𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭

twenty-two

Shuzhen stared at Zimo who was still asleep - but rather than lying on the bed, he was now face down on the floor.

"Jie, we have to wake him up," Zuo Ye muttered. "He was planning to go to the orphanage today,"

Shuzhen furrowed her eyebrows, "Orphanage? Why's he going back there?"

The younger boy shrugs in response, "What do you think people do in the orphanage?"

"To adopt a kid, obviously, seriously jie, sometimes you are just too slow," Yankai added which made the girl hit both of their heads.

"You two - wake him up. I don't have all day to deal with your stupidity." Shuzhen ordered as she left the two boys to tend to their older brother.

"How do you want to wake him up?" Yankai asks Zuo Ye.

"We can just shake his body and scream at his ear," Zuo Ye suggests earning a disapproval from the other.

"Too boring. How about we jump off from the bed and land on his back?"

"The floor would break from our weight, plus this is a new shirt, I don't want to ruin it," Zuo Ye explains, showing his new iKUN tshirt with Xukun's face on it.

Yankai nods, "Let's just do it our way, then,"

.·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·.

"Xingjie, stop," Chunhua snapped her head around making Xingjie stop in his tracks. "I need to clean the kitchen first. So go away."

"No. I'm not leaving until you listen to me," Xingjie argued.

Chunhua grunted, "Can you just leave me alone for one second? I'm getting tired of this routine over and over again."

"Please?" Xingjie reached out for her hand, his voice cracking, "I don't want to lose you again."

Chunhua saw sincerity in his eyes but she's still in doubt. She pointed at the mess in the kitchen, "Clean this up in less than thirty minutes. Then, maybe, I'll forgive you."

He nods, taking out a headband and pushing his hair back, revealing his forehead, "Give me twenty minutes."

Chunhua rolled her eyes, exiting the kitchen as she spots Shuzhen on the couch with a phone in her hands.

"Are you texting Zi?" She asks, sitting beside her cousin.

"Yeah, he just greeted me good morning,"

"Isn't it time for you to meet him? I mean, I'm not the only one who wants to know who he is, right?"

Shuzhen bit her lip, "Yeah, but I don't think Zimo -"

"Here we go again with Zimo - if he really liked you he would've made his move already. But he's not doing anything, is he?" Chunhua questions.

Shuzhen looked down on her phone, recalling the words Zimo said to her last night. Was it true? Or did she hear it wrongly?

Before she could say anything, a loud scream was heard from upstairs.

The two girls quickly rushed up, followed by Xingjie.

They soon found Yankai and Zuo Ye slapping Zimo's bare back with a fish they bought at the market.

"What the hell is your problem - ow!" Zimo whined as the two continued hitting him.

.·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·.

"You still have the fish marks," Shuzhen comments, poking his back with her finger.

"Stupid kids," Zimo muttered under his breath as he put his shirt back on.

They were now in her living room, as they all finished cleaning the house. Xingjie took Chunhua out to earn her forgiveness. Yankai and Zuo Ye went home already, so it just leaved the two.

"Don't you have a house or something? I feel like you stay at my place too often. Either mine or Mingzhu's," Shuzhen pointed out.

Zimo shrugs, "My parents are fine with the idea as long as they know who's house is it."

Shuzhen was about to turn the tv on when her phone rang, knowing that Zimo was out to get it, she quickly dashed off to the kitchen.

"Why are you so defensive over your phone?" Zimo asked, picking the remote that Shuzhen dropped on the floor.

Shuzhen ignored him and opened her phone. But it was just a message from Chunhua asking if she wants anything.

She slowly walked back to the living room, feeling a bit disappointed.

Zimo pouts along with her, "Your boyfriend didn't text you?"

"Shut up, now give me the remote," Shuzhen reached out but Zimo moved towards the other end of the couch. "Hey! I wanna watch tv!"

Zimo stuck his tongue out, "Too bad, I have the remote,"

Shuzhen threw a pillow at Zimo, making him drop the remote, "You are such a kid!"

Zimo and Shuzhen eyed the remote first before tackling it on the floor. They kept rolling on the carpet, kicking and pushing each other's feet and finally ending up in a position where they were a bit slightly comfortable.

Zimo was on top of Shuzhen, his hands on either side of her head.

Shuzhen blinked, clutching the remote in his hands, "Z-zimo,"

And again, her heart was beating so fast because of the small space between them. Zimo pushed some of her hair out of her face as he looked at her eyes with more yearning.

Zimo noticed how her eyes wavered from his eyes to his lips which made him almost crack up.

'Does she want to kiss me that badly?' this is the thought that Zimo was having in his head.

"W-what?" Shuzhen asked in a shaky voice because Zimo was smirking at her.

"Nothing, I just realized, whenever we get in a position like this, your eyes - you know - seem to look at my lips often," Zimo teased, making Shuzhen's cheeks turn into a pinkish color.

She couldn't take it anymore so she pushed Zimo off her, hearing the doorbell ring.

"Who's that?"

Zimo stood up, still chuckling from the experience, "Peiyao. He's driving me somewhere."

"Oh," Shuzhen's face fell down since it means she was going to be alone again. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere," Zimo replied, wearing his coat. "Don't worry. Peiyao brought Rui-ge here so you'll have company."

As Zimo was about to walk out, Shuzhen's curiousity got the best of her so she asked Zimo the question that made the boy stood in front of the door, holding the knob.

"Zim, what you said last night, did you -"

Zimo sighed, turning the doorknob but before pulling the door, he faced Shuzhen, "I meant it."