He stood there with the gifts for only a short while, maybe about two minutes.
From beside the small, curved garden, Ke Bing walked over with a light spring in her step. The hem of her skirt brushed against the low shrubs, and her sneakers padded across the gray stone tiles.
When she saw Chen Yuan, a smile graced her lips, and she quickened her pace.
"Over here~"
Startled by the voice, Chen Yuan turned his head. Imdiately, the sight of Ke Bing in a white dress filled his vision.
It was a different look from last ti. Bathed in the sunlight, she seed to be glowing.
Ke Bing was truly beautiful. The long dress made her seem ethereal, and as the breeze rustled its hem, it gave off a feeling of innocent youth. Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail with a strawberry-patterned scrunchie.
With her white socks and sneakers, she looked as cute and charming as she did back in high school.
Chen Yuan stared, montarily dazed, as she approached. For an instant, he was reminded of the Rourou from long, long ago—the one who would co back from school with her suitcase, stand in the alley, and call out for him to help her carry her things...
"Why did you bring so much? Didn't I tell you not to bring anything? Yuan, you're getting more formal the older you get." Ke Bing took the gift boxes from his hands, her tone a playful complaint.
Her voice snapped Chen Yuan out of his thoughts. He ca back to his senses and tactfully averted his gaze.
'Glancing is instinct.'
'Staring is rude. Besides, I have a girlfriend.'
"My mom reminded several tis. I'd be too embarrassed to show up empty-handed for a free al."
"Hmph, you ate at my place all the ti when we were little. I even had to feed you at the very beginning. You weren't embarrassed back then."
"You fed ? How many years ago was that? I don't rember."
"Sure you don't... Hey, how'd you get here? You didn't run all the way carrying these things, did you? That would be exhausting."
They walked side by side along the garden, and Ke Bing asked casually.
"I'm not that dumb. I drove," Chen Yuan said, turning his head and pointing toward the community's main gate. "The security guard said I could park there, as long as it wasn't for too long."
"You already got your driver's license? I wouldn't have guessed."
Ke Bing looked in the direction he was pointing.
Only one car was parked outside the gate—Chen Yuan's little BMW Mini.
Seeing the car parked securely there, Ke Bing paused for a mont. Her gaze then fell on the local license plate.
"Is it a rental?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Rental places around here are pretty expensive, and you even got a convertible. You must be loaded, Yuan."
"It's fine. It's not my money."
Chen Yuan smiled, not paying much mind to the topic.
But what he didn't know was...
The mont he said that, Ke Bing's expression flickered, a conflicted look appearing in her eyes.
She opened her mouth as if to say sothing, but then hesitated.
Just as she had suspected. She knew Chen Yuan's family wasn't wealthy—they were an ordinary family, just like hers. From the mont she first t Chi Yu, she had felt sothing was off.
Chi Yu was a top-tier fishing companion, charging around 6,000 to 10,000 yuan per session, not including other add-ons.
Now, her suspicions were further confird.
'So it's true... Yuan's girlfriend is a rich woman, and she's probably already working. That's why he has no financial pressure.'
So she thought.
For most students, once they get to university, they beco keenly aware of the huge spending gap between classmates from different family backgrounds. And given their age, it's easy to fall into childish comparisons.
Envying what others have, feeling insecure about what you don't.
Slowly, you can't help but get sucked into a whirlpool of vanity.
You realize just how important money is.
Ke Bing was afraid this had happened to Chen Yuan. 'No wonder he's dating a woman eight years older than him. She's rich and beautiful—who could resist that...'
They stepped into the elevator together.
Her mind was a ss of thoughts, so she naturally grew much quieter.
As the elevator ascended.
If Chen Yuan, sharing the sa small space, knew what she was thinking, he would have been absolutely dumbfounded.
'Dating a rich woman for her money...? How could sothing like that possibly happen to ?' Although he never consciously thought about it, his family was probably wealthier than anyone else's at the entire university.
Even Jiangg Ning's and Jiangg Yao's family backgrounds were dozens of tis less well-off than his.
...
BEEP—
The door opened.
Chen Yuan stepped inside and was imdiately hit by the aroma of food filling the living room. He took a careful sniff and instantly identified sweet and sour pork ribs and cold-dressed pig ears. The savory, tangy, and spicy scent wafted everywhere.
A little girl with her hair in a pigtail sticking straight up was sprawled on the living room rug, forcefully smashing her toy blocks. A few dolls were laid out beside her.
"Turtle is Mousey's best friend! You... you two can't be together! Mousey needs to find a girl mousey!"
Her clear, childish voice was enough to lt anyone's heart.
The little girl looked to be about four or five years old. She wore a pale yellow blouse, and her little skirt and shoes seed especially tiny.
She was completely absorbed in her own world, not even looking up when she heard the door open.
"ngng, don't smash your toys! Your sister is going to spank you!"
Ke Bing, who had followed Chen Yuan inside, saw what she was doing and imdiately put on a stern face to scold her.
ngng looked up, and upon seeing Ke Bing, she quickly hid the blocks behind her back. She stuck out her tongue and giggled, her eyes curving into crescents.
She called out sweetly, "You're back, Sis!"
"Yuan! Oh my, look how tall you've gotten!"
Hearing the voice.
A woman wearing rubber gloves and an apron walked out of a room. Her hair was clipped up, and she was still holding a kitchen knife.
The mont she saw Chen Yuan, an expression of pure, delighted surprise filled her eyes.
Without even taking the ti to put down the knife, she walked over and looked up at him, the corners of her eyes crinkling into a smile.
"Auntie, it's been a long ti."
"A long ti indeed... It really has been a long ti! Yuan, you're so grown up now, I almost didn't recognize you."
Putting down the things in her hands, Ms. Ke's eyes welled up with tears. Overco with an emotion she couldn't put into words, she stood on her tiptoes and gave Chen Yuan a tight hug.
Chen Yuan leaned down, embracing the long-missed warmth.
Ms. Ke's voice chattered nonstop in his ear.
"After you left Qishui County, we haven't seen you in so many years. We always wanted to go back, but it's such a long trip and we never have the ti each year... Auntie missed you so much... I've wanted to give you a hug like this for so long."
When he was a child.
Mrs. Chen had been a strict disciplinarian, and whenever she criticized him...
...Chen Yuan would hide out at Ms. Ke's place, eating while wiping away his tears, too scared to go ho.
His auntie would comfort him, constantly chiding Mrs. Chen for being stricter with her own son than with her students. She would tell him not to cry as she ruffled his hair.
In the blink of an eye.
So many years had passed.
Back then, he had thought more than once about why Ms. Ke couldn't be his mother. He was always envious that Rourou had such a wonderful mom.
Thinking back on it now, it was such a childish thought.
In her embrace, Chen Yuan couldn't find any words to say, rely pressing his lips together.
Watching from the side, Ke Bing felt moved as well.
'Who is this big brother who suddenly showed up?' ngng was still looking on in confusion.
Mr. Ke also ca out, pushing open the door to his study.
"Yuan, I heard you got into Lanjing University. I haven't had the chance to congratulate you yet." Mr. Ke adjusted his glasses and patted him on the shoulder. "Well done!"
"Uncle, I've been wanting to tell you. You tutored so much when I was little. My physics grades were never bad in high school, and I got a high score on the college entrance exams too."
"Hahaha, Yuan, you still know just what to say."
Mr. Ke was beaming with pride upon hearing this.
That's what teachers love to hear.
"Uncle, Auntie, these are the gifts I brought for you. Just a little sothing..."
"You coming is enough! Look at you, bringing all these things. You're being too much of a stranger!"
"No, no, you have to take them. I can't neglect basic courtesy."
"What courtesy is there between our two families, you silly boy! You're just here for a simple ho-cooked al." Seeing him with bags big and small, Ms. Ke got anxious and pretended she was about to hit him. "I bet this was your mother's idea again."
"No... I wanted to bring them myself," Chen Yuan said, his cheeks flushing as he scratched his head.
"See? Yuan always scratches his head when he lies. That habit still hasn't changed."
Exposed in an instant, Chen Yuan dropped the pretense. All the awkwardness and anxiety from his journey here had completely lted away.
"It was my mom's idea, but I picked out the gifts myself... Uncle, this is so Biluochun tea I bought for you. I know you love tea. I also found a shop that sells Zisha teapots. Auntie... these are skincare products and face masks for you. And a music box for ngng..."
Before coming, he had figured that if he was going to give gifts, he couldn't just bring sothing ordinary.
It was best to have one for everyone.
That would show he'd put enough thought into it.
So, after thinking about each family mber's preferences, he had run around to several different shops.
Most northerners are like this—they return enthusiasm with enthusiasm, sincerity with sincerity. Just for all the als he'd eaten at their house as a child, Chen Yuan felt this was what he ought to do.
After a round of pleasantries, Chen Yuan finished handing out the gifts. Although Ms. Ke was still chiding him, her eyes were unmistakably filled with joy.
The gifts had been carefully placed on the coffee table, and she kept praising Chen Yuan for being so grown up, sweet-tongued, and sensible now.
The praise made Chen Yuan blush.
"ngng, this is your present. Quick, say thank you to your big brother."
With a new toy in her hands, a bewildered ngng couldn't wait to tear open the packaging. Hearing her mother's words, she looked up and gazed shyly at the handso big brother in front of her.
She whispered, "Thank you, big brother..."
'Adorable.'
Chen Yuan gently pinched her little cheek.
He had made his rounds with the gifts.
Ke Bing was still standing beside him, smiling as she watched, not realizing there was a gift for her too.
The thought hadn't even crossed her mind.
"Oh, right. Rourou, this is for you."
Suddenly, Chen Yuan pulled a white box out of the gift bag and handed it to her.
"I... I get one too?"
She froze.
"You do."
After handing it to her, Chen Yuan casually turned away as he was pulled into the study by Mr. Ke.
"Cooking is won's work. Let's us n have a good chat," Mr. Ke said, closing the study door behind them.
"Your dad probably went to show off his book collection to Yuan again."
"Ha..."
Ke Bing smiled faintly and lowered her head to look at the white box.
Inside was a new, expensive pair of over-ear headphones.
He knew Ke Bing loved listening to music.
Even after all this ti, he hadn't forgotten.
Looking at the gift, she was suddenly overco by a storm of complex emotions, an irrepressible wave of guilt washing over her.
'Why did I have to leave back then without saying goodbye...' She was filled with endless regret.
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