A Young Woman's Heart

"Okay—"

……

Chapter 333 Applying Light Makeup

The date is May 17, 2000.

Inside the duplex apartment, Tian Tingchan had just finished taking a bath and was now sitting at her desk, where she had placed a cheap mirror she bought from a street vendor, turning the space into her dressing table.

There are many used cosmetics displayed here, most of which are only half left.

It was a gift from Zuo Ziya, who said she already had a new one and didn't want the old one anymore, as it would be a waste to leave it there...

But obviously, that's not the case; these cosmetics aren't that cheap, let alone after only using half of them.

She was just looking for an excuse to give these to Tian Tingchan.

Just like how she sometimes finds an excuse to give Tian Tingchan her unwanted 'old clothes'.

It sounds like they're just packing up trash and dumping it at her house, but the two of them actually know the real situation.

But Tian Tingchan sometimes had to pretend to be oblivious, and then silently remember this favor in her heart.

I don't know when it started, but she seems to have become less stubborn.

Tian Tingchan doesn't actually wear makeup much. She just recently learned a little online and opted for a simpler, lighter look to avoid appearing too heavily made up.

Simply put, it involves applying a light layer of foundation, drawing a simple eyeliner, and then curling the eyelashes slightly with a mascara brush.

I used hair straighteners to make my hair straighter, and then trimmed it a little with small scissors to give it a messy yet well-organized look.

She gently touched her Adam's apple, gave herself a wry smile in the mirror, and opened the drawer next to her.

There were several collars in the drawer. Some looked cheap, while others, though simple, didn't look like cheap knock-offs.

She picked up her favorite necklace—a simple black leather necklace with no other decorations except for a small silver bell hanging on the front.

The cicada's Adam's apple isn't very big, so it's just enough to cover it up.

"Cough...cough..." She cleared her throat forcefully, making a slightly low voice.

Her voice is naturally androgynous, but if she speaks directly without any changes, it still sounds more masculine.

"Ah, ah ah—ah ah ah..." Her tone gradually rose as she spoke. She didn't usually speak in her most natural voice, and this voice was a little higher than her usual voice.

It sounds softer, but with a slightly hoarse quality.

She wore a white chiffon blouse with ruffled shoulders and a black tulle skirt of the same material.

This was a gift from Zuo Ziya. There's no need to doubt the quality of the clothes she buys, nor is there any need to question her taste in clothing.

It's said to be old, but it's obviously not, because the two are different heights. Tian Tingchan is obviously petite, but she feels that it fits her perfectly.

The other party explained that it was bought a while ago and is now too small.

Although the girl in the mirror wasn't stunningly beautiful, after applying light makeup, she looked as fresh and natural as a lotus flower. Most importantly, there was absolutely no trace of masculinity in her. If you really had to say something, her shoulders were probably a little wider than the average shoulder width of a girl of this height.

However, without comparison or careful observation, it is completely invisible, and even if it is visible, it would not seem strange.

After all, even among girls, body shapes vary greatly.

Tian Tingchan popped the pills that were placed to the side into her mouth, and then picked up the water glass and drank it all in one gulp.

She licked her moist lips, and finally took out the lip gloss that was still a third of the way from being used, and slowly applied it to her lips.

The purpose of this lip gloss is not to add color, but to make the lips look more moisturized.

While not exactly stunning, she's at least considered good-looking.

"At least I'm much luckier than everyone else," Tian Tingchan said with a smile to herself in the mirror.

If it were the old her, she would probably feel that even though she looks very much like a girl, she is not a real girl, and then feel desperate because of it.

In fact, these established things have never changed; what has changed is only her perspective.

It's like seeing a half-full glass of water in front of you; a pessimist thinks there's only half left, while an optimist thinks there's still half left.

Finally, she clipped a palm-sized black bow hair clip into her straight hair, which reached just above her shoulders—right above the back of her head.

The bow is made of fabric, and the texture doesn't seem out of place with this outfit; in fact, it matches her temperament quite well.

Today, she dressed up quite seriously, which was unusual for her, because Zhou Yong was coming to return the lunchbox.

This was her 'first meeting' with him in her own new home, so it had to be a bit formal—she explained to herself.

"Ding-dong—ding-dong—" Tian Tingchan, who was staring blankly at herself in the mirror, suddenly heard the doorbell ringing downstairs.

Zhou Yong arrived half an hour earlier than the agreed time.

If she had arrived ten or twenty minutes earlier, Tian Tingchan probably wouldn't have even finished her makeup.

She slipped on her slippers and quickly walked downstairs. She paused slightly at the door, glancing at her reflection in the window beside her. Then she took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

"Chan-ge! Ah—!" Zhou Yong, who was standing at the door with a plastic bag in his hand, greeted her with a loud laugh. Then, as if under a spell, he stood still, his eyes fixed on Tian Tingchan. His gaze, like an invisible hand, slid from her cheek to her collarbone, and then to the half of her smooth thigh exposed outside her skirt...

"What's wrong?" Tian Tingchan pretended to bend down to get slippers from the shoe cabinet to hide her anxiety.

"Nothing much, I just feel like I look a little better today than before. It's strange, I'm not wearing any makeup... Could it be because I've been eating and sleeping well lately?" Zhou Yong rubbed his chin. "By the way, are you planning to go out today?"

"No."

"Oh, I thought you were planning to go out, that's why you wore such a nice outfit."

"Really? Is it pretty?"

"Yeah, the clothes are pretty nice." Zhou Yong scratched his cheek sheepishly.

Tian Tingchan's expression showed slight disappointment.

She slowly closed the door after Zhou Yong came in.

Have you had lunch yet?

"I just had breakfast, it's only nine o'clock now."

"Then let's go upstairs and sit for a while."

"Oh, right, this is the lunchbox, it's already washed." Zhou Yong took the pink lunchbox out of the bag and handed it to her, then took out the other things from the bag. "I bought some vegetables with my allowance, they're all cheap ones, I don't know if you like them... uh, I don't have much money."

"..." Tian Tingchan was about to say something when Zhou Yong interrupted her again.

"Oh, don't be shy. You made me a bento box, so consider it my way of returning the favor. Uh, I did the grocery shopping, and you made the bento box. Isn't that fair?"

"Would you like to eat it again next time?"

"I do want to eat there, the food is really good. But if I don't eat in the cafeteria, wouldn't all my meal fees for the semester be wasted? Unless I don't pay for meals this semester, it's fine to eat there occasionally, it can be a good change of pace. Besides, the food in our cafeteria is actually quite delicious."

Zhou Yong thought so, but many students still felt that the food in the school cafeteria was not good enough.

It's clear that the lunches at this school already offer a much wider variety than those at other schools.

Keep in mind, this is a public school...

"Then I'll occasionally cook too much food and send it to you."

"Yes, yes, that's fine, no need to make anything special for me." Zhou Yong felt relieved.

He's gotten used to his life this way, and if a girl deliberately cares about him and does a lot for him, it would make him feel anxious and uneasy.

Tian Tingchan turned around and put the vegetables in the refrigerator, then went upstairs: "Come upstairs, there's TV to watch."

"Okay...uh, okay." Zhou Yong hesitated, wondering whether he should go home, but he was also reluctant to go back, so he repeated his answer.

The third floor is the master bedroom. Tian Tingchan pulled the wardrobes to both sides to make the room more naturally lit.

Because the building is very tall, there's no need to worry about many insects flying in even with the windows open. On the contrary, the wind is quite strong, and on such a gloomy day, there's no need to even turn on the electric fan.

There aren't any electric fans here. Tian Tingchan has already told Zuo Ziya not to send her anything anymore. She's decided to buy an electric fan with her own salary.

The sight of a wall-mounted LCD TV, a rarity in this era, made Zhou Yong feel a sense of luxury.

There's nowhere to sit.

"It's alright, it's alright, I'll just sit on the ground, it's quite comfortable here." Zhou Yong sat down cross-legged. "Wow—the wind outside is so refreshing, so nice! Looks like it's going to rain heavily today?"

"The weather forecast says there will be thunderstorms today." Tian Tingchan chuckled and moved the single sofa, which looked like a large sandbag and could be easily reshaped, over. "Make do with this, let's lean against each other."

"Oh, no, no, I don't need to lean on it."

Although Zhou Yong refused, Tian Tingchan still placed the sofa behind him, and she leaned against the side of the sofa and turned on the TV.

"Zhou Yong, have you been watching any TV dramas lately?"

"Lately, tsk, it feels like there aren't many good domestically produced dramas." Zhou Yong clicked his tongue. "Brother Chan, are you watching anything?"

"This TV can receive many channels. I don't know the name of this channel either. It's probably from Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan because it speaks Cantonese. They're showing tokusatsu shows here. Do you want to watch?"

"Holy crap, look! I have to see this!"

"Hmm, I don't know if you've seen it."

"No problem, you can watch it again after you've seen it before, and you won't get tired of watching it even after watching it several times!" Zhou Yong patted his chest vigorously.

"Ha." Tian Tingchan gradually relaxed a bit, no longer as nervous as when they first met after she finished her makeup. "You really like tokusatsu that much, kid?"

"Huh?" Zhou Yong's attention wasn't on what she said, but on her way of expressing herself. "Eh? Brother Chan?"

What's wrong?

"Oh—this feels just like that Chan Ge from the internet! To be honest, the difference between you online and in real life is too big. Sometimes I even feel like you're actually Chan Ge's girlfriend."

"So, which version of me do you like?"

"Ah... um... either way is fine, right? When it comes to being buddies, online friends are definitely better, aren't they?"

Tian Tingchan bit her lip, and her tone softened again: "So that's how it is."

"Huh? Why did it turn back again?"

……