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Psst! We're moving!
The next day, Bo Ying slept late at home, well past sunrise.
When she woke up, her phone was flooded with messages from several people. Some were from Chi Lu and her older brother asking what souvenirs she wanted from their road trip, while others were from Pei Yunmeng and Sheng Chun inquiring about her situation.
Still groggy, Bo Ying scrolled through her phone, replying to each message one by one.
After finishing all her replies, she was just about to close her eyes and nap again when her phone vibrated once more.
Bo Ying glanced down—it was a message from He Jingxiu.
He Jingxiu: [Awake?]
Bo Ying: [……?]
Was this guy secretly monitoring her room or something?
He Jingxiu: [Looks like you just woke up. What are your plans for today?]
Bo Ying: [Petting cats, lying around like a corpse, and binge-watching shows.]
He Jingxiu: [Cats?]
Bo Ying: [Yeah, Chi Lu has a kitten. It’s super cute—I’ll send you a picture.]
She was the type of person who loved to share beautiful scenery, adorable animals, or interesting stories with the people around her.
Chi Lu’s cat was named Chi Xiaochi, a stunning Ragdoll cat that was incredibly well-behaved. Occasionally, it could be a bit aloof, but deep down, it had a soft and gentle nature. Whenever Bo Ying felt down, the kitten seemed to sense it and would let her pet it, holding it close and gently squeezing its tiny body.
When Bo Ying opened her door, “Chi Xiaochi” was sprawled right outside her room.
Unable to hold back a smile, Bo Ying crouched down in front of the cat and teased it. “Chi Xiaochi, what are you doing here? Are you hungry?”
She reached out to stroke its little head. “Let me take a picture of you, then we’ll go eat.”
Chi Xiaochi seemed to understand her words, obediently letting her do as she pleased.
After taking the photo, Bo Ying looked at it and realized that the picture didn’t even capture a tenth of how adorable the kitten truly was.
Thinking about this, she decided to call He Jingxiu on a video call instead.
When the video call came through, He Jingxiu’s phone was nowhere near him.
By the time Bo Ying finished taking pictures of the kitten, he had been sent to the kitchen by Mrs. Chen to fetch something.
When his phone vibrated, Chen Ling happened to be standing near the dining table.
She glanced at the screen, and upon seeing the caller ID for the video call, her eyes widened in shock.
“B… Big Aunt…”
Chen Peiyi responded absentmindedly, “What is it?”
“My brother… there’s a call.”
Chen Peiyi replied, “Tell your brother to pick up.” Then, after a pause, she added, “Which manager is it?”
She had spent some time managing things at the company before and knew most of the managers personally. The only people who called He Jingxiu were either his assistant, one of the managers, or someone from a partner company.
Caught off guard by the question, Chen Ling hesitated for a moment before walking over to Chen Peiyi with the phone in hand. Her voice was soft. “Big Aunt, does this look like a manager’s contact name to you?”
Chen Peiyi glanced down.
A second later, she shouted toward the kitchen, “He Jingxiu, the little troublemaker in your WeChat is calling you on video!”
Chen Ling’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the phone.
In the living room, He Heng, who had been playing chess with Chen Ling’s father, accidentally dropped his chess piece onto a spot on the board where he hadn’t intended to move.
…
He Jingxiu walked out of the kitchen, meeting several pairs of curious eyes.
He paused briefly, his expression calm as he took the phone and stepped outside into the yard to answer.
As soon as he connected, he was greeted by an incredibly white, fluffy kitten.
The kitten’s fur was perfectly groomed, soft and velvety. Its large, blue eyes were round and luminous, like the deep, mesmerizing sea.
It seemed to sense someone watching from the other side of the screen and sat upright, elegantly raising its graceful “swan neck,” gazing at the camera with an air of aloofness.
He Jingxiu couldn’t help but admit—it really was breathtakingly beautiful.
“He Jingxiu.”
“Huh?” Bo Ying’s voice came through the speaker. “Why did it take you so long to answer? Were you busy?”
He Jingxiu grunted affirmatively. “Helping my mom get something.”
Bo Ying was taken aback. She leaned closer to the camera, peeking at him. “You… went home?”
She knew that He Jingxiu had a place near the office where he usually stayed. His commute to work only took ten minutes by car.
He Jingxiu nodded. “I came back last night.”
A couple of days ago, Mrs. Chen had messaged him, asking him to come home when he had time. Her ungrateful dog had been sitting in the yard every day, waiting for its “big brother” to return.
Mrs. Chen had practically begged him to come home, and if he ignored her plea, he might as well prepare to be kicked out of the house.
So, after dropping Bo Ying off at her place last night, he returned to Mrs. Chen’s house.
Bo Ying made an “Oh” sound, her eyes widening. “Then… my car… you drove it back too?”
It was late last night, and Bo Ying, worried that He Jingxiu wouldn’t be able to catch a taxi, lent him her car.
He Jingxiu: “Mm.”
Bo Ying: “….”
She swallowed awkwardly, unconsciously touching her ear. “You drove such a girly car back—didn’t your mom ask you anything?”
Through the screen, He Jingxiu noticed her reddening earlobes.
His eyebrows rose slightly, struggling not to laugh. “She did.”
Bo Ying leaned closer to the phone, staring directly at him. “What did she ask?”
He Jingxiu covered his mouth and coughed lightly, his voice low. “She asked me where I’d stolen the car from.”
Bo Ying: “And what did you say?”
He Jingxiu, noticing her curiosity, deliberately dragged out his response. “I said…” He paused. “It was a gift from the troublemaker.”
“…”
Upon hearing this, Bo Ying immediately caught on.
She glared at him, feigning anger. “You’re the real troublemaker.”
Saying this, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
He Jingxiu’s lips curved into a faint smile as he lowered his gaze at her.
Bo Ying had just woken up, her face makeup-free and unwashed. But even without any enhancements, her naturally fair and radiant skin gave her a pure, innocent beauty.
He Jingxiu had always thought that whether or not she wore makeup, Bo Ying carried her own unique charm.
Noticing He Jingxiu’s lingering gaze, Bo Ying touched her face. “Do I have something on my face?”
“…No.”
As soon as He Jingxiu answered, Bo Ying suddenly remembered she hadn’t brushed her teeth or washed her face yet. Horrified, she covered her face with one hand, mumbling, “I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going to eat.”
Before he could respond, she hung up the call.
He Jingxiu stared at the disconnected call, suppressing a chuckle.
Shaking his head slightly, he pocketed his phone and turned around.
As he did, he met several pairs of gossip-filled, curious eyes.
Chen Peiyi was the first to recover, smiling calmly. “Finished? Let’s eat.”
She turned and walked into the house as if she hadn’t been eavesdropping earlier.
He Heng followed suit, straightening up. “Time to eat, time to eat. Why are you making the whole family wait for you?”
The two elders nearby also headed back inside, leaving Chen Ling reluctantly tearing herself away from He Jingxiu after giving him one last longing glance.
She wanted to gossip, but with the elders gone, she didn’t dare.
Back in the dining room, He Jingxiu pulled out a chair and sat down calmly, ignoring the gazes around him.
As he picked up his chopsticks to start eating, the others still hadn’t moved.
Frustrated, he rubbed his forehead and asked, “Mom, are we eating or not?”
Mrs. Chen snapped out of her thoughts and hurriedly nodded. “Yes, yes, yes.”
She gestured for everyone to dig in. Today, aside from Chen Ling, her parents had also joined them for lunch before heading to He Jingxiu’s grandparents’ house for dinner.
Since retiring, He Jingxiu’s grandparents had moved back to the old courtyard house. The environment there was serene and picturesque, perfect for their golden years, though the drive took a bit of time.
The dining table was quiet, save for the clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
He Jingxiu ate comfortably, but the others weren’t quite as relaxed.
Mrs. Chen hesitated, opening her mouth to speak several times before finally blurting out, “Jingxiu, was that troublemaker on the video call just now Yingying?”
Given her son’s personality, she figured the only person who would call like that was Bo Ying.
“…”
At that moment, the chicken leg Chen Ling had been struggling to pick up fell back into her bowl.
Eyes wide, she blinked rapidly. “Yingying?”
She turned to He Jingxiu. “Brother, wasn’t that the Yingying Tan Rui mentioned last night?”
Before He Jingxiu could respond, Chen Peiyi interjected, surprised. “You’ve met her?”
“No,” Chen Ling shook her head. “Last night at Zhenyue, Tan Rui mentioned a new friend would join us, but they never showed up. I overheard them mention her name a couple of times in the private room.”
He Jingxiu glanced at her, his tone indifferent. “What did they say about her?”
Chen Ling blinked, peering at him. “Brother, both you and her said you’d come but didn’t show up. Did you leave together?”
“Yes,” He Jingxiu replied. “What did they say about Bo Ying?”
Chen Ling: “….”
“They didn’t say much,” Chen Ling quickly lied, too afraid to reveal what she’d overheard. She didn’t want to misinterpret Tan Rui’s words and cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
“They just mentioned that she had something come up and couldn’t make it.”
He Jingxiu understood and didn’t press further.
But Chen Peiyi, still puzzled, asked, “Does Yingying know Tan Rui?”
He Jingxiu: “No.”
Chen Peiyi: “….”
She wanted to ask more, but thought better of it and decided against it.
After lunch, He Jingxiu went to the yard to play with the dog.
Being polite, he took several photos and videos of the dog and sent them to Bo Ying.
Bo Ying adored small animals, especially affectionate ones. But because she was lazy, she knew she couldn’t handle taking care of one on her own, so she had never gotten a pet.
When she received the videos He Jingxiu sent, she opened them and was utterly astonished.
Bo Ying: [You have a dog?! When did you get one?]
He Jingxiu: [My mom got it a few years ago.]
Bo Ying: [It’s so beautiful, and so well-behaved!]
In one of the videos He Jingxiu sent, the dog was lying at his feet, rubbing against him like a tamed beast. The contrast was striking.
He Jingxiu: [Mm, do you like it?]
Bo Ying: [I do, but don’t you dislike dogs?]
To be precise, He Jingxiu had never shown any particular fondness or aversion to animals.
He had always been rather indifferent, both toward people and animals alike.
He Jingxiu: [I like it now.]
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