Xu Ye reached out and took the bag from her. There were two jackets inside, and the denim one was the same color and cut as the one Chen Qingqing was wearing. He took off the jacket he had on without a moment’s hesitation and put the matching denim one on.

Xu Ye spread his arms and struck a cool-guy pose. “Well? Handsome or not?”

Chen Qingqing walked a circle around him, delighted. “The size is exactly right. Ha ha, I’ve got a good eye.”

“I asked you to compliment me. How did you end up complimenting yourself?”

Chen Qingqing put a hand on his back and pushed him along toward the car, unimpressed. “Stop preening. Let’s go eat breakfast.”

The morning went quickly. They visited the Shanghai Museum of Arts and Crafts, which was very close to the school, and then went over to Xujiahui to see Soong Ching-ling’s Former Residence. They had lunch out that way too — proper local Shanghai food, which in fact tasted fairly ordinary.

Chen Qingqing was in high spirits the whole day, dragging Xu Ye all over the place, and on the way back she still hadn’t had enough of it.

At a traffic light she sat with her warm red bean milk tea cupped in both hands, took the straw between her teeth, drew a small mouthful up with a gurgle, and then turned to him. “Dumb pig. Let me try yours.”

“Mine’s a bit cold.”

“Just one sip.”

Xu Ye held his mango pomelo sago out to her. Chen Qingqing swept her hair back, bent her head and took a sip. “I knew it. Regular sugar tastes better.”

Xu Ye made a deliberate show of being disgusted, pulled a tissue out of the center console and wiped the straw. “You’ve left all your spit on it.”

Chen Qingqing pouted at once.

You don’t mind my spit when you’re kissing me. I take one mouthful of your milk tea and suddenly I’m disgusting.

Chen Qingqing snatched the mango pomelo sago from him in a temper, deliberately pulled the straw out of her own milk tea, pushed it into his drink, and held it out to him, fierce. “You. Drink it!”

Xu Ye was just reaching out to hold it himself.

Chen Qingqing pushed him away at once and gave a hmph. “No wiping.”

Xu Ye took a small sip, looking very “put-upon.”

“Another sip.”

Xu Ye did as he was told and took another.

“That’ll teach you to find me disgusting. Hmph.”

Only then did Chen Qingqing give him the mango pomelo sago back.

When the light went green Xu Ye drove on toward the school. He glanced at the navigation. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes. Say something in the dorm group — tell them to get ready, we’re all eating together tonight.”

“Oh.”

Chen Qingqing posted in the dorm group at once: “Sisters, we’re all going out to eat tonight. We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

Zhang Ruowei: “@Qingqing — is our little rich girl treating us again?”

Chen Qingqing: “It’s Xu Ye’s birthday today.”

Jiang Yu: “No wonder you were out first thing this morning.”

Zhang Ruowei: “That explains it.”

Zhang Ruowei: “Another big meal to mooch. I’m so happy.”

Jiang Yu: “Qingqing, I’m borrowing your foundation.”

Chen Qingqing: “Go ahead, go ahead.”

…

The place they settled on was Shanghai Times Square, right beside Huaihai Park.

Back when there was no car they generally ate near the school, but now that there was a car, going somewhere a little further out didn’t matter.

Xu Ye drove a carful of them to Times Square and took them straight up to a Guizhou restaurant on the top floor called Qianxiang Ge.

He had booked the table already. The decor was all Chinese, antique in style, and the setting was very pleasant.

Once he had everyone there, he signaled the waiter to start bringing the food.

“Xu Ye, a meal in a place like this can’t be cheap, can it?” Qin Zhiwei asked, his head swiveling as he took the room in.

Before Xu Ye could answer, Zhang Ruowei laughed. “Of course it isn’t cheap. Boss Xu is paying either way, so all we have to do is eat and drink.”

“Since the first day I met you all, how many nicknames have you given me? Let me count.”

Xu Ye started counting on his fingers. “Handsome. Menace. Rotten player. Master. Boss Xu…”

“So which one do you like us calling you best?” Jiang Yu asked.

The whole group looked at him expectantly. Xu Ye gave a wicked grin. “I don’t like any of them. Here’s what we’ll do. From now on you all call me good gege.”

“Eww~”

“That’s so gross~”

“Better let Qingqing be the one to call you that.”

Chen Qingqing rewarded Xu Ye with an eye-roll and couldn’t be bothered to answer her.

Xu Ye started in on Qin Zhiwei. “Zhiwei. What do you normally call me?”

“I just call you Xu Ye.”

“I mean the respectful form.”

“The respectful form?”

Qin Zhiwei thought: apart from Xu Ye, the only other thing I ever call you is Dad, and that’s when I want a favor. Then it landed, and he swore at once. “Get lost.”

“You little ingrate.”

Shen Xinyi put in a word for him. “Xu Ye, you can’t keep swearing at people.”

Zhang Ruowei promptly put an arm around Shen Xinyi’s shoulders and made herself look frail. “Exactly. If you keep bullying Qin Zhiwei, our Xinyi is going to be upset.”

The moment that was out, Qin Zhiwei and Shen Xinyi both went visibly red in the face.

The others started whooping at once.

Every so often a burst of happy laughter went up in the private room.

This time Xu Ye had learned from Shen Xinyi’s birthday too, and bought only a very small cake, just to go through the motions.

After the meal Zhang Ruowei wanted to go look at the Zara on the first floor. On the way up they had all spotted the half-price promotion board by the door, and the moment she suggested going down, Jiang Yu and Shen Xinyi were in.

Seeing that, Xu Ye said to them, “Chen Qingqing and I are going for a walk in Huaihai Park next door. Message me when you’re done and we’ll meet in the parking garage.”

“Okay~”

The group split into two.

Xu Ye took Chen Qingqing out of Shanghai Times Square and over to Huaihai Park, while the other four went shopping in the mall.

Late April. Neither cold nor warm.

It wasn’t dark yet. Xu Ye and Chen Qingqing walked the park paths with nowhere in particular to go, and every so often a light breeze came through that felt very good.

“Let’s find somewhere to sit for a bit. I’m a little too full.”

“Mm.”

Chen Qingqing answered, and took his hand herself, leading him over to a patch of bright green grass ahead. She folded the sides of her skirt under and sat straight down, and Xu Ye sat down on the ground as well.

In the past, whenever the two of them sat together, Chen Qingqing would leave a little space in between. Now she was sitting right up against him.

She even felt it wasn’t close enough. Once she was down she shifted her small backside over and moved a little nearer, and the hand that was already pressed against his simply took his arm. Then her head tipped slowly over onto his shoulder.

“Today went so fast~”

“Happy?”

“Very~” Chen Qingqing came straight back with, “What about you?”

Xu Ye smiled. “If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

Chen Qingqing gave a soft smile and didn’t say anything more.

It was as though the world had gone quiet all at once — only the rustle of wind in the leaves, and the occasional horn from the road behind them.

Seeing that Xu Ye still hadn’t spoken, Chen Qingqing pressed her lips together as though she were hesitating over something. A few minutes later she suddenly lifted her head and looked around, then sat back a little. While he wasn’t paying attention she quickly pulled the shoe and sock off her left foot and — plap — put one small bare foot out in front of him.

Xu Ye froze, naturally.

Chen Qingqing nodded, her cheeks faintly pink, and stammered, “It’s… it’s your birthday today. You can… play with… my foot~”

(End of Chapter 226)