Chapter 7 Indulging Your Arrogance [Date.]

Xie Qingci stopped halfway, frowned in confusion, and thought back to her Friday plans.

The setup of the exhibition hall will be completed in the next few days, and Mr. Jiang plans to start a small-scale trial exhibition this week. They may have to go to the venue to help.

Unlock the screen and reply: 【Maybe not, there's something going on at school. Is there something wrong?】

Their next plan seems to be getting their marriage certificate, but it's not time yet.

The chat window was silent for a moment, then a message appeared: "[A date.]"

Xie Qingci was suddenly stunned, staring at the two words for a long time before she came back to her senses.

Their fingertips, hovering over the screen, rise and fall; could their relationship be described as dating?

But it doesn't seem wrong; they'll be legally married next month.

She pursed her lips and replied: 【How about another day?】

She wasn't sure what time it would end that day, so she thought it would be safer to reschedule for another day.

Liang Jingzhuo was on his way to the company.

The assistant, focused on driving, unusually didn't hear the sound of documents being flipped through from the back seat. He secretly glanced at the rearview mirror.

Then, to everyone's surprise, the boss, who always used his time so meticulously, was actually playing on his phone!

Liang Jingzhuo glanced at the reply that popped up in the chat box, clicked on the input box, and wrote: "It doesn't matter, I won't arrive in Jingzhao until the afternoon either."

His work schedule that day wouldn't end very early either.

The words "Xie Qingci" at the top of the page changed to "typing" and then back again several times before finally displaying: "OK."

After the negotiations ended, he put down his phone, looked at the documents on the small table in front of him, and picked up a pen to make annotations.

His fingertips hovered, and finally he raised his head and called out, "Lu Li."

Lu Li, who was driving in front, immediately responded, "What's wrong, boss?"

He pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment, then asked, "If it's a date, shouldn't I bring a gift?"

This question stumped Lu Li for a few seconds, then his eyes widened slightly.

Boss, you want to go on a date?!

He coughed lightly twice: "Logically speaking, it is necessary."

Having received the answer, Liang Jingzhuo calmly lowered his head and replied with a soft "Mm".

-

From Liang Jingzhuo's reply, Xie Qingci guessed that he should no longer be in Jingzhao, and that he came over on Friday just to have a date with her?

She glanced at the few lines of conversation in the chat box.

It's probably not him. He's so busy; it was probably just something he did on the side.

The queuing machine called her name again, and a nurse came out from behind the triage desk, calling several times, "Xie Qingci, is Xie Qingci here?"

She looked up, replied, "Yes!" put away her phone, took the medical examination form, and walked towards the examination room.

The physical examination process ended quickly, and the report would be available in two days. After leaving the examination center, Xie Qingci returned to the Xie family manor.

As soon as Zhou Mingzhen and Xie Mulin arrived home, Zhou Mingzhen came out of the living room to greet her as she entered, saying with great joy, "It's been so long since I've seen my darling. Let me see if you've grown taller."

Xie Qingci changed her shoes at the door and called out with a smile, "Mommy."

He then added, "Isn't it a bit much that I'm still growing taller?"

Zhou Mingzhen smiled, took Xie Qingci's hand and walked into the house, instructing the aunt that they could begin setting the table.

The family of three hadn't seen each other for a long time, so today they had to sit down and have a proper meal together.

As Zhou Mingzhen entered the living room, she glanced up at the location of the study upstairs. Xie Mulin had work to do, so he went straight to the study as soon as he got home.

She turned her head and asked softly, "How did you feel about meeting Jingzhuo that day?"

Xie Mulin and Liang Jingzhuo's father did not get along well, and even though the two families were now engaged, Xie Mulin still did not like his future in-laws very much.

Zhou Mingzhen said he talks nonsense all day long, and is sarcastic and weird, so now no one mentions the Liang family in front of him.

Xie Qingci smiled and replied, "It's fine."

Zhou Mingzhen nodded, her expression satisfied. "That's good. I met him once at a cocktail party when I was on a business trip to Hong Kong. He was quite nice."

He is handsome and has a distinguished appearance.

Furthermore, since they were both in the business world, they had heard about Liang Jingzhuo's achievements after joining the Liang family.

He is a shrewd and resourceful young man.

Xie Qingci took off her bag, glanced at Zhou Mingzhen with a smile, and said, "You've only met me once, yet you've given me such high praise?"

After saying that, I realized it wasn't right.

She had only met Liang Jingzhuo once, and she had just replied that everything was fine.

Zhou Mingzhen raised her chin to look at her, "Who is your mother? When choosing a husband for my precious daughter, can she only rely on one glance? Of course, she has evaluated him from all aspects."

Everyone has a high opinion of this kid, otherwise she wouldn't feel at ease.

“However…” Zhou Mingzhen hesitated for a moment before saying this.

Xie Qingci turned her head to look over, waiting for her to continue.

Zhou Mingzhen continued, "This kid doesn't seem to have a good reputation among the rich young ladies in Hong Kong."

Xie Qingci looked puzzled. "Why?"

Zhou Mingzhen laughed, "The girls' families take the initiative to ask him out, but he hasn't gone even once. He's offended them all."

Xie Qingci also laughed.

I remember that day Ke Meng said he couldn't find a single rumor about him. In this situation, not buying articles to smear him was already showing mercy. Where would he find any rumors to spread?

During the meal, Xie Mulin came downstairs and asked Xie Qingci with a kind smile how her studies were going, how her health was, how the art exhibition preparations were going, and whether she was tired...

I asked them everything, but they didn't mention a single word about the marriage alliance with the Liang family.

He received several eye rolls from Zhou Mingzhen.

Xie Qingci answered each question, saying they were all fine.

That evening, Xie Qingci stayed at the Xie family manor.

As usual, she lay on the bed and scrolled through her phone for a while before going to sleep. Her sleep quality had been poor since the beginning of summer, and the gentle breeze from the air conditioner suddenly made her feel sleepy.

Just as her eyelids started to droop uncontrollably, her phone, which was dangling precariously in her hand, suddenly vibrated, startling her awake.

I opened my eyes, and the notification pop-up hadn't disappeared yet.

Liang Jingzhuo: [Do you have any dietary restrictions or allergies?]

She clicked into his chat window and replied: 【No.】

A moment later, a message came from the other end: "Okay."

Compared to not exchanging a single word a few days ago, the frequency of his contact with her today is a qualitative leap.

But in reality, she felt that it was quite good to maintain this state of not chatting unless necessary.

Because you never know if his next sentence will start an awkward conversation.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when a message appeared in the chat box: "What did you have for dinner?"

"..."

She took a deep breath and, for the first time, called his name very seriously: "Liang Jingzhuo."

He cooperated readily: 【Hmm?】

Hsieh Ching-Tzu: [Actually, you don't have to force a conversation if you don't have anything to say.]

She was terrified of dealing with this awkward situation, unsure whether to reply or not.

The chat window remained silent for a moment, then displayed the message: "[Okay.]"

-

Ms. Zhuang stood to the side, craning her neck to try and see the chat content on Liang Jingzhuo's phone. Before she could even see the first sentence, the screen locked with a "click" and went out.

After learning that Liang Jingzhuo had booked a trip back to Jingzhao on Friday, Zhuang Shuying urged him to remember to ask Xie Qingci about her tastes and preferences, so that their first date would be well planned.

Worried that Liang Jingzhuo would agree on the surface but forget about it behind her back like before, she deliberately stayed up late tonight. When he came back, she blocked him at the stairwell and watched him send messages.

The task was completed. Liang Jingzhuo turned to look at her and asked, "Is it done?"

She adjusted her robe, rolled her eyes at him, and stepped aside at the bottom of the stairs.

Liang Jingzhuo withdrew his gaze and went straight upstairs. After crossing the stairwell landing, he slowed down. His phone screen lit up, the facial recognition scanned, and the screen lock was unlocked again.

His gaze fell on the conversation in which Xie Qingci had just called his name.

He paused for a moment, then swiped open the input box again and typed in her name again.

Xie Qingci was stunned when she received the message. She had just been about to go to sleep when her phone suddenly vibrated on the bedside table.

When she picked it up, she saw that Liang Jingzhuo had called her name.

She assumed he had something to say, and waited for a long time with her phone, but no further message came.

So I took the initiative to ask him: "What's wrong?"

A moment later, his reply arrived: "You just called my name."

Hsieh Ching-Tzu: [So?]

Liang Jingzhuo: [To be fair, I'll call on you too.]

"..."

What kind of fairness is this?

-

On Friday, the exhibition hall held its first exhibition, which had not yet been announced to the public. Most of the visitors were students and teachers from the school.

The initial results seem to be quite good; within just half a day of opening, several exhibited works already had "sold" signs.

Xie Qingci painted two paintings in total, one titled "Looking Forward to Spring" and the other "A Fool's Pursuit of Dreams".

The two paintings have different styles. "Looking Forward to Spring" is more romantic and uses colors more freely, while "The Fool's Pursuit of Dreams" is postmodern deconstructionist, slightly abstract, and its colors are dreamy yet profound.

Both were sold as soon as they were exhibited.

Ke Meng looked at the works that were being put up for sale one after another, then turned to look at the plaster statues in the exhibition hall that were used for display and not for sale.

"Why don't we ask if anyone wants to buy those? They're all made by Aci anyway."

The person who bought the two paintings by Xie Qingci was a senior student from the Business Administration Department. He was 188 cm tall, had a decent appearance, and his family ran a chain of restaurants.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, it's clear that the real intention wasn't what it seemed.

Duan Siyu stroked her chin and agreed to the suggestion, "I think it's a good idea. If we put Aci's name on it, there shouldn't be any problems selling it."

Wearing a small bee pendant, Xie Qingci was explaining something to a group of teachers from another college who came to visit.

Afterwards, he politely bowed to see the group off before taking off his headset and walking over. He saw Ke Meng and Duan Siyu huddled together, seemingly plotting something.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Ke Meng handed her a glass of warm water. She took it, thanked her, and took a small sip.

Ke Meng glanced at her and said, "We're planning to put all those plaster statues we made for you up for sale as well. They're sure to be snapped up."

Xie Qingci smiled and said, "That's overestimating me."

These plaster statues are all replicas of classic figures, nothing special. You can find them all on online shopping platforms; they're just painted.

Duan Siyu squinted and shook her head. "The product itself is secondary; the main thing is that it was made by you."

As he spoke, he pointed to the young man from the catering industry chatting with several art students in the rest area, "See, facts speak louder than words, he bought the painting but he hasn't left yet."

Ke Meng leaned in and said, "Let's make a bet. After the museum closes, let's see if he'll come to ask Aci out for dinner. I bet he will, you bet he won't, okay?"

Duan Siyu looked away, not wanting to take this gamble she couldn't win. "I'm not betting on your thief. It's obvious he'll come. Don't you even know what day it is?"

Xie Qingci glanced at the two of them, not understanding what they meant, and asked, "What day is it today?"

Upon hearing this, the two of them turned to look at her simultaneously, sighing helplessly, "Valentine's Day, my dear Aci, don't you know about our great Qixi Festival?"

Xie Qingci was taken aback.

Valentine's Day?

She suddenly remembered that Liang Jingzhuo had asked her out today. Could this be the reason?

She glanced at the time; he said he wouldn't arrive in Jingzhao until the afternoon, but didn't specify the exact time.

It's almost three o'clock now, and the museum will close in an hour.

She didn't know if he had arrived yet.

A strange, inexplicable sense of tension suddenly crept into Xie Qingci's heart, and she was lost in thought for a moment.

Ke Meng tilted her head and waved in front of her, "What are you daydreaming about?"

She snapped out of her reverie, smiled, and said, "It's nothing."

As closing time approached, the number of people in the exhibition hall began to decrease, and Duan Siyu took out her phone to check the reservation status of nearby restaurants.

“Betting won’t help, Aci is definitely not going. How about the three of us go together? Let me see which restaurants we can still book.”

Unfortunately, after searching for a long time, everything showed as full, and even the delivery channels were all closed. "Forget it, I'll just eat at the second canteen."

Single people don't deserve to celebrate holidays.

Ke Meng leaned closer with a cheeky grin, "How about we ask the catering prince if he has any inside connections to get us a ride?"

As if sensing something, the person at the center of the conversation looked up from the crowd, met Xie Qingci's gaze, and nodded politely.

Xie Qingci curled her lips slightly, waited for the response, and then looked away.

Duan Siyu pushed Ke Meng's head away, "Stop dreaming. Let's see what we're having for dinner. Ask Lulu and the others to order first. They said the second canteen is packed today."

Having heard about the bustling food scene outside today, based on past experience, I expect the cafeteria to be just as crowded.

The second canteen at Peking University is famous for its delicious food, offering a wide variety of cuisines. Many students even bring their partners to eat there.

To prevent people from going hungry, people are already lining up now.

Ke Meng was the first to raise her hand: "I want to eat coconut chicken!"

Duan Siyu sent a message in the group chat: "[One serving of coconut chicken.]"

Then she looked up at Xie Qingci and asked, "Qingci, what would you like to eat?"

Xie Qingci pursed her lips and glanced at the two of them. "I'm not eating at school today."

Ke Meng, still holding her hand up, turned to look at him and asked, "Are you going home?"

She opened her mouth, then said somewhat guiltily, "Um... right?"

Duan Siyu nodded and sent the food she wanted to eat to the group chat, "Okay, then we'll just order for me and Ke Meng."

Xie Qingci replied, "Okay."

With fifteen minutes left before closing time, Ke Meng and Duan Siyu told Xie Qingci to leave first, as there would definitely be traffic jams on the road today, and they would stay behind to clean up the mess.

Xie Qingci glanced at the time; Liang Jingzhuo still hadn't sent her a message. Just as she was about to say no, a WeChat message popped up.

Liang Jingzhuo: [I've arrived, where are you?]

She paused for a moment, holding her phone, glanced at Ke Meng and Duan Siyu who were huddled together browsing school gossip posts, and then clicked into the chat box.

I'm still at school, wait for me a moment, I'm going to Fushun Hutong now.

After sending the message, she took two steps back, picked up her bag, and said, "I'm leaving now. You've had a long day."

Ke Meng and Duan Siyu smiled and waved to her, reminding her to be careful on the road.

She agreed and walked out of the exhibition hall with her bag.

A note from the author:

----------------------