Chapter 102: Staying at Lin Zhengran’s House

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Staying at Lin Zhengran’s House

"Lin Zhengran! I’m late!"

Lin Zhengran, who was waiting for a certain someone at the school gate, turned around and saw Xiao Heqing hurrying over.

A thin layer of anxious sweat covered the girl’s forehead. Xiao Heqing slowed her pace as she approached him, panting heavily. "I spent a little extra time tidying up in the dorm just now, so I came down a few minutes late," she said, looking extremely apologetic.

She tugged at her skirt. In truth, Xiao Heqing rarely wore skirts like this that completely exposed her calves and even a bit of her thighs, as she always felt a little shy in them. However, almost all high school girls wore them this way because it genuinely looked great—and most of them wore even shorter ones.

Lin Zhengran glanced at her smooth, jade-like calves. "You aren’t really late since I came down early. But I really don’t see you dress like this very often."

"Ah?" Xiao Heqing tugged at her skirt again, looking down at her bare legs. "It’s actually my first time wearing this skirt. I saw it the last time I went shopping with Wenwen. She said my legs had a nice shape and that it would look good on me, so I wanted to buy it and wear it for you to see. The trendy skirts right now are actually much shorter and only cover up to mid-thigh," she said, using her hand to gesture at the midpoint of her thigh.

"But both Wenwen and I bought slightly longer ones because we felt those ultra-short ones didn’t really suit us." She sneakily and shyly asked, "Do I not look good in this?"

Lin Zhengran casually evaluated, "This length is just right for you girls. There’s no need to go any shorter. Besides, your legs do look quite fair."

Xiao Heqing’s face flushed bright red. She lowered her head, not knowing what to say.

"R-really... As long as you like it..."

Not long after, the bus arrived. Lin Zhengran and Xiao Heqing scanned their transit codes and boarded together.

Whenever they took the bus home together, Xiao Heqing would always look for those double seats toward the back. Because every time she chose a seat like that, Lin Zhengran would let her take the window side. That way, she could sit very close to him, with their thighs touching.

After they settled into their seats, Lin Zhengran asked curiously, "Why were you so against taking a taxi when I mentioned it last night? You insisted on waking up early to catch the bus."

Xiao Heqing murmured softly before explaining, "Mainly because taxis are expensive. Also, whenever we take a taxi, you either sit in the front or sit so far away from me in the back... I don’t like it..." Her voice faded at the end, becoming so quiet she wasn’t even sure if she heard herself.

Lin Zhengran frowned.

Xiao Heqing quickly waved her hands in a panic. "I mean... it’s all the same anyway! Plus, there aren’t many people taking the first bus back to the town, so taking a taxi is completely unnecessary."

Lin Zhengran was indifferent about such things. As long as there were seats, the bus and a taxi were indeed the same to him. If there hadn’t been any seats, he would have just gotten off and hailed a cab. So, as long as this girl was happy.

Of course, he had actually heard what she whispered just now.

Xiao Heqing looked down and watched as her thigh periodically bumped against his with the swaying of the bus. With every touch, a hint of shyness surfaced on her face. To her, this was the perk of taking the bus. The constant rocking and swaying gave her the perfect excuse to lean against him from time to time.

Even better, as the bus driver made a sharp turn, inertia suddenly threw Xiao Heqing right onto Lin Zhengran’s shoulder. Only when the bus leveled out did she sit back up, placing her hands back on her lap and clasping her fingers together.

"To think something this great could happen... All hail the mighty bus," she thought happily.

An hour later.

Lin Zhengran and Xiao Heqing stepped off the bus, returning to their familiar hometown. The traffic in the small town was noticeably sparser compared to the bustling city center. There was even a roasted sweet potato vendor by the side of the road.

Xiao Heqing caught the aroma of the sweet potatoes from afar. Having skipped breakfast, her eyes and nose were instantly captivated by the smell. She secretly pulled out her phone to check how much money she had left for the week and found that she had just enough to buy one.

"We aren’t in a hurry to get home, right?" she suggested softly. "I want to buy a sweet potato."

Lin Zhengran gave a nod. "Go ahead."

Not wanting to waste time, Xiao Heqing quickly jogged over. "Sir, how much for a sweet potato?"

"Seven yuan for the big ones, five for the small ones." The vendor pointed out the difference between the two sizes. Xiao Heqing only had six yuan left. "Then give me a small one, please. And try to pick a sweeter one."

"You got it. How about this one?" The vendor pointed to a perfectly baked sweet potato. Xiao Heqing inhaled the fragrant scent, her stomach letting out a loud GRUMBLE. She nodded eagerly.

With the sweet potato wrapped up, Xiao Heqing cradled it in her hands. Although it was insulated by a layer of paper, it was still piping hot. She carefully peeled back the skin, revealing the golden, steaming flesh inside.

She brought it to her nose and took a deep sniff. It smelled heavenly. Then, she immediately held it out to Lin Zhengran. "You haven’t eaten either, right? I peeled it for you. It smells really good." She beamed, adding, "I’ll hold it for you so it doesn’t burn your hands."

Lin Zhengran looked at her silly expression. "For me? Didn’t you buy it for yourself?"

"I bought it for you, of course," Xiao Heqing said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I overspent my allowance this week and could only afford one. I figured since you didn’t have breakfast, this could fill your stomach a bit. I’m not craving it."

As soon as she finished speaking, she slurped back the drool pooling at the corner of her mouth. What a gluttonous girl.

Lin Zhengran was speechless.

He gently pushed the sweet potato back toward her. "You eat it. I’m not hungry. If I were, I would have bought one myself. I still have money on me."

Xiao Heqing stared at him blankly. "Are you really not craving it? It smells so good..."

"I’m really not, and it’s just a sweet potato."

Xiao Heqing cupped the steaming sweet potato in her hands. Although she was salivating, she still refrained from eating it. "But I always feel bad eating good things all by myself. How about you take a bite to taste it? Then I’ll eat the rest? Do you think that’s okay..."

Lin Zhengran looked at her eager, puppy-dog eyes.

"After all, good things should be given to you first... If you don’t eat, I’ll lose my appetite too," she said with an innocent face.

Knowing that this girl had a knack for wearing people down, Lin Zhengran decided not to waste any more time arguing with her. He opened his mouth.

Xiao Heqing immediately understood his intention. She quickly brought the sweet potato to his lips and watched as he took a small bite.

Only then did she ask happily, "Is it good?"

"It’s good. You can have the rest."

"Okay!"

Now that Lin Zhengran had eaten his share, she finally felt justified in digging in. Driven by her craving, she swallowed a gulp of saliva before taking a massive bite right out of the middle of the sweet potato.

The intense heat made her exhale sharply, huffing out breaths of hot air as she slowly chewed. She narrowed her eyes in delight. "So sweet~ Do you want more?"

"No more for me. Just eat slowly. Aren’t you afraid of burning your mouth?"

"Got it," Xiao Heqing replied. With that, she took another huge bite. There were times when she could be disobedient, simply because it tasted too good.

When they arrived at Lin Zhengran’s house, Lin Yingjun was on the sofa watching TV again. Seeing his son and Xiao Heqing return, he greeted them, "You two came back together?"

Xiao Heqing greeted him nervously, "Hello, Mr. Lin."

Lin Zhengran said to his dad, "He Qing and I are heading out for a bit today. We’ll be back tonight. Oh, and she’ll be staying over at our place today."

Lin Yingjun hummed in acknowledgment, but then let out a surprised noise. "Qingqing is staying here today?"

This was the first time Xiao Heqing was hearing about it as well. She looked at Lin Zhengran with a flushed face.

Seeing the two staring at him in confusion, Lin Zhengran asked He Qing, "What else then? Are you going back to school tonight? That’s fine too, up to you."

Xiao Heqing stammered. She had been completely unaware of this—or rather, she had forgotten.

"I... I... I don’t want to go back..."