âThe semi-finals will be held at the end of this month in B City. Letâs go together, we can play around there for a few days while weâre at it.â Shen Jingchen suddenly said while driving back home.
âB Cityâs too far. Iâm not going.â
âHey hey hey, donât you have any familial love?! Howâs about I pay for all the expenses to B City?â Shen Jingchen cried out.
Shen Jingbin had a look of consideration upon her face, âIâll consider it.â
Shen Jingchen instantly wore a face full of smiles and said, âThen why donât you give Zhao Chengning a call. Isnât he in B City? Let him entertain us for a while.â
âSo this was why you wanted me to come along.â Shen Jingbin glared at him.
âWhyâd you say that? Canât you be more lady-like when you speak? Plus, it looks like Gramps and co intend to play matchmaker for the two of you. Arenât I giving you guys an opportunity to interact by doing this?â
ââŚâ Why are so many people obsessed with playing matchmaker these days? Even the NPCs in the game were the same.
Could spring have finally come for her after twenty-odd years?
Once they reached home, and no longer able bear Shen Jingchenâs pestering as if he was begging for his life, Shen Jingbin mustered up her courage and gave Zhao Chengning a call.
This would be their first time conversing since Zhao Chengning had returned home. Truth be told, she was a little nervous.
She didnât know why though.
What would she do if heâd forgotten her?
Calling someone out of the blue like this; what would she do if he was busy with something?
Would she feel embarrassed if she were rejected?
Countless doubts and conjectures swam about in Shen Jingbinâs mind. Then, when she couldnât stand it any longer and was about to hang up, the call connected.
âHello, this is Zhao Chengning.â
Zhao Chengningâs voice on the phone sounded a little different from his normal voice. His tone sounded colder, seemingly possessing a kind of indescribable allure. He was a typical northerner, and his enunciation was especially distinct over the phone. When she heard his voice it felt as if something was scratching at her heart.
âHi, how are you. This is Shen Jingbin.â Shen Jingbin introduced herself as was the custom.
The other party let out a soft chuckle, which held a certain sex appeal about it. He replied, âI know, I saved your phone number. Whatâs up, whyâd you call me?â
After organizing the words in her head, she said, âShen Jingchen wants to visit B City at the end of this month, and he was thinking of asking you to be his guide.â
âWill it just be Shen Jingchen by himself? Youâre not coming?â
âErâŚâ Despite being separated by the phone, Shen Jingbin felt awkward upon hearing the other party mention her, âIâll be going with him.â
When the other side paused for a bit, Shen Jingbin seemed to hear the sound of pages being flipped, âHave you guys decided on when youâre coming? Let me know once youâve decided, Iâll book a room for you in advance. Autumn is the peak of B Cityâs tourist season, so booking a room later would be difficult.â
Shen Jingbin thought for a moment and said, âWeâll come on the 20th. Will we be troubling you?â
âItâs no trouble at all. Besides, didnât we inconvenience you guys for quite a while when Grandfather and I visited A City last time?â
âI donât have much to do anyway, so thereâs no need to bring up something like whether or not youâre being an inconvenience.â His finger started to unconsciously tap against the wall.
âThen weâll go with this arrangement. Forward your flight number to me once you guys have booked your flight. Iâll meet you guys at the airport when the time comes.â
âOkay, thank you.â
âMm, youâre welcome.â
After disconnecting the call, Zhao Chengning continued to stare at his handphone in a slightly spellbound manner.
Shen Jingbinâs call came a lot later than heâd expected, causing some concern on his part.
Before meeting Shen Jingbin, his Grandfather had often told him about his old friendâs granddaughter.
He naturally knew about his Grandfatherâs little tricks and ulterior motives, but his old habits made him subconsciously feign ignorance. He knew that his family was concerned about his love life, about his affairs, but he had no intention of involving himself in anything at present.
To him, girls were synonymous with trouble. And, just like his experience in games, they were hard to ditch once they clung to him. Furthermore, they were over-sensitive, stubborn, provocative, and lacked the ability to read the mood of others or their expressions. To top it off, they believed that the world should worship them. They were truly too bothersome.
However after meeting Shen Jingbin, he found out that she bore absolutely no resemblance to any of the girls he knew.
Curiosity had made him start to consider the thoughtful arrangements of his elders.
Shen Jingbin was the most beautiful girl he knew. Moreover, her personality was also very good. He couldnât deny having a very favourable impression of her, and he probably wouldnât reject going further with her either.
This was why heâd constantly done his best to show off during those few days in A City.
Love was like a business deal. Both sides needed to be satisfied for the relationship to succeed. Since he could be considered satisfied with her, all that was needed was for her to feel satisfied with him.
But why did it seem like everything heâd done was in vain? She didnât seem to care at all.
Zhao Chengning suddenly recalled the little Daoist nun in the game who was so ugly that even he couldnât look her straight in the eye.
Although their appearances were as different as heaven and earth, both of them were similarly dense and slow-witted.
He wouldnât believe it if someone told him they werenât the same person.
It looked like he needed to be a little more aggressive.
He couldnât wait for things to slowly take their course.
âHead over to the Imperial City, Iâve got something for you.â Quiet And Steadfastâs carrier pigeon flew over the moment she logged in.
Shen Jingbin ran to the Imperial City without rest. Just when she was about to ask where he was, she caught sight of many petals suddenly raining down from the sky. A striking red announcement also appeared before everyoneâs eyes following the rain of petals.
[System]
There is a beauty in the northern lands,
Unequaled, high above the world she stands.
At her first glance, soldiers would lose their town,
At her second, a monarch would lose his crown.
Player Quiet And Steadfast has scattered Blossom Rain over Player Nutjob. May the universe bear witness, these heartfelt emotions are true.
What the f*ck!
As Shen Jingbin stood amidst the rain of petals, there were only these three letters in her mind.
PS: Weâre accepting fanart! Yaâll can send in your artwork to[email protected]
PPS: If youâre part of Volareâs discord and want dat cool Nutjob Army tag, just sound off in the TMK channel đ