, took a bite and asked Xiang Wan with her cheeks puffed, “Have you been in contact with Chao Xin recently?”

Xiang Wan shook her head.

Yu Zhou felt somewhat suspicious. In her memory, this wasn’t the first time Peng Xiangzhi had mentioned Ms. Chao. It was quite strange.

So she asked, “What happened?”

Peng Xiangzhi was waiting for her cue, chewing a bite of steamed bread and swallowing it: “I heard that the other day, Chao Xin was telling people again that her daughter likes Xiang Wan.”

“This is the second time, you know.” She raised an eyebrow at Su Chang.

Su Chang knew exactly what was going on.

“What does that mean?” Yu Zhou glanced at Xiang Wan.

“It’s hard to say what it means, but Chao Xin never praises anyone, nor expresses her liking for anyone, let alone mentions her daughter.”

Ah, this.

“…But she has a daughter, right?” Yu Zhou wasn’t sure if she had misunderstood Peng Xiangzhi’s meaning.

“You guys can figure it out for yourselves.” Peng Xiangzhi shrugged her neck, not wanting to say more.

“I think you’re quite interested in Wanwan too.” And asked Chao Xin twice as well.

“Ugh! I’m…”

“I know. You’re straight.” Yu Zhou interrupted.

Peng Xiangzhi was so angry that she couldn’t even eat her meal, wasting a small plate of buffet food. The person in question, Xiang Wan, was unaffected by the situation, slowly enjoying her breakfast.

Under the blazing sun in Huizhou, the group headed toward the comic convention. It was still early, but the venue was bustling with people. Many kids were dressed in lolita outfits or cosplaying, while others were wearing Hanfu, taking pictures in groups as if they were attending a funfair.

Yu Zhou suddenly felt that she might be a bit too plainly dressed for the occasion.

The “Walk Right” audio drama exhibition featured a large sign standing in Area A6, with a simple but heartfelt stage. The background wall had a poster of the audio drama, with Peng Xiangzhi and Xiang Wan’s pictures spliced together, smiling brightly and appealing to anyone who looked at it.

Though the stage was empty, the audience below was gradually taking their places. Many fans were already holding banners and support materials, guarding the work area where the actresses would pass.

These fans had experience following their idols offline and knew that this work area was for staff to enter and exit. Although there was a long partition line, it was much closer than the stage. If the celebrities had time, they would often stop to greet them, and the more friendly ones would even go over to sign autographs and take pictures.

The four of them wore their work passes, led by the staff. Peng Xiangzhi and Xiang Wan were at the front, with Su Chang and Yu Zhou trailing behind.

Yu Zhou’s chūnibyō spirit was rising again. She glanced at Su Chang’s focused face while she walked and thought she looked so cool. This made her feel that all four of them were cool too, walking together like they were the heroes of the world, invoking the desire to sing “I can break through any obstacles, and I am admired by thousands.”[1]

Hahahahaha.

Upon arriving at the fan area, a large crowd indeed gathered on the right side, giving cheers and causing commotion. Nobody expected Su Chang was also here, making the scene even livelier than anticipated.

The three of them kept their eyes straight ahead and listened to the staff’s instructions about going on stage. Only Yu Zhou, who had never seen such a scene before, walked alongside Su Chang while secretly peeking over Su Chang’s left shoulder at the fans separated by the partition.

Wow, the hand banners are so pretty and the support pictures are selected with such care. Even Peng Xiangzhi in the pictures appears aloof.

Being slightly nearsighted, she squinted her eyes to get a better look when the back of her head was gently tapped by a slender hand.

Su Chang raised her arm and pushed Yu Zhou’s mischievous head back into place.

This move was extremely suggestive, even if the fans on the other side could only see Su Chang’s back and her lazily extended hand.

But that was enough for the fans to exchange glances, their hands holding cameras and recording devices paused.

Then they began to gossip, “Who’s that girl?”

“I think she’s that author.”

“The author of ‘Shrine’?”

“Yes.”

“Hiss…”

Yu Zhou’s body was blocked by Su Chang, so she glanced up at her.

Su Chang softly smiled and whispered, “They might capture your face.”

“Ah…”

“Are you scared?”

“Well…I’m not that scared.” After pondering for a moment, Yu Zhou added, “But I don’t want them to capture me squinting to see better.”

Xiang Wan and Peng Xiangzhi were called away by the staff. Su Chang stood in place, replying to a couple of work messages before putting down her phone. The fans saw her free and quietly called out to her.

Su Chang smiled, walked over and greeted them. She naturally took the notebook and signed it effortlessly.

While signing, she asked, “You came so early; is it hot?”

The fans in the front row were too excited to speak. A young girl’s face turned red with excitement. Initially, she attended to see Peng Xiangzhi and Xiang Wan, but upon seeing Su Chang up close, she was enchanted. Tall, slender, and with flawless skin, Su Chang seemed both near and far, as if mingling with the horizon.

The girl couldn’t describe the feeling; all she knew was she had fallen into the allure.

After signing her name, Su Chang put the cap on the pen, twirling it between her fingers before returning it to the fans with the nib pointed to herself.

Then, she glanced over to see Yu Zhou playing on her phone, not far away. When a staff member passed by, Yu Zhou assumed Su Chang had returned and followed the staff member while scrolling on her phone.

Su Chang found this amusing and called her, “Zhouzhou.”

Yu Zhou looked back, puzzled. She blinked her eyes at Su Chang.

Su Chang beckoned her to come over. Her hand didn’t retreat, instead, she naturally placed her arm on Yu Zhou’s shoulder when the other party came close.

Then she led Yu Zhou away with her arm around her.

The girl who had just got the sign mustered up the courage to call out to Su Chang again.

Su Chang stopped and asked gently, “Hmm?”

“Uh, Miss Su, can we post the photos we took today?” The girl held up her camera with a smile and asked gently.

Su Chang thought for a moment before whispering, “Feel free to, but we would rather not make it public.”

She gave a faint smile.

It wasn’t something to avoid, but she didn’t want to make it a big deal either.

“Understood,” the girls responded, giving Su Chang a knowing look.

“Let’s go,” Su Chang raised her hand and waved gently. Yu Zhou also poked her head out, ruffling her hands in a reserved manner.