He subtly criticized Jiang Chuan, and seeing that Jian Fei didn't defend him, Ke Teng felt a little more comfortable.
However, she sat so primly, clearly not as relaxed with him as before, which bothered him again.
He deliberately took off his overcoat and threw it to her.
"Hold this for me, don't wrinkle it."
Jian Fei finally had something to do, and no longer had to listen to his sarcastic remarks, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She carefully spread the coat on herself, smoothing it out as if tucking herself in, and closed her eyes.
From a certain angle, the coat completely covered her, as if Ke Teng were embracing her from the front.
The coat had a faint woody scent, similar to the one that had lingered in her nose that day.
Oh, what are you thinking!
Realizing her thoughts had strayed to inappropriate places, Jian Fei annoyed herself by pinching herself under the coat.
Jian Fei, Jian Fei, why are you so spineless? It was just one night, and you keep thinking about it, endlessly!
Seeing her wearing his coat and leaning there obediently, Ke Teng drove off with great satisfaction.
Since there were no ingredients at home, Jian Fei needed to go to the supermarket, and Ke Teng accompanied her.
She browsed ahead, and he followed behind, like a personal bodyguard.
After quickly selecting items, they went to queue for checkout. Unconsciously, Jian Fei's gaze fell upon the shelf next to the cashier.
Although she had never had a boyfriend, she still had common sense.
On the shelf were...
Ah Jian Fei, here you go again!
Before, she would at most stare at the candies on display, but now...
In fact, it wasn't just her looking; Ke Teng's gaze also drifted over.
However, he was much more open about it than she was.
When it was their turn, Jian Fei placed the groceries on the counter and took out her phone to pay. Ke Teng quickly placed two boxes on the counter.
"Pay together."
Then he also took out his payment code.
With a man present, the cashier naturally wouldn't accept the woman's money.
However, their gazes held a knowing smile.
Jian Fei felt the bag was too hot to hold, so she handed it to Ke Teng.
As they walked out, she couldn't help but question him in a low voice.
"Didn't you say you were coming to my place for dinner? Why did you buy this?"
"We are going to your place for dinner, so I bought it for use."
"..." Jian Fei was speechless.
"I was drunk that day, of course, I was still conscious and had no regrets, but..."
Ke Teng finished her sentence: "It's just that you don't want to have another time with me, right?"
Jian Fei didn't know how to respond.
After all, she didn't regret accepting his favors, and refusing now would be hypocritical.
She couldn't explain why, but Ke Teng, like a pure young man, kept pestering her for an answer.
"Why? Was my performance not satisfactory, or do you just not like me?"
They were still outside the supermarket, with people coming and going, and they were discussing this, even mentioning unsatisfactory performance...
Jian Fei felt she wanted to disappear into the ground. She stopped answering him and rushed outside.
Back in the car, he threw the items in the back, got into the driver's seat, and Ke Teng stared at her, unwilling to let it go.
"You still haven't answered my question, what exactly is the reason?"
Why was he so insecure?
How could he come up with such strange reasons?
Couldn't it be that she was not good enough for him because he was too outstanding?
Jian Fei sighed, knowing she couldn't avoid the topic, and tried to explain.
"It's not your problem, it's my problem."
"What's wrong with you? Could it be that you really like that Jiang Chuan?"
She was exasperated. Why did he bring up Jiang Chuan again?
Jian Fei anxiously replied, "It has nothing to do with him, and nothing to do with you. It's just my own problem. I don't want to date right now."
"I'm not saying I want to date you! I mean..."
The more he spoke, the less clear it became.
She, a dignified doctoral student on the verge of graduation, couldn't even express such a small issue clearly.
Seeing her blushing face, Ke Teng knew what she meant and smiled.
"I understand your concerns. But at least we should try."
"We are still young, and the cost of making mistakes is still there. How will we know if we'll be happy without trying?"
"Anyway, I'm quite willing to spend time with you. You give me a comfortable feeling. I can promise not to force you to do things you don't want to do."
"If you don't want to go public, then don't. If you feel unhappy, you can call it off anytime. I promise not to pester you, okay?"
Jian Fei was still thinking about his words when they reached her doorstep.
What kind of relationship was this?
More than friends, less than lovers?
What was Ke Teng thinking, willing to spend time playing this game with her?
Had he eaten too much rich food and wanted something bland?
Logically, she should have refused, but for some reason, Jian Fei nodded.
Perhaps her life for the past 26 years had been too repressed, conservative, and boring. She wanted to add a splash of color to her stagnant life.
Ke Teng was right, she still had the cost of making mistakes.
If it really didn't work out, she could just consider it a failed relationship.
Having such a good ex wouldn't be a loss when she recalled it.
After receiving her nod, Ke Teng automatically took her hand as they got out of the car, carrying the groceries with one hand.
They returned to the room like a young couple.
Just as Jian Fei was about to say she would cook, Ke Teng picked her up.
"How many days has it been since we last saw each other?"
Jian Fei knew what he meant. She was even more nervous than the first time, her eyes darting around, her teeth chattering.
"You, you, you, can't we have some buffer time?"
"Buffer for what? I've realized that you need to be pushed to do things, otherwise you won't accomplish anything. So be it."
They didn't have dinner until ten o'clock, and it was takeout.
Jian Fei was too tired to move, but Ke Teng insisted she eat something.
"Your stamina is not good. You're a medical student, you don't even have this basic knowledge. You'll have to exercise with me for an hour every day from now on."
"Exercise for an hour every day? Aren't you going back to Shangcheng?"
"Let's just say I misspoke. As long as I'm here, you'll have to exercise with me for an hour."
"..."
"Do you have any objections? Don't want to go out?" Ke Teng threatened her.
"Fine, then we'll exercise at home."
Jian Fei was terrified: "No, no, no, I have no objections!"
After dinner, Jian Fei went downstairs to throw away the trash. Thinking that he definitely wouldn't be leaving tonight, she also bought him a pair of slippers and a toothbrush at the small shop.
When she handed him the items, Ke Teng's smile was undisguised.
"So soon you've found your position? Self-aware. Good."
Jian Fei kicked him.
"What do you mean 'found my position'? It's obvious you're not leaving tonight, and you can't brush your teeth in the morning without them, right?"
Ke Teng smirked, "Who said I wasn't leaving tonight? I originally planned to leave."
He pulled her down and held her in his arms.
"But since you want me to stay so badly, I can push back other invitations."