“Is the air-conditioning temperature okay?”
Wang Ziyue watched Jiang Cheng pull open the car door and climb in.
Beads of sweat from her temples slid down her neck and disappeared into her collar.
“Mhm, it’s fine.”
Jiang Cheng let out a long breath.
She had been out in the heat for too long and was sweating buckets.
She narrowed her eyes in a daze when suddenly an ice-cold bottle of mineral water was pressed against her forehead.
“Ya!”
Jiang Cheng jolted from the cold, nearly jumping out of her seat.
“Hahahaha~”
Wang Ziyue laughed without any restraint, unbuckling her seatbelt and clutching her stomach.
Jiang Cheng gripped the bottle, huffed indignantly, and pressed the icy surface against the back of Wang Ziyue’s neck in revenge.
“You little kid…”
Wang Ziyue took the water from her, twisted the cap open with a light click, and handed it back.
Jiang Cheng accepted it and drank in small sips, the cool liquid soothing her parched throat.
“When did you buy this?”
Jiang Cheng hadn’t seen her leave the car after spotting it, yet the water was clearly freshly chilled.
“I only arrived a little earlier than you.” Wang Ziyue winked playfully.
She didn’t mention that on the way back she had been following the school bus the whole time, only taking a shortcut at the end to arrive just a few moments ahead.
“You were definitely tailing our bus in secret.”
Jiang Cheng muttered under her breath, buckling her seatbelt before leaning back and closing her eyes.
She hadn’t taken an afternoon nap, and the sun had made her drowsy.
Wang Ziyue froze for a second at the accusation, then laughed softly.
This little rascal is pretty sharp.
Wang Ziyue started the car, turned around, and headed home.
Summer days were always longer.
Only after parking did Wang Ziyue realize Jiang Cheng had fallen completely asleep.
She didn’t wake her right away.
First, she unbuckled her own seatbelt, leaned over to recline Jiang Cheng’s seat, then grabbed a small blanket from the back and gently draped it over the girl’s stomach.
A stray lock of hair brushed across Jiang Cheng’s nose.
The girl let out a tiny sneeze.
So cute.
Haide’s academic atmosphere was relatively relaxed, but maintaining her current grades still required a lot of effort from Jiang Cheng.
Should I loosen the scholarship requirements a little?
The thought appeared, only to be immediately dismissed.
Not only would that go against her own principles, Jiang Cheng would never agree either.
After thinking for a moment, Wang Ziyue took out her phone, sent a WeChat message to Secretary Fang, then copied the string of numbers that came back.
“Hello, this is Wang Ziyue.”
Jiang Xiaoyue stared at the caller ID and the voice on the line.
This… is President Wang’s private number?
“Jiang Cheng fell asleep. By the time she wakes up it’ll probably be quite late. Why don’t you let her stay over at my place tonight?”
“That would be too much trouble, President Wang. I’ll come pick her up in a bit.”
“She’s sleeping so soundly; I think she’s usually under a lot of study pressure… Let the child rest properly. What do you think?”
Every word Wang Ziyue spoke was polite and calm, yet to Jiang Xiaoyue it carried an unmistakable intent to keep her daughter.
“But…”
“Don’t worry, I truly treat her like a little sister. I’ll take good care of Jiang Cheng.”
“But…”
“I’ve always wished I had such a sensible little sister by my side. Please set your mind at ease.”
Sigh. “Alright, President Wang.”
You never call me Mom even once… Jiang Xiaoyue grumbled inwardly.
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
I’m the one getting a free bonus daughter. I’m the one coming out ahead. Don’t be angry, don’t be angry…
“It’s no trouble at all. I’ll hang up now, Auntie.”
After ending the call, Jiang Xiaoyue thumped the desk in frustration.
Ma Lin at the next table jumped and cautiously peeked over.
“Group Leader Jiang, are you okay?”
“Nothing, I accidentally hit the desk.” She waved the folder in her hand.
That didn’t sound like a folder at all… Ma Lin scratched her nose, deciding Jiang Xiaoyue must be under too much work stress lately.
After finishing the call with Jiang Xiaoyue, Wang Ziyue rang Mo Nono.
“Um… help me buy some disposable underwear and bras. The panties can be one-size… yeah, hold on…”
Wang Ziyue turned to look at the sleeping girl.
Long, distinct lashes rested obediently over her eyes; she was curled slightly toward Wang Ziyue, the seatbelt carving a clear curve across her chest.
Wang Ziyue lowered her voice and reported a bra size to the person on the line.
My visual estimate should be pretty accurate, right?
Not long after, Mo Nono’s car pulled up outside the courtyard.
Wang Ziyue was already waiting by the road.
“Wow! Coming down to wait for me in this heat? Sis, I’m flattered.”
Mo Nono dramatically clutched her chest, handing over a plastic bag as she spoke.
Her eyes kept darting around the courtyard, but she saw no one else.
“Why are you still standing there?”
“Hehe, Sis, no need to put on an act with me. Those disposable undies definitely aren’t for you, right?”
First the restaurant before, now intimate clothing.
Tsk tsk.
“Hmph.”
Wang Ziyue didn’t bother explaining, just gave her a sideways glare.
Mo Nono broke into a cold sweat under the stare. She had feared this cousin since they were children.
“Alright, alright! Next time you need an errand run, your little Mo Express is at your service. Thank you for choosing us!”
With that, she dashed back to her car and vanished in a cloud of dust.
When Jiang Cheng woke up, the sky was already dark.
She had been having a fuzzy dream.
In the dream she fell asleep during an exam and woke up with only half an hour left.
She wrote frantically, but still couldn’t finish.
Then she jolted awake in fright.
Wang Ziyue watched the girl’s eyes snap open, still dazedly shouting “No!”
“Bad dream?”
Wang Ziyue’s voice brought Jiang Cheng back to reality.
A tear clung to the corner of her eye, sliding past the faint mole there.
“Mhm… I dreamed I was taking an exam and fell asleep.”
Wang Ziyue thought she had misheard.
“Huh?”
“Forget it if you didn’t hear…”
Jiang Cheng felt embarrassed; her voice grew softer.
“As expected of a top student~” Wang Ziyue just gazed at her quietly.
“Studying must be really tiring, huh.”
Jiang Cheng answered “It’s okay,” only then noticing it was completely dark outside and that a small blanket was draped over her.
“Why didn’t you wake me up while I was sleeping?”
“You looked so peaceful; anyone would feel bad waking you.”
Wang Ziyue turned off the air-conditioning.
The humming of the cold air stopped, making the silence inside the car even more pronounced.
“Ah, it’s already this late. I need to go home.”
Jiang Cheng pulled out her phone, annoyance flooding her face.
How did I just fall asleep like that?
“Stay over tonight. It’s so late—going back now wouldn’t be convenient.”
“But I…”
“I already spoke with your mom. I also bought disposable underwear and a bra for you. You can wear my pajamas—pick whatever you like.”
Wang Ziyue had arranged everything perfectly.
Jiang Cheng opened her mouth twice but couldn’t get a single word out.
“Hm? You don’t want to stay, Jiang Jiang?”
Those last two syllables carried a deadly allure.
Jiang Cheng found herself nodding unconsciously.
She watched Wang Ziyue’s lips curve upward into a relieved, happy smile.
“Such a good girl, Jiang Jiang.”
“I’m almost an adult. Stop treating me like a child.” Jiang Cheng pouted.
“Okay, okay—soon-to-be-adult Jiang Jiang. Anything you feel like eating? I’ll order now.”
Jiang Cheng touched her stomach; she really was hungry.
Still, she maintained the reserve her mother had taught her.
“You choose.”
“Mhm…”
Wang Ziyue opened her phone.
She only frequented a few places, finally settling on a private kitchen.
She selected a few dishes, showed them to Jiang Cheng first, then sent the order to the owner.
“Come on, let’s wait inside. Sitting in the car this long makes my back ache.” Wang Ziyue stretched lazily.
“Okay.”
They got out of the car on either side.
The girl followed closely behind Wang Ziyue, stepping into the gorgeous courtyard filled with roses.