When a pretty, cute, and well-behaved girl lies in your arms and says she misses you, ask her if you miss her too.
How would you answer?
Cheng Che has never been in a relationship.
He simply couldn't resist such a proactive girl.
He looked down at Pei Jingshu, who was lying in his arms with her face upturned. Her wet eyes, red nose, and the faint fragrance emanating from her body felt like a fine feather gently brushing against his heart.
He said it in a low voice.
I've thought about it.
Pei Jingshu's eyes crinkled into a smile.
A smile spread from the corners of her mouth, and her whole face lit up.
She released her hands from his waist, took a half step back, glanced at him sideways, and then turned and walked into the room.
Cheng Che stood still, his hand still resting on her shoulder.
His arms were empty, the fragrance had faded, and he suddenly felt a sense of loss.
He closed the door and followed him.
Pei Jingshu was already sitting on his bed.
She took off her shoes, crossed her legs on the bed, revealing her fair and delicate feet.
Her ankles were very slender, and the skin on the instep of her feet had a faint sheen under the warm yellow lights of the hotel.
She leaned against his pillow, tilted her head to look at him, and a smile played on her lips.
Cheng Che sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her like this, and didn't know what to say.
He thought for a moment, then asked the real question.
What are you doing in my hotel?
Pei Jingshu pouted.
The person had puffed-out lips and an expression of dissatisfaction.
"Oppa, you're so silly. I already told you I missed you."
Then she got up, moved next to him, took his arm, and leaned closer.
Her voice suddenly lowered, carrying a slight hint of grievance.
"My Chinese isn't good. If I don't talk to Oppa, I don't know who to chat with."
Cheng Che looked at her.
She didn't look at him when she said this; she looked down at her toes.
Her two legs curled up slightly on the sheets, then relaxed again.
He remembered that at the dinner table, she sat in the corner, listening to Su Miaoyin and Yan Ruanning chat in Chinese, and he couldn't join in the conversation, so he could only lower his head and eat his snacks.
She flew in from South Korea today. She doesn't speak the language and doesn't know anyone else. The only person she can talk to is him.
Cheng Che instantly felt that "I am her support in a foreign land".
Sigh, we're completely under their control.
He turned his head to look at her hand resting on his arm.
Her fingers were slender, her nails were neatly trimmed and clean, and she wore a layer of clear nail polish that was almost invisible under the light.
He looked away and said something.
What time is your flight tomorrow?
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
"Then I'll take you to the airport this morning."
Pei Jingshu looked up, her eyes lighting up. "Really?"
"Real."
Then the two started chatting.
Pei Jingshu told him about her time at Korea University, her courses, her friends, and what was trending in South Korea lately.
Cheng Che listened, occasionally replying to her in Korean.
She spoke a little slower than before, probably because she was afraid he wouldn't understand.
He also slowed down his speech, asking about any unfamiliar words, and she explained them using a combination of words and gestures.
After chatting for a while, Pei Jingshu brought the topic back to itself:
"Oppa, come visit South Korea!"
"Okay." Cheng Che thought for a moment and said, "After the marathon."
"After the marathon?" Pei Jingshu thought for a moment, "When was that?"
Mid-November.
Pei Jingshu did the math and nodded:
"Then I'll wait for you. When you come to South Korea, I'll take you to eat delicious food. I know a barbecue restaurant in Seoul that's really good."
"Good."
Just as Cheng Che finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.
Cheng Che and Pei Jingshu turned their heads at the same time and looked towards the door.
Then Cheng Che heard a voice.
" Cheng Che, are you asleep?"
Su Miaoyin's voice.
Cheng Che's pupils dilated instantly.
He suddenly turned his head and looked at Pei Jingshu.
Pei Jingshu's expression changed as well. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened, and her hands clenched tightly in front of her.
"Who?" she asked in a low voice in Korean.
" Su Miaoyin," Cheng Che replied in Korean.
Pei Jingshu's expression changed from panic to a deeper panic.
Her gaze swept around the room before settling on the large wardrobe in the corner.
Without thinking twice, she jumped off the bed, ran barefoot to the wardrobe, opened the door, and slipped inside.
Cheng Che stood there, watching the wardrobe door close.
He scratched his head.
This feels so much like an affair.
He took a deep breath, walked to the door, and opened it.
Su Miaoyin stood outside the door.
She had just taken a shower; her hair was half-dry, loose over her shoulders, with a few damp strands clinging to her forehead.
She was wearing a light pink short-sleeved pajama top, white shorts, and disposable hotel slippers.
With no makeup, her face was clean and looked several years younger than when she was wearing makeup, like a student who had just stepped out of a university dormitory.
She was carrying a takeout bag in her hand.
"Ta-da!" She held up the bag, waved it at him, and said with a smirk, "I noticed you didn't eat much for dinner, let's have some barbecue."
Cheng Che opened his mouth.
He wanted to suggest "let's move to another room to eat," but Su Miaoyin had already walked past him into the room.
Her steps were natural, as if she were entering her own room.
Cheng Che stood at the door, glanced back at the direction of the wardrobe, and then looked at Su Miaoyin's back.
He sighed, closed the door, and followed him inside.
Su Miaoyin placed the barbecue on the coffee table.
A box of grilled skewers and two cans of drinks.
She sat cross-legged on the carpet and handed him a skewer of mutton.
"Eat."
Cheng Che took it and took a bite.
He ate absentmindedly, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards the wardrobe.
The cabinet door was closed tightly, but he always felt that there was a pair of eyes watching him from behind that crack.
Su Miaoyin quickly noticed his absent-mindedness.
She put down the skewers she was holding, turned her head to look at him, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Cheng Che withdrew his gaze and swallowed the mutton in his mouth.
"It's nothing. I was thinking about going back to Peking University tomorrow; I need to catch up on the classes I missed."
Su Miaoyin looked at him for two seconds, then nodded:
"You've missed a lot of classes; you need to catch up when you get back. I can help you review your notes for advanced calculus."
"Good."
Su Miaoyin picked up her drink, took a sip, and then moved to sit next to him instead of opposite him.
Their shoulders were almost touching.
She tilted her head to look at him, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.
"After I got back, I had a bit of a craving..."
Then there was a knock on the door.
Cheng Che's chopsticks stopped in mid-air.
Su Miaoyin heard it too.
She turned her head and looked towards the door. Then a voice came from outside the door.
" Cheng Che, it's me."
Yan Ruanning.
Su Miaoyin's expression changed instantly.
She stood up from the ground as quickly as a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Her gaze swept around the room before settling on the wardrobe.
Before Cheng Che could even speak, Su Miaoyin had already run to the wardrobe, opened the door, and slipped inside.
The wardrobe door was closed.
Cheng Che stood there, staring at the wardrobe.
He heard a very soft sound coming from inside the cabinet the instant the door closed.
He sighed, covered his forehead, and turned to open the door.
How could something so cliché and melodramatic happen to me? What kind of low-budget author wrote this plot?
Outside the door, Yan Ruanning stood in the corridor.
She had just showered and was wearing a dark gray T-shirt and black trousers. Her hair was still wet, and she was holding a folder in her hand.
"I heard from Qin Lie that you've received many invitations to participate in variety shows, movies, and TV dramas. He asked me to take a look."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Che gritted his teeth in anger. "So it was you, Old Qin! You've really ruined me!"
Cheng Che was about to suggest going outside to talk when Yan Ruanning walked past him and went inside.
She paused for a moment when she saw the barbecue on the coffee table, then glanced at Cheng Che.
"You ate all this by yourself?"
"..." Cheng Che closed the door and followed her into the room.
And at this moment, inside the wardrobe.
Pei Jingshu squeezed to the very inside, while Su Miaoyin squeezed to the outside.
The two people stared at each other in the darkness.
Su Miaoyin looked at Pei Jingshu's face; both of them were breathing very lightly.
Neither of them spoke.
Su Miaoyin cursed inwardly.
Scumbag.