Chapter 49

He He and Chen Jingbai sat in the back row. It wasn't the weekend, so the movie theater wasn't crowded.

The two arrived early; the movie hadn't started yet, and the lights were still on.

They stood very close, whispering to each other.

During this period, He He had various activities at school, and Chen Jingbai was also a very busy person at school. Like He He, he performed well in front of the teachers, became a class leader, and always arrived at class early and sat in the first row. The teachers recognized him and liked such a serious student.

Unlike the Chinese Literature Department at Ho Ho Shang University, the Architecture Department offers many practical opportunities and places more emphasis on hands-on skills.

Especially now that the country is developing rapidly, and the south is a pioneer area of ​​reform and opening up, many places are undergoing large-scale construction. The construction of many buildings requires architectural engineers and a large number of people who know how to build and draw house plans. At this time, architects become particularly important.

Society needs a large number of architecture students, but the college entrance examination has only been reinstated for two years, and architecture students have not yet been trained. The college students who were recommended in the past do not have real skills.

Now we can only rely on the old masters from more than ten years ago, but there are few old masters, and many of them were persecuted back then. The infrastructure across the country is in dire need of reconstruction, and every city needs architectural talents. Although the south is a key city for development, it can only borrow a small number of talents. Therefore, Rongcheng is in dire need of architectural talents.

In addition to teaching, the teachers in Chen Jingbai's department also have outside jobs. These jobs are assigned to the teachers by the school. There is no other way, because there is a shortage of talent. The higher-ups have come to the school, hoping to quickly cultivate outstanding architecture talents. Ideally, they would like to see if there are any usable students who can be directly sent to the construction bureau for internships.

Rongda dared not send students who had only learned the basics to ruin its reputation. Construction involves a wide range of aspects, and if something went wrong and the building collapsed, it would be fatal.

Therefore, the school had to assign teachers multiple roles, including teaching classes and helping the construction bureau with urban planning and drawing architectural blueprints.

Chen Jingbai was a good student with a solid foundation, making him one of the top students in the department. The teachers in the department were impressed by him and often called him to their offices to help them with small tasks.

So both of them were very busy and didn't see each other much, only occasionally meeting up at a restaurant outside the school gate.

Before meeting him, He He didn't think much of it, but after meeting him, she realized that she still missed Chen Jingbai very much.

She leaned close to Chen Jingbai's ear, making sure he could hear her, "It's been so long, I've missed you so much. Do you miss me?"

Chen Jingbai lowered his gaze slightly, the faint smile that had been playing on his lips deepening. "I miss you too. I've been busy lately, and if I've neglected you, it's my fault."

Recently, after class, he has been going to the teacher's office to do things in front of the teacher. This way, he can not only be recognized by the teacher, but also gain experience sooner.

He wanted to graduate as soon as possible and start earning money quickly. The construction industry was booming, and he knew from his teachers that architecture graduates could make a lot of money in the future.

Sometimes he could sense that many teachers wanted to quit their jobs and go straight to drawing blueprints, since drawing blueprints paid more than being a teacher. If it weren't for their noble ideals and passions, these teachers really wouldn't want to be teachers anymore.

Chen Jingbai was very serious about admitting his mistake, while He He was a little embarrassed. She took the initiative to go to Rongda to look for him once, but he happened to be away that time, so she asked the aunt downstairs in her dormitory to pass on a message to him.

Unexpectedly, this one incident made Chen Jingbai remember it.

She leaned back, but her tone was serious and assertive: "It's okay, I'm busy too. It's normal to be busy since school just started recently."

He He then told Chen Jingbai how great she was at school, how many teachers praised her for her diligent studies, and said, "You used to underestimate me and doubt that I was paying attention in class. You have no idea how attentively I listen in class and actively answer the teacher's questions. The teachers all praise me for my good learning."

He He raised her chin, looking quite smug, almost as if she were wagging her tail.

Chen Jingbai smiled and coaxed her like a child, "So serious! I misunderstood He Bao before. No one is more attentive in class than our He Bao. Keep it up!"

Hearing his praise, He He lowered her chin, sat up straight, and coughed lightly. "I have to thank you for your extensive knowledge. You knew that the Chinese Literature Department was suitable for me, so I chose this major. I must say, this major is really good. I have read more books and know more than others. I found studying literary history to be incredibly easy."

He He sat crookedly again, nuzzling her head against Chen Jingbai's shoulder and chest, "How do you understand me so well?"

“Of course, no one understands you better than me.” Chen Jingbai agreed without hesitation.

He then asked, "How are your classes going with my uncle?"

He He recalled Chen Jingbai's refined uncle, who was also her teacher of ancient literature history. Chen Jingbai had mentioned her to his uncle and had taken good care of her in class.

She didn't know about other schools, but the Normal University was very strict about being late or leaving early for class.

According to the seniors, they used to be very strict, and there were plenty of students who were late, left early, or even skipped class. But in the last two years, as the university has become more structured, the management has become much stricter.

Anyone who is late or leaves early will have their participation points deducted. Absence from class is even more serious, requiring a written self-criticism. Too many absences will result in expulsion from the school.

Ancient Literature History was a class on Monday mornings. She went home for the weekend and originally planned to return to school on Sunday, but she missed her big bed at home. Her uncle said he would bring her over in the morning, so she naturally stayed at home.

She got up on time in the morning, and her uncle also took her back to school on time. But unfortunately, a section of the road from the military compound to the university was under construction and impassable. Her uncle had no choice but to take her back and find another way.

But this one delay meant she didn't even get back to her dorm. She rushed into the classroom, but she was still late for class.

She definitely lost her participation points, but fortunately, Uncle Chen Jingbai didn't give her a severe scolding and saved her face.

In the past, students who were late for class would usually be scolded by the teacher. He He was extremely grateful that the class was taught by Chen Jingbai's uncle, so she did not lose face in front of her classmates.

When Chen Jingbai asked about it, He He told him about it. After telling him, she also praised her uncle for his excellent teaching skills, saying that he was uniquely humorous and witty, and also very knowledgeable, able to make obscure classical novels easy to understand.

Before the movie started, He He continued to tell Chen Jingbai about the interesting things that happened to her at school, and Chen Jingbai listened attentively.

When the movie started, the lights were turned off and the screen slowly lit up, and the two stopped talking.

The movie theater was dimly lit, with only the screen illuminated. On the screen was a romance film, a romance film with a war theme.

He He hadn't read it before. She started watching attentively, but later she lost focus, looking around and becoming distracted. She preferred reading the novel to watching the movie.

Everyone was watching the movie intently, even Chen Jingbai next to her. Seeing how focused he was, He He couldn't resist interrupting him.

There weren't many people in the movie theater. Only she and Chen Jingbai were sitting in their row, and there was no one in the back row.

He He also mustered up her courage and raised her hand to poke Chen Jingbai's arm.

She poked him lightly, but Chen Jingbai didn't react. She moved to another spot and poked him again, wanting to see when Chen Jingbai would finally notice her.

After poking for a long time, Chen Jingbai didn't react at all. He He looked at Chen Jingbai with a resentful look in her eyes. She increased the pressure, wanting to see if Chen Jingbai didn't even realize the movie was over.

This time, Chen Jingbai finally sensed it. He looked at her in confusion and, afraid of disturbing others, asked softly, "What's wrong?"

He He's lips moved slightly, a hint of anger in her voice: "Nothing much! I poked you for ages before you finally realized, is the movie really that good?!"

Chen Jingbai couldn't see He He's expression, nor could he see her lips. He couldn't hear or understand what she was saying.

The bright white light from the screen would occasionally shine on He He's face, but it was too short and not bright enough. Before she could see clearly, the light would go out again, and then it would shine on her face again as the image moved.

The light was flickering, and Chen Jingbai couldn't see clearly at all. He leaned forward, trying to hear or at least see what He He was saying.

Chen Jingbai's forward lean was obvious, and He He realized that she was speaking very softly, so Chen Jingbai couldn't hear her.

She leaned close to Chen Jingbai's ear and repeated what she had said.

This time, Chen Jingbai heard it, but his ears were still ringing with He He's warm, moist breath, and his mind wasn't quite clear. He asked again, "I didn't hear it."

He He gently nudged Chen Jingbai's shoulder. She was so close, and with the sound of a movie playing, even louder than usual, how could he not hear her!

Chen Jingbai swayed to the side as she pushed him.

He He leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Liar, how could you not hear me!"

Chen Jingbai stopped joking. "Alright, I wasn't kidding you. I really didn't realize what was happening just now. Don't you want to watch the movie anymore?"

He He: "You're watching so intently, is it really that good?"

The two were very close, arm to arm, and she even rested her chin on Chen Jingbai's shoulder so that he could hear her clearly.

Chen Jingbai commented casually, "It's alright. Are you getting bored? If you haven't finished watching, you can leave now. Shall I take you to see other places?"

It wasn't actually that good, and he's not usually a big moviegoer, but the atmosphere created an interest. Everyone was watching intently, and he was unconsciously drawn into that atmosphere and started watching attentively too.

He He buried her face in Chen Jingbai's neck and said in a muffled voice, "No need, let's go after the movie ends. I'm so tired and don't want to move. It's more comfortable to sit."

Chen Jingbai agreed to her suggestion, "Okay, let's watch it before we leave. If you get sleepy, you can lean on me and take a nap. I'll wake you up before the movie ends."

He estimated that there was still more than half an hour left before the movie ended. Everyone was watching attentively and no one would look back, so he didn't have to worry about being seen by others.

He He wasn't sleepy, she just didn't want to watch the movie and wanted to find other entertainment. "You watch yours, don't worry about me."

As soon as Chen Jingbai turned his attention to the screen, He He's hands started to wander again.

She pinched Chen Jingbai's earlobe, poked his face, and then rubbed his chin with her fingertips.

Chen Jingbai's beard was shaved very cleanly, and you could never see any bluish stubble on it normally. Surprisingly, you couldn't feel it when you touched it.

He He's fingers moved from Chen Jingbai's chin to his lips, first touching them, then pinching them together with two fingers, creating a duck's beak shape.

Just then, a beam of white light shone from the screen onto their faces, and He He burst out laughing when she saw Chen Jingbai's duck-like beak.

That's so much fun.

This was the first time she had ever seen Chen Jingbai be so funny. Although she was the culprit, it was just so hilarious to watch.

Chen Jingbai turned to face her, his eyes filled with helplessness.

He pulled his lips back, freeing his mouth from He He's fingers.

"Is it fun?"

He He withdrew her hand and nodded: "Fun."

Chen Jingbai grabbed her hand and restrained her from continuing her reckless behavior.

He He didn't struggle much, letting Chen Jingbai hold her hand until the movie ended, at which point Chen Jingbai let go of her hand.

After leaving the movie theater, Chen Jingbai asked her if she wanted to go anywhere else, but He He declined, and the two returned to school together.

Chen Jingbai bought a bicycle a while ago, and today he rode it to pick her up, and did the same on the way back.

On the way, He He saw a street vendor carrying a shoulder pole and shouting that he was selling cold noodles and tofu pudding. He He patted Chen Jingbai on the back, signaling him to stop the car.

"I want to eat tofu pudding."

Chen Jingbai called out to the vendor, controlled the bicycle to stop, stretched out his long legs to brace himself, and He He jumped off the bicycle.

Just as they were about to push their cart over, the vendor came over and asked them how many bowls they wanted.

After asking, the vendor realized that the two of them didn't even have bowls. How could he make cold noodles and tofu pudding without bowls? There were residential buildings everywhere he went, and if he called out to someone who wanted some, they would come down with a bowl or lunchbox.

The vendor hesitated and said, "Don't you have any bowls? Even if I give you bowls, I can't serve you."

He He and Chen Jingbai realized what was happening and gave an awkward smile.

Yeah, how can you beat it without a bowl?

He He felt embarrassed and wanted to run away.

Chen Jingbai took the initiative to speak: "I'm really sorry, we forgot that we didn't bring any bowls and called you over."

Chen Jingbai was very polite, so the vendor didn't mind that he had to walk a few extra steps with his carrying pole. "Alright, alright, I call out around this time every day. If you want to eat next time, just bring your own bowl. I guarantee that no one around here makes better jelly or tofu pudding than me."

Chen Jingbai was very good at dealing with people: "Is that so? Then we'll definitely bring our own bowls next time to try it."

After the vendor left, He He sat back in the back seat. She didn't get to eat the tofu pudding, but she did lose face.

He He fell silent, no longer as lively as before, and felt increasingly awkward the more she thought about it.

Even though Chen Jingbai couldn't see He He's face, he could guess that her quietness must be because of the little incident just now. He comforted her, "Don't be embarrassed. It was just a question. We didn't do that. We really just forgot to bring our bowls."

He He rested her face against Chen Jingbai's back, "It makes me look so stupid."

Chen Jingbai: "I'm not stupid. I didn't realize it either. I was the one who called them over. If anyone's stupid, it's me."

He He: "Fine then, you're stupid."

Since Chen Jingbai is willing to fight for this fool, she'll just let him have it.

She pinched the soft flesh on Chen Jingbai's side.

Chen Jingbai was startled, his hand trembled, causing the front of the car to sway and the car body to bend slightly.

He He was startled, thinking the car was about to tip over. She didn't dare to tease Chen Jingbai anymore and sat obediently, afraid that if the car really crashed, she would fall to the ground with it. The car was so high that if she fell to the ground, she would definitely be covered in bruises.

Chen Jingbai's voice came from the front: "Stop fooling around? Are you happy now?"

He He lightly hummed, "I'm not happy."

She was just worried about falling.

Chen Jingbai steadied the car, becoming more alert. He wasn't worried that He He would touch him again and cause him to lose his grip on the wheel. He even had the mood to joke, "Are you unhappy? Do you want me to coax you?"

He He was curious about what he was saying, "How are you going to coax me?"

Chen Jingbai did not respond, but instead drove the car to a secluded corner.

Looking at the dark and deserted place, He He was a little scared. "What are you doing? Why did you drive here?"

Chen Jingbai parked the car, put down the footrest, and while He He was still in a daze, he picked her up from the back seat. "Of course, I'm going to be your lover."

He had barely finished speaking when a kiss landed on He He, who had just touched the ground.

Only then did she understand what Chen Jingbai meant by "coaxing"—he really meant to coax her with words.

He He was quite receptive to this method of coaxing.

At first, it was a very light and gentle kiss. She thought Chen Jingbai was really gentle today. It was just lips to lips, not exciting at all. He He took the initiative to stick out her tongue and touch Chen Jingbai's lips.

Little did Chen Jingbai know that he had her temperament figured out. He waited for her to stick out her tongue, and then began to take the initiative, sucking and playing with the tip of her tongue.

He He couldn't resist any longer, and her body began to weaken, making it difficult for her to stand. Chen Jingbai's hand, which had been gently resting on her lower back, began to grip her more tightly.

Her jaw was pried open, her sensitive palate was licked inch by inch, the soft flesh inside her cheeks was swept over, and her tongue was played with until it trembled slightly with her breath.

When Chen Jingbai let her go, her eyes, which had just opened, were misty with tears, and her long eyelashes on her round eyes were still damp.

He He was comforted by Chen Jingbai's embrace, and he gently patted her back as she breathed softly.

Chen Jingbai lowered his head and bit her ear, "Isn't my mouth tastier than tofu pudding? Are you happy now?"

He He had always known that Chen Jingbai was capable of saying such things; she had heard it many times, but she could never get used to it, and her bitten ear felt even hotter.

Her body was also very hot, and the place where she was in contact with Chen Jingbai was burning hot. He He trembled slightly from the heat.

As October approached, Rongcheng remained very hot, and He He attributed the heat entirely to the hot weather.

The bicycle set off again, and Chen Jingbai carried her to the gate of the Normal University, where the two parted reluctantly.

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Author's Note: There will be another chapter around 10 PM. Remember to come, my little angels! Leave a comment before midnight tonight for a little red envelope! [hugs]