Chapter 98: We Have Met Before
Chen Cheng hadn’t expected Bai Jing to take her out for Western cuisine. She watched as he busied himself with the plates, meticulously cutting the meat for her.
His focused gaze, his sharp jawline—Chen Cheng couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination, but she felt as though this wasn’t the first time she had seen Bai Jing.
However, if she tried to pinpoint exactly where they might have met, she couldn’t conjure a single memory.
Chen Cheng stared intently, her brows knit. Bai Jing looked up and saw her frowning at him, and he was suddenly seized by a wave of flustered uncertainty.
Was his cutting technique too ugly?
Looking down at the meat he had sliced, Bai Jing couldn’t help but swallow nervously.
It looks fine, doesn’t it?
“Sister Chen, is it because I’m cutting it poorly?”
Bai Jing looked at Chen Cheng cautiously, hoping to find an answer in her eyes.
“No.”
“I just have a question…”
Chen Cheng paused, hesitating over whether or not she should voice the thought.
“What question?”
Bai Jing immediately grew tense. Was she going to ask if he had cut meat for other people before?
“Have we… met somewhere before?”
“I don’t mean that dinner with Jiamu, but even earlier than that.”
Chen Cheng hesitated for a moment but decided to ask anyway. The more she looked at Bai Jing, the more familiar he seemed.
Bai Jing’s hand holding the knife and fork froze, and his heart skipped a beat. He looked at Chen Cheng nervously. “Does Sister Chen find me familiar?”
“Yes. I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere, but I can’t quite remember.”
Chen Cheng took a sip of water and calmly began to eat the meat.
Bai Jing’s mind raced as he pondered something. He looked out the window, his gaze appearing to drift through the glass into the past.
“We did meet a long time ago. Jiamu was there too. But I might have had a very ‘average’ look back then, so it’s normal that you wouldn’t remember.”
Bai Jing sighed, finally revealing the secret he had kept bottled up for so long.
“Average?”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard a handsome man describe himself as having an average face.”
“So we really did meet a long time ago. I knew my intuition was right.”
With Bai Jing’s confirmation, Chen Cheng felt quite proud of her instincts. When they first met, she had found him familiar, but she had assumed it was because of his brother. She never expected they had a history.
Being praised as handsome by Chen Cheng caused Bai Jing’s face to flush crimson instantly. He gripped his cutlery tightly, his words stumbling.
“Does Sister Chen remember… the boy who fell into your family’s swimming pool during the summer break three years ago?”
Bai Jing suddenly brought up the events of three years prior. Chen Cheng blinked in surprise, then stared at him as she sank into deep thought.
Summer break three years ago…
“Oh! I remember now! So that person was you!”
The memory of the near-drowning incident in her backyard pool three years ago suddenly surfaced in Chen Cheng’s mind.
It had been during the summer break. Chen Jiamu said he was bringing a classmate over to play, and the two of them had run to the backyard pool to swim.
As it turned out, the classmate wasn’t very good at swimming. When he reached the middle of the pool, his leg cramped, and he began thrashing wildly in the water. Chen Jiamu happened to be away at that moment, and she had just been passing through the yard. Seeing the scene, she hadn’t hesitated for a second before jumping in to pull the person out.
After a round of emergency first aid, the boy was finally pulled back from the brink of death.
Later, the person was sent to the hospital, and she hadn’t followed up on the matter. Chen Jiamu, however, had nearly been scolded to death because of it and was subsequently banned from bringing classmates to the pool.
Chen Cheng had long since forgotten the details, but now that Bai Jing brought it up, the memories of that day came flooding back.
Back then, she hadn’t seen the boy’s face clearly, only catching a vague glimpse while in the water. She had thought he was a fairly handsome young man, but she had put it out of her mind afterward.
Moreover, she had lost her pendant that day. Even after draining the pool, they couldn’t find it.
In the end, she had made Chen Jiamu buy her a new one before she let the matter drop.
“It’s been three years. I thought you had forgotten long ago, Sister Chen. I didn’t expect you to remember.”
Being remembered by Chen Cheng made Bai Jing incredibly happy. His heart thrummed against his ribs, and the tips of his ears couldn’t help but turn red.
“I didn’t remember at first, but that ‘struggling duck’ posture of yours was certainly unforgettable.”
“It’s been so many years. Have you learned how to swim?”
Chen Cheng found his bashful appearance extremely cute and couldn’t resist teasing him.
“I…”
“I’ve already learned how to swim!”
Being teased by Chen Cheng made Bai Jing wish he could find a hole to crawl into. Having his old embarrassments unearthed made him feel utterly mortified.
“That’s good. Next summer, you can compete with Jiamu.”
Chen Cheng gracefully wiped the corners of her mouth. She calculated that there were still a month or two left before the Lunar New Year.
Once the new year arrived, her life didn’t seem to undergo much change. But as for Chen Jiamu—how could a vigorous young man like him not have someone he liked?
She found it a bit strange, though she couldn’t quite say why.
“Yes, the New Year is coming soon.”
Bai Jing glanced out the window at the biting wind, his heart already looking forward to the snowy days in Bei Cheng.
“Let’s go, let’s take a walk around the factory.” Seeing that he was finished eating, Chen Cheng stood up to leave, and Bai Jing hurried after her.
Once their meal concluded, they headed straight for the factory.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Chen Jiamu was on a video call with Li Xi.
When he learned that Zhang Xin had been pinned down and beaten by Qian Chengfeng’s wife, her face scratched up, Chen Jiamu’s expression softened slightly.
How should I put it? If you often walk by the riverside, you’re bound to get your shoes wet.
By getting involved with Qian Chengfeng, Zhang Xin had to bear the risk of being discovered by his wife.
It wasn’t exactly right, but it wasn’t entirely wrong either.
“What are you thinking about? You’re so absorbed.”
On the other end of the phone, Li Xi looked up at him. Seeing him dazing off, he couldn’t help but ask.
“Ah, nothing.”
“I was just thinking… should I ask my sister for a few days of leave to visit you?”
“Lying in the hospital is exhausting anyway.”
Chen Jiamu was serious about this. Rather than lying in a hospital bed, he’d rather go to Li Xi. After all, there would be someone to take care of him there.
Going to Su Shi to be looked after by Li Xi—how wonderful would that be?
“You should still rest properly. Traveling all over the place is too tiring.”
Li Xi was naturally happy that Chen Jiamu wanted to visit, but his wound had only been healing for a few days. The strain of traveling between cities would surely be too much.
Chen Jiamu arched an eyebrow. He saw that Li Xi was staring at his computer while chatting with him. He knew immediately that Li Xi must have a lot of work on his hands. With a soft sigh, Chen Jiamu said gloomily, “Fine, you go get busy. I’m going to get my dressing changed.”
“Okay.”
Chen Jiamu saw that although Li Xi agreed verbally, his hands didn’t move. He steeled his heart and pressed the end-call button.
In truth, he did have to hang up because it was time for his medication.
After his dressing was changed, Chen Jiamu dialed Chen Cheng’s number. He told her he wanted to take leave. He thought she would ask where he was going, but she seemed busy on the other end and agreed without asking many questions.
Having received permission, Chen Jiamu happily began booking flight tickets on his phone.
He would stage a surprise attack. He wondered what kind of expression Li Xi would have.
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