Under the moonlight

After saying that, he quickly covered his mouth and looked nervously at Huang Meng, who was standing two steps away from him. He hadn't noticed her because he was so focused on his thoughts.

Huang Meng tilted her head, her eyes full of questioning as she walked to Chen Che's side. Chen Che, however, retreated in a panic. Soon, a dull pain came from his back. He turned his head and saw that there was no way to retreat. He slowly turned his head and looked at Huang Meng with an embarrassed smile, saying, "Um, Sister, Sister Meng, you misheard me. I, I was just being silly, you..." He stammered as he explained.

"Chen Che, what exactly happened?" Huang Meng frowned and questioned him, looking at his guilty-looking head. The strange things that had happened these past few days had reached her limit.

"You, um, you should ask the boss, he's in his office." Chen Che resignedly lowered his head, not even looking at Huang Meng, and pointed upwards.

"Well, I was originally going to find him, but I just happened to run into you, acting crazy here." Huang Meng said, glancing at him before turning and going upstairs.

Chen Che turned around and watched her departing figure. He quickly knocked on Chen Ming's door. His actions attracted Xiao Zhang and Jiang Ying to peek out of the room. Chen Che waved to them, and Xiao Zhang and Jiang Ying exchanged a glance before going into Chen Ming's room with him.

In the office, Huang Meng stood behind the door, watching Xu Ao with his back to her, looking up at the window. It was a truly sad and sorrowful scene to behold!

"Xu Ao, let's have a talk."

Suddenly hearing Huang Meng's voice behind him, Xu Ao's body instinctively wanted to turn around to respond, but he held back, only turning his head slightly to ask, "What are you talking about?"

"Let's talk about what happened between us, ever since the last time..."

As Huang Meng walked forward, she was talking when Xu Ao interrupted her: "Last time, what happened last time? We were talking about it at the restaurant. We've been eating the stir-fried radish for three days in a row. When can we change things up? We could make some radish soup."

As Xu Ao spoke, he swallowed hard, looking somewhat nervous. Huang Meng slowly approached him, a teasing smile on her face, and said, "Really? Is it stir-fried radish? I clearly remember it being stir-fried shredded pork with pickled cabbage. You said it was sour and appetizing."

As Huang Meng spoke, she moved even closer, and Xu Ao turned away uncomfortably, not looking at her. Huang Meng suppressed a laugh and said, "However, I don't like sour food."

Xu Ao ignored her, raised the bottle to his lips, tilted his head back and chugged it down before realizing it was empty. Somewhat embarrassed and angry, he crushed the can in his hand and threw it on the table in frustration.

He turned around, looked at Huang Meng, his eyes slightly red, and said in a hoarse voice, "Just say it, stop beating around the bush, um~"

Xu Ao stared wide-eyed at the face so close to his. Huang Meng's eyes were tightly closed, and she seemed a little nervous. Her eyelids were still trembling slightly, and her long eyelashes brushed against his face like butterfly wings. Xu Ao was only stunned for a moment before he reached out and hugged her tightly in his arms and kissed her back forcefully.

A gentle breeze blew in through the window, softly lifting and lowering the curtains, just like Huang Meng's heart at that moment. It felt as if she were being supported by a pair of warm, large hands, tossed high into the air to experience the heart-pounding feeling of weightlessness, and then gently held in their palms. She felt as if she were sinking into soft clouds, completely lost in the moment.

Xu Ao slowly released her when she was almost out of breath, but still held her tightly in his arms. Looking at her slightly flushed cheeks, Xu Ao grinned, revealing his little tiger tooth.

Huang Meng steadied her breathing and asked, "How come you feel better now?"

Huang Meng looked at him coquettishly, and casually pinched his waist. Just as she was about to pull her hand back, Xu Ao grabbed it, held it in his hand and rubbed it. He smiled and said, "Why are you so enthusiastic today?"

Huang Meng pulled her hand away and slapped him on the chest, annoyed. "It's all because of you! You've been so reluctant to talk to me for days. Even if I'm stupid, I know something's wrong with you! Tell me, what's wrong? Last time, you asked me if I wanted to go back, and I told you the truth. I didn't mean to lie to you. Why are you angry?"

Seeing her pouting and angry expression, Xu Ao told her about what had happened a couple of days ago.

“That day, I received a call from a man named Li Shuo. He said he was looking for you and gave a very detailed description of your appearance. He said he called the embassy many times a day just to get in touch with you, and that he was waiting for you to come back home.”

As Huang Meng listened to Xu Ao speak and saw the resentment in his eyes, she felt like she was the one who had betrayed him!

Huang Meng glanced at him sideways and said quietly, "So, you kept this from me and then secretly got jealous and angry by yourself?"

Seeing her incredulous expression and tone, Xu Ao explained, "What, is it so hard for you to understand how I feel? I like you, and I care about everything about you, so I haven't been talking to you properly these past few days because I want to think things through."

"Think about what?" Huang Meng looked at him with a serious expression when she heard him say that.

"Think carefully about what we'll do in the future, and how to bring it up to ask you. After all, asking you will destroy the most important thing between us: trust. Besides that, I'm also worried..." Xu Ao said, looking at Huang Meng with eyes full of sorrow.

"Is your worry just what you think? That I have a girlfriend and she's waiting for me at home?" If it weren't for his heartbroken look, I would have almost laughed out loud as I said that.

Xu Ao didn't speak, just stared straight at her.

"So you choose to ignore me and keep your thoughts to yourself?" Huang Meng scoffed.

"I know this isn't the best way, but until I figure it out myself, I think this is the safest option." Xu Ao looked at Huang Meng, his eyes fixed on her.

Huang Meng chuckled and looked at him seriously, saying, "Do you know that Li Shuo you mentioned? Our relationship is quite extraordinary. Do you want to hear about it?" Huang Meng looked at him with a smile in her eyes as she spoke.

Xu Ao took a deep breath and nodded. Huang Meng smiled and said, "We've been playing together since we were little. He's two years older than me. Later, I got into his university, and he became my senior. Every year during holidays, our two families get together for a meal. If you ask who in my family is most worried about my safety here, it's definitely him. After all, he's the one who introduced me here. If something were to happen to me, how would he explain it to my mom, his dear aunt, when he sees her during the New Year?"

Xu Ao had been listening intently to Huang Meng's words, his expression growing increasingly grim. However, towards the end, he seemed confused, and it took him a while to process what he was saying. He exclaimed loudly, "You mean, Li Su calls you 'Mom,' 'Auntie'? That means..."

"That's right, so in other words, my cousin was mistaken by someone for my lover back home!" Huang Meng said smugly, then looked at Xu Ao with a forced smile.

Xu Ao thought for a while, then suddenly laughed at himself. He put one hand on his hip and awkwardly scratched his forehead with the other, smiling helplessly. He looked at Huang Meng through his fingers, his lips curving upwards involuntarily.

"So, does this count as making things clear?" Huang Meng poked his chest with her finger and teased him.

"Hmm, I guess I was overthinking it. It would have been better to just ask you directly."

Xu Ao reached out and tried to pull her into his arms, but Huang Meng blocked his chest with her hand, pretending to be angry, and said, "If you're like this, you'll be tormented to death if you have a long-distance relationship. I trust you a lot, but you waver at the slightest thing."

Xu Ao held her hands that were gripping his collar, and said with a gentle smile, "No, no, I was just blinded by love for a moment and didn't think things through. I won't do it again."

Huang Meng glanced at him without saying anything. Xu Ao pulled her into his arms and thought about the whole thing. He realized that he had been too paranoid, which led to this farce.

He pulled the person in his arms closer and said softly, "However, I am really afraid of losing you. This feeling is not like the hormone stimulation brought by the simple thrill of love, but a real fear."

Huang Meng wasn't in her first relationship, and she could understand the fear of losing Xu Ao's feelings. The mutual appreciation and protection between the two was more enduring and profound than the budding love of adolescence.

She reached out and hugged Xu Ao's back. She thought that if she were in such a situation, she might also find it difficult to react correctly. It was because she cared too much that she was afraid that the facts and truth would not be what she wanted, that she was nervous, uneasy, and dared not face it, and that she chose to escape.

The two of them stayed in the office for a while longer. Xu Ao thought about what Chen Che had told him about Huang Meng's birthday, and they decided to go and talk to Chen Che together. Everything at the embassy was settled, and it was time for everyone to relax.

The two of them walked hand in hand into the dormitory corridor. They were about to knock on Chen Che's door when they saw that Chen Ming's door next door was open. From inside came Chen Che's deep voice: "If you ask me, let's just put on a birthday party regardless of whether they are good or bad. Let everyone relax together. Let them do whatever they want."

"What do you mean by 'good or bad' between them? What are you talking about?" Xu Ao's voice suddenly rang out at the door, startling Xiao Zhang and Jiang Ying who were standing by the door. Even Chen Che stared at the two of them with wide eyes, his gesturing hand still raised high and forgotten to be lowered. Li Linlin, who was sitting next to him, glanced at him and quickly pulled his hand down.

"Are you two alright?" Jiang Ying asked, arms crossed, looking at the two of them.

"Have you two made up?" Xiao Zhang asked nervously, grabbing Chen Ming's arm.

"Tch, every young couple has their little squabbles, why are you all so nervous?" Xu Ao said unhurriedly, seemingly forgetting who had been pliing him with alcohol a few days ago. No one spoke, but his gaze settled on Chen Ming and Xiao Zhang's tightly clasped hands. He clicked his tongue and teased, "Hmm, you guys... when did this start?"

As Xu Ao spoke, he ran his fingers over the two of them. Xiao Zhang, seeing where Xu Ao's gaze was fixed, reacted as if he had been burned and quickly let go of his fingers.

Chen Ming, on the other hand, remained calm. He put his arm around Xiao Zhang's shoulder and patted her gently, as if to comfort her or to explain to Xu Ao, "Well, she's very shy and has a thin skin." This time, Xiao Zhang didn't pull away, but her ears visibly turned red.