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The summer evening breeze was warm, slightly dispersing the heat.
The streetlights on both sides were brightly lit, and not far away, there were still sounds of passing cars and people.
The light fell on the two of them, inexplicably overlapping their shadows.
Bo Ying’s ears twitched slightly as she heard those words and clearly froze for a moment.
She looked at He Jingxiu’s handsome face and felt that after a few days of not seeing him, he seemed to have become even more handsome. His demeanor had also grown more composed.
After what seemed like a long time, Bo Ying blinked lightly and deliberately said, “There’s no third option for now.”
He Jingxiu wasn’t surprised. He raised his hand and tapped her forehead, his voice low. “Really none?”
“…”
Bo Ying saw how much he seemed to want it and hesitated for a moment.
But then Zheng Jinyao’s words echoed in her mind—men always take advantage of every inch you give. If you give him candy today, tomorrow he’ll want meat.
Thinking of this, Bo Ying nodded seriously. “Really none. If you don’t make a choice soon, the first two options will be gone too.”
He Jingxiu raised an eyebrow. “Not even porridge?”
Bo Ying held back a laugh and made the decision for him. “Then let’s have porridge.”
He Jingxiu hummed, reaching out to smooth her wind-tousled hair. “I’ll do as you say.”
Hearing this, Bo Ying’s eyebrows lifted slightly, and the corners of her lips curved upward.
It was a common phrase, but she liked it very much.
The porridge shop was near the community; it took only three minutes to walk there.
When Yuan Yuan and the others weren’t home, Bo Ying would come here after work or on weekends to buy food to eat at home. She thought the taste was decent, and there were many choices.
When they arrived at the shop, it was still crowded with people.
It was a very ordinary small shop, heavy with the smell of life. The narrow storefront could only fit five or six tables, and outside, a few folding tables were placed. It looked a bit cramped but full of life.
When Bo Ying led He Jingxiu to the door, she suddenly remembered to ask, “You… mind this place?”
He Jingxiu glanced around. “Do you often eat here?”
“Not really often.” Bo Ying explained, “If Chi Lü’s assistant is home, we eat at home. When they go out to work, I eat out.”
She wasn’t good at cooking and hadn’t learned much during her two years abroad. Bo Ying wasn’t born with a talent for cooking. She had tried but made terrible food, so she just stopped.
He Jingxiu nodded, amusement in his eyes. “If you can eat here, I can too.”
Bo Ying raised an eyebrow and directly said, “But you’re a germaphobe.”
“…”
He Jingxiu paused briefly, sighing. “Germaphobia depends on the situation.”
“What do you mean?” Bo Ying didn’t quite understand. She didn’t have germaphobia, so she didn’t understand the mindset.
He Jingxiu looked at her bewildered expression and suddenly felt like playing the piano for someone who doesn’t understand music and asking if they could recognize the name of the piece he was playing.
He stared at her eager gaze for a while, then tilted his chin up. “I’ll tell you later.”
Bo Ying choked, glancing at him. “Is this still a little secret?”
He Jingxiu: “Mm.”
Bo Ying was speechless.
He Jingxiu laughed, pointing. “Let’s find a seat.”
Bo Ying nodded and sat down, picking up the menu on the table. Just as she was about to ask him what he wanted to drink or eat, she noticed the man in front of her carefully wiping the stool and table with the paper napkins on the table.
His hands were beautiful, with distinct joints, slender fingers, and neatly trimmed nails, clean and tidy.
He Jingxiu did things unlike Bo Ying, who was often hasty. He did everything slowly and calmly. So some simple, common actions, when done by him, felt different.
For example, right now.
Even though it was just wiping the table, Bo Ying had the illusion that he was filming a drama scene.
Under the intense gaze from across the table, He Jingxiu finished wiping the table and finally raised his eyes to look at Bo Ying.
Unexpectedly, he asked, “Did you miss me?”
“? “
Bo Ying was taken aback, realizing what he meant.
She glanced at him and muttered, “Who missed you? I just thought... that scene just now was quite suitable for a movie. It reminded me of the male lead in a movie I watched recently.”
He Jingxiu: “...”
He was somewhat exasperated, laughing bitterly. “Not even a little?”
Bo Ying lowered her eyes, sipping water from the disposable cup on the table, feeling awkward. “I see you every day through video calls. Why would I miss you?”
“I meant something else,” He Jingxiu lowered his eyelids, gazing at her quietly.
Bo Ying couldn’t handle his gaze, pursing her moist lips and stubbornly arguing, “I think it’s the same.”
He Jingxiu smiled but didn’t explain further.
How could it be the same?
Through video calls, although he could see her enchanting face and hear her pleasant voice, he couldn’t truly feel her presence. He couldn’t breathe the same air in the same small space, hear her real breathing, or smell the scent emanating from her.
Bo Ying had bathed and washed her hair. As the evening breeze blew past, He Jingxiu could distinctly smell the fragrance of her body wash and shampoo.
The scent was faint, unsurprisingly her favorite white tea aroma, as light as plain water yet infinitely lingering.
He Jingxiu swallowed hard, staring at her fair, delicate face for a while before shifting his gaze.
He didn’t notice that Bo Ying’s face had turned red.
The porridge was recommended by Bo Ying. Initially, she wanted to recommend century egg and lean meat porridge to He Jingxiu, but since he didn’t eat century eggs, they ended up ordering vegetable and lean meat porridge.
Bo Ying wasn’t hungry at first, but thinking that it wouldn’t be good for He Jingxiu to eat alone, making him seem lonely, she ordered a bowl of century egg porridge.
However, in the end, she ate more than He Jingxiu.
Glancing at what He Jingxiu left behind, Bo Ying fell silent for a moment and said, “Anyone who doesn’t know would think I’m the one who hasn’t had dinner.”
He Jingxiu glanced at her. “Then let them think that.”
Bo Ying glared at him, then remembered to ask, “Are you done with your business abroad?”
He Jingxiu nodded.
Bo Ying “Oh”-ed and looked at him. “Why didn’t you tell me in advance that you were coming back?”
She had waited all night for his call.
He Jingxiu paused, looking at her. “Were you worried?”
“How could I be?” Bo Ying covered her tracks by raising her voice. “What if I was asleep when you called?”
“It’s fine if you were asleep.”
Bo Ying pouted. “Then wouldn’t you have wasted your trip?”
He Jingxiu curved his lips slightly, softly saying, “Even if it’s wasted, it’s worth it.”
“How is it worth it?” Bo Ying retorted without thinking. “You haven’t even seen me. How can it be worth it?”
He Jingxiu paused, his deep gaze fixed on her, but he didn’t respond.
Bo Ying was puzzled, raising her arm to poke him. “I’m asking you, President He.”
He Jingxiu grabbed her hand, his breath heavier, saying in a deep voice, “I want to feel what it was like for you to run around for nothing in the past.”
“…”
With these words, both of them froze momentarily.
Bo Ying stared blankly at the man in front of her, feeling that his current appearance overlapped with several years ago.
The warm orange light from the small shop slanted in, outlining his face.
His features had become more defined, his eyes deeper, and his demeanor much calmer. Different from the slightly immature boyish charm of several years ago, yet still the same.
The person was still the same person, the face still the same face.
Bo Ying’s gaze lingered on his face for a long time, only snapping back when the sound of people shouting for the bill fell.
She lowered her eyes to look at her fingers held by He Jingxiu, gently pulling them out of his palm.
The atmosphere became too quiet, making both of them uncomfortable.
He Jingxiu watched her withdraw her fingers, his expression slightly moved, but he didn’t stop her.
Bo Ying couldn’t stand this atmosphere, blinking lightly. “It wasn’t a good experience. What’s there to feel?”
She turned to look at He Jingxiu, earnestly saying, “Do you want to repeat the same mistakes?”
“…”
He Jingxiu was stunned, lowering his gaze to look at her. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Then it’s not.” Bo Ying said indifferently. “Happiness can be shared, pain doesn’t need to be.”
She thought for a moment, then felt the words “pain” were too deep and heavy. “Actually, running around for nothing in the past wasn’t painful. When you weren’t around, your classmates were more open with me.”
Bo Ying had a likable personality. She wasn’t restrained, overly formal, or stingy.
No matter who it was, she was straightforward and spoke her mind. Even for people she didn’t like, she wouldn’t sabotage them behind their backs. She preferred fair competition.
When pursuing He Jingxiu in high school, she made a big deal out of it, known by both schools.
Initially, He Jingxiu’s classmates didn’t look favorably on Bo Ying, believing that internal affairs should remain internal, and He Jingxiu of the first middle school should be kept within the first middle school, not benefiting the younger sister from the seventh middle school.
But after Bo Ying ran to He Jingxiu’s class a few times, the classmates defected one after another, not only supporting Bo Ying in winning him over but also frequently providing her with intelligence, allowing her to find him in various corners of the first middle school and bump into him.
Of course, occasionally, some classmates didn’t know, and during those times, Bo Ying would run around for nothing.
When she ran around for nothing, Bo Ying didn’t neglect herself either.
She would eat with He Jingxiu’s classmates at the first middle school cafeteria. If they had any gatherings, she could join them too.
At graduation, Bo Ying was even invited to their graduation dinner.
It was as if the scene had been frozen.
After a while, He Jingxiu looked at her and softly asked, “Do you still keep in touch with them?”
Bo Ying was startled and shook her head. “No, not long after you graduated, my phone was taken away by my parents, saying I needed to focus on the college entrance exam and not play anymore.”
Later, that phone disappeared, and the phone numbers and various contact methods couldn’t be retrieved.
After saying this, Bo Ying pondered for a moment. “Why do you suddenly ask this?”
He Jingxiu looked at her and smiled. “No reason.”
“...?”
Bo Ying felt that his half-explained behavior was undesirable. She pouted, unhappy. “If you suddenly ask like this, there must be something.”
He Jingxiu remained silent, teasing. “I’ll tell you later.”
Bo Ying: “...”
She hummed, “What if I don’t want to know later?”
He Jingxiu looked at her, confidently saying, “You’ll want to know.”
The topic suddenly died.
Bo Ying choked, glaring at him. “I won’t talk to you anymore. I’m going home to sleep.”
He Jingxiu readily agreed. “Alright.”
The two walked back to the community gate one after the other. Bo Ying observed carefully; He Jingxiu’s shadow was always above hers, intersecting with hers, never leaving.
She stared at it for a while, then turned to look at him. “Then I’m going in.”
“Wait a moment.”
He Jingxiu looked at her. “Wait here for me.”
Bo Ying raised an eyebrow. “Ah?”
He Jingxiu pointed to the black sedan parked not far away. “I’ll get something for you.”
Bo Ying blinked, watching him turn back to the car.
In a moment, He Jingxiu came out holding a large bag. The streetlight wasn’t very bright, and Bo Ying squinted, unable to tell what it was.
The bag was handed to her, and it had some weight.
Bo Ying was momentarily stunned, glancing at it. “What’s this?”
“A gift.” He Jingxiu lowered his eyes to look at her. “Open it when you get home.”
“Oh.” Bo Ying pursed her lips. “Thank you.”
He Jingxiu smiled.
Bo Ying’s face warmed slightly, averting her gaze. “Then I’ll really go back.”
He Jingxiu nodded. “Go back and sleep. No need to wait for my message.”
“…” Bo Ying choked, feeling her little thoughts had been exposed. She hummed softly. “Who would wait for your message? Don’t be presumptuous.”
He Jingxiu chuckled helplessly, reaching out to pinch her nose, conceding. “I will.”
“Oh...”
Bo Ying proudly curved her lips, her eyes sparkling. “Then... goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Bo Ying carried the bag inside. After walking a few steps, she could still feel the gaze from behind.
Her footsteps halted, and she turned to look at the man still standing in place.
He Jingxiu looked at her, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
Bo Ying gathered her courage and walked back, stopping in front of He Jingxiu, muttering softly. “Just so you know, you can only hug me for one minute.”
He Jingxiu was startled, suddenly understanding.
He chuckled softly, asking seriously. “Only one minute?”
Bo Ying: “Yes.”
She pretended to check the time on her phone. “Five seconds have already passed—”
Before she finished speaking, she was pulled into a warm embrace tinged with a hint of dust.
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