7 – Chapter 7
Taking Her Back to School
She didn’t have time to think about anything else—it was already past ten o’clock. She’d been delayed at the shop earlier; there had been so many customers, she hadn’t expected to be busy until this hour.
When she came out, she’d just missed the last bus. But yesterday’s cab ride had already cost her a hundred yuan. If she took another cab from here today, she probably wouldn’t be able to afford to eat for the rest of the week.
That’s why she’d thought of riding a shared bike back to school.
After locking the bike, she opened the door and got in.
The car had already started moving forward the moment she closed the door.
She felt a little embarrassed, but she still buckled her seatbelt first.
The car drove all the way toward the university town.
After they’d gone a bit further, Cheng Lin finally spoke up cautiously: “Today… thank you for today.”
If it weren’t for him, she probably wouldn’t even know when she’d make it back to school.
“Do you go out every day?”
What kind of person runs around outside every day? And goes this far, no less.
“Mm… not exactly.” She only went out when doing part-time work. This gig was farther away, but the pay was better. She’d weighed all the factors before deciding to come here.
“Three days a week.” The rest of the time she stayed around campus—the library, and a milk tea shop on campus, where she also worked part-time.
Only this restaurant was farther away.
“Mm.” Fu Siyu had only asked casually; he wasn’t particularly interested in how many days a week she went out.
So the topic ended, and silence fell in the car.
The atmosphere became heavy and stifling. Cheng Lin was used to being lively, and now, in such sudden quiet, she felt a bit uncomfortable.
So she shifted around in her seat, and the movement caught Fu Siyu’s attention.
He first glanced at her through the rearview mirror, then turned his head to look at her directly.
Today she was wearing a white hoodie, light-colored jeans, and white sneakers.
The two drawstrings on the front of her hoodie were tied into a knot.
She was small, but her figure was really quite good. When he realized his gaze had settled on her chest, he quickly looked away.
His mouth went dry.
“Cough, cough…”
He cleared his throat reflexively, one hand resting on the car door, the other on the steering wheel.
Cheng Lin asked instinctively: “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine…” He certainly wasn’t going to tell her it was because he’d just been looking at her…
“Can you be quiet for a bit?”
“Huh?” She hadn’t been talking.
“Cough… I mean, sit still. Don’t fidget.”
“Uh…” Cheng Lin’s face grew hot and flushed red: “Oh…”
“Is my car uncomfortable to sit in?”
Fu Siyu worried he’d been too harsh just now and that she might overthink it, so he asked another question.
“No.” Cheng Lin said: “The car is very comfortable.”
“I won’t fidget anymore. You focus on driving,” she said.
“Mm…”
And so, for the rest of the ride, she sat like a child who had just been scolded—perfectly well-behaved, not moving a muscle, until the car pulled up at the front gate of her school.
The security guard came out to stop them.
“Which dorm building do you live in?”
“The two at the very back… never mind, it’s just a short distance. I can walk in by myself.”
Cheng Lin didn’t plan to trouble him any further.
But unexpectedly, he had already said to the security guard: “I’m dropping off my sister. I’ll leave as soon as she gets out of the car.”
Although the guard was somewhat suspicious, he still nodded and let them pass.
“Really, there’s no need. You could have just dropped me off back there,” she said, waving her hand.
“Let me see this through to the end.” Fu Siyu said simply and lightly.
“Uh…” Cheng Lin looked at his resolute profile and fell silent.