Chapter 439: A Budding Affection
Chapter 439: Chapter 439: A Budding Affection
Su Qing tilted her head slightly, watching Zhao Weiming’s departing figure. She blinked a few times and asked Li Wan, "Mom, who was that?"
Just from the way the man had been looking at Li Wan, Su Qing could tell he definitely had a crush on her dear mother.
Her dear mother already had Uncle Gu, but that didn’t stop Su Qing from delighting in her mother’s charm.
Clearly, Li Wan only saw Zhao Weiming as a casual acquaintance. "He’s a man from the post and telecommunications bureau. The phone lines at the department store had a problem last time, and he came over to fix them. We met once and exchanged a few words."
Su Qing nodded. ’So it was love at first sight for him.’ But seeing that her mother clearly hadn’t noticed his intentions, Su Qing decided not to point it out.
Just then, a server called for them to get their food. Su Qing went to the window and brought back the dishes. Li Wan immediately put some spare ribs and fish into Su Qing’s bowl. "You’ve been away for two months, and you’ve gotten so thin. Hurry and eat more to build yourself back up."
Su Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Mom, I haven’t lost any weight at all, okay? Look how full of energy I am."
Li Wan shot Su Qing a playful glare. "You were roughing it out there, and in the mountains too. How could you possibly have eaten well?"
"Alright, alright, alright, I’ll eat." Su Qing smiled, pressing her lips together. She took a bite of the braised spare ribs and couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows. "This tastes pretty good."
Li Wan smiled. "Their spare ribs really are delicious."
As she spoke, Li Wan’s thoughts turned to Su Qing’s schooling again. "Your final exams are coming up soon. You’ve missed two months of classes; will you have time to catch up? Do you want me to ask your eldest uncle to find a tutor for you?"
"No need. My cousins all took notes for me. Mom, don’t worry. I’m smart, you know. I’ll get it as soon as I look at it. I promise it won’t affect my final exams." When it came to this, Su Qing was full of confidence.
Li Wan had always trusted her daughter. Hearing Su Qing say this, she smiled. "That’s good, then. My daughter is just that smart."
The mother and daughter chatted and laughed as they finished their meal. Su Qing then took Li Wan back to the department store, where she was grabbed by the hand by that Aunt Sun and showered with praise. Even with Su Qing’s thick skin, the praise made the tips of her ears turn red, and she quickly made an excuse to beat a hasty retreat.
When Li Huan came home for the weekend, she was overjoyed to see Su Qing was back. She hugged Su Qing and said, "Qingqing, you’re finally back! If you’d come back any later, the final exams would’ve been over."
"There are still over ten days to go," Su Qing laughed. "Why don’t you just say you missed me?"
Li Huan grinned and nodded. "I really did miss you. You abandoned me for over two months! Quick, tell me, was it fun in the mountains? Take me with you next time."
Before Su Qing returned, Li Huan had been worried sick. Now that she saw Su Qing was back safe and sound, Li Huan’s restless heart began to wander again.
"Your mom would never let you," Su Qing said in a low voice.
"Then we’ll go secretly." Li Huan’s eyes widened as she whispered.
Su Qing couldn’t help but smile, pressing her lips together. "We’ll see when the time comes."
"Oh, Qingqing, you’re the best!" Li Huan’s eyes sparkled as she hurried to say, "By the way, we took notes for you for these past two months and highlighted all the key points. But the final exams are in just over ten days. Will you have enough time to review?"
Li Huan was quite worried, since time was tight after all.
"Don’t worry. Just give me the notes later."
Seeing Su Qing so confident, Li Huan felt relieved. "That’s good, then."
After speaking, Li Huan seemed to remember something. She blinked a few times, looked at Su Qing, and couldn’t help but press her lips together slightly.
How could Su Qing not see that Li Huan had something she wanted to ask? She said, "If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you being so shy all of a sudden? That’s not like you."
"Ah, you could tell?" Li Huan said in surprise.
"What do you take my eyes for, decorations?" Su Qing said, raising an eyebrow.
"You even figured that out," Li Huan muttered. "Was I that obvious?"
"If you don’t say it now, I’m not listening."
"Hey, wait!" Hearing this, Li Huan quickly grabbed Su Qing’s arm and asked in a low voice, "Qingqing, how much do you know about that Cheng Beize? Did he have a girlfriend before? And, um, I heard that rich young masters from Xiangcheng all like to have female celebrities as kept women. Is that true? Did he... did he..."
Li Huan’s voice grew quieter and quieter, her ears so red they looked like they were about to drip blood.
Su Qing was a little surprised. She never would have thought the thing Li Huan wanted to talk about was Cheng Beize. After a moment of thought, she asked, "You’ve fallen for him?"
"I... I think I kind of like him," Li Huan said, a bit embarrassed. "But I still want to get to know him better."
"When you were in Xiangcheng, you weren’t sure yet. Did you only realize you kind of liked him after you came back?" Su Qing asked curiously.
Li Huan gently fidgeted with her fingers and said in a small voice, "Um, he came to Beijing. He said he has business in Beijing, so he’s been here this whole time. We’ve... been getting dinner together sometimes and stuff."
"What!" Su Qing’s eyes widened.
’Wow, so that Cheng Beize followed her all the way to Beijing.’
"Do Uncle and Aunt know?" Su Qing asked quickly.
Li Huan shook her head. "No. I’m not even sure about my own feelings yet. After all, I don’t know him that well. Besides, I’m in Beijing and he’s in Xiangcheng. I think my parents would never agree to me marrying someone from Xiangcheng."
Su Qing nodded lightly. ’That is indeed a problem. Given the status of my eldest uncle and my grandpa, even if it were possible for Li Huan to marry someone from Xiangcheng, the procedures involved would likely be extensive.’
’But as for Cheng Beize himself, he’s a very loyal friend and a decent person. As for his romantic life, though, I don’t know much about that. It seems if my cousin really likes him, I’ll have to do some digging. I can’t let her be wronged in any way.’
"I’ll ask around about it later. But if you really do like Cheng Beize, and if there are no problems with his character, you’ll still have to make things clear with Uncle and Aunt. There are some issues involved, after all," Su Qing advised.
"Mhm, I know." Li Huan nodded, then hugged Su Qing’s arm again. "Qingqing, you’re the best. What would I do without you?"
Su Qing laughed. "Stop being so cheeky."
Li Huan giggled mischievously. Thinking of Cheng Beize, her face couldn’t help but turn a little red again.
On Monday, when Su Qing returned to school, she was immediately met with a warm welcome from her classmates and, of course, a concerned inquiry from her counselor, Teacher Sun.
Sitting in the counselor’s office, Teacher Sun sighed softly. The final exams were just over ten days away, yet Su Qing had missed more than two months of class. He had very high hopes for Su Qing—she was Beijing’s top scorer on the college entrance exam and was always at the top of her class. But if she kept taking leave like this, he couldn’t help but feel uncertain about her prospects.