Learn More About Each Other

"My mother is coming to pick me up to spend the New Year somewhere else," Jiang Ci said. "That means we probably won't be able to see each other for a while."

As Zhang Heyu stroked her hair, he asked in a calm voice, "Where is she taking you?"

Jiang Ci paused for a few seconds before telling him the approximate address.

Belonging to an elite family like Zhang Heyu's, he had naturally heard of the Sun family, more or less.

Jiang Ci's heart sank.

Zhang Heyu withdrew the hand resting on her waist, kissed her forehead, and his dark eyes shimmered with faint, sparkling light.

"A-Ci, no matter where you are, I will come to find you."

As long as you say you miss me, I will travel across mountains and seas to see you.

Seeming caught off guard by Zhang Heyu's words, Jiang Ci felt a complex wave of emotions wash over her, and tears welled up uncontrollably in her eyes.

"...Mm," Jiang Ci nodded.

She thought that she would probably forever drown in the tenderness that belonged exclusively to Zhang Heyu.

It was already past one in the morning when Jiang Ci returned home.

She had lingered with Zhang Heyu until her fever subsided before finally coming back.

Stepping carefully into her room, she removed her scarf, took the newspaper out of the drawer, bit her lip, and stared intently at the photograph.

After calming down for a long while, she took out her phone and, disregarding the hour, directly dialed that number.

Unwilling to hear Jiang Nanyan's voice, she composed a text message instead and sent it.

Once the message was sent, she folded the newspaper back up and returned it to its place. Then she took a shower to wash away the sticky sweat caused by her fever, changed into fresh clothes, took her medicine, and finally climbed back into bed.

Right at that moment, Zhang Heyu initiated a video call, startling Jiang Ci so much that she scrambled back onto the bed in a flurry.

She pressed the accept button, and the very next second, Zhang Heyu's stern yet handsome face appeared on the screen.

His hair was still damp, likely because he had just showered; he was bare-chested, with tiny water droplets clinging to his skin, tracing a path down his neck to his collarbone.

He must have had the indoor heating on to be this casually dressed.

Taken aback, Jiang Ci felt a wave of heat wash over her, and the tips of her ears suddenly turned red.

A warm yellow bedside lamp was on, and shyly, Jiang Ci buried her face in the duvet, leaving only a pair of bright, sparkling almond-shaped eyes exposed.

Noticing the bashful girl on the screen, the corners of Zhang Heyu's thin lips curled into a smile. "Baby, did you take your medicine?"

"Mm." Finding Zhang Heyu on the screen far too captivating, Jiang Ci swallowed hard and asked, "Why did you suddenly call me?"

Picking up a towel to dry his hair, Zhang Heyu said nonchalantly, "I was worried you wouldn't take your medicine properly."

Ever since they started dating, it seemed as though Zhang Heyu always treated her like a child.

Jiang Ci smiled. "I took it, don't worry."

Still feeling uneasy, Zhang Heyu put on a shirt, lay down on his bed just like she had, and spoke in a slightly husky voice, "Baby, let's sleep on a video call tonight."

Jiang Ci was momentarily stunned. She had never tried anything like this before and felt rather embarrassed.

He added, "I'm worried you might feel uncomfortable in the middle of the night. Keeping the video on makes it easier for me to check on your condition."

His reasoning was flawless, and try as she might, Jiang Ci couldn't think of any excuse to refuse.

Placing her phone to the side and adjusting the angle, Jiang Ci finally lay down to sleep.

After exchanging goodnights, Jiang Ci succumbed to her overwhelming drowsiness and drifted off to sleep.

Through the phone screen, he watched the girl's peaceful sleeping face, her brows relaxed, her breathing shallow and steady. She slept soundly as the warm yellow light bathed her face in a soft glow.

In the middle of the night.

Hearing Jiang Ci murmur indistinctly in her sleep from time to time, Zhang Heyu couldn't help glancing at the screen with a faint smile.

How could his A-Ci possibly be this adorable?

The consequence of sleeping on a video call was that the phone battery eventually ran out.

Meanwhile, Zhang Heyu, who had remained awake all night, watched as Jiang Ci tossed and turning in the middle of the night, right before the ongoing call was unexpectedly disconnected.

When Jiang Ci woke up, she discovered that her phone had died.

After plugging it in to charge for a bit and turning it back on, the very first notification she saw was the reply from Jiang Nanyan.

[Jiang Nanyan: I'll come pick you up before the New Year. Don't go back on your word.]

Her grandmother was completely unaware of what Jiang Nanyan had done; she only knew that Jiang Nanyan was doing well elsewhere and wanted to take Jiang Ci away to compensate for her lost childhood.

Thinking of her grandmother, Jiang Ci was overwhelmed with guilt.

Switching to her chat with Zhang Heyu, the messages that met her eyes were the notification that the video call had been disconnected and a text he had sent.

[Zhang Heyu: Goodnight, A-Ci. Wishing you sweet dreams.]

The timestamp was around four-twenty in the morning.

Guessing that he was still asleep at this hour, Jiang Ci decided not to send a message to disturb him.

Seeing Jiang Ci, her grandmother said, "A-Ci, grandma made breakfast. Go eat it while it's hot."

Jiang Ci murmured a reply and walked into the kitchen to fetch a bowl of porridge and the small meat buns her grandmother had made.

"Did your mother say when she's coming to pick you up for the New Year?" her grandmother asked with a warm smile.

"Sometime in the few days before the New Year," Jiang Ci replied.

"You now, once you get to your new home, you'll need to get used to things," her grandmother advised earnestly. "Make sure you pack plenty of clothes, you hear?"

"I know, Grandma," Jiang Ci replied softly, taking a bite of a meat bun as a dark, complicated emotion flashed deep within her eyes.

Her grandmother smiled and continued, "You don't need to worry about Grandma. My health is just fine, so go and have a good time."

Jiang Ci nodded, pressing her lips together without a word.

Sighing inwardly, Jiang Ci said, "Grandma, I'll call you during the New Year. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, just call me and I'll come right back."

"Alright, silly child, Grandma knows everything, don't worry." Her grandmother stroked Jiang Ci's head. "You haven't spent a long time with your mother since you were little, and Grandma knows you wanted your mother when you were a child. Now that you have the chance, spend more time with her."

"Mm, I know."

Zhang Heyu's message didn't arrive until nearly seven o'clock in the evening.

[Zhang Heyu: Baby, I just woke up. What are you doing?]

Guessing that he had slept all day, Jiang Ci replied without haste upon seeing the message.

[Jiang Ci: Doing my homework. You haven't eaten anything all day, you should go eat something.]

To which Zhang Heyu immediately replied,

[Zhang Heyu: Baby, keep me company while I eat.]

Jiang Ci paused for a few seconds. Deep down, she still wanted to see Zhang Heyu, and knowing she wouldn't be able to see him for the next few days, she agreed.

After finishing the last question on her worksheet, she slowly changed her clothes and headed out.

As winter set in, the temperature in Nanchang became exceptionally biting. The fierce, icy wind scraped across her face like a knife, bringing a sharp sting.

Freezing, Jiang Ci rubbed her hands together in place while waiting for the bus.

Zhang Heyu had originally wanted to go pick Jiang Ci up, but the stubborn little girl insisted on coming to him instead.

With no other choice, Zhang Heyu abandoned his plans to go out and instead cooked something warm at home, waiting for Jiang Ci to arrive.

This seemed to be the first time since they started dating that Jiang Ci was coming to his house under a pretext other than tutoring Cheng Ya