Ep. 8

The days passed like a chicken laying an egg. Before anyone could tell, the month of October had reached.

Jialin was among those who were taken aback by how fast time had flown. At the pace things were going, she wouldn't be surprised if she found herself graduating.

Anyway, something important had happened in the weeks that had passed. Chunhua had cleared the air between her, Bohai and Zhang. It was a big deal because it meant the end of the silence that had lasted between them. It made things easier for Jialin since she could approach them without having to ignore them.

Moreover, the assignment that she had to do with Zhang had brought them closer. Jialin had not expected a friendship to grow out of that, but it did. They got to know each other, and they liked what they found out. 

It had definitely been a weird month for Chunhua.

"So, class, this..." Jialin zoned out of her lecture once again. It had been something that had been taught before, so she saw there was no need to listen to it. She turned her head to the left, spotting Zhang focused on something below him. Chunhua looked down, and that was when she saw the phone he was using.

"Are you looking at my texts?" Zhang asked, and Jialin was amazed he could see her. His eyes were zeroed in on his phone, so it was confusing to comprehend how he had spotted her.

"No," she replied. "Wait. You're texting? I couldn't tell from the slow movements of your fingers."

Jialin spotted Zhang smiling, and she wondered whether it was from the notification ping that had sounded from his phone or from her words.

Minutes later, the class ended.

"Chunhua! Zhang! May I have a word?" the professor said.

"Crap," Zhang muttered under his voice, and it made Jialin smile. The two of them made their way to the lecturer.

"How is your project coming along?"

"It's going great, Mr. Wang. We have already designed the plot for the film. At the moment, we are focusing on the characters and elements of the story."

"Well, that is very good," Mr. Wang replied in amazement. "You didn't beat about the bush with the story. Just remember to keep it interesting and not a cliché, okay?"

"Of course," Chunhua replied. The professor nodded, allowing the two of them to leave the room.

"What are you up to this afternoon?" Zhang asked Jialin as they made their way out.

"Nothing much, really," Chunhua replied. "I was thinking of getting something to eat before I go back to my dorm to watch a movie."

"I was just about to ask you out to lunch," Zhang explained, and Chunhua stopped and stared at him with wide eyes.

Her friend's eyes widened in recognition, realizing how he had said that statement.

"Oh, no! Not like that."

"You don't think I'm pretty?" Chunhua decided to play with him.

"It's not that," Zhang replied, looking really concerned.

"Relax, Zhang. I was just playing with you," she said, grinning at him. He gave her a bored look in return.

"I want us to go out as friends," Zhang stated.

Chunhua sighed. "I don't know. We just cleared the air between us, like, weeks ago. And suddenly, we are going out to eat together."

"So?" Zhang wondered. "It's just lunch. We are friends now, aren't we?"

"We are."

"Then that settles it. Let's go."

Jialin thought they would walk, but she was surprised when Zhang grabbed her hand and started leading her toward the college parking lot.

"You own a car?" she voiced out.

"Of course I do," Zhang furrowed his eyebrows at her. "I thought you knew!"

"But I didn't," Chunhua said just as they stopped by a white Mercedes.

"Wait. Is this your car?" she asked him, shocked.

"Ah, yeah," Zhang said, scratching the back of his head. He looked a bit flustered, and Chunhua wondered why. She could not recall ever seeing him flustered.

"Is it too flashy?" he proceeded to ask.

"Oh, no. But even if it was, I wouldn't mind," Chunhua replied, meaning every word. "As long as it gets us to a place where we can eat before my stomach eats itself."

Zhang looked relieved, and so he gently led Jialin to the passenger's side of the car. He unlocked the door, revealing the shotgun seat.

Jialin entered, situating herself onto the comfortable leather. Zhang closed the door for her before heading towards his side of the car. Once he had settled himself, he started the engine before taking off from the university.

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Chunhua and Zhang found themselves in the parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant a couple of minutes later. Zhang led his friend out of the car after turning it off. They both headed towards the entrance of the restaurant.

Chunhua opened the tinted glass doors, and she was immediately greeted by the aroma of delicious fast food. The spacious area had only been occupied by a countable number of customers, and Jialin was glad she wouldn't have to wait long.

She and Zhang headed towards a booth that was close to a window. They quickly settled themselves, and a server followed to ask their orders.

Zhang had ordered a large helping of French fries and chicken. Jialin did the same, but with the addition of a beef burger.

"What?" she said when she spotted Zhang looking at her in surprise. "I'm hungry!"

"I didn't say anything," he replied with a smile just as the waiter left them.

"But why are you smiling?" Chunhua asked him. "It's a bit... I don't know, weird?"

"It's just... in the past weeks, I've come to realize you are completely different from the person you used to be."

Zhang' words made Chunhua feel an emotion she couldn't decipher. She did not know how to reply to his words, but they were making her thoughts run a mile a minute. It made her feel pleased.

"Are you blushing?" Zhang teased her. Jialin had not known that, but when Zhang had asked, she acknowledged a heating sensation on her cheeks.

'Oh my goodness. I am blushing,' Jialin thought, and she felt horrified. Zhang started chuckling, and that made her cheeks turn even redder.

"Oh, will you sh-shut up?" Jialin stuttered. Zhang didn't. In fact, he started laughing.

"You know you look cute when you blush, right?" he asked her, and that had Chunhua blushing all over again.

"Stop it," she said. "You don't know what you are saying."

"Oh, but I do, Chunhua," Zhang said, a heated look in his eyes. "You have gorgeous hair, beautiful brown eyes, and don't even get me started on those large--"

"Zhang!" Jialin chastised him. He was not helping matters with the words he was saying.

"I was going to say 'eyes'," Zhang corrected Jialin with a smirk. "You thought I was going to say something else? Why, Chunhua, I didn't know you had quite the dirty mind."

His words just made her narrow her eyes at him. Zhang just winked, barely even affected by the look he was receiving. The guy was lucky they were in public or else he would have received a pinch on his arm.

"Here you go," a waiter returned with a tray full of food. He divided the food between the two.

"Let's dig in," Zhang said, and without wasting another second, they both delved into their foods.

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After their lunch at Wendy's, Zhang and Chunhua went back to the car. 

"You know, we could go over our ideas for the short film again," he suggested as he drove them back to the campus.

"Okay," Jialin accepted, "but I don't have my laptop with me."

"We could always go to the library," Zhang said.

"Sure. What the heck," Chunhua said.

Minutes later, the two had entered the university grounds. They had parked the car near the library before they started walking to the entrance of the building.

'CLOSED FOR REPAIRS', read the sign posted on the closed doors of the building.

"What repairs?" Zhang asked. "I don't think books need repairs."

"Oh, I think I know what it's about," Chunhua said. "Changying told me something about a couple of clogged toilets and how there was shit--"

"I get your point," Zhang interrupted, grimacing at the picture she painted in his mind. "So, where can we go?"

"How about my place?" Chunhua suggested. Zhang nodded, and so they got into his car before driving to her dorm.

"This is where you live?" he asked once they had parked outside her residential building.

"Yes. I even have a roommate."

Jialin and Zhang were approaching her dorm room, but when they were a few feet from reaching the door, certain sounds ceased their movements.

"Oh, yes! Harder!" Jialin could not mistake Changying's moans. They were followed by deep groans of a guy in the dorm, much to her displeasure.

'What if she's doing it in my bed?' she wondered in horror.

"Looks like that roommate of yours sounds occupied," Zhang stated with a smirk.

"I was not expecting this," Chunhua confessed, turning to look at him. "I don't think we can go anywhere else. Maybe the campus park, but then if the weather changes..."

"Chunhua, you don't have to ask twice. We can go to my place," Zhang cut her off. She eyed him in disbelief.

It had only been hours since they had gone out to eat. It was their first time as project partners spending time outside the university. Chunhua thought that going to his place would be too soon.

"You are kidding," she said.

"I'm not," he replied with a shrug. "It's either that or the park, and you know how noisy it can get there."

'Going to Zhang' house?' she thought.

"Isn't there like some waiting period before I get to see your house?" Jialin voiced out. Zhang looked at her in disbelief.

"Ooh!" Changying moaned out loud. "Yes! Yes! YES!"

"Well, that settles it. Lead the way," Chunhua said, quickly walking away from her dorm. Zhang laughed as he followed her.

It did not take long for the two to reach his apartment. In fact, it had been a thirteen-minute drive from the campus grounds.

The two had driven through a neighborhood of detached houses. They all looked the same, especially with the two-floor design and the red bricks they had as walls. Chunhua also noticed the ample space outside the houses that were occupied by green lawns. The only thing that could distinguish each house were the numbers placed on the doors. There were very few houses that had gates and fences installed, and it puzzled her.

"You live around here?" Jialin questioned. 

"Yep," Zhang replied, turning the car into the driveway. In front of them was the garage door. He opened the compartment box, taking out a small remote that he used to automatically open the door.

"By the way, why does your house lack fences like the others we passed?" Chunhua asked as they entered the garage.

"Chunhua, the neighborhood is close to the university. Most of the people who live around here are students just like you and me."

"Oh."

"Besides, the only ones who have to be wary are those who live in the expensive apartments fifteen minutes from here," he said as switched off the car before helping her out of the vehicle.

It was dark in the room. Chunhua heard Zhang walk around the area, and seconds later, light filled the place. The walls in the garage were blue, and apart from the car, a few boxes had occupied the space. 

"Should we be expecting someone? You know, like any roommates?" Chunhua asked as she watched Zhang head towards the door on the side.

"No," he replied, taking out a bunch of keys to unlock it. "I live here alone."

The interior of the house was much different from the exterior. Smooth, yellow-green walls met Chunhua's view. A few feet from where she stood was a large dining/entertainment area. She could spot a large flat-screen TV placed against the wall far in front of her. The floors were ceramic, and looking at them made Jialin remove her shoes so that she could feel the texture underneath her feet. It also provided her with a cooling effect due to the autumn season being experienced in the area.

"You live here alone?" Chunhua couldn't help but express her shock. "Look at this place!"

She went towards the dining room, and that was where she spotted the two, large black couches placed near the walls. A table had been placed in-between them, and it was decorated with a floral-patterned sheet.

On her right was the kitchen. Jialin could spot a large grey fridge located on the side. Other electronics like the microwave and mixer were placed on an island that was centered in the middle of the room.

"How many bedrooms?" she asked.

"Two," Zhang replied.

"You lucky..." Jialin trailed off, suddenly wishing she had been living in such a place. It could have been quite advantageous for her in terms of silence and space.

"Yes, I am lucky," Zhang smirked. "But honestly, the house is not mine. One of my uncles used to live here, but after he retired, he offered this place to me."

"What?"

"He used to be a lecturer in TUCD."

"Oh," Chunhua commented.

"But what about you?" Zhang could not help but ask. "I thought you were living in a luxurious apartment near the college for the past years. Why did you settle for the university dorms? I thought your parents are still rich."

"They are, but I chose to live in the university dorms," she replied.

She received a weird look before being asked: "Why?"

"You remember how I was in high school?"

"You mean when you couldn't distinguish vinegar from water?" Zhang said with a raised eyebrow, earning a punch on the shoulder from Chunhua.

"It wasn't funny. I could have died," Chunhua said, shivering at the memory. "Anyway, I realized I was dependent on the people around me. I had looked up to Darcy and my parents to lead my life. I couldn't do stuff on my own," Chunhua moved a strand of her hair that had fallen in her view. "So I decided that if I were to join college, I would do it my way. I planned to find myself and to learn how to deal with problems on my own, you know?"

"Oh," Zhang replied. "So it's like you're training for adulthood?"

"Yep," Chunhua confirmed,

"I didn't expect that as an answer."

"Why?" she chuckled. "Because you thought I would still be completely living off my parents' earnings?"

"Do you want the truth?" Zhang asked, earning another punch on his shoulder.

"What you said hadn't even reached my mind," he continued. "I thought you were here because the other colleges denied your applications."

"Hey!" Jialin frowned.

"I don't mean to insult you. It's just that everyone in high school always saw you as the stupid girl who could barely add the hundreds."

"I could have added that. I could have even added the tens."

"Uh huh," Zhang doubted. "But that's not my point. What I'm trying to say is that you changed, Chunhua. You have come from barely understanding what a computer is to learning about it in college. You are even doing a motion graphics project with me. It's shocking, but then it also shows there is hope for people who believe they cannot amount to anything in life."

Chunhua felt her heart pound at Zhang' words. She was feeling the same good emotion that she had felt when he had complimented her earlier.

"Wow. Thanks, Zhang," Jialin said softly with a smile. 

He looked back at her, and the look in his eyes showed an emotion she could not decipher.

"So, should we get started?" he asked, changing the subject.