Psst! We're moving!
Their eyes met.
Bo Ying stared intently at He Jingxiu, asking very sincerely, “Are you serious?”
He Jingxiu curved his lips, “Mm.”
Bo Ying choked slightly, then after a moment of silence, refused, “I don’t want to.”
She said, “I don’t like staying in hotels.”
He Jingxiu pulled her to sit on his lap and nodded, “Then we’ll go home.”
“But you still haven’t told me why you came out with CEO Pei,” Bo Ying looked at him, implying, “If you don’t tell me, we’ll just stay here.”
He Jingxiu paused slightly, touched the tip of his nose, and said, “It’s inconvenient to say right now.”
Bo Ying was startled, blinked, and asked, “A secret?”
“Mm.”
He Jingxiu still had a bottom line when it came to keeping secrets.
Bo Ying looked at his expression for a while, then thought about it and said, “Alright then, I won’t pressure you.”
He Jingxiu was surprised, “Not curious anymore?”
“I am curious,” Bo Ying pouted, saying very aggrievedly, “But if you don’t want to tell me, my curiosity is useless, isn’t it?”
He Jingxiu was amused by her, and said helplessly, “You’ll know soon. It’s related to Sheng Chun. If I tell you, there’ll be no surprise.”
Bo Ying’s eyes darted around, and she probably guessed what it was.
She understood and didn’t ask further, “Alright then, shall we go home?”
He Jingxiu smiled and took her home.
As for Sheng Chun and Pei Yan, they didn’t pay much attention to them either.
It was another weekend, and the show Bo Ying was on aired as usual, but she missed it again.
It was Christmas Eve, and she was on a date with He Jingxiu.
Of course, even if they weren’t on a date, He Jingxiu wouldn’t want her to watch the show.
He didn’t want to see his girlfriend being forced by netizens to be shipped with other men, even if that person had no intentions towards Bo Ying, it was still a no-go.
A man’s possessiveness was just that unreasonable.
Bo Ying let him be. She wasn’t the type of person who had to watch a show as soon as it aired; watching it later was fine too.
Anyway, whether she watched it or not, the show had already been filmed.
The two strolled around outside, without any special activities.
When they returned home, Bo Ying forced He Jingxiu to eat an apple, and she ate one too, getting quite full.
The two went to bed early, both filled with anticipation for Christmas Day.
________________________________________
Christmas Day was exceptionally different for both Bo Ying and He Jingxiu.
That Christmas several years ago, she accidentally kissed him, feeling guilty and shy. At that time, her greatest wish was to be his girlfriend.
Now, her wish had come true.
Coinciding with a Sunday, the school was on holiday. Bo Ying and He Jingxiu registered at the security office and smoothly entered the campus.
The first place they went was Bo Ying’s school.
She hadn’t been back for a very long time. Bo Ying looked at the campus scenery, still feeling a bit dazed.
She exclaimed in surprise, “That side has actually changed! Wasn’t it bare before?”
Now, flowers were planted there.
He Jingxiu followed her gaze, “Mm.”
Bo Ying was curious, “What kind of flowers are these?”
To be honest, He Jingxiu didn’t recognize them either.
The two flower-ignorant individuals began searching on Baidu on their phones.
Bo Ying poked at her phone and said in surprise, “They can bloom so beautifully even in winter. Our school is getting more and more romantic.”
He Jingxiu chuckled, rubbing her head, “Do you regret being born a few years earlier?”
Bo Ying looked at him, “Do you regret it?”
He Jingxiu thought for a moment, “No regrets.”
“Then I don’t regret it either,” Bo Ying said straightforwardly, “If I were born a few years later, wouldn’t I have missed meeting you?”
He Jingxiu was always struck by Bo Ying’s impromptu remarks. He looked at her intently, his Adam’s apple moving slightly, “Mm.”
Bo Ying looked at him, “Let’s take a couple of photos, then go to the classroom where I used to have classes.”
He Jingxiu agreed.
Actually, Bo Ying’s memories at her own school were not as vivid as those at He Jingxiu’s school.
Many of her blunders happened at He Jingxiu’s place. At her own school, there were only traces of her hard work.
Bo Ying told He Jingxiu about her third year of high school, when she lived a three-point-line life every day: classroom, cafeteria, and restroom, basically going nowhere else.
Every morning, she would be driven to school by the driver, and every day, she would count the streetlights along the road on her way home.
That was her only free time to zone out.
At home or at school, she felt an indescribable tension.
She couldn’t say why, but it was truly like that.
As she said these things, He Jingxiu held her hand very tightly.
From Bo Ying’s straightforward description, he could vaguely imagine her situation at that time. For some reason, he felt a pang of heartache.
Caught off guard by He Jingxiu’s hug, Bo Ying chuckled, “What are you doing?”
He Jingxiu held her, drawing in her warmth and scent.
“I want to give seventeen-year-old Bo Ying a hug.”
“Oh,” Bo Ying leaned on his shoulder, actively wrapping her arms around him, and deliberately asked, “Then does eighteen-year-old Bo Ying not get one?”
He Jingxiu: “You do.”
He held her very tightly, his voice low, “Does nineteen-year-old need one?”
“Yes.”
Bo Ying closed her eyes, inhaling his familiar woody scent, and whispered softly, “Every year, you have to hold me for a long time.”
He Jingxiu’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he agreed in a hoarse voice, “Okay.”
He whispered, “Can I hold you for a lifetime?”
Bo Ying pretended to hesitate for a moment, then said very reluctantly, “You can.”
The two hugged for a long time in the classroom.
The afternoon sun streamed through the old windows onto them, onto the desks, exceptionally bright and warm.
________________________________________
Leaving the classroom, Bo Ying excitedly pulled He Jingxiu to his school.
Entry was still very smooth.
To Bo Ying’s surprise, boys were playing basketball on the court even in the dead of winter.
She looked up and around, astonished, “Aren’t they cold?”
He Jingxiu followed her gaze to the court, “No.”
Bo Ying stared straight ahead, shaking his arm, “Let’s go watch for a bit.”
“?”
He Jingxiu looked at her, “You like watching basketball?”
Bo Ying: “Yes.”
She looked at He Jingxiu in shock, “You didn’t know?”
He Jingxiu thought she only liked watching him play basketball.
He paused, “Definitely didn’t know.”
Bo Ying glanced at him and whispered, “If it wasn’t for your good basketball skills back then, I might not have even noticed you.”
He Jingxiu choked slightly, thought back carefully, and asked, “Didn’t you notice me from the staircase on the rooftop?”
“That... was just a glimpse.”
Bo Ying corrected him very seriously, “Ultimately, it was because you played basketball so well that I truly fell for you.”
Who doesn’t like a spirited and free-spirited, sunny teenager?
At that time, Bo Ying loved reading campus comics the most, and she also loved watching teenagers play basketball. Naturally, she developed admiration for He Jingxiu.
He Jingxiu pondered for a moment, “Got it.”
Bo Ying let out an “eh” and asked, puzzled, “Got what?”
He Jingxiu glanced at her, then turned away, “I’ll go watch basketball with you.”
As expected, Bo Ying’s attention was diverted by him, and she curled her lips, “Okay.”
There weren’t many people on the basketball court. Besides a few handsome teenagers playing basketball, there were only two or three girls nearby, none of whom seemed very old.
Bo Ying stared for a while, then whispered to He Jingxiu, “Do you think they’re having an early romance? They look very much like students from your alma mater.”
He Jingxiu: “I don’t know.”
Bo Ying: “Guess.”
“Is there a prize for guessing correctly?”
“Yes,” Bo Ying smiled, “Guess correctly and I’ll give you a kiss.”
He Jingxiu thought to himself that he’d get a kiss whether he guessed correctly or not, but to play along with Bo Ying’s little gambling impulse, he nodded, “Okay, I’ll guess yes.”
Bo Ying: “...”
She also wanted to guess they were having an early romance.
“No,” she said unreasonably, “You guess no.”
He Jingxiu: “...”
He was exasperated but amused, tickling her palm and saying, “So unreasonable?”
“Yes,” Bo Ying also laughed, “You guess they’re not having an early romance, and I’ll guess they are.”
He Jingxiu had no choice but to agree.
The two watched for a while, and when the first half of the basketball game ended, the two waiting girls quickly ran over, holding towels and mineral water.
As she watched, Bo Ying even sharply noticed that the boy in the white jersey kissed the girl who brought water.
She was excited, pulling on the person next to her’s clothes and cheering, “He Jingxiu, I won!”
He Jingxiu: “...”
He rubbed his temple, genuinely unable to perceive the fun in this bet.
The field was too cold. After winning the bet, Bo Ying and He Jingxiu went to his classroom.
Her previous lunch breaks and evening breaks were mostly spent here.
At that time, Bo Ying was extremely familiar with He Jingxiu’s classmates. She had a good personality and could get along with anyone.
Initially, He Jingxiu didn’t pay much attention to her. Bo Ying then built a good relationship with a female classmate in his class, and would shamelessly come to the classroom every day to enjoy the air conditioning. She never said she was there to see He Jingxiu; everyone knew her true intentions anyway.
Later, after He Jingxiu started paying attention to her, she came to the classroom even more frequently.
He Jingxiu’s classmates were used to it and would occasionally tease them, which Bo Ying would always respond to. Of course, there were times when she would sulk.
For example, when He Jingxiu’s class representative discussed a problem with him, Bo Ying, who was a year younger, could only listen to incomprehensible jargon on the side. She didn’t understand anything but didn’t want to leave, not wanting to give them a chance to be alone.
Thinking of those past events, Bo Ying couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“What’s so funny?” He Jingxiu looked at her.
“Laughing at my old self,” Bo Ying looked at him and asked curiously, “When’s your class reunion?”
He Jingxiu: “Why?”
Bo Ying plotted, wrinkling her nose and saying, “I want to attend your class reunion.”
He Jingxiu tapped her head, “Who do you want to see?”
Bo Ying blinked at him, “To see my old love rival.”
He Jingxiu was helpless, “She doesn’t count.”
“Why not?” Bo Ying was indignant, “You two used to be very close.”
He Jingxiu thought back, and genuinely didn’t feel he was close to his old class representative. Their relationship was just normal, ordinary classmates.
“Didn’t feel like it.”
Bo Ying: “You men all think that way.”
He Jingxiu chuckled, looking down at her, “At that time, besides you, I felt my relationship with everyone else was very ordinary.”
“...”
Bo Ying paused slightly, strangely mollified by his words.
“You really didn’t think your class representative liked you back then?”
He Jingxiu didn’t answer directly, but kissed her lips and said, “At that time, I only knew I had feelings for you.”
Bo Ying: “...Alright then.”
She glanced at He Jingxiu, suppressing her upward-curving lips, “I’ll let you off the hook for now.”
He Jingxiu smiled, asking softly, “Want to go to the rooftop for some fresh air?”
Bo Ying blinked, “Yes.”
Although it was very cold in the middle of winter, she still quite wanted to see the place where she and He Jingxiu first met.
It was truly too cold.
After going up and looking around for a bit, Bo Ying urged He Jingxiu to leave.
Their Christmas campus tour came to an end.
After leaving the school, the two finally began their proper date.
He Jingxiu drove, first taking Bo Ying to lunch, then to their next destination.
“Where are we going?” Bo Ying asked curiously, “You’re being so mysterious.”
He Jingxiu chuckled, “You’ll know in a bit.”
Bo Ying hummed and looked out the window.
Because it was a weekend and Christmas, the streets were crowded and lively.
Although it was cold, everyone’s faces were beaming with smiles, which was very infectious.
The road was a bit congested. After a while, as Bo Ying was getting drowsy, they arrived at their destination.
Bo Ying looked up and smiled.
“Coming to the ski resort only in the afternoon, isn’t it a bit of a loss?”
The place He Jingxiu took her to was the ski resort she had been clamoring to visit for a while.
Besides skiing, there were many other amusement park-like activities here.
Bo Ying had been itching to go after seeing netizens recommend it, but she never had the time.
He Jingxiu: “No loss.”
He looked at Bo Ying, “Shall we go?”
Bo Ying smiled, “Let’s go.”
As soon as they entered, Bo Ying changed into the rented clothes and then started pulling He Jingxiu to go skiing.
She had specifically learned to ski and was very good at it.
After showing off her skills in front of He Jingxiu, Bo Ying looked at him with a little smugness, “CEO He, want to have a competition?”
He Jingxiu subtly curved his lips, “Okay.”
He paused, then asked softly, “How do we compete?”
Bo Ying looked at the field and pondered, “Race for speed?”
He Jingxiu nodded.
“What’s the prize?”
Bo Ying’s eyes darted around. She looked up at him for a long time, her cheeks flushed, then stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in his ear.
After she finished speaking, He Jingxiu’s eyebrows slightly arched, a smile playing on his lips, “Are you sure?”
Bo Ying felt a little embarrassed under his gaze, but still put on a brave front.
She licked her lips and nodded, “Sure.”
He Jingxiu readily agreed.
To ensure fairness, they even specifically found someone to supervise.
They stood on the slope in matching ski suits, dazzling and eye-catching.
The competition officially began. Both moved gracefully, sliding down with ease, without a single pause.
Like a gust of wind, they sped away and landed steadily.
Bo Ying won.
She took off her protective gear and looked at He Jingxiu, frowning, “Did you let me win?”
He Jingxiu paused, “No.”
Bo Ying highly suspected he had deliberately lost.
He Jingxiu’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he reminded her, “You won. You’re on top tonight.”
“...”