Chapter 24

Zhen Bao went upstairs under the suspicious gaze of the building's auntie. Of course, the auntie probably didn't think much of it - Zhen Bao just had a guilty conscience.

"You're back!" Since college students sleep late, Qian LeLe and Fan Xuan were still watching their favorite drama. Seeing Zhen Bao come back, Qian LeLe jokingly said,

Zhen Bao felt rather awkward. If not back here, where else could she go?

Qian LeLe quickly changed the subject: "I bought some snow pears for you, left them on your desk. They're good for cooling down inner heat."

"Thanks!" Zhen Bao said with a smile, gently closing the door. Glancing up, it seemed like Jia Xiao Yu was asleep, no wonder Qian LeLe and the others had their headphones on.

Zhen Bao put down her bag, and took the big snow pear Qian LeLe gave her to the bathroom.

The lights were bright. In the mirror, her face was flushed, and her lips, apart from that blister, also seemed a little swollen.

Zhen Bao gently leaned against the door, closing her eyes.

The darkness of the parking garage, every kiss from Fu Ming Shi, floated clearly into her mind.

He first kissed her lips. She kept them tightly shut, but he kept kissing - her forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks, seeming to love every part of her. When he got to her ears, she felt unbearably ticklish, so he went back to kiss her lips, then tricked her into opening her mouth, forcefully and arrogantly...

"Sweet," he murmured after the kiss, his voice low and hoarse. If the angel of death had his voice then, I'm afraid everyone would be bewitched by him, willingly giving their lives over.

The memory ended. Zhen Bao carefully washed her face, then washed the snow pear.

After returning to her desk, she saw Fu Ming Shi had sent a message: Don't want to leave.

Zhen Bao's mind immediately conjured up a tall, lonely figure standing in the corner of the parking garage. One hand holding the pear, she replied: Go back soon, drive slowly.

With him by her side, she'd feel especially nervous. Not seeing him face to face, Zhen Bao was much calmer.

Fu Ming Shi: What are you doing?

Zhen Bao, sucking on some pear juice: Eating a pear, the one LeLe gave me.

In the parking garage several floors below, the light from his phone screen illuminated a small area, lighting up the handsome, gentle face of the man. Seeing his fiancee's reply, Fu Ming Shi laughed softly. That laugh soon became deep and meaningful as he texted back: I want to eat too.

Zhen Bao had just taken a bite of the pear. Seeing Fu Ming Shi say he wanted to eat it too, she froze for a second before replying: I'll have Auntie Wang buy some tomorrow.

Fu Ming Shi laughed: I want to eat yours.

As a first-time girlfriend, Zhen Bao had no experience and didn't realize Fu Ming Shi was flirting with her. She peered at the pear she'd just taken a few bites of, then earnestly asked: Are you still in the parking garage?

Fu Ming Shi's heart stirred: Are you coming down?

Zhen Bao: No, you can stand below our building and I'll throw the pear down to you.

After kissing for so long, he must be thirsty.

Fu Ming Shi laughed again. After thinking for a bit, he said: Okay, come out to the balcony first, you can take another bite.

Zhen Bao laughed too. She put down her phone and went to borrow a fruit knife from Qian LeLe. Eyes glued to her screen, Qian LeLe told her to just take it herself. Zhen Bao washed the fruit knife first, then cut off the part she'd bitten before grabbing her phone and the rest of the big pear and heading out to the balcony.

There were streetlights below, and Fu Ming Shi was already standing there, head tilted back.

Although they were separated by several meters, Zhen Bao still felt a little embarrassed. Fu Ming Shi put away his phone and gestured for her to throw the pear down.

Zhen Bao smiled. She estimated the distance then lightly tossed it downward.

Fu Ming Shi took a couple steps back and easily caught it.

Zhen Bao breathed a sigh of relief, resting her arms on the railing to watch him.

Fu Ming Shi took a bite of the pear and called her: "Not as sweet as you."

Zhen Bao shrank back, hiding where he couldn't see her. "Go on now," she said.

Fu Ming Shi looked up at the balcony: "Let me see you once more, then I'll go."

His words were so gentle and ambiguous that Zhen Bao's ears tingled. She ended the call first, ducked her head shyly for a bit before slowly coming back out to the balcony. The indoor lights shone out, turning her light blue knit sweater almost white. Head lowered, her sweet face was indistinct.

Fu Ming Shi watched her steadily. For a moment, he wanted to call for her to jump down into his arms.

After letting him look plenty, Zhen Bao steeled her heart and waved him away, hiding again.

With his fiancee gone, Fu Ming Shi stood there a few more minutes before slowly turning to leave, eating the pear as he walked off campus.

Zhen Bao didn't move, soon seeing Fu Ming Shi's tall, lonely figure appear on the main road. She kept watching until he finally disappeared from her view.

The autumn wind was cool, but her heart felt warm. She'd never imagined falling in love, yet here it came, natural and unforced.

Satisfied with being alone for now, Zhen Bao turned back. Glancing over, she saw Jia Xiao Yu coming down the bunk bed ladder inside, while Qian LeLe pointed at the half-eaten pear on the table, saying who knows what. Hardening herself, Zhen Bao went back in. Qian LeLe immediately interrogated her, "Where's that half a pear? You gave it to your Ming Shi?"

Living with their constant teasing, Zhen Bao was starting to figure out how to deal with it - don't confirm or deny anything, just smile and lower her head.

"Why did I have to wake up and suffer this torment! I should've held it until morning!" Jia Xiao Yu charged over, hair a mess, to shake Zhen Bao, then went "ahhh" to the bathroom to deal with her period, yelling through the door, "It was just half a pear! I'll buy my own tomorrow!"

Worried she'd come out and keep making a racket, Zhen Bao got into bed early.

Before falling asleep, she received a message from Fu Ming Shi: Good night, see you tomorrow.

Zhen Bao was about to doze off, but staring at the "see you tomorrow" gave her a sudden jolt of awareness. She quickly replied: This weekend?

Fu Ming Shi: I don't have afternoon classes tomorrow... Don't worry, no kissing tomorrow.

Zhen Bao flipped her phone over, slowly rolled onto her side facing the wall, her whole little face red.

~

Zhen Bao had morning classes. After class, she walked out with her three roommates. Leaving the classroom building, Zhen Bao was chatting with Jia Xiao Yu, who had looped their arms together, when Qian LeLe suddenly nudged her and said, "Zhen Bao, isn't that your Ming Shi?"

Zhen Bao was shocked. Looking up, she did indeed see Fu Ming Shi, tall and big, standing by her bike, wearing a white jacket, his profile coldly handsome. Probably hearing the student hubbub, he casually glanced their way, eyes quickly sweeping over them before landing squarely on her.

Zhen Bao saw him smile, like the melting of early spring ice and snow. Compared to the neat suit when they first met in her hometown, he was a completely different person now.

"Tsk tsk, having a boyfriend really is the best!" Jia Xiao Yu let go of Zhen Bao's arm and went to hug Qian LeLe instead, looking at Zhen Bao with envy and hate.

Fu Ming Shi was indeed holding a shopping bag of pears!

With classmates behind her, Zhen Bao hurried over to Fu Ming Shi. He'd asked for her class schedule when school started, so finding this area wasn't strange.

After last night's long kiss and even a tongue kiss, seeing each other again now, Zhen Bao kept her head low the entire time. "Why did you come at this time?" She'd assumed he would only come in the evening, since Fu Ming Shi still had work in the afternoon.

"To have lunch with you." Fu Ming Shi looked down at the corner of her mouth. Seeing that annoying blister had faded quite a bit, he laughed softly, "The snow pear's fire-cooling effect seems pretty good."

Zhen Bao glared at him.

Fu Ming Shi put the pears in her bike basket and walked her bike back to her dorm building. This scene was seen not only by Qian LeLe, Feng Yue and other freshman and sophomore classmates, but also by the two sophomore classes that came out afterward. Meng Ji Ning knew Zhen Bao had morning classes today. The moment class ended, he rushed out of the classroom, hoping to run into her while going downstairs. He didn't expect that all the way out of the classroom building, he would see Zhen Bao being lovey-dovey with her boyfriend again.

If a girl liked him only because he was rich, Meng Ji Ning would never accept that. But if he liked a girl first, and his family background was the only advantage he had over her current boyfriend, then Meng Ji Ning could only use that background as a chip to try and win her.

Because he was watching the couple, Meng Ji Ning accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry..." He quickly looked away and apologized, only to find, to his surprise, that it was someone he knew.

"What a coincidence, you have classes here too?" Feng Yue greeted him happily.

Meng Ji Ning smiled and nodded.

Seeing he was alone, Feng Yue chatted with Meng Ji Ning very naturally as they walked to the cafeteria together. "Just now, Zhen Bao's boyfriend came to pick her up again. Did you see? Her boyfriend treats her so well, comes by every other day. But Zhen Bao is so pretty, if I were him I'd be nervous too, afraid of her being snatched away by someone else."

Meng Ji Ning just smiled without responding. If he were Zhen Bao's boyfriend, he would treat her even better.

~

Fu Ming Shi kept his word, leaving after having lunch with Zhen Bao, without any touching.

Zhen Bao went back to her dorm and distributed two pears each to her roommates.

As they ate pears and chatted, Zhen Bao's phone rang. She grabbed it and saw it was Meng Ji Ning.

Zhen Bao answered right there in the dorm room.

"I'm planning a hometown gathering activity, going hiking this Saturday. Do you have time? My treat, just come play. " On the call, Meng Ji Ning sounded familiar and casual.

Zhen Bao was somewhat interested in a hometown meetup, but hearing it was Meng Ji Ning treating them, she declined, "Oh, I'm busy that day..."

"A date with Ming Shi?" Meng Ji Ning laughed, interrupting her. "You can bring family. Don't miss this chance to gather with fellow hometown folks. Think about it, I'm going to let Feng Yue know too."

Then he immediately hung up.

"Who was that?" Jia Xiao Yu asked curiously.

Zhen Bao told the truth.

Jia Xiao Yu had originally suspected Meng Ji Ning of having indecent intentions toward Zhen Bao. Now hearing that family could come along, she urged, "Then go have fun! We're all from the same hometown, plus someone's treating, just remember to bring Ming Shi."

Zhen Bao was still hesitating when Feng Yue's voice suddenly sounded outside their door.

Zhen Bao went to open it.

Feng Yue hugged her excitedly: "Meng Ji Ning also called you right? Go on Zhen Bao, let's go together to liven things up!" Meng Ji Ning said there weren't many girls going and hoped she could persuade Zhen Bao to come along. Feng Yue guessed Meng Ji Ning most wanted to invite Zhen Bao. She was a little unhappy at first, but when she heard Meng Ji Ning was willing to bring along Zhen Bao's boyfriend, Feng Yue was happy to see things work out. That way, Zhen Bao could flaunt her relationship in front of everyone with her boyfriend, and Meng Ji Ning would surely give up his pursuit.

Feng Yue enthusiastically coaxed Zhen Bao, who felt a little awkward declining, so she used Fu Ming Shi as an excuse, "Let me ask him first."

"Ok, ask him now," Feng Yue urged. In case Zhen Bao's boyfriend didn't agree, she could persuade him.

Pressed by Feng Yue, Zhen Bao had no choice but to call Fu Ming Shi from the balcony.

Fu Ming Shi was still on his way back to the company. Seeing it was a call from Zhen Bao, he immediately picked up. After learning about Meng Ji Ning's autumn trip plans, and his willingness to generously cover food and lodging, Fu Ming Shi laughed ambiguously, "Since it's an alumni gathering, let's go together. Ask when it is, and I'll come meet up with you guys on Saturday."

Zhen Bao could sense Fu Ming Shi's mood seemed quite good.

Since Fu Ming Shi was willing to go have fun, Zhen Bao hung up and nodded at Feng Yue, who had been hovering nearby.

Feng Yue happily left, taking with her the two pears Zhen Bao had given her.

A few minutes after Feng Yue left, Meng Ji Ning called Zhen Bao to confirm. Having obtained Zhen Bao's affirmation, Meng Ji Ning's lips curled up into a smile. Only then did he start looking online for attractions and hotels, while contacting other alumni from their province. By nighttime, everything was arranged. Meng Ji Ning made an itinerary and sent it to everyone.

Zhen Bao opened the image and briefly looked through it before forwarding it to Fu Ming Shi.

Fu Ming Shi was drinking coffee. Seeing this itinerary, he was strangely rather looking forward to it.