Psst! We're moving!
In the evening, during dog-walking time, He Jingxiu sent Bo Ying a video call at the appointed time.
He no longer said he was looking at He Bomei; instead, they just chatted idly.
Under the dim streetlights, Bo Ying glanced at his side. Upon seeing his tie, she raised an eyebrow slightly, “Are you attending some formal event?”
He Jingxiu told her, “I have a financial event to attend later.”
It was midday on his end.
Bo Ying raised an eyebrow, “The kind that’s broadcast online?”
He Jingxiu looked at her with a smile in his eyes, “Want to watch?”
“So-so,” Bo Ying said, feigning indifference, “I just asked casually.”
Normally, such financial conferences would have financial reporters, and some parts would be exposed through live broadcasts.
He Jingxiu smiled, not paying much attention to that point.
“I’ll ask for you later.”
“Oh...” Bo Ying pursed her lips, staring at his deep, affectionate eyes for a while before shifting her gaze to his handsome face.
Noticing her gaze, He Jingxiu raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong?”
“I want to see,” Bo Ying paused, “Did you wear a suit today?”
He Jingxiu was startled, his eyes burning as he looked at her, full of deep affection, “You like me in a suit?”
His mind quickly understood what Bo Ying was thinking.
“...”
“No,” Bo Ying would never admit it. She spoke nonsense with a straight face, “I just feel like your suit looks quite nice. My brother’s birthday is coming up soon, and I decided to buy him an outfit.”
He Jingxiu: “...”
He stopped talking, just watching her.
Bo Ying wasn’t afraid of him, staring back with wide eyes.
A moment later, He Jingxiu was the first to give in.
He didn’t press her about whether she liked it or not; he just lowered the camera.
Bo Ying feasted her eyes.
How to put it? Although she didn’t see He Jingxiu’s abs, his long legs and narrow waist, encased in the suit, were even more captivating.
Bo Ying thought, there’s probably no one who doesn’t like to see a man in a suit, especially one worn by someone with He Jingxiu’s figure and face. He looked handsome no matter how you looked at him.
Before she could finish admiring, He Jingxiu’s phone camera moved back up.
“Finished looking?”
Bo Ying: “...”
She choked, not daring to say she hadn’t seen enough.
“Pretty much,” she said vaguely, “It’s okay.”
He Jingxiu sighed, deciding not to continue this topic with her.
He lowered his gaze to her, “Did you go out today?”
“With Yaoyao,” Bo Ying said proactively, “We went out to eat something.”
She looked at He Jingxiu, and said softly, “The weather has been much more comfortable during the day, and the temperature is slowly dropping.”
He Jingxiu understood. He looked at her and suddenly said, “After this busy period, I shouldn’t be traveling so frequently.”
“Huh?” Bo Ying was stunned. She glanced at him, “Why are you telling me this?”
She joked, “Is CEO He reporting his itinerary in advance?”
He Jingxiu: “Yes.”
He admitted it so directly that Bo Ying didn’t know what to say.
She was quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly said, “We have a class reunion next week.”
He Jingxiu hadn’t known about this.
He was surprised for a few seconds, “High school?”
“University,” Bo Ying said, “It’s just some classmates and friends in Beicheng getting together.”
To call it a class reunion was a bit of an exaggeration.
He Jingxiu was silent for a moment, then asked, “Will Liang Shun be there too?”
“...”
“???”
Bo Ying looked at his serious expression and couldn’t help but laugh. She was about to say no, but when she spoke, it became an uncertain statement.
“I don’t know,” Bo Ying said, “I haven’t heard yet.”
Her eyes twinkled as she looked at He Jingxiu, tilting her head and deliberately teasing him, “You want him to go?”
He Jingxiu choked, giving her a warning look.
Bo Ying wasn’t afraid of him. She pursed her lips, which were curving upwards, “I’ll ask later.”
He Jingxiu took a deep breath, looking at her, “Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?”
“How could I?” Bo Ying wouldn’t take the blame. “Didn’t you ask yourself?”
He Jingxiu stared at her, silent.
Bo Ying was amused by him.
To be honest, she really hadn’t realized before that He Jingxiu was so petty when it came to relationships. She had always thought he didn’t care much about the opposite sex around him and would never take them to heart.
They chatted for a while, and Bo Ying heard Qi Xuezheng calling his name.
She proactively ended the conversation.
“You go get busy. I’ll take He Bomei for another walk.”
He Jingxiu raised his hand to loosen his tie, his distinct knuckles appearing in her sight. Before Bo Ying could see clearly, his hand dropped.
“Okay, let me know when you’re ready for bed.”
“Got it.”
On Sunday, Bo Ying spent the whole day reading at home. He Bomei didn’t bother her either, only occasionally rubbing against her calf to act cute, wanting to go out and play.
In the evening, Bo Ying took it out for a breath of fresh air.
A busy workday passed faster than idle periods.
In the blink of an eye, another week passed.
On Friday, He Jingxiu still hadn’t returned.
He had told Bo Ying the day before that his work there wasn’t finished yet and he probably wouldn’t be able to make it back this week.
While Bo Ying understood, she also felt a little disappointed.
She counted on her fingers; they hadn’t seen each other for nearly half a month again. Although they video-called every day, she still missed him.
She wanted to breathe the same small piece of sky with him, wanted to smell his scent, wanted to hear his breathing, wanted to share everything with him the first moment it happened.
Bo Ying didn’t know if others were like her; she couldn’t explore that, but she certainly was.
She realized that she truly couldn’t do what Zheng Jinyao said and wait for the other person to always take the initiative. She had always been someone willing to be proactive and give.
In the evening, when Bo Ying and He Jingxiu were about to end their call, she asked again, “So when are you coming back?”
He Jingxiu looked at her and asked as usual, “You miss me?”
Bo Ying didn’t answer directly, her clear apricot eyes staring at him, “I have something to tell you when you get back.”
He Jingxiu was stunned for a moment, then smiled, “Okay.”
He paused, “I’ll try to come back early.”
“Mhm.”
He Jingxiu asked her, “What time is the class reunion?”
“Just dinner and karaoke,” Bo Ying said, “It should start around six.”
He Jingxiu understood, “Are you driving?”
Bo Ying shook her head, “I’ll take a taxi, I don’t want to drive.”
Parties usually involve drinking, so it’s better to take a taxi than to find a designated driver.
He Jingxiu nagged a few times, telling her not to drink too much, and to remember to call Zheng Jinyao when she went to the restroom, as it’s better to have company.
Listening to him, Bo Ying truly felt that he didn’t seem like a boss at all, worrying about such trivial matters.
He Jingxiu looked at her, “I don’t worry about others. If anything happens, call me or your brother.”
“Got it,” Bo Ying drawled, her voice sweet and childlike.
On the day of the class reunion, Bo Ying woke up naturally, only to be dragged out by Zheng Jinyao for a spa, beauty treatments, shopping, and choosing clothes.
Bo Ying thought she was making a big deal out of nothing, but Zheng Jinyao disagreed. Although it was just a small class reunion, many people would be there, and their major had a lot of girls, so competing for attention was common.
Bo Ying was speechless, “What does that have to do with us?”
“What do you mean, nothing?” Zheng Jinyao stared at her with wide eyes, “You’re their main focus.”
“Why are they focusing on me?” Bo Ying lowered her head to play with her phone, “I’m not trying to steal their boyfriends.”
Zheng Jinyao looked at her, exasperated, “Have you forgotten about Liang Qianran?”
Bo Ying “ah-ed,” and met her gaze, “What about her?”
Zheng Jinyao glared at her, “She’ll be here tonight, so you better dress up nicely.”
“...”
Bo Ying was torn between laughter and tears, “She can come, it doesn’t have much to do with me.”
“No, that won’t do,” Zheng Jinyao said, “You know she liked Liang Shun. She made things difficult for you so many times in university. I bet she’ll be dressed to the nines tonight. I won’t allow you to lose.”
Bo Ying looked at her and said frankly, “I don’t like Liang Shun, so her making things difficult for me is useless.”
“You don’t like Liang Shun, but Liang Shun liked you in university, so she considered you her rival,” Zheng Jinyao said a lot, then finally said, “Anyway, I don’t care, you go try on this dress now, I think it suits you.”
“...”
Bo Ying couldn’t argue with Zheng Jinyao and had to activate her shopping desire.
She glanced at the turquoise dress in her hand, her eyebrows slightly raised, “This dress is too revealing.”
The color was very spring-like, a halter-neck design, with layered ruffles in the front and a large open back, a very sexy little dress.
Zheng Jinyao looked at it and pondered, “Try it on first. I think you can buy it and wear it later.”
Bo Ying: “...”
She thought about it; that made sense.
The two browsed for a while and bought several dresses.
Considering the class reunion, Bo Ying finally chose a black puff-sleeve dress that was safe but not too eye-catching. The skirt was puffy but not too exaggerated, and the neckline had a small curved design with a large bow, not overly revealing but very stylish.
She liked it very much.
The two arrived at the dinner location right on time.
When Bo Ying and Zheng Jinyao arrived, most people were already in the private room.
“Our department beauty is here!”
Seeing them, someone teased.
Zheng Jinyao was better at socializing than Bo Ying and smiled, “Are we late?”
“Of course not,” the class monitor looked at Bo Ying and said with a smile, “Please sit, we saved seats for you two.”
Bo Ying looked around and saw a few empty seats, “Who else hasn’t arrived yet?”
As soon as she finished speaking, several people walked in through the door.
“Here they come!” A male classmate looked at the people at the door and asked, “Our other department beauty is here!”
Liang Qianran smiled slightly, “The road was a bit congested, sorry to keep everyone waiting.”
“It’s worth waiting for a beauty,” someone chuckled, “Come on, have a seat.”
Bo Ying looked sideways, and by coincidence, her eyes met Liang Qianran’s.
She quickly averted her gaze and lowered her head to drink water.
Zheng Jinyao surveyed the scene, then leaned into her ear and whispered, “See? I told you she came to compete tonight.”
Bo Ying paused slightly, “Exaggerating, aren’t you?”
“Exaggerating what?” Zheng Jinyao gave her a look, “Didn’t you notice the look she gave you just now?”
“What look?”
“The look of ‘you lost’.”
Bo Ying chuckled, “I didn’t lose, did I?”
She could accept other criticisms, but if someone said her dress today was a loss, she wouldn’t concede.
She glanced over; Liang Qianran was wearing a cream-colored satin slip dress, with thin straps and a form-fitting design that perfectly accentuated her figure.
They had different styles, and each was beautiful in her own way.
The two whispered and chatted while eating, occasionally responding when prompted.
After dinner, the group moved to KTV.
At the KTV, the atmosphere truly livened up.
The private room was very large; one side was for singing, and the other had many small games.
It didn’t feel like a regular KTV room, but more like a party venue with everything.
Bo Ying initially played with her phone in a corner but was inexplicably pulled into a dice game.
Four people guessed high or low, and the loser drank.
Zheng Jinyao was next to her and was having a lot of fun.
As they were playing, she heard the class monitor shout, “Come on, everyone stop.”
The class monitor looked around and said, “The late friends are here, everyone welcome.”
Bo Ying looked up and saw that one of them was Liang Shun.
As she was surprised, she heard a classmate next to her say, “How did Liang Shun and them come?”
“I heard the class monitor asked him a while ago, and they seem to have some work cooperation. Besides, Liang Shun used to get along well with the classmates, so it’s normal to call him over since they’re in the same city.”
Bo Ying listened, guessing that was probably the case.
She didn’t pay much attention and continued playing dice with Zheng Jinyao and the others.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over them.
“Do you mind if someone else joins?”
Someone at the table immediately said, “Of course not, Brother Shun, please sit.”
Liang Shun smiled and sat next to Bo Ying, asking, “How’s your luck today?”
Bo Ying: “It’s okay.”
Liang Shun chuckled, looking at her gently, “Don’t drink too much, you don’t have a good tolerance.”
Bo Ying was about to speak when Liang Qianran, somehow, also came over and said with a faint smile, “How about adding me?”
She paused and then suggested, “But just drinking feels boring, how about we change the game?”
“What kind of game?” someone asked.
Liang Qianran explained, “It’s like, the punishments are different. If the person who opens loses, they drink a whole bottle of alcohol or draw a truth or dare from the box over there. How about it?”
Everyone agreed to this game.
The dice game they played was a simpler version: everyone shakes their dice, then starts calling out numbers, going clockwise. The next person calling must have a higher number, or if they think the previous person’s number is close, they can just call “open.”
Bo Ying knew how to play this, so no further rules were needed. The loser either drank or chose truth or dare.
At first, everyone lost fairly evenly.
Gradually, Bo Ying became the one who lost the most.
After drinking several glasses in a row, Liang Shun asked her, “Do you want to switch places?”
Bo Ying refused, “No need.”
After another round of losing, Liang Shun coughed and said, “Can I drink for her?”
Bo Ying was about to refuse when Liang Qianran said, “What’s your relationship? Only a boyfriend can drink for Bo Ying.”
She thought for a moment and suggested, “Bo Ying doesn’t have to drink either, drinking all the time is boring, right? How about truth or dare?”
Bo Ying nodded, “Okay, I choose truth.”
Liang Qianran’s eyes lit up, and she tilted her chin, “Draw a truth question from there.”
Coincidentally, Bo Ying had bad luck and drew a very private question.
—When was your first kiss?
As soon as the question came out, a clear smile appeared on Liang Qianran’s face.
Bo Ying, however, was frank. She thought for a moment and asked, “Does this kiss refer to one where the other person also knew?”
As soon as she spoke, everyone looked at her in unison.
Bo Ying paused, then said, “Not long ago.”
Hearing this answer, Liang Qianran didn’t even bother asking what she meant by her previous words. She eagerly asked, “Do you have a boyfriend now?”
Bo Ying glanced at her, knowing what she was eager for. She shook her head, “Not yet.”
As Liang Shun breathed a sigh of relief, she continued, “But soon. I have someone I like.”
Liang Qianran was stunned for a moment, her gaze darting between her and Liang Shun.
Liang Shun’s face darkened, and he said in a deep voice, “Let’s continue.”
Who would have thought that Bo Ying would lose the next round again?
Bo Ying was speechless and chose dare.
Her luck wasn’t very good all night; even the dares she drew tripped her up, asking her to confess to the person she liked.
Facing several pairs of burning eyes, Bo Ying gritted her teeth and opened her contacts.
She pondered for a moment, then said, “I might not be able to get through, the person I like is abroad.”
Liang Qianran: “You call first.”
Bo Ying took a deep breath and dialed He Jingxiu’s number.
The phone rang for a while before it was answered.
“Hello,” the man’s familiar voice came through, “Is the party over?”
Bo Ying blinked, vaguely hearing the sound of wind from his end, “Not yet, what are you doing?”
He Jingxiu: “Waiting for someone.”
“Huh?” Bo Ying was surprised, “Who are you waiting for at this hour? Assistant Qi?”
As soon as she asked, Liang Qianran stared at her intently, silently prompting: Confess!
“No,” He Jingxiu asked, “Why are you calling me at this hour?”
Bo Ying was being prompted by several people to do the dare, so she had no choice but to give him a small hint first: “I’m playing games at KTV.”
“Mhm?”
“And I lost several times.”
He Jingxiu: “Did you drink? Are you drunk?”
Bo Ying: “That’s not the point.” She said vaguely, “I just drew a dare.”
He Jingxiu’s end was silent for a moment, as if he understood, “Do you need my help to complete it?”
“...” Bo Ying pondered for a moment, “You’re just a tool, the point is me.”
He Jingxiu: “...”
He chuckled, thought for a moment, and then said, “Then ask your old classmates if they can give me a few minutes before you do your dare.”
Bo Ying hadn’t even asked, when she heard the voices of several other classmates, “Yes!”
“What time do you want?”
“Do you want to make a private call?”
“...”
Bo Ying was in a difficult situation. Just as she was about to hang up, the man’s voice sounded again.
“No,” He Jingxiu’s voice was tinged with a smile, and he said gently, “I haven’t seen her in a long time, I want to see her and say a few words.”
He explained, “It’s not good to say over the phone.”
Bo Ying was stunned, then suddenly realized, “You’re back?”
“Yes.”
He Jingxiu said, “I’m waiting for you at the door, run slowly.”
With that, Bo Ying stood up straight and walked out.
She didn’t care whether the classmates present agreed or not; she only knew that she wanted to see He Jingxiu right now.
The KTV entrance was noisy, with various raucous songs coming from inside.
As soon as Bo Ying reached the door, she saw the man standing not far away. It was night, and he was wearing a light-colored trench coat. The wind ruffled his hair, making him look casual and relaxed.
As if by telepathy, He Jingxiu raised his eyes and looked at her.
Bo Ying was about to walk towards him, but he walked towards her first. Just like when they reunited, every step between them was initiated by him.
At this moment, Bo Ying suddenly didn’t want to complete the dare anymore.
She didn’t want to drag it out until the dare later; she wanted to tell him right now that she still liked him very much and wanted to be with him.
Just as she was thinking, He Jingxiu stopped in front of her.
He bent down, his nose brushing her cheek, his voice low and deep, “You drank a lot.”
“...” Bo Ying choked slightly, “But I’m not drunk.”
He Jingxiu rubbed her nose, “It’s good you’re not drunk.”
He looked at her, “What were you going to tell me just now?”
“Well...” Bo Ying’s eyes sparkled, reflecting the bright moon, “Should I say it now?”
He Jingxiu saw her reddened earlobes and quickly stopped her, “Wait until I finish speaking.”
Bo Ying “ah-ed,” “What are you going to tell me?”
He Jingxiu lowered his gaze to her, bending slightly closer, his breath falling on her face, and her reflection in his pupils as always.
He said, “Although I don’t know what you want to tell me, my intuition tells me that I need to say these words before you tonight.”
Bo Ying blinked.
He Jingxiu said, “Do you know why I rushed back tonight?”
Bo Ying shook her head.
“I didn’t want to drag it out any longer,” He Jingxiu said, suddenly taking her hand and placing it over his heart, letting her feel his heartbeat, and the feeling of being moved that she brought him.
“Do you feel it?” His words fell on her heart, “You live here.”
His heart was beating for her.
He leaned closer, lowering his eyes to her, “Will you be my girlfriend?”