Chapter 39: Resting for a While

As soon as Qi Ze stopped the motorcycle, the old man greeted them enthusiastically: “How about a watermelon?”

Jiang Mingyue jumped off the bike and said loudly: “Uncle, do you have any chilled watermelons?”

“Of course.” the old man stood up.

“Then, I’ll take one.”

“Alright.”

The old man walked over to the freezer placed at the door of the supermarket. “Here, pick one.”

It seemed that the supermarket was also owned by the old man.

The two of them approached the freezer and saw that one side held watermelons and the other side held ice cream.

Jiang Mingyue asked Qi Ze: “Do you know how to pick a watermelon?”

Qi Ze casually knocked on one of the watermelons. “No, I don’t.”

The old man chimed in: “Don’t worry, they’re all good melons. Guaranteed ripe and sweet.”

“Alright, then… I’ll take this one.”

Jiang Mingyue carefully scanned all the watermelons in the freezer, and finally pointed to one that was a medium size and perfectly round.

“Unlce, can you cut it in half for us? By the way, do you have iron spoons at your supermarket?”

“Yes, you can go inside, turn left, and they’re at the far end.”

Jiang Mingyue grabbed the spoons and quickly washed them clean at the old man’s place.

The old man’s watermelon was indeed very good. As soon as it was cut, the sweet fragrance of the watermelon filled the air.

Jiang Mingyue took one half of the watermelon, and Qi Ze took the other half.

Jiang Mingyue asked: “Uncle, can we sit here and eat?”

“Of course, sit wherever you like.”

The old man finished cutting the melon and sat back in his rocking chair.

“Then let’s eat here?” Jiang Mingyue asked Qi Ze.

“Mm.”

The two of them sat down at a table under a tree.

Jiang Mingyue eagerly said: “Let’s dig in together.”

Qi Ze smiled and said: “Mm, let’s eat.”

【Ding——Corruption value -3%, current corruption value 72%】

Hehe, this is nice.

The cold, sweet watermelon was so refreshing, and for a moment, it felt like she had reached the peak of life.

【Ding——Corruption value -2%, current corruption value 70%】

After Qi Ze took his first bite of the watermelon, the System broadcasted again.

Jiang Mingyue was a little surprised. “Is one bite of watermelon really that powerful?”

118【It might not just be because of the watermelon.】

Jiang Mingyue nodded thoughtfully, trying to sound deep. “True, it could also be because of everything we’ve seen and felt on this journey.”

118:【…Sometimes it’s not the things themselves that make us happy, but the person we’re doing them with.】

Jiang Mingyue: “…”

118 thought that its words had struck a chord, believing that Jiang Mingyue would understand something from it.

However…

Jiang Mingyue paused for a moment and then said: “System, have you been doing some self-improvement recently? You suddenly sound so deep.”

118【…Host, there’s clearly a reason why you haven’t been in a relationship for the past twenty-odd years.】

Jiang Mingyue asked seriously: “What reason?”

118 responded just as seriously【You’re scatterbrained, and your brain works intermittently.】

Jiang Mingyue: “…”

The System gave up on any hopes of further discussion, quickly logging off.

Jiang Mingyue ate a few more bites of the watermelon and didn’t give the conversation much thought.

In the distance, there was a blue sky and white clouds, and nearby, the shade of the trees, Qi Ze, and the watermelon.

Jiang Mingyue regretted not bringing her camera today; such a beautiful scene deserved to be captured.

So, she took out her phone and snapped a few pictures.

Jiang Mingyue and Qi Ze leisurely ate watermelon and watched the clouds drift by.

The class teacher stood silently in front of their table.

Before skipping class, Jiang Mingyue had worried that the teacher would return and, upon seeing that they were missing, might start overthinking and call their families.

So, in a considerate gesture, she left a note on the table:

If you don’t see me, don’t worry, and don’t go looking for me.

As the saying goes, a high school experience isn’t complete without skipping class.

So, I’ve skipped class.

Jiang Mingyue wrote two identical notes—one on her desk and one on Qi Ze’s desk.

Sure enough, when the class teacher came back and noticed that the two of them were missing, she asked the other students, but no one had seen them.

Just as she was about to start searching, she found the note on the table.

The class teacher, however, didn’t appreciate her thoughtful gesture but instead felt it was a provocation.

Without hesitation, she picked up the phone and called their parents.

Jiang Mingyue had left Aunt Du’s number, and after receiving the teacher’s call, Aunt Du immediately contacted Jiang Mingyue.

Qi Ze, on the other hand, had left the number of the family butler.

When the butler received the teacher’s call, he informed Li Li: “Madam, should we go look for the young master?”

Li Li, sitting calmly on the sofa, sipped her tea.

She was quite pleased with this kind of situation. In fact, she hoped Qi Ze would act out more. That way, Qi Fengyuan would begin to pay more attention to her son.

Li Li put down her teacup before slowly saying: “No need. The young master is almost an adult now, he won’t get lost. Go ahead and take care of your own business.”

The butler replied: “Understood.”

Meanwhile, as soon as Jiang Mingyue finished the watermelon, Aunt Du’s call came in.

When Jiang Mingyue saw Aunt Du’s name on her phone, she immediately thought that the note probably hadn’t been enough to stop the situation from escalating.

She quickly answered the call.

“Hello, Aunt Du.”

Aunt Du’s anxious voice came through: “Yueyue, where did you go? Your teacher just called saying you skipped class. Are you okay? Where are you now?”

“Aunt Du, I’m fine. I just wanted to relax before the exam, so I impulsively skipped class. But don’t worry, I’m alright.”

Jiang Mingyue put on a sincere tone, and after some persuasion, she managed to calm Aunt Du down.

After hanging up, Jiang Mingyue sighed to Qi Ze: “I knew I couldn’t avoid the call home. Aunt Du wants me to go back to school right away.  You’ll probably get a call from your family soon.”

Qi Ze finished the last bite of watermelon and, without any emotion, replied: “No, I won’t.”

Jiang Mingyue immediately understood what he meant.

His stepmother probably wouldn’t mind if he skipped class, and his dad wouldn’t care either.

Qi Ze lowered his head and seriously wiped the watermelon juice off the table with a napkin, his black hair tousled and smooth.

Jiang Mingyue suddenly felt like touching his head. She thought about it for a moment and then did just that.

Qi Ze was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help but chuckle: “What are you doing?”

Jiang Mingyue grinned and said: “Your hair is really nice.”

Seeing her playful expression, Qi Ze couldn’t help but laugh along with her.

Qi Ze asked: “What do you want to do next? Go back to school?”

“Mm… Let’s just chill here for a while.”

“Then let’s chill for a bit.”

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

By the time school was almost over, the two of them returned to school.

At the school gate, Jiang Mingyue spotted Yang Yaowen again.

He was crouching in the shade of a wall, his head hanging low.

When Qi Ze noticed Jiang Mingyue staring at him, he asked: “What are you looking at? Do you know him?”

“Mm-hmm.” Jiang Mingyue nodded. “We met once. He’s the one who asked me to help deliver a note last time. He’s also Li Ge’s friend.”

“Oh.” Qi Ze lost interest and said: “Then he has nothing to do with you. Let’s go inside.”

However, Jiang Mingyue suddenly became a bit curious and said: “There must be something unusual between him and Li Ge. From that note, it seems like it’s either unrequited love or he was abandoned.”

“Oh, by the way, I haven’t seen Li Ge much these past few days.” Jiang Mingyue suddenly said. “Has she stopped chasing after you?”

Qi Ze remained expressionless and replied firmly: “She’s not chasing me.”

Jiang Mingyue was surprised: “No way, she’s been following you around all the time. Isn’t she chasing you? And the way she looks at you is definitely not innocent.”

Qi Ze responded: “Isn’t that harassment? After I’ve clearly shown my dislike for her, and she still keeps getting close to me, isn’t that harassment?”

Jiang Mingyue: “…”

She couldn’t find a way to argue back.