Chapter 42
◎In the honeymoon phase of a passionate relationship◎
Cheng Jiamo is not stupid, nor is she the kind of person who is oblivious. On the contrary, she is very sensitive. Because she grew up living under someone else's roof, she developed the ability to read people's expressions and moods at a very young age. She can often tell whether others like or dislike her with just a glance.
He Qingzhao liked her, and she could feel it. However, this liking was only a physiological one, to put it bluntly, it was physical attraction.
What else could love at first sight be besides physical attraction?
Although she and He Qingzhao had met three years ago, He Qingzhao didn't remember her at all. Meeting at Hongyu Club was a long-awaited reunion for her, but for He Qingzhao it was no different from their first meeting.
As for her feelings for He Qingzhao, she herself couldn't distinguish what kind of liking it was. At first, it might have been out of gratitude, but now that they've been together for so long, it's hard to define it with just a simple physiological or psychological definition.
She didn't want to think too much, especially since they were in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. Thinking too much would only cause trouble; they should just enjoy it.
"Momo, do you have a boyfriend?" Zhang Wenqian asked.
Ever since Cheng Jiamo spent the night away from home for the first time, her roommates knew she had a boyfriend, but since she didn't say anything, they didn't ask.
Now it's just her and Zhang Wenqian in the dorm. Xia Mei and Ding Qiaoqiao went out shopping. Probably bored, Zhang Wenqian suddenly asked.
Since Zhang Wenqian had asked, Cheng Jiamo saw no need to hide it anymore, so she smiled and replied, "Yes, we've only been dating for a little over a month."
Actually, it's been over two months. Over a month is the time since He Qingzhao returned from his business trip and she went to see him again, and they've been spending time together ever since. This past month has been the first time they've been seriously dating.
Zhang Wenqian then asked, "Is it from our school or another school?"
Cheng Jiamo said, "He's already working."
Zhang Wenqian asked in surprise, "How did you two meet?"
Cheng Jiamo didn't even blink, and calmly said, "I've known him for three years. We met in our hometown. I saw him again two months ago when I went out to do a part-time job, and we started dating after that."
Zhang Wenqian didn't ask any more questions and continued looking at her phone.
Around 8 p.m., Xia Mei and Ding Qiaoqiao returned from shopping, each carrying a bag. Xia Mei had bought a pair of boots, and Ding Qiaoqiao had bought a coat.
Xia Mei recognized Cheng Jiamo's clothes immediately; they were a new winter collection from Chanel, which she had seen in a shopping mall a few days ago and cost over ten thousand yuan.
Based on her understanding of Cheng Jiamo, Cheng Jiamo was not the kind of hypocritical and vain person who would buy high-quality counterfeit designer clothes.
Since Cheng Jiamo wore it, it must be authentic. And for Cheng Jiamo to be able to wear such expensive clothes, she must have a very rich boyfriend, or perhaps she's being kept by some wealthy tycoon.
When Cheng Jiamo met Xia Mei's gaze, she knew what Xia Mei was thinking without even asking. She didn't explain; it was her own business, and there was no need to explain it to anyone. She wasn't afraid that Xia Mei would misunderstand.
She and He Qingzhao were in a normal relationship. He Qingzhao was willing to buy her clothes, and she felt no shame in wearing them out confidently.
At first, she did want to keep it a secret and not let anyone find out. When she was going back to her dorm on the weekend, she would deliberately wear her old clothes. After wearing them twice, He Qingzhao became unhappy and asked her with a cold smile, "Is it shameful to be with me?"
Cheng Jiamo panicked: "Why are you asking that?"
He Qingzhao tugged at her clothes and said coldly, "What do you mean by 'not ashamed'?"
Cheng Jiamo blushed and said her thoughts with shame: "The clothes you bought me are all from big brands that cost thousands or tens of thousands of yuan. With my financial situation, I can't afford them at all. If I wear them back to school, people will misunderstand."
He Qingzhao: What's the misunderstanding?
Cheng Jiamo hesitated for a moment, then bluntly said, "People will think I'm being kept by someone."
He Qingzhao ruffled her hair, both annoyed and helpless: "What's going on in your little head?"
Cheng Jiamo pouted, feeling wronged. It wasn't that she was overthinking things; it was just that people's opinions could be terrifying.
He Qingzhao put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his arms: "Don't overthink it. When I'm free sometime, I'll treat the girls in your dorm to a meal and explain it to them personally."
Cheng Jiamo quickly hugged his waist and snuggled into his arms, saying, "No need, you don't need to explain. I won't change anymore, I'll just wear the clothes you bought for me back to school."
He Qingzhao lowered his head and kissed her lips: "I won't interfere with what you wear, nor will I force you, but I hope you can be happy with me without any pressure. You are my girlfriend, my first girlfriend, and eight years younger than me. Who else should I spoil if not you? Besides, I'm usually busy and don't have time to spend with you every day. I can only buy you a few clothes to make up for what I owe you. You can't even accept this? Are you deliberately trying to make me feel guilty and upset?"
Cheng Jiamo was moved to tears, her heart melting completely. She stood on tiptoe and kissed He Qingzhao. During the kiss, He Qingzhao took off the old clothes she had just put on and threw them all over the floor. After their passionate encounter, He Qingzhao specially picked out a new autumn/winter outfit for her from D brand.
He Qingzhao never took her shopping, but he prepared a lot of clothes for her. Whether it was Nanyuan, his suite at the Yuzun International Hotel, or his apartment on the top floor of the group, wherever he lived, there were her clothes. The walk-in closet of each residence was filled with clothes, shoes and hats for her, in all styles for spring, summer, autumn and winter. In addition to clothes, there were also various jewelry necklaces, luxury bags and so on.
Cheng Jiamo tried to choose inexpensive clothes to wear, and she dared not wear jewelry necklaces. She also dared not bring bags worth tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan to school, for fear of causing unnecessary trouble.
He Qingzhao didn't say anything more, only that she could wear it if she wanted.
Cheng Jiamo was still very touched, so when the month-long agreement was up, she did that kind of thing with He Qingzhao almost without resistance. She was no longer as afraid as she was at the beginning, but she wasn't completely unafraid. If you had to say what she was afraid of, she was still a little afraid. The reason for her fear was that He Qingzhao was really too big, much bigger than she had seen in the movies, frighteningly big.
Thinking about those things, Cheng Jiamo felt her body heat up and her heart beat faster. She quickly pulled herself out of her thoughts and smiled at Xia Mei and the others.
Are you free tomorrow night?
As someone with experience, Xia Mei immediately understood what Cheng Jiamo meant and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you treating us to dinner?"
Cheng Jiamo smiled shyly: "I have a boyfriend. We've only been together for a little over a month, so I didn't tell you guys before. Now that things are settled, I'd like to invite you guys to dinner."
Upon hearing Cheng Jiamo say that she had a boyfriend, Ding Qiaoqiao excitedly exclaimed, "Great! I want to eat crayfish!"
Xia Mei nudged Ding Qiaoqiao with her elbow: "How dare you! You're not even comfortable eating crayfish. Even Momo would be embarrassed to invite you. If you're going to eat crayfish, you should eat Australian crayfish."
Cheng Jiamo smiled awkwardly: "You can eat whatever you want."
After deciding on tomorrow's dinner, Xia Mei asked with a smile, "Are you calling your boyfriend?"
Cheng Jiamo: "He's at work, I don't know if he'll have time tomorrow."
Xia Mei smiled and said, "It's okay, we're having dinner anyway, it's perfect for your boyfriend to come over after work."
Ding Qiaoqiao said jokingly, "That's right, that's right, call him over, so that Meimei can help you make an assessment."
Cheng Jiamo: "Okay, I'll call and ask him if he's working overtime tomorrow?"
Ding Qiaoqiao grabbed Cheng Jiamo's arm: "Tell him he has to come, otherwise we won't let him go out on Saturdays and Sundays anymore."
Cheng Jiamo took her phone outside to make a call, and as she listened to the dial tone, her heart raced.
After dropping Cheng Jiamo off, He Qingzhao didn't return to Nanyuan or his apartment. Instead, he drove to Zhong Qi's place, First Bar. He had just parked his car when his phone rang.
He answered the phone, jokingly teasing her, "You can't bear to part with me?"
Cheng Jiamo said softly, "Everyone in my dorm knows I have a boyfriend. I couldn't hide it, so I planned to treat them to a meal. But they started teasing me and asked me to call you over."
After she finished speaking, her heart started pounding.
He Qingzhao chuckled in a low voice, "You're finally willing to take me out to meet people. I thought you were going to keep me hidden away forever."
Cheng Jiamo retorted, "What nonsense are you talking about? I've never hidden you away!"
He Qingzhao: "Yes, you weren't hiding anything. You were just afraid someone would take me away from you."
Cheng Jiamo's face flushed: "I'm not afraid at all. Let others take it if they want, I don't care."
She was telling the truth because she knew He Qingzhao's identity was not simple. Their relationship wouldn't last long; it might not even last a year. Once He Qingzhao's initial excitement wore off, they would break up.
Knowing full well that their relationship was like morning dew, vanishing as soon as the sun came out, how could she still hold onto any expectations? From the moment she agreed to be with him, she was prepared to walk away at any time.
She agreed to his request for two reasons: first, she was grateful that he had saved her; second, she wanted to fulfill a dream she had had during her adolescence. Apart from that, she had no other desires, nor dared to have any.
He Qingzhao's smile faded, and his expression turned cold, though Cheng Jiamo couldn't see it.
Cheng Jiamo didn't hear him speak, so she asked again, "Are you coming or not?"
He Qingzhao: "Cheng Jiamo, if I break up with you now and immediately get together with someone else, won't you be sad or care?"
Cheng Jiamo's heart skipped a beat: "What, what do you mean?"
He Qingzhao used his usual gentle laugh: "Cheng Jiamo, I want to break up with you. You won't cry and make a scene to pester me, will you?"
Cheng Jiamo: "..."
After a while, she forced back her tears and said calmly, "No, you can break up with me anytime. I won't cry or make a scene, I won't bother you, and I won't mention you to anyone. I'll pack up everything you gave me and return it to you tomorrow. I will never take advantage of you."
He Qingzhao was so angry she almost fainted, gritting her teeth and growling, "Cheng Jiamo! You have no heart!"
After yelling at her, he quickly hung up the phone. He was afraid he would say something hurtful, afraid he would yell at her. He didn't want to yell at her, he couldn't bear to yell at her.
Cheng Jiamo stared blankly at her phone, tears streaming silently down her face. She looked up at the dark night sky, completely bewildered, having no idea why He Qingzhao was angry.
He was the one who said he wanted to break up with her, and told her not to cry and pester him, which she agreed to, but then he flew into a rage.
So what exactly does he want to do? Does he want to break up or not?
After a moment of stunned silence, she belatedly realized that He Qingzhao was deliberately being sarcastic. He said he wanted to break up with her and told her not to cry and pester him, but in reality, he wanted her to pester him.
But she didn't understand why He Qingzhao did this.
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