One Pet Gets Married - Chapter 75

Cradled in Zhou Yi’s arms, Chang Ye inhaled her perfume at close range, her emotions a tangled mess.

She knew they shouldn’t entangle themselves with “feelings” again. The gap between them was too vast, and she feared they might repeat past mistakes. Yet her heart couldn’t help but fill with a sense of security.

Just as she had been inexplicably drawn to Zhou Yi when they first met, that attraction persisted, even if she denied it.

“You can put me down now. I need to change clothes…” Chang Ye said softly after a while.

Hearing this, Zhou Yi nodded and set her down. “Are you alright?”

Chang Ye adjusted her clothes, looked up at Zhou Yi, and nodded with a forced smile. “I’m fine.”

Then Chang Ye went to change her clothes.

After Chang Ye changed and treated her wound with medicine from her bag, Zhou Yi led her to the car, opened the door for her to sit inside, then walked around to get in herself.

However, Chang Ye still seemed dispirited.

Zhou Yi glanced at her, then turned to look in the direction of the film set.

If only she had stayed by Chang Ye’s side all these years. If she had, how could Chang Ye have suffered so much?

“Shall I take you somewhere nice to eat?” Zhou Yi asked after some thought.

“Huh?” Chang Ye seemed to snap back to reality.

“We could get your favorites—spicy rabbit head, cold beef…”

“Didn’t you say… didn’t you say those weren’t good and you didn’t want to try them?” Chang Ye asked.

“I want to try them now,” Zhou Yi said, staring at the steering wheel.

Chang Ye looked at her and finally nodded. “Alright.”

Twenty minutes later, they were seated in a specialty restaurant.

The restaurant was empty except for the staff, as Zhou Yi had reserved the entire place.

After they sat down and ordered, Zhou Yi thought for a moment, then said to Chang Ye, “Wait here. I need to step out for a bit.”

“Oh…” Chang Ye nodded. “Okay.”

So Zhou Yi got up and left the restaurant.

Chang Ye flipped through the menu, sighed, and then selected some wine.

Zhou Yi stood by the car, took out her phone, glanced at the restaurant, then made a call about Han Wu’s situation. Finally, she opened the trunk, took out a large bouquet of flowers and a cake, and quickly returned to the restaurant.

“What’s this…” Chang Ye stared at the flowers in a daze when Zhou Yi came back.

“For you. Happy birthday,” Zhou Yi said.

Chang Ye looked at her, finally reaching out to take the flowers. “Thank you,” she said softly.

The bouquet was large, fragrant, and beautiful. Chang Ye seemed lost in thought as she looked at it.

“What made you think of giving me flowers…”

Zhou Yi looked down at the floor. “I saw in TV dramas that the female lead always receives these on her birthday.”

Chang Ye was stunned for a moment, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Why did you suddenly start watching dramas? Didn’t you always look down on them? You used to be a bit disgusted whenever I watched them.”

Back then, Chang Ye just watched for fun, but Zhou Yi felt it was a waste of time. Now Chang Ye didn’t watch them anymore either.

“Because I wanted to get closer to you,” Zhou Yi answered. “And then I found them quite interesting.”

She really hadn’t watched many dramas before. From a young age, she had always been studying this and that, her bookshelf filled with profound books. If she watched anything else, she would be accused of neglecting her studies. As a result, she often seemed out of place among her peers. When others chatted about characters in popular shows, she could never join in.

Chang Ye smiled. “Did you come here specially to celebrate my birthday?”

“Yes,” Zhou Yi nodded.

Chang Ye hugged the flowers and lowered her head.

Then Zhou Yi unwrapped the cake, carefully placed a candle on it and lit it, then looked up at Chang Ye. “Happy birthday.”

The candlelight flickered, casting shifting shadows on their faces.

Zhou Yi looked at her, thought for a moment, then opened her mouth and began to sing “Happy Birthday.”

She wasn’t a good singer, being quite tone-deaf. Zhou Yi had never sung in front of Chang Ye before. So hearing Zhou Yi sing suddenly surprised Chang Ye.

Holding the flowers, Chang Ye watched Zhou Yi sitting across from her, stumbling through the song and breaking out in a cold sweat. She couldn’t help but smile.

“Well, I’m not a good singer. Bear with me. Make a wish,” Zhou Yi finally coughed and pushed the cake towards her a little.

“Mm.” Chang Ye put the flowers aside, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and closed her eyes.

After making her wish and blowing out the candle, the dishes were gradually brought to the table.

The meal lasted quite a while, mainly because Chang Ye would take a bite, then have a drink. Towards the end, Chang Ye was almost constantly drinking, but thinking she probably needed to vent, Zhou Yi didn’t stop her much.

By the end, Chang Ye’s consciousness had become hazy. Zhou Yi stopped her from drinking more, called for the bill, then took Chang Ye out and back to her hotel. Along the way, Chang Ye talked about various messy situations she’d encountered in the industry, but she spoke of them with a smile.

“Actually… you really didn’t need to carry me earlier. It was just a small injury, I could walk. If people saw us…” After Zhou Yi brought her back to the hotel and swiped open the room door, Chang Ye turned her head to look at her with bleary eyes, her tongue almost tripping over itself as she heard the door close.

Zhou Yi shook her head. “There are too many people in this world who look down on others. So I wanted to let them know that hurting you is the same as hurting me.”

“But…”

“Aren’t we friends?” Zhou Yi looked at her. “So… seeing you bullied like that makes me very upset.”

Hearing those last words, Chang Ye turned her head, looking at the silver earring dangling from Zhou Yi’s fair earlobe. Suddenly she sniffled and lowered her head.

Then hot tears began to fall, pitter-patter. Her hand clenched into a fist as Chang Ye opened her mouth and let out a small sigh.

She had grown accustomed to being strong alone. Suddenly having someone comfort her caused her hard shell to crack uncontrollably, impossible to stop. Though it might also have been due to the alcohol. After all, it’s easy to cry when drunk.

At this moment, Zhou Yi reached out and gently wiped away the tears flowing from the corners of Chang Ye’s eyes.

Chang Ye gripped her wrist and turned to look at her, realizing how close they were.

“If you want to cry, then cry,” Zhou Yi said.

Chang Ye shook her head but continued sniffling, wiping the tears that welled up with a tissue.

Zhou Yi let out a breath, then pulled Chang Ye into her arms, her hand gently patting her back.

With this, the world Chang Ye had built of her own stubbornness, pride, and strength completely fell apart. All the bitterness she had experienced over the past two or three years came rushing out like a tide, overwhelming her.

With her chin resting on Zhou Yi’s shoulder, Chang Ye’s tears flowed unceasingly, quickly soaking a small patch of Zhou Yi’s clothes.

“How much did this shirt cost? I… I can’t afford to replace it now…” Chang Ye said, then pressed her lips together, holding her breath.

Zhou Yi closed her eyes briefly. “It’s not expensive.”

“How could it not be…” Chang Ye’s vision was blurred with tears.

“Little Ye…” Zhou Yi’s palm pressed against her back, her heart aching unbearably.

Chang Ye continued to sob quietly. Zhou Yi could clearly feel the trembling in her chest.

“…Hmm?” Chang Ye raised her head slightly, moving away a bit, but her body felt heavy and hard to control. She stumbled back into Zhou Yi’s arms, finally gripping her arm tightly to steady herself.

Zhou Yi looked at her, then slowly reached out to wipe away her tears, her fingertips tracing from under her eyes to her chin, feeling the elastic skin.

Chang Ye placed her hand over Zhou Yi’s, raising her head to gaze deeply into her eyes. “Is this a dream?”

“What?”

Then Chang Ye tilted her chin up slightly, trembling as she kissed Zhou Yi’s lips. In that instant, Zhou Yi’s body stiffened, her hand on Chang Ye becoming hot.

Another tear fell, flowing to the corner of their lips and seeping into their mouths with a bitter taste. Chang Ye’s breath quivered as she kissed Zhou Yi with both restraint and passion. Their lips and teeth met gingerly, then parted just as carefully. Finally, Chang Ye closed her eyes and held her tight. “I miss you so much, so much. What should I do? I… I miss you so much…”

Author’s Note: Hello? Is anyone still there?

The next chapter will focus purely on the main couple again. It will be updated tonight~