Cheng Che hung up the phone, leaned against the headboard, and felt a little guilty.
I promised to stay in South Korea with Pei Jingshu for a while, but I have to go back after only half a day of landing.
Although she probably wouldn't say anything, if he flew all the way here to be with her, and she said she wanted to leave the next day, he wouldn't be too happy either.
He was trying to figure out how to start the conversation when his phone lit up.
Qin Lie sent me the flight information: tomorrow at 3 PM, Seoul to Capital City.
He glanced at it and smiled.
Qin Lie is the kind of person who always says things like "Don't get photographed" and "You have to be careful," but when arranging his schedule, he always leaves enough time for him to finish his personal matters.
His flight is for tomorrow afternoon, which means he can stay in Daegu tomorrow morning, have breakfast with Pei Jingshu, and have her take him somewhere else.
He called Pei Jingshu.
I answered after it rang twice. It was a bit noisy on the other end, like someone was chatting with someone.
" Cheng Che?" Pei Jingshu's voice was tinged with laughter.
"Hmm." He paused, his tone tinged with guilt, "I have to go back tomorrow afternoon. Porsche and Apple are pressing for a contract, and Qin Lie has already booked the plane tickets."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Then Pei Jingshu's voice came through, very softly. "Oh."
It was just one word, but Cheng Che could hear the disappointment in it.
She didn't complain, didn't ask any questions, just a simple "oh," suppressing all her emotions in that one word.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I was supposed to stay with you."
"It's nothing." Pei Jingshu's tone lifted slightly, as if trying to appear indifferent. "You're busy, aren't you? Successful people never have free time."
Cheng Che didn't reply. He knew she was comforting him, and also comforting herself.
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, then Pei Jingshu's tone changed, as if she had remembered something.
"Wait for me a moment," she said suddenly, her voice breaking with joy. "I'll come find you at the hotel later."
Cheng Che was taken aback. "You can come?"
He recalled Pei's father's harsh words on the phone, "Don't bring that man back."
Although Pei Jingshu didn't say anything, he could sense that her father's attitude towards him, her "boyfriend," wasn't exactly enthusiastic.
But if you put yourself in his shoes, if he had a daughter and she got a boyfriend, he wouldn't be too happy either.
"I have a way." Pei Jingshu's tone carried a hint of coquettish pride.
What method?
"Don't worry about it," she said. "Wait for me."
The call ended.
Cheng Che placed his phone on the bedside table, shook his head, and didn't think about it anymore.
Pei Jingshu sat on her bed, hung up the phone, scrolled to a name in her contacts, and sent a message.
Kim Su-a.
Her childhood friend lived in the alley next to her house, and they were classmates from elementary school to high school.
After Pei Jingshu went to Seoul, the two met less often, but their relationship never ended.
" Su-a, do me a favor."
The reply came quickly, "What can I do for you?"
"Come to my house and tell my mom I can stay at your place for the night."
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a string of question marks appeared, "??? Why?"
"Don't ask, you'll find out when you get here."
There was another moment of silence. Then Kim Su-a replied with "Okay," followed by "You owe me a meal."
About twenty minutes later, Pei Jingshu heard someone knocking on the door downstairs.
She sat still inside, listening intently to the sounds coming from downstairs.
"Hello, Auntie, I'm here to see Xiao Shu." Kim Su-a's voice came from the doorway.
Pei Ma's voice was tinged with laughter. "Oh, Su-a, come in, come in."
As Pei Jingshu came down the stairs, Pei's mother was leading Kim Su-a toward the living room.
Mr. Pei was sitting on the sofa watching TV. When he saw Kim Su-a, the expression on his face immediately softened.
" Su-a is here."
Mr. Pei nodded, his tone very kind, completely different from when he had said "Don't bring that man back" before.
Kim Su-a -ah smiled at Bae's parents, then walked over and grabbed Pei Jingshu's arm.
"Uncle and Aunt, Xiao Shu has finally come back, and I'd like her to stay at my house for the night. We haven't had a proper chat in ages." She said, shaking Pei Jingshu's arm. "Is that alright?"
Pei's father glanced at Pei Jingshu, then at Jin Kim Su-a, and his expression visibly relaxed.
"Okay," he said. " Xiao Shu, go keep Su-a company. You two good friends can chat for a while."
Pei Jingshu pretended to hesitate for a moment, then nodded. "Alright then."
She went upstairs to get her phone and wallet, told Pei Ma, and then went out with Kim Su-a.
When the two reached the fork in the alley, Pei Jingshu let go of Kim Su-a's hand and gave her a grin.
Thank you.
Kim Su-a looked at her with a half-smile, arms crossed:
"You insisted I come here to help you lie to your parents and get you out of here. And you're only staying one night; you didn't even bring any luggage."
She paused for a moment, then said, " Xiao Shu, tell me the truth, do you have a boyfriend?"
Pei Jingshu nodded readily. "Yes."
Kim Su-a's eyes widened suddenly, her mouth opened, and then she suddenly realized something, her expression changing from surprise to excitement.
"Isn't it—" she grabbed Pei Jingshu's arm, "Isn't it my idol? Cheng Che?!"
Pei Jingshu was taken aback. "You like Cheng Che?"
"Of course!" Kim Su-a's voice rose a notch, "You could say there's no one who doesn't like him! He's so handsome, so smart, young and gentle, an athlete, and a French Open Champion— "
She became more and more excited as she spoke, counting on her fingers, "Tell me, who wouldn't like a man like that?"
As Pei Jingshu listened, her expression grew increasingly strange.
She was initially quite happy, but upon hearing Kim Su-a praise her boyfriend like that, a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside her.
It seems that having an outstanding father isn't always a good thing.
She pouted. "Alright, drive me there."
Kim Su-a was still excited. "Can I see him? Just once! Just a glimpse from afar!"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want you to see him."
Kim Su-a paused for a moment, then realized what she meant and laughed, " Pei Jingshu, are you jealous?"
"No." Pei Jingshu opened the car door and got into the passenger seat. "Let's go."
Kim Su-a smiled as she got into the driver's seat and started the car.
Twenty minutes later, at the hotel entrance.
Cheng Che was playing games while leaning against the headboard when he heard a knock on the door. He put down his phone, went to open the door, and started playing.
As soon as the door opened, Pei Jingshu rushed over, crashing into his arms, burying her face in his chest, and taking a deep breath, as if trying to inhale his scent into her lungs.
"I want to stay with you tonight, okay?" she said in a muffled voice.
Just as Cheng Che was about to speak, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.