Qin Lie is gone.
Before he left, he took Cheng Che's ID card, a copy of his household registration book, a passport photo, and a foreign card application form sent by Wilson.
He said these things could be done quickly.
Wilson was eager for Cheng Che to make a name for himself internationally; they would help him with visas and wildcard qualifications.
"Wait for my news." Qin Lie stood at the courtyard gate, glanced back at him, and said, "Three days at most."
"OK."
After Qin Lie left, Cheng Che returned to the room, picked up his phone, found Su Miaoyin's number, and dialed it.
The phone rang several times before it was answered.
A rustling sound came from Su Miaoyin's end, as if the phone had been rummaged through the blankets a few times before being retrieved.
"Hello..."
Her voice was a little hoarse, and the last syllable was drawn out.
Cheng Che frowned. "How are you now? Still have a headache? Has the fever gone down?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Su Miaoyin was lying on the bed, her phone screen still lit up with Cheng Che's hashtag page.
She had just come across a photo of Cheng Che playing tennis. The boy was running on the court, sweat dripping from his forehead, and it made her face flush.
Then her phone rang. She looked down and saw the name Cheng Che on the caller ID. She jumped out of bed.
She subconsciously looked around, assuming that Cheng Che was watching her from outside the window.
Then she snapped out of her daze, took a deep breath, and answered the phone.
Then she heard that voice.
"How is it now?"
The voice was low, as if it had a thin layer of magnetism.
It was different from how we talked in the music club, and it was different from discussing serious matters over the phone.
Its tone trailed off slightly, carrying an unintentional gentleness.
Su Miaoyin's body went limp instantly.
She raised her voice, making it soft and gentle. "I'm feeling better, the fever has gone down. Thank you."
Cheng Che got goosebumps listening to this on the other end of the phone.
He paused for a moment, then could only sigh inwardly: When girls are sick, they really do become incredibly vulnerable.
"Alright then," he said. "You get some rest tonight, I won't come over."
Upon hearing this, Su Miaoyin felt a surge of regret.
Driven by regret, she blurted out, "Could you bring me breakfast tomorrow morning...?"
"Sure," Cheng Che readily agreed. "What do you want to eat?"
Su Miaoyin thought for a moment, "Century egg and lean pork congee, steamed buns..."
"You have a fever, so don't eat meat," Cheng Che interrupted her. "I'll bring you something else tomorrow."
Then the call ended.
Su Miaoyin looked at the words "Call Ended" on the screen and subconsciously pouted.
"You're really meddling."
She tossed her phone next to the pillow, then flopped down onto it, burying her face in it and letting out a muffled laugh.
Hehehe...
The next morning.
Cheng Che bought a bowl of millet porridge, two boiled eggs, and a plate of stir-fried vegetables from a breakfast shop at the entrance of the residential area.
He packed his things, walked to the gate of Su Miaoyin's courtyard, and knocked on the door.
A series of hurried footsteps came from inside.
"Wait a moment!"
Cheng Che waited a few seconds, then took out his key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it.
The door opened.
He pushed the door open and went inside.
Su Miaoyin was standing in the middle of the living room, wearing a light pink nightgown, her hair loose, and her face clearly showing that she had just finished applying makeup.
The eyebrows are new, and there's a thin layer of lip gloss on the lips.
She was stunned when she saw Cheng Che push the door open and come in, then she remembered that he still had the key.
"You..."
Cheng Che looked at her, and was also taken aback for a moment.
Why are you wearing makeup when you're sick?
Su Miaoyin was so angry she wanted to bite her teeth.
She cursed inwardly: Who am I doing all this makeup up so early in the morning?! So clueless!
She hummed twice and turned her face away. "My fever has gone down."
Cheng Che shrugged. "Whatever."
He placed breakfast on the coffee table. "Millet porridge, boiled eggs, and stir-fried vegetables. Eat it while it's hot."
Su Miaoyin hummed twice more, then turned and went into the bathroom.
When she came out again, her makeup had been completely removed.
Her bare face was clean and fresh, with a little bit of moisture still clinging to the corners of her eyes.
She walked to the coffee table, looked at the bland breakfast, her face contorted with distress, but she still sat down and picked up her chopsticks.
I faked the illness; I have to take the medicine.
As she ate, she asked, "National Day is coming soon, are you going back to Spring City or staying in Capital City?"
She asked the question in a very casual tone.
But she was already making plans in her mind. She was from Shandong, so she didn't have to go back.
If Cheng Che stayed in Capital City, she could tell her parents that she had something to do at school and would have to stay, which would give her more opportunities to see him.
Cheng Che, engrossed in his phone, didn't even look up. "I'm not going back."
Su Miaoyin was secretly delighted.
Then she heard Cheng Che say, "I'm going to Tokyo for the tennis open. By the way, do you need me to bring you a souvenir?"
Su Miaoyin was taken aback.
She then remembered that Cheng Che was a tennis player.
He was a national Champion and also became a spokesperson for Wilson.
The photos she had seen in the supertopic were basically photos of Cheng Che during his matches.
She looked down at the millet porridge in the bowl, then looked up, her eyes suddenly lighting up.
I want to go to Tokyo too.
Cheng Che looked up at her and asked, "Are you going too?"
"Mmm." Su Miaoyin nodded, her tone very serious. "I've never been to Tokyo before. It's National Day, so I'm going with Lin Lin and Xiaoman."
Cheng Che glanced at her a few times, then said, "I don't have time to spend with you."
"Who needs you to keep me company?" Su Miaoyin snorted haughtily. "I don't need you to keep me company, I have friends."
"That's good." Cheng Che nodded, then lowered his head to continue playing on his phone. "I'll ask the others if they want to bring souvenirs."
Su Miaoyin breathed a sigh of relief.
She lowered her head and continued eating her millet porridge, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips.
She went to Tokyo not so that he could accompany her.
She just wanted to be in the same city, closer to him.
As for why she wanted to be closer to him, she couldn't explain it herself.
At this moment, she had completely forgotten what her original purpose for going to Tokyo was.
She also forgot that Cheng Che was actually her rival in love.