Living With a Temperamental Adonis: 99 Proclamations of Love

She ran back to her desk and grabbed a random paper piece off her table before turning around to bounce down the flight of stairs.

…

After Su Zhinian jumped into the lake to save Song Qingchun, he caught a cold because he hadn’t sought warmth immediately after. Instead he had stood in the freezing cold in his wet clothes for about two hours.

He was worried about Song Qingchun, so he had visited the hospital to take shot so that he would recover faster. He had even taken double the recommended dosage for his medicine. However, due to his constant stakeout at the Song family’s residence from early morning to late night, his cold never seemed to improve.

His fever continued until the third night of the Lunar New Year. He took a warm bath that night, and after a long well-needed sleep, he felt much better when he woke up the next morning.

After breakfast, he took his laptop and several documents to a café near the Song family and parked himself there. He was still sniffling from his flu, and he was swamped by fatigue after just three hours of work. He ordered something simple for lunch at the café and leaned against the sofa for forty winks.

He woke up at around 4 pm because he knew Song Qingchun would depart toward his bungalow soon. He packed away his things and left the café after paying his bill. He got into his car and drove toward the Song family’s residential area. It was then that his phone rang.

He pulled out his phone while his other hand was on the steering wheel. He glanced at the phone display and was shocked to see it was a message from Song Qingchun.

He replied with a ”?” because he was driving. Then, he saw the burst of messages that came from Song Qingchun.

”I have a favor to ask…”

Su Zhinian’s brain ceased to move when he saw that sentence. He quickly recovered after a honk from another driver. He clicked open the message, and after making sure it was truly a message from Song Qingchun, his brain shut down again.

Another shrill car honk from behind his car woke Su Zhinian up.

He was idling at a junction, and because he was too caught up in the message from Song Qingchun, he hadn’t realized the light had turned green. The driver behind him got impatient.

He replied to Song Qingchun rapidly with another ”?” and placed his phone on the passenger seat. With both hands on the staring wheel, he pressed down on the gas pedal, and after passing that junction, he picked up his phone again and realized Song Qingchun had sent him a message. ”Tell me first, are you free or not?”

This time, he did not reply with a message but called her directly.

The call lasted less than ten minutes, and he took exactly that long to reach the Song family’s place. He gave Song Qingchun a call to remind her of his arrival. After hanging up, he clicked open his WhatsApp messages and read that message from Song Qingchun repeatedly. ”I have a favor to ask…”

He felt like he was dreaming, this was the first time she had actively sought him out for help after their departure during the third year of high school.

When he used to stay with the Song family, this was how she usually began her sentences.

”Su Zhinian, I have a favor to ask, do you mind coming shopping with me this weekend?”

”Su Zhinian, I have a favor to ask, I can’t find a taxi, can you come to Xi Dan to come fetch me?”

”Su Zhinian, I have a favor to ask, when you come home, do you mind taking a detour to Nan Luo Street to help me buy a slice of honey cheese cake?”