Chapter Ninety-Six: Beauty

December 5th. Dafu Supermarket's new branch opened its doors today. Dafu Supermarket was a local Pengcheng brand—the very same brand that had signed Rousseau as their spokesperson. Rousseau, as the brand ambassador, joined other guests for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The owner of Dafu was named Zhou Dafu. Every time Rousseau heard that name, he felt the man should be running a jewelry store instead.

This was Rousseau's first commercial appearance. When he stepped onto the stage, he assumed no one would recognize him. But his presence caused quite a stir. Quite a few people in the crowd began murmuring: "Isn't that the sprinter?" "Rousseau, right?" "I heard he's the fastest 200-meter runner in the country."

While Rousseau had been training with total focus, shutting out the world, Guan Zhaoyue from the provincial newspaper and the provincial television station had already run several rounds of coverage on him. Some reporters had wanted to interview Rousseau, but Lu Jinrong had turned them all away.

*I'm actually a bit famous now, huh?* Rousseau happily finished the ribbon-cutting and waited for the ceremony to conclude. When the supermarket doors officially swung open for business—

Whoosh. The crowd surged toward Rousseau.

Rousseau was startled.

*They're this enthusiastic?*

But when the flood of people—mostly elderly folks and middle-aged women—streamed right past him and made a beeline for the supermarket, chattering about snatching up "one-yuan-a-catty eggs," Rousseau understood: his fame still couldn't compete with "one-yuan-a-catty eggs."

He quickly stepped aside so he wouldn't delay their egg grab.

"Zhou Junyi!"

He heard someone call out. Rousseau didn't react at first.

"Zhou Junyi! Zhou Junyi!"

The voice called out twice more. Rousseau turned in surprise and spotted a pretty girl in the crowd with hair dyed in a riot of colors, tied in dreadlocks, waving at him.

...

Afternoon.

Rousseau's home.

Living room.

Tian Shiwei asked Lu Xiaoyu, "Is your brother in a bad mood?"

"No." Lu Xiaoyu shook her head.

"Then why is he so serious? We grace him with our presence to celebrate his indoor track 200-meter championship, and he can't even crack a smile? Is he looking down on people now that he's won a title?" Tian Shiwei's tone was mournful.

"Oh, stop it~" Zheng Ni threw a sofa cushion at Tian Shiwei's face. "Why should Rousseau smile at you? He only needs to smile at Juno."

"What's the logic in that?" Tian Shiwei was indignant.

"Out with the old, in with the new. You used to be the one sleeping beside Rousseau. From now on, that won't be you anymore~" Zheng Ni said.

"Little Fish, don't listen to these scandalous words." Tian Shiwei moved to cover Lu Xiaoyu's ears.

...

Kitchen.

Rousseau was cooking. Juno was helping—or rather, causing trouble. First she offered to pick the vegetables, but she threw away all the celery leaves. Then she offered to chop, and luckily Rousseau was watching her, or she'd have lost her fingers. In the end, Rousseau parked her off to the side—don't move, just stand there. That, he said, was help enough.

"Keep me company, then." Rousseau said.

"You're dismissing me, are you?" Juno pouted. But then she added, "I just never had the chance to learn. If you taught me, I'd pick it up fast. Want to bet?"

"You just do what you're good at," Rousseau said. "I'll do what I'm good at, too."

"What am I good at?" Juno obediently stood there with her back to the wall, not moving, but getting bored and starting to fiddle with her fingers.

"You're good at eating. I'm good at cooking." Rousseau turned and smiled at Juno. "You've never had my cooking before. This time, really taste it. I studied under a chef once."

"You studied cooking?" Juno was surprised.

"When I was very young, there wasn't much work available. I helped out in a kitchen for a while. Ever heard of Phoenix Terrace?" Rousseau said. "The head chef there really liked me. He wanted to pass down his skills to me."

"Not only have I heard of it—I've even eaten there. It's very famous. Why didn't you stick with it?" Juno was curious.

"The head chef's original apprentice framed me for stealing. I almost got sent to juvenile detention." Rousseau said.

"How awful!" Juno was shocked.

"I got fired. He didn't get away clean either. One night, when he got off work, I waited for him in the back alley, threw a sack over his head, and beat him for half an hour." Rousseau laughed. "I've never let anyone walk all over me. Whoever bullies me, I'll be sure to pay them back."

"So that's why you won't join the national team?"

"I want Li Yan to regret it—to kneel in front of me and beg me... well, that guy would actually do it. I shouldn't say things like that, because if he really did kneel, I'd be in a tough spot."

"Would that Li Yan really kneel and beg you?"

"He would. That guy will do anything to win."

...

The long-promised dinner at Rousseau's place finally happened on December 5th. Everyone tasted Rousseau's cooking and once again showered him with praise.

As for Juno, she felt that through a night of contact and getting to know each other, the relationship between her and Rousseau had made good progress. She was quietly delighted.

"Xiao Nuo, I have to remind you—no matter how well you chat with a man, it's not as good as holding hands, kissing, going to bed..." Zheng Ni said.

"You're really laying on the scandalous talk today!" Juno couldn't listen anymore.

"I also need to remind you—Rousseau has the Chengdu competition on the 10th, and that Ruan Mei, the one from Wang Liuhai's team, is going to follow along again. Don't be fooled by how delicate that little girl looks—men love that type. You need to get your act together." Zheng Ni said.

"Get my act together how? Should I go beat Ruan Mei up so she can't go?" Juno shook her head. She could never do something like that, even though she could certainly take Ruan Mei in a fight.

*Against the Gods*

"Then just go along with him too." Zheng Ni offered.

"I have to train. I need to clear 1.95 meters at the National Games. Rousseau can keep his performance up through such a dense schedule and even improve—he's a god. I can't do that." Juno said.

"Results, or the man?" Zheng Ni asked.

"Results." Juno answered crisply. "Same goes for Rousseau."

"Alright, you win. I've got nothing to say." Zheng Ni said. "I'll just say this much: you and Rousseau are both cut from the same cloth—not ordinary people."

"We're both going to be world champions~" Juno said. "Shared aspirations naturally attract each other."

...

Rousseau's home.

Late night.

In the darkness.

"Brother." Lu Xiaoyu hugged her blanket and came to Rousseau's room. "I'm scared."

The house was bigger now—one room per person—yet Lu Xiaoyu somehow missed the little room in the urban village, where she could sleep on the bunk beneath Rousseau and always felt so at ease.

"...Starting today, you're grown up. You can't sleep with your brother anymore." Rousseau said helplessly.

"Mhm!" Lu Xiaoyu curled up like a little puppy at the corner of Rousseau's bed, but she couldn't fall asleep. "Brother, do you like Sister Juno? Sister Juno seems to really like you."

*Like her?* Rousseau asked himself the question.

Of course he liked her—just as everyone in the world likes all things beautiful. You like the dazzling glow of sunset, the azure sea, the breeze brushing past your ear. Juno was one of those beautiful things.

Juno was even one of the psychological pillars that helped Rousseau stand against the injustice of Li Yan and the national team. Watching Juno enjoy the pure joy of competitive sport, Rousseau came to understand just how pure and joyful athletics could be.

"Yes, I do." Rousseau said.

"Then be bold and make a move!" Lu Xiaoyu, who apparently felt that Rousseau and Juno's romantic techniques were quite clumsy, added, "Ask Juno out. Spend time alone together. Hold hands. Kiss..."

*Little Fish, you know way too much...* Rousseau frowned. He was not about to have an elementary schooler teach him how to date.