021

Nan Ke was only excited for a short while, because of the previous dream, she thought about it again in the middle of her meal, and her mood instantly became depressed.

Xing Chen observed her carefully, trying hard to think of topics to talk about.

In the end, he gave up.

This expression and look could only mean she was thinking of her parents.

But that thorn could not be removed by just his words.

Xing Chen also became angry. He wished he didn't have to leave and could stay with Nan Ke all the time to help her deal with her emotions.

"Are you leaving?"

Nan Ke looked over, and Xing Chen opened his mouth, feeling uneasy.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing him like this, Nan Ke asked with a smile.

“…I really don’t want to leave.”

Nan Ke curled her eyes and said, "Don't cause trouble for others, Teacher Xing."

Xing Chen really wanted to say that after this period of time, almost all the students there have become accustomed to the life there, and nothing will happen even if he is not there.

But everyone has their own job, and if he is not around, we need help from others.

Even if it's just in name only, pushing the responsibility on his shoulders to others is not Xing Chen's style.

"I miss you like crazy."

Nan Ke blinked: "I'm right here, right?"

Xing Chen took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Baby, I know you're tired, but could you please take me to the station?"

Nan Ke thought for a moment and nodded slightly.

This was not an unreasonable request. Xing Chen had hardly asked her to do anything for him, so this request was not excessive.

"sure."

Nan Ke stood up and stretched, "I'm going to change my clothes."

When I came out, Xing Chen was taking pictures.

Nan Ke has many sketchbooks, and one of them is particularly special. It is almost entirely filled with portraits of Xing Chen.

Most of them are sketches, which were drawn not long after they confirmed their relationship.

Nan Ke hasn't painted him for a long time. Not only him, Nan Ke has not painted many realistic portraits in the past two years.

The portrait Xing Chen took was the one in the book.

"Haven't you left a backup before?"

Xing Chen thought that if he moved faster he wouldn't be discovered, but he found it difficult to make a decision and was caught on the spot.

He scratched his neck sheepishly.

"I discovered a while ago that it was taken with an old phone and the pixels were too low."

Nan Ke smiled but said nothing.

Xing Chen came over and hugged her gently: "Baby, can you draw another one for me?"

Nan Ke gently stroked his back, neither saying anything good nor bad.

"I've been too busy lately. I'll look for an opportunity when I have some free time."

Xing Chen took it as her agreement.

He knew that Nan Ke was very particular about the timing of his paintings. Not only the time, but also the mood, weather, occasion, and atmosphere were all essential.

What Xing Chen was actually more embarrassed to say was that he suddenly began to miss the time when Nan Ke was in the mood and casually picked up a pen and notebook and started to draw him in bed.

He was also a little uneasy and sentimental.

People say they miss the past because they are not living well now.

Xing Chen didn't want to doubt this. He was sure that their feelings could withstand many things, including time.

"Come on, I'll drive you."

Nan Ke must use navigation when driving, so Xing Chen set it up for her in advance using his own mobile phone.

Not long after the car started, Nan Ke's cell phone rang, and it sounded like a message alert.

Xing Chen took a glance and found that Nan Ke did not put her phone in her usual place today.

"Can I help you take a look?"

"No need." Nan Ke looked ahead with a calm expression: "It must be Su Su, asking me when I'm free."

Xing Chen lowered his eyes slightly: "I came back suddenly, did I disturb your work?"

"No."

Nan Ke didn't look at him, but kept looking straight ahead and steering.

"But next time you come back, it would be better to tell me in advance."

Nan Ke turned around and smiled, and sure enough, she saw Xing Chen's face full of guilt.

"Susu has been having dinner with those producers and directors lately, and sometimes she brings me along. It's okay today, but next time, you should tell me in advance so I can arrange a time in advance. Otherwise, if you happen to have dinner with them, I'll have no choice but to stand you up."

Xing Chen frowned slightly: "Are you going to participate in variety shows all the time?"

"Let's do it as a side job. Susu said that while I'm still popular, it's the best time to go on a variety show. If I want to cool down for a while and then come back, no one will ask me to go even if I want to."

Xing Chen didn't like himself interfering in Nan Ke's career plans, so he kept telling himself not to do that.

"Then you must carefully background check your collaborators. I've heard that some production crews go too far, editing videos maliciously to mislead online opinion."

"Yeah, Susu just looks unreliable, but when it comes to doing things seriously, she's still very trustworthy."

Xing Chen wanted to say something, but Nan Ke smiled at him again and said, "Of course, I will pay more attention to it myself."

After hearing her say this, Xing Chen's expression improved a lot.

"If I had studied a major that could help you—"

"Then I would also advise you to take the postgraduate entrance exam at this time." Nan Ke interrupted his thoughts: "Everyone has their own specializations. I'm good at different things than you are, and I don't want you to sacrifice your life for me."

Nan Ke shrugged: "Fortunately you didn't do that."

After she finished speaking, she noticed that Xing Chen hadn't spoken, so she tilted her head and glanced at him quickly.

Xing Chen lowered his head slightly, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Mr. Xing, I've noticed that the longer you've been with me, the more you've become obsessed with love. Weren't you a person with very clear goals in the past?"

Xing Chen smiled bitterly.

“People always like to imagine that flowers are blooming on the road they haven’t walked on, and I am no exception.”

"But the scenery along this road is quite beautiful, isn't it?"

"But I can't see your way there."

Nan Ke's breathing paused for a moment, and she suddenly understood what Xing Chen was worried about.

It was a difficult emotion to shake, and she had felt the same way not long ago.

However, Xing Chen felt uneasy and panicked, while Nan Ke felt...

Complex, boring and a little bored.

"baby?"

"...I'm watching the road, don't worry."

Nan Ke heard Xing Chen's very light and short laugh. She wanted to see his expression, but she held back.

When they arrived at the station, they couldn't find a place to park and the crowds were annoying.

Nan Ke hates the feeling of being crowded with people, and she also hates traffic jams.

Xing Chen saw through it and said, "Baby, go back. I can go in by myself."

Nan Ke really wanted to say that he would take him in and wait until he got in the car before leaving.

But she immediately thought that she would have to go through a lot of trouble to find a parking space, and then it would be inconvenient to drive when she left.

Xing Chen saw her embarrassment and smiled: "It's okay."

He took his things and prepared to get off the car. Nan Ke didn't know what to say or do, so he just didn't stop him.

The car door opened a little bit and then closed again. Xing Chen turned around.

"Baby, hug me, okay?"

This is a simple request.

No technical content is required.

Not only did Nan Ke give him a hug, she also took the initiative to kiss him on the face.

Xing Chen is always the easily satisfied one in this relationship, but sometimes he is a little "greedy".

He gently touched Nan Ke's lips, but seeing that Nan Ke was unmoved, he had to give up.

Xing Chen whispered, "I really hope time goes faster."

Nan Ke blinked under his gaze and whispered, "If you make me look like I'm thirty or forty years old in an instant, I'll go crazy."

Xing Chen smiled.

"If I were to go there and find that we were still together, I would be so happy that I would go crazy."

Xing Chen took his things and got out of the car, watching Nan Ke turn around with difficulty, and then the car drove away.

The smile on his face gradually faded.

Time was a bit tight, so Xing Chen walked quickly into the station.

Nan Ke asked him about the departure time, but Xing Chen did not tell the truth. The time he reported was the next and last bus after the one he had bought.

About an hour apart.

His bus can now enter the station and is about to depart.

Xing Chen thought about it, if Nan Ke was willing to take him to the station and wait with him for ticket checking.

Then he would buy a ticket for the last train.

The ticket was bought early in the morning in order to avoid missing the last bus, but Nan Ke did not see him to the station, which made Xing Chen a little disappointed.

He sometimes thinks he is annoying.

Xing Chen was clearly aware that he was a little dependent on Nan Ke.

In every aspect, although if someone observes their interactions and lives, they will see that he is always the one taking care of others, but in fact it is not the case. He is very willing to give as long as Nan Ke needs it.

What he wanted most was that Nan Ke would need his support at all times.

But people grow.

Xing Chen has reflected on this privately and warned himself that he cannot always care about matters of the heart. People also need friends and a career.

But he tried.

And after trying, I tragically discovered that I really don't have the qualities to become a big shot.

Xing Chen cares too much about his relationship with Nan Ke, and sometimes even feels that he is not good at anything other than taking care of Nan Ke.

Although Nan Ke said that he was underestimating himself, he had clearly completed his coursework very well.

Xing Chen wanted to refute, saying that it was just because he was smart and hardworking. If it were someone else, the result would be similar.

But Xing Chen's original intention of working hard was to get ahead and live a better life, but now it's different.

Perhaps it was after they got together that he gradually and subtly began to hope that he would not be a burden to Nan Ke, but a useful person who was worthy of her and could help her.

Xing Chen didn't dare tell Nan Ke these words, for fear of scaring her.

He knew very well that a man without ideals and pursuits in life sounded weak, and Nan Ke looked down on such people.

But at the same time, Xing Chen was also very clear.

I am the kind of person that Nan Ke looks down upon.

The more he wanted to do his best to get Nan Ke's praise and recognition, the more he worried that he would make mistakes.