Chapter 51: Pt.1

Murong Shi had a small appetite. So, she graciously helped the two gluttons at the table cook the ingredients. However, after cooking the ingredients, she served most of the food into Xu Chuanchuan's bowl.

Initially, Xu Chuanchuan thought Murong Shi was taking revenge on her over her refusal to serve her vegetables. However, she realized that wasn't the cake after taking a look at Murong Shi's behavior. Whenever Murong Shi served a piece of meat to her, Murong Shi would intimately say, "Quickly eat it. It'll become tough to chew once it gets cold."

Moreover, Xu Chuanchuan found that a pile of meat had formed in her bowl in no time at all. Unsure whether she should laugh or cry, Xu Chuanchuan said, "Hey, stop serving me food. I really can't eat so much."

Revealing a stunned expression, Murong Shi said, "But you were able to finish two people's portions when we went to eat malatang last time."

"..." At the mention of this embarrassing event, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but bite down on her chopsticks in shame and said, "I'm going on a diet starting today."

"Hey, hey, hey, this is too much," Little Yan complained as she tapped her empty bowl. "Cousin, why are you serving only Chuanchuan and not me?"

Then, Murong Shi nonchalantly sent Little Yan a glance and said, "You have long arms and legs. You can do it yourself."

"Hmph!" Little Yan harrumphed.

"..." Xu Chuanchuan received a critical hit when she looked at her short arms.

The meal lasted over an hour. Because they still had to go to work the next day, they didn't go shopping after the meal. Instead, Murong Shi dropped Xu Chuanchuan and Little Yan off in her car.

Xu Chuanchuan and Little Yan had a merry conversation with each other at the back of the car.

"My little sister's personality is a bit like yours, but you're much cuter than her."

"Is she currently attending university?" Little Yan asked, her eyes glowing with interest.

Smiling, Xu Chuanchuan said, "That's right, but her grades are terrible."

"My grades aren't that good, either."

Xu Chuanchuan found out that Little Yan had just finished her National College Entrance Examination recently through their previous conversation. And as she had nothing better to do at home, she came to Murong Shi asking to get some working experience ahead of time. However, as Little Yan was afraid of others gossiping about her, she asked Murong Shi to keep her identity a secret. Xu Chuanchuan also couldn't help but admit that the two were very good at acting, seeing as how even she had been played for a fool before.

"Your exam results should come out soon, right?"

"It already got released a few days ago. I also checked the results."

"How many points did you get?"

"Just 633."[1]

Xu Chuanchuan gasped when she heard Little Yan's answer, her eyes widening in shock. Then, she exclaimed, "Little Yan, you're too modest!"

Little Yan put on an abashed smile and said, "It's okay. It's way worse compared to Cousin's score, though. Back then, her score could get her into even Tsinghua University, but she ended up not going."

"Why?" Xu Chuanchuan asked as she turned toward the driver in front.

In response, Murong Shi nonchalantly said, "I just wanted to be closer to home."

Xu Chuanchuan already knew that Murong Shi was an academic powerhouse when she overheard the conversation between Xu Xiangxiang and Murong Shi. So, she didn't find Little Yan's words to be too shocking.

However, Xu Chuanchuan still couldn't help but fall into contemplation at this revelation. Murong Shi was someone with good looks, a wealthy family, and solid capabilities. Logically, such a capable person should have no reason to like an ordinary person like herself.

Eventually, the car arrived at the company entrance. After cheerfully opening getting out of the car, Little Yan said, "I can finally take a shower and get rid of the smell of hot pot."

Xu Chuanchuan couldn't be bothered to open the door on her side. Then, just as she was about to get out through Little Yan's side, she suddenly heard Murong Shi saying, "Little Yan, you go up first."

Pausing midway through her stretching, Little Yan asked, "What about Chuanchuan?"

"I have something to say to her," Murong Shi said.

Xu Chuanchuan was stunned.

Little Yan shifted her gaze between the two people in front of her. Then, she asked, "It's already off-work hours. What do you have to say to her?"

Pretending to be unhappy, Murong Shi said, "Don't ask so many questions. Quickly head upstairs."

"Oh, okay. You two take your time," Little Yan said as she reluctantly left.

Meanwhile, Xu Chuanchuan closed the opened door and asked, "What did you want to tell me?"

Murong Shi did not answer immediately. Instead, she unfastened her seat belt and moved from the driver's seat to Little Yan's previous seat.

Xu Chuanchuan grew nervous when she saw Murong Shi's actions.

Meanwhile, Murong Shi didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she saw Xu Chuanchuan shrinking toward the car door. "I'm not assaulting you, so what are you afraid of?"

"..." Xu Chuanchuan straightened her body. Then, noticing that Murong Shi was staring intently at her, she asked, "Can you stop looking at me like that?"

In response, Murong Shi turned off the lights in the car.

Caught off guard, Xu Chuanchuan instinctively yelped when her surroundings darkened.

"Shh—" A warm breath brushed past Xu Chuanchuan's neck and right cheek. Then, Xu Chuanchuan heard Murong Shi speaking softly into her right ear, "Are you satisfied now?"

Xu Chuanchuan never expected Murong Shi to make such a move. Now that the lights were off, naturally, neither of them could look at each other.

The darkness made people more defensive. Xu Chuanchuan stiffened her body and dared not make even the slightest of movement in the dark. Then, she subconsciously spoke in a lowered voice, "Hurry up and out with it. It's getting late."

"Are you so reluctant to be with me?"

"Uh... I didn't mean that. You still need to drive back, and it's dangerous to drive at night. It'll also affect your sleeping schedule."

"This is simple. I'll spend the night with you two."

Seeing as neither of them could see each other's faces, Xu Chuanchuan boldly said, "Then you'll have to sleep on the sofa."

Murong Shi laughed. Then, she said, "Okay, I don't mind."

"But the sofa is short and narrow. It definitely won't fit you."

"That's a problem."

"So, you—"

"Are you hinting me at something?" Murong Shi interrupted.

Confused, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Hinting at what?"

As soon as Xu Chuanchuan finished speaking, she felt something cold enveloping her hand. When she realized that it was Murong Shi's hand, she did her best to resist crying out in surprise.

Xu Chuanchuan's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. However, Murong Shi did not give Xu Chuanchuan any time to recover as she said, "Hinting that I can sleep on the large bed."

"Huh?"

"Have you ever entered Little Yan's room?"

"I did once. What about it?"

"Did you notice that her bed is smaller than yours?"

The last time Xu Chuanchuan entered Little Yans' room was to get a bottle of mineral water for the drunken Murong Shi. After recalling the sight of the room for a moment, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I think so."

"So, only your room has a double bed."

Although Xu Chuanchuan couldn't see Murong Shi's face, she could sense a fiery gaze staring at her in the dark. Then, she abruptly pushed Murong Shi's hand away and blushed while saying, "Nonsense! I wasn't hinting at anything!"

Murong Shi's mood would always brighten whenever she was teasing Xu Chuanchuan, and this time was no exception as Murong Shi. Unlike previous instances, though, Murong Shi did not restrain her laughter.

Fortunately, the lights were off. While caressing her boiling face with one hand, Xu Chuanchuan said in annoyance, "Can you not laugh so loudly? Security is going to come to check in on us if you're any louder."

"Then, give me your hand."

Xu Chuanchuan randomly grouped around in the dark. Then, suddenly, she heard Murong Shi saying in a low voice, "Are you trying to take advantage of the situation?"

Xu Chuanchuan's hand stiffened. Then, she dryly said, "S-Sorry..."

The next second, Murong Shi held onto Xu Chuanchuan's hand. Then, gently scraping her short nails against Xu Chuanchuan's palm, Murong Shi said, "It's okay. You probably touched the seat belt just now."

"..." While struggling to retrieve her hand, Xu Chuanchuan grumpily said, "You're annoying."

Murong Shi flipped Xu Chuanchuan's hand and tightly intertwined their fingers, not letting the other party break free at all.

With their hands clasped, it felt as if their hearts were stuck together. The experience was indescribably subtle for both parties.

Xu Chuanchuan grew a little flustered, and she opened her mouth to speak.

Before Xu Chuanchuan could do so, though, she noticed a man walking in the direction of the car. The man was talking on the phone while walking. When the man passed by the car, he suddenly stopped a few seconds, seemingly attracted by the car's elegant appearance. Only afterward did he slowly walk away.

Fortunately, due to the lack of lighting in the car, the man didn't notice the two people sitting at the back of the vehicle.

Xu Chuanchuan had started holding the breath the moment she noticed the man.

The two people in the car had also tacitly stopped speaking. Only after seeing the man moving far away did Xu Chuanchuan let out a long sigh of relief.

Suddenly, Xu Chuanchuan heard a soft chuckle coming from the person beside her. Then, using in a seductive voice, Murong Shi whispered into Xu Chuanchuan's ear, "Don't you think we look like we're having an affair?"

Xu Chuanchuan wasn't in the mood to joke around. She had gotten so nervous before that she had started sweating. Then, she said, "Hurry up and go home."

Xu Chuanchuan knew that Murong Shi had only been joking before. After all, Murong Shi didn't have any spare clothes or toiletries prepared. There was no way she could spend the night in the dormitory.

Meanwhile, Murong Shi had also had her fill with teasing Xu Chuanchuan. After turning the lights back on, she watched Xu Chuanchuan leave the car.

...

Overall, Xu Chuanchuan felt that she had a good time tonight.

After returning to the dorm, Xu Chuanchuan immediately took a shower and happily laid down on her bed. But then, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't typed a single word today.

However, it was already quite late. Even if she worked till midnight, she wouldn't get much work done, so Xu Chuanchuan dismissed the urge to turn on her computer.

Xu Chuanchuan gently tapped on her phone, opened WeChat, and clicked on Murong Shi's avatar. Then, she asked, "Are you home yet?"

Ten minutes later, Murong Shi replied: "Just arrived."

Sure enough, dating is a time-consuming affair. I've already washed up, yet she just arrived back home, Xu Chuanchuan thought to herself. Then, she replied: "Go wash up and rest early. Good night."

Murong Shi: "Good night."

...

In the next few days, the two of them ended up eating dinner together every night. They usually ate in nearby restaurants that served good food, and the two of them took turns footing the bill.

However, after learning from their first date, Murong Shi no longer brought Little Yan along. She also forbade Xu Chuanchuan from inviting Little Yan.

After being given the cold shoulder a few times, Little Yan angrily said, "What have you two been up to recently? Your sneaky actions are making it look like you two are in a relationship."

Xu Chuanchuan's heart thumped, and she nervously pursed her lips, unsure of what she should say.

In contrast, Murong Shi remained calm like usual. Then, she frankly said, "We are in a relationship, so have some self-awareness and don't be a third wheel."

Little Yan, with her pure and innocent mind, was instantly dumbfounded by Murong Shi's words.

Xu Chuanchuan also gaped in shock.

Seeing this, Murong Shi hooked her arm around Xu Chuanchuan's neck and escorted the shorter woman away. While walking, she said, "Little Yan is like a little sister to me. It doesn't matter even if she finds out."

However, Xu Chuanchuan remained unresponsive for a long time. Then, she blankly looked at Murong Shi and said, "But we're still not dating."

Frowning, Murong Shi asked, "What are we doing if not dating?"

Dodging Murnog Shi's gaze, Xu Chuanchuan awkwardly said, "Didn't you say that you would give me a week to think about it?"

Murong Shi sighed. Then, she said, "Yes, I said I wouldn't force the issue."

"Actually, I think one week is a little short..."

"How long do you want, then?"

"A month?"

"..."

"Two months?"

"..."

"Okay, pretend I never said anything."

TL Notes:

[1]633: The standard total score for China's National College Entrance Examination is 750. The total score can be higher or lower depending on the number of electives a student takes, but the standard is 750.

[2]Tsinghua University: It is part of the C9 League of Chinese universities, and it is considered one of the best universities available in China.