Ye Zhou and Lin Shulan walked out of the smoking room. After waving goodbye, he turned toward the Drama and Film Club.
As soon as he entered, Ye Zhou’s face was covered by a pair of cold, soft hands that began rubbing his skin. His palms felt a slippery, viscous liquid, and at the same time, Chen Yuhe’s signature sweet-but-not-cloying voice rang in his ears.
“Surprise! Little Ye Zhou!”
Ye Zhou grabbed Chen Yuhe’s mischievous hands, the corners of his eyes crinkling.
“Senior, what strange liquid are you putting on my face? It smells quite nice though.”
Chen Yuhe tilted her head, her almond-shaped eyes curving into crescents, unable to hide a hint of playfulness.
“Oh! It’s not a strange liquid at all. It’s foot cream! And I was just using it on my feet!”
“Hmm, so it’s foot cream. No wonder it smells better and better.”
Ye Zhou smeared a bit from his face onto his hand and brought his nose close to sniff it. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead in realization.
“Wait, no way. Senior, what did you just say? If I heard you correctly, you said you rubbed foot cream on my face?”
“And your hands just touched your feet before you smeared it directly onto me?”
“Ah… Senior, you’re being way too reckless.”
Chen Yuhe raised her delicate fingers, her expression turning serious.
“You don’t understand. There’s a rule in the Club Rules.”
“Seniors can be unconditionally reckless toward their Juniors.”
Ye Zhou stood there, dumbfounded.
“There’s such an unreasonable rule? How come I didn’t know?”
“Little Ye Zhou, you’ve only been in the Drama Club for a short time. How could you possibly know?” Chen Yuhe closed her eyes and gave a light cough.
‘Ah, that makes sense.’
Ye Zhou nodded, half-convinced.
No wonder Senior Chen, Club Leader Jiang, and even Senior Lin acted so righteous every time they messed with him; it turned out to be a privilege they possessed.
Although Chen Yuhe tried her best to cover her mouth and stifle her laughter with both hands, she couldn’t help but let out a snicker.
“Pfft, hahaha! This is hilarious! You actually believed me?”
Ye Zhou froze, scratching his head. “Wait, was I not supposed to?”
“I meant, did you really believe I put foot cream on your face?”
“Do I look like someone who doesn’t have a sense of boundaries?”
Ye Zhou answered without hesitation, “Yes, you do. That’s why I had to believe it.”
Chen Yuhe pouted, her face showing her displeasure.
“Fine, I’ll tell the truth. It’s actually hand cream. I accidentally squeezed too much onto my hands, so I used the extra to scare you.”
“It’s harmless. Even though it’s called hand cream, it can be used on the face too. It’s multipurpose.”
As if afraid Ye Zhou wouldn’t believe her, Chen Yuhe went back to retrieve the bottle of hand cream she had just used. She held it high with both hands, showing it to him openly.
The corners of Ye Zhou’s mouth tilted upward slightly. “It really is. Then I won’t go to the bathroom to wash my face.”
“Wait! Don’t move!”
Chen Yuhe’s delicate nose twitched slightly. She began circling Ye Zhou over and over, as if smelling for something.
“What… what’s wrong now?” Ye Zhou instinctively raised his hands, looking completely bewildered.
“It smells a bit stinky. Junior, why is there a smell of smoke on you? Don’t try to lie to me; I know you don’t smoke. So where did this smell come from?” Chen Yuhe asked with her hands on her hips, frowning.
“Where? You must have smelled it wrong.”
Ye Zhou felt guilty instantly. He sniffed himself; he only smelled the Cold-toned Perfume Lin Shulan had sprayed on him.
“That’s impossible. My nose is very sensitive,” Chen Yuhe said, shaking her head.
“Ah, haha… Senior, were you born in the Year of the Dog?”
Ye Zhou laughed awkwardly.
‘What is going on — why do I suddenly feel like a husband who told his wife he quit smoking but got caught sneaking one behind her back?’
“Bingo! You guessed right! I was born in the Year of the Dog!”
Chen Yuhe tilted her nose up, her face full of pride.
“Anyway, I only smell perfume. Why don’t you check again? You definitely made a mistake.”
Adopting an attitude of ‘the guilty party must act bold,’ Ye Zhou took the initiative to lean in.
Chen Yuhe sniffed him carefully once more.
“Hmm, but I’m very familiar with this perfume scent. Isn’t this the one Lin Shulan always sprays on herself?”
Ye Zhou immediately replied, “Exactly! It’s just a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?” Chen Yuhe tilted her head.
Ye Zhou nodded. “I passed the smoking room on my way here and ran into Senior Lin as she was coming out. We chatted for a bit.”
“I must have picked up the scent of her perfume mixed with the smoke then.”
“Little Ye Zhou, what you’re saying makes some sense.”
However, Chen Yuhe continued to shake her head. “But the smoke smell isn’t just on your body. It’s in your mouth too.”
“To be more precise, it comes out of your nose when you talk and breathe.”
Ye Zhou held his breath instantly.
‘Oh god! I actually forgot about that. I should have chewed some gum.’
‘But who would have expected Senior Chen to be at the club right now?’
‘Senior Chen and her Year of the Dog nose are truly not to be underestimated!’
“Senior, you’re definitely mistaken. How could there be a smoke smell in my mouth?”
Ye Zhou stiffened his neck, deliberately avoiding Chen Yuhe as she leaned in to sniff him.
“If there isn’t, then why are you hiding from me?”
“Oh, Little Ye Zhou, you’re starting to become a bad boy.”
“Tell me, did that annoying Lin Shulan teach you how to smoke? Did she force a good boy like you to do it?”
“Just nod your head and I’ll help you — although I can’t beat her in a fight, I can help you scare her.”
The corners of Ye Zhou’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.
“Alright, I know you’re not a useless senior.”
“But Senior Lin isn’t some big villain. Why would she force me?”
“And I’m not hiding. I just felt like coughing. See? Cough, cough.“
“Hey! Chen Yuhe, why are you still at the club? Are you going to class or not? Let me tell you now, I’m not saving a seat for you this time. It’s always a headache.”
Right then, a girl with a ponytail peeked her head in. Her lips were pouted and her cheeks were slightly puffed out, clearly tired of waiting.
As soon as she pushed the door open, she froze. A second later, she pulled the door shut and laughed loudly, “Whoops! Chen Yuhe, you go ahead and enjoy your lovey-dovey time with your boyfriend. I won’t disturb you!”
Ye Zhou froze. Since when had he become Senior Chen’s boyfriend? Had the fake act become real? This was truly — truly dramatic.
“Little Ye Zhou, I’ll let you off the hook this time. But if I smell smoke in your mouth again, you’ll have to accept the Ten Great Tortures from me.”
Chen Yuhe rubbed Ye Zhou’s face vigorously several times, barely satisfying her craving. Only then did she let out a hum, turned around, and jogged outside.
“Hey, don’t run so fast! Don’t be mad. To apologize, I’ll buy you a treat! Not dog food, but milk tea with pearls as big as a cup!”
***