A small stone rolled all the way down the steep steps. Mu Jing, still shaken, patted her chest while tightly gripping the front of Xu Ge’s shirt with one hand. “That scared me to death…”
Xu Ge had also been startled just now, but he was good at hiding it. He let out a breath with a blank expression and immediately began lecturing like an old cadre. “Watch the road when you walk. Don’t keep playing with your phone.”
“What are you talking about? Isn’t it because your photography is terrible!” There was no way Mu Jing would think this was her own fault.
Angrily, she punched Xu Ge lightly in the chest. “It’s because you didn’t hold onto me properly and didn’t even comfort me. If I had rolled down the stairs, wouldn’t the world have lost one beautiful girl!”
It would have been fine if she hadn’t reminded him, but once she did, Xu Ge heartlessly asked, “Does this count as a life-saving favor?”
Mu Jing: !!!
She stared at Xu Ge in shock and disbelief. He looked back at her as well, but soon a trace of surprise appeared on his usually expressionless face.
Mu Jing’s eyes reddened, a faint shimmer of tears forming, as if she might start crying the next second.
But she didn’t cry. She raised her hand, wiped her eyes, and pushed Xu Ge away. “Then it’s settled. You don’t owe me a life-saving favor anymore.”
Xu Ge opened his mouth. A strange feeling rose from the depths of his heart—something like a sense of loss—but he couldn’t quite explain what it was.
Logically speaking, after offsetting the life-saving favor, Mu Jing would no longer have any way to threaten him. He would definitely repay the money he owed her, but at the moment it was impossible for him to do so.
He didn’t say anything more. He simply walked silently beside Mu Jing, holding an umbrella over her the entire way.
During dinner that evening, Mu Jing had already adjusted her mood. Mainly because they were eating seafood tonight—if she didn’t want to dirty her hands, Xu Ge would definitely have to peel it for her.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, Mu Jing whispered to Xu Ge, “Even though the life-saving favor has been offset, you can’t leave early. I can count a thousand a day as payment and use it to deduct the money you owe.”
Xu Ge lowered his gaze and looked at her cautious expression. “No need. Three days and two nights was something I promised you. I won’t go back on my word.”
“Alright then. You said it.” Mu Jing became even happier and immediately began bossing around this boyfriend with a three-day expiration date. “Hurry up and peel the shrimp. I still want to eat crab later.”
Xu Ge: …
This big Young Lady simply needed a servant to serve her anytime and anywhere. But… forget it. He had already agreed, and he couldn’t go back on his word.
Over the next two days, Mu Jing frequently ordered Xu Ge around.
There was no helping it. Having a quiet, hardworking person who just silently did things was very satisfying to command. The only annoying part was that Xu Ge was a bit of a straight-laced man and also somewhat like an old cadre. Even though he didn’t speak much, whenever he did, it could make people furious.
When they boarded the coach bus again, Mu Jing yawned tiredly. “I’m exhausted. The amount of exercise these past few days is almost as much as I used to do in an entire year.”
This time Xu Ge didn’t say something like exercise is good for your health. He knew Mu Jing had a slight heart problem, so he remained silent.
Mu Jing was already used to his kind of “if I don’t know what to say, I just won’t say anything” silence. She leaned against his shoulder.
“I think… I’m actually a pretty good person, right?”
Xu Ge raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“What do you mean by that? Are you saying I’m not good?”
“I didn’t say that. Don’t overthink it.”
“Hmph.” Mu Jing snorted. “What I mean is, after this three days and two nights trip ends, we could still keep in touch occasionally like friends. Besides, we’ll both be at The Federation University later. We can look out for each other.”
“A long-term servant requires payment.”
“…How much per day? This Young Lady will buy you for ten years first.”
Mu Jing closed her eyes and stretched out her hand, extending her index and middle fingers as if she were handing Xu Ge a bank card.
Xu Ge rarely showed a hint of a smile. He raised his hand and gently pressed her hand down. “Don’t waste your father’s money too much.”
“Hm? So you’ve forgiven him? Last time he said some excessive things to you.”
“I can understand his feelings.” Xu Ge looked out the window, his voice calm. “A poor boy who hasn’t awakened any abilities really isn’t worthy of picking the rose he carefully raised.”
Mu Jing tilted her head and looked at him, boldly forming a hypothesis and calmly analyzing it. This meant everything was fine now, right?
Anyway, after entering university, she wouldn’t deliberately go out of her way to humiliate him. The conflict wouldn’t escalate. So… she had already avoided the dead end, right?
She didn’t dare ask, but it was very likely.
Feeling relieved, Mu Jing closed her eyes again and leaned on his shoulder. In a good mood, she comforted him, “It’s fine. You’ve awakened an ability now, and it’s such a rare lightning-type ability. You’ll definitely be very powerful in the future.”
“…Then will you regret it?”
“Who knows what will happen in the future?” Mu Jing would never admit regret. After all, Xu Ge was truly excellent in every aspect. Who wouldn’t want a boyfriend like that—even a husband?
But since the engagement had already been canceled, neither she nor Mu Jianbai would ever lower themselves to beg Xu Ge again.
Two weeks had passed since the three-days-two-nights trip. In another half month, The Federation University would begin its semester.
During those two weeks, Mu Jing had not contacted Xu Ge. Xu Ge certainly would not contact her either. They were like two lines that had briefly intersected before quickly drifting apart again.
However, since he was the male protagonist, Mu Jing still often inquired about his situation.
He needed to save money for tuition and miscellaneous expenses, so she had asked someone to find him an easy, high-paying job. But after finishing that job during the day, he would go and work somewhere else at night. His rest time was pitifully short, which made her incredibly annoyed.
“Jingjing, what’s wrong?”
Inside a private room at a KTV, Guo Luoling looked at the gloomy Mu Jing. “We finally came out to have fun, so why are you unhappy?”
“Yeah, yeah. Should we call your boyfriend over to hang out with us?” Su Youyou asked with a smile. “I’ve actually wanted to ask for a long time. You two seem like people who would never cross paths. How did you even meet?”
“Hmph. He’s handsome and has great grades, so I got curious and went to take a look at No. 3 Middle School.” Mu Jing snorted. “You’re allowed to have heard of Xu Ge, but I’m not?”
“But he’s an ordinary person,” Guo Yuan added casually while pausing her singing.
“So what if he’s ordinary? There are plenty of ordinary people in this world.”
“Hehehe. That really doesn’t sound like something a big Young Lady would say.”
The three friends looked at one another, all feeling incredulous. In the past, Mu Jing had always held her head high and often said that her future boyfriend couldn’t be below a C-rank Ability User. But now she had chosen someone who wasn’t even an Ability User.
“Hey, we’re getting off topic,” Guo Luoling said, slapping her thigh and pulling the conversation back. “What were you angry about earlier? You didn’t argue with Xu Ge, did you?”