Walking out of the school gate, Xu Lin didn’t ask Ji Yun to wait for him. Mostly because Ji Yun probably wouldn’t want to wait, anyway.
“Maybe I should swing by the market and pick up some pork ribs, so Mom can make something nourishing,” he muttered to himself.
As soon as he said that, he remembered how his dad went to a gathering a few days ago, driving the Hongqi sedan Chu Fengyi had prepared for him.
Turns out, when he got there, most of the people hadn’t driven because they planned to drink.
What was supposed to be a way to save face ended up being awkward instead. Hardly anyone had brought a car.
In the end, though, he still managed to show off a little. When it was time to leave, someone who hadn’t been drinking offered him a ride. That’s when they spotted the car Chu Fengyi had prepared.
Everyone started chatting about it, and just as things were wrapping up, a Rolls-Royce Phantom—another of Chu Fengyi’s arrangements—pulled up to take him home.
It was like fulfilling one of his dad’s youthful dreams, or rather, a dream shared by most men.
But when he got back to the office, it turned into a barrage of questions—even his boss called him over for a chat.
In the end, he could only say it was a relative’s kid helping him save face. Even he hadn’t expected this level of attention.However, the whole ordeal led to an increase in people trying to borrow money or take advantage, leaving his dad feeling quite stressed.
These past couple of days, whenever Xu Lin saw him, his dad’s face was clouded with regret. He was probably cursing himself for insisting on borrowing a car to show off in the first place.
Xu Lin walked a few steps further. With no one to keep him company, he glanced at the bus stop sign and started heading in that direction.
Just then, headlights flashed behind him. A white sedan pulled up and the window rolled down.
“Get in,” a familiar voice called out.
“Oh, Teacher Su. I should head home to change first.”
“No need. Doesn’t Sister Qin have clothes you can wear?”
“You’re going to Qin Yunhe’s place?”
“Yeah, and don’t call her ‘Qin Yunhe’ like that—I call her Sister Qin, you little punk.”
“Fine, next time I’ll call her Yunhe? Or Darling? Or might Wifey?”
“F*ck! I knew nothing good ever comes out of your mouth!”
“Teacher Su, keep it classy. You’re a teacher! How can you be so uncouth?”
“You’re the one who riles me up! Now get in, we’re heading to Sister Qin’s place first.”
After getting in and buckling up, Xu Lin turned his head to look at Su Qingwan, saying nothing.
She continued driving toward Qin Yunhe’s house, but after a few minutes of Xu Lin silently staring at her, she couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Because you’re pretty. Shouldn’t I look at you more?”
“Then why didn’t you join me for a bath that time?”
“You’re still hung up on that?”
To be fair, Su Qingwan’s boldness that day had left him stunned. Thankfully, he had managed to hold his ground.
“Things with Qin Yunhe happened accidentally, but if I were to initiate something with you, that would be entirely on me.
It’s not just about explaining it to others; even just between you and Qin Yunhe, how could I justify it? How would you two even get along in the future?”
“So you’re saying it’s not that you wouldn’t take responsibility?”
“Of course not. You can ask Qin Yunhe what I said after we sobered up.”
“I did ask. She said you almost made her cry, she was so moved.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Truth be told, Xu Lin had never seen Qin Yunhe cry. Even that night, she was more like a fierce leopard.
“It’s true… You can ask her yourself later.”
“If I made her cry, that’s on me. I wasn’t firm enough, and in the end, she probably decided to take the initiative and tell me I didn’t need to take responsibility.”
“If she had said yes back then, would you really have married her?” Su Qingwan turned to glance at him. Though the words stung, they only made her like Xu Lin even more.
A man who was willing to take responsibility was far better than those so-called ‘high-quality’ guys who didn’t even know the meaning of the word.
“Bring her home to meet my parents, then cut off all lingering feelings with Ji Yun and the others. The parents on both sides meet, get engaged after graduation, then get married.”
“You’re really willing to give up an entire meadow for just one blade of grass?”
“Yes.” Xu Lin’s simple and firm response brought a sense of calm to Su Qingwan’s heart.
When they arrived at Qin Yunhe’s place, the moment they stepped inside, they saw her wearing an apron, seemingly cooking.
“What’s made you decide to cook today?”
“Even if it’s not great, it still needs to be done. Ordering takeout all the time gets way too greasy. Are you two here to stage a coup against me or something?”
“A coup?”
Su Qingwan gave her best friend a puzzled look. Qin Yunhe waved it off, signaling it wasn’t worth explaining.
“By the way, weren’t you supposed to meet someone?”
Xu Lin, making himself right at home, walked to the fridge and opened it, rummaging through its contents.
He eventually pulled out a bag of beef jerky and a can of soda.
“Don’t drink my soda. That’s my last one.”
“I’ll buy you a whole case next time.”
“Alright then.”
“You can have the first sip. It’s always the best.”
Xu Lin handed the soda over. Qin Yunhe practically skipped over like a child, took it, and popped it open.
After taking the first sip, she handed it back to Xu Lin, who continued drinking.
“Minty… Did you just brush your teeth?”
“Wow, sharp taste buds.”
“Well, haven’t I kissed your lips a few times before?”
“Alright, alright, you two! Enough!”
Su Qingwan shouted, her tone full of frustration as she stared at them with a slightly aggrieved expression.
“Don’t be mad,” Qin Yunhe said with a laugh as she walked over and hugged her friend from behind.
“I’m not mad…”
“Here, have a sip of the soda.” Xu Lin offered the drink to her, earning an exasperated glare in return.
“Go check on your food.”
“Oh shoot, I almost forgot!”
Qin Yunhe quickly ran off to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Su Qingwan’s mind drifted back to what had been said earlier.
“You mentioned Qin Yunhe was meeting someone?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You totally did when we came in!” Su Qingwan’s round, pretty eyes stared at him accusingly, clearly not letting it slide.
“Fine, I’ll tell you. You can stay and join their chat if you want. Ji Yun is coming over—not anyone else.”
“Student Ji Yun?…”
“Yeah. She knows about… that.”
“You told her?!” Su Qingwan’s eyes widened in shock. How bold could Xu Lin be?
“Yeah, but she’s understanding and won’t make a fuss. Don’t worry.”
“You’re so carefree. Just imagining that scene gives me anxiety. I couldn’t handle it.”
“You’re a teacher, afraid of a student?”
“It’s not fear—you wouldn’t understand~”
Su Qingwan waved him off, snatching the soda from Xu Lin’s hand and downing it to suppress her discomfort.
“Let’s go.”
“To your place?”
“Yeah.”
Su Qingwan nodded and called out toward the kitchen, “I’m taking Xu Lin to change clothes, and then we’ll head to my place, okay?”
“Alright! Aren’t you staying to hang out for a bit?”
“Quick trip, he has work tonight.”
“True, go ahead then.”
Hearing Qin Yunhe’s response, Su Qingwan gave Xu Lin a little shove. “Go change already.”
“Okay.”
But just as Xu Lin entered the bedroom, there was a knock at the door. Su Qingwan stood up and walked over.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Ji Yun,” a sweet voice replied.
“Ugh… failed escape, huh?”
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