As soon as he finished speaking, Cen Jin was bewildered: “Busy with what?”
Li Wu continued to act mysterious: “Don’t know.”
Cen Jin directly swung her handbag at his back, with considerable force.
Being unexpectedly hit, Li Wu pretended to dodge, his smile deepening: “Alright. You did well on the exam.”
Hearing this satisfactory response, her heart which had been suspended for days finally settled. Cen Jin’s face brightened: “Mm, then I’ll wait for your good news.”
They walked together toward the nearby parking lot, surrounded by a steady stream of students and parents.
“Li Wu!” A sudden shout came from behind.
Li Wu and Cen Jin turned around together. It was a boy wearing black-framed glasses, running urgently toward them before coming to an abrupt stop in front of them.
Li Wu raised an eyebrow: “Cheng Rui?”
Cheng Rui was still panting: “I knew it was you just by seeing your back!”
He then looked at Cen Jin, respectfully calling out: “Hello, sister!”
Cen Jin nodded, smiling gently: “Mm, hello.”
Cheng Rui, typically sweet-tongued, didn’t hesitate to use his good friend as a stepping stone for flattery: “Sister is so beautiful and eye-catching, if I hadn’t noticed you first, I wouldn’t have known Li Wu was beside you.”
No one dislikes hearing compliments. Cen Jin laughed: “Thank you, you’re very handsome too.”
Li Wu’s gaze slightly darkened as he changed the subject: “Which exam room were you in?”
Cheng Rui said: “I was in 24, what about you?”
Li Wu said: “26.”
Cheng Rui was surprised: “We were just one classroom apart! Let me get some of your exam luck!”
He then raised his hand and started frantically rubbing and scratching Li Wu’s body.
Li Wu was ticklish, bending and shrinking his shoulders to dodge in various ways, his face turning red from holding back.
Watching the two vibrant young men, Cen Jin shook her head with amusement.
After the boys had enough fun, they finally settled down.
Li Wu asked: “Where’s your parent?”
Cheng Rui pointed in a direction: “I wanted bubble tea, my mom went to buy it for me.”
Cen Jin looked in the direction he pointed and asked Li Wu: “Do you want bubble tea?”
Li Wu shook his head.
Cheng Rui looked at them enviously, mumbling: “How nice it would be if I had a sister too…” Then he asked: “Li Wu, what are your plans for summer vacation? Remember to find me, we barely talked during our senior year, I missed you so much.”
Li Wu nodded: “Okay.”
“You must find me!” Cheng Rui nodded again, seemingly seeing his mother coming out of the store: “I have to go now.”
“Mm.”
Watching Cheng Rui leave, Cen Jin asked: “He’s been your best friend since coming to Yi Middle School, right?”
Li Wu replied: “I suppose so.”
Cen Jin said: “I quite like him.”
Li Wu paused: “Because he’s good with words?”
Cen Jin thought for a moment: “He seems like the type of boy who’s very easy to get along with.”
“Oh.” He responded dully.
Their shoulders were aligned as they walked at an even pace through spots of light filtering through the trees. Li Wu suddenly spoke: “Am I easy to get along with?”
“You?” Cen Jin scoffed coldly: “You’re the most difficult person to get along with that I’ve ever met.”
“Really?” Her answer wasn’t unexpected, but it was still deflating.
Cen Jin complained without hesitation: “You don’t even know how awkward you were when you first came, every time I had to talk to you, my head would hurt to death.”
Li Wu protested: “But I’m better now, right?”
This point Cen Jin didn’t deny: “Mm.”
She didn’t spare any praise for him: “Now you’re tall, handsome, well-behaved, and with good grades, you’re every sister’s perfect little brother.” Li Wu heard this and his heart bloomed, unable to control his rising smile: “Oh.”
“Perfect little brother,” Cen Jin extended a warm invitation: “Whatever you want to eat, just say it, today big sister’s treat.”
—
Cen Jin took him to a Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant. The environment was serene, with soft yellow lamps and bamboo screens sectioning off booths, maintaining just the right amount of privacy between diners.
While the white-robed chef was slicing fish on one side, Cen Jin poured Li Wu a small cup of milky-white cloudy sake: “Try it, the alcohol content isn’t high.”
Li Wu took it and sipped.
Cen Jin asked: “How is it, a legal adult who can finally have alcohol?”
“…” Li Wu took another sip: “There’s a hint of fruit.”