Electronic Nezha

Chapter 163 Hair
If I remember correctly, I was a fruit seller!
What does it mean to give a fruit vendor a box of fruit?
Of course, the above is just my usual rant; I know what Director Chen means.

Last time I took two boxes of cherries, but I only gave one away. I asked Director Chen to deliver it to Director Du, who was treating my dad. I didn't give away the other box, which I originally wanted to give to Director Chen. This doesn't mean you saved money; it means you owe someone a favor.

This time, Director Chen brought over an identical gift box, which was a subtle way of saying: Although I gave you a gift, I still owe you a favor.

I have two thoughts from this experience: First, Director Chen is a very particular person; second, it's really tiring to deal with cultured people like him. Luckily, I'm good at humanities!
I took a closer look at that box of cherries. Although it was exactly the same as the one I got last time, it definitely wasn't bought from my stall—the ones sold at our stall have changed their packaging.

"Someone finally gave me fruit, and they made the money!" I grumbled. — I'm good at humanities, so don't use such language. I went upstairs with a grumble in my heart, and threw the box of cherries into Xiao Wu's trunk.

Back home, Qiao Yan and Han Shiya sat listlessly, while Liu Zhenhua was chatting animatedly in his room. His "King of Bad Jokes" had finished playing, and now he was playing light music that I had never heard before as background music. Chen Zihan was calling him "Old Ma" repeatedly. She and Ma Chaoran were both lively and outgoing, and they got along very well.

Qiao Yuchen couldn't get a word in edgewise and gradually drifted off into thought again.

Chen Zihan suddenly asked, "Qiao Yuchen, doesn't your school require students to wear uniforms?" Qiao Yuchen was wearing a thin cashmere pullover with a cream-colored vest over it today. With her slender figure, she looked elegant and graceful, and Chen Zihan's eyes were full of envy.

Qiao Yuchen said, "Of course there are requirements, but I've taken a leave of absence from school."

Chen Zihan exclaimed, "Wow, what excuse did you come up with?" She seemed even more envious...

Qiao Yuchen said naturally, "I have depression." If Chen Zihan hadn't asked her, she definitely wouldn't have brought up this topic. Qiao Yuchen used to be a goddess-level figure at school, and with her proud and sensitive nature, avoiding the topic would make her seem inferior. So, she said it in a calm tone, which was actually due to her girlish pride.

Qiao Yan and Han Shiya came over when they heard the noise, worried that the children might say something inappropriate and upset Qiao Yuchen.

Qiao Yuchen looked at Chen Zihan's messy hair and said, "Doesn't your school have any requirements for hairstyles?" It was both a tease and a small retort.

Chen Zihan scratched her messy hair and said with distress, "Me? I just had surgery a while ago and shaved my head completely bald."

"Is this... really true?" This time it was Qiao Yuchen's turn to feel flustered.

“It’s true, I was hit by a car, and the back of my head hit the ground first. I was in the hospital for 20 days—” She suddenly laughed as if she remembered something funny, “My dad said I didn’t have enough experience with being hit by a car and that I should have made sure my hands and feet hit the ground first. That way, I would have only gone to the orthopedics department and wouldn’t have had to be in emergency care for several hours.”

Ma Chaoran said, "Your father is right!"

Chen Zihan laughed and said, "That's right, my mom is about to scold him to death."

Qiao Yuchen said cautiously, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'm all better now."

Since we're on the topic, Ma Chaoran said, "Xiao Qiao, let's go for a run tomorrow. Your dad has already agreed."

Qiao Yuchen was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously said, "I don't like sports!"

Ma Chaoran said, "It feels so good to work up a sweat!"

Qiao Yuchen said, "That's why I don't like sports."

Qiao Yan said, "Yu Chen, exercise will help your condition."

Qiao Yuchen said calmly, "I know about my illness. Running is just a way to distract myself. If you force me, I can't help it. But if you're asking for my opinion, my attitude is—NO! Agreed!"

Qiao Yan was stunned. He probably thought the biggest trouble with running was having to ask Ma Chaoran for a favor, but he didn't expect the biggest problem to be Qiao Yuchen. He was about to say something when Ma Chaoran stopped him and tentatively asked Qiao Yuchen, "How about jogging first? Or do you have any favorite sports, like swimming? Badminton? Table tennis?"

Qiao Yuchen shouted with her eyes closed, "I don't want to! I don't want to! I don't want to!"

Qiao Yan said in a panic, "Okay, okay, we won't go."

This was the first time I had seen Qiao Yuchen fall ill. Yes, this illness is not just about internal strife and self-torture; sometimes, the breakdown can happen without warning. From this, I also came to understand Qiao Yan's pain and helplessness.

After a moment, Qiao Yuchen said to Chen Zihan apologetically, "I'm sorry, I made you laugh at me."

Even a quirky and clever girl like Chen Zihan was at a loss for words.

Liu Zhenhua interrupted, "Qiao Yuchen, I'll download a few more songs for you to listen to when you get home."

"No, thank you." Qiao Yuchen was in a terrible mood and said to Qiao Yan, "Let's go." The atmosphere suddenly turned like this, and Qiao Yan and the others couldn't stay any longer. He hurriedly said goodbye to me and led Qiao Yuchen toward the door.

At this moment, Chen Zihan suddenly said to Qiao Yuchen, "Qiao Yuchen, I know this disease is very painful. I am luckier than you. Although it was very dangerous for me that time, I only needed others to help me. But you, you have to rely entirely on yourself!"

Qiao Yuchen stopped, tears welling up in her eyes, and said, "But I don't know what I can do. I feel like I'm trapped in a thin film, and even breathing is difficult."

Chen Zihan said, "Let's start with running. I don't like running either, because there's nowhere to shower after running at school. You're different!"

This made Qiao Yuchen chuckle. Then, she frowned and, as if she had made a huge decision, said to Ma Chaoran, "Old Ma, I'll give it a try."

Ma Chaoran said directly to Qiao Yan, "Give me your home address, and I'll be there promptly at 6:30 tomorrow morning."

Qiao Yan was overwhelmed with emotion and didn't know who to thank.

I was the only one scratching my head and saying, "Isn't it too early?"

Ma Chaoran said, "I still have to go to work after my run."

Qiao Yan felt even more apologetic and said, "How about we change it to the evening?"

Ma Chaoran waved her hand and said, "Stop being so wishy-washy, I'll go tonight if I have time. Here's the address!"

The two added each other on WeChat. Chen Zihan glanced at the time and was about to leave. The group of people rushed downstairs, and Liu Zhenhua went to see them off.

Han Shiya said to Qiao Yan, "You guys go down first, I want to say a few words to Liu Chuanfeng."

In principle, Ma Chaoran should not be too far away from me, so she pretended to go to Liu Zhenhua's room to clean up the leftovers from the children's meals.

Han Shiya and I stood in the small living room. I chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Lao Ma and I will definitely take good care of Liu Zhenhua. Is there anything else you want to say?"

Han Shiya hesitated twice before finally whispering, "I feel like there's something strange between you and Lao Ma."

"What's wrong?" My heart skipped a beat. Although Ma Chaoran and I were fake, I believed there was nothing wrong with our interactions. These days, I've been eating and living with the people from the Sixth Division, and I've been joking around with Ma Chaoran, playing games together, and shooting targets together—she was one of the five people who drained Yuanyuan's battery last time. We get along like brothers.

So how did Han Shiya notice the strange thing between us? Hmm, the answer seems obvious, but is Han Shiya really that perceptive?
Han Shiya said, "I can't quite put my finger on it. I've always felt that you found a girlfriend who is very caring, but you, Lao Ma, don't seem to be."

We all stole glances at Ma Chaoran, only to see her clumsily tidying up the table, looking very serious but just not quite right.

I said, "Come on, why would I fall into the same trap twice? I just want to find someone who isn't a germaphobe or controlling."

Han Shiya glared at me, then suddenly raised her hand!

"Hey, you've even learned to hit people?"

Han Shiya merely touched my shoulder with her fingers and said, "You have a hair here."

It was a single strand of hair, neither too long nor too short, extremely thin, almost invisible unless you looked very closely.

"No, none of this is yours!" Han Shiya examined the length of the hair and said, "You're not really two-timing me, are you? Ma Chaoran's hair isn't much longer than mine."

"Don't overthink it. I'm not lacking in charm, and I'm definitely loyal to my partner."

"Anyway, you should treat her well." Han Shiya stuffed her hair into my hand and left.

Ma Chaoran came over and asked me, "What did she say wasn't yours?"

I opened my palm and said, "Hair."

"who?"

I joked, "It's some wild woman." Actually, I didn't take it to heart; maybe she just picked her up somewhere.

Just as I was about to throw it away, I suddenly felt the hair move in my palm!
(End of this chapter)