Chapter 277: Chapter 277

Ye Ling hadn’t been standing for long before Zhao Guodong, Zhang Linong, and Wang Ping arrived. Zhao Guodong glanced at Ye Ling, but without the grumbling from the last two days, though he didn’t speak either.

When they reached the bookstore, it was almost noon. Zhao Guodong suggested eating before looking at books, so the three of them found a noodle shop near the bookstore. It was a Lanzhou noodle shop and tasted slightly better than the one in the city. The four didn’t sit long before two people walked in. One of them they recognized: it was Shen Bin, and there was a woman by his side they didn’t know, around twenty-two or three years old.

Ye Ling was sitting with her back facing the entrance, so she didn’t see Shen Bin and the woman come in. However, Wang Ping, the gossip, nudged the other three, and they looked over. Since they were sitting in a corner and the noodle shop was crowded, Shen Bin didn’t look their way, which made them think he hadn’t seen them.

Shen Bin, coming from a development background, had long developed the habit of observing the terrain wherever he went. He noticed the four of them but pretended not to see and sat down with Zhou Min at an empty table. Zhou Min looked very haggard, and Shen Bin didn’t ask her anything, just ordered two bowls of noodles directly.

The four in the corner thought Shen Bin hadn’t seen them and boldly watched his ’date’. After all, seeing Shen Bin with a woman makes one think of nothing else but a date.

Zhao Guodong couldn’t hold his tongue, "That woman wasted herself on him."

"She’s quite good-looking."

A round face with big eyes, the round face looks very blessed; this is the popular image of beauty nowadays.

Ye Ling nodded in agreement, "Yeah, what a waste for someone like him."

During the New Year, he mentioned a first kiss and wanted her to be responsible. Just look at how quickly he’s moved on, not even bothering to come up with a believable excuse for lying.

Zhao Guodong saw Ye Ling agreeing with him, his face lit up with delight, and his mood visibly improved. He continued eating while discussing with Wang Ping what Shen Bin and the woman might be talking about. From their seats, they could see the woman occasionally wipe her tears, and Shen Bin handed her his handkerchief, to which she looked at him affectionately when receiving it.

Ye Ling watched with great interest. During the New Year, she had mocked Shen Bin for being too cold. Now watching from afar, while he wasn’t speaking much, he seemed a bit gentler than usual.

Shen Bin listened to Zhou Min speak, occasionally glancing towards the corner. Seeing the four of them looking over and whispering, he raised an eyebrow, guessing somewhat of the situation, but didn’t show it. However, Zhou Min, realizing she had been talking about her family all this time, felt slightly embarrassed.

She wiped her tears again, "I owe it all to you for this trip to Beijing. Otherwise, in a strange city, I wouldn’t have known what to do alone."

Zhou Min’s mother suddenly fell seriously ill, and the surgery could only be done in Beijing. She asked Aunt Ye for help, who before she left gave her the number to Shen Bin’s dorm. Once she arrived in Beijing, she called Shen Bin immediately, not expecting him to actually come out and help. Now that her mother’s surgery was done and just waiting for discharge, she finally had the peace of mind to invite Shen Bin for a meal.

"Anyone would help in a situation ; I didn’t do much," Shen Bin said modestly.

Zhou Min felt a pinch of disappointment at Shen Bin’s polite response but managed a faint smile. Luckily, the noodles arrived just then. However, when she was picking up her noodles, Zhou Min suddenly let out a yelp and covered her right eye.

"Seems like chili oil got into my eye," Zhou Min explained through the pain, afraid Shen Bin would worry, tears flowing uncontrollably. "It’s nothing, it’ll be okay in a bit."

Shen Bin coldly said, "Be careful."

He made no offer to look at it or blow on it.

Zhou Min fell silent, ashamed of her tactics. She knew fully well he was a principled man, unlikely to show the tender behaviors typical of other men. Without feelings for her, and even if he did have feelings, his character wouldn’t allow such gestures.

The sharp pain in her eye gradually subsided, and Zhou Min used Shen Bin’s handkerchief to wipe her face again, before starting to eat her noodles. Across from her, Shen Bin had almost finished his large bowl.

Ye Ling, though she ate quickly, didn’t dare leave first. Only when Shen Bin and Zhou Min left, did the four make their way out jokingly, feeling liberated, only to freeze with their smiles when they saw who was standing outside.

Ye Ling rubbed her nose and turned to talk to Zhang Linong, covering her mouth with one hand and whispering, "Is he waiting for us?"

"Seems like it," Zhang Linong replied with his hands in his pockets.

Meanwhile, Zhao Guodong, the one who suffered from his own antics, came to his senses and spoke up, "Instructor Shen, do you need something?"

"I was just looking to talk to you guys about school stuff. Seeing you today is perfect," Shen Bin habitually responded coldly, his gaze finally landing on Ye Ling, "You guys had plans to go where?"

"The bookstore." Ye Ling didn’t understand his implication.

"Go wait for them at the bookstore." Without further ado, Shen Bin gave a direct order. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn noᴠelfire.net

Ye Ling disliked being spoken to with that commanding tone, but didn’t want to stay and hear what Shen Bin had to say to Zhao Guodong and the others, so she turned and left.

Zhao Guodong was confused by the situation, but then Shen Bin had already lit a cigarette, "What’s the deal with the fight at school?"

"It’s nothing major," Zhao Guodong, when asked about the fight, wasn’t afraid.

"If the other side didn’t let it go, do you think you could just walk away as if nothing happened? This is a school; such things are not to happen again." Shen Bin glanced at them, leaving a note for Zhang Linong, "You’re the more levelheaded one among them, such things shouldn’t happen again. When you all enter the workforce, you know what kind of impact these things could have."

Zhang Linong nodded, understanding that Shen Bin genuinely cared about them.

As they parted, Zhao Guodong looked disgruntled, but knowing Shen Bin was right, he behaved until they were back at the bookstore to see Ye Ling before his mood improved again. With Zhang Linong advising not to disclose Shen Bin’s purpose, Zhao Guodong didn’t mention Shen Bin’s intentions to Ye Ling.

Ye Ling noticed Zhao Guodong’s sour look and immediately guessed that Shen Bin must have scolded them, knowing it most likely stemmed from the incident where Zhao Guodong hit someone. Ye Ling was glad it wasn’t said in front of her; otherwise, she’d feel pretty awkward facing Shen Bin given Zhao Guodong fought Fu Lei because of her.

Nobody brought up the subject, sparing Ye Ling the awkwardness. They stayed at the bookstore until past 3 PM before heading back to the campus. As soon as she returned to the dorm, she smelled roast duck, with Liu Nan and Yang Hui lounging on their beds, patting their full stomachs. Seeing Ye Ling enter, they eagerly pulled her over to recount the afternoon’s events.

"Ma Yue got beaten by Sui Gang because Ma Yue called Fu Lei a pretty boy." Liu Nan’s eyes were full of excitement, "His whole face is swollen." (To be continued. If you piece, you’re welcome to vote for us on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)