After a long sleep, Hailong woke up the next morning at ten o'clock. After a leisurely wash, he slowly left his house, intending to go out for breakfast.
Suddenly, his phone rang. Picking it up, Hailong, who was still a bit groggy, immediately woke up and became alert, as the caller was none other than Hu Jing, the girl he thought about day and night.
During the holiday, Hailong would call Hu Jing every day. Hearing her voice each day gave him the energy to keep going, especially her sweet calls of "Brother," which made his heart melt. Not knowing why Hu Jing was calling at this moment, he quickly answered the phone and asked, "Sis, why are you calling me now?"
Hu Jing said sweetly, "Brother, I've returned to school early. I'll be in Donghai soon. Can you come pick me up? I miss you so much."
Of course, there was no problem. The sweet "Brother" had already made Hailong drunk with love. Not to mention picking her up, he would be willing to do anything for her.
After confirming the specific time and place, Hailong went downstairs and took a taxi to the train station. He originally wanted to drive his Mercedes-Benz GLK300, but his car was still under police surveillance. Although Chen Xiaoya had told him they wouldn't investigate the matter further, the police station wasn't her family's, and there were still officers secretly monitoring his every move, especially his car.
Hailong hadn't seen Hu Jing for the entire holiday. If it weren't for the daily calls to Hu Jing to ease his longing, he would have gone crazy.
Hu Jing hadn't expected Hailong to love her so deeply. From the first day of the holiday, he had called her every day, telling her jokes to make her laugh. This deeply moved Hu Jing. Although she had never explicitly agreed to date Hailong, she had been touched by his sincerity and tacitly accepted their relationship.
When Hu Jing saw Hailong, she ran straight into his arms, hugging him tightly and burying her head in his chest, saying, "Brother, I miss you so much."
Hailong had never imagined such a scene. After a whole semester of pursuit, Hu Jing had never let him hug her, only lying on him when she stayed at his place for a few days.
Unexpectedly, she initiated the hug this time. Realizing this, Hailong tightly embraced Hu Jing. Despite the cold weather and her many layers of clothing, he could still feel the prominent peaks of her chest pressing against his. For a moment, Hailong was dazed.
Then, Hu Jing led Hailong around Donghai, buying things at every turn. Whenever she said, "Brother, I want this," Hailong would immediately pay. When he finally came to his senses, he saw Hu Jing laughing at him. Curiously, he asked, "Sis, why are you laughing at me? What's wrong?"
Hu Jing laughed so hard she almost bent over, saying, "Brother, you're so nice. You actually drank AD Calcium Milk with me."
Seeing the AD Calcium Milk in his hand, Hailong was completely flustered. He thought, "Oh no, I'm a 20-year-old man, and I'm drinking AD Calcium Milk on the street with a straw. How embarrassing."
He quickly put it down, looking for a trash can to throw it away, and said dejectedly, "Heaven, I'm a grown man, and I'm drinking this. It's so embarrassing."
Seeing Hailong about to throw it away, Hu Jing pouted and said, "Brother, I like seeing you drink AD Calcium Milk. Don't throw it away."
Seeing Hu Jing's pouting face, Hailong was dazed again. He bought a pack of AD Calcium Milk and continued to walk around with her, drinking it as they shopped.
Ignoring the strange looks from passersby, Hailong continued with a thick face.
By evening, Hailong was carrying two large bags of things. Hu Jing said apologetically, "Brother, I bought so much."
Hailong smiled and said, "You've gone wild. Why did you stay at home all holiday?"
Hu Jing nodded dejectedly and said, "I've been helping with chores at home all holiday. There's no time to go out, and there's nothing to do in the countryside. The city is much better."
Looking at the things she bought, she said guiltily, "Brother, they must be expensive. You've spent so much money on me."
Hailong smiled and said, "I'm happy to buy things for you. Besides, I earned a lot of money during the holiday."
Hu Jing asked curiously, "Where did you earn money?"
At this moment, Hu Jing carefully examined Hailong's clothes, which she had never seen before. She walked around him, finding that the clothes made him look even more handsome.
Hailong chuckled and said, "You forgot? I can play the piano. I told you I ran a tutoring class during the winter break, teaching two students. I earned 5,000 yuan per student, so I made 20,000 yuan in two months. We'll take the things back to your dorm, and I'll spend the next few days with you. Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you."
Hailong had reached the point where he could lie without even thinking.
Hu Jing was surprised to hear that Hailong had earned 20,000 yuan. Her eyes widened, and when she heard that he would spend the next few days with her, buying her things, she jumped up, saying, "Yay! I'll eat and play a lot these days."
Hu Jing helped Hailong carry the things with one hand and held his hand with the other. As evening approached, she leaned into Hailong's chest and said, "Brother, I'm so hungry."
Seeing Hu Jing's cute and obedient look, Hailong pinched her nose and asked, "Sis, what do you want to eat? I'll treat you."
Hu Jing pointed to a fast-food restaurant ahead and pouted, "I want to eat KFC."
In 2002, the average annual income of urban residents in Donghai City was only about 10,000 yuan, and the average annual income of rural residents around Donghai City was less than 4,000 yuan. For a rural girl like Hu Jing, her monthly living expenses were only a few hundred yuan, which meant her daily food expenses were about 20 yuan. A meal at KFC cost at least 50 to 60 yuan, which was almost three days' worth of her food expenses. If she were to treat herself, she would need to save for ten days to afford a meal at KFC. Therefore, for Hu Jing, eating KFC was a big deal.
However, Hu Jing didn't know that during the time she stayed at Hailong's house last semester, the ginseng, deer antler, and other supplements he gave her cost over a thousand yuan per day. A box of frog oil cost 2,000 yuan and only lasted for two meals, while a box of ginseng cost 30,000 yuan, not to mention the deer antler.
The clothes and shoes Hu Jing usually wore were bought by Hailong from luxury stores in Donghai, and just the Burberry clothes alone cost him tens of thousands of yuan. He also frequently took her to high-end restaurants, and a meal at a three-star Michelin restaurant cost 8,000 yuan. Over the entire semester, Hailong had spent over 100,000 yuan on Hu Jing, but she was completely unaware.
Although the internet was already well-developed in 2002, the brands of the clothes Hailong bought for Hu Jing were not searchable online. Moreover, Hu Jing had never heard of these brands, and the letters on them were in French, not English, so she didn't recognize them.
By now, Hu Jing had already tasted many exquisite delicacies and worn many luxury brands that most people could only dream of, but she was still unaware. The simple girl was still happy to be able to eat a meal at KFC and wear an Only brand shirt.
Hearing that Hu Jing wanted to eat KFC, Hailong said cheerfully, "Sure, I'll take you. Eat as much as you want, don't be shy with me."