May 30th, Friday.
"Gurgle gurgle—pfft!"
After Chen Wen finished brushing his teeth, he moved aside to grab a towel so Jiang Qiuyi could rinse her mouth at the sink.
Once Jiang Qiuyi had finished brushing, Chen Wen handed her her towel while filling the washbasin with water and soaking his own towel.
"Have you finished the Interpreter?" Jiang Qiuyi hummed a little tune now and then, speaking a few words during the pauses.
"Mm." Chen Wen nodded and scrubbed his face with the wet towel. "When I get back today, I'll polish up the details, then apply the wood wax oil."
"Then can you make my Lambent Light first afterward?" Jiang Qiuyi lightly bumped Chen Wen's thigh with her hip, pleading softly.
Chen Wen had no particular preference regarding the order, so he naturally agreed.
After washing their faces, Jiang Qiuyi neatly put away both towels, arranged the toothbrushes, cups, and other items on the sink, then clapped her hands and walked out of the bathroom full of energy.
"I have classes both morning and afternoon today, but I'll come back for dinner~" Jiang Qiuyi said happily. "I consulted an expert again today, so I'll personally make dinner for you tonight~"
"Alright." Chen Wen answered, picked up both their backpacks from the sofa, habitually took Jiang Qiuyi's hand, and headed out with her to take the elevator downstairs.
They walked all the way to the entrance of the residential complex, hugged and cuddled for a while, then parted ways and headed to their respective schools.
Chen Wen only had two classes that morning: Financial Accounting and Financial Statement Analysis.
After attending class as usual, it was already noon.
When he arrived at the second-floor cafeteria on the east side of campus and took out his meal card to buy food, Chen Wen suddenly remembered Jiang Qiuyi's previous bonus video.
The ring he had made and given Jiang Qiuyi last time had appeared in that video, and sharp-eyed fans had noticed it.
At the time, the fans had not thought much of it. They had assumed that Jiang Qiuyi wearing the ring was meant to symbolize her close relationship with her million followers.
Now that nearly a week had passed, he wondered whether anything had changed.
Carrying his tray to an empty seat, Chen Wen took out his phone and pulled up Jiang Qiuyi's video.
The comment that had originally pointed out Jiang Qiuyi's ring had actually been boosted to the very top, which surprised Chen Wen.
Looking through the replies beneath it, aside from the initial amazement and speculation, most of the comments were from Taobao members.
"I'll come clean—actually, I gave her that ring. (doge)"
"Ah, sorry. I forgot to have my wife take it off. (doge)"
"Sorry, I told her to take it off at the time, but she absolutely refused. There was nothing I could do. She loves me too much. (doge)"
Seeing those comments, Chen Wen felt slightly relieved.
It seemed there was nothing to worry about for the time being.
Just then, a tray was set down beside him. He Ran, with short hair and two little braids tied at the sides, sat down with a smile. Her white legs beneath her short skirt angled toward Chen Wen as she asked:
"Master, Master~ No one's sitting here, right?"
"?" Chen Wen looked puzzled.
"Didn't you teach me how to make a ring last weekend, Senior? That makes you my master in handicrafts." He Ran said obediently.
"You're overthinking it. I don't take apprentices." Chen Wen shook his head and continued eating. "Just call me by my name."
"But I still don't know your name, Senior." He Ran asked slyly.
"Chen Wen."
"Got it, Master." He Ran smiled like a cunning little fox.
Chen Wen glanced at her without saying anything else, then continued eating on his own.
He Ran then tried to start a few more conversations, but Chen Wen dismissed them all with vague hums and acknowledgments, accomplishing absolutely nothing.
My Sweet Little Girlfriend: (Image)
My Sweet Little Girlfriend: I'm eating now. What about you?
Jiang Qiuyi had sent him a WeChat message.
Chen Wen: I'm halfway through.
My Sweet Little Girlfriend: What are you eating?
Chen Wen: Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, and braised lion's head meatballs.
My Sweet Little Girlfriend: Remember to eat the tomatoes too. Don't just eat the eggs.
Chen Wen: I'll try.
My Sweet Little Girlfriend: Are you eating alone? Not with your former roommates?
Chen Wen: I was alone, but there's a girl beside me now.
My Sweet Little Girlfriend: (Alert.JPG)
My Sweet Little Girlfriend: Who is it?
Chen Wen: Forgot.
Chen Wen: The one who came to our place last weekend.
My Sweet Little Girlfriend: Oh~ Si Jiao Ji's younger sister.
Far away at the Music Academy, the moment Jiang Qiuyi saw the words "our place," the corners of her lips immediately curled into a smile.
My Sweet Little Girlfriend: Does she need something from you?
Chen Wen: Not at the moment. She just keeps talking. It's a little noisy.
My Sweet Little Girlfriend: I'm going to eat first. I have class right away this afternoon, so I need to hurry.
Chen Wen: Mm.
Setting down his phone, Chen Wen lowered his head and continued eating. He Ran asked curiously beside him, "Was that Senior Qiuyi? Checking in on you on schedule?"
"Just chatting."
Chen Wen remained indifferent, since he was usually like this anyway.
If the person talking to him was not extremely proactive, they would barely get through a sentence or two before the conversation sank into silence and awkwardness.
Because Chen Wen had grown accustomed to this state of affairs, the other person was ultimately the only one who felt awkward. That was why Chen Wen did not have many friends at school.
He Ran naturally did not mind that. If anything, she found it challenging.
Even if she could not win over this senior, there was no harm in building a good relationship first.
It was not as though she had some ulterior motive. She had simply happened to spot Chen Wen, and of course she would not miss the chance to have a meal with such a treasure of a senior.
But after she had continued chatting for only a couple more sentences, Chen Wen had already finished eating and stood up to return his tray.
Seeing this, He Ran hurriedly shoveled down a few bites, picked up her tray, and followed Chen Wen.
"Master, Master~ Do you have class this afternoon?"
"No."
He Ran's eyes lit up. After putting away her tray, she followed Chen Wen out of the cafeteria and pressed on:
"I recently joined the school's street dance club, and I'm planning to practice dancing this afternoon. Master, do you want to come watch?"
Chen Wen walked at an unhurried pace, heading straight toward the subway outside the school. "No."
"Huh?!" He Ran's eyes widened slightly. She had not expected even that to be refused. Her eyes shifted as she continued, "The street dance club is really close, and there's a milk tea shop right next to it. I'll treat you to milk tea, Master, and thank you for what happened last weekend."
"And you can see how the new dance I learned is while you're at it? It'll only take a few minutes."
"Master, Master~ It won't take up much of your time."
He Ran's innocent, pitiful pleas lingered by Chen Wen's ear, forcing him to stop walking.
"Master agreed?" A smile appeared in the corners of He Ran's eyes as she looked delighted.
"No. Wait a moment." Chen Wen took out his phone and called Jiang Qiuyi.
Beep~ Beep~ Beep~
The call connected. Chen Wen turned on speakerphone, and Jiang Qiuyi's puzzled voice came through from the other end:
"Hello? What's wrong? Why are you calling all of a sudden?"
[Bonus Theater]: Click the comments section to enjoy
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