Caught in my Own Trap (作茧自缚) : Chapter 9.1

What a boring couple…. all they do is sit around and chat while one is sketching and the other one watching the television. They definitely sounded like an old married couple in this chapter… that of course is my personal perspective. In the meantime, we still don’t know why Zheng Xie is so scared of cats… hahahaha… I wonder if we would ever get around to know that secret….

Chapter 9.1 : You should have a girlfriend

When chatting with friends, must talk about appropriate topics.

Xiao He He hunched on the sofa with her legs curved, drawing a group of cats.

She majored in fine arts. Working as graphic designs. Because she had a good boss that is not too aggressive, her work is not too hard. Therefore she had a lot of free time, giving her opportunity to earn extra money from time to time.

Zheng Xie’s sofa is really comfortable and very ergonomic, just like a cradle that is there to accommodate her. She wondered if she could come over to enjoy the sofa when Zheng Xie is not around. Or even better, to bring the sofa home, she though while sitting there looking at Zheng Xie on the other sofa.

Zheng Xie is no longer in his usual serious attitude. Lying half lazily, pillow in his arm, leg on the low table in from of the sofa with his eyes half closed. What a pleasant sight.

She suddenly have an idea and quietly turn herself 30 degrees. She turn to a new page and sketched Zheng Xie in his current position and added a cat next to him, watching the television. She is very satisfied with her work.

Her task is to draw a set of 12 sketches of cat but her inspiration has dried up forgetting that there is a ready-made reference in front of her. He He wonders how to get Zheng Xie to give her another inspiration for another sketch with another cat. She found Zheng Xie looking at her sketch book and quickly she closed the book. She looked up at him with a slight smile.

Zheng Xie hates cat, so if he sees her sketching cats in his home, he will be very angry. And if he finds out that she has sketched him with a cat, he will definitely extend her some grief. Therefore, he must never see these.

Not many people knew the secret of Zheng Xie being afraid of cat. Most people think that he does not like cats. They sees him avoiding cats when he sees them. Some would have thought that he is probably allergic to cats.

After all, Zheng Xie has been synonymous with “brave”. Once when he was in high school, in the classroom, he was trapped in the fire. In full view of others, he climbed down from the fourth floor along the windows and then jumping down when he is about four meters away from the ground. Just last year, together with a group of people, they went on a mountain climbing expedition. They came across snakes, Zheng Xie with a straight face, picked up the snake and drop it over the cliff in front of those screaming women.

So, who can believe that he is actually afraid of cats? Even kitten that is less than 2 months old… Simply very laughable.

Zheng Xie has long ago been studying He He quietly. He could see her guiltily covering her sketches which indicate that she is up to no good.

He He is wearing a wide shoulder straps linen blouse with prints and a denim shorts. Although he has always felt that He He is thin and but not short, but now looking at her, found her to be really small. She has small nose and mouth, thin arms with spindly legs, hands and feet are at least 1 size smaller than normal woman. Her legs and feet are very pale, dazzling white. This is because all summer, she had been wearing blue jeans and sneakers hence no chance to get the sun. At the moment, she is sitting on the sofa, not very dignified with one foot resting and shaking on the arm of the sofa, giving him a headache with the sound of the shaking.

Zheng Xie turned and looked at her feet for a second, without speaking but also to recover his eyes. He He very cooperatively and immediately place her feet back on the ground just like a lady and curled her lip: “There are no one else here.”

Before Zheng Xie could uttered anything, He He said: “This old drama, you have watched hundreds of time.” After a while said to herself: “In fact the big beard, is more stylish in this one. This one looked more rustic.”

“What do you children know?”

“Only old people will hold on to old things tightly.” Seeing that Zheng Xie is ignoring her, she felt bored and put down her sketches to lean over and push him: “Let’s watch the Olympic Games. How can you be so out of touch at times like this?”

“To me, I only see the result, the process is not worth looking at.” Zheng Xie moved to the side out and successfully got out of her reach.

“Wong. Teacher said, is the attitude is not good, even if winning is also a lost. So the process is much more important than the result.”

“Teacher? The old man said this?”

Xiao He He remain silent.

“You know, this word itself has acid meaning, because you failed to convince others to win, has to give yourself a good excuse. You can’t fool any inexperience children.”

He He opened her mouth and then closed it, then open again with a gasp before finally could not help but sigh: “Generation gap!”

Then He He continue to sketch while Zheng Xie continue to watch his Legend of the Condor Heroes. In the meantime, on the corner of the television screen is a small screen of the Olympic broadcast. Easy for He He to keep track of the game and result.

On the television, Mu Nian Ci is being coaxed by Yang Kang. Zheng Xie whispered: “Silly girl.”

He He chimed in: “Mu Nian Ci is not stupid. In this life, it is rare to find love. Yang Kang although is not good, but he is sincere.”

Zheng Xie paused for a while: “Why are you so excited about?”

“You are the one that is excited. You like the hero, Guo Jing who is stupid and is blindly loyal to Yu Xiao. He loves his wife and daughter but somehow, for compliance, almost abandoned Huang Rong. Thanks to his good fortune, later for Xin Yi, had to cut Guo Fu’s arm. Huang Rong is such an aggressive woman, after marrying him become so terrifying. Even gave birth to such a child, Guo Fu, really a tragedy. He became his own hero while his family becomes victims.” Xiao He He debated. She rarely debate with such a strong point.

Zheng Xie kept silence for a long time. He He suddenly realized that she may have cross the line with Zheng Xie. But words spoken out cannot be recovered, so she softly added: “Uh, Yang Kang is actually just an asshole joker. I prefer, the more perfect man.”

Zheng Xie said without even looking at her: “I am not able to communicate with kids born after the 80s.” He changed the channel.

Xiao He He sat back and relax, the crisis temporarily lifted.

Her memory is really poor, often speak too fast without thinking, hence had to pay the price.

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