Chapter 11

Unable to find the seatbelt, and feeling the man's gaze on her, Zhen Bao was extremely embarrassed.

"Like this." Fu Ming Shi turned to the side, reaching over to pull the seatbelt.

Zhen Bao pursed her lips, watching his hands. Just as she was about to take it, Fu Ming Shi had already started adjusting the belt for her.

Zhen Bao could only sit perfectly still, wanting to see how to do it. But as soon as she lowered her head, she saw the seatbelt was positioned right across her chest.

Zhen Bao's face flushed crimson, mortified as she turned her head away.

Fu Ming Shi also didn't expect her petite frame to make the seatbelt's effect so prominent. He had wanted to demonstrate buckling it for her, but catching sight of her red neck, he no longer had the mood to teach her. Hurriedly fastening the seatbelt for her, he turned back around to grip the steering wheel, eyes fixed straight ahead.

The car drove a long way before Zhen Bao finally righted her head.

The atmosphere in the car felt a little tense, at least to Fu Ming Shi. Her sitting like that was also distracting him.

"I have games on my phone, want to play some?" Fu Ming Shi parked the car on the side of the road, holding up his phone as he asked.

"What games?" Zhen Bao finally turned around, her face still a bit red.

"Wait a sec." Fu Ming Shi first searched for casual games popular with girls, then picked out ones she might like and downloaded them.

Zhen Bao watched the phone screen eagerly.

Fu Ming Shi downloaded a dress-up game for her.

Zhen Bao did not have access to a cellphone during high school. The old Nokia she was using now was inherited from her dad and could only make calls and send texts. Fu Ming Shi's phone was too high-tech for her, and she struggled to understand the games he downloaded for her.

Fu Ming Shi parked the car again and played some English listening comprehension samples for her. As a last-minute high school graduate preparing for the college entrance exam, Zhen Bao showed keen interest in the listening exercises, wearing headphones and tilting her head to listen attentively. Now that she was occupied, Fu Ming Shi could focus on driving again.

It was past 1 pm when they arrived in C City.

Fu's grandfather had flown in on a private jet but was taking a commercial flight home, leaving the private jet for his grandson. Fu Ming Shi only found out about these arrangements when he called his driver and bodyguards after getting off the highway. He glanced at the napping Zhen Bao in the passenger seat and inexplicably felt like smiling.

Was grandfather trying to show Zhen Bao the Fu family's wealth and extravagance?

But Zhen Bao was not the kind of woman who coveted money.

With no flight time constraints, Fu Ming Shi navigated to a large shopping mall. On the way, they passed a mobile phone store and Fu Ming Shi changed course on a whim.

The car stopped and Zhen Bao suddenly woke up, covering her mouth as she yawned.

Fu Ming Shi unbuckled her seatbelt first. "Let's go," he said, pushing open the passenger door.

He was so close that his chiseled side profile filled her vision, long eyelashes framing intense eyes. Afraid of brushing his shoulder, Zhen Bao pressed back against the seat as Fu Ming Shi straightened up. She hurried out of the car once he moved aside. The fresh outdoor air greeted her along with the busy road ahead, lined by towering high-rises in the distance. Zhen Bao tried to spot an airport-like building but instead noticed the mobile phone store beside them.

Fu Ming Shi locked the car and waited for her.

"Where's the airport?" Zhen Bao still hadn't realized Fu Ming Shi's intentions.

"Let's get you a new phone first. Your classmates and friends will be sending pictures and voice messages often. Your current phone can't handle that and it'll affect communication." Fu Ming Shi headed towards the phone store, listing reasons why she needed an upgrade.

Without comparison there would be no damage. After playing with Fu Ming Shi's phone, Zhen Bao knew hers was woefully outdated. If she had to get a new one, so be it. She had 2000 yuan in her account, hopefully enough. Mrs. Guo's grandson's touchscreen phone seemed similar to Fu Ming Shi's and cost just over 1000 yuan.

Inside the store, four or five female sales associates were already enthralled when Fu Ming Shi stepped out of the car, sneakily snapping photos on their phones. Good-looking guys were common but such top-tier eye candy didn't come around often. But the moment Fu Ming Shi entered, they had stowed their phones, the model professionals.

Fu Ming Shi went straight to the latest model display, "The style's all the same, which color do you like?"

Zhen Bao held onto the counter and peeked at the price tags first. All four digits, enough to buy several of Mrs. Guo's grandson's phone!

The astronomical prices made Zhen Bao hesitate to even touch the display models.

"I'll pay." Fu Ming Shi leaned towards her slightly, looking over the options.

Zhen Bao didn't want him spending so much on her.

"Gold or silver?" Fu Ming Shi looked up at her, deep-set eyes like serene pools.

The sales associates were watching them. Zhen Bao braced herself on the counter again and whispered, "Can we get a cheaper one instead? I have 2000 yuan, I want to buy it myself."

"University students nowadays all use this kind." Fu Ming Shi's tone was matter-of-fact. "You'll need it eventually, so pick one."

His low voice held a beguiling note. Unsure how to respond, Zhen Bao touched her flushed right cheek and chose the white version to end the uncomfortable exchange. Fu Ming Shi straightened slowly, calling the salesgirl over to swipe his card, effortlessly paying the small fortune that made Zhen Bao balk.

Fu Ming Shi also got her a new SIM card.