Chapter 285, I'm so happy
The next day, Sunday, Zhuo studied quietly in his room.

There are many motivations driving him to do this, partly because of what he promised Zero, and it is said that his mother Sachiko's concern also played a role; but the bigger reason was that he wanted to stop thinking about Zero.

Recently, Ling has been saying and doing things that are very destructive to Zhuo. Zhuo doesn't know whether she did it intentionally or unintentionally. In short, as the recipient, he is indeed very happy, but also very hard.

Since he didn't know Zero's intentions, he couldn't do anything.

In the early morning, in order to drive all kinds of worries out of his mind, he began to review with all his strength. This method seemed to be very successful. When Zhuo came to his senses, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Thanks to this period of concentration, Zhuo has persisted until now and even forgot to eat. But once he realized this, he looked at the clock and his stomach suddenly started to protest loudly.

"...Let's go have lunch."

Zhuo stretched to free his stiff body, then stood up and walked out of the room.

This morning, Ling made breakfast and went out. It seems that Ling will be working outside on Saturday and Sunday, so he will not be back during the day. Zhuo had to solve lunch by himself.

"Ever since Zero came along, this family's diet has become too comfortable."

With this thought in mind, Zhuo walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

He put the rice, which had been divided into small portions for emergency use, into the microwave to thaw. At the same time, he took out the prepared dishes from the refrigerator and put them into small bowls. With these, he could ensure that the meal was nutritionally balanced and colorful.

"It's really thanks to her presence..."

When Zhuo lives alone, he doesn't prepare any dishes, and he eats lunch at convenience stores or out.

Even if Ling left home early, his home would have a certain amount of food prepared in advance, and he had learned how to cook. Of course, Zhuo's cooking skills were limited, and he couldn't make food as delicious and balanced as Ling, but he could still heat up the food and steam a bowl of rice.

With the cooking skills learned from the princess, Zhuo simply steamed a portion of rice for lunch. Although the content was simple, with the dishes prepared in advance, the meal was not monotonous, or it could be said that it instantly rose to a higher level.

Paired with instant flower soup… Chinese soup is a soup pack, one of the Japanese home-cooked flower dishes. The contents vary, but the base is usually thickened chicken soup. The taste is light and sweet, so I don’t recommend it to readers… It’s a decent lunch.

"I'm gonna start now."

The sound of washing is very light.

On the one hand, he was eating alone (I probably wouldn't have said this in the past), and on the other hand, I probably couldn't have imagined such a lunch on a day off in the past. He smiled bitterly, put down his hands, and picked up the spoon.

The rice tasted a lot stickier than what Ling usually made, but it didn't taste bad. With a stomach like Zhuo that could eat anything, he could eat it all even if it wasn't good.

"What a big change~"

His diet and lifestyle had completely changed. Not only that, Zhuo himself had also undergone many changes. In many ways, he was treated as if he had lost all his limbs. Although he was living an ordinary life now, perhaps more serious than before... However, people always encounter stories of tasting the marrow and wanting more.

Zhuo didn't want to go back to the life without anyone around. If Ling wasn't around, she would feel empty. In this sense, he really couldn't live without Ling.

And what is destroyed is not just the living aspect, but the spiritual aspect even more so.

Zhuo had never seriously thought about whether he could really go back to his previous life and get to know another girl wholeheartedly, just like he loved and depended on Zero. The thought would hurt just for a moment.

When Zhuo was young, his mother Sa Qianzi often took him around the town to meet girls. Every time she arrived in front of a family, Sa Qianzi would proudly introduce her son, saying, "He is very loyal and will only fall in love with one person. Once he falls in love with someone, she will hold him or her for the rest of her life, and he will cherish the other person very much."

The first time I heard this statement, I was only eight years old. It was hard to believe that Sha Qianzi would make such a rash statement about an eight-year-old boy and describe him as "loyal".

Naturally he didn't believe it, and no one would believe it either.

Now it seems that what Sha Qianzi said unfortunately came true.

When Zhuo realized that he liked Ling, he no longer paid attention to those girls who he had no interest in. At the same time, he had a strong desire to cherish Ling and make her happy...so it didn't matter if it wasn't him.

For myself, anything less than zero is not enough.

But Zero doesn't have to be like this.

As long as Ling can be happy, it doesn't matter if he is not the one who makes him happy. It can even be said that even if Ling falls in love with someone else and chooses someone else, Zhuo will leave without hesitation.

He could assert that as long as Ling felt it was okay, then for Zhuo, that was his decision. On the other hand, if this matter would make Ling embarrassed, then for Zhuo, that matter would be passed fundamentally.

Of course, he also strongly hoped to make Ling happy himself, and was unwilling to give her to others. He didn't want to let go, and even had a conflict in his heart. Even though he knew that Lu Mingze was much better than him in every aspect, and had saved Ling's life more than once, he still felt that it would be better for Ling to be alone.

Perhaps this contradiction can also be called men's possessiveness.

The reason why Zhuo can't live without Ling is because he has such complicated feelings in his heart that are difficult to express to others.

This feeling is not fair and aboveboard, but it can be called pure. This double-sided feeling is deeply rooted in Zhuo's heart, dragging her into the vortex.

"…If I could be more positive and selfish, maybe it wouldn't be so hard."

Zhuo spoke subconsciously, and it sounded like he was mocking himself, and then he smiled.

For the first time in decades of life, he had someone he truly loved, someone he wanted to bring happiness to, but he didn't know how to do it.

At this age, I still don’t know how to fall in love. If others knew, I would definitely be laughed at.

Zhuo also understood that his personality was indeed cold and indifferent by nature, and he did not know how to express himself in front of women...or rather, he was unwilling to actively express himself and lived in his own world.

Although it is these factors that make him closer to Zero in life, and these characteristics may not be easily changed, he still feels that he should be a little more positive.

And this is exactly the reason why he has never deliberately kept his distance when facing Zero's approach with unknown purposes.

The so-called keeping weight, exercising, imagining future plans... these are also the deepest thoughts in Zhuo's heart, about "if I can live with Zero forever". It is also the reason for him to have a little confidence that he can bring happiness to Zero.

After all, the opponent is the omnipotent Lu Mingze.

After a slight bitter smile, Zhuo shoveled the remaining rice into his mouth.

After dinner, Zhuo rested for a while, stretched his stiff muscles, then went back to the bedroom to change into sportswear, planning to go for a run to change his mood.

After sitting at a table for a while, it wouldn't hurt to move around a little as a change of pace.

However, his physical strength was not that great. If he didn't have enough energy left to finish the review, he might have to sleep all night. And Zero hadn't returned home yet...

"I have to be more careful." Zhuoxin thought about this and walked out the door, just in time to meet Ling who was also holding the key and preparing to open the door.

"…Are you going to exercise?"

It seems that Ling saw Zhuo's intention from the clothes. She looked up at Zhuo with her deep blue eyes and asked. Zhuo nodded honestly and found that Ling in front of him didn't seem to have any intention of entering the door, and seemed to be going out again.

Thinking of what Ling did before and the promise, Zhuo couldn't help but groan. He couldn't look Ling in the eye, but he was calmer now than before, and he probably wouldn't let it out on the outside. "Yes, I'm going out to relax. Ling, are you going out again?"

"Well, I remembered that we don't have much beef at home. I plan to make a barbecue for dinner and save some for breakfast. I have to go to school tomorrow, and Zhuo will be more energetic if he has a big breakfast."

"Really? I suddenly feel motivated."

"Zhuo, too utilitarian."

Ling pinched the corner of Zhuo's mouth with his fingers and said, Zhuo frowned and said, "What can I do, because it's really delicious."

Given Utsunomiya's current tight economic situation, the beef in the refrigerator has not been touched for a long time. So this is a long-awaited beef version.

Of course Ling understood that Zhuo was just pretending and was not really unhappy, so he applied gentler force to his fingers and finally wiped the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, right. I just ate the food in the fridge, and the rest of the milk from this morning too."

"I'm sorry I can't let you have the freshly prepared lunch."

"Are you looking down on me? I'm not really a child... Didn't I do this once or twice when you were around?"

It was not right to push all the cooking work to Ling, so Zhuo would usually help her. When Ling felt uncomfortable or tired, Zhuo would rush to stand in the kitchen.

Given his limited skills, Zhuo's level is only that of a kitchen helper, which is far from Zero's pre-ordered menu. But as long as Zero prepares the food in advance and refrigerates it, Zhuo can now cook it again and serve it on the table.

Zero looked up at him and was silent for a moment, "Yes, it's amazing."

"I think someone wants to have a fight."

I just heated up the prepared food, not enough to be praised by Zero as "amazing".

"That's not what I meant. You rarely cook when you're alone. In this case I usually say 'No need to bother, just make do' and go for convenience food."

"Well--"

"Even if you look at the ingredients and your level, you probably just steamed the rice and cooked the food again. So I think it's amazing that you gave up the idea of ​​eating out."

His character and actions were completely seen through by her. Zhuo hesitated and couldn't say anything, while Ling seemed to be unable to bear it anymore and stood on tiptoe, reached out and began to touch his head.

With Ling's height, she had to use all her strength to touch Zhuo's hair, with her toes touching the ground and her arms stretched straight. So when she touched Zhuo's hair, she could only move her wrists.

The margin is small.

Ling's hand seemed to be wrapped in air, light and fluttering. While being caressed lightly by her, his eyes still stared at Zhuo's face, and Zhuo pursed his lips.

He didn't hate it, he even felt happy. Come to think of it, he felt like a pet being raised by her.

So awkward.

"…That's about it, okay?"

"Yeah. What a shame."

Although he said this, his actions were straightforward. Ling finally stroked his forehead like stroking hair and withdrew his hand. Zhuo knew that he was probably pouting, so he turned his head to the side.

“…Is beef the only thing you want to buy?”

Zhuo changed the subject so that he would no longer be treated as a little cutie by Ling.

"Well, there are still some other ingredients left, the only thing I forgot to buy is beef... and milk. I was planning to go to the nearby supermarket to buy them and come back soon."

"Okay, I'll buy it on my way home."

If there were any shopping tasks or other matters other than grocery shopping that Zhuo could not take over, Zhuo would not be so "male chauvinistic" as to help Ling make decisions. Since it was not a big deal, there was no need for Ling to worry about it.

Since he was about to go out, he hoped Ling could stay at home and do what she liked. Usually, attending classes and cooking had taken up most of her time, and now she had to go out to work on Saturdays and Sundays, so these small things were just right for Zhuo to do.

"Aren't you going to run?"

"I'll buy it on the way back. It's not that far so it's okay."

"Then I'll give you the money..."

"I brought my points card and kept track of the balance. Since there weren't many points on the card, I could only buy one-time items, so I didn't take it out last time."

"Do you have any other questions?"

Zhuo tilted his head, and this time it was his turn to look at Ling.

But Zero is Zero after all, she is still as calm as ever, or rather quiet. After blinking, she said calmly: "Then please. I'll wait for you at home."

"By the way, let me run some bath water... Oh, by the way, you'd better take a shower first, because you'll be sweating a lot after running. Even if I know you don't hate it, I can't let you use those."

"I understand."

Zhuo rubbed Ling's hair in return, and Ling immediately narrowed his eyes and looked up at him, as if feeling itchy.

There was no displeasure in her eyes. Instead, she stared at Zhuo hazily as if she was dizzy. Zhuo secretly breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that he did not mess up.

"……I'm leaving."

"いってらっしゃい~" (pronounced: i tte ra ssya i)

Japanese pronunciation with a slight Soviet accent.

Ling tilted his head, then took out the key he carried with him, opened the door and went in.

She stood in front of the door with her hands clasped together in front of her, then bowed.

Zhuo saw her long light golden hair falling down on both sides of her back as she bent over, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether they had become a family. This thought suddenly made Zhuo feel itchy.

"...Oh...I'm going out..."

After he finished speaking, Zero straightened up and waved goodbye to him.

(End of this chapter)