"Sure, no problem. My guys have things to do later. It’ll just be the three of us eating," Guo Fugui said with a smile.
Standing nearby, Ding joked on purpose, "Oh ho ho, who’s the beauty, Old Han? Spill it, when did you two get together? t the parents yet?"
"Cut it out, cut it out. How do you even know it’s a girl?" Han Qiwu replied with a stiff smile.
Ding hit the nail on the head.
It was true.
Han Qiwu had been thinking—since it was rare to have a trip back to the city and they were planning to eat sothing this unique—why not surprise Mr. Tang and invite her to join them for a taste? It would be a good excuse to give her the peaches as well.
Ding’s expression instantly beca exaggerated. "No way, I was just guessing casually. It’s actually sothing? Spill it. How did you et? Soone from the village?"
Han Qiwu: "...."
Anyway, they’ll et later, so it’s not really spilling the beans.
"No, she’s in the city too. Alright, alright, she might not even agree. I’ll call her and ask later," Han Qiwu hurriedly brushed Ding aside, his face already red.
Guo Fugui laughed to help defuse the situation, "Ding, do you have any friends you’d like to invite? It’s getting late. Why don’t we head out first? We might even catch the morning tea session."
Hearing this, Ding imdiately cald down, grinning sheepishly, "Friends? ? I’m a loner! How could I compete with Old Han’s charm?"
"Cut it out. I’ll make a phone call real quick, then we’ll head out." Han Qiwu handed his fishing rod, the Jinyang, to Ding and said, "Help pack this up."
"What! You only care about your ’fla’ and forget your bros? You don’t even have ti to pack your rod? Leaving it all to , huh?" Ding grumbled grudgingly as he put away the Jinyang rod, muttering under his breath the whole ti.
Walking a few steps away, Han Qiwu took out his phone and dialed Mr. Tang’s number.
"Beep... beep... beep..."
Listening to the dial tone, Han Qiwu inexplicably felt a little nervous. "Could she be in the lab?" he wondered.
Thankfully, the call connected after seven or eight seconds.
"Han Qiwu, what’s got you calling so early today?" On the other end of the line, Tang Qingying was putting on her white lab coat and chuckling. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but even though she had been in a bad mood earlier that morning, the mont she heard Han Qiwu’s voice, she found herself smiling.
"It’s like this. Today I helped Ding catch an alligator gar, and now we’re going to Zuixiang Pavilion to try it. Do you want to co along? It’s just us three—Ding, his senior, and ," Han Qiwu said, feeling like his explanation was a bit ssy, though he managed to get the key points across.
"Zuixiang Pavilion? Count in, count in! But, have you told Ding and the others?" Tang Qingying’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t eaten much that morning and was definitely craving sothing delicious. Besides, she’d been to Zuixiang Pavilion before—the food there was incredibly expensive but absolutely delightful.
Han Qiwu exhaled in relief and replied with a laugh, "I told them already. We’ll drive over from Water Buffalo Town and pick you up at the research institute soon, alright?"
"Alright, alright!" Tang Qingying ended the call, then whipped off her lab coat and dashed into her grandpa’s room, calling out, "Grandpa, my stomach’s upset today. I’m taking a sick day!"
"Upset stomach? More like you’re just hungry, eh? When you’re out, don’t eat anything ssy," her grandpa quipped, laughing as he imdiately saw through her excuse.
"Relax! I only eat what I can stomach." Tang Qingying spoke with confidence. Returning to her room, she opened her wardrobe, picked out a pretty little dress, and applied a touch of makeup. Feeling content and a bit giddy, she sat quietly, waiting for Han Qiwu to arrive.
She couldn’t explain why, but just the thought of Han Qiwu made her happy.
At the riverbank, the three guys got in the car. Han Qiwu gave directions to Ding, who was driving, and told him they needed to make a stop to pick soone up first.
"A research institute? Is it a grad school friend? Oh wait, could it be a long-distance relationship?" Ding turned around to tease.
Han Qiwu reached over to straighten Ding’s head. "Keep your eyes on the road. You’ll find out when we get there."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Guo Fugui laughed, "Qiwu’s right. Ding, if you don’t focus, I won’t vouch for you borrowing the car from the boss next ti."
"Alright, alright, I’ll drive properly," Ding quickly quieted down, concentrating on driving.
Near the research institute, as the car ca to a stop, Han Qiwu couldn’t wait to jump out. He walked over to the gate, opened a parasol, and held a bag in his hand.
A few monts later, the graceful and elegant Tang Qingying walked out. As she passed by, so colleagues couldn’t help but glance at her outfit, then at Han Qiwu waiting by the gate with the parasol. They imdiately started teasing, "Tang Qingying, who’s this handso guy? And he’s even holding an umbrella, waiting for you."
"Stole him, obviously. Now get back to work! I’ll bring you small cakes later as hush money," Tang Qingying said, her face flushing. Shooing them off, she walked over to Han Qiwu with a smile. "Feeding again? What goodies did you bring this ti?"
"Just so fruits—mostly strawberries, but also a few flat peaches, crystal apricots, and large scented apricots," Han Qiwu said, handing her the bag. "Why don’t you put it upstairs first so you won’t have to carry it around later?"
Glancing inside, Tang Qingying was pleasantly surprised. "Wow, these apricots sll amazing! And they’re huge! Where did you find them?"
"Picked them on the mountain," Han Qiwu replied.
"Impressive! I’ll put them upstairs first."
Carrying the bag, Tang Qingying walked up with a fragrant trail following her. Along the way, her colleagues crowded around, asking where she’d bought such wonderfully aromatic fruits.
With a smug smile, Tang Qingying said, "You can’t buy this even if you’ve got money. My student picked them from the mountain—completely natural."
"Ugh, I want a student like that too!"
"Why do my students only ever ask questions all the ti?"
"Mine are even worse—they just send New Year’s texts."
Under the envious stares of her "lemon" colleagues, Tang Qingying leisurely returned to the first-floor lobby, walking out side by side with Han Qiwu.
In the car, Ding had been scrolling on his phone. When he looked up and caught sight of Tang Qingying and Han Qiwu, he froze.
"Damn! He really managed to get Ms. Tang to co eat with us? This guy’s the reincarnation of Zhu Rong!"
Ding’s jaw practically hit the floor.
Back in their undergrad days, the group had a running joke: any man who could lt the "iceberg" that was Ms. Tang must be the reincarnation of Zhu Rong, the god of fire.
Turns out, Han Qiwu had secretly beco Zhu Rong all along!
Once in the car, Han Qiwu introduced everyone. "Mr. Tang, this is Ding, from my undergrad class—you’re probably familiar with him. And this is his senior, Brother Guo, Guo Fugui."
"Hello, Mr. Tang," Ding greeted sheepishly, turning briefly to look at her. He had nearly failed Tang Qingying’s class back in college, and even now, seeing her still made him feel slightly uneasy.
After the introductions, he glared at Han Qiwu.
"You’re unbelievable, dude! It’s just a al, and you secretly invited our teacher?"
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