Chapter 49

Late July, deep in the heart of summer, when the sun lingers far into the evening.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, lush green branches tangled in the blazing sunset.
In the first-floor dining room, Du Ruo took her seat, then solemnly handed her bank card back to Ming Yi, first thanking Uncle and Auntie for everything they’d done for her over the years. She told them she hadn’t touched the money in months and could support herself from now on.
Ming Yi was genuinely surprised. "Oh, sweetheart! You should be focused on studying right now, not rushing to work."
Du Ruo explained, "I’m really not, I just tutor twice a week, and I’ve got what I saved from my winter break job. Sophomore year is starting soon and I’ll get the top-tier scholarship in my major, nearly twenty thousand yuan, it’s enough for a year’s expenses."
Ming Yi finally relaxed, shooting her husband a proud glance. "Xiao Ruo is such a hard worker; even with so many outstanding students at her college, she still earned a scholarship."
Jing Yuanshan added, "Told you, she’s smart and diligent. Even in a new place, she never falls behind." He looked at Jing Ming. "Unlike this guy, can’t pass a single exam."
Du Ruo cringed in embarrassment.
Jing Ming was unfazed, lazily picking at the food. "Every time you praise her, do you have to roast me in the same breath? At this rate, you’re sabotaging my image in front of her."
Jing Yuanshan frowned. "Tell me where I’m wrong. You failed those classes, didn’t you?"
Jing Ming: "You’re the boss. Whatever you say is right."
"Honestly, this kid!" Jing Yuanshan rolled his eyes, then turned serious again. "I watched your match in Shenzhen. Not bad."
Ming Yi grinned, "Not bad? Please, you were over the moon! You FaceTimed me every night while you were on that trip, just to brag, right up until you got home today."
Jing Ming smiled as he ate; Du Ruo just pressed her lips together in a secret smile.
"I was calling your mom. And, you know, asking about him while I was at it," Jing Yuanshan coughed to cover his embarrassment. "So. What’s next for you?"
Jing Ming replied, "Give it two or three months, and we’ll have a car on the market."
Jing Yuanshan asked, "Still not letting your dad invest?"
"It’s my project. I used your money at the start, so you get shares."
Jing Yuanshan gave two hearty laughs. "Alright... So you’ve landed an investor, then?"
Jing Ming said, "Yan Ruoyu."
Jing Yuanshan and Ming Yi traded a look. "Since when?"
"Last week."
"You never mentioned it."
Jing Ming: "You never asked."
Ming Yi shot him an exasperated glare.
Jing Yuanshan observed, "If you got Old Yan’s backing, you must be genuinely talented. Not just some proud dad sugarcoating it for his kid."
Jing Ming was deadpan: "..."
Ming Yi and Du Ruo exchanged knowing smiles.
Jing Yuanshan went on, "Old Yan’s always had vision, his whole life’s been about supporting homegrown high-tech teams and making our industry world-class. He’s the kind of investor who cares about building brands and the big picture, not just turning a quick profit. Most companies can’t say the same."
Jing Ming nodded. "That’s why he’s the best fit for Prime. After the Shenzhen competition, I knew he’d reach out." He cracked a tiny smile. "And sure enough, he did."
"Don’t get cocky now," Jing Yuanshan warned.
Jing Ming just raised his brows.
The mood at the table was light and happy, and Du Ruo found herself relaxing, stretching her legs under the table, only to accidentally nudge Jing Ming’s shin. Startled, she ducked her head and stuffed her mouth with rice.
He glanced at her but pretended nothing happened.
Jing Ming finished eating fairly quickly, but when he saw Du Ruo wasn’t done yet and might have to stay behind alone, he ladled himself a slow bowl of soup to keep her company. As soon as she put down her chopsticks and looked up to say something, he cut in smoothly, "All done."
Gratefully, Du Ruo got up with him.
True to form, Jing Ming sprawled out on the couch with his phone while Du Ruo perched nearby, thumbing through hers.
Midway through, He Wang sent him a voice memo inviting him to game.
He messaged back, "Later."
Du Ruo glanced casually at his screen, just in time to see her contact name saved as: "Our Crystal."
She blinked, a little stunned.
In the dining room, the parents were still eating and chatting idly. Meanwhile, those two sat in silence, neither one saying a word, the air between them quiet and charged.
Jing Ming spun his phone in his hand, clearly holding himself back. Finally, he just couldn’t sit still any longer. He shot Du Ruo a look, then flicked his gaze up the stairs, a silent invitation: Wanna go up?
Du Ruo nervously pressed her lips together, not giving any answer.
They sat there a while, then Jing Ming got up and headed upstairs. Du Ruo clutched her phone, nerves prickling across her scalp. She hesitated for a second, then, ah, screw it, stood and followed.
Back in the dining room, Ming Yi turned to watch the two disappear up the stairs, a faint frown knitting her brow.
Du Ruo slipped into the study and closed the door, letting out a shaky breath. She had no idea why her heart was pounding out of her chest.
Jing Ming was already sitting on the floor, getting ready to tinker with his freshly-built robot. He looked up, saw her, and patted the spot next to him. She went over and sat down.
“Relax,” he said, giving her cheek a little squeeze. “No one’s going to catch us.”
“Oh.” She nodded, gathering herself. With that, she focused on what they were doing together, and the jittery nerves from earlier gradually melted away.
Bzzt, bzzt. Eva wandered circles around the room, entertaining herself. Every now and then, she’d sidle up to the two of them for a peek, then shuffle away again.
Jing Ming and Du Ruo adjusted the robot in companionable silence, only speaking when necessary.
At some point, Du Ruo’s neck started to ache. She rolled it, glancing over at his lowered head, all dark hair and concentration. Then, on impulse, she reached out and ran her fingers through his hair.
He noticed. His eyes flicked up, meeting hers, silent and steady. Then he ducked back down to his work.
She let her fingers play in his hair, cool and soft. Somehow, she didn’t feel like letting go, so she didn’t, just idly twisting and toying with his hair.
Who knows how long she played like that, minutes, at least.
“Addicted now, huh?” he finally said.
“Definitely. Total addiction,” she replied without missing a beat.
He didn’t answer. Two seconds later, his fingers suddenly jabbed her waist.
She yelped and jerked away: “Ack!”
“Oh really? Is that right? Hm?” He poked her again and again, and she curled up, trying to dodge him. He wouldn’t let up, chasing after her. In their scuffle, she suddenly tipped backward, landing flat on the floor, and he toppled over, bracing himself above her, his shadow falling across her.
He on top, her underneath.
Their eyes locked. The air between them stilled, tension thick.
Even in this air-conditioned room, her cheeks suddenly flushed, heart pounding.
Du Ruo’s face burned up in an instant. She stared for a second, then hastily tried to roll away. Jing Ming caught her and pressed her back down against the floor.
She whispered in a rush, mortified and urgent: “We’re at your house!”
He grinned, deliberately teasing, “So what?” His thumb skimmed her lips. “No one’s coming upstairs.”
“No,” she blurted, face even redder, wriggling to get up. He wasn’t letting her, kept her pinned to the floor. She wrestled with him, small body struggling against his, doing her best not to make too much noise, cheeks blazing as she panted for breath.
Every time she tried to sit up, he just laughed and pushed her down again.
She cried out, half-laughing, half-exasperated: “What do you even want?”
“Want to know what I want?” he replied, sliding his hand under her shirt. His palm was warm, blazing, against her smooth skin.
Her eyes shot wide, body tensing all over.
He leaned down, brushed her lips with his, then buried his face in the curve of her neck, drawing in a deep breath. He pressed a kiss there, but then suddenly stopped, muttering, voice rough and low, “This is bad.”
Before she could say anything, he abruptly sat up, dragged her upright, and let her go.
She tugged at her rumpled T-shirt, cheeks still burning, and mumbled, “What happened?”
“Nothing,” he said, not looking at her.
What he really wanted was to scoop her up and toss her onto his bed next door, kiss her silly, and never let go.
He stared at the robot on the floor in silence for a few seconds. Then, as if venting his frustration, he turned, cupped her face in both hands, and gave her cheeks a playful, rough squeeze.
Du Ruo blinked in confusion.
He let out a long sigh, didn’t explain, and quit messing with her. “Enough. Let’s get back to work.” He nodded at the robot still waiting to be assembled.
“Okay.”
Then they bent over their project again, close together.
After a while, Jing Ming said, “Stay at my place a few more days.”
Du Ruo hesitated, replying with a noncommittal hum.
She always felt on edge here, especially when Jing Yuanshan and Ming Yi were home.
She wanted to go back to school.
But between the record heat warning, Ming Yi urging her to stay, and those looks from Jing Ming, she ended up sticking around for a few more days.
During the day, Jing Yuanshan and Ming Yi went to work. Only Jing Ming, Du Ruo, and Mrs. Chen, the housekeeper, were at home.
Jing Ming had wanted to take her out, but she was worried Mrs. Chen might report everything to Ming Yi, so she refused.
So he just kept her company at home.
Outside, the sun scorched the pavement. Inside, the two of them lounged on the sofa, eating watermelon and watching movies in the cool living room. Honestly? Not bad at all.
Halfway through the movie, there was a soft thud beside him. Jing Ming turned, Du Ruo had toppled over, fast asleep on the couch.
Jing Ming: “…”
He got up, slipped off her slippers, helped her legs onto the sofa, and gently raised her head to tuck a small pillow beneath it. Then he draped a thin blanket across her. Even in her sleep, she curled up, cozy as a kitten.
He leaned in close, studying her at leisure.
Her lashes were long and dark, casting soft shadows; her lips, stained pink with watermelon juice. He couldn’t resist, a finger poked her plush cheek. She frowned in her sleep, then gradually relaxed, steady breaths rising and falling, utterly peaceful.
He spent a while just poking and fussing with her face, until his phone buzzed softly.
He sat down on the floor, checked his phone, apparently, some high school classmates he barely remembered had added him to a group chat.
Opening it, he saw a bunch of girls teasing:
[Young Master Jing’s got himself a girlfriend?]
[Knew it! That post he made the other day was super sus.]
[He never posts, though.]
[Definitely,” Min Enzhu chimed in. She and Jing Ming had had an ugly breakup last year, deleted every way to contact each other.]
[Whoa, Enzhu’s here too? What’s your take, lol.]
Min Enzhu: “Don’t drag me into this. I’ve already got a new guy.]
[Yeah, right.]
Min Enzhu: [Get lost. You think I’d ever be short on boyfriends?]
[Hey Jing, send us a pic! Bet she’s a total knockout.]
[No way she’s hotter than Enzhu.]
Min Enzhu: [Come on, Jing Ming, show us, what’s your new taste?]
[Bet he’s just embarrassed.]
[Seriously? Like Young Master Jing could ever be shy about his girlfriend.]
What the hell is wrong with these women?
Jing Ming was seriously annoyed, typed out: “Who asked for your opinion on my girlfriend?” Then deleted it, and swapped in: “My wife doesn’t have many flaws, unless you count being two or three times smarter than you.”
Sent. Left the group. Deleted all those people.
What a bunch of weirdos.
As he finished, another friend request popped up, from Min Enzhu.
Denied.
Putting his phone down, he turned to glance at Du Ruo, still napping. He leaned in close and brushed the softest of kisses across her lips, finally satisfied.
The next few days passed in a blur: the two of them mostly holed up in the study, reading, working on bots, sometimes chatting, sometimes caught up in their own worlds, sometimes joking around. Time flew by.
After dinner on the fourth evening, Jing Ming sprawled on the sofa watching military news. Du Ruo sat a seat away from him.
Her phone rang halfway through. She stepped aside to answer it, then headed over to the dining table where Jing Yuanshan and Ming Yi were still eating, and let them know: she’d be heading back to school tomorrow.
Ming Yi said, “Stay a few more days! It’s summer break, nothing going on, and it’s way too hot in the dorms.”
“I have students who need tutoring, so…”
“Alright, then. If you’ve got things to do, I won’t hold you up. But come by whenever you can, summer break’s for relaxing, you know.”
“Mm, I know.”
Du Ruo went back to the sofa. Jing Ming shot her a quick look.
He’d overheard her conversation with Ming Yi. Not too pleased, he kept his eyes on the TV, silent and distant.
Du Ruo pulled out her phone to reply to her student, and happened to tap on his profile picture, art kid, trendy dress, pretty handsome.
Jing Ming glanced over, pulled out his own phone, and tapped a few times.
A message popped up on Du Ruo’s screen: “Who’s that?”
She rolled her eyes and replied, “Student.”
The very next second, ding, his phone buzzed.
They both froze, holding their breath.
Fortunately, the parents seemed not to notice from the dining room.
He quickly set his phone to silent, and kept typing: “How old?”
She replied: “Eighteen.”
He: “Doesn’t even look like a student in that pic. Just some punk.”
Du Ruo shot him a look, he was still slouched on the sofa, eyes on the TV, looking way too indifferent.
She texted him four words, then put her phone away.
He waited a bit before checking his phone.
The message read: “Just like you.”
He shot up from the sofa and stomped upstairs.
Du Ruo lingered a bit, watching TV, then went to her room to pack.
Ming Yi glanced back at the now-empty living room.
The next morning, after breakfast, Du Ruo said her goodbyes.
Ming Yi instructed, “Jing Ming, drive Xiao Ruo back to school. It’s way too hot for the subway, don’t let her wear herself out.”
Jing Ming grunted an “mm,” and headed upstairs to grab the keys.
Jing Yuanshan and Ming Yi left for work. Jing Ming and Du Ruo headed off to her campus.
Their two cars rolled out of the residential complex, each turning in a different direction.
Through the rear-view mirror, Ming Yi watched her son’s seafoam green sports car vanish into the distance. She couldn’t help letting out a quiet sigh.
Jing Yuanshan knew exactly what was going on, and tried to smooth things over: “Maybe those two kids just get along well. They have stuff in common, study together, it's good for both of them.”
But as a mother, her instincts were sharper: “Since when has he let an outsider into his study? He even quit playing games, just so he could keep her company. The moment she asked to be taken home, he agreed. With that temper of his…”
The traffic light ahead turned red. Jing Yuanshan slowed the car to a stop, frowning a little. “If there really is something between them, what then?”
“I'm not worried about the rest, they’re young, a little romance is fine, everyone needs some life experience. Jing Ming’s a good kid, he knows where the line is, he won’t go overboard. But they’re from two completely different worlds. Odds are they won’t last. Right now everything’s roses, they're on their best behavior, think the other is perfect. Give it time, when their real personalities come out, it’ll be fireworks. He’s got a temper, she’s sensitive, it’s only a matter of time before they blow up.”
Jing Yuanshan nodded. He agreed entirely.
Ming Yi glanced out the window at the blazing sun, worry in her eyes. “I just hope, whatever happens, they go their separate ways peacefully. No drama, no one gets hurt.”
Jing Yuanshan let out a long sigh. “If only.”
Meanwhile, in another car, a thick silence hung between them.
Jing Ming kept his gaze fixed on the road, saying nothing, not even sparing Du Ruo a glance. Du Ruo just thought he was focused on driving and didn’t notice anything amiss.
Not until they were almost at the school did Jing Ming finally break the silence: “So, that student of yours, what do they do?”
“Art major, I think? Not sure exactly,” she searched her memory, “something Western music? I forgot.”
Jing Ming scoffed, “Some ‘teacher’ you are. Don’t even care about your students.”
“I’m there to teach, not to run their lives, am I?”
That seemed to improve Jing Ming’s mood a little. After a beat, he frowned, as if something occurred to him: “Summer break and they still need you to tutor them? Shouldn’t they already be accepted somewhere?”
“Missed the cut-off by a few points. Has to try again next year.”
Jing Ming smirked, all sarcasm: “Guess someone’s not cut out for school.”
“…” Du Ruo looked at him, “And you’ve never failed a class?”
Jing Ming turned the wheel, finally glancing her way. “I failed my way straight into college. Think he can do that?”
Ugh, Du Ruo couldn’t with this guy. She rolled her eyes toward the window.
He drove her right to the entrance of her student’s apartment complex.
When the car stopped, she unbuckled, about to step out.
He called after her, “Hey.”
She turned back.
In one motion, he wrapped an arm around her waist, yanked her close, and crushed his mouth to hers, biting, sucking, devouring, forcing her lips open to tangle their tongues together in a bruising, hungry kiss.
The world spun, heat flooding her cheeks, pain stinging as she whimpered and smacked her fists against his shoulder. Only then did he let go, glancing with satisfaction at her red, swollen lips. He let out a wicked little smirk.
She glared at him, baffled by what he thought was so funny.
Lips throbbing, heart still racing wild in her chest, she didn’t bother to calm down, just pushed the door open and stepped out.
“Wait, Du Ruo.” He called her again.
“Yeah?” She turned back.
He bit his lower lip for a moment, then suddenly grinned: “I’m a Leo.”
With that, the car door slammed, and he was gone.
Du Ruo stood there, baffled. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
A Leo, so he’s just warning her his temper’s as bad as a lion’s?
Still puzzling over it, she wandered into the complex and up to her student’s apartment. By the time she got inside, she’d already forgotten about it.