Chapter 322 - 319: Sherlock Ying

Chapter 322: Chapter 319: Sherlock Ying

"Why are you back?" Shen Ying asked, taking off her headphones with a look of pleasant surprise.

"They’re still in the Imperial Capital. I had to come home and clean the house, so I came back early. After I landed, you said you were still at school, so I thought I’d swing by and see you," Wang Ming said with a chuckle.

He wasn’t sure what had come over him. He had been so excited at first, but now that he was actually standing in front of Shen Ying, he felt surprisingly calm.

"So, all that stuff you said earlier... you were just setting me up, weren’t you?" Shen Ying quickly realized, feigning annoyance.

"Er..." He scratched his head sheepishly. "I just wanted to surprise you."

"Fine, I’ll let it slide since you’ve had such a long trip." Shen Ying’s eyes crinkled as she smiled. She really was pleasantly surprised.

’This guy seems less awkward now that he’s been to college,’ she suddenly noticed. ’And... I think he’s gotten a tiny bit taller, too.’

Seeing him with a backpack on and a suitcase in hand, she asked, "You haven’t eaten yet, have you?"

Wang Ming was about to honestly admit he’d had an in-flight meal, but the words that came out were: "Yeah, I’m a little hungry."

"Let’s go, then. Big sis will take you out for something good," Shen Ying said with a happy laugh, two small dimples appearing on her fair, lovely cheeks.

Wang Ming stared, a little mesmerized.

"Why don’t you leave your things in my dorm first?" Shen Ying averted her gaze, knowing he was looking at her.

"No, no, it’s fine. I can just carry them. They’re not heavy anyway," Wang Ming demurred. Besides, leaving his luggage with her would be inconvenient.

"Alright, then..." Shen Ying nodded, not insisting.

She started walking toward the campus gate. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Huh?" Wang Ming glanced at the nearby cafeteria. "We’re not eating here?"

"It’s winter break, so there’s nothing good in the cafeteria. You came all the way from the Imperial Capital to see me, so of course I have to take you out for something nice."

"Really, anything is fine. I’m not picky."

"Nope! I’m taking you for something good, and that’s final!"

"Alright, alright. You’re the host today, so you call the shots," Wang Ming said with a hint of resigned amusement.

The corners of Shen Ying’s mouth lifted into a triumphant little smile.

She brushed her hair back, the strands dancing lightly in the cold night air. "So, how’s life in the Imperial Capital?"

"Mm, it’s alright. The weather is much colder than here, though. It snows every few days, and the wind cuts like a knife. Yu Du actually feels warm to me now," Wang Ming said after a moment’s thought.

"That’s just because you got here and your body hasn’t adjusted yet. Once you’ve been here for a while, you’ll learn that even a wolf from the north would freeze its tail off here," Shen Ying laughed.

"Haha, I know that. Yu Du is on the Yangtze River, so it’s a damp cold in the winter. The Imperial Capital is a dry cold. The wind will chap your skin until it cracks, but they have indoor heating. You can even wear short sleeves inside."

Shen Ying listened with a touch of envy. As someone born and raised in the south, she had no idea what indoor heating felt like. In the winter, her blankets were always ice-cold, and she’d often wake up shivering in the middle of the night.

"What about Yanwan and Jiang Xia? How are those two doing?"

"What else? Same as always. They’re stuck to each other from morning to night. The little couple couldn’t be closer. Oh, right, they’re living together now," Wang Ming said with a smile.

"Ewww—"

Shen Ying tsk-tsked a few times. ’So they completely dropped the act once they got to college, huh? Couldn’t wait to start their shameless life of cohabitation.’

’Still, they were always headed for marriage anyway. Living together is just a trial run for married life.’

"What about you?" Shen Ying asked with a grin.

"Huh? Me? I’m about the same as before. It’s all classes and work. Old Jiang handed off the storyboarding for *Cat and Mouse* to me, so my workload is lighter, but it’s more mentally draining. You have no idea, that guy is an absolute slave driver. He’ll chew you out until you don’t know what’s what."

Shen Ying listened with a smile. "Who’s asking about that? What about your love life? Do you have a girlfriend? A girl you like? Or maybe a girl who likes you?"

Faced with this deadly question, Wang Ming decisively shook his head.

"Nope. I’m swamped with studying and work every day. I don’t have time to think about anything else."

"What about that one female classmate from before?"

"Huh?"

’He knew she was probably talking about that "green tea," but he had to deny it no matter what.’

"You know, the girl Jiang Xia rejected at first, who then started liking and commenting on all your posts. They’re the same person, right?" The smile never left Shen Ying’s face.

Wang Ming’s breath hitched. He had never once mentioned Zhang Yuanyuan to Shen Ying. ’How does she know?’

’Has she been secretly checking my social media page?’

’Is this an ordinary college student? She’s clearly Sherlock Ying!’

"Uh, her? We’re not close. After Old Jiang rejected her, she showed up for an interview at the company. When she saw the boss was a handsome guy our age, she actually tried to hit on him, and then Old Jiang totally shut her down."

Wang Ming cleverly extricated himself from the situation, taking things out of context and pinning all the blame on Jiang Xia. ’We’re brothers for life,’ he chanted internally, ’so it’s okay for you to take a hit for me at a critical moment, right? Besides, it’s not like Shen Ying would ever ask him.’

"I can’t believe girls like that actually exist."

Shen Ying wore an expression of disbelief. ’Those two are attached at the hip like powerful magnets; you couldn’t pry them apart. And someone still tried to come between them.’

"What about Yanwan? What did she say?"

"Apparently, they went back to school and stayed there for a few days."

"Hahaha, I know what that means. Sleeping in separate beds, right?"

After that little detour, Shen Ying didn’t press Wang Ming about his college love life anymore. But a smile never left her eyes, and it was clear she was in a good mood—whether it was because Wang Ming had come to see her, or for some other reason, was anyone’s guess.

Before they knew it, they had walked out of the campus gates.

There were tons of great places to eat near the Business University. Figuring that Wang Ming must be craving the taste of home after his time in the Imperial Capital, Shen Ying took him directly to a popular old-school hot pot restaurant.

If there was one dish that could represent Yu Du, it would undoubtedly be its world-renowned hot pot.

"Can you still handle spicy food? Should we get a half-and-half pot?" she asked.

As he inhaled the rich aroma of hot pot filling the air, his mouth began to water uncontrollably. He had been craving this for a long time.

Wang Ming took a deep breath. "Let’s get the all-spicy broth!"

"Feels like your trip to the Imperial Capital has really done a number on your stomach, hasn’t it?" Shen Ying couldn’t help but laugh.

"It’s almost all Shandong cuisine over there. There are Sichuan restaurants, of course, but they’re probably catering to northern tastes, so nothing is very spicy," Wang Ming explained.

"Then you should eat to your heart’s content today."

A little while later, the classic trio of beef tripe, duck blood, and duck intestines arrived at the table. Suddenly, Wang Ming remembered something.

"Oh, right. I brought you something."