The Sleepy Goldfish

Li Qin comes from a remote mountain village. She has always obeyed her mother, staying conservative, quiet, and proper. The most rebellious thing she has ever done is meet an online acquaintance the day she gets promoted to associate professor. The person who showed up doesn't match the picture. She was expecting a scholarly, gentlemanly doctor, but instead she gets a polished, cutting lawyer. She is unhappy and wants to leave. Zhao Ke's face darkens. “What a weirdo.” He's never heard of someone whose dating criteria specify a doctor. He's just as unhappy. The beautiful, long-legged woman in the photo has been replaced by this old-fashioned woman in black-rimmed glasses, with a lifeless ponytail hanging down. Sitting on the sofa, he feels the same mortification and indignation as a student facing the dean of students. Zhao Ke grits his teeth. “Don't you think you should explain who the person in the photo is?” Li Qin pauses, then takes off her brown plaid trench coat. Zhao Ke sees her long legs, wrapped in mustard-yellow pants. “…” Zhao Ke has always enjoyed playing the gentleman around women. He's a hypocrite who loves putting on a show. He says, “I understand the challenges women face in modern society,” and, “The self-satisfaction and arrogance of the male gaze make me ashamed to be a man.” He acts as though he was raised in an elegant household, has Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex memorized, and can't wait to defend women at every turn. And yet conservative, rigid, dogmatic women are the kind he hates most. “Miss, do you know how long the Qing dynasty has been gone?” Summer starts next month, and there's a heat warning in effect! She's wearing a high-necked, long-sleeved top! Li Qin: “So… you still want to see my legs?” Zhao Ke: “…” His gaze falls on her long, slender, beautiful legs, which her loose, dowdy clothes can't hide. Damn, this is the one thing I'm into. Why does it have to be under a pair of yellow pants? [Serious version] The life Li Qin was conditioned to live is a barren wasteland. Zhao Ke's life is a riot of color he's only pretending to enjoy. Two people who don't fit together enter into marriage. On sleepless nights, they lie awake staring at the goldfish. Fish shadows glide through pale blue water, flickering in the depths of their weary eyes. Li Qin: “Do they sleep?” Zhao Ke: “Maybe they forgot to go to sleep.” Li Qin looks at him. “Imagine you're a goldfish. When you want to sleep, the water, the air, and the fish tank are all yours.” She adds, “The bubbles you blow, too.” Zhao Ke gazes at her for a long time. “Then why would you want to jump out one day?” Li Qin blinks and smiles without answering. It takes Zhao Ke many long years to understand that the raging storms never crushed her soul, as hard as brick and stone. In the quiet, endless night, the man and woman sit close together behind the fish tank, saying nothing. In silence, they wish each other a good night's sleep. Marriage first, love later / healing each other / both virgins Conservative, old-fashioned academic x hypocritical peacock Coming soon: Carbonation Crisis Casebook In early spring, Wen Zhao, reading in a corner, runs into Jiang Jun in the middle of a group fight. Cruel and ruthless. Afterward, the man comes over and snatches her book. “If you don't want trouble, get lost.” The next day, Wen Zhao finds Jiang Jun and demands her book back. The man narrows his eyes and gives her a half-smile before tossing her a hundred yuan. “Go buy another one.” Wen Zhao: “You read my book, so you owe me interest.” Jiang Jun gives a cold, mocking snort. “Let's hear it.” Wen Zhao: “You protect me.” Jiang Jun thinks: Where did this ignorant idiot come from? At the end of winter, the back street of Jicheng Vocational and Technical College is bitterly cold, the wind cutting across their faces like a knife. In the dim shadow of the thin moon, the man lowers his head. His voice is soft, amused. “So fierce again.” Wen Zhao rolls her eyes, slaps a bandage onto the center of his forehead, opens a bottle of soda, and sits on the stone steps. The fizzing of the drink in the night wind makes her blood inexplicably boil. Jiang Jun sits beside her, snatches the drink, and takes a gulp. “You really want to apply to Jiaotong University? Can you get in?” Wen Zhao: “I can.” Jiang Jun: “If I don't…” Wen Zhao looks at him. There isn't the slightest hesitation in her cold eyes. “If you don't get in, we're over.” “Will you find someone at your new school to protect you?” “Yes.” Without a moment's hesitation. He curls his lips in a smile. “Fine. That's a relief.” His slender fingers crush the can. He flicks it into a distant trash bin, and amid the clang of metal, Jiang Jun says: “Fine. Then we'll each rely on our own abilities.” “Wen Zhao, even if we split up, don't forget to claw your way up like a dog.” Black-hearted, selfish, dangerously beautiful woman x cold-faced, wildly devoted, insecure man Please bookmark~ Theme: Enjoy your own life