MC - Chapter 14

In the evening, having nothing much to do, Shen Mingjin drove home for a visit to see his mother.

After his parents divorced during his third year of middle school, his mother, Zhou Ci, took him back to her family home in Shangjing and later bought a house in Huai'an District to settle down.

He lived in Huai'an District until college, stayed in the dormitories during university, and spent a year abroad due to some circumstances. After graduating, he moved to Jinghua Garden on his own and came home every now and then.

Shen Mingjin parked his car in the underground garage and pressed the elevator button. Glancing at his phone, he unexpectedly saw a message from Zhang Rufan: “I’m home.”

All week, he anxiously kept checking his phone but didn’t receive a single message from her. Several times he wanted to reach out first but ultimately held back.

As the one being pursued, being too eager didn’t seem appropriate. Now he could finally “passively” reply.

Shen Mingjin couldn’t help but chuckle softly, easily imagining Zhang Rufan’s overly cautious and serious expression while sending the message.

The message was brief, but at least she followed his instructions — a promising student indeed.

Smiling, he quickly replied, “Glad you got home safely.”

After sending the message, he realized it might be awkward to continue, so he quickly added, “I went home today too.”

“Is your home in Huai'an District?”

“Yeah, near the middle school.”

“Our middle school?”

“Right, just two streets away — about a ten-minute walk.”

This time, Zhang Rufan didn’t reply immediately. Shen Mingjin stared at his phone for a moment, suspecting a poor signal. He even raised his phone and waved it around to check.

As the elevator doors opened, her message came through: “I think I used to see you on the bus a lot.”

Shen Mingjin’s heart skipped a beat. His steps faltered slightly as he stepped out of the elevator, but he quickly smiled and typed back: “In high school, I often went to my grandma’s for meals. Her place was far from school, so I took the bus.”

“I see.”

The elevator doors opened fully. Head down, still looking at his phone, Shen Mingjin walked out, unlocked his door with his fingerprint, and replied: “I thought you hadn’t noticed me.”

“I didn’t see you back then.”

That reply sounded strange, so Shen Mingjin sent a confused emoji.

After a moment, Zhang Rufan clarified: “I mean, I thought I didn’t notice you back then, but recently you came to mind.”

The explanation was odd, but coming from Zhang Rufan, it sounded sincere — not like she was joking or making things up.

Shen Mingjin laughed without realizing it. “Your reflexes are pretty slow — took you five years to remember.”

“What are you looking at? Smiling so happily your grin’s almost reaching your ears.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Shen Mingjin saw his mother, Zhou Ci, peeking over. He quickly put away his phone and masked his expression with a calm, casual look. He lowered his tone a bit before saying, “Nothing… just a suitor messaging me.”

“A suitor? A girl?”

He gave her a look. “What else?”

“Who is she?”

“You don’t know her.”

“If you introduce her, then I’ll know.”

Shen Mingjin deftly twirled his phone in his hand and said, “She hasn’t won me over yet. Introducing you now would be too soon.”

His lips curled up into a slight smile again. Zhou Ci noticed his bright expression and was a bit surprised. “You’ve had plenty of girls like you before, but you never gave them hope. So this one… has potential?”

Shen Mingjin raised his chin slightly, smiling. “Hard to say. I’m not that easy to catch.”

“Such a show-off.” Zhou Ci lightly tapped his son’s head. “Listen — if you like her, don’t play hard to get. If not, don’t lead her on.”

“I know. I’ll handle it properly.”

Shen Mingjin walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa, reopening his phone. Zhang Rufan had sent a message: “My family’s calling me for dinner. Can I message you later?”

Polite, even cautious—his heart softened. He replied, “Sure, go eat. Talk later.”

Zhang Rufan didn’t reply, likely already at the table. Shen Mingjin scrolled through their chat history—just a few lines, yet enough to linger in his mind.

A week later, he still hadn’t fully processed it: Zhang Rufan actually liked him and was pursuing him, despite clearly rejecting him in high school.

Years later, something had changed her feelings—even she seemed unsure. Until she figured it out, he’d give her time to think, reflect, even reconsider.

As for him? He’d capsized with her before and should’ve learned his lesson—yet here he was, drawn back into the same current.

“It’s not me playing hard to get—she’s kept me hanging for years,” he muttered.

On Saturday, Zhang Rufan went for a morning run, showered, changed, and prepared to go out.

She’d scheduled a technician to check the bathroom waterproofing—thanks to this, she’d had a reason to message Shen Mingjin last night.

After changing clothes, Zhang Rufan hesitated as she looked at the makeup in her bag.

Her aunt had told her, “Once you start working, you need to present yourself well—at least put on some lipstick. It’s professional etiquette.”

Zhang Rufan had kept that advice in mind, usually wearing light makeup on workdays but rarely bothering on her days off.

Whether she wore makeup usually depended on the occasion, but today, for the first time, she hesitated because of who she was going to see.

Her skills were basic—just a little color on her lips to brighten her face—but even that small detail made her pause.

After a moment’s hesitation, she sat down at the table and took out her cushion compact.

Once ready, Zhang Rufan left and took the subway to Jinghua Garden.

She had arranged for the technician to arrive at 10:00. Getting to the apartment early, she checked the time—still half an hour to go.

Last night, she and Shen Mingjin had agreed on the inspection, but now she wondered if he was home. She pulled out her phone, opened WeChat, typed two characters, then deleted them.

Since they’d already agreed on the time, he’d surely be there. Asking again might seem like needless fuss.

Although he’d promised to reply, she didn’t want to bother him too often.

Zhang Rufan wasn’t good at chatting, especially on social media. In person, even if conversations got awkward, she could at least politely say hello or goodbye. On the phone, she had no idea how to make up for that shortcoming.

Last night, after some mental preparation, she’d taken the initiative to message Shen Mingjin. Their conversation had surprisingly gone smoothly. She didn’t have to worry about awkward silences or scramble for topics; Shen Mingjin always picked up her threads and gave her something to respond to.

Shen Mingjin was a man of his word. He’d given her a chance and didn’t shut her out—but how to make the most of it was Zhang Rufan’s current dilemma.

She’d never pursued anyone before. It was like being new to the game—nervous and clueless, but quietly eager to try.

At 10:00, the technician arrived. He first inspected the tile coating in the bathroom, then plugged the drain to start filling it with water.

Once the tub was full, the technician said he needed to check the ceiling below for leaks. Zhang Rufan offered to go with him.

Downstairs, the door opened as soon as she rang. Shen Mingjin wasn’t surprised to see her and let them in.

The technician used his instruments to check thoroughly and reported no leaks so far, but they still needed to keep an eye on it.

“The waterproof test takes 24 hours, so the water upstairs can’t be drained yet. We’ll check the ceiling downstairs periodically.”

Shen Mingjin asked, “So we won’t know if the waterproofing is fixed until tomorrow?”

“Right.” The technician then asked Shen Mingjin, “Are you around today?”

“I’m off.”

“That works out well. I have other jobs and can’t stay here all day. You’ll need to watch the ceiling carefully—call me if you see any leaks.”

“Okay.”

“No need to stare at it constantly. Check it frequently this morning. If all’s clear, then just a few times in the afternoon will do.”

“No problem,” Shen Mingjin said promptly, readily taking on the task.

After the technician left, Zhang Rufan felt a bit guilty. “Sorry to trouble you again.”

“It’s just checking the bathroom. Not a big deal,” Shen Mingjin shrugged it off.

Still, Zhang Rufan couldn’t shake the feeling she’d imposed on him unnecessarily.

With the ceiling inspection finished and the technician gone, she had no reason to stay. After a moment of hesitation, she said, “Well… I’ll head out too.”

Shen Mingjin blinked in surprise. “Already?”

She nodded.

“Got plans later?” he asked.

“No.”

“Then why the rush?” Seeing her blank look, he added, “I’m off today.”

“I know. You said.”

“So… no plans to do anything?”

Zhang Rufan fell silent, lost in thought.

Seeing she wasn’t catching on, Shen Mingjin sighed and said bluntly, “Ace of Hearts, you’re the one pursuing me. Shouldn’t you take this chance to ask me out?”

That snapped her back to reality. She fumbled with her words, voice hesitant and uncertain: “Are you free? Can I… invite you…”

She trailed off, stuck—this was her first time asking a guy out and she didn’t even know what to suggest.

Shen Mingjin sighed inwardly again. “Here, I’ll show you how it’s done.”

He glanced at his watch and laid out a plan decisively: “The technician said to keep an eye on the ceiling this morning. If there’s no leak, we don’t have to watch it so closely in the afternoon. You could invite me to lunch.”

The meal time was near, but Zhang Rufan hadn’t even thought to invite him. Even if she wasn’t pursuing him, after all the fuss about the bathroom waterproofing, she owed him a meal. When it came to social skills, she still had a lot to learn.

“Okay,” she agreed.

Shen Mingjin waited a moment for her to continue, and when she didn’t, he gave her a nudge: “Now’s when you ask what I like to eat.”

Following his lead, Zhang Rufan hesitated before asking, “What do you like to eat?”

Shen Mingjin had the answer ready and replied quickly, “Nothing special I crave, but a few things I don’t like: no raw food, I’m a bit allergic to crab, and cilantro is my nemesis.”

She jotted everything down, then looked at him sincerely and asked, “What do I ask next?”

“...”

Seeing her earnest, expectant expression, Shen Mingjin sighed silently to himself. At this rate, when would he ever be caught?

1. 反射弧 (fǎnshè hú) – "Reflex arc," used metaphorically to describe someone’s slow reaction time 

2. 拿乔 (ná qiáo) – To play hard to get or act coy 

3. 吊着 (diào zhe) – To string someone along (keep them waiting or uncertain in a relationship).

4. 气垫 (qìdiàn) – Cushion compact 

5. 指纹 (zhǐwén) – Fingerprint, used for unlocking apartment door

Characters

章入凡 (Zhāng Rùfán) – The protagonist.

沈明津 (Shěn Míngjīn) – A former classmate who wrote Zhang Rufan a love letter in high school, in her copy of Anne of Green Gables.

章胜义 (Zhāng Shèngyì) – Zhang Rufan’s father. 

李惠淑 (Lǐ Huìshū) – Zhang Rufan’s stepmother ("惠姨 Huìyí").

章梓橦 (Zhāng Zǐtóng) – Rufan’s much younger half-sister (~18 years age gap). 

章胜嫔 (Zhāng Shèngpín) – Rufan’s aunt (father’s sister). 

程怡 (Chéng Yí) – Rufan’s close friend from middle school. 

谢易韦 (Xiè Yìwéi) – High school class monitor who is getting married, prompting the reunion.

杜升 (Dù Shēng) – Someone Zhang Rufan didn't want to add as a friend on WeChat at first.

刘品媛 (Liú Pǐnyuán) – The planning department manager at OW.

孙璐 (Sūn Lù) – Zhang Rufan’s direct supervisor at OW, who goes by "Sister Lu" (璐姐, Lù Jiě).

袁霜 (Yuán Shuāng) – A friendly coworker in the planning department.

周慈 (Zhōu Cí) – Shen Mingjin’s mother

Sevyn here ~~~

The last sentence made me laugh. 

Anyways, this is 1st of the 2 chapters I owe. Was so busy at work this week 😭

Enjoy!