Still, Wait For Me (Web Novel)
chapter-255

Lunch was fully laid out on the table.

Xu Tingsheng entered the room barefooted before sitting down on the floorboards by the bed.

Xiang Ning who had been all curled up like a startled hare just earlier was already fast asleep with her limbs all sprawled around messily now.

This was no different from his previous life, where Xiang Ning had also habitually slept in this way, requesting for absolute silence in her surroundings as she rolled about the entire bed a good couple of times, sleeping messily in various disorderly postures.

She inhaled and exhaled gently, with her long eyebrows shivering slightly from time to time.

The person whom he had failed in one life and was eternally on his mind for two was sleeping in front of him just like that, in a position where he could truly reach out and touch her. Meanwhile, he sat on the floorboards by his bed and gazed at her, with even the rhythm of their breathing synchronising slowly after a time.

Xu Tingsheng wished that he could stop time.

Sadly, she was still Little Xiang Ning, the Xiang Ning who had to go for tutoring in the afternoon.

"Xiang Ning," Xu Tingsheng gently called.

"Hmmm?" Xiang Ning blearily opened her eyes, reaching out and pinching Xu Tingsheng's arm before flinging it aside, "I still wanna sleep for a while. Stop disturbing me, Uncle."

Her lazy tone and those words caused Xu Tingsheng to feel like this was some morning of his previous life, unfolding between Uncle who had finished making breakfast and his Miss Xiang.

If this was his previous life, Uncle should go and kiss her earlobe now. She would immediately leap up, and then Uncle would plant a deep kiss on her forehead to soothe her emotions…if he did not do so, Miss Xiang would be going on and on about it with Uncle for the rest of that day.

Yet, this junior high student before him did truly have to go for tutoring that afternoon!

"Wake up, it's time for lunch. You've still got tutoring in the afternoon."

Xu Tingsheng unconsciously spoke in a gentle manner. People weren't easily roused by gentle voices.

Xiang Ning's eyes remained closed, "But I'm very sleepy."

Just like this, more than twenty minutes passed before Xu Tingsheng was finally able to get Xiang Ning out of bed and in front of the dining table.

As if she had already forgotten that awkwardness from earlier, Xiang Ning ate very relaxedly and happily, all the way until…Xu Tingsheng carried out a pot of soup in a secretive manner. Xiang NIng removed the lid of the pot for a look…

She was tempted to throw the whole pot lid right in Uncle's face.

"Xu Tingsheng, you ruffian!"

Xiang Ning stomped on Xu Tingsheng's foot beneath the table.

Xu Tingsheng just smiled triumphantly, not saying a word.

After a while, Xiang Ning glared vehemently at Xu Tingsheng. In the end, though, she still did serve herself a bowl of papaya soup, next gulping it down in big mouthfuls as though venting her dissatisfaction with Uncle. Of course, she served him a bowl of it as well.

"I don't need this, right?" Xu Tingsheng asked.

"Don't care," Xiang Ning said.

"What if mine eventually wind up bigger than yours …"

"Bang."

Xu Tingsheng's foot got stomped on again.

After eating, Xu Tingsheng cleared the things from the table, temporarily leaving the dishes and cutlery unwashed as he prepared to send Xiang Ning off. When he exited the kitchen, however, she was no longer in the living room.

Pushing open the door to his room, he found that she was actually curled up on his bed again.

"I'm tired again," Seeing Xu Tingsheng, Little Xiang Ning muttered guiltily before burying herself entirely under the covers, ignoring his chiding and grabbing onto the blanket as she resisted his attempts to get it off her…

"I'm really very tired," Xiang Ning said all huddled up beneath the blanket.

"I don't believe you. You were clearly very energetic just a moment ago," Xu Tingsheng said.

"But I'm tired again after having eaten."

"That's a pig. You've still got tutoring."

"The tutoring will only begin at 3pm."

"You've got to count in the bus time."

"You'll send me back."

"How would I dare to…"

Upon hearing Xu Tingsheng say this, Xiang Ning pulled the blanket off herself.

"I'll send you for a portion of the journey. You catch a bus for the rest," Xu Tingsheng continued.

He dared not send her too near to her home. He was afraid that if he did so, Mr or Mrs Xiang might catch a glimpse of it…

Xiang Ning knew what Xu Tingsheng meant. Therefore, she pulled off the blanket herself.

"Xu Tingsheng, actually, I'm not tired," Xiang Ning confessed, "I just don't feel like leaving. I want to stay here for a little while longer."

Xiang Ning had always possessed a frank, straightforward personality. She was even adorably shameless sometimes, such as when they had gotten into a fight and broken up in his previous life. She would give a blatant, overt lie, such as claiming that her wallet was missing. Then, she would only allow Uncle to break up with her after they had managed to find it together.

They definitely wouldn't be able to find that wallet. As for breaking up…that would therefore be impossible.

She was the kind of girl who would be courageous after having fallen in love, magnanimity actually forming the greater part of this courage…where other girls would be sulking in a fit of anger, she was willing to be magnanimous and solve things between them in an adorable way.

She might still have yet to fall in love with Xu Tingsheng in this life.

She might not have thought about this problem seriously yet, and Xu Tingsheng too still dared not ask her about it.

At the very least, however, she was courageous enough to voice out her thoughts and feelings, admitting her reliance on him.

As for Xu Tingsheng, he wasn't.

Looking at Xu Tingsheng, Xiang Ning continued, "After leaving this time, it may be a long, long time before I can see…before I can see Dongdong again…and I also can't just call Dongdong."

It was definitely not Dongdong that she was talking about, or at least not just Dongdong.

"Xiang Ning."

"Hmmm?"

"…"

"What is it?"

"It's nothing."

He still didn't say what he wanted to in the end.

Xiang Ning thought for a moment before sitting up, folding the blanket properly and pulling the bedsheet straight, "Xu Tingsheng, I'm going."

"Yeah," Xu Tingsheng said.

……

Xu Tingsheng parked his car at an empty street close to the bus station.

Xiang Ning who should actually have been getting off the car suddenly sat straight upright, not even turning to look at him as she said, "Xu Tingsheng, look."

Xu Tingsheng asked bemusedly, "What is it?"

"Uh…safety belt," Xiang Ning said.

"Safety belt?"

Xu Tingsheng's thought processes were completely unable to keep up with hers.

"Oh, you're so stupid," Xiang Ning thought for a moment before scooting closer to him and whispering into his ear, "I, I think that I may not become Hua Mulan in the future, get what I mean, Xu Tingsheng? Recently…hey, just take a look yourself if you don't believe me."

Xu Tingsheng understood what she meant. As a girl wore a safety belt, it would pass…between.

So, looking at the safety belt was actually about this.

Xu Tingsheng glanced over, giving a conciliatory 'Wow'.

Actually, Xiang Ning had also been far from the extent of Hua Mulan in his previous life. It was just that he had no way of explaining this to her now, telling her what size she would become.

That would be even more terrifying than a godly swindler. Which godly swindler could even predict something like this?

Let alone godly swindlers, even grandmasters would not be able to do this! Imagine a grandmaster with a lofty, refined air about him solemnly prophesying to a young girl, "Young lady, this old man predicts that you will approximately be a C in the future. If fortune descends, it may even be possible to attain a D."

Then, the young lady pleaded, "Please, grandmaster, such fortune…how might I encounter it?"

Stroking his long beard, the grandmaster said profoundly, "Alright, you and I having met today, it can be none other than fate. I just happen to have an ancestral Ample Breasts Talisman here…"

What sort of scene was this?

Xiang Ning did not know about Xu Tingsheng's imagination running wild. She was in high spirits over that 'wow' as she undid her safety belt and got off the car. She waved, bidding him farewell. Dongdong barked in the backseat.

Xu Tingsheng continued watching her all throughout, all the way till she got onto a public bus.