“Dean?” she asked, a little puzzled.
As Bai Qingqing unpacked the takeout, she explained, “He’s the dean of the School of Pharmacy. He’s a stubborn old man, but he’s a good person. My Big Brother was one of his favorite students.”
Hearing that, Ke Ruobing didn’t ask any more questions.
“It’s so hot outside today, isn’t it? You’ve only been here a few days, and you’ve already gotten a few shades darker.” Bai Qingqing handed her a can of cola.
Ke Ruobing took it and downed it in one go, feeling some of the fatigue drain away.
Ke Ruobing nodded. “It really is hot. I spent the whole day looking for work, but couldn’t find anything suitable.”
“Job hunting’s like that. Don’t get discouraged. If you ask me, you should just work at the shop.”
Ke Ruobing shook her head. “No, you and your brother have already helped me so much. If I have to ask you to help with even a little thing like this, I’ll have no idea how to repay you.”
“If you want to thank me, satisfy my stomach and treat me to a nice meal,” Bai Qingqing said casually, a hint of laughter in her voice.
Ke Ruobing smiled. “All right. Once I find a job, I’ll treat you both to a feast.”
Looking at Bai Qingqing, she understood what that familiar feeling in her heart was. That old man had made her feel the same way Bai Qingqing did: warm and kind, like a good person.
Having figured it out, Ke Ruobing made a decision.
“Then it’s a deal,” Bai Qingqing replied, not thinking much of it.
“What would you like to eat?” Ke Ruobing asked, taking out her phone to see what good deals were available on the group-buying app. Bai Qingqing had only taught her how to use it a couple of days ago.
Bai Qingqing paused briefly. Ke Ruobing had gone out to look for work in all that heat, and she didn’t even know how to shop online. Maybe she didn’t have much money.
“I was just kidding,” she said quickly. “You can just treat us to milk tea.”
Ke Ruobing bluntly rejected Bai Qingqing’s suggestion. “You’ve helped me so much, and you’ve treated me to food several times. I really should take you out for a nice meal. I have money, so don’t worry.” Her tone was earnest.
After that, Ke Ruobing began browsing the group-buying offers on her phone.
This hot pot restaurant looks good. Qingqing seems to like hot pot.
This one has crayfish, too. This one looks good as well.
These places aren’t far from the neighborhood. Even if I get carsick on the way, I can handle it. Save, save.
Seeing how serious Ke Ruobing looked, Bai Qingqing suddenly suggested, “How about we cook a few dishes at home instead? It’s been ages since I had home-cooked food.”
Cooking at home should cost less, right? If it came to it, she could ask her big brother to buy some groceries.
Ke Ruobing frowned. “You want home-cooked food?”
Home-cooked food? She didn’t know how to cook.
Although that woman had restricted how much she could spend when going out, she hadn’t had to cook at home. The housekeeper took care of all that.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m tired of eating takeout every day,” Bai Qingqing said with a laugh.
“Okay, then. We’ll have to wait a couple of days.” Ke Ruobing thought it over and nodded. She should be able to learn to cook in two days, right?
“That’s fine. I’m in no rush. We have everything we need at home.” Bai Qingqing nodded.
Ke Ruobing nodded. “Okay.”
“Come on, eat up before the food gets cold.” Bai Qingqing said, placing a serving of food in Ke Ruobing’s bowl with her chopsticks.
Ke Ruobing looked at the food in her bowl and smiled sweetly. It had been so long since anyone had served her food.
Bai Qingqing couldn’t help staring, inwardly exclaiming, Too unfair! She’s so sweet! I want to pinch her cheeks. I want to cuddle her.
After the meal, Ke Ruobing tactfully took responsibility for clearing the dishes, while Bai Qingqing went back to her room, saying she’d made plans to play online games with a friend.
Once everything was tidied up, Ke Ruobing went back to her own room.
It was about the same size as her room in Hangcheng, with a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk. The only difference was that this room had a bay window.
Whenever night fell, Ke Ruobing liked to sit on the bay window and quietly gaze out at the world beyond, letting her thoughts drift far away.
For Ke Ruobing, the past few days had been unusually full. She’d almost been tricked, but she’d also met a good person.
Come to think of it, everyone she’d met since coming to this city had been a good person.
Qingqing was a good person, Big Brother Xing was a good person, and Big Brother Yan was a good person. Even the old man she’d met on the street was a good person.
Maybe she was just too tired. Before long, Ke Ruobing had fallen into a deep sleep.
Late that night, Bai Yan opened the front door, reeking of alcohol and looking bleary-eyed.
The moment he stepped inside, his defenses finally dropped. He staggered toward the sofa in the living room and then passed out drunk.
Perhaps because something was on her mind, Ke Ruobing woke earlier than usual, before eight o’clock.
As soon as she opened her bedroom door, she saw Bai Yan lying on the living-room sofa. The room was faintly scented with alcohol; he seemed to have had quite a bit to drink.
She gazed at his peaceful features, momentarily lost in thought.
It seemed that whenever she saw him, he was catching up on sleep, as if he could never get enough.
To be honest, Bai Qingqing was the most beautiful girl Ke Ruobing had ever seen. She made people want to grow close to her, to do anything for her.
And her Big Brother, Bai Yan, was the most handsome man Ke Ruobing had ever seen, with deep-set, sharply defined features.
No wonder they were siblings. They were both so good-looking that anyone would want to take a second look.
Unlike her, she hadn’t inherited her mother’s beauty. Instead, she looked somewhat like her father. She wasn’t unattractive, but she wasn’t the kind of beauty that turned heads, either.
Ke Ruobing wrinkled her nose and went to the bathroom to wash up.
Bai Yan had also woken at the sound of Ke Ruobing opening her door. He opened his bleary eyes and saw her profile as she brushed her teeth.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ke Ruobing noticed that Bai Yan was awake. She rinsed the toothpaste foam from her mouth and quickly finished brushing her teeth.
Bai Yan sat up and rubbed his temples. A hangover was miserable.
Ke Ruobing turned and went into the kitchen to boil a kettle of water.
A little while later, she came out with a cup of hot water. “You don’t look well. Have some hot water.”
“You’re up early.” Bai Yan took the cup and thanked her.
“Yeah. Once I woke up, I couldn’t get back to sleep.” Ke Ruobing nodded, then turned to fetch her face towel from the balcony.
“My senior classmates came over yesterday. I had a few too many drinks,” Bai Yan answered vaguely, evidently not fully awake.
“Why don’t you go back to your room and sleep some more? You’ll feel better once you’re asleep,” Ke Ruobing suggested.
Bai Yan nodded and went back to his room.
After washing up, Ke Ruobing grabbed her backpack and headed out.
Back in his room, Bai Yan tossed and turned in bed, but couldn’t fall asleep.
Forget it. I might as well go see the old man. I reek of alcohol anyway, so I can make sure he notices me.
Yongleyuan, Building 7, Apartment 602.
Ke Ruobing looked at the note in her hand, uncertain.
She’d never tutored anyone before and didn’t know if she could handle the job. It wouldn’t be good if she ended up teaching them the wrong things.
“How are you here?”
A voice tinged with surprise brought Ke Ruobing’s thoughts back to reality.