Chapter 20

After Fu Ming Shi bathed, he told Auntie Wang to simply stir fry a couple dishes before going upstairs.

Zhen Bao was free, so she went to the kitchen to help out by rinsing rice and cooking porridge.

Fu Ming Shi had just gotten off the plane after a tiring journey, and most likely didn’t have much of an appetite. Auntie Wang specially quick-cooked a small bok choy dish to stimulate his appetite, and then steamed a fish. Right after putting the fish in the steamer, she heard Fu Ming Shi coming downstairs. Auntie Wang smiled at Zhen Bao, “Mr. Fu is busy, Miss should go keep Mr. Fu company - he’ll be off for winter break before coming back again.”

After steaming the rice, Zhen Bao was free, but she liked watching Auntie Wang cook, so she lingered around. Now that Fu Ming Shi was downstairs, she of course had to go accompany him, especially since Fu Ming Shi had rushed back specifically to send her back to campus.

Walking out of the kitchen, she saw Fu Ming Shi sitting on the sofa. He had changed into a casual black sweater, and was wearing sneakers on his feet. His clothes were very ordinary, but his features and bearing were exceptional. Sitting in the high-class decorated villa living room, calmly sipping tea - every movement showed his genteel upbringing.

However, when Blackie came bounding over with her Elizabethan collar on, and Fu Ming Shi laughed as he picked Blackie up to check on her recovery - the noble air around him suddenly disappeared. It was like the unattainable person had removed his halo, allowing ordinary commoners to approach.

"I told Auntie Wang to bring Blackie for a follow up in a couple days."

As she sat down on the sofa opposite Fu Ming Shi, Zhen Bao spoke at the same time.

"I'll take her when I have time." Fu Ming Shi stroked Blackie's head, raising his eyes to look at her, "Being by yourself here these past few days, aren't you bored?"

Zhen Bao smiled, "It's not bad. I downloaded a bunch of movies I didn't have time to watch at school, and watched them all these past few days."

Fu Ming Shi thought about how he had thought about her every day he was in Guangzhou. His gaze became complicated again.

Zhen Bao's phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and saw it was Jia Xiao Yu.

Zhen Bao shushed Fu Ming Shi and walked farther away to answer the call.

"Zhen Bao, how come you still haven't returned to campus? Don't tell me you've been canoodling with your boyfriend every day, unwilling to come back?" Jia Xiao Yu's voice was very loud, and her barrage of questions echoed around the spacious living room.

Fu Ming Shi's lips turned up at the corners.

Zhen Bao hurriedly explained, "I haven't eaten dinner yet, I'll go back after eating."

Jia Xiao Yu: "Eating with who?"

Zhen Bao: ......

She was still hesitating on whether to lie, when Jia Xiao Yu's sly laughter suddenly transmitted over, "Tell Ming Shi, I helped air out your quilt, if he really wants to thank me, buying me a milk tea will do, hmm, I want mango milk tea. Don't you dare forget, or don't think about coming back into our dorm room!"

There were two milk tea shops near A University. One of them had Jia Xiao Yu's favorite mango milk tea.

Zhen Bao had already forgotten about the airing out quilts matter. Her considerate roommate, Zhen Bao decided she would treat by buying the milk tea herself. After deciding to take the college entrance exam, Zhen Bao had prepared an accounting booklet. Starting from when she took the exam, every cent Fu Ming Shi spent specifically for her - like the 10,000 in her meal card, Blackie's surgery fees, tuition - she recorded it all down. After graduating and earning money, she planned to pay him back in full, including the huge monthly amounts Fu Ming Shi deposited into her card.

Her original intention in coming to the capital was to comfort Grandpa Fu. She could accept the Fu family providing her lodging, airfare, and meals with a clear conscience. But going to university was for her own benefit, so Zhen Bao could not just blindly accept Fu Ming Shi's financial support.

Putting her phone away, Zhen Bao nonchalantly went back to sit on the sofa. She smiled at Fu Ming Shi, "My roommate was asking when I'm going back."

Fu Ming Shi indifferently hmmed, as if he hadn't heard Jia Xiao Yu's words.

~ After eating dinner, it was already past 8 o'clock. Fu Ming Shi drove her back, and in order to be low-key, he had specially bought a black Mercedes-Benz. He parked near A University, and they walked the rest of the way.

"It'll get colder and colder, remember to buy yourself a few pieces when shopping with your roommate." Having witnessed just how frugal she was, Fu Ming Shi was a little worried.

"I know." Clothes were a necessity, Zhen Bao would definitely buy them. She couldn't keep wearing short sleeves in autumn and winter, right? Fu Ming Shi looked at her little hands peeking out from her sleeves, then shifted his gaze away.

The milk tea shop was right in front. Zhen Bao stopped and softly advised, "Go back early."

"Let me buy you milk tea." Fu Ming Shi laughed and put his arm around her shoulders, pushing her towards the milk tea shop.

Zhen Bao discovered a pattern - every time Fu Ming Shi suggested going somewhere, he would casually put his arm around her. In order to reduce the amount of time he held her, Zhen Bao quickly twisted out from under his arm, and briskly walked towards the milk tea shop first. Fu Ming Shi just laughed. Hands in his pockets, he followed behind her.

Zhen Bao ordered a red bean milk tea.

Fu Ming Shi asked for the same as her after looking at the menu, then asked her, "Jia Xiao Yu wanted mango, what do your other two roommates like to drink?"

Only then did Zhen Bao realize he had heard everything. Her face flushed red as she grabbed the menu, "I'm paying."

Fu Ming Shi didn't fight her for it, but he stretched out his arm to pull her to him, and slightly raised his voice, "How can I let my girlfriend pay when we're out on a date?"

The male server was still waiting at the window for their order. Seeing their intimate laughter, Zhen Bao's face grew even redder. She quickly slipped out from under Fu Ming Shi's arm and rushed over to the milk tea shop first. She softly reported her roommates' favorite flavors - 5 milk teas in total. The server asked if they wanted to drink it here. Zhen Bao was already late returning to campus today, and didn't want to delay any further. She shook her head - all to-go.

Fu Ming Shi could only get his to-go as well. After paying, he insisted on walking Zhen Bao downstairs with the 5 milk tea bags in hand.

Zhen Bao didn't have a choice.

There were two entrances into the dorm building lobby. The main door had a lot of foot traffic and was very bright even when no one was around. There was also the entrance from the bike parking area. It was dimly lit inside, and you had to walk several dozen seconds before reaching the lobby side door.

The main door was closer if you were coming from the cafeteria or classroom buildings. But if you were returning from outside, it was actually shorter to walk through the bike parking area.

Normally after class, Zhen Bao and her roommates always took this route. The parking area was still quite bright during the day.

Returning today, Zhen Bao habitually led Fu Ming Shi through the parking area. The lobby side door was about 20-30 steps away, the bright lights from inside already illuminating out.

"Here." Halfway there, Fu Ming Shi suddenly stopped and held out the milk teas to Zhen Bao.

Zhen Bao lowered her head. Her left hand held two bags, her right hand took two more. After splitting them up evenly, she laughed and raised her head, about to bid Fu Ming Shi goodbye. But she had just looked up at Fu Ming Shi's chest when the man suddenly stepped forward. His left arm that was holding the milk tea wrapped around behind her back, pulling her into his embrace, while his right hand pressed down on the top of her head.

Zhen Bao instinctively closed her eyes.

The world went dark, something pressed down on her lips.

Her body stiffened. The milk tea bags slowly slipped down. Right as the 4 milk teas were about to drop, the girl's hands clutched them tight again. But her body remained rigidly leaning against the man's chest, forced to crane her head back, heart flustered as she endured this sudden kiss.

She tasted a faint minty flavor, remembering he had popped a piece of gum after getting out of the car, and had even asked her if she wanted one. She hadn't wanted any.

"So cold... Let's go, let's go..."

Two girls walked in arm in arm from outside. After walking several steps they noticed the couple kissing up ahead. Looking closely, the two girls hurriedly changed direction and quickened their footsteps to give them privacy. After walking some distance away, the two girls glanced at each other, unable to hold back their smiles. Easygoing, good-natured smiles, and perhaps, also a hint of envy.

Hearing those laughs, Zhen Bao pushed him away in panic and fled into the lobby like she was running for her life. Carrying the milk teas, she raced up the stairs to the third floor before stopping to catch her breath, panting heavily as she leaned against the wall. It took a long time for her breathing to slowly calm down. But it seemed like his gentle touch still lingered on her lips, like a spring breeze blowing into her heart, like feathers lightly caressing her face.

Zhen Bao lowered her head.

He really... kissed her.

Without any warning, why did he suddenly kiss her? And they were seen by others...

Hearing a door open in the corridor, Zhen Bao pressed the back of her hand to her cheek, trying hard to shake the kiss out of her mind. She headed to her dorm first. She had just knocked when Jia Xiao Yu rushed over and pulled open the door. Seeing the 4 milk teas in her hands, Jia Xiao Yu guffawed loudly and called over her shoulder into the room, "Didn't I say so? Handsome Shi definitely bought 4 drinks!"

Qian LeLe and Fan Xuan came over together to say thanks.

Zhen Bao always blushed easily. Her face was flushed red now, but her 3 roommates didn't think much of it.

Zhen Bao tried hard to act like nothing had happened. She went back to her seat to drink her milk tea. She had just inserted the straw when Fu Ming Shi called. Jia Xiao Yu hugged her milk tea and sidled over. Seeing Zhen Bao directly decline the call, Jia Xiao Yu's eyes widened as she asked, "Why aren't you answering?"

Before Zhen Bao could reply, the phone rang again. Not wanting to attract her roommates' attention, Zhen Bao grabbed her phone and went out to the balcony. After sliding the glass door closed, she looked at her phone, but still declined Fu Ming Shi's call. She felt very flustered and confused inside, and didn't know how to face Fu Ming Shi right now if she answered. Plus, she still hadn't figured out what to do about Fu Ming Shi's sneak attack kiss.

Ding - a new WeChat message.

Leaning against the corner, Zhen Bao slid open the screen.

Fu Ming Shi: Come downstairs.

Those two words left Zhen Bao staring at the screen for a long time before replying: You should leave.

Fu Ming Shi leaned against the dorm building's backside shadow. Seeing the message, it was as he had expected. Fu Ming Shi helplessly shook his head - Come downstairs, I have something to say to you.

Zhen Bao didn't want to see him: I'm going to sleep.

Fu Ming Shi read their short conversation back and forth. But with so few words from her, he couldn't judge her current mood. Was she shy or angry? She was so innocent and conservative, even fastening her seatbelt made her blush from embarrassment. What if she had cried because of his stolen kiss?

Fu Ming Shi called again.

Zhen Bao continued to reject his call.

Fu Ming Shi was out of options. He switched to messaging, and had even typed out "I like you" but his thumb hovered over send. He stared at the screen, deleting the words one by one. He liked her, he had already been attracted by her innocence and silliness on the flight back to the capital. But this was the first time his heart was moved, and he didn't want to confess to her through a short message.

On the balcony upstairs, a new message popped up: Angry?

Zhen Bao wasn't angry. She subconsciously replied: No.

Right after sending it and seeing that bare solitary word, that near instant reply, Zhen Bao immediately recalled it!

Recall successfully. Zhen Bao lightly breathed a sigh of relief. "Not angry" could be misunderstood as liking it or being willing to accept it. Although she really wasn't angry, Zhen Bao didn't want Fu Ming Shi to misunderstand. She, she needed time to think more, also, she still didn't know why Fu Ming Shi had kissed her. Maybe he had just been temporarily possessed?

Anyway, before Fu Ming Shi explained, she couldn't say the wrong thing.

Downstairs, Fu Ming Shi was trying to understand the meaning behind "No", when he discovered the word disappeared within one second. His screen then showed - 【"Feng Bao" recalled a message】

Fu Ming Shi laughed. How could there be such a silly girl?

First denying she was angry, then hurriedly recalling it, her psychological activities were revealed without omission.

Knowing she didn't dislike that kiss, he felt at ease.

Looking at her profile pic, Fu Ming Shi asked her: Really want me to leave?

Zhen Bao immediately replied: Mm.

She was thin-skinned. Fu Ming Shi chose to compromise: Then I'll come again tomorrow?

Zhen Bao bit her lip: Don't university sophomores have a lot of classes too?

He came too frequently, not like a student.

Fu Ming Shi reflected for a bit: Fine, I'll come see you on the weekend.

Zhen Bao didn't object further.

Fu Ming Shi stroked his lips, reluctant yet helpless. Then I'm leaving, study hard.

Zhen Bao: Mm.

Fu Ming Shi read through their chat record several times before putting away his phone. He took a sip of milk tea and walked out from the shadows. Keeping some distance from the dorm building, Fu Ming Shi looked back at the 307 dorm balcony. In the moment he turned around, it was like he saw a figure quickly moving back.

It should be... her?

Fu Ming Shi watched for a while longer, but when her figure didn't reappear, he really left this time.

The cheap red bean milk tea was sweet, but still far from comparing with the taste of her lips.