Chapter 715: Meeting Wu Zeqing
Translator: Legge Editor:
On the weekend.
In the morning.
The Internet bustled with noise and controversy. However, Zhang Ye, the person at the center of the controversy, was still sleeping in at home. Probably tired from working too hard recently, Zhang Ye, who almost never snored, was snoring away. He didn't look too pretty sleeping there, hugging his blanket and drooling on his pillow unawares.
The bedroom door opened.
His mother walked in. "Little Ye."
"Ah?" Zhang Ye responded in a confused state of mind.
His mother said, "Get up and go have your breakfast."
Zhang Ye turned around and covered his head with the blanket. "I'm not eating. I want to sleep."
His mother said, "I've already bought soy milk and fried breadsticks for breakfast."
"I'm not prepared to get up so early. I'm too tired. Wake me when lunch is ready," Zhang Ye said.
His father overheard their conversation from outside the bedroom. "Didn't you say yesterday that you would accompany your mother and go shopping during the day? It wasn't easy for you to get some days off, so stop sleeping already."
Zhang Ye grumbled, "Dad, I really can't get up, I'm too tired."
Chenchen also walked into the bedroom and glanced over at the bed. "Zhang Ye, you're so lazy."
His mother stared at him. "See, even Little Chenchen is criticizing you. Don't you feel ashamed?"
Zhang Ye grunted, "No matter who criticizes me, I will not get up."
His mother said, "Hurry up and get up, breakfast is getting cold."
"I'm not eating." Zhang Ye drowsily remained lying down in bed. "Mom, it's not that I don't want get up, but I really can't get up. This bro is so tired and aching all over that I intend to sleep until the afternoon. Even if the sky is falling, I won't get out of bed." With that, his droopy eyelids closed and he went back to sleep again.
When his mother realized that he would not wake up, she helplessly prepared to leave his bedroom.
At that same moment, Zhang Ye's cell phone beside the pillow started to ring.
Zhang Ye woke up again and picked up his cell phone impatiently and answered: "Who is it?"
A mature and gentle woman's voice at the other side replied: "It's me."
"Oh, Old Wu." It was Wu Zeqing. "You're up already?"
Old Wu: "Are you still sleeping?"
Zhang Ye: "Yes, you don't have work today?"
Old Wu: "I took the day off. Are you busy today?"
Zhang Ye: "No, I've got nothing on."
Old Wu: "I've been thinking about how we haven't met in a long time. Since I have the next two days off, if you're not busy, do you want to come over to Big Sis's place? Or do you want to sleep awhile longer? Another day maybe?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ye immediately sat up. "…I've had enough sleep. I'll be right there!" After hanging up, he got out from his bed and said, "Mom, Dad, I'm going to visit a friend. I'm leaving now!"
Mom: "…"
Dad: "…"
Chenchen: "…"
The three of them were at a total loss for words.
Didn't you say that even if the sky collapsed, you wouldn't get out of your bed?
……
It was around 8 in the morning.
In the high-end district of Taoran Pavilion's East Gate.
When Zhang Ye drove his car over, he found that the gates to Wu Zeqing's house were already open. He drove directly into the courtyard and parked it there instead of in the garage. He knew that Wu Zeqing had kept the gates open for him. When he got out of the car, Zhang Ye immediately spotted Old Wu sitting near the flower beds in the yard. She was holding something and tilling the soil, appearing to be fiddling with the flowers.
Wu Zeqing also looked at him at this moment. Their eyes met.
How long had it been since he had last seen Old Wu? Zhang Ye could not remember how long it had been anymore. He only knew that it had been a very long time, at least a month or two. When Wu Zeqing was newly appointed as the SARFT's Deputy Chief, she was too busy with work. After that, Zhang Ye had accepted the offer to work on a program at Central TV Department 1 and the question setting duty for the college entrance exam, leaving him too busy for other things. The two of them only kept in contact by texting or through phone calls since they basically had no time to meet up, so when he finally got to see Wu Zeqing again this time, Zhang Ye's heart thumped with excitement. He had missed her badly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have even gotten up from his bed immediately after just receiving a call from Old Wu.
Zhang Ye quickly walked over to her. "What are you doing?"
Wu Zeqing smiled. "I'm loosening the soil for the flowers. I was away on a business trip for the past week and had just returned to Beijing yesterday. It's been such a long time since I've taken care of the them."
"Let me help you," Zhang Ye volunteered.
Wu Zeqing said, "Don't dirty your hands. I'm just finishing up here."
"I've nothing else to do anyway." Zhang Ye picked up a forked stick from the ground and followed along, mimicking her loosening of the soil. At the same time, he also helped her to water the flowers.
They chatted as they gardened.
Old Wu said, "I heard that many of the examinees are scolding you now?"
Zhang Ye said, "Are they?"
Old Wu looked at him. "I think so. It was even published in the newspapers."
Zhang Ye said, "Hai, don't talk about that. It's so unfair to me, and I don't even have a way to seek redress. The Beijing Higher Education Entrance Examination Board came to find me and demanded a reform of the college entrance exam. They wanted the question setters to word the questions in the most difficult way possible. So when I heard that? Sure, I'll make the questions then! But as it turned out, when the exams were done, the examinees started blaming it all on me. Why didn't they criticize the other question setters as well? Why didn't they scold the Beijing Higher Education Entrance Examination Board instead? Don't you think I've been wronged?! Therefore, I'll simply not show my face for now and lie low for a few more days. After this issue passes, this bro will return as good as new again!"
Wu Zeqing stood up and dusted the soil off her hands. "Alright, I'm done here. Go into the house and have a seat first, I'll tidy up the things outside. Oh right, there are some boxes on the sofa. Open them up and take a look."
Zhang Ye asked curiously, "What's in them?"
Wu Zeqing smiled gently. "I went shopping during my business trip and I bought two set of clothes for you. Try them on and see if they suit you. I think they will look nice on you."
Zhang Ye chuckled. "You're super busy, yet you still found time to buy clothes for me."
Wu Zeqing smiled and said, "Go on. Try them."
Although Zhang Ye affectionately chided her, he was actually very happy inside. He went into the house and searched around on the first floor. He spotted the packaging on the sofa and unwrapped them one by one. After looking at the clothes, he immediately took them and went upstairs to try them on.
He went downstairs.
"I changed." Zhang Ye showed off his new attire.
Wu Zeqing had finished tidying up the flower beds and had just returned to the house. "Let me get a good look." After studying him thoroughly, she nodded slightly and beamed. "You look pretty good. This color and style are quite suitable for you. Do they fit?"
Zhang Ye also liked the clothes a lot. "Yep."
'That's good." Wu Zeqing walked up to him and adjusted his collar a little. "It's a bit crumpled here. Take it off later. I'll iron it for you."
"OK." Zhang Ye also looked in the mirror. "You have good taste indeed. I was getting worried recently that I would have no more clothes to wear. It's already been some months since I've bought any new clothes."
Old Wu said, "You're quite frugal."
Zhang Ye said, "I'm not being frugal; it's just that I don't have the chance to buy clothes. Whenever I go to the mall, I get recognized easily so it's inconvenient to buy anything there. Unlike other celebrities, they have an agent and agency to help take care of their necessities and even have companies providing custom-made clothes for them. I don't have an agent nor an agency. Although I have an office, Central TV is such a petty employer. Although they will prepare a wardrobe for the show, after the show ends, you have to sign for it and return it. If we do not sign or the clothes go missing, we still have to compensate them out of pocket."
Wu Zeqing looked at his reflection and said, "Next time you want to get some clothes, let me know and I'll help you get them. You are a public figure and associate professor now, so you definitely have to be particular about your clothing. When people look at you, they'd at least have to see you as a professor, right?"
"Right."
"Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
"Not yet, what about you?"
"I just ate. There's still some congee left. Do you want some?"
"What type of congee?"
"Millet congee."
"I'll take it."
"Do you want eggs?"
"Yes, I want them sunny side up."
"Hur hur, wait awhile then."
"Sorry for the trouble, Old Wu."
"It's no trouble."
Zhang Ye wasn't modest; he treated her home as his own. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa comfortably with his legs crossed while waiting for breakfast to be ready.
Whenever he was with Old Wu, she would never let him do any chores. In the past, Zhang Ye had in fact tried to argue for a bit, wanting to help her with the chores. But after that, he no longer insisted.