Jin Ming is participating in the 400-meter race for the second-year students in the afternoon. Wen Ke’an, as a cheerleader, is naturally on the field cheering Jin Ming on.
She couldn’t figure out how Gu Ting managed to have time to be a judge.
When Wen Ke’an looked up, she could see the glaring mark on Gu Ting’s neck. She initially thought that Gu Ting would find a way to cover it up like she did, but he seemed completely unconcerned, openly displaying the red mark on his neck.
“Do you see the mark on the Student Council President’s neck… Does he have a girlfriend?”
“Oh my goodness, isn’t that… Gu Ting is really something. No wonder he’s from a vocational school; he plays by his own rules.”
“……”
Wen Ke’an clearly heard her cheerleader teammates discussing the matter.
Wen Ke’an finally couldn’t stand it anymore. After the race was over and she could take a break, she pulled Gu Ting into a secluded corner.
“Lower your head,” Wen Ke’an said expressionlessly.
“What’s up?” Gu Ting asked, obediently lowering his head.
“……”
Wen Ke’an said nothing, silently pulling a small bottle from her school uniform pocket.
It was a bottle of foundation she’d just borrowed from a classmate.
Seeing the foundation, Gu Ting understood and instinctively glanced at Wen Ke’an’s neck. She’d already taken care of her mark; it was barely visible unless inspected closely.
“Honestly, I don’t want to cover it up,” Gu Ting said softly while seeing Wen Ke’an applying foundation onto her hand.
“……”
Wen Ke’an was silent for a moment, then countered, “Do you think it’s up to you?”
Gu Ting: “…… No.”
The sports meet ended successfully on Friday afternoon. To let everyone go home and rest early, the school generously allowed them to leave over an hour earlier.
Returning home in the afternoon, Wen Ke’an went with Wen Qiangguo to check out the new store.
Everything in the new store was ready, about to open soon. Wen Qiangguo was there for a final check to avoid any oversight.
“It’s opening the day after tomorrow, feeling a little nervous,” Wen Qiangguo nervously rubbed his hands.
Recently, Wen Qiangguo had lost noticeable weight from the workload; even his double chin had disappeared.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be great!” Liu Qing said with a smile.
They finished the check and were about to leave when they encountered a few young women passing by. They looked like they had just come out of nearby offices.
“Is this the branch of the braised food restaurant from No. 1 Middle School?” A girl in a dress suddenly stopped and asked, looking at Wen Qiangguo and Liu Qing at the door.
“Yes!” Wen Qiangguo replied with a smile.
“Oh my, you’re opening a branch! I used to love your braised food so much, but I haven’t had time to go since changing jobs!” The girl laughed, “When do you open? I’ll definitely come by!”
“The day after tomorrow, we’re opening for business. We’ll have some promotions, and I’ll give you some new products as a gift if you come!” Wen Qiangguo said.
“Alright, uncle!”
The girl gradually walked away, but Wen Qiangguo could still hear her praising their family’s marinated dishes to her companion.
It was already late, and since it was rare for the whole family to go out together, Wen Qiangguo took Liu Qing and Wen Ke’an to a nearby mall for hotpot.
The mall was bustling in the evening. Just after they had left the mall, Wen Qiangguo looked up at the new buildings nearby and sighed, “I wonder when we can buy a new house.”
“Haha, we’ll surely get a nice house someday,” Liu Qing said with a smile. “Then we can give it to An’an as her dowry!”
Shortly after they returned home, Wen Ke’an received a phone call from Chu Han.
“An’an! Do you want to go out and have some fun tomorrow?” Chu Han asked excitedly as soon as Wen Ke’an answered the phone. “A movie I really like is coming out! We can also buy some new clothes together!”
Wen Ke’an, who had been planning to go out, immediately agreed, “Sure!”
Chu Han’s cheerful voice came from the other end, “Haha, great! See you tomorrow then!”
The two agreed to meet at 10 AM at the intersection on Saturday.
Just as Wen Ke’an finished getting ready and came downstairs at 9 AM, she ran into Gu Ting at the stairwell.
Gu Ting was wearing a casual tracksuit, which made his tall, lean figure stand out.
“Where are you going?” Gu Ting deliberately blocked her way.
“Chu Han asked me to go shopping with her.”
Out of habit, Wen Ke’an almost asked him to come along but suddenly remembered that she had promised Chu Han not to bring anyone else. She silently swallowed her words.
Though she didn’t invite him, Gu Ting offered, “Can I come along?”
Wen Ke’an didn’t speak, looking a bit conflicted.
Seeing her expression, Gu Ting understood, “Did you already make plans?”
Wen Ke’an nodded, “Yeah.”
Gu Ting said, “No problem, I’ll just follow without bothering you.”
“……”
Given his humble request, Wen Ke’an couldn’t refuse.
However, she did tell Gu Ting beforehand to avoid intruding, as she worried Chu Han might feel awkward with three people, especially since two of them were a couple.
Wen Ke’an had just arrived at the meeting spot when she saw Chu Han running over.
“Here!” Wen Ke’an waved to Chu Han.
Chu Han glanced back, looking somewhat unhappy.
“An’an,” Chu Han walked up to Wen Ke’an and hesitantly said, “I’m sorry.”
“What happened?”
Before Wen Ke’an could finish her sentence, she noticed Xie Huaiyan across the street and instantly understood why Chu Han was upset.
“I told Xie Huaiyan not to follow me, but he wouldn’t listen,” Chu Han said angrily, “I’m not a child; there’s no need for him to follow me around.”
“Actually, there’s no need to get angry. I have something else to tell you,” Wen Ke’an said.
“What is it?”
Wen Ke’an didn’t respond but slightly moved aside. Chu Han instinctively looked behind Wen Ke’an and saw Gu Ting standing not far away.
“……….”
“Why is Gu Ting following us?” Chu Han asked, confused.
“Then why did Xie Huaiyan come with us?” Wen Ke’an replied with a smile.
“………..”
Chu Han understood. Originally, she felt a bit uncomfortable with Xie Huaiyan following her, worried that Wen Ke’an might mind. But seeing Gu Ting with Wen Ke’an now, she felt relieved.
Chu Han glanced back at Xie Huaiyan standing by the roadside and whispered, “Let them play together then, hmph.”
“……….”
The happiest thing for two close friends is shopping together.
It was summer, and the stores were full of beautiful clothes and shoes. Chu Han especially loved little dresses and tried many that she liked, but with limited pocket money, she could only buy two or three.
Chu Han went to try on a purple floral dress which was a matching style to the one Wen Ke’an was wearing.
Coming out of the fitting room, Chu Han twirled and smiled, asking, “Does it look good, An’an?”
Chu Han had a strong, elegant look that could appear cold when she didn’t smile, but when she did, it was sweet and adorable. She had a carefree, cheerful personality.
Wen Ke’an looked and praised, “It looks great!”
Hearing this made Chu Han even happier. “I’ll take this one then. We’ll wear matching outfits!”
“Okay,” Wen Ke’an smiled.
“This dress really suits you, it looks great on you!” Chu Han exclaimed, liking Wen Ke’an’s look more and more.
Wen Ke’an had a great figure, fair skin, and delicate features. Most importantly, she had a quiet, gentle aura that matched the dress perfectly.
“I’ve made my choice, let’s go pay!” Chu Han said. But turning around, she found the pile of clothes she had chosen was gone.
“Where are my clothes?” Chu Han was momentarily confused.
An attendant nearby explained, “That gentleman bought all your clothes earlier.”
Chu Han looked up to see Xie Huaiyan paying at the counter.
“………”
Chu Han quickly ran over but was too late. She heard the clerk say, “Payment: twelve thousand three hundred yuan.”
Chu Han looked at Xie Huaiyan, “Why buy so much? I can’t wear all of it.”
Then she turned to the clerk, “Can I return these?”
Though returns were possible, Xie Huaiyan spoke first, “No returns.”
“……….”
The clerk just smiled without speaking.
Finding the scene amusing, Wen Ke’an turned to comfort Chu Han, but saw Gu Ting sitting nearby with lots of shopping bags, around twenty.
Wen Ke’an was stunned and walked over to Gu Ting, glancing into the bags.
They were all women’s clothes.
“A gift?” Wen Ke’an asked.
“Yes.”
“For your sister?”
“No,” Gu Ting smiled, “For my wife.”
“………”
Wen Ke’an was silent.
“Why did you buy so much?”
Wen Ke’an took out a piece of clothing and looked at it. She hadn’t tried this one on at all.
“I haven’t tried this one either,” Wen Ke’an said softly, “Should we return it?”
“I picked all of these for you.”
Gu Ting knew that Wen Ke’an didn’t particularly enjoy trying on clothes. Whenever they went to clothing stores, she would take a long time to choose something she liked before trying it on.
In fact, she liked many things; she just didn’t want to try them on.
Gu Ting understood her personality and preferences, so he took the initiative to buy some clothes for her.
“We should save some money,” Wen Ke’an said with a frown, her voice gentle. “You don’t really have much money.”
Gu Ting paused, squeezed her small hand, and smiled, “What gave you the illusion that I don’t have money?”
Gu Ting: “I’m really not poor.”
After buying the clothes, they had a simple meal, and then Chu Han dragged Wen Ke’an to the cinema.
A movie that Chu Han was particularly interested in was being released today. Shortly after Chu Han bought the tickets, the movie started.
As soon as Wen Ke’an walked in, she felt something was off.
The cinema was mostly filled with women, with very few men.
“Why are there so many women here?” Wen Ke’an asked in a low voice.
Chu Han chuckled and said, “Because this movie has no female lead.”
The movie started, and after watching for a while, Wen Ke’an understood.
The movie featured two male leads, with a rather intense plot and their feelings for each other were equally intense.
Probably because such movies were still niche at that time, there weren’t many people in the theater.
Halfway through the movie, Wen Ke’an overheard two girls whispering behind her.
“Do you think those two are a couple?”
“Gosh, they’re so good-looking, and so handsome!!!”
Wen Ke’an glanced back and noticed that Gu Ting wasn’t sitting with Xie Huaiyan, but they were in the same row, with two seats between them.
Chu Han also heard what the girls next to her said.
She held back for a while, but finally couldn’t resist and chuckled softly, “Hahaha, serves them right for insisting on following us, hahaha!”
—–
On Saturday morning, even before dawn, the whole family went to the new shop together. It was the grand opening day, and arriving early would hopefully give them some time to prepare.
Next door to their shop was a popular breakfast place that already had quite a few customers at this hour.
As soon as Wen Qiangguo opened the door, an elderly man curiously peeked inside.
“Are you opening a braised meat shop?” the old man asked.
“Yes, sir!” Wen Qiangguo replied with a smile.
The old man shook his head and said, “Opening a braised meat shop here isn’t a good idea. Look at the other braised meat shops on this street; they’re all close to shutting down because no one buys from them.”
Wen Qiangguo felt a pang of anxiety at the old man’s words.
During his initial research, many people had mentioned that this location wasn’t ideal and that braised meat shops didn’t do well here. However, Wen Qiangguo was drawn to this spot and, after discussing it with Liu Qing, they decided to set up shop here anyway.
The grand opening was scheduled for 9 AM. Initially, there weren’t many customers, but by 11 AM, much to Wen Qiangguo’s surprise, the number of people gradually increased. Soon, there was a long queue outside the shop.
Thanks to the fan base they had accumulated through previous videos and the special promotion done by Fu Huan, the new shop saw a considerable rise in customers by noon. When the office workers from nearby buildings came for lunch, the queue grew even longer.
The incredible opening day business shocked the other braised meat shops on the street.
“Why are there so many people over there?” the owners of the other shops wondered.
“I don’t know. Maybe they’re having some grand opening event. Once it’s over, the crowd will thin out.”
Wen Qiangguo had only prepared enough braised meat for the morning, and by 1 PM, everything was sold out.
“Business is not bad, Old Wen,” Liu Qing said with a smile, wiping her sweat.
Seeing his wife sweating, Wen Qiangguo immediately handed her a tissue.
“Hahaha, indeed! I’m finally at ease,” Wen Qiangguo laughed.
Initially, he had prepared for the worst, thinking they might lose money. However, the first day’s success made him even think about opening more branches.
The new shop’s business was good, and when Wen Ke’an had free time, she would also go and help out. However, most of her time was spent at home doing homework.
With final exams approaching, it was now revision week.
The final exams are provincially ranked and are more important than the midterm exams. Nearly all the students in the class are studying diligently.
Days passed by, and the weather gradually warmed up.
Finally, they ushered in the last holiday of the semester before the final exams.
On the Dragon Boat Festival, Wen Qiangguo and Liu Qing only kept their shop open for half a day.
By 2 PM, the items in both stores were sold out. Wen Qiangguo decided not to continue and gave his employees a half-day off.
Liu Qing prepared a lot of fillings, planning to make zongzi herself.
“Mom, do we have red beans?” Wen Ke’an asked as she came out of her room and saw that Liu Qing had already set up the glutinous rice and bamboo leaves.
Liu Qing paused and asked in confusion, “Haven’t you never eaten red beans?”
Wen Ke’an’s favorite zongzi made by Liu Qing are those with honey dates and pork belly. She never touched any other kinds before.
Hearing Liu Qing’s question, Wen Ke’an thought for a moment and explained, “I saw a video that made red bean zongzi look good, and I want to try them.”
“Haha, sure, I can make whatever you want!” Liu Qing laughed.
“Thanks, Mom!” Wen Ke’an smiled.
In fact, she didn’t like red beans, but Gu Ting did. He only liked red bean zongzi.
In the past, he was always away during the Dragon Boat Festival, but this year she wanted to spend it with him.
The zongzi were almost ready, and Wen Ke’an was thinking about how to ask her parents to invite Gu Ting over for zongzi.
To her surprise, she heard Wen Qiangguo’s voice from the kitchen, “It’s the Dragon Boat Festival today. Should we invite Gu Ting to join us for zongzi?”
Wen Ke’an immediately stood up from the sofa, “I’ll go get him.”
When Wen Ke’an and Gu Ting returned, the zongzi were already cooked, filling the house with the fresh scent of bamboo leaves.
It was just the right time for an afternoon meal. Wen Qiangguo and Liu Qing were cooking in the kitchen, while Wen Ke’an stealthily took a zongzi from the dining table.
Unlucky for her, it was a red bean one.
Wen Ke’an had never eaten Liu Qing’s red bean zongzi before. She took a curious bite but immediately frowned and swallowed it with difficulty.
She didn’t like red beans.
Gu Ting, standing not far away, couldn’t help but laugh when he saw her reaction. He walked over to her with a cup of water.
Wen Ke’an naturally took the water and then passed the bitten zongzi to Gu Ting.
“Not tasty?” Gu Ting asked softly.
“Mm.” Wen Ke’an nodded.
Wen Qiangguo didn’t hear their conversation, but he clearly saw Wen Ke’an pass the half-eaten zongzi to Gu Ting.
Wen Qiangguo: “An’an, how can you give something you’ve already eaten to Gu Ting?”
Gu Ting turned to Wen Qiangguo, ready to explain, “It’s okay, Uncle, I—”
Wen Ke’an, worried that Gu Ting might say something inappropriate, tugged his sleeve secretly and interrupted directly, “I’ll go get a new one right away.”
After the meal, it was time to do homework. While holidays are indeed fun, the workload can be overwhelming.
Gu Ting also brought his homework over and started under the supervision of his wife.
Seeing that Wen Ke’an really started working seriously, Gu Ting leaned back in his chair, watching her for a while before grinning, “Starting with the serious work now?”
Seeing his gaze, Wen Ke’an knew what he was thinking.
“Final exams are coming up,” Wen Ke’an turned to him, handed him a study workbook, and said earnestly, “Study hard!”
“And stop thinking about nonsensical stuff.”
“What nonsense?” Gu Ting asked with a serious expression.
Wen Ke’an chose to ignore him.
Gu Ting behaved for a few minutes, worked on a few problems, and then suddenly stopped again to look at Wen Ke’an, “If I do well on my final exams, can you grant me a request?”
Wen Ke’an’s hand paused suddenly as if she thought of something. She pondered silently for a moment and then looked at him. “Alright, but nothing too outrageous.”
Wen Ke’an understood very well that giving a little incentive to Gu Ting might lead him to push boundaries.
A few days ago, the marks he left on her in the classroom still hadn’t completely faded.
“Is that really how much of a beast you think I am?” Gu Ting asked with a helpless smile.
Wen Ke’an stared at him seriously for a moment and then nodded, “Yes.”
“”
