Chapter 30 (Return to University Timeline)
Around 7 o'clock, Lin Jiu received a WeChat message from Chen Miao:
I'm downstairs.
Although she was mentally prepared, she was still a little nervous when she saw the news.
This meal may determine how she and Chen Miao will get along in the future.
After taking a deep breath, she replied immediately.
Jiubujiu: I'll go downstairs right away.
She had already packed up, grabbed her cell phone, said goodbye to her roommate, and went downstairs.
As soon as she left the dormitory building, she saw Chen Miao not far away and was a little dazed.
He leaned casually against the car door, the dim light shining on his body, as if giving him a layer of glow, making him dazzling in the night.
It was not until he shifted his gaze from the tree to her that Lin Jiu slowly came back to his senses and walked towards him step by step.
When she was half a meter away from him, she looked up into his eyes without saying a word.
Chen Miao curled his lips, stood up straight, opened the car door, and said softly, "Come."
After getting in the car, Lin Jiu looked at the dormitory building that was getting smaller and smaller, and finally asked, "Where are we going?"
"Let's go to a restaurant I used to go to often, by the river."
She turned to look at him and asked, "Did you grow up in Jinhai?"
When he was in high school, everyone in his class only knew that he was from another place, but they didn’t know where exactly.
Therefore, she only knew a little bit of information about him when she occasionally heard gossip.
She didn't really know him very well.
"Yes." Chen Miao said, "I was born here and raised here."
"......Then why don't you study in high school here? Go to Guicheng to study?" she asked again.
She really didn't understand. Since she grew up here, why did she go to Guicheng instead of going far away?
Objectively speaking, Guicheng is much worse than Jinhai.
Chen Miao explained, "Before the high school entrance exam, my mom was sent abroad, and my dad went with her, leaving me alone. I was tired of staying in Jinhai and wanted to move somewhere else."
After a few seconds of silence, he continued, "When I was little, I was so busy trying not to lose to my cousin that I had a packed schedule every day, which kept me on edge. The pace of life in Guicheng is so slow, I can relax a bit, and with Meng Qinyang there, I won't be too bored."
“…”
Because of that damn desire to win, I pushed myself too hard when I was a kid.
It's incredible to want to relax in high school.
But his grades caught up in his senior year of high school, so he must have had his own plan, so it’s not a big deal.
But...who is this cousin?
Lin Jiu blinked curiously, "You have a cousin?"
"My uncle's son is called Chen Ze, and he's three years older than me. When we were little, we often played together, but when I was in the second year of junior high school, he went to Jinghe City."
"He's three years older than you. You're not even close in age, so what are you comparing?"
"...He and I learn martial arts and judo from the same instructor. Every month, we take turns picking something as a prize and then fighting to see who wins. Academically, he's top of the class, and I want to be top too. Whenever we have a shared interest, we'll compete."
"Who of you wins more?"
Chen Miao raised his eyebrows. "The overall odds are split 50-50. I usually win more fights."
Lin Jiu glanced at his exposed arms.
There are no signs of deliberate muscle gain on it, it is more of a natural formation over the years. The muscle lines look powerful and very ornamental.
She doesn't like overly thick arms, which lack beauty, nor does she like overly thin arms, which lack strength.
Chen Miao seemed to be tailor-made for her, not a bit more or less, absolutely perfect.
So, she praised him generously, saying, "Oh, you are really great."
Chen Miao's ears flushed quietly in the night, and he said modestly, "Not bad."
The street lights were reflected on Chen Miao's face, and Lin Jiu could clearly see the slight curve at the corner of his mouth.
As if she was infected by him, she couldn't help but smile.
It seemed that from this moment on, she began to understand a little about Chen Miao's life and his other side.
Hearing him talk about his cousin, she inexplicably thought of Meng Qinyang.
She really felt that Chen Miao and Meng Qinyang were worthy of being cousins. They were somewhat similar in some ways and both had a strong desire to win.
"Are you still competing with your cousin?" Lin Jiu asked.
"Let's not compare anymore... We have different plans for the future, so there's no need to compare."
Lin Jiu nodded, said "hmm", and didn't ask any more questions. He just turned his head and looked out the window quietly.
It’s enough to understand this much in one day.
Too much is as bad as too little.
There was silence in the car, but the atmosphere was not awkward.
One person drives, the other one enjoys the scenery, and everyone has their own things to do.
After driving for more than ten minutes, we finally arrived at our destination.
When taking the elevator up from the underground garage, Lin Jiu felt like he had entered a new world.
A very strange world.
She was a little nervous and her walking was not very natural.
After all, she had never even taken an elevator before. It was rare for her to need one in her life.
However, she had Chen Miao by her side, so she didn't have to do anything but follow.
She usually has no expression, so she looks very calm.
The restaurant is on the terrace of a building, next to the famous Jinsha River. On the other side of the river is the dazzling night scene composed of neon lights of high-rise buildings, showing the prosperity of Jinhai.
The waiter handed over an exquisite menu. Lin Jiu slowly flipped through it and took a look. They were all Chinese dishes that looked familiar.
She closed the menu, put it aside, looked at Chen Miao and said, "You order. I don't know which one is delicious."
Chen Miao nodded, "Then I'll watch over it."
Afterwards, he told the waiter about more than ten dishes at once, which surprised Lin Jiu who was enjoying the night view nearby.
Seeing him flipping through the menu and about to order, she immediately raised her hand to stop him: "It's too much. Order after you finish eating."
Chen Miao looked at her and said, "I want you to taste them all."
"If you can't finish it, it will be a waste. There will be another chance in the future."
Chen Miao smiled thoughtfully and nodded in agreement, "Yes, there will be opportunities in the future. There is still a long way to go."
He handed the menu to the waiter, "Just the ones we just mentioned."
After the food was served, neither of them spoke. They just enjoyed the breeze, looked at the scenery outside, and ate quietly.
Most of the time, Lin Jiu was silent while eating, and he would not speak unless necessary.
Especially when it comes to delicious food, she pays more attention to perceiving the changes in her taste buds.
Talking would only slow her down in eating.
After eating a round, Lin Jiu felt that the dishes on the table tasted very good, most of them were spicy and salty.
She didn't expect that Chen Miao's taste was very similar to hers.
After taking a few sips of the refreshing lemonade, she shared her thoughts: "It's delicious, with just the right flavor, a little salty but not overpowering."
Hearing this, Chen Miao smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. We can come here often in the future."
Lin Jiu smiled slightly but said nothing.
She felt that she should be more cautious and not agree to anything lightly.
When paying the bill, Chen Miao took out a small card similar to a bank card and gave it to the waiter.
As if he saw the confusion in her eyes, he explained, "I charged my membership card here before, and there's still some money in it."
Lin Jiu nodded.
Before leaving, she glanced at the receipt that Chen Miao had casually thrown on the table, and her smile froze on her face, almost becoming a fake smile.
Although I knew that so many dishes would not be cheap, I didn’t expect them to be so much.
This meal was almost enough to cover her living expenses for many months.
For the first time, she intuitively felt how rich Chen Miao was. He spent money without blinking an eye, as easily as drinking water.
She really wanted to ask, is this how he always spends his money? But she didn't ask.
After getting off the elevator, they did not go to the garage, but went to the first floor and went to the riverside.
A gentle breeze blows on your face by the river at night, bringing a hint of coolness amidst the heat.
The wind messed up Lin Jiu's hair. She was really fed up with her hair sticking to her face. It felt terrible.
Then she took out a red hair tie from her trouser pocket and tied it up casually. Her hair was not long, and after tying it up, it was only a small tuft, revealing her clean neck.
Watching her movements, Chen Miao seemed to be lost in memory, and suddenly said: "When I first met you, your hair was also this long, just long enough to be tied up."
first.
When she was in the first year of high school, her hair was indeed this length.
At that time, Lin Jiu went to the street to sell his hair during the summer vacation and earned dozens of dollars.
Since she was going to high school, she wanted to look pretty and didn't want to make her hair thin, which would be too ugly.
She told the man firmly: Use the scissors to cut it short directly, don't thin it out.
The same is true this summer.
I took out some money from the money I earned from selling my hair and went to the barber shop to get a new haircut.
Thinking of this, Lin Jiu felt a little sad and didn't say anything.
She suddenly walked to the riverside, put her hands on the railing, and looked quietly at the tall buildings in the distance.
After a long time, she asked nonsensically, "Why me?" Without any preface or supplement, she felt that he understood.
In high school, she never concealed the fact that her family was not wealthy, and Chen Miao should have known about it.
Just because Chen Miao was born in Jinhai, he was already far ahead of her.
Why does he like her?
No. 4 Middle School is a key middle school, and there is no shortage of girls who are good-looking, have good grades and come from well-off families.
Just in their class, Zhuo Ling and Wen Min are more dazzling than her, not to mention the people in other classes.
Why her? She really didn't understand.
She heard him sigh and say, "Why can't it be you?"
After a pause, he continued, "On the first day of school, there were many people in the classroom, but I saw you right away. Afterwards, I thought about that scene countless times... Maybe this is what they call fate."
Suddenly, he called her name: "Lin Jiu..."
"Hmm?" She turned her head to look at him.
He turned around, bent down, looked into her eyes, and said seriously, "I've thought it through clearly during the three years of high school... I like you, very much, to a degree that you can hardly imagine. Will you be my girlfriend?"
He looked at her straight, with undercurrents in his eyes, and all his emotions rushed out at this moment.
Chen Miao didn't say any seductive words, but his eyes seemed hot enough that Lin Jiu didn't dare look directly into his eyes.
She turned her head uncomfortably to look at the other side of the river and remained silent.
Chen Miao stood by and watched her, without any urging, as if giving her enough time to think.
After a moment, Lin Jiu said softly: "Okay, let's give it a try."
From the moment Chen Miao came to pick her up, she knew that they would be together, it was just a matter of time.
Of course, she did have a lot of concerns at the beginning.
During the summer vacation, she was very naive and thought that there was no need to consider the differences between families when falling in love.
But when she saw the fresh-looking Chen Miao at the train station, looking dusty and dusty, and got into his car.
She was awkward and uncomfortable.
But Chen Miao had a kind of magic that always made her subconsciously ignore this feeling.
It can be said that until now, Chen Miao has done a good job, never making small talk and always keeping her comfortable.
His attitude was no different from that in high school. In fact, he was happy to answer all her questions without any impatience.
Occasionally, Lin Jiu could feel that he was taking care of her feelings, but he was not condescending, and his attitude was even very humble.
It inexplicably brought her back to the state of getting along with others in high school, and the sudden surge of inferiority in her heart disappeared.
He is the one she likes. In fact, he doesn't need to do much for her to like him.
He confessed his love to her, so she had no reason to reject him, right?
The wind carried her words to Chen Miao's ears, but he felt like he was hallucinating. His voice was slightly hoarse and trembling, "What did you say?"
His panicked look suddenly made Lin Jiu laugh.
She turned to look at him with a smile and repeated slowly, "Let's give it a try."
Hearing this, Chen Miao looked at her smiling face, and it felt like his heart was hit by a bullet, causing him to feel suffocated for a few seconds.
He clenched and unclenched the hands hanging by his side several times before his mood gradually calmed down.
Bending down to her ear, he whispered with a smile, "It's a deal. You will be my girlfriend from now on."
The hot and humid breath burned his ears red. He took a few steps back, looked up at him, and said seriously, "Let me be frank. I'm a slow-moving person. Even if we were to fall in love, it probably wouldn't be much different from what it is now."
Chen Miao's smile deepened. "It doesn't matter. I'll take this title first. We can take care of the rest later."
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