Cao Yu got out of his warm bed early in the morning and carefully moved the long legs that were draped over him.
After getting dressed, I quietly opened the door and left the dormitory.
It was around 5:30 in the morning. Since it wasn't yet time for him to get up, Cao Yu didn't run into anyone at the stairwell and easily left the girls' dormitory.
After a while, Ju Zi woke up groggily, but when she reached out, she found that she had grasped empty air.
Ju Zi opened her eyes in confusion and looked around, only to realize that Cao Yu had already left.
"Sigh, I might as well sleep a little longer."
After Cao Yu left, she felt an emptiness. She closed her eyes, intending to sleep a little longer, but she tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.
Sure enough, once you get used to sleeping together, it's a bit difficult to go back to that kind of life.
After coming out, Cao Yu didn't rush to the cafeteria for a meal, since the food might not be ready yet at this time.
He decided to go back to his dorm and take another nap, and then headed towards the boys' dorm.
He soon arrived at the corridor on the sixth floor of the dormitory, opened the door, and saw Ice Empress lying on his bed sleeping.
What happened to sleeping on the sofa?
Upon noticing someone enter, Ice Empress slightly opened her eyes to take a look, but after seeing that it was Cao Yu, she closed her eyes again and went back to sleep.
Fortunately, he slept at Ju Zi's place every night, so he didn't have to fight her for a bed.
In contrast, Meng Hongchen didn't have the courage to take him to her dormitory to sleep. Only on weekends would Meng Hongchen invite him to a hotel to spend time alone together.
Time always flies when you're at the academy.
Before long, Cao Yu was greeted with a long holiday, which also meant that he had finished a year of study at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
During this summer vacation, Meng Hongchen and Cao Yu had already agreed to go back to her hometown together, which meant visiting her father and mother-in-law.
"Meng, are you really sure buying all this is enough?" Cao Yu was carrying a large bag of freshly purchased groceries, including everything that ran on the ground, flew in the sky, and swam in the water.
In addition, there are many vegetarian dishes, which are stored using Soul Tool to extend their shelf life.
"Should we buy some more wine and jewelry?" The two walked into a jewelry store, where Cao Yu had already started selecting items.
Looking at the dazzling array of jewelry in front of the counter, reflecting a bright brilliance in the sunlight, it was clear at a glance that they were not cheap.
Meng Hongchen shook his hand and said, "Don't waste your money. My mother doesn't like these things. Buying them for her would be a waste."
"It's alright, let's buy some, otherwise I'll feel awkward going."
"I just can't do anything with you." Meng Hongchen said helplessly as she helped him choose.
After a while, Cao Yu specially selected the finest necklace and put it around Meng Hongchen's neck.
"You..." Meng Hongchen looked at him in surprise. She really didn't expect Cao Yu to suddenly give her such a surprise.
"Do you like it?" Seeing the somewhat tempted look on her face, Meng Hongchen was about to take off the necklace when Cao Yu grabbed her arm.
"It looks great on you, so don't take it off."
After selecting a few more pieces of jewelry, Cao Yu readily paid around 100,000 Gold Soul Coin.
After leaving the shop, Meng Hongchen pouted and said, "You spend money too fast! Don't squander it all!"
"What will you do when you're so poor you don't even have pants to wear? Humph!"
Cao Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud, pinching her chubby cheeks and saying, "Don't worry about that."
Ye City is a small border town of the Sun Moon Empire. Compared to Mingdu, it lacks the prosperity and liveliness of the latter.
Only a few pedestrians can be seen on the streets. The most beautiful scenery here is the stone bridge and the rivers that intertwine on both sides of the street.
In short, Ye City is a small town built along the water.
Standing on the stone bridge, Cao Yu leaned on the railing and couldn't help but look down. There were many small fish swimming on the clear water.
There were also many ducks and other poultry catching small fish in the water.
"This place is so beautiful. How come I never knew this place existed before?"
Looking at the surrounding scenery, Cao Yu couldn't help but sigh, which reminded him of the famous water city from his previous life.
However, this place lacks some of the ancient charm and the liveliness of that place.
"How is it? Beautiful, isn't it?" After returning to her hometown, Meng Hongchen's mood became more cheerful, and she smiled more often.
Cao Yu smiled and said, "The water here is beautiful, the scenery is beautiful, and the people are even more beautiful."
"Oh, so glib." Although she said that to him, Meng Hongchen's face still couldn't help but turn red.
Meng Hongchen held his hand tightly, and the two of them walked across the stone bridge together, leaning on each other.
"In recent years, many people have moved away from here, most of them buying houses in Mingdu. The town is becoming increasingly deserted. When I was a child, this place was very lively, but now I hardly run into any familiar faces."
As Meng Hongchen walked, she introduced the surrounding area of Ye City to Cao Yu.
"And what about you?" Cao Yu asked, following her gaze. By then, the two had already walked some distance.
However, the houses on both sides of the road were tightly closed, and many of the roof beams were covered with cobwebs, indicating that no one had visited or cleaned them for a long time.
Meng Hongchen said softly, "My parents are reluctant to leave, and my grandfather's attempts to persuade them were to no avail."
After crossing several more stone bridges, a somewhat ornate building appeared before Cao Yu.
The house has three floors, and is surrounded by a wall more than two meters high.
At that moment, a middle-aged couple was standing at the door. When they saw Meng Hongchen return, they happily ran over.
Meng Hongchen waved her hands and shouted happily, "Dad, Mom, your daughter is back! Aren't you happy?"
The woman hugged her tightly, "Meng, I missed you so much!"
The middle-aged man stood to the side and smiled with satisfaction at the scene. However, when he saw Cao Yu standing next to Meng Hongchen, his face immediately fell.
The two stared at each other silently for a while, until the middle-aged man, unable to contain himself any longer, finally asked, "Who are you?"
"Greetings, Father-in-law!"
"Huh!" The middle-aged man was immediately startled, and even the woman beside him looked up in surprise, then glanced at Meng Hongchen and asked, "Meng, when did you get a boyfriend?"
Faced with her mother's questioning, Meng Hongchen lowered her head shyly and murmured, "Just this semester."
Then Meng Hongchen pulled Cao Yu over, and the two held hands tightly. Meng Hongchen introduced him to her parents, "This is my boyfriend, Cao Yu."
Meng Hongchen gently tugged at Cao Yu's sleeve and whispered, " Cao Yu, hurry up and say hello to my parents."
Cao Yu immediately sprang into action, taking out the prepared gifts and saying, "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, these are gifts your son-in-law has prepared for you."
Before the two could recover from their surprise, Cao Yu slipped the wine and the necklace into their hands.
(End of this chapter)