Chapter 11.3

An Impromptu Date

The next day, after Bo Ziren had finished her two classes in the afternoon, she asked Fu He for a leave. Fu He was a little unhappy with this request.

“The translation process has recently become very slow, and there is an insufficient number of staff. In principle, you are not allowed to ask for leave, but it is your private time, so it’s up to you.”

If Bo Ziren didn’t know better, she would think he was in a bad mood.

“Let’s go,” Fu He said, looking away.

When Bo Ziren walked downstairs she met Senior Sister Zhao, dressed in a joyful outfit and holding a box of gifts. She looked to be in a happy mood.

“Blessed day,” she said to her, “Teacher Fu treats us to dinner tonight.”

“Really? But I just took time off.”

“Have you asked for a leave? Today is Teacher Fu’s birthday. Have you forgotten?”

Bo Ziren really did forget about it.

The elder sister went up the steps to her and patted her shoulder lightly.

“It’s fine if you don’t usually attend our dinners, but it would be a real pity if you don’t even come to Teacher Fu’s birthday dinner. But since you’ve already asked for leave, I guess you have more important things to do. He will understand.”

Bo Ziren walked down the rest of the stairs feeling a little guilty. She decided to go and wish him happy birthday so she walked back up the stairs towards his office. She heard him through the open door as he talked on the phone. He seemed to be reserving a table at a restaurant.

“There are five people in total, so one table is enough.”

She was close enough to the office now to see him hang up the phone and then look down at the box of exquisite desserts on his table.

“Handmade? And low sugar?” he said, sounding pleased. “Xiao Zhao, you are really too careful.”

Senior Sister Zhao repeatedly affirmed that her gift was from the heart and that it hadn’t even been expensive. She then brought up Bo Ziren.

“I just met younger sister on the stairs, and I learned that she will be leaving temporarily. It’s a real pity.”

Fu He gave a hum and mumbled something in reply.

Bo Ziren felt that walking into the room now to wish him happy birthday would only embarrass everybody present, so she gave up and left.

She arrived at Mu Zibei’s school by car and found that the kid had slipped out through the school gates, and was now standing, waiting for her with a big smile.

“I know the gate watcher, Uncle Wang. He said as long as I stay low and hide, he’ll let me back in.”

“You asked Brother Cheng for a gift?” she asked him.

“Yes,” Mu Zibei said arrogantly. “It’s normal for my eldest brother to give me some gifts.”

Bo Ziren knew she couldn’t outright admonish him, so she expressed her displeasure with a look of condemnation in her eyes.

“There are still three minutes until he gets here,” Mu Zibei said, lowering his head and fiddling with the electronic watch on his wrist.

Exactly three minutes later, Cheng Jingbo arrived. He parked the car in an open space far from the school, and then walked over to them, with the gift in hand.

Mu Zibei rushed over to welcome him, and Cheng Jingbo asked him if he had skipped class.

“I did not, I swear! The teacher is temporarily absent from class today, so we are free to do what we want during these two free periods.”

Cheng Jingbo handed him the gift bag.

“Can you take it?”

Mu Zibei took it and hung it from his wrist, his round cheeks bulging with joy.

“No problem!”

“Go back quickly, before you are discovered by the teacher,” urged Cheng Jingbo.

Mu Zibei held his bag and said some witty words to Bo Ziren, before happily returning to school with his gift.

They stood there for a while in silence before Cheng Jingbo spoke.

“You happened to be here too?” he asked.

“It just so happened that today’s class ended early, so I came to see him because I won’t be able to go home for a while.”

He nodded to express understanding, then asked her, “Where are you going now?”

Bo Ziren was a little confused by the question. She had in fact not thought about where she would go after this. She thought back to the day’s events. In order to see this person, she had asked for leave and then rushed over. It was really crazy.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. “Do you want to eat something?”

“There doesn’t seem to be anything to eat around here.”

“I saw a place right back there as I was driving over.”

They went together to find it, and it turned out to be a simple restaurant. The waiter came over as soon as they sat down and presented to them the various set meals. Bo Ziren was quickly dazzled by the colorful menu.

“What do you want to eat?” Cheng Jingbo asked her.

“I want to eat risotto and tomato soup,” Bo Ziren said seriously. “That’s enough.”

“Add a drink as well. I can have any à la carte meal,” Cheng Jingbo said.

The waiter offered a suggestion.

“Then you can just order a couple’s set meal. Everything is in it, and the total price is ten yuan cheaper.”

“Couple set meal?” Bo Ziren asked in a daze.

“Yes. We have three couple set meals. They’re all here.”

The waiter flipped through the menu quickly, pointing them out.

Bo Ziren felt at a loss and looked directly at Cheng Jingbo.

“You decide.”

Cheng Jingbo lowered his eyelashes slightly, and after thinking for a bit, finally said, “Then we’ll have a couple’s set meal.”

Bo Ziren’s heart thumped in her chest like a stone repeatedly falling into water.

The waiter enthusiastically offered to help them decide between the selection.

“You might as well choose the sweet set meal, which includes rice, soup, desserts, and drinks. It’s the promotion period, and it’s also thirty percent cheaper through mobile payments.”

“Then we’ll get a sweet set meal,” Cheng Jingbo said calmly and returned the menu back to the waiter.

After the waiter walked away, Bo Ziren confirmed with Cheng Jingbo, “Did we really order a couple set meal?”

“Yes.” 

He took a sip of water.

“Do you mind the name?’

Bo Ziren didn’t know what to say. It seemed that any deep affection was only suitable for people in love, and this was far from their current reality.

“Speaking of which, I once had a dragon, tiger, leopard, and lion set meal,” he said.

“What were the contents of the lion meal?”

He recalled, and then said calmly, “It was a lion’s head boiled with vegetables.”

Hearing this description surprised Bo Ziren.

“You seem to have eaten a lot of delicious food. Is there anything you haven’t eaten yet?”

“It’s a coincidence, but I haven’t ever eaten a couples’ set meal.”

He looked around him at the rudimentary restaurant environment. There were many plastic flowers hanging from the wall.

“I just didn’t expect my time to eat it would be near an elementary school snack bar.”

“…”