"Did you have Breakfast?" Cheng Xing asked again.
"I did," Jiang Luxi replied, her gaze drifting deeper into the distance. Raindrops fell steadily from the sky, merging into streams that snaked their way into a nearby pond. In the pond, a group of white geese flapped their wings, playfully enjoying the rain.
"Alright," Cheng Xing smiled, then turned to the staff at the nearby Barbie Baozi Shop. "Boss, give me four meat buns, four vegetable buns, and two cups of soy milk."
As he made his way over with an umbrella, he noticed a familiar face among the baozi shop employees.
"Cheng... Cheng Bro?" Zhao Ming had been watching them for a while, wondering who was lucky enough to have such a beautiful girlfriend. The girl exuded a quiet purity that contrasted sharply with the more typical girls he had pursued in school—those whose personalities were worlds apart from hers.
Girls like her were irresistibly attractive to many, especially to the boys who neglected their studies in favor of self-destructive habits. But Zhao Ming knew that girls like her were the hardest to win over.
"I was just thinking—who could be lucky enough to date such a beautiful girl? Turns out she's your girlfriend, Cheng Bro. If it's you, I'm not surprised." He grinned, his words dripping with ingratiation.
Jiang Luxi, who had been watching the white geese in the pond, frowned at the comment. She turned to Zhao Ming, her voice cold. "I'm not his girlfriend."
"Just a matter of time," Zhao Ming laughed, unfazed. "Any woman Cheng Bro sets his sights on is as good as his."
His words only fueled the disgust in Jiang Luxi's eyes. She had already disliked him when she overheard his crude talk earlier while they were at the baozi shop. Now, hearing him again, her repulsion deepened. Her annoyance with Cheng Xing had increased as well.
"Sometimes, talking too much really makes someone dislike you," Cheng Xing muttered under his breath, clearly irritated.
Jiang Luxi had always been wary of Cheng Xing's romantic interest in her. He understood that someone like her, focused on her studies, wouldn't entertain the idea of dating before the college entrance exams. He wasn't looking for a relationship, but he hoped to build a genuine friendship. Zhao Ming's words, however, only pushed her further away from him.
Zhao Ming wasn't a close acquaintance, but Cheng Xing remembered him. They had both attended the same class in Ancheng No. 6 Middle School, where Cheng Xing had earned a bit of a reputation. Many of the troublemakers had followed him around. Zhao Ming, though, had failed his high school entrance exam and ended up at Ancheng No. 9 High School. After dropping out in his second year, he faded from Cheng Xing's life. But Cheng Xing remembered him for one particular incident—Zhao Ming had tried to hit on Chen Qing, and Cheng Xing had taught him a lesson.
Jiang Luxi had a keen sense of people like him. Cheng Xing later learned that Zhao Ming had gotten into a fight, broken someone's ribs, and ended up in prison. His family spent over 500,000 yuan trying to settle the case, but the victim's wealthy family refused to compromise. Zhao Ming served more than ten years in prison, despite the injury being minor.
His parents lost everything trying to bail him out, but it was all in vain. It was no wonder Jiang Luxi had such contempt for aimless troublemakers.
Even Cheng Xing hated his past self. When his mother was gravely ill, he couldn't even come up with 100,000 yuan. His so-called friends, the ones he had always helped, had vanished when he needed them the most. If it hadn't been for Jiang Luxi's help back then, he might have lost his mother. The 10,000 yuan they lacked came from her when they were at their most desperate.
Could he ever repay that favor? Probably not in this lifetime. Once her exams were over, Jiang Luxi would lack for nothing. He could only try to repay her in the time they had left. But she was stubborn, and helping her required subtlety.
"She's not my girlfriend. Not now, not ever. She's my tutor, hired by my parents to help me with my studies," Cheng Xing said, his voice tinged with a hint of threat. "And don't even think about messing with her. I mean it."
Given Zhao Ming's history with Chen Qing, Cheng Xing felt compelled to issue a warning.
"I understand. Of course," Zhao Ming said with a grin.
Afterward, Cheng Xing turned and walked toward a different shop, not continuing his purchase at Zhao Ming's.
Watching Cheng Xing leave, Zhao Ming sneered, "As if! 'Not now, not ever.' Yeah, right. Like you wouldn't be tempted by such a gorgeous girl right next to you every day."
"Cheng Xing, who are you fooling!"
Despite his words, Zhao Ming dared not cross Cheng Xing. His experience with Chen Qing had left a lasting impression.
Cheng Xing made his way to the Shaxian Snack Shop, a popular chain known for its variety of delicacies. The menu boasted everything from steamed dumplings with unique fillings to wontons stuffed with savory pork, and much more. It had become a nationwide franchise, though Cheng Xing couldn't quite remember when Ancheng had gotten its first Shaxian Snack. By the time he noticed, the chain had already spread across the country. He recalled a time, back in his primary school days, when there hadn't been a single Shaxian Snack shop in town at all.
He bought two bowls of wontons and two trays of steamed dumplings. The dumplings cost 3 yuan per tray, and the wontons were 5 yuan per bowl—quite expensive by local standards. At their school's snack street, dumplings were only 2 yuan, and wontons 3 yuan.
Carrying the food and holding the umbrella, Cheng Xing said, "Let's go home."
"Mm," Jiang Luxi nodded, but the phrasing bothered her.
"Not home—back to study," she corrected him.
"Sure, but we eat first," Cheng Xing smiled.
The two of them walked together, soon reaching home.
"Help me with the door? Or if you don't want to, just hold the umbrella while I open it," Cheng Xing joked, juggling both the umbrella and the food.
Jiang Luxi pursed her lips and opened the gate.
It's just opening a door! Why make it sound like I'm petty?