He Lin walked to a secluded spot and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, dialing the string of numbers handwritten on it into his phone.
The classroom behind him was a bit noisy. He Lin stared at his phone for a few seconds and pressed the call button.
After two rings, the call was answered, and a slightly faint voice came through: "Hello."
He Lin instinctively straightened his back: "Hello, may I ask if you are Lin Jing's parent?"
"Yes," Jiang Wan on the other end of the phone paused for a second, "...You are?"
He Lin: "I am Lin Jing's classmate and the class monitor. I'm calling to ask why Lin Jing didn't come to class today. She left for the airport in a hurry late last night. Did something happen at home?"
"She..." Jiang Wan said one word and stopped. After a few seconds, "Yes, she went home. There was a small, temporary issue at home, but it's all resolved."
He Lin: "Oh, oh, it's good that nothing happened."
Jiang Wan on the other end of the phone said nothing further.
He Lin waited for a moment and then said, "There's something else. The homeroom teacher is also looking for Lin Jing, wanting to ask if she's really not going to reconsider her rejection of the exchange student program?"
...
Lin Jing wasn't sleepy at first. She was still thinking of saying goodnight to Sheng Kuang when he came out, but whether it was the effect of being in bed or the fatigue from the long journey, it was getting very late. She fell asleep before he came out of the bathroom.
Sheng Kuang, after showering, still felt dazed. He stood in front of the mirror and after drying his hair, he belatedly realized that he had just gone from being single.
Not only was he no longer single, but he had also given away his first kiss.
This had happened more unexpectedly than he could have imagined. Thinking back now, it felt like a dream.
He knew he had feelings for the girl and had been sending her signals, both overtly and covertly. She had always seemed to like him, but that liking was mixed with so much admiration that he couldn't tell if she saw him as Sheng Kuang or as an idol.
Her coming all this way to find him was something he had never anticipated.
This made him somewhat certain that she liked him, but he still couldn't understand why she had suddenly agreed to be his girlfriend.
Was it because he lost the competition and told her about his terrible past?
Did she soften for a moment and want to comfort him, thus using this method?
These thoughts made Sheng Kuang a bit flustered. He stood in front of the mirror for a while before leaving the bathroom.
The girl was already sound asleep. The room's heater was turned up a bit high. Covered by the quilt, she was probably a little hot, her face flushed.
Sheng Kuang looked at her, and his heart immediately softened.
No matter the reason for her acceptance, she was his girlfriend now.
Having a title was always better than not having one.
He was going to pursue her anyway. If she didn't like him that much, wouldn't pursuing her as her boyfriend still be a pursuit?
This was his girlfriend.
The small figure curled up in the quilt, with only her head peeking out, looking so soft, was his girlfriend.
The more Sheng Kuang looked at her, the more his heart itched.
No, he couldn't stand it anymore.
His girlfriend was too cute.
If he kept looking, he would die of cuteness.
He needed to find something to do.
Thinking this, Sheng Kuang took out his phone.
...
Lin Jing was woken up by her phone alarm the next day.
She looked at the unfamiliar hotel room and blinked a few times before reaching out to find her phone and turn off the alarm.
Still feeling a bit sleepy, she turned over, wanting to doze off a little more, when she suddenly heard Sheng Kuang's voice: "Awake?"
Lin Jing froze for a moment, her eyes suddenly opened, and she looked in the direction of the voice.
Sheng Kuang threw off the blanket he was draped in and lazily sat up from the sofa. He yawned, and seeing her looking at him, he met her gaze and said, "Morning."
He paused, then added, "Girlfriend."
"..."
Lin Jing's sleepiness vanished instantly, jolted by those three words.
Everything that had happened last night surged into her mind like a tide.
Her expression was blank for a moment as she looked at Sheng Kuang, then she slowly opened her mouth and said, "Good morning, boyfriend."