Chapter 155

Chapter 155

At this moment, Han Jiming’s hair hadn’t been cut for a month. His last bath had been a few days ago at that bathhouse in Xining, and in his hurry, he hadn’t had time to shave. Now, his stubble had grown out, making him look both bohemian and scruffy.

Fortunately, he was naturally handsome with good bone structure—even dressed like a beggar, people would only sigh and think, "This 'Brother Sharp' is so good-looking."

But Feng Yanwen didn’t know his background. Judging by his appearance and the large, overstuffed luggage, she assumed her daughter had been swept off her feet by some artsy type.

Artistic youths, rock music, and poetry were really trendy right now.

Feng Yanwen glanced again at his nearly bursting luggage bag, and her heart sank further. Could he be some pen pal Xu Meng had been corresponding with, now arriving from out of town to crash with them?

The three of them stood there, looking at each other uncomfortably, until Feng Yanwen finally managed to ask, "Are you Xu Meng’s friend?"

Han Jiming turned to Xu Meng.

Xu Meng’s face flushed red. "Mom, this is my boyfriend."

In truth, Feng Yanwen had visited the Han household once or twice before and had crossed paths with Han Jiming. But she hadn’t tutored Han Lingling for long, and her interactions with Han Jiming had been limited to brief nods in passing—never enough to leave an impression. Even if they had met before, seeing him in this state now made it impossible to recognize him.

Feng Yanwen looked between the two of them, then at the road-weary Han Jiming, and somehow managed to jump to the wrong conclusion that he was a pen pal who had come from afar.

The three of them stood in silence for a moment before Feng Yanwen remembered why she had come. "You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? We’ve already prepared some at our place. Why don’t you come over and eat first?"

Xu Meng glanced at Han Jiming and gave a slight nod.

About ten minutes later, after cleaning up a little, Han Jiming sat neatly at the dining table.

Earlier, he had pulled out some dried yak meat he’d brought back from Qinghai, inadvertently reinforcing the image of a road-weary traveler who had journeyed all the way from the northwest to meet his pen pal.

Feng Yanwen asked him a few concerned questions, such as how many siblings he had.

Han Jiming answered between bites. "I have two older brothers. I’m the youngest. Actually, this trip was for a research project in Qinghai with my advisor. I’m not from Qinghai—my family is right here in the capital."

Feng Yanwen visibly relaxed and added a few more strands of shredded chicken to his bowl. "That must have been tough. How long were you away?"

Han Jiming replied, "This project was a collaboration between my advisor and the Qinghai Design Institute, part of a national-level research project. I did some original research, which will be part of my master's thesis. This trip was to tie up loose ends. If I go again, it won’t be with the whole team..."

He answered earnestly, like a student responding to a teacher’s questions.

Xu Meng, meanwhile, widened her eyes. Han Jiming had never mentioned any of this to her.

So he was a graduate student, and he’d been working on a project in the northwest. Feng Yanwen’s mood lightened further. She ladled Han Jiming a bowl of tomato and egg soup and said with a smile, "Have some soup and cucumbers. I’ve heard vegetables are scarce in the northwest. If you’re out in the wild for long without greens, you’ll get internal heat. Eat more."

Han Jiming politely drank his soup and finished all the smacked cucumbers Feng Yanwen had placed in his bowl before leisurely starting on the chilled noodles.

Truthfully, Han Jiming wasn’t particularly fond of noodles.

Xu Meng hesitated. "Does it suit your taste?"

Han Jiming continued eating slowly. "I haven’t had a proper meal in a while. The doctor advised me to eat more slowly. Chilled noodles are quite refreshing in this weather, and whoever made them is really skilled."

Feng Yanwen was even more pleased and shot Xu Meng a mildly scolding look. "Honestly, eating slowly is good for digestion. You’ve got good habits. Have another bowl if you’re still hungry. We’ve got plenty of chilled noodles at home—eat as much as you like."

She added another helping of smacked cucumbers to his bowl, urging him to eat more vegetables.

Xu Meng turned her face away, couldn't bear to watch.

Who was it that had been so anxious after receiving that phone call, afraid her daughter had been swept off by some man?

Mom, I’ve totally figured you out.

In just one meal, Han Jiming let slip some details about himself—a local of Beijing, a graduate student at Tsinghua University, four years older than Xu Meng—and totally charmed his future mother-in-law.

By the end, Feng Yanwen was grinning so wide her eyes disappeared. Parents are always like this: worried if their child starts dating too early, fearing it might interfere with studies, but equally anxious if it’s too late, afraid all the good men will be taken. Han Jiming’s timing was just perfect—Xu Meng was about to start university, and dating wasn’t completely off the table. Besides, Han Jiming was genuinely good-looking and had great manners.

After the meal, Han Jiming offered to do the dishes.

Feng Yanwen quickly stopped him: “Sister-in-law Qian handles that here—even Xu Meng doesn’t wash dishes. Don’t bother, just sit and rest for a while.”

Han Jiming glanced at the sky: “I should get going.”

In Beijing, night falls early—by six, it’s already dusk.

Feng Yanwen hurriedly agreed: “Right, right, go home and check in with your parents. Xu Meng, see him out.”

The two stepped out of the courtyard together. Seeing that Han Jiming seemed in good spirits, Xu Meng didn’t suggest taking a taxi and instead offered to give him a ride home on her motorcycle. But Han Jiming refused—he wanted to spend a little more time alone with her and asked her to just walk him to the end of the alley so they could talk. He’d take a taxi back himself.

After a month apart, and still in that new-relationship glow, acting like they didn’t miss each other would be a joke.

When they reached the alley’s end, Han Jiming tugged her hand, pulling her closer until they leaned against each other, talking in hushed voices.

Xu Meng was still shy, but her brain was mush—she didn’t even know what to refuse. Right now, she just wanted to hold him.

Seeing her cling to him like an affectionate kitten, Han Jiming couldn’t resist reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. If they weren’t in such a public place, he’d have kissed her silly.

“You missed me that much? Don’t want to let me go?”

“What nonsense are you saying? You’re so bad.”

“I’m proper with everyone else—only improper with you.”

Xu Meng’s heart was about to leap out of her chest. She’d never heard such cheesy lines before, but listening to him say them made her heart flutter and ache.

She reached out and pinched his waist—but the moment her fingers touched him, she froze, then looked up in surprise.

His waist was much firmer—and noticeably thinner.

Xu Meng’s eyes widened in shock, and she impulsively lifted his shirt.

A lean, sculpted waist—but he hadn’t looked like this before he left.

People around them gasped, startled by the sight of a girl suddenly yanked up a guy’s shirt, staring at the pair in disbelief. But Xu Meng barely noticed, her voice urgent: “You said you were fine there, but you’ve lost so much weight!”

She was practically drooling—he looked way too good.

Under the bewildered stares of passersby, Han Jiming pulled his shirt back down.

She had some nerve!

“Careful, or people will think you’re a hooligan.”

Xu Meng was unbothered: “It’s fine, no one noticed.”

Huang Xiaoying stood not far away, pushing her bicycle, her face dark with shock as she watched the shirt-lifting scene unfold.

Just who was this creepy bearded guy?!

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you two doing?" Han Jiming, unshaven, wasn’t Huang Xiaoying’s type at her age. Moreover, he currently looked a decade older than his actual age: "Cousin, do you know him?"

Xu Meng facepalmed—did she really seem that unreliable?

"Go, go, scram, kid."

Huang Xiaoying grinned slyly and winked at Xu Meng: "Sis, I know he’s your boyfriend. Honestly, why not introduce him to us? Back in school, you refused to let us meet him, fine. But now we’ve graduated—it’s not like the school cares about dating anymore. Why keep hiding him?"

Turning red with embarrassment, Xu Meng urged her to leave.

Huang Xiaoying dodged nimbly, evading Xu Meng’s playful swipe.

Han Jiming’s eyes curved into smiles—he rarely saw Xu Meng so lively and spirited.

But it was getting late, and he needed to go home. He’d been away too long, and his family must be worried.

"I’ll go back first. No need to see me off—it’s not safe outside at night. Just head home. I’ll grab a cab. I might be busy these next few days, but once things settle, I’ll come see you again."

Xu Meng understood. If he could spare even a moment, he’d come find her. But if he couldn’t, it was because he was truly swamped.

He’d just returned—there must be a pile of things to handle.

"Okay," she replied, a tad disappointed but let it go.

"You still haven’t told me why you got so tanned too."

"Our shop’s setting up a processing plant in Gaojiazhai. Once it’s done, I can finally relax. Been running back and forth there lately." Xu Meng had fair skin—a blessing and a curse. She pointed at her sunburned, reddish skin: "Look at me—I’m practically lobster-red. Might even get freckles soon."

Han Jiming had also tanned. The wind and UV rays in the northwest didn’t just darken skin—they left people looking gaunt and weathered. Right now, Han Jiming was lean to the point of dryness. No matter how well he protected himself, at over 4,000 meters above sea level, the sun was relentless.

Han Jiming couldn’t help but laugh. He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small jar for her: "Sunburn ointment. Use it. Try to go out early or late from now on. I’ll try to visit you in the evenings too. And what’s this? Once school starts, you’ll have two weeks of military training."

That would be the real ordeal.

Xu Meng whined: "I’ll probably peel like an onion by then!"

Han Jiming cracked up, shoulders trembling. He didn’t know why—it just was—but seeing her made him happy. He really wished they could stay together forever, never apart.

And so, their farewell stretched on for another hour...