Chapter 1: The Neighbor, Sister Zhi Zhen_2

"...Forget it, I'll take a shower before going."

*

After changing into new clothes and feeling refreshed, Cen Dongsheng walked along the zigzag corridor towards his destination.

Xiaokang Building had nearly twenty households on each floor, which weren't concentrated on one side. For example, the "316" he was heading to was actually right across from "303."

He carried a bag to the door of 316 and knocked.

"Sister Zhi Zhen, are you home? I borrowed the book you wanted to see last time from the library."

"It's Dongsheng, thank you. Come on in."

A young, clear voice came from inside the door.

"The door isn't closed. I guessed in advance that you were coming, so I opened it beforehand."

Cen Dongsheng's heart skipped a beat.

"Eh, how did Sister Zhi Zhen guess?"

"Because I can do divination and prophecy."

"Who would use prophecy for such trivial matters..."

"You have a point. Actually, I don't even understand it myself, it's kind of like an intuition. Maybe it's a kind of telepathy between you and me?"

The voice inside grew closer, and there was a sound of light footsteps in the room.

"...You're lying, right? Did you actually see me coming from the window?"

Sister Zhi Zhen always loved to tease, and as he muttered to himself, he put his hand on the doorknob and gently pulled—

The door didn't open.

He paused for a moment, then instinctively turned the doorknob forcefully.

...It didn't budge.

"You really are fooling me!"

"Hehehe."

A light chuckle came from inside the room, and the door was pushed open from the inside.

The woman who opened the door appeared to be about twenty-five years old. She wore a light blue off-shoulder shirt-dress that revealed her dazzlingly white arms in the sunlight; the dress tightened at the waist with a loose knot, outlining her slender abdominal curves, and her feet were clad in a pair of open-toe sandals.

"You fell for it?"

"No, why would you tell such a pointless lie..."

He complained somewhat helplessly.

"Let me think. Hmm~ Maybe it was just to see your puffy expression?"

Hearing this self-assured response, Cen Dongsheng found himself momentarily at a loss for words. Seeing her in a casual home outfit, different from her usual formal look, his heart was slightly stirred.

A breeze blew through the hallway, caressing the faces of the young man and woman inside and outside the door, warm and filled with the laziness of a summer afternoon.

Sister Zhi Zhen's shoulder leaned slightly against the door, her black hair split into two smooth strands along the curve of her back, falling behind her. The mole below her eye added a touch of allure to her appearance, standing quietly in the breeze like a water lily swaying on a pond.

"Don't just stand there, aren't you hot?"

Her dark eyes seemed to be carefully examining his features, then like ripples spreading under a lotus leaf, a smile appeared.

Sister Zhi Zhen naturally took the bag from Cen Dongsheng's hands, placed the slippers at the entrance, and turned to walk deeper into the room.

"Come in quickly, I specifically bought some ice cream."

"Really? Thanks so much, it's been terribly hot lately." Cen Dongsheng changed his shoes and walked into the living room, heading straight for the fridge.

"Ah, don't eat both boxes of ice cream, one of them is mine."

"I know."

"You can turn on the TV, I even rented some new DVDs yesterday, they're in the usual place, just take them out yourself. Also, do you like playing games? Recently, Aunt Wang next door gave me her kid's game console. I'm not too familiar with it, but if you like, I can..."

Sister Zhi Zhen's chattering voice came from the kitchen.

"...Do you think I'm a child?"

"Hehe, you just started university, right? You're only a few years older than a child."

Cen Dongsheng sighed and squatted down to pull out some DVDs from under the TV cabinet that were placed on top.

"Godzilla... Night of the Living Dead... weird thing... and several other horror movies, Sister Zhi Zhen really likes these types of movies."

He couldn't help but feel amazed.

...

Sister Zhi Zhen's full name was An Zhizhen, and her profession was a doctor, though she was said to be the kind who stayed in the lab with little clinical work. She was a local from Jinjiang City, and the Xiaokang Building apartment was left to her by her parents. Basically, every summer, she would come here to stay for a while.

She became known at Xiaokang Building earlier than Cen Dongsheng, not just because of her stunning appearance, but also because she used her free time to offer free medical treatment to people in the community, and once even saved the life of an elderly man who had suddenly become seriously ill.

Both had been volunteers in the community. Over the past few months, his encounters with Sister Zhi Zhen had become more frequent. Since Cen Dongsheng once happened to help her move some items and visited her home, their private relationship had grown close.

Actually, due to her stunning demeanor, she initially seemed cold and distant, but once actually acquainted, it was discovered that she was a gentle and approachable elder sister, lively and enthusiastic in his company, and loved to joke...

While reminiscing about the past, Cen Dongsheng scooped some ice cream from the container into his mouth, swallowing it in one breath. The cold, sweet sensation made him squint his eyes in delight.

Just then, he suddenly heard a "crackling" noise coming from the direction of the kitchen.

"Sister Zhi Zhen, what are you doing?"

Sitting on the living room floor, Cen Dongsheng leaned back and looked towards the kitchen, seeing Sister Zhi Zhen's slim back, now donned with an apron.