While Jiang Ren was still on the plane, Meng Ting and her group had already arrived at the hotel.
The team leader was a serious female teacher. Only five students from H City had made it to the finals – four girls and one boy. The teacher’s surname was Zhang. After distributing room cards to the students, she said, “Come down for dinner at six o’clock.”
The girls cheered and rushed to open their windows to see the sights of B City.
They all came from the coastal city of H, and for most, it was their first time in the bustling B City. Meng Ting joined them at the window, looking down.
It was her first time here too. Despite her young age, her face, like theirs, bore the innocent curiosity of youth.
The prosperous metropolis was a forest of skyscrapers.
An endless stream of vehicles flowed on the roads below.
Chen Ying exclaimed, “These buildings are so tall! We don’t have buildings this high in H City. And there are so many cars. Look at the people walking – everyone seems to be in such a hurry.”
Summers in H City were hot and dry, with the occasional orange cat rolling under the shade of trees.
The buildings there weren’t particularly tall, exuding a leisurely, ancient charm. This bustling metropolis was completely different from the environment they had grown up in. Their excitement overcame any fatigue from the flight.
The girls chattered away, with Zhang Xiaofang being the most knowledgeable. She had been to B City twice before, participating in the national dance competition every year. Though she had never won the championship, her attitude remained positive. She thought that even without winning a prize, a free trip to B City wasn’t bad at all.
She introduced the sights to her fellow travelers: “That’s the Financial Building. If you cross that sky bridge, you’ll find a huge supermarket. It’s a domestic chain, but it’s adopted foreign display styles. It’s really interesting.”
Chen Ying asked, “What about that one, the tallest building?”
Zhang Xiaofang followed her pointing a finger. Their view of the building’s name was obstructed, but she smiled and said, “Look carefully, you can see two letters at the bottom.”
Chen Ying, with her sharp eyes, spotted it: “Is it JY?”
“That’s right, JY for Junyang. It’s a branch of the Junyang Group.”
Meng Ting also raised her eyes.
For some reason, she was reminded of the large letter J on the front of Jiang Ren’s black shirt. Chen Ying exclaimed, “Ah, the Jiang family’s Junyang! How luxurious, my goodness!”
Zhang Xiaofang explained, “Junyang is B City’s largest real estate developer. You might not have heard much about it in H City because houses are cheaper there. But it’s super famous in B City. One apartment here could buy you seven or eight in H City.”
Without Zhang Xiaofang’s explanation, they wouldn’t have known it was so expensive.
Meng Ting, however, knew this was just the beginning. In a few years, housing prices would skyrocket, and Junyang, as the largest real estate developer, would make a fortune. By then, their chairman would be Jiang Ren.
None of the girls here were from Licai Vocational High School, so they didn’t know Jiang Ren had gone to study in H City.
After the girls finished chatting, they went down for dinner at six o’clock.
After dinner, Teacher Zhang explained the competition rules: “Tomorrow morning at six, we’ll gather at the hotel entrance and head to Swan Cottage. Your performance order will be randomly assigned by computer, and I’ll bring your numbers to you then. Since we’re representing H City, you all need to wear our team uniforms. Change into your dance costumes before the competition. Also, this time we have a major sponsor, so while the prize money is unprecedentedly high, the sponsor will also be watching.”
Everyone was a bit excited.
The prize money had increased!
Teacher Zhang chuckled, “Stay close together tomorrow. It’ll be crowded, don’t get lost.”
Soon after, everyone was given their new “team uniforms.”
Zhang Xiaofang marveled, “No wonder we have such a powerful sponsor this time. We’ve never had such beautiful clothes and skirts before.”
Meng Ting also thought the “uniform” was very attractive.
The girls’ outfit consisted of a light pea-green cotton top paired with a white pleated skirt. It reached just to the knees, looking pure and beautiful, like tender new sprouts in summer. Lively and charming.
The next day, no one was late. At the crack of dawn, everyone had gathered at the hotel entrance by six o’clock sharp.
It had been many years since Meng Ting had worn such a short skirt.
She wasn’t particularly tall, but her body proportions were excellent, with long, straight legs that enhanced her height ratio. Her slender waist curved alluringly.
Everyone knew she was exceptionally beautiful, but they hadn’t expected her to be this stunning.
Wearing the same clothes and skirt as everyone else, she managed to look like she was posing for a photoshoot.
Chen Ying clicked her tongue in admiration: “Those are manga legs!”
Even Teacher Zhang gave her several extra glances: “Young lady, are you planning to enter the entertainment industry in the future?”
Meng Ting shook her head. Her personality wasn’t suited for it, and she had no such intentions.
Everyone boarded the minibus heading to Swan Cottage, and each person was given a pork floss bun and a cup of soy milk.
The bun was quite large, and Meng Ting only ate half.
Since she would be dancing, it was better not to drink too much water, so she only took a few sips of the soy milk.
A thin mist covered the city in the early morning.
When their minibus arrived at Swan Cottage, it was already seven o’clock.
Meng Ting got off with everyone else. The competition venue was beautifully decorated. Large bouquets stood by the fountain, with a banner for the dance competition strung above.
Various award plaques and posters were displayed at the entrance.
Their group from H City was among the earliest to arrive. Teacher Zhang told them not to wander off, then went inside to wait for their numbers.
At this point, they still couldn’t enter Swan Cottage.
They would only be allowed in together once their team leader received the number tags.
Meng Ting was holding her half-eaten bun and a half-full cup of soy milk when she turned and saw Jiang Ren.
He was standing under a tree in the early morning, dew half-frozen, looking somewhat tired and lazy. Seeing her glance his way, he flashed her a smile.
It was 7 AM in B City.
Even the competing participants hadn’t arrived yet, but he was here.
He was wearing the simplest black sportswear, looking ordinary as he stood outside Swan Cottage.
For some reason, she was reminded of the first time she participated in a math Olympiad. He had ridden a motorcycle, still dressed in his rebellious style with silver hair and ripped jeans. The security guard, convinced he was a troublemaker, wouldn’t let Jiang Ren in.
Back then, Meng Ting had wished she could turn invisible so he wouldn’t see her.
She had been certain he was a bad guy and wanted to pretend she didn’t know him.
But here he was on this early morning, standing under a tree with sleepy eyes. Who knows how early he had arrived? He was trying to change.
Gone was the silver hair; his flamboyance had retreated from his exterior to settle in his bones.
He also hadn’t smoked in a very long time.
Meng Ting said to Chen Ying, “I’m going over there for a moment. Could you call me when Teacher Zhang comes back?”
Chen Ying replied cheerfully, “No problem.”
Meng Ting walked over.
She stood with him under the tree and softly told him, “Jiang Ren, the competition won’t start for a while. We have to wait for our numbers. It probably won’t begin until ten at the earliest.”
A dewdrop fell on her head, startling her with its coldness. She blinked, wanting to touch the chilled spot, looking somewhat soft and delicate. He couldn’t help but smile, reaching out to protect her head and brush off the morning dew. His voice was a bit husky: “Mm, I know.”
He was just afraid of missing it.
He had already missed twice.
This was also Jiang Ren’s first time seeing her in such a youthful skirt. She was already naturally beautiful, and standing here with him, many people turned to look their way.
The morning breeze ruffled her white skirt. She held a cup of soy milk, lowering her eyes to bite the straw, looking so docile and sweet.
“Meng Ting.”
She softly replied, “Hm?”
Jiang Ren said, “I took a flight last night and arrived after midnight. I couldn’t sleep at four, so I came to take a look.”
Four o’clock? So early.
Jiang Ren lowered his gaze to look at her: “I haven’t eaten dinner or breakfast. I’m starving. Share some with me?”
Meng Ting looked up, meeting his eyes. She seriously suggested, “You could go buy breakfast.”
He couldn’t help but laugh: “You’re so stingy.”
She wasn’t stingy, but she had already eaten from the bun. And it wasn’t very tasty anyway.
Jiang Ren’s eyes held a hint of amusement: “Little teacher, please? Just one bite, okay?”
She tensed her small face: “It’s not good.”
He said, “I’m not picky.”
Meng Ting hesitated, lowering her eyes to gently break off a piece she hadn’t eaten.
The young girl’s fingertips were cherry blossom pink. She raised her small face, long eyelashes catching the moisture in the air, and offered him the bread. Her tea-colored eyes were clear and transparent, without a hint of coyness.
She truly believed he was hungry.
Damn. He smiled: “What are you feeding, a cat? This tiny bit.”
Meng Ting’s face reddened: “No, I’ve eaten from the other side.”
He knew she was easily embarrassed and couldn’t say what she wanted to, so he just took that small piece and ate it.
Food wasn’t allowed inside.
Meng Ting couldn’t finish it. And Teacher Zhang should be back soon.
She was looking for a trash can.
Jiang Ren laughed, exasperated. Damn it, he said, “I’ll throw it away for you.”
Chen Ying called from a distance: “Meng Ting, the teacher’s back!”
Meng Ting had no choice but to hand him the bun and the half-cup of soy milk before hurrying over. She ran a few steps, then looked back to reassure him: “We’ll be able to go in soon. This competition allows spectators, don’t worry.” She still remembered when he was mistaken for a troublemaker and not allowed in.
His eyes held a smile as he said softly, “Okay.”
The morning sun rose, making her pleated skirt flutter lightly.
Her slender, long legs were exquisite.
Reassured, she hurried away.
Jiang Ren leaned against the tree, casually biting where she had bitten. It tasted like an ordinary bun, but the malt sugar melted in his mouth, sweet to the bone.
He wanted to kiss her.
So badly it ached in his bones.
Like that day in the men’s bathroom when she was forced to tilt her head up to meet him. He had held her and kissed her, kissed her to his heart’s content.
But whenever he thought about it, touching the little teeth marks on his arm, he didn’t dare anymore. She would cry.
His lips touched the straw she had bitten, the lukewarm soy milk sliding down his burning throat.
They had all gone inside. But it wasn’t time for spectators yet.
The staff at Swan Cottage had been watching Jiang Ren for a while.
“Is that our Little Master Jiang under the tree?”
The manager, who had come out after receiving a call, looked a few times in disbelief: “It can’t be, right?”
The manager, named Gao Yi, was the branch company manager. At this moment, he was truly bewildered, not daring to recognize him.
Little Master Jiang, feared by all, had been a notorious young master in B City since he was thirteen. He had made a child from a military family cry, possessing innate brute strength.
Chairman Jiang couldn’t control him.
He smoked and fought in middle school, and even sending him to a military academy was useless.
Among a row of tall, straight young men like poplar trees, only his silver hair stood out. While being punished with frog jumps, he cursed at the instructor’s ancestors.
The instructor broke a stick on him, but he didn’t make a sound: “I’ll take your surname if I cry out in pain today. If you have the guts, just shoot me.” His eyes were sharp and untamed.
When Chairman Jiang came to pick him up, even he felt his scalp tingling.
That silver-haired, rebellious, and unruly teenager couldn’t possibly be the black-haired young man slowly eating half a leftover bun in front of them, could he?
Earlier, Meng Ting had been worried that Jiang Ren would be stopped outside Swan Cottage.
However, after finishing the bun and soy milk, Jiang Ren sauntered over to the entrance with his hands in his pockets: “Gao Yi, go find me a good seat.”
Gao Yi: “…”
Damn, this was their Junyang’s troublemaker young master!