Chapter 64 Like

Chapter 64: Liking

As soon as Xiao Wang left, Zhou Zuofei felt like all her energy had been drained, and she suddenly felt completely drained.

She didn’t want to stand any longer and quickly returned to her room, lying down.

Her body was tired, but her mind was racing—she probably wouldn’t sleep now.

Lying on her back, she put a hand over her chest, feeling the wild pounding beneath her palm as her heart thudded wildly. Then she touched her forehead with the back of her hand, still able to feel Xiao Wang’s warmth lingering there.

Compared to last night’s events, today felt more like a dream—but without alcohol clouding her mind, she knew it was real.

And because of that, it felt even more miraculous. That she could meet such a good person, could be treated with such care…

Zhou Zuofei lay there a long time before remembering Du Yu.

Strangely enough, no matter what happened before, Zhou Zuofei’s first instinct had always been to share it with Du Yu.

But this time, she hadn’t thought of her immediately—instead, she spent forever lost in thought.

Only when she picked up her phone did she notice that Du Yu had indeed sent her a message not long ago.

[You’ve been quiet all day?]

After some hesitation, Zhou Zuofei sent a sticker instead of replying at length.

Du Yu replied right away—she had clearly been waiting for an update.

[You’re awake? How was last night? Spill it!!!!]

[Well…]

[Don’t just say “well”!!!]

The next second, Du Yu called. Zhou Zuofei wasn’t surprised—if the roles were reversed, she’d probably react the same way.

“Hey hey hey? Where are you right now?” Du Yu blurted out the moment the call connected. “Can you still talk?”

“Of course I can…”

“Whoa, your voice sounds weird,” Du Yu said teasingly.

“I caught a cold… and have a slight fever.”

Du Yu was stunned. She had imagined countless possibilities—Zhou Zuofei chickening out at the last moment and just talking with Xiao Wang, or the two actually hooking up—but a cold and fever?

This made no sense.

“So, did you two get together last night or not?”

The bluntness of Du Yu’s question made Zhou Zuofei want to hang up immediately. “Must you be so blunt?”

A snort came through the phone. “Then I know—definitely didn’t happen.”

“…” Zhou Zuofei was momentarily speechless before gritting her teeth. “Wow, such heartfelt concern when you hear your friend is sick.”

“If you were really that miserable, you wouldn’t have picked up,” Du Yu chuckled before offering token concern. “You okay? Did you take any medicine?”

“Your sympathy is overwhelming.”

"So what do you want me to do? Should I take a taxi now to bring you medicine?"

"No need, I've already taken some."

"So what exactly happened yesterday? You don't just catch colds in weather like this."

"Yesterday..."

Once the thought of reminiscing arose, those broken memories came flooding back.

She still remembered being held in Xiao Wang's arms, as he kissed her ear and asked if he could kiss her.

Even though they were already way past that point.

And though Zhou Zuofei was nearly out of her mind, she still recalled the earlier rejection and firmly said no.

After that, whether intentionally or not, Xiao Wang's hands grew even bolder. Zhou Zuofei couldn't bear it and instinctively tried to push him away, but her waist was tightly locked in place, leaving her no choice but to endure his hot breath on her skin, his fingers trailing from her forearm to her chest, slipping beneath her collar...

"Ahem." Zhou Zuofei coughed unnaturally, cutting off the memory. Of course, she wouldn’t mention the failed kiss attempt and could only vaguely hint, "We got somewhere, I suppose."

"Well, it's a start. Can't ask for too much from you." Du Yu didn’t overthink it, assuming Zhou Zuofei meant something's better than nothing—better than her moping about her shitty ex at night.

"I mean it, I thought about it seriously last night, and I think my suggestion is really good."

"What do you mean?"

"You didn’t forget, did you? About you and Secretary Xiao. Sure, his no-marriage thing is annoying, but aren’t you in rebuilding phase right now? You need someone to focus on dating!"

"Think about it—if it were anyone else, they’d be pushing for marriage after a year or two. How could you handle that? Secretary Xiao’s situation is pretty much perfect for you. Have you ever actually let yourself fall in love?"

"But what if I want to get married someday?"

"Then you find someone else when that time comes! But I suggest you not overthink it. First, fix this hang-up of yours, then worry about what regular people stress over."

"...Are you subtly calling me abnormal?"

"Don’t be so sensitive. Genuine advice—when you’re lost, read my pinned post."

"I know." Without even looking, Zhou Zuofei recited it: *"Never worry about tomorrow or things five kilometers away."* "As if I don’t know how many times you refresh your feed in a day."

"Exactly! That’s the point. Rest well today, pull yourself together, and on Monday, dress to impress to see Secretary Xiao. Ask him out to eat—he’ll definitely say yes."

Anyone could see these two were into each other, but they were just too scared to make a move.

Then again, the more cautious they were, the more it showed how much they valued each other, right?

Du Yu suddenly felt a twinge of sadness. When would she ever meet someone who made her feel this way?

Dropping her teasing tone, she said earnestly to Zhou Zuofei, "It’s not easy to meet someone who gives you butterflies. Don’t blow it."

Zhou Zuofei immediately noticed the shift in her friend’s tone and replied just as seriously, "I'll give it serious thought."

"Then rest well, drink lots of water, and no gaming all night!"

"Got it!"

Zhou Zuofei hung up and noticed Xiao Wang had texted her again while she was on the call.

[I forgot to remind you to take your medicine. It's on your nightstand, two pills after meals.]

Zhou Zuofei glanced at the message and turned her head to look. Sure enough, two pills still in their packaging were placed under the lamp on her nightstand.

She looked at them and replied with a simple '[Okay].'

But after sending it, she stared at the word "Okay" and felt it sounded too stiff, so she added a sticker.

The other person also replied with a sticker—the same puppy sticker he’d used before, featuring an adorable pup patting another pup’s head, the patted pup’s ears wagging happily.

The endearing image made Zhou Zuofei smile. If only she could fast-forward to tomorrow—then she’d get to see him again.

Zhou Zuofei’s evening was a whirl of shifting emotions, but at least none were negative.

The events of yesterday and today were enough to keep her thinking all night. She felt like such a fool—one moment burying her face in her hands, the next squirming awkwardly.

Her movements caught the attention of *Director*, who crouched at the foot of the bed, its golden cat eyes blinking as it observed Zhou Zuofei’s erratic "performance."

The next day, Zhou Zuofei woke unusually early, her physical discomfort mostly gone. She felt refreshed, got up to freshen up, and even grabbed breakfast from a street vendor since it was still so early.

This was downright unusual for her.

Usually, whether hungry or not, she’d lie in until nine or ten before getting out of bed.

But today, even after eating and returning home, it was just after eight.

Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Zuofei scrolled through her phone, wondering what to do next.

Du Yu was definitely still asleep, and contacting Xiao Wang now seemed too early.

After some thought, she finally flashed a peace sign in front of the living room clock, took a photo, and posted it with the caption, [Victory: I woke up early!]

That should do it, right?

She switched her phone off silent mode, turned on the TV, and picked a random show. In her current distracted state, playing games would just mean adding to her losing streak.

She really needed to think carefully about what to say when they met later.

So much had already happened between her and Xiao Wang—way past just being colleagues or friends. Now, she could only move forward or step back.

And since she was fully aware of her own feelings, there was really only one choice.

Just as her mind was racing, her phone buzzed loudly. Seeing it was Xiao Wang calling, she immediately turned off the TV and answered.

"Had breakfast yet? I’m outside your building. Want me to bring anything up?"

"No need, I’ve already eaten. How about you?"

"Yeah, I have. Mind if I come up?"

"Okay."

The moment the call ended, Zhou Zuofei couldn’t stay seated any longer. She dashed to the front door and yanked it open—all impulse, no plan.

Time dragged, each second heavy with anticipation.

When Xiao Wang’s figure finally appeared at the staircase, she flung the door wide.

Xiao Wang, however, reacted faster than she did. "Good morning. How are you feeling today?"

Zhou Zuofei also responded along with his words: "It's already better."

As soon as he entered, the cat named Director leapt up and bolted into the bedroom, leaving only a blurry shadow behind due to its speed.

Xiao Wang looked toward the bedroom door and said, "Your cat is really timid. Yesterday when I fed it, it also took a long time to come over."

"Director is shy around strangers, but warms up once familiar. My neighbor Cen Huan often comes to play with it, and later it memorized her footsteps. As soon as it hears her, it waits by the door."

"Really? That’s so smart."

"Yeah." Zhou Zuofei beamed, even happier than when receiving praise herself. "Cats are actually quite clever."

She noticed Xiao Wang looking at her with a grin. Though she was used to his smile, she suddenly felt unexpectedly flustered. "Let me grab your slippers."

"I’ll do it myself." Xiao Wang quickly took a pair from the shoe rack before she could. Zhou Zuofei didn’t argue, just watched him change his shoes.

Today, Xiao Wang was unusually not dressed in a suit but wore a light-colored work shirt with casual pants, projecting a more laid-back vibe compared to his usual crisp professional demeanor.

Especially since he usually wore dark suits at the office, the sudden switch made quite an impression. The thin fabric of the work shirt, unlike stiff dress shirts, also showed off his build more easily.

When Xiao Wang stood up and saw Zhou Zuofei staring intently at him, he asked, "What are you looking at?"

"It’s just… I think it’s the first time I’ve seen you in clothes like this." She waved her hand vaguely. "Seeing you without a tie feels weird."

Xiao Wang glanced down. He had put thought into this outfit before leaving, thinking about how Zhou Zuofei had only seen him in suits before and had once complimented his physique.

He asked, "I bought this recently. What do you think?"

"It looks great." Zhou Zuofei gave him another once-over before giving her verdict. "This color suits you well."

Xiao Wang’s skin wasn’t fair-skinned, but neither was it dark. Thanks to regular exercise, his skin was in great condition. Perhaps because of her changed perspective, Zhou Zuofei thought he looked perfect in every way.

Hearing her praise, his face lit up, and he smiled. "Then I’ll wear it more often."

Zhou Zuofei fetched a bottle of water from the fridge for Xiao Wang and sat down on the armchair across from him.

An awkward silence fell between them.

They both knew the reason for this conversation and how important the topic ahead was. Because of how seriously they both took this, neither wanted to rush into speaking.

Feeling awkward, Zhou Zuofei picked up a small mango from the fruit bowl and began tossing it back and forth.

She knew what she wanted, but she had no experience with confessions.

When Wang Zicheng pursued her, he never actually confessed—he’d just shown her matching anime profile pictures and asked what she thought.

She had then found a pair she preferred, and he immediately changed his avatar to match, asking for her opinion.

That was how they became a couple, so strictly speaking, she had never received a proper confession.

They had just existed in that vague space, and at the time, she felt that was enough, going along with his cues.

So what was she waiting for now?

"I—"

"I—"

Unexpectedly, they spoke in unison.

Xiao Wang paused, his carefully rehearsed words disrupted. He collected himself and gestured for her to go first.

After waiting all night, what were a few more minutes?

The next second, he heard Zhou Zuofei ask in a soft, heartfelt tone, "I really like you. Do you like me too?"