The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

The girl in front of him was clearly frightened.

If they keep pushing her like this, she definitely won't be fooled again next time.

Jiang Duo felt a pang of regret, remorse for his impulsive actions.

He wiped the corner of her eye with his thumb, removing the tear that was about to fall, and then lifted her off the table.

The moment she landed, her fear hadn't subsided, and Shen Ci's long legs were still trembling uncontrollably.

He gave her a hand, then quickly let go.

"I won't bother you anymore, go back to sleep."

Shen Ci didn't dare to look at him again, turning around as if fleeing. Her slippers made a rapid thud on the floor, followed by the sound of the door opening and closing heavily, and then the sound of it being locked from the inside, louder and more resolute than before.

Jiang Duo stood there, looking down at his hands. The touch of her skin seemed to linger on his fingertips, delicate and warm.

He clenched his fist, then relaxed it, turned around and walked to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of ice water, and tilted his head back to gulp down most of it.

The cold liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't extinguish the embers in his chest.

He leaned against the refrigerator door, tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Really..." he murmured, his voice fading into the empty living room.

As dawn broke and a faint pale light began to appear outside the window, Shen Ci quietly climbed out of bed.

She straightened the blankets, washed up, and changed back into the sportswear she had worn yesterday.

As for the pajamas, she carefully folded them into neat squares and placed them tidy at the head of the bed.

She wasn't being dramatic; she simply had a clear-headed calculation in her heart: if she took less of Jiang Duo's things, she would have to repay less when they broke up in the future.

As she held her breath and quietly pushed open the bedroom door like a cat, taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped.

Jiang Duo was still leaning against the sofa in the living room.

He was still wearing the same pajamas, the collar slightly open, revealing a patch of skin below his collarbone, where red marks from her unintentional scratches during her struggles remained.

He had his eyes closed, as if he were asleep, or perhaps just resting. The morning light shone obliquely through the French windows, sculpting a distinct outline of light and shadow on his face.

Shen Ci thought to herself: Did this person sleep on the sofa all night?

Hearing the noise, Jiang Duo lifted his eyelids.

His gaze swept over Shen Ci's sportswear and the small bag slung across her shoulder, a hint of helpless smile flashing in his eyes.

"Wait here for me."

He sat up straight, his voice still slightly hoarse from just waking up.

"We're going out for breakfast in a bit. Oh, and don't even think about sneaking off, or I'll come straight back to school and drag you back."

……

Half an hour later, the car came to a smooth stop at the entrance of an old alley.

Blue bricks and gray tiles, towering old trees, morning light filtering through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Jiang Duo led her deeper into the courtyard, turning two corners, until they arrived at a breakfast shop in a traditional courtyard house.

The courtyard gate was small, and the threshold was worn smooth by the years. Several wooden tables were set up in the courtyard, where a few old neighbors were already sitting, and steam was rising from the air.

The breakfast shop owner was an elderly woman with gray hair, her hair tied in a neat bun, and wearing a faded blue apron.

When she brought the wontons over, Jiang Duo got up, took the porcelain bowls from the plate, and placed one bowl in front of Shen Ci and one bowl in front of himself.

The old woman stood to one side, a loving smile blooming at the corners of her wrinkled eyes, her gaze sweeping between the two of them.

"This is the first time I've seen you bring a girl here," she said, her gaze falling on Shen Ci with a friendly look. "Is this girl your girlfriend?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Duo's deep gaze fell on Shen Ci, then he met the old lady's gaze calmly, his voice low and firm: "Yes, Grandma."

The old woman smiled, her wrinkles deepening, and exclaimed, "What a beautiful girl! Young man, you are a lucky man!"

After she finished speaking, she patted Jiang Duo on the shoulder and turned to greet the other guests.

In the porcelain bowl, the soup was clear and bright, and the wonton wrappers were so thin they were almost transparent, revealing the pink meat filling inside. Bright green scallions, golden egg strips, and a small pinch of seaweed floated gently on the surface of the soup.

Shen Ci scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth.

Very delicious.

The hot soup slid into my stomach, dispelling the morning chill and the lingering fear of last night.

After having breakfast, Jiang Duo glanced at the time; it was only a little past seven.

Morning light filtered through the gaps in the grape trellis, casting dappled patterns of light on the wooden table.

"Where would you like to go later?"

Just as Shen Ci was about to answer, the small bag hanging on her body suddenly started vibrating.

She unzipped her jacket and took out her phone, the words "Professor Lin" flashing on the screen.

She quickly pressed the answer button, held the phone to her ear, and tried to keep her tone calm: "Professor Lin, good morning, what's up?"

Lin Ruochen could faintly hear the old man's shouts and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks coming from the other end of the phone, which didn't seem like the kind of noise that should be coming from a girls' dormitory.

His hand gripped the phone slightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Your Grandma Lin knows you went back to school by yourself last night, and she's been worried about you, so she specially asked me to bring you some breakfast. I'm almost at your dorm building, is it convenient for me to come down and pick it up now?"

Shen Ci's gaze involuntarily drifted to Jiang Duo, who was sitting beside her.

He sat there quietly, his deep gaze fixed on her.

Feeling guilty, she looked away and whispered a lie into the microphone:

"Thank you for your concern, Grandma Lin. Professor Lin, my roommate and I have already finished breakfast outside, and we plan to go to the antique market later."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the microphone.

After a long silence, Lin Ruochen's deep voice finally rang out:

"Really? That's too unfortunate."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Ci's heart was beating a little fast, and a hint of guilt spread in her eyes.

She turned her head and met Jiang Duo's gaze, which seemed to be both smiling and not smiling.

"W-what's wrong?" she asked hesitantly.

Jiang Duo looked at her and slowly raised an eyebrow: "Nothing. I just don't know when I became your roommate."

Shen Ci's face flushed slightly, as if it had been scalded by the morning light.

She lowered her head, staring at the few drops of clear soup remaining in the bowl, without saying a word.

Jiang Duo looked at her flushed cheeks and decided to stop teasing her.

He stood up, took her hand in his again, his palm warm and dry, and gathered her fingers one by one into his palm.

"Weren't we going to the antique market?" he said, taking her hand and leading her outside. "Come on. I'll go with you in place of your roommate."

……

Outside the girls' dormitory building of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature

Lin Ruochen stood under the sycamore tree carrying breakfast.

He had been standing here for half an hour before he made the call.

When he arrived, the main gate of the girls' dormitory building was not yet open; the iron gate was tightly closed. Only now were some girls beginning to walk out, in twos and threes, rubbing their eyes and yawning.

The phone was still in my hand, but the screen had already gone dark.

Her voice still echoed in his ears, and he even remembered the moment she hesitated when she mentioned "roommate".

She lied.

She didn't go back to her dorm last night...

Dewdrops fell from the sycamore leaves and landed on the back of his hand; they were icy cold.

Lin Ruochen stood under the tree for a long time, until the breakfast bag was completely deformed in his hands.