As the car was unlocked, the headlights of the car flickered.
Song Qingcheng looked up.
Not too far from where she was, the man stopped for a moment. He probably didn't expect her to be waiting here.
He was tall and well-built, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a black gym bag. He was not dressed casually like he had been at the course. He had probably just taken a shower and changed into a clean shirt and trousers. He looked neat and tidy.
The few times they met, Song Qingcheng's impression of Yu Tingchuan was that he was 'serious'.
His facial features were deep-set and serious as if he had never smiled.
Right now, even though he was rather expressionless, Song Qingcheng could sense that he was surprised. This intuitive response inexplicably intrigued her.
Song Qingcheng straightened up slowly as she moved her body away from the car door.
Without waiting for Yu Tingchuan to ask, she extended her hand.
"These shoes…" she began.
Her wrist was pale and tender as if holding the shoes out like this took too much effort.
Yu Tingchuan glanced at her feet. It was already in an ordinary pair of sneakers. It didn't look new. They were probably what she had been wearing initially. He did not take the paper bag with the shoes from her. Instead, he looked up and asked her, "Have you been waiting here for a long time?"
Song Qingcheng pursed her lips but didn't look into his eyes. She said softly, "Not really."
Her eyelids were half-closed. As she spoke, her lashes fluttered.
It made her look innocent and harmless.
Yu Tingchuan looked at the top of her head and was silent. After a while, he vaguely heard someone talking. He drew his left hand out of his pocket and opened the car door next to Song Qingcheng. "Get in. I'll send you back to school."
The golf course was located outside the Fifth Ring Road of South City. Although the roads here were well-paved, due to its remote location and the fact that most people coming here to play golf had their own private cars, there was only one public bus route servicing the venue. Furthermore, the last bus was scheduled for 6:30 pm.
Obviously, it was way past 6:30 pm now.
Song Qingcheng got into the back of the car.
When she saw that Yu Tingchuan had gotten into the car and started the engine, Song Qingcheng asked, "Don't we have to wait for Mr. Gu?"
Yu Tingchuan replied, "He has his own car."
Upon hearing this answer, the corners of Song Qingcheng's lips curled upwards. However, her smile only lasted for a moment before she suddenly said, "Wait." Seeing that Yu Tingchuan's hand that was on the gear stick had paused for a moment, she quickly pushed open the car door and got out. Then, she got into the front passenger seat. Then, with her arms around her backpack, she turned towards the man next to her and said, "Okay, I'm ready."
…
As the car drove out of the golf course, Yu Tingchuan's phone rang.
He looked at the caller ID and picked up the call. When the person on the other end was done speaking, his attractive voice filled the car. "I've got something on so I've left."
"…"
"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
With that, Yu Tingchuan tossed his phone onto the dashboard.
Song Qingcheng kept looking out of the car window.
She guessed that it was a call from Gu Zhengshen.
The car drove into the river tunnel, and the light in the car instantly dimmed, making the reflection on the car window even clearer.
Her gaze stopped on Yu Tingchuan's reflection. At that same moment, the road lights streaked past. In the flickering light, she caught a reflection of the man's side profile. The lines were cold and hard, including his protruding Adam's apple. From a woman's point of view, Song Qingcheng had to admit that he was very charming and had the sexiness of a mature man.
After staring at it for a long time, the windows on both sides of the car suddenly rolled down.
Hot wind streamed in from the windows, dissipating the cold air in the car.
All that was left filling Song Qingcheng's vision was the pitch-black night and the rapidly retreating row of streetlamps.
…
When the car arrived in the city, it was already past eight in the evening.
Yu Tingchuan suddenly asked, "Did you get vaccinated this week?"
"…" Song Qingcheng was stunned for a moment. When she realized what he was referring to, she looked down at her left hand. The wound was no longer painful. She said in a quiet voice, "The doctor said I was fine. There shouldn't be any major problems."
Yu Tingchuan did not say anything, but at the intersection ahead, he turned the steering wheel halfway and changed the direction of the car.
About twenty minutes later…
The car pulled up and stopped at the epidemic control center.
There was a doctor on duty at the center. He drew out the second dose of vaccination. Song Qingcheng went to the second floor for the injection. Yu Tingchuan did not follow her upstairs. He stood at the building entrance and smoked.
In less than five minutes, Song Qingcheng made her way back downstairs, pressing down the disinfectant cotton swab against her left arm.
"The doctor said to observe for fifteen minutes," she said.
Yu Tingchuan nodded and did not hurry her to leave.
Song Qingcheng did not return to the building. She stood beside Yu Tingchuan. In the night breeze, she stood there looking at the cigarette in Yu Tingchuan's hand, she suddenly asked, "Which brand do you smoke?"
This question appeared to be an invitation for idle chat.
Yu Tingchuan tapped off the cigarette ash and answered her question, "Yellow Crane Tower."