Chapter 146 - 132: All 3 Gather

Chapter 146: Chapter 132: All 3 Gather

Taking a taxi back, they arrived at the familiar intersection right at noon. Jiang Xueli stared at their intertwined hands. The gloom from the movie theater had vanished within minutes, replaced by a faint smile on her face.

"We have to head back to school this afternoon. Does that mean our date today is over? Are we both going home now?" Lin Zhengran asked.

Jiang Xueli was reluctant to let it end like this. It felt like such a short date. They hadn’t really done anything... just slept through two movies. She didn’t want to let go of his hand.

Seeing her looking so down, Lin Zhengran smiled and said, "Don’t we have another date once your competition results are out? If you still want to watch a movie then, we can."

Thinking it over, Jiang Xueli realized he was right and slowly nodded.

In the distance, another taxi pulled to a stop at the end of a different intersection. A pure and sweet-looking girl with her hair tied in a single ponytail stepped out. After she alighted, a certain Little Fox came over to greet her best friend, and the two girls linked up.

Meanwhile, the first taxi driver closed his doors and drove off, passing right behind Jiang Xueli. The breeze from the moving vehicle made the young girl’s twin-tails sway slightly to one side.

Jiang Xueli took a deep breath, gathered all her courage, and took two steps closer to Lin Zhengran. Tugging at his clothes with one hand, she stood on her tiptoes. Her stubborn, prideful eyes gazed deeply into his. "Then... I’ll see you this afternoon, Zhengran..."

Her lips parted slightly as she planted a soft kiss on his neck. Goodness knows where she had learned that. She even added a tiny lick at the end.

The kiss left Lin Zhengran completely stunned.

Jiang Xueli stammered, "I... I’m going home now. Even though it feels like we didn’t do much this morning, I had a lot of fun." With that, she let go of his hand, covered her mouth with the back of her hand, and quickly ran away in sheer embarrassment.

It wasn’t until she had run quite a distance that she turned back, flashing her little canine teeth as she waved. "I’m leaving! Don’t forget to take me to the zoo once the competition results are out!"

Lin Zhengran looked at the young girl’s triumphant expression, sighing helplessly as he raised a hand to wave back from afar. "Be careful on your way back!"

"Mm!"

They parted ways. However, just as Lin Zhengran was about to turn around and head home, he noticed something down the street. Xiao Heqing, with her incredibly pure, trembling almond eyes, was staring blankly at the scene that had just unfolded. Her red lips were slightly parted in shock. Beside her, Han Wenwen was also dumbfounded, having just witnessed Jiang Xueli kissing Lin Zhengran.

The three of them locked eyes.

Lin Zhengran blinked. He wondered when these two had gotten there.

The midday sun was blazing, casting a warm glow over everything. But at this moment, Xiao Heqing looked anything but warm. She stared unhappily at the spot on his neck where someone else had just kissed him, then lowered her gaze to the ground, lost in thought.

Han Wenwen, holding onto Xiao Heqing’s arm, also stared at Lin Zhengran. Her fiercely jealous eyes seemed to scream, "Couldn’t you two find a private place to do that? Did you really have to do it right on the street? Now you’re in trouble, Zhengran!"

Fortunately for Lin Zhengran, he had seen his fair share of major crises growing up. While other guys juggling multiple girlfriends would panic and scramble for lies to explain themselves upon being caught, as someone who had lived two lives, he never panicked. Choosing to be straightforward and truthful, he put on an expression of unwavering righteousness.

"Why are you two here?" he asked, his voice full of confidence and entirely devoid of guilt.

Xiao Heqing slowly lowered her head, her voice soft and sweet. "Well... I called Wenwen last night, and we talked about how I haven’t visited her since she rented her place. So... I figured since we have to go back to school today anyway, I could drop by her apartment to take a look, and then we could all go to school together. We just... just got out of the taxi."

Han Wenwen wore a terrifyingly cheerful smile. "I came to pick up Qingqing~"

Using her formal, public way of addressing him, she continued, "By the way, Classmate Lin Zhengran, do you have any plans this afternoon? If not, why don’t you come with Qingqing and me to my apartment? I’ve prepared some food. You’ve never been to my room before, right, Classmate Lin Zhengran?"

Lin Zhengran met Han Wenwen’s eyes. It seemed this Little Fox was unhappily reminding him, "Aren’t you going to coax Qingqing, Zhengran? If you don’t, she might be upset for the rest of the afternoon. And me... I’ll be upset too."

She turned her head away silently, huffing like a spoiled child.

Lin Zhengran nodded. "I haven’t had lunch yet either, so let’s go together."

Han Wenwen marveled internally at how Zhengran never seemed to panic. He gave off such a strong sense of security...

The three of them headed back to the apartment together. Han Wenwen linked arms with Qingqing, introducing the surroundings. "Even though my place is a bit small, the location is pretty good. Plus, there are security cameras all around, so it’s quite safe."

Xiao Heqing walked with her head down, occasionally stealing glances at Lin Zhengran. She was feeling a little wronged and jealous.

"Qingqing?" Han Wenwen called out.

"Ah?" Xiao Heqing snapped out of her daze. "What is it, Wenwen?"

Han Wenwen thought to herself that Qingqing had completely zoned out. Doing her best to keep a smile on her face, she repeated, "I asked what you thought of the location. This one right ahead is my room."

Only then did Xiao Heqing realize that they had already arrived. Looking around, she quickly replied, "It’s not bad. The location really is nice."

Han Wenwen took out her keys and unlocked the door. "Here, let me show you guys my room!"

Xiao Heqing and Lin Zhengran looked inside. Technically, this was supposed to be the first time for both of them. Xiao Heqing took in the sight of the cramped but cozy room. There was a bed, a desk, and a smattering of miscellaneous daily necessities. The most eye-catching feature was the thick, fluffy white carpet laid out right beside the bed.

"What a pretty room," she remarked.

Han Wenwen nodded. "Right? What do you think, Classmate Lin Zhengran? Give us your thoughts as a first-time visitor."

"What a pretty room," Lin Zhengran echoed.

Xiao Heqing glanced at Lin Zhengran again, while Han Wenwen shot him a glare. "Come on in, then. I usually sit on the carpet because it’s really comfortable. You can sit on the bed too, though I haven’t made it yet."

Xiao Heqing murmured in agreement. As she stepped inside, she instinctively took off her shoes. "Where are the slippers, Wenwen?"

"Ah, right over there. But you don’t have to wear them. I never wear them myself; I just go barefoot straight onto the carpet." Han Wenwen took off her jacket as she spoke, walking further into the room.

But Xiao Heqing was already looking at the corner, where she unexpectedly discovered something—a pair of men’s slippers.

"What’s this? Men’s slippers?"

Han Wenwen’s footsteps hitched. Lin Zhengran also turned to look.

In reality, Lin Zhengran usually didn’t wear slippers when he was here. However, back before they had gotten together—when Han Wenwen was sick—he had worn them a few times. This was the pair he had bought back then. Since they were something he had used, Han Wenwen naturally couldn’t bear to throw them away.

Now, turning her head to look, a bead of cold sweat formed on Han Wenwen’s forehead. "Men’s slippers?"

Xiao Heqing stared at the slippers in the corner. "Yeah. And they look like they were bought a long time ago, right? They don’t look brand new either; they seem to have been worn a few times. Could it be..."

She looked at Lin Zhengran, fixing her gaze on him before turning back to Han Wenwen. "Did your uncle wear these?"

Han Wenwen let out an awkward laugh, grimacing slightly as she waved her hands. "No, no, my uncle has barely been here. He only came by once when I first rented the place. Actually, those men’s slippers were a freebie when I bought some shoes. It was a buy-one-get-one-free promotional deal. I tried wearing them a few times, but they were way too big, so I just left them there."

The Little Fox turned around and placed her discarded jacket on the bed. "Can’t you see they’ve even gathered a bit of dust?"

He Qing did indeed notice the dust. "So that’s how it is."

With her back to Xiao Heqing, Han Wenwen let out a massive sigh of relief.

She pointed at the self-heating hot pot and some deli food on the table. "Right, I’m going to the bathroom to change my clothes. You two can heat up the hot pot and chat for a bit."

With that, Han Wenwen grabbed a change of clothes and ducked into the bathroom. Before closing the door, she smiled and gave them a reminder.

"I’m going to take a long time to change, and I need to use the toilet while I’m at it. I’ll probably be in here for at least ten minutes."

Realizing that Han Wenwen seemed to be hinting at something, Xiao Heqing nodded. "Okay, got it."

Only then did Han Wenwen close the bathroom door. Now, the only people left in the room were Lin Zhengran and Xiao Heqing.

Xiao Heqing peeked nervously at Lin Zhengran, her small hands clasped together awkwardly.

She whispered, "Then... why don’t you take off your jacket and sit down to rest for a bit? I’ll heat up the hot pot for us."

She reached out to help Lin Zhengran take off his jacket. Whenever they were alone together, her inner hostess instinct naturally kicked in.