"You're finally free?" she asked as she picked up the phone.
"Mhm, what are you doing?" his voice sounded tired as he asked.
Su Yue told him she was at a party.
Chen Ziming sat in his car, talking to her on Bluetooth. He opened the photos she had sent, looking at them as he spoke to her.
"Give me the address," he said.
"What do you want the address for…" They had just talked about him staying over on the weekend, and it was only Wednesday. She still had classes tomorrow.
He was still looking at her photos. She was truly beautiful, so beautiful it made his heart ache.
An ache that made him want to pull her into his arms and kiss her right now.
"Can't I come find you?" He finally stopped looking at photos, started the car, and opened the navigation, waiting for her to tell him the location.
"No, it's just… then come," she still told him the address.
Returning to the dining table, the group was already having a wild time. Seeing her arrive, they all urged her to join.
She had no choice but to play along for a couple of rounds. Her luck was good, and it never came to her turn to take a dare.
But eventually, she stumbled.
"Why not give Song Yan a chance? Let your sister kiss you?" Everyone had seen Song Yan's attention towards Su Yue during their training these days, so they eagerly tried to pair them up.
"No, no, no! Absolutely not! Sister, don't listen to them!" Song Yan, knowing the real situation, quickly advised Su Yue.
Everyone thought he was being shy and started teasing him.
"Don't mess around, my boyfriend is coming to pick me up. Will you help me plead my case if I get dumped?" Su Yue was amused and annoyed by them. She crumpled a tissue and threw it at the male classmate who had first made the suggestion.
Since she had already said that in front of Song Yan, she decided to just go all the way with it.
"Boyfriend… are you really dating? Is it true about the school forum?"
"Is it really Officer Chen who came to give the lecture?"
Su Yue leaned back in her seat, propped her arms, and raised an eyebrow at the girl opposite her, saying with a very playful expression, "Mhm~"
"Sister, it looks like Officer Chen has arrived." Song Yan suddenly nudged her, pointing to the seat behind her and to her left.
The people opposite had already seen him. They had asked precisely because they saw him arrive. Now, they were all secretly laughing.
Su Yue looked blankly at the position he indicated. Chen Ziming was standing there in casual wear, a smile on his face, also looking at her.
"Officer Chen, you come to our school to give a lecture and then steal our campus belle. This has caused public outrage. You need to have a few drinks to make amends," someone teased.
Everyone agreed.
"Stop fooling around!" Su Yue blushed, these people were all betraying her.
"Still knows how to care for someone," someone else laughed.
Su Yue ignored them, got up, went to his side, and whispered, "Why didn't you tell me you were here?"
"I called you, but no one answered," he showed her his phone.
Then he walked around her, went to the dining table, and said, "I'm taking her now. You guys have fun. I'll pay for this meal."
"Officer Chen is so generous!"
"Go on, go on! May you have a hundred years of happiness!"
"Be gentle with our campus belle…"
Chen Ziming smiled, picked up Su Yue's phone that she had left on the chair, and took her with him. As they reached the door, he indeed paid the bill.
Su Yue remained silent all the way, her head down, annoyed at herself for speaking carelessly and at the others for their teasing.
How was she supposed to explain this? She had only told him yesterday that she needed to consider the idea of being his girlfriend, and now she was telling everyone outside that he was her boyfriend…
She was so embarrassed.
Chen Ziming said nothing, pulling her towards his car.
He opened the back door.
"You want me to sit in the back?" she asked him, confused.
"Mhm, let's try the back seat," he said.
What was there to try… Hadn't she sat in the back seat before? Even if his car was expensive, could it possibly feel like flying?
She still sat inside.
He closed the door, walked around to the other side, and also got into the back seat, locking the doors.
"What are you doing here?" Su Yue asked in surprise. Shouldn't he be driving?
"What do you think I'm doing," he leaned closer to her and said in a low voice, "Come sit on me."
He was referring to how she had acted from the driver's seat that night.