Chapter 20

Zhen Bao still didn't dare look at him. Her chin was almost touching her chest. "Okay."

Fu Ming Shi stared at her for a full minute before getting up and leaving. He closed the door as he went. Thinking of Zhen Bao's deliberate avoidance of him, Fu Ming Shi couldn't help feeling puzzled. Was he not expressing himself clearly enough, or was Zhen Bao temporarily unable to accept him and pretending to be oblivious on purpose? Or perhaps he had been too hasty?

Inside the bedroom, listening to Fu Ming Shi's footsteps going downstairs, Zhen Bao sprawled out on the bed, feeling complicated. Because her grandfather had helped the Fu family, Grandpa Fu and Fu Ming Shi were especially good to her, so good it was as if she was their own child. But she always felt a little breathless, especially when with Fu Ming Shi.

The rich lived well, leisurely and comfortable. A single nightgown was enough for one or two years' expenses back in the village. But the money wasn't hers. No matter how nice the house or expensive the phone, she didn't feel secure deep down. She had no job now and had no choice but to live with the Fu family. But Zhen Bao desperately looked forward to getting into university as soon as possible. She could live in the school dormitory then, earn some pocket money doing summer jobs, and find a job to be self-reliant after graduating.

Downstairs, Fu Ming Shi returned to the living room and asked Grandpa if he wanted to go for a walk.

Grandpa Fu looked at him inquisitively. "Do you really want to accompany me for a walk, or are you going to meet that handsome vet?"

"Then I'm going back to my room." Fu Ming Shi turned around to leave.

Grandpa Fu hmm-ed. Recalling how his grandson had flown over overnight without stopping him, he didn't say more. He called Hei Dan who was squatting by the door waiting to go out over, and laughed as he played with the dog.

Not far from the villa, in a nearby park, a golden retriever jumped high to catch the flying disc in its mouth and ran back. Cheng Yi bent down to rub the golden retriever's head, then threw the disc out again. For the umpteenth time, he looked around for the Chinese girl he saw yesterday, but didn't see her even when it was time to end the walk.

That night, Zhen Bao went back home with Fu Ming Shi.

The first thing they did after getting off the plane was to check her exam results.

Zhen Bao scored 626 points, almost matching her optimistic estimation while checking answers.

She grinned foolishly at the computer screen. Fu Ming Shi stood behind her with hands in pockets, saw her results, and praised her, "Looks like you performed exceptionally well."

Zhen Bao hurriedly acted modest. "The questions were easier this year."

"What gift do you want?" Fu Ming Shi sat on the desk, his long legs casually resting on the floor. He looked down at her.

Zhen Bao blinked blankly. "Why give me a gift?" Fu Ming Shi had already given her many gifts.

Fu Ming Shi smiled. "A consolation prize for flunking, a reward for doing well."

Zhen Bao didn't need rewards. Looking at her score report, she worriedly asked, "Do you know which majors are better? I still haven't decided what to study." Which university and what major to choose were what concerned Zhen Bao the most right now.

Fu Ming Shi had also agonized over choosing a major after graduating so many years ago. Now, looking at Zhen Bao worrying over choosing a major as the CEO of the group, he could only feel she was being childishly cute. But he still answered seriously, "Tell me a gift you want. I'll send you a list of possible majors tonight."

Zhen Bao habitually pouted.

Fu Ming Shi patiently waited, looking at her pink lips.

Zhen Bao wasn't skilled enough at using the internet yet. She had tried looking up relevant information herself, but could never find what she needed most. The more she read, the more confused she got. So she really needed Fu Ming Shi's help.

"I want a bicycle." After thinking hard, Zhen Bao finally thought of something she needed. She heard that university campuses were large and you had to ride a bike from the dorms to the classroom buildings.

Hearing her reason for wanting a bicycle, Fu Ming Shi's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. "You want to live in the dorms?"

Zhen Bao looked as if it should be so.

Fu Ming Shi actually hoped Zhen Bao could keep living at his place, or he could buy a house near campus. In short, he wanted to live together with Zhen Bao. So he first told Zhen Bao about the problems with dorms, "Dorms are crowded with many people of different living habits and personalities. It's easy to have conflicts, especially in the girls' dorms which have the most problems."

When Zhen Bao was in high school, she had lived in the dorms for half a year. There were six girls in a dorm and they all got along very well, helping each other cook meals and carry thermoses of hot water. So she used her own experience to refute Fu Ming Shi, "You're talking about special cases. I probably won't be so unlucky, right?" It would be four years of university. She couldn't keep living at the Fu family's just because she worried about getting terrible roommates.

Fu Ming Shi pressed his lips. He stared at her gloomily.

Seeing his disapproval, Zhen Bao turned back to the screen and pleaded in a low voice, "I don't want special treatment."

If her classmates knew of her relationship with Fu Ming Shi, they would definitely gossip. The college entrance exam had just ended. When Fu Ming Shi followed her Weibo, she gained over 100,000 followers overnight. All sorts of comments appeared. It scared her into secretly re-registering a small account without telling Fu Ming Shi. She didn't plan on using that big account ever again.

Zhen Bao had it all planned out. Once in university, she would try her best to keep it secret, just an ordinary student.