After Li Mei left, Jiang Cheng brushed the sugar from her lip with his thumb. "Practice for a while, or take a walk first?"
Zhou Ying swung her feet, eyes still relaxed from her talk with Li Mei. "Let's walk. The campus must be super quiet right now."
Side by side they strolled down the plane-tree avenue; the holiday campus was indeed deserted.
A spring breeze stirred, sending a dead leaf spinning across the ground.
Jiang Cheng glanced sideways at the person skipping beside him.
For a moment it felt like high-school days, fooling around with some of the girls.
Jiang Cheng stopped suddenly, bent toward her, and presented his broad, steady back. "Climb on. I'll carry you."
At those words Zhou Ying's eyes lit up.
Without the least shyness she hooked her arms over his shoulders, gave a light knee-boost and swung herself up.
Once Jiang Cheng had her settled, Zhou Ying even brushed her chin softly against the hollow of his neck.
She loved being carried by Jiang Cheng.
But this was campus, and she still felt a little shy.
"Apart from my dad giving me piggybacks when I was small, this is the first time anyone's carried me like this."
"If you like it, I'll carry you every day from now on," Jiang Cheng answered.
This time the words were nothing like when he'd said the rolls-royce cullinan was to coax her into smiling.
He meant every syllable.
Not only Zhou Ying—Jiang Cheng actually loved it too.
Zhou Ying said nothing, only pressed her face deeper and tightened her arms, listening to the steady beat in his chest while even the wind turned warm.
Though the campus was almost empty, the occasional passer-by still appeared.
After a short ride she slid down of her own accord.
Once on the ground she rubbed his shoulder, eyes full of laughter. "Tired? Am I a bit heavy?"
Jiang Cheng caught her hand, thumb stroking her palm, indulgence in every word. "Not heavy at all. Next time I'll carry you again."
She hadn't expected him to offer again.
Online gossip claims that once a man gets what he wants he stops cherishing it.
But Jiang Cheng clearly didn't; Zhou Ying even felt his love had shifted from mostly material spoiling to something deeper.
When they reached the rolls-royce cullinan she happily took the passenger seat.
Soon the car pulled up outside her apartment.
As the door opened she spotted a thick stack of scores on the entryway cabinet.
Jiang Cheng lifted them to the piano in the living room.
His fingers brushed the keys, releasing a bright ripple of notes.
Zhou Ying slipped into soft slippers and peeked toward the fridge from the kitchen doorway.
Inside sat the fresh strawberries Jiang Cheng had delivered yesterday, plump in a glass bowl.
"Shall I rinse some strawberries?" she asked, but before she finished Jiang Cheng's arms circled her waist from behind.
He rested his chin in the hollow of her neck, still cool from outside, voice low. "No need. We can eat them as they are."
"I washed them yesterday, but not today—better rinse them."
When she missed his meaning he took the bowl and set it on the table.
Then he turned her around.
Smiling, he said, "I like the original flavour—let me taste and prove it."
Only then did she catch his drift, blushing as she gave him a soft punch.
"All you do is bully me…"
"How am I bullying you? I haven't even started yet…"
…They didn't plan anything special; they simply made love twice.
By evening, after another lingering round, they reluctantly headed for the airport.
The moment they arrived Qi Yuan's call came through.
Because Jiang Cheng had paired his phone to the car's Bluetooth, the name flashed on the dash, and he secretly breathed easier.
He left the connection open and answered openly.
After all, Zhou Ying wasn't Qiu Yihe or the others; had it been Qiao Yinyin or Yu Xiaoxiao, the first word would probably have been "darling," and by now he'd be dead meat.
Qi Yuan's voice spilled out as soon as the call connected.
"Hey, Brother Cheng, I've got news."
Noticing the dramatic tone, Jiang Cheng asked, "What is it?"
"Qin Fen's been footing the bill for us these two days. Man, you should've come—it's wild, the girls here…"
Jiang Cheng cut him off with a cough. "Hold on. Your sister-in-law Zhou is right here. I told you lot I'm not into that scene, so stop asking. I'm not going."
Qi Yuan swallowed the rest instantly.
For a second he couldn't place which "sister-in-law Zhou" was meant, but it clearly wasn't the twins.
Ever tactful, he dropped the topic.
"Sis, sorry, just kidding. We never drag Brother Cheng out—he's a saint, totally above it."
Watching Jiang Cheng's righteous refusal, Zhou Ying only covered her mouth to hide a giggle.
"I trust Jiang Cheng completely," she said, even giving him a playful wink.
That unspoken trust was one of the things Jiang Cheng loved most about her; she never grilled him, just teased and let it go.
So he never felt uneasy—on the contrary, her mock scolding often left him secretly delighted.
"Why did you call? Don't mess with your sister-in-law and me—just say what you need."
Qi Yuan paused, then turned serious.
"We just wired the money to the company, but the outfit you want to go after won't be easy."
Jiang Cheng knew what he meant.
Qi Yuan assumed he planned to go after Facebook the way he'd targeted Conglomerate before.
After all, Facebook is a major firm in Pretty Country; even with their influence in Shanghai,
step back and think—doesn't Facebook have power too?
Pretty Country currently throws its weight around the globe;
if China openly targeted and shorted Facebook stock,
the Pretty Country government would likely step in directly.
Right now they're itching for excuses to make trouble for us.