Lin Jing wasn't sure if she was hallucinating, but the moment she finished speaking, she felt as if she had seen Sheng Kuang's expression freeze for a second.
Before she could get a good look, he was back to his usual unreadable expression.
But the atmosphere in the room had clearly become rather subtle.
When Lin Jing had first told Sheng Kuang she was returning to school, she hadn't given it much thought. She'd simply remembered and blurted it out.
Besides, if she didn't mention it tonight, she would have to tomorrow.
Moreover, the fact that she would eventually return to school was a conclusion reached on the very first day she moved in, and it was something everyone in the villa had known from the start.
She truly didn't think there was anything wrong with it. It was only after she spoke that she realized the harmonious atmosphere they had enjoyed while playing games had been shattered.
Sheng Kuang looked at her, still silent.
Lin Jing met his gaze, and after a few seconds of eye contact, the atmosphere felt even more peculiar.
Lin Jing couldn't quite articulate how peculiar it felt. It gave her the impression of those scenes in novels depicting parting and farewells, as if their separation meant they would have no further connection.
Perhaps her assumption wasn't entirely unfounded.
She was currently staying at Sheng Kuang's home and had some interactions with him. Once she returned to school, it was likely she would go back to how things were before, silently supporting him.
With this thought, Lin Jing's lips parted, and her mood instantly plummeted.
Sheng Kuang, who had been silent, suddenly blinked, finally making a sound: "Mm."
Lin Jing snapped back to attention and looked at Sheng Kuang.
Sheng Kuang's expression was calm: "I'll ask them tomorrow."
The window was open, and the late autumn night was a bit chilly. When Lin Jing had been playing games, she had rolled up her sleeves a bit, revealing a small section of her fair arm. The wind blowing in felt cool against her skin. Sudan Fiction Network.
Lin Jing pulled her sleeves down and looked at Sheng Kuang, who stood about two meters away. She suddenly felt the scene was surreal.
The entire summer felt surreal, as if she had dreamt it all, and upon waking, everything would vanish.
Lin Jing fell silent for a moment and softly replied, "Oh."
Sheng Kuang stared at her for a moment. "Get some sleep early."
Lin Jing moved her lips, and after two seconds, she finally managed to say, "...Oh."
Sheng Kuang said nothing more. He was probably tired and yawned lazily. He waved at her casually, turned, and left.
With his long legs, he quickly disappeared onto the balcony outside her bedroom. As the balcony door to his room closed, another gust of night wind blew in, making Lin Jing shiver. She blinked and shifted her gaze away from where he had stood.
She closed the balcony door and drew the curtains before going into the bathroom to take a shower. After toweling her hair dry until it wasn't dripping, she emerged from the bathroom and, with practiced ease, turned to the adjacent vanity, picked up the hairdryer, and began drying her hair.
After applying moisturizer to her face, she realized how incredibly routine her actions had become.
When she had first moved in, she had spent a long time figuring out how to turn on the shower and had to rummage through cabinets to find a hairdryer. In just two months, she had become terrifyingly familiar with everything.
Lin Jing paused for a moment and then looked around the bedroom.
Unconsciously, she had grown accustomed to living here. Now that she had to leave abruptly, she found herself feeling a sense of reluctance.
She turned off the light, lay down in bed, and closed her eyes. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts until, just before she drifted off to sleep, that feeling of reluctance resurfaced.
In her semi-conscious state, she couldn't quite distinguish whether she was reluctant to leave the bedroom she had grown used to, or reluctant to leave someone in this villa.
...
Although Lin Jing hadn't lived here for long and hadn't brought much with her, she had stayed for two months. Sometimes, when she needed something, she would go to the supermarket or buy small items online, and before she knew it, she had accumulated quite a lot.
Some daily necessities, like tissues and hand sanitizer, she could leave behind, but others had to be taken.
On Saturday, after lunch, Lin Jing began packing her belongings.
After about an hour of packing, she finally managed to fill her suitcase.
There were still many items that simply wouldn't fit into the suitcase. She put them into bags, ending up with two large ones.
Thinking it would be a hassle to drag a suitcase and carry bags tomorrow, Lin Jing hesitated for a moment and decided to use a courier service to send the excess items to school.
The courier arrived quickly. She handed over the items she wanted to send to the delivery person and was about to head back upstairs when the doorbell rang again.
Lin Jing returned to the door. This time, a chef had arrived, followed by a vehicle.
As she wondered if they had the wrong address, Lan Bowen came out: "Master Chen, please come in."
The person addressed as Master Chen responded and quickly opened the back door of the vehicle. Lin Jing then saw Master Chen and his assistant carrying a whole, prepared lamb, ready for roasting, out of the car.
Master Chen appeared to be an experienced professional. He quickly set up his equipment in the backyard of the villa and began roasting the lamb.
Lin Jing was genuinely surprised by this scene. "Are you going to roast a whole lamb here at home?"
Lan Bowen said, "Yes. Their restaurant is too far away. It would take up most of the day just to travel back and forth, so we invited them to come here."
"..."
Just as Lin Jing was speechless, Sheng Kuang also emerged.
He saw Lin Jing standing in the yard and said, "Chen Jing and the others said they wanted to eat roast lamb."
Lin Jing said "Oh," and realized Sheng Kuang was referring to her offer to treat everyone to a meal.
She had asked him, but she hadn't asked him to arrange it for her.
Lin Jing paused and moved a little closer to Sheng Kuang, asking in a low voice, "How much is it? I'll transfer it to you."
Sheng Kuang replied, "No need."
Lin Jing shook her head. "That won't do. This is my treat, so I should be the one paying."
Sheng Kuang glanced at her. "Is there a difference?"
Lin Jing was taken aback by the question.
Is there a difference?
One is taking money out of his pocket, and the other is taking money out of hers. How could there be no difference?
Just as Lin Jing was about to speak, Sheng Kuang looked at Lan Bowen, who was standing nearby watching the lamb being roasted. "Do you have any training matches scheduled for tomorrow?"
"None scheduled yet. It depends on tonight. You know, everyone's a night owl and likes to get serious work done after dinner," Lan Bowen replied.
"Don't schedule anything," Sheng Kuang said.
Before Lan Bowen could respond, Sheng Kuang added, "It's been a while since we had a day off. Let's have tomorrow off."
Lan Bowen turned to look at Sheng Kuang. "What's up? Something important?"
"Mm," Sheng Kuang replied casually. After a couple of seconds, he said, "I need to see my little boss off."
"..."
"My little boss is going back to school, so I need to take her."
ps: Sorry for the wait, everyone. I'm finally done, my hands are broken.