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The light and shadow beside the road were mottled. The wind blew, and the branches swayed, making a rustling sound.
Bo Ying lowered her eyes to look at the familiar yet strange back in front of her. Her eyelashes lightly trembled as she forgot the action of climbing on.
After waiting for a while without getting any response, He Jingxiu turned his head again to look at her, “Bo Ying.”
His tone was as flat as usual but still felt tender and gentle to her.
Bo Ying came back to her senses, hesitatingly asking, “Are you sure you want to carry me over?”
He Jingxiu glanced at her. It seemed he was tired of her nagging, and his voice carried a hint of impatience, “Get on.”
“...”
With words said to this extent, it would be pretentious if Bo Ying refused further.
She closed her mouth with an “Oh” and obediently climbed onto his back.
The man’s back was similar to what Bo Ying remembered—wide and strong, full of security.
This wasn’t the first time He Jingxiu had carried Bo Ying. He had done so twice during high school; once when she stubbornly forced him to carry her, and another time...
Thinking about that incident, Bo Ying tilted her face to look at He Jingxiu.
From her current position, she could only see a small part of his profile, his prominent nose bridge, and long, curled eyelashes.
Her heart uncontrollably fluttered.
The warmth emanating from the man was higher than she imagined. Through their thin clothing, the heat transmitted to her chest. For a moment, Bo Ying even had an illusion, as if through two layers of clothes, her heart penetrated and entered his back, searching for its resting point on his chest.
It seemed she stared for too long, and He Jingxiu suddenly spoke, interrupting her thoughts.
“What are you looking at?”
Bo Ying blinked lightly, pretending to shift her gaze and softly said, “Nothing, I was just thinking about something.”
He Jingxiu raised an eyebrow, feeling the soft skin and sweet scent transmitted to his shoulders and back. His Adam’s apple rolled up and down.
“What is it?”
He desperately needed to divert his attention now.
Bo Ying was silent for a moment before softly saying, “I suddenly remembered that you’ve carried me twice before.”
He Jingxiu: “Mm.”
Looking at his calm expression, Bo Ying asked unhappily, “How did you manage not to drop me when I cried and wiped my tears and snot on you?”
This memory was recounted by one of her classmates.
She cried uncontrollably, and it was impossible for He Jingxiu to really send her home alone. He had to find a female classmate to help. Coincidentally, Chi Lu was on leave, so he found another female classmate who was close to Bo Ying to accompany her home.
That classmate told her after she woke up, making Bo Ying embarrassed to face He Jingxiu for several days.
Apparently, she quieted down for a few minutes on the way back, then started crying again. When she cried, she directly rubbed against He Jingxiu’s uniform and occasionally sniffed, wiping her snot on his clothes.
Several times, the female classmate saw He Jingxiu’s face change color, but he still persisted in safely sending Bo Ying home.
Bringing up this matter, He Jingxiu recalled.
His steps slightly paused, his voice low, “You still remember?”
“Mm.” Bo Ying shyly shifted her head, her nose brushing past his shoulder, leaving a soft touch, “Can’t forget.”
He Jingxiu chuckled softly, saying, “What else could I do?”
Bo Ying choked a bit, expecting to hear something special.
She was speechless, muttering softly, “You could have dropped me.”
“I didn’t dare.” He Jingxiu tilted his face slightly, his warm cheek brushing against the back of her hand on his neck, teasingly saying, “I was afraid you’d come to my class and cry again the next day.”
Bo Ying was stunned, softly humming, “Impossible.”
She weakly said, “I’m not a crybaby.”
At most, she would seek revenge or ‘cut ties’ with him.
He Jingxiu nodded, “Indeed, you’re not a crybaby, just a little troublemaker.”
“...”
The three words ‘little troublemaker’ coming out of He Jingxiu’s mouth carried no trace of disdain, but rather an indescribable affection.
Bo Ying’s neck, face, and ears all heated up simultaneously.
She pursed her lips, uncomfortably shifting on his back, muttering happily, “Who’s the little troublemaker? You are.”
He Jingxiu raised an eyebrow, amused, “Where am I troublesome?”
Upon mentioning this, Bo Ying seemed to have accumulated grievances and began recounting incidents, “Where aren’t you troublesome? You only drink Evian water. I want to ask why can’t we drink Nongfu Spring? Are you looking down on our domestic mineral water... And several times when I accidentally stepped on your shoes, you coldly looked at me, changed them the next day, and kept away from me—”
He Jingxiu’s troubles weren’t just one or two incidents.
As she spoke, Bo Ying also recalled a lingering resentment, “You wouldn’t let anyone touch your notebook. If they touched it for too long, you wouldn’t keep it. That time I returned it two days late, and you said you gave it to me. What would I do with your notebook? I couldn’t understand it.”
By the end of her rant, Bo Ying still felt a bit wronged. That time, she borrowed his physics notes. She studied liberal arts, and He Jingxiu knew she used borrowing notes as an excuse to cling to him, but he still pretended to be oblivious.
This accusation came unexpectedly, and He Jingxiu found himself hard-pressed to defend.
He naturally remembered the notebook incident and similarly understood Bo Ying’s intentions when she borrowed it.
Regarding Bo Ying, He Jingxiu initially didn’t pay much attention, but gradually, he truly found her difficult to handle.
She forgot that she had given him several other brands of mineral water, which he actually drank.
As for the notebook, when He Jingxiu lent it to her, he didn’t know she was borrowing it for someone else. This person happened to be Liang Shun.
He Jingxiu admitted that he wasn’t that magnanimous and naturally harbored some resentment.
Bo Ying rattled off a long list of complaints, and He Jingxiu remained silent.
She anxiously cleared her throat, her forehead rubbing against his back, mumbling, “Why aren’t you speaking?”
He Jingxiu genuinely didn’t know what to say.
He glanced at the nearby shop and asked, “What should I say?”
Bo Ying blinked, taking advantage of the bright lights from the roadside shop to look at the skin on his nape, her face slightly flushed, “Say you’re the troublesome one.”
Feeling her breath on his nape, He Jingxiu’s pupils darkened, conceding, “You’re right, I’m troublesome.”
Hearing this, Bo Ying pressed further, “Still a big troublemaker.”
Upon hearing this, He Jingxiu chuckled and readily agreed, “I’m a big troublemaker, you’re a little troublemaker. Is that okay?”
“...”
Bo Ying’s ears twitched, her body stiffened slightly, and she suppressed her upturned lips awkwardly, “Talk about yourself and don’t drag me into it.”
Just as He Jingxiu was about to say something more, Bo Ying suddenly exclaimed, “We’re here.”
He raised his head and glanced, heavily responding, “Can you walk?”
“Yes.” Bo Ying let him put her down and briskly walked into the shop.
Watching her retreating figure, He Jingxiu raised his hand to lightly rub his temples and inexplicably smiled again.
He wanted to see how many times she could use this clumsy excuse to change the subject.
The shop Bo Ying wanted to visit was a unique and stylish little store here.
It was a bit like Pandora’s box, filled with various handicrafts collected by the owner—delicate, rough, beautiful, cute, and ugly pieces—all kinds.
She had seen others recommend it online, saying many items in this store were one-of-a-kind, the kind that money couldn’t buy.
Bo Ying liked collecting things and was always interested in such shops.
Walking into the store, it was indeed dazzling, matching the recommendations from netizens.
Two Lolita dresses hung at the entrance, eye-catching and pretty. One of the skirts paired pink and white lace, adorned with a circle of bows at the hem, exuding a youthful charm.
Bo Ying’s gaze lingered on this skirt for a while, somewhat tempted, but she felt buying it would likely make it a hanger piece in her wardrobe.
Noticing her gaze, He Jingxiu asked, “Do you like this one?”
Bo Ying hummed, “A little, but I feel it’s not suitable for me anymore.”
As she spoke, she moved inside, “Let’s check out some other trinkets first.”
After browsing halfway around, Bo Ying already had more than ten items she wanted to buy.
If not for thinking it would be excessive to buy everything, she really wanted to take the entire store home.
When checking out, Bo Ying asked about the dress at the entrance.
The shopkeeper was a very beautiful and gentle woman. She smiled at Bo Ying and softly said, “That’s not for sale.”
Bo Ying was surprised, “Not for sale?”
The shopkeeper nodded, pointing, “There’s a sign next to it saying ‘not for sale.’ You might not have noticed.”
“Ah...” Bo Ying felt a bit disappointed, “Alright. Is that piece a one-of-a-kind?”
“Yes, it’s out of print.”
“...”
On the way back, Bo Ying still thought fondly of that dress.
In fact, if it weren’t a one-of-a-kind item, she might not have been so obsessed. But it happened to be both a one-of-a-kind and non-saleable item.
Women are like that—the harder something is to obtain, the more they want it. Things easily obtained are often not as cherished.
“He Jingxiu, do you think I can persuade the shopkeeper to sell it to me?”
After much thought, Bo Ying still wanted to buy it.
He Jingxiu raised an eyebrow, “You like it that much?”
“At first, I only liked it a little, but now that it’s unavailable, I really like it.” Bo Ying was honest, “Women are like that.”
He Jingxiu was speechless, lowering his eyes to look at her, “Then go try.”
“Mm.” Bo Ying stood there for a moment, thinking, “Tomorrow, it’s too late today.”
He Jingxiu nodded, “Alright, go rest.”
However, Bo Ying didn’t know her leisure time would only last this one night.
The next day, she didn’t even have the time or energy to take a ten-minute walk downstairs. Busy, always busy.
He Jingxiu was the same.
Apart from having dinner together and meeting on the first night, in the following days, Bo Ying didn’t get a single message from him.
Both were so busy that their WeChat messages amounted to just one or two per day.
In the blink of an eye, the half-month business trip to Jiangcheng ended, and work reached a temporary conclusion.
On the last day, after finishing work, Lü Xiu Xian said he would treat everyone to a meal to reward them.
Bo Ying went to the restaurant with her colleagues and heard another male colleague ask, “Manager, hasn’t President He returned yet?”
A few days ago, He Jingxiu told her he was going on a business trip elsewhere.
Bo Ying inquired with her colleagues and learned that He Corporation had a project in a small county in a neighboring city. Since the boss was already here, naturally, he arranged to check it out.
Lü Xiu Xian responded, “Not yet. The progress of that project has stalled, so President He decided to supervise for a few days.”
Fang Boyu sighed, “The boss isn’t easy either.”
Lü Xiu Xian looked back at the two quail eggs in the back row, smiling and asking, “How do you feel during this period? Tired?”
Bo Ying and Fang Boyu exchanged glances and answered, “It’s alright. A bit tired, but very fulfilling. We’ve learned a lot.”
Lü Xiu Xian smiled gently, “Eat well tonight. After returning tomorrow, you can relax for two days.”
Tomorrow was Thursday. Considering they hadn’t taken a break during the business trip, the group company directly gave them two weekdays off.
They nodded.
Lü Xiu Xian looked at them for a while and approvingly withdrew his gaze.
The restaurant was upscale, but Bo Ying didn’t eat attentively.
After eating, Bo Ying separated from everyone and went to the collectibles shop she had visited with He Jingxiu.
She still wanted to buy that dress, but unsurprisingly, she failed again.
The shopkeeper insisted on not selling it.
Bo Ying had no choice and didn’t want to force her, so she left disappointed.
Back at the hotel after washing up, Bo Ying lazily lay on the bed relaxing, preferring to stare blankly at her phone rather than pack her things.
Time ticked away, and after an unknown amount of time, the phone rang, breaking the silence.
Without looking, Bo Ying quickly answered, “Hello.”
Her voice was full of energy.
“Returning tomorrow?” Bo Yan’s voice, “Do you need a driver to pick you up?”
Bo Ying’s uplifted smile drooped, “Brother?”
Bo Yan: “What?”
Bo Ying pouted, dejectedly saying, “Why are you calling me at this time? Shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend?”
“...”
Bo Yan almost got sick from her words. He sighed, “Do you need a driver to pick you up?”
“No.” Bo Ying refused, “I’ll take a taxi back myself.”
Bo Yan: “Alright.”
After saying that, he hung up.
Bo Ying stared at her phone and proactively sent a message to He Jingxiu.
After sending it, the other side remained completely silent.
Bo Ying sighed deeply, threw her phone aside, and prepared to sleep.
In the middle of the night, the continuous sound of the phone broke the silence.
Bo Ying furrowed her brows, fumbling on the bedside to open it. Upon opening, she saw several messages from He Jingxiu.
Instantly, Bo Ying became more alert. She rubbed her eyes and replied: [Did you just finish working?]
He Jingxiu seemed surprised by her message and immediately called her.
“Hello.”
Bo Ying had just woken up, her voice a bit hoarse.
On He Jingxiu’s end, the wind seemed strong. The howling sound and the deep voice of the man transmitted to her ear, “Bo Ying.”
Bo Ying instinctively responded, “What?”
He Jingxiu stood outside the hotel corridor, a lit cigarette between his fingers, the red glow flickering faintly.
He gazed at the distant scenery, feeling more awake, “Still not asleep?”
“Asleep.” Bo Ying burrowed deeper into the blanket, mumbling, “Woke up because of your message.”
He Jingxiu paused, softly saying, “Sorry.”
“...No.” Bo Ying didn’t understand him, “I forgot to switch to silent mode.”
He Jingxiu smiled, explaining, “I just finished working.”
Seeing Bo Ying’s message, he responded immediately.
Bo Ying understood the surprise in He Jingxiu’s words.
She blinked lightly, pulling back the blanket to look at the ceiling illuminated by the remaining light, “Then why aren’t you sleeping?”
He Jingxiu lifted the corner of his lips, “Sleep.”
Bo Ying was dazed for a few seconds, saying, “Then I’ll hang up.”
“Mm.” He Jingxiu suddenly called out again, “Bo Ying.”
Bo Ying: “...Ah?”
“Goodnight.”
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