After hanging up the phone, Xia Xiaoyue pushed the door open not long after. Jiang Chen was currently in the kitchen cooking, looking at the bowl of traditional Chinese medicine already warmed up on the table.
Xia Xiaoyue's heart twitched fiercely, beating wildly out of her control, but the last remaining shred of reason inside her pulled her back.
Hearing the door open, Jiang Chen walked out of the kitchen. Seeing Xia Xiaoyue standing there dazed, he waved his hand and said, "You're back. Let's get ready to eat, but drink your medicine first."
Xia Xiaoyue softly said, "Thank you," and went to drink the herbal medicine. Jiang Chen tore open a piece of candy, unwrapped it, and handed it to her.
At that moment, Xia Xiaoyue's face was scrunched up from the bitterness of the medicine. She immediately popped the candy Jiang Chen handed her into her mouth, which made her feel a bit better.
Jiang Chen brought the dishes to the dining table: a winter melon and pork rib soup, and stir-fried shrimp with cashews. Looking at the two dishes on the table, Xia Xiaoyue's eyes suddenly lit up—they looked incredibly delicious.
During the meal, Jiang Chen noticed that Xia Xiaoyue didn't bring up that incident. He could sense that she still held some lingering resentment over it, because she refused to look up at him at all. Even if their eyes accidentally met, she would immediately look away.
Seeing that she was almost done eating, Jiang Chen got up, returned to his bedroom, and brought out the necklace he had bought that afternoon. However, instead of handing it to Xia Xiaoyue right away, he spoke up, "Teacher, can I tell you a story about a little duck?"
Xia Xiaoyue wore a puzzled look, but still nodded.
The moment Jiang Chen thought about what he was about to do, he wanted to laugh, but he kept a straight face and began: "Once upon a time, there was a mother duck with many little ducklings. But when they had to pass through a cave entrance, something happened. Do you know what happened, Teacher?"
Xia Xiaoyue cooperated and shook her head, "I don't know."
Jiang Chen continued: "The little ducklings lined up, but they couldn't line up right—ducks!"
*(Note: The punchline plays on the Chinese pun "dui bu qi ya" meaning both "can't line up correctly, ducks" and "I'm sorry, ah".)*
Upon hearing this, Xia Xiaoyue was stunned for a second, then immediately reacted and burst out laughing. She could tell he was apologizing to her.
Seeing Xia Xiaoyue standing there in a daze, Jiang Chen thought his apology lacked sincerity and hadn't achieved the desired effect, so he quickly pulled out the gift and handed it to her: "Teacher, I'm sorry. This is a gift I bought especially for you."
Seeing Jiang Chen pull out a beautifully packaged gift box, Xia Xiaoyue took it. She wanted to see what other tricks Jiang Chen could possibly pull, but the moment she opened the gift box, she froze.
Inside the box lay an exquisitely designed four-leaf clover necklace. Against the black packaging, the silver-white necklace sparkled brilliantly. To say she wasn't touched would be a lie. At that moment, she was being irrational; she no longer cared about any teacher-student boundaries—she just wanted to be willful for once.
Looking at Jiang Chen, her voice turned slightly hoarse: "Put it on me."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen was slightly taken aback.
Immediately afterward, Xia Xiaoyue spoke again: "Idiot, put it on me."
"Oh... oh, okay."
Jiang Chen took the necklace from Xia Xiaoyue's hand and stepped close to her. At that moment, the distance between the two of them was no more than two fists' length. Xia Xiaoyue could even feel Jiang Chen's breath, and her face flushed red.
Jiang Chen had it no better. Looking at Xia Xiaoyue up close, he could already catch the subtle fragrance coming from her. His heart raced, and he couldn't help marveling inwardly that the goddess Nüwa was unfair when creating people—why were some people outrageously beautiful?
Gently clasping the two ends of the necklace behind her neck, he looked at Xia Xiaoyue as she was now, and he was utterly captivated.
Seeing that Jiang Chen was staring at her in a daze, Xia Xiaoyue smiled softly: "Am I pretty?"
"Pretty."
Getting Jiang Chen's answer, Xia Xiaoyue was delighted. She stared at him and asked, "Then do you like me?"
"I like—" However, the moment he finished saying those words, Jiang Chen snapped back to reality. What on earth was he saying?
"Ah... no, no... don't like!" At this point, Jiang Chen was completely incoherent. He immediately fled the scene at top speed, diving straight into his room. Was he just being flirted with?
Watching Jiang Chen scurry away in panic, Xia Xiaoyue felt a surge of exasperation. She had dropped hints so obviously, yet Jiang Chen remained a dense block of wood. Still, for the sake of the necklace, she would let him off the hook for now.
After washing the bowls and chopsticks, Xia Xiaoyue returned to her room. She rarely took selfies, but right now she was snapping away, making sure every single photo featured the necklace prominently.
Then, she sent the pictures to her best friend via WeChat.
Xia Xiaoyue's best friend, Yang Qianqian, was her college roommate and also her only friend from university. She was currently also pursuing a master's degree at Nanshi University, though not at this main campus; their graduate school was located in the capital.
Far away in the capital, Yang Qianqian received the WeChat message from her best friend Xia Xiaoyue and wore a puzzled look. Why on earth was Xia Xiaoyue suddenly sending selfies out of the blue? She replied with a "?".
Then she received a video call from Xia Xiaoyue. Once she connected, she saw Xia Xiaoyue lying on her bed, having changed into a pair of pajamas.
"What's up, my little Yueyue? How come you haven't messaged me in so long, and now you're spamming me with selfies? What's the meaning of this?" Yang Qianqian sounded somewhat aggrieved.
"Oh, come on, no. I've been busy with new student admissions lately, how could I forget you? I have something I want to consult you about."
Yang Qianqian feigned sadness and said, "So you only remember me when you need something. Sigh, I guess that's the only use I have as your best friend."
Xia Xiaoyue didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Oh, hush. I'll treat you to a meal when I get back."
"Deal! What is it, my good sis?"
Seeing how fast her friend dropped the act, Xia Xiaoyue began by recounting what had happened between her and Jiang Chen over the past few days—though naturally, she left out the part about kissing him.
After listening to everything Xia Xiaoyue shared, Yang Qianqian was shocked. Was this really her best friend? She remembered that during college, Xia Xiaoyue basically refused to interact with any guys at all. Back then, even though no one wanted to befriend her among the girls, the guys were more than willing, and plenty of people had chased after Xia Xiaoyue.
Yet her good friend wouldn't give them the time of day. But now, Xia Xiaoyue was actually telling her about her relationship with a guy—who wouldn't be shocked?
Suppressing her inner shock, she asked, "So, do you like him?"
Upon receiving an affirmative reply, Yang Qianqian was shocked all over again and asked, "Are you going to pursue him, then?"
"Mhm, mhm."
"So you called me because you want my help to chase him?"
"Mhm, mhm."
Yang Qianqian was so stunned her face went completely blank. "Sis, you've really changed. You're actually starting to chase someone? Isn't it usually the other way around, with everyone chasing you?"
"It's different. My heart was genuinely moved this time."
Yang Qianqian knew about Xia Xiaoyue's family background. After hearing her story with Jiang Chen, she also understood why Xia Xiaoyue's heart had been stirred. She didn't entirely trust this Jiang Chen character, but she also wanted her good friend to be happy instead of putting on a stern face all day long.
Whenever Xia Xiaoyue talked about Jiang Chen, the corners of her mouth would uncontrollably curl upward.
"Alright, sis, I support you. Chase him boldly! A man is easily won over when pursued by a woman. As for the specifics, though, I haven't the foggiest—I've been single since birth." Yang Qianqian spread her hands.