Chapter 40 The Back Seat
The next day.
Jiang Wan got up early and startled Ms. Shan Tong when she walked out of the room.
"Hey, it's the first day of the holiday, aren't you going to sleep in?" Shan Tong sat at the dining table, glanced at the wall clock, and said, "It's not even 7:30 yet. You're all dressed up so nicely, where are you going?"
Jiang Wan tidied her hair, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and straightened her clothes before walking towards the door. "I'm going to the city library to study. I made plans with my classmates. Didn't I tell my mom last night?"
"The city library doesn't open until eight o'clock, right? I'll have your dad take you there in a bit. Come over and have some breakfast first." Shan Tong waved to her.
Jiang Wan hesitated for a moment, walked back to the dining table, picked up a steamed bun and took a bite. "Mom, Dad doesn't need to take me. I made plans with my classmates to go together, so we need to get there early to grab a good spot."
"Alright then." Shan Tong glanced at her and went to the kitchen to get a thermal bag. "Just a steamed bun isn't enough. Should we also bring a boiled egg, milk, or soy milk?"
Jiang Wan thought for a moment, then said, "I want both."
Dan Tong smiled and gave her a reproachful look, then packed several breakfast items for her and handed her the insulated bag, saying, "Here, come back early tonight."
“Okay, Mom.” Jiang Wan, carrying the insulated bag, obediently bowed and waved to Shan Tong, “Goodbye, Mom.”
After saying that, she turned and walked to the entrance, changed her shoes, and went out.
Last night before going to bed, she messaged Zhou Chong to arrange a time to meet today. Unexpectedly, Zhou Chong said he would come to her house to pick her up and then go to the library with her.
She was just washing up in her room when she received a message from Zhou Chong saying that he was already waiting downstairs.
Not wanting to keep him waiting too long, Jiang Wan quickly packed her schoolbag and rushed downstairs without even having time to sit down for breakfast.
As soon as she stepped out of the building, she saw the familiar mountain bike and Zhou Chong leaning against it.
He had a schoolbag slung over his shoulder, one hand on the handlebars, his long legs slightly bent, and his Nike sneakers lightly touching the edge of the flower bed, standing there casually and lazily.
It seems somewhat different from when we parted yesterday afternoon.
It wasn't just Zhou Chong who wasn't wearing his school uniform, but also that mountain bike.
There was now a seat on the previously empty rear wheel, complete with cushions and a backrest.
No matter how you look at it, it doesn't match that cool black mountain bike at all.
"Why...did you install a back seat in the car?" Jiang Wan walked over and asked in surprise.
Zhou Chong straightened up, stood in front of Jiang Wan, and looked down at her, "How can I pick you up without installing a back seat?"
"I... I thought..." Jiang Wan scratched her head, then suddenly remembered that she had styled her hair in a princess style today. Afraid of messing it up, she quickly put her hand down. "I thought we would take the bus together."
Zhou Chong lowered his head, his gaze following her movements, and naturally fell on the pair of pearl bow hair clips on the top of her head.
A small black satin ribbon bow, adorned with two delicate, round, and lustrous white pearls, secured a small section of hair on each side behind her head, while the rest of her black hair hung down like ink-black silk, making her small face appear even whiter.
Her understated yet exquisite beauty captivated him, making it hard for him to look away.
After a moment, he blinked and came to his senses. "Taking the bus is too slow. Didn't you say we should go early to grab a good seat?"
Jiang Wan nodded somewhat guiltily, "Mhm."
God knows, she said she wanted to go early, purely to spend more time with Zhou Chong. Is that something you can say?
Zhou Chong turned around, lifted his leg onto the bicycle seat, supported himself on one foot, and looked back at Jiang Wan, "Get on."
"good."
Jiang Wan, like a little quail, moved to the back seat next to him, stood on tiptoe, and sat down sideways.
Because it was a back seat added to a mountain bike, there was nothing to hold onto. Jiang Wan reached out and hesitated between grabbing the bottom of the seat and Zhou Chong's clothes before quickly making a choice.
"May I...hold your clothes?"
"Okay." Zhou Chong didn't turn around, but simply told her, "Hold on tight."
"Okay." Jiang Wan lowered her head and chuckled, gripping Zhou Chong's coat tightly with both hands. "Let's go."
Zhou Chong kicked off the foot brake, stepped on the pedal, and rode out of the residential area towards the city library.
On a chilly winter morning, Zhou Chong was still wearing a black windbreaker, zipped all the way up, presumably for the convenience of riding his bike.
Jiang Wan hid behind him to block the wind. The fabric of his windbreaker was a bit slippery, and as she gripped it, she unconsciously tightened her grip, her head almost touching his back.
The boy in front of her was tall and broad-shouldered. She looked up at his neat short hair and felt inexplicably at ease.
Despite the biting wind, she didn't feel cold at all.
Zhou Chong seemed to have a heat source on his body, just his back, which made her instinctively want to get closer to warm herself.
And it's really heartwarming.
The journey wasn't long; soon, we arrived at the last traffic light intersection in front of the city library.
After turning left, you enter a tree-lined road, followed immediately by a speed bump.
Jiang Wan was caught off guard and thought they were almost there, so she let go of the hand in advance. The combined effect of inertia and jolts startled her, and she almost thought she was going to fall. She quickly grabbed the clothes of the person in front of her.
When she came to her senses, she realized that in her panic, she had not only grabbed Zhou Chong's clothes but also hugged his waist.
You can feel the firm, powerful muscles even through several layers of clothing.
Furthermore, due to inertia, she uncontrollably leaned forward, her head pressed tightly against his back.
Well……
She wants to say she didn't do it on purpose, but will anyone believe her?
Well, even she herself doesn't believe it when she says it.
But to be fair, Zhou Chong's waist feels really good to hug.
She suddenly remembered the night before she returned, when Zhou Chong had just finished showering and was wearing a loose-fitting, open-necked bathrobe that revealed a section of his firm, lean abdominal muscles.
The bedroom light was dim at the time, so she didn't see it very clearly, but now, the image is incredibly clear in her mind.
At eighteen, Zhou's figure probably wasn't as alluring as it would become later.
...Really not?
As Jiang Wan thought about it, her face inexplicably turned red.
Zhou Chong stopped the car, but the hand around his waist remained firmly in place.
He tensed up, afraid to move, his Adam's apple bobbing, and called out to the person behind him, "Jiang Wan, we've arrived."
Jiang Wan acted as if she hadn't heard him, holding onto his waist tightly without letting go, and didn't respond to him at all.
Zhou Chong closed his eyes, took a deep breath to suppress the itch in his heart, turned around, and called her again: "Jiang Wan".
"Ah...ah?" Jiang Wan seemed to wake from a dream, hurriedly letting go of his hand. "We're here."
"Hmm." Zhou Chong relaxed and noticed her face. "Why is your face so red? Did the wind make you feel cold?"
"No." Jiang Wan jumped out of the back seat of the car and quickly touched her cheek with the back of her hand. "I...I'm quite hot."
Help!
How could she explain to the still inexperienced Zhou what inappropriate images had just crossed her mind?
Seeing her like this, Zhou Chong felt a little guilty. "It was my oversight. I'll take the bus with you on the way back."
"No." Jiang Wan quickly shook her head in denial. "I'm not cold, really. I like sitting in the back seat of yours."
Zhou Chong's eyes still held some hesitation.
Jiang Wan gritted her teeth, grabbed his hand, and pressed it against her face. "Feel it, isn't it hot?"
The moment Zhou Chong touched the soft, warm skin, his palm felt as if it had been burned.
It was indeed very hot, but it was hard to tell whether it was her face or his hands that were hot.
“I understand, you…” Zhou Chong swallowed hard. “Let go.”
Jiang Wan then realized what was happening, let go of his hand, and smiled at him apologetically.
Zhou Chong lowered his hand and subtly curled his fingers. "Go in."
"Okay, sure."
Jiang Wan nodded hurriedly, grabbed her backpack strap, and rushed into the library.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com