Wang Peng and Liu Yiyi quickly arrived at the pet hospital.
As soon as Xiaohuang was handed over by the staff member, the kitten started meowing incessantly as if lodging a complaint.
"Such a little chatterbox," Liu Yiyi remarked.
Wang Peng looked at the staff member. "Do you have automatic litter boxes and automatic water dispensers?"
"We do. In fact, we have a bundle deal right now. If you buy them together, we'll throw in a bag of cat food and a bag of freeze-dried treats."
"Great, I'll take that set. You offer home delivery, right?"
"Yes, we do."
Wang Peng paid, left an address—303, Building 9, Xinzhou Garden—and the two of them turned and left the pet shop.
"Senior Sister, there's a mall nearby. Since we don't have anything else to do right now, we could go take a look around."
Liu Yiyi didn't have anything planned, so she agreed to Wang Peng's suggestion.
They arrived at the mall and initially browsed the first floor, but finding mostly luxury goods and mobile phones, they decided to check out the second floor.
The second floor was almost entirely dedicated to clothing. Wang Peng and Liu Yiyi randomly stepped into a clothing store.
"Hello, sir, ma'am. Let me know if you need help finding anything," a well-groomed clerk greeted them.
Earlier, Wang Peng had spotted a couple's outfit through the glass and thought it looked quite nice. Liu Qing couldn't wear such things at school anyway, and now that he was gone...
*My world, my rules, humph!*
"Hello, how much are those two jackets?"
"Those two jackets are our store's newest arrivals. They feature a gentle apricot-white dual-splicing athletic fashion stripe, giving off a vibrant and sporty vibe that pairs well with a variety of styles. You really have an eye for fashion, sir! We have a promotion running right now: if you buy a matching inner layer and jacket, you get a pair of pants for free," the clerk rattled off enthusiastically.
Wang Peng was slightly tempted. Liu Qing wouldn't be around for the next half month or so, and this was his chance to show off his affection with Senior Sister.
"Alright, I'll take two sets."
"Senior Sister, what size do you wear?"
"Size L is fine."
The clerk fetched the clothes, and the two of them went into the fitting rooms to try them on.
Stepping out of the fitting rooms, they took a quick glance in the mirror.
Wang Peng looked at Senior Sister in her sporty attire and thought she had a uniquely charming appeal.
"Sir, you and your girlfriend have such great figures—very tall and slender, making the whole look clean and sharp," the clerk praised again.
"Especially your girlfriend, she's so pretty," the clerk whispered to Wang Peng.
Liu Yiyi's cheeks suddenly flushed red, and Wang Peng couldn't resist the urge to give her a kiss.
Wang Peng paid for the clothes, and the two of them left.
By the time they emerged from the mall, it was already six o'clock.
"Senior Sister, we've been shopping all afternoon. Are you hungry?"
"I am a little hungry."
"Come over to my place, Senior Sister. I'll cook for you; my culinary skills are quite good. Don't worry, there's no one at home—my mom is in Modu and my dad is in Beijing, neither of them is in Xinzhou."
Hearing that Wang Peng's parents weren't home, Liu Yiyi agreed to his suggestion.
Walking hand-in-hand down the streets of Xinzhou, passing guys kept glancing over at Liu Yiyi, admiring her delicate features and graceful figure. How blissful it would be to call her your girlfriend, they thought.
On their way back to Wang Peng's place, the two picked up some groceries. Knowing he was cooking for Liu Yiyi, Wang Peng bought several different dishes.
Entering the residential compound, they arrived downstairs at Building 9.
"Junior, is your place really empty?"
Liu Yiyi was extremely nervous right now. In novels, whenever the female protagonist visits the male protagonist's home under the guise of nobody being there, someone always ends up showing up.
"Really, there's nobody. I'm an only child."
Liu Yiyi let out a soft sigh of relief. They stepped into the elevator, and shortly after, a "ding" sounded to signal the third floor.
Wang Peng fished out his keys to unlock the door. The apartment was pitch black inside.
Seeing the darkness within, the stone in Liu Yiyi's chest finally settled.
Switching on the lights, Liu Yiyi took in the full view of the apartment—a simple three-bedroom flat.
Wang Peng set the kitten down on the floor. "Xiaohuang, this is your new home from now on."
Earlier, perhaps due to all the meowing, Xiaohuang had grown a bit tired. Combined with the warmth of Wang Peng's body, the kitten had dozed off and only woke up as they neared home.
The moment Wang Peng set it down, Xiaohuang scurried straight under the sofa.
"No need to change your shoes, Senior Sister. Come on in."
Wang Peng poured a glass of water for Liu Yiyi and placed it on the coffee table. "You go ahead and watch TV, Senior Sister. I'll go make dinner."
Taking off his jacket and tying an apron around his waist, Wang Peng headed into the kitchen and began to cook.
Watching her junior put on an apron, Liu Yiyi thought he actually looked the part; she just wondered if the food would taste any good once it was done.
Wang Peng first washed a black-bone chicken, popped it into a clay pot to simmer, then diced some pork, marinated it with seasonings, and set about preparing the side dishes.
Seeing the chicken soup come to a rolling boil, Wang Peng started stir-frying the dishes.
Before long, Wang Peng emerged from the kitchen carrying the dishes to the dining table.
"Dinner's ready, Senior Sister."
Liu Yiyi came over to the dining table and looked at the spread: three dishes and one soup.
The three dishes and one soup were prepared based on the items Liu Yiyi frequently ordered at school: braised pork belly, tomatoes with scrambled eggs, dried bean curd sticks, and the black-bone chicken soup.
"This looks pretty good, hey."
Wang Peng handed Liu Yiyi a pair of chopsticks. "Have a taste, Senior Sister."
Liu Yiyi took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of braised pork belly, popped it into her mouth, and immediately picked up another.
"It's delicious, Junior! Especially the braised pork belly—it's stewed to melt-in-your-mouth tenderness."
Wang Peng scooped a bowl of chicken soup for Liu Yiyi and then sat down to eat himself.
"See, Senior Sister? I didn't lie to you. My cooking really is good."
"It is, it really is."
At that moment, Xiaohuang trotted over, meowing pitifully as if to ask why the two-legged beasts were eating without calling it.
Wang Peng placed a few pieces of chicken on a small plate and set it down next to Xiaohuang. "Eat up."
After finishing their meal, Liu Yiyi rested her head on Wang Peng's shoulder as they sat on the sofa watching television.
Suddenly, Liu Yiyi felt a sudden urge to return to the dorm. "Junior, I want to go back to the dorm."
Wang Peng checked his phone and saw it was already nine-thirty. Normally, he would have urged Senior Sister to stay over, but tonight he couldn't because his cousin and cousin-in-law were coming over later.
His parents had called him that morning to say that his cousin and her husband would be spending the night and catching an early morning flight to Modu the next day.
"I'll walk you back, Senior Sister. It's not safe to travel alone at night."
Wang Peng grabbed his car keys and led Liu Yiyi toward the basement parking garage.
"Junior, where are we going in the basement?"
"I have a car, Senior Sister. I'll drive you back."
Reaching the basement, Wang Peng pressed the unlock button to locate his vehicle.
At that exact moment, another car pulled up and parked right next to Wang Peng's.
"Fangfang, look, isn't that Xiaopeng?" a man in the car asked.
"Where? Where?" the woman asked.
Following the direction the man was pointing, she saw a young man and woman—none other than Wang Peng and Liu Yiyi.
"Well, look at that, our iron tree has finally bloomed!"
*Click.*
Wang Fang snapped a photo of the scene.
"Let's go upstairs later and ask Xiaopeng what's going on."
Xinzhou Garden was very close to Xinzhou University, so it didn't take Wang Peng and Liu Yiyi long to drive from the apartment to the campus.
Wang Peng dropped Liu Yiyi off right outside her dormitory building and watched, as he always did, as she walked through the front doors.
Just as she stepped inside, however, Liu Yiyi turned around and ran back to Wang Peng's side.
"Is something the matter, Senior Sister?"
Before Wang Peng could finish his sentence, Liu Yiyi planted a quick kiss on his cheek, then lowered her head and scurried back into the dorm.
Wang Peng touched his cheek. Was this what falling in love felt like?