Chu Qing leaned unsteadily against the bed, and after a while, she said casually, "How little must you trust me to think that I would abandon you?"
"Not abandon, just go to a different school," Qi Weichen said, resting his head on her lap and burying his face in her soft clothes.
Chu Qing let out a light snort. "But the way you just acted, it was as if I was going to abandon you."
"...If we separate, what if someone else pursues you?" Qi Weichen's voice was muffled.
Chu Qing poked his face. "Don't you have any confidence in yourself? You're so wonderful. Even if someone else pursued me, I could never choose anyone but you."
After a moment of silence, Qi Weichen said in a low voice, "But I'm not good to you. I'm afraid that if someone else is good to you, you'll realize how bad I am."
Chu Qing laughed. "What twisted logic. How are you not good to me? If you weren't good to me, how could I have done so well in my exams?"
"It's different. The way I'm good to you is like a sugar-free, oil-free healthy meal. It's good for your body, but it's not the kind you like. But because you haven't tried anything else, there's no comparison. I'm afraid that if a hot pot comes along to pursue you, you'll realize how unpalatable I am," Qi Weichen said, hugging her waist and lowering his voice.
Chu Qing was silent for a moment. "...Now that you mention it, I suddenly really want to eat hot pot."
"Are you changing the subject?" Qi Weichen frowned.
Chu Qing sighed. "Well, if I want hot pot, will you let me have it?"
"Of course," Qi Weichen answered immediately.
Chu Qing shook her head helplessly. "There you go. You're not just my healthy meal, you're also my hot pot, my milk tea, my little cake. No matter how good other guys might be, they can't compare to you in my heart."
Hearing her simple and direct words of affection, Qi Weichen's ears turned slightly red.
Chu Qing pinched his face, and suddenly the smile on her face faded a bit. "You really have no sense of security."
"...I'll change."
"As if you could change," Chu Qing scoffed. "We've discussed this topic so many times, and I haven't seen any improvement. It shows that this is just who you are, and you can't change it."
Qi Weichen's Adam's apple bobbed, and he wanted to ask if being with someone like him was tiring for her. But before he could ask, he heard her say brightly, "So, I'll just stick to you all the time, stay right under your nose every day, so you won't have a chance to overthink things."
"...You'll stay with me all the time?" Qi Weichen's voice tightened slightly.
Chu Qing nodded solemnly, then looked at him mischievously. "Anyway, I don't have anything in particular I want to do, so I might as well just follow you around. And no matter what you do, you'll end up being incredibly successful at it. Then all I'll need to do is ride on your coattails."
"Alright, you can ride on my coattails," Qi Weichen said, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Seeing that she had thoroughly comforted him, Chu Qing didn't say anything more.
"Get up, I'll take you out to eat," Qi Weichen said, sitting up immediately.
Chu Qing was taken aback. "Where?"
"Didn't you say you wanted hot pot?" Qi Weichen asked.
Chu Qing suddenly remembered what she had said earlier. "It's the middle of the night, where can we eat?"
"There are 24-hour places. We can just go directly," Qi Weichen said, bending down to help her straighten her clothes.
Chu Qing suddenly remembered their kiss from earlier, and her cheeks flushed red. Qi Weichen's eyes flickered, and his movements slowed down. The atmosphere suddenly became subtle.
Chu Qing coughed dryly. "Have you changed your mind? Don't want to take me anymore?"
Qi Weichen snapped back to reality and took a step back. "Hurry up."
"...Okay."
Feeling that it was a bit dangerous to be alone with him at home, Chu Qing quickly changed her clothes and followed him out. They found a hot pot restaurant nearby to eat.
"Are you going back home tonight?" Qi Weichen asked.
Chu Qing shook her head. "My mom said to let me stay at your place for the night," she paused for a moment, "My mom trusts you, that's why she's letting me stay. Don't betray her trust, okay?"
Qi Weichen knew what she was referring to, and a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. "I know. I won't betray it."
"That's more like it," Chu Qing muttered. Seeing him constantly putting food in her bowl, she couldn't help but smile.
Qi Weichen looked at her. "What are you smiling about?"
"Nothing, just remembering your metaphor from earlier," Chu Qing's eyes curved into crescents. "Healthy meal, you're quite good at descriptions."
Qi Weichen glanced at her, silently putting a piece of shrimp ball in her bowl. On the surface, he remained calm, but the tips of his ears secretly turned red.
Chu Qing didn't have the heart to tease him anymore. She put a piece of shrimp ball in his bowl. Qi Weichen looked at her, his eyes hiding a secret smile.
After submitting their college applications, it was time to wait. Chu Qing's score was actually a bit risky for the major she had applied to, but for some reason, she was confident that she would get in. So when the call from A University's admissions office came before the official letter, she was exceptionally calm, while her parents fell into a new round of celebration.
The summer vacation passed very quickly, seemingly ending in a blur of eating and sleeping. It wasn't until it was almost time for school to start that Chu Qing realized she hadn't done anything, whereas Qi Weichen had taken advantage of the holiday to get his driver's license.
"If I had known, I would have gone to take the test with you," Chu Qing said, looking at his license with a hint of envy.
Qi Weichen glanced at her. "It was very hot. You should wait for spring or autumn to take the test."
"Then why were you in such a hurry to take it?" Chu Qing raised an eyebrow, glancing at his noticeably darker skin tone.
Qi Weichen lowered his eyes to look at the license. "I wanted to be your driver."
Chu Qing: "..." Had this guy been eating too much sugar lately? How had he become so good with words?
After getting his license, the next thing was to buy a car. Qi Weichen wanted her to choose one she liked, and Chu Qing didn't hold back, immediately going with him to the 4S store. She didn't know much about cars, only whether they looked good or not, but any that caught her eye cost several hundred thousand yuan.
"This is too expensive, isn't it? Should we look at some more economical options?" Chu Qing said in a low voice.
Qi Weichen reassured her, "Just pick the one you like. I have money."
"Even if you have money, you shouldn't waste it. Let's look at some others," Chu Qing said, pushing him out of the 4S store.
Qi Weichen didn't force her, but secretly made a mental note of the few she had liked, planning to come back and buy one when he had the chance. Chu Qing was unaware of his plan and continued to complain even after they got into a taxi: "It's really too expensive. We don't go out much usually, and taking a taxi is just fine. There's no need to buy a car."
"Having a car would be more convenient," Qi Weichen said slowly.
Chu Qing pouted. "It is convenient, but I don't think we need to buy such an expensive one. I even brought my little savings today, thinking I could help you pay for part of it, but now it's only enough to buy four wheels."
"You brought money?" Qi Weichen laughed.
Chu Qing snorted lightly, pulling out her bank card from her pocket to show off. "Look, it's several thousand yuan. It's all my New Year's money."
"You're so rich. Can you treat me to a meal?" Qi Weichen played along seriously.
Chu Qing looked at him proudly. "No problem."
In the end, she really did pay for the meal. After eating, they strolled leisurely towards their residential complex. Chu Qing chattered away as they walked, while Qi Weichen just listened with a smile in his eyes. The picture of the two of them walking together was so harmonious that the woman who had been waiting downstairs was momentarily stunned.
Qi Weichen looked up and their eyes met, the smile in his eyes immediately fading. Chu Qing noticed his change and followed his gaze, frowning in confusion when she saw the woman.
"Weichen," the woman forced a smile.
Qi Weichen nodded politely. "Mom."
"...Mom?" Chu Qing was surprised.
Qi Weichen responded with a sound of affirmation and introduced, "This is my mom." Then he turned to the woman, placing his hand on Chu Qing's back. "This is Chu Qing, my girlfriend."
"You have a girlfriend now, that's wonderful," the woman smiled, no longer as awkward as before.
Chu Qing immediately greeted her sweetly, "Hello, Auntie."
"Hello," the woman's eyes were naturally cool, but she tried her best to soften her expression to avoid frightening Chu Qing at their first meeting. However, her demeanor was naturally stern, and even with her softened voice, she still appeared somewhat serious.
Qi Weichen bore a slight resemblance to her, and thinking that this was Qi Muyang's grandmother, Chu Qing felt even more cordial. "Auntie, it's so hot out here. Why don't we go upstairs to rest for a bit?"
"No, I just knew Weichen was about to go to school and wanted to ask if he needed anything," the woman said, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes. For so many years, Qi Weichen had never asked her for anything. Even if she wanted to give him something, he would refuse. She figured this trip was probably in vain too.
She let out a sigh, and after composing herself, looked at Qi Weichen, "I just came to check on you. If you need anything, just give me a call."
Seeing that Qi Weichen didn't respond, she forced a smile and was about to leave.
"Mom," Qi Weichen called out as she was passing by.
The woman immediately stopped and turned to look at him, "What is it?"
"I'd like a car," Qi Weichen said slowly.
The woman was taken aback, then a look of disbelief crossed her face, "You... you want me to buy you a car?"
"Is that okay?" Qi Weichen looked at her.
The woman nodded hurriedly, "Of course! Absolutely. What kind do you like? I'll go pick one out for you right now."
"There's no rush. We can buy it in a couple of days when it's not so hot," Qi Weichen said, his expression showing a rare hint of emotion at her excitement.
The woman quickly agreed, "Alright, no rush. Then... that's settled."
"Mm-hmm."
After Qi Weichen agreed, Chu Qing watched the woman leave with a spring in her step. She paused for three seconds before asking curiously, "Weren't you going to buy it yourself? Why did you ask your mom for it?"
"It's nothing. I just wanted to make her feel needed," Qi Weichen said, lowering his gaze.
Chu Qing was stunned for a moment.
"Actually, there are issues in their relationship, but they've never wronged me. It's just that I've unilaterally shut them out, not wanting to give them any chance," Qi Weichen tucked her hair behind her ear.
Chu Qing asked, puzzled, "Then why do you want to give them a chance now?"
"You don't know a parent's love until you become one," Qi Weichen said softly.
Chu Qing's heart stirred as she understood. Then she smiled, "Although they've made mistakes, you weren't necessarily right before either. Since neither of you has truly crossed each other's bottom line, why not slowly mend the relationship?"
"Mm," Qi Weichen responded gently.
Chu Qing lingered at Qi Weichen's house for a while before heading home. The next morning, she was ready to rush back to his place.
"I've never seen such a wild girl!" her mother scolded.
Chu Qing grinned, "I'm going to pick him up. We'll have lunch at home."
"In that case, I'll go buy a bass. I'll steam it for you two for lunch," her mother's expression changed immediately upon hearing they'd be eating at home.
Chu Qing gave her mother a disdainful look before running off to find Qi Weichen. However, just as she reached the entrance of his community, she ran into Qi's Mother.
"Auntie, what brings you here?" Chu Qing asked curiously.
A blush appeared on Qi's Mother's usually cool face, "I... I picked out a car. I wanted to ask if he likes it."
"...Now?" Chu Qing couldn't help but laugh, "You're certainly quick."
Qi's Mother smiled awkwardly, "This is the first time he's ever asked me for anything. I just wanted to get it for him quickly, in case he changes his mind..."
Chu Qing understood, "Then let's go up and find him."
"No, no need," Qi's Mother hurriedly said, "Um... why don't you take a look? If you like it, then we'll go with that one."
"That won't do. You're buying it for him, so he should be the one to choose," Chu Qing quickly refused. If Qi Weichen was buying it himself, she wouldn't mind choosing. But this was Qi's Mother buying it for her son, how could she dare to make the choice?
Qi's Mother smiled, "It's alright. He doesn't care about these things. If you like it, he's sure to like it too."
"...That still won't do. We should ask him," Chu Qing didn't dare make this decision.
Qi's Mother hesitated, about to speak when her phone rang. She had to step aside to answer it, and soon her brows furrowed. After hanging up, she sighed, "Something urgent came up at the company. I need to go back. I can't go up with you. How about this, I'll send him the photos, and you two can look at them together. If you like it, just order it directly."
"...Alright," Chu Qing had just agreed when Qi's Mother hurried off. She couldn't help but marvel at the businesswoman's efficiency, then leisurely made her way upstairs.
After so many visits, she already had a key. She opened the door and entered, seeing Qi Weichen, she said, "Your mom was just here."
"I know. Take a look at this car and see if you like it," Qi Weichen said, handing her his phone.
Chu Qing leaned in to look, her eyes immediately lighting up, "I like it. It's even better looking than the ones we saw before... Is it very expensive?"
"I'll ask," Qi Weichen said, then typed out a message.
Qi's Mother quickly replied with two words: Not expensive.
Chu Qing immediately felt relieved, "It's a good thing elders choose these big purchases. It's even better than what we picked. Since it's not expensive, let's go with this one."
"Mm," Qi Weichen agreed with a faint smile.
After choosing the car, they went back to Chu Qing's house for lunch. Afterward, Qi Weichen went to the 4S store with Qi's Mother's assistant. Chu Qing thought it was too hot outside and lazily stayed in the air-conditioned room, tossing and turning. When Qi Weichen sent her a few more photos of the car, she suddenly became curious and searched for the image, only to find a seven-figure price tag.
Chu Qing: "..." This is what they call not expensive?
