Still, Wait For Me (Web Novel)
chapter-552

Wu Yuewei's flight was the next morning. She would have to stay the night in Yanzhou or Xihu City.

Xu Tingsheng decided to bring her home. They had a guest room. Xiang Ning also knew about the two of them accompanying his younger sister for her university entrance examinations, with the two girls being acquainted as well. If she did not stay, it might instead seem like a deliberate attempt to avoid suspicion, implying something untoward.

Perhaps out of the same considerations, Wu Yuewei did not refuse the offer.

Having called Ye Qing earlier, when Xu Tingsheng got home with Wu Yuewei, Xiang Ning was already there. Ye Qing was waiting at the door. She bid them farewell and left. Xu Tingsheng opened the door to find that once again, the house looked like a bomb had exploded within.

Xiang Ning walked over from amidst the smoke, saying, "I thought that I had experience."

Xu Tingsheng dotingly shot her a look, sighing helplessly, "A little suggestion. How about you wait till we switch to a better kitchen hood before you continue accumulating experience? Otherwise, I'm afraid that our good neighbours will end up dialling 119 sooner or later."

He went over to take over the work in the kitchen. It was actually already way past dinnertime now, and he had a guest over too. He had to efficiently show his skills.

Wu Yuewei walked over from behind him, greeting the excited-looking Xiang Ning before she pulled her into the kitchen and said, "Come, I'll teach you. I guarantee that he'll see you in a different light."

The two beauties wore matching black aprons of Xu Tingsheng's and cheerily got to work, chatting energetically in the meantime. While such a scene should originally be relaxed, easygoing and pleasant, Xu Tingsheng who was sitting in the living room intentionally eavesdropped a little and broke out in a cold sweat.

After taking a bath, Xu Tingsheng found a few simple homemade dishes already laid out on the table. Beneath two gazes that were filled with anticipation and waiting to be praised, he gingerly sat down.

Wu Yuewei passed him a bowl of rice, which he accepted. Xiang Ning smiled and passed him a pair of chopsticks. Then, the two looked at him with those anticipatory gazes, urging him to taste the dishes.

This...very much felt like a bigshot's treatment! It was very easy for one's mind to drift off. It was very easy...to drop dead!

Xu Tingsheng took a taste of each dish as quickly as he could, praising them in turn. Then, he quickly quit the potentially dangerous conversation and focused on eating the rice in his bowl.

"Why are you only eating rice but not the dishes?" Xiang Ning asked.

"Yeah, do you actually find that it's not delicious?" Wu Yuewei added before smiling at him.

"It's delicious! I am eating it," Xu Tingsheng picked up some dishes to eat along with his rice.

The two girls both shot him deep, meaningful glances before turning back and giggling as they picked up some rice. Xu Tingsheng understood that Wu Yuewei clearly knew his feelings of guilt and nervousness, but...what was up with Little Xiang Ning?

After dinner, Xu Tingsheng insisted on washing the dishes. After that, he holed up in his study and half had a meeting, half chatted with He Chen and He Yutan.

Throughout all this, Xiang Ning and Wu Yuewei sat together on the living room sofa, eating, watching television and chatting.

Wu Yuewei had originally been going to stay in the guest room. Still, Xiang Ning insisted on sleeping together with her. When in Yanjing previously, the two had shared a small bed at her dormitory in Qingbei for quite a few days. As Apple had been preparing for an award ceremony at the time, it had actually mostly been Wu Yuewei accompanying Xiang Ning then.

The relationship between the two was actually rather good.

When bedtime came, Xu Tingsheng returned to his room and rested on the bed, reading. As Wu Yuewei was taking a bath and preparing for bed, Xiang Ning lightly pushed open the door.

"What is it?" Xu Tingsheng asked.

"I'm not very smart. I can't get into Qingbei," Looking at him, Xiang Ning suddenly said.

"That doesn't matter."

"I'm also not very sensible."

"That doesn't matter too."

"Actually, I'm also not super, super pretty."

"I feel that you're super pretty."

"I can't cook."

"I can."

"I'm not very gentle."

"That's not necessary."

"My breasts are too small."

"..."

"Finally something that you find fault with?"

"Mine aren't big too."

"Pfft…"

Xiang Ning finally laughed, next seeming like she was about to cry as she plunged into Xu Tingsheng's embrace.

"Xu Tingsheng, I really like you. I really, really do. So, please don't be snatched away by anyone else, alright? Especially...some people, even I feel that they are so, so good."

Xu Tingsheng knew that she knew. He did not ask any questions, only carefully pacifying her.

"In Yanjing last time, once, I thought that I had the flu, so I asked Sis Yuewei if she had any medicine. She said she did. So I opened the drawer and looked. And guess what I found. A stack of face masks and a box of isatis root...but the isatis root had already expired."

"I found medicine from elsewhere and told Sis Yuewei that the isatis root had already expired. I'd throw it away for her. She said that she would throw it away herself, but in the end placed it back again."

Xiang Ning blinked towards Xu Tingsheng.

"I didn't think anything of it then. Then, after she walked out from behind you today, I suddenly thought of it. I actually also received a box of isatis root before. There were also white vinegar and masks. Just who would give others isatis root? Why would someone treat isatis root as a treasure, carrying it with them and not even throwing it away when it's expired? Strange, right?"

Xu Tingsheng did not know how to answer.

As the sound of the bathroom door opening could be heard from the living room, Xiang Ning pulled Xu Tingsheng's ear, saying softly, "It seems...that it is not really your fault. Forget it, I'll spare you this time."

She ran out, pretending that she had been sitting in the living room all this time.

Xiang Ning's bed was very cute, and there were two pillows there. As the two lay there, it was far from as cramped as on that small bed in the Qingbei dormitory. They seemed to be chatting about even more now as the pleasant laughter could be heard even from Xu Tingsheng's room.

Till when they had both said goodnight to each other.

The lights were off, the room pitch black. Their eyes were closed as they faced the ceiling, breathing evenly and not moving an inch. It was as if they were already asleep.

"Actually, you like him too, right?" Xiang Ning could not help but ask in the end.

"Right," Wu Yuewei said.

"What's so good about him! Actually, he has a whole range of wretched faults that you don't know about. Let me tell you, he smokes, and drinks, and also…" Xiang Ning deliberately said in a very earnest tone.

Wu Yuewei smiled, replying, "If he were mine, I'd definitely say so too. And it'd only be worse than how you described him."

Her little scheme having been seen through, Little Xiang Ning seemed quite embarrassed.

"I won't fight with you over him anyway. Actually, I've liked him since way earlier than you…" Wu Yuewei said afterwards.

"Huh?"

"So, there's no need to worry about me."

Xiang Ning thought about it and said, "Right. In the first place, I've never…"

Wu Yuewei smiled craftily, "Still, you have to remember to guard against other girls in the future! He's so terrible, with a whole bunch of wretched faults. You can't let him drag anyone else down."

"Yes. I'll definitely be on guard," Xiang Ning clenched her little fist.

"Then…"

"Hmm?"

"If you find that you don't like him anymore, remember to tell me."

"I won't."

"You don't want to tell me, or you won't not like him?"

"I won't not like him, not ever."

"How can you be so sure? You're still little. You'll grow up in the future, you'll meet many people…"

"But so what if I meet many people? How is it possible that there's anyone better than him?! Sis Yuewei, youe studying at Qingbei, which is such a good school. Have you seen anyone who's better than him?"

"...I have. Actually, if we compare item by item on the list, there are tons of people better than him."

"Huh?"

"But as he's the best in your heart, he's the best. No one can compare to him. He's the same in mine."

……

The trio got up very early the next day. Xu Tingsheng sent Xiang Ning to school and introduced Du Jin to her.

Then, he drove Wu Yuewei to Xihu City to catch her plane.

A text quickly arrived from Little Xiang Ning: I just had a dream. In my dream, the two of you eloped and aren't coming back.

How could someone have a dream three minutes after disembarking a car? Xu Tingsheng laughed.

Feeling rather puzzled, Wu Yuewei pointed at his phone, asking if she could take a look.

Xu Tingsheng passed it to her.

Wu Yuewei took one glance at it and began laughing too.

"Actually, it feels so relaxed now that everything is in the open," She said.