Campus Ace Girl

He gently shook her. "Wake up."

Wasn’t she just making a fuss about going to his place? How come she fell asleep now?

Song Jia tilted her head against his shoulder. He gently shook her and she woke up at once. She opened her eyes and looked at him in a daze, not quite sure what was going on for a moment. After a bit, she frowned. "Where is this?"

"My place." Chen Ming said, not in the best of tempers. "If you want to go back, I can still send you back now."

Song Jia stared straight at him, unblinking. Maybe it was because the car was full of the smell of alcohol, or maybe because he was already hot to begin with, but being stared at like that made his face burn like crazy, like it was on fire.

And right then, he actually felt a little nervous.

Song Jia rested her head on his shoulder again, mumbling, "I’m tired, I want to sleep."

Chen Ming had nothing more to say. One hand opened the car door, the other supported her. As soon as she got out of the car, she started making a fuss about wanting him to carry her.

This was an apartment assigned by Chen Ming’s work unit. All around were colleagues and such. It wasn’t even that late; people were still coming and going. As long as one person saw them, later on he probably couldn’t wash this clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

He hesitated, and also felt that straight-man resistance rising.

But Song Jia was not about to allow him to hesitate or refuse. She was drunk, and lately she’d been spoiled into a princess by Zhou Yunchen. Now her princess syndrome was acting up. In the freezing cold, she directly kicked off her high heels and stood there barefooted. "Carry me."

Chen Ming was furious. "Aren’t you cold?"

He bent down to pick up her shoes, wanting to put them on her. She refused to wear them out of sheer willfulness. There was nothing he could do; he could only reach out and pick her up, carrying her horizontally in his arms, her high heels dangling from one hand as he headed toward the elevator.

Now, Song Jia was satisfied. One arm hooked around his neck, hanging off him, and that hand didn’t behave either, gently stroking the very short hair at the nape of his neck... Chen Ming lowered his head, his eyes gradually darkening as he quietly watched her.

At this moment, he couldn’t tell if she was really drunk or faking it, but he also didn’t want to know anymore.

At the elevator, he held her in his arms. Neither of them spoke. After a moment, there was a ding and the elevator opened. Out came a very dignified-looking middle-aged man.

Chen Ming sucked in a sharp breath.

It wasn’t some stranger; it was basically his superior.

The man’s surname was Li. He’d gone out late at night for cards and socializing, and hadn’t expected to run into this scene. He was just about to chuckle and tease this block of wood Chen Ming, but when he took a closer look, he swallowed his words, because the woman in Chen Ming’s arms wasn’t just anyone—it was Zhou Yunchen’s little sister.

This was no small matter. Everyone knew what kind of status Zhou Yunchen had. Did Chen Ming have a leopard’s gall and a bear’s heart, or what?

With that man’s gaze sweeping over again, Chen Ming felt even more uncomfortable. He went into the elevator and gave a brief nod.

When the elevator doors closed, Director Li was still foggy-headed. After a long moment, he slapped his thigh: he had to ask Mr. Zhou about this. He’d been worrying about not having a chance to show his face. Now that it involved the personal safety of Mr. Zhou’s sister, how could he not ask? He could only apologize to Chen Ming later. The girl reeked of alcohol; you could tell she was drunk. What if she woke up and regretted it?

So Old Li very enthusiastically called Zhou Yunchen. At that moment, Zhou Yunchen was drunk like a pig, and he wasn’t behaving after coming home either... It had been two months since Shen Congwen gave birth, and he hadn’t been intimate with her for a long time. Tonight, riding on the buzz of alcohol, he got restlessly clingy with his wife.

Right then, this tactless call from the man surnamed Li came through. Zhou Yunchen didn’t want to answer, but the phone kept ringing. Shen Congwen tugged his hair. "Pick up the phone. What if it’s Duoduo calling?"

Zhou Yunchen stared at her for a while, then helplessly rolled over to the side, fished his phone out of his trouser pocket, and spoke with his eyes shut:

"This is Zhou Yunchen."

The Mr. Li on the other end was very excited. "Uh, this is Little Li. I just saw Miss Beauty and Chen Ming together. She seems to be drunk. Chen Ming took her back to his place, and I thought I should report it to you."

Zhou Yunchen was a man, and his temper wasn’t exactly great on normal days. At a time like this, to be bothered with such petty crap, he really wanted to curse someone out. But given his position, he couldn’t. He just rubbed his eyelids and spoke softly. "She’s almost thirty. She needs to have her own life, don’t you think? Little Li, you don’t have to ’report’ every time you see a man and a woman together, do you?"

Little Li on the other end instantly lost his tongue and didn’t know what to say. After a long while, he could only mumble that it was late and slink off with his tail between his legs.

Here, after being interrupted like that, Zhou Yunchen completely lost the mood. He lay there, not wanting to move, just kneading his head nonstop.

Shen Congwen moved over to press his head for him and asked softly, "What’s wrong? Was it Duoduo?"

He grunted. "Who else but her? She probably got drunk and ended up tangled up with Chen Ming again."

Shen Congwen burst out laughing. "If you don’t like Chen Ming, why don’t you just call and order him to send Duoduo back?"

Zhou Yunchen glanced at his wife, then looked even more helpless. "Didn’t I just say, she’s almost thirty and should have her own life. Besides, even if things don’t work out between them, she’s not the one getting the short end of the stick."

Shen Congwen shot him a sidelong look. "Is that how a brother’s supposed to act? You’re a bit too generous."

Zhou Yunchen smiled with his eyes closed, pulled her hand over and held her at his side, then turned to ask, "How’s the baby? Did he fuss during the day?"

He sounded gentle and moving, even drunk as he was.

Shen Congwen’s voice softened too. "He was very good. My mom came over and helped me take care of him most of the day. She adores the baby."

"He’s my son. How could she not like him?" Zhou Yunchen folded both hands under his head, then fell silent, staring off in a daze.

Shen Congwen knew he was thinking about those things again. She cleared her throat lightly. "Thinking about it all day, doesn’t it wear you out?"

Zhou Yunchen chuckled. "How could I not think about it?"

He sighed. "That old bastard Min Xin clearly doesn’t want to do it anymore. Claims it’s a leg injury, but I’d bet it’s mostly exaggerated."

Shen Congwen was shocked. "You can even do that?"

Zhou Yunchen sneered. "They’re all old foxes. You think your husband is so sharp and capable, but compared to them I’ve got a long way to go. Just wait and see—King Jingyao is eyeing this piece of meat on me too. The second he thinks I can handle it, he’s going to ’fall ill’ as well."

Shen Congwen’s heart ached for him instantly. Zhou Yunchen grabbed her hand again. "Look, my hairline’s about to give out."

"No it’s not, your hair is still really thick." Shen Congwen said in surprise.

Zhou Yunchen didn’t care. "Anyway, I’m going to be bald soon, so Congwen, you need to be nicer to me."

For a moment, Shen Congwen was at a loss for words.

What kind of problem was it, this big grown man learning to act spoiled with his wife.

She was about to say something else when she realized he’d fallen asleep, and couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for him again. She knew it wasn’t just the alcohol—it was exhaustion. That position wasn’t easy to sit in. No wonder he’d been reluctant before, and Anxi hadn’t been keen on him taking it either.

But now, there didn’t seem to be any road back...

Just when Zhou Yunchen had fallen asleep, on the other side, his little sister, as expected, got taken advantage of—of course, she also took advantage of Chen Ming. They were both familiar with each other, so nobody was really being polite...

They just hadn’t expected that early the next morning, before they even woke up, Chen Ming’s mother showed up.

Chen Ming was very busy, and the cleaning over here was basically all done by her. She always felt that a grown man like Chen Ming hiring an hourly maid to wander around the house would invite gossip, especially if it was a young girl who didn’t know how to behave herself—that would be even worse.

The New Year had only just passed a few days, and Chen Ming had only been at home for two days. She wasn’t at ease, so she came over early, planning to block her son at the door so he’d eat breakfast before heading out. But as soon as the door opened, Mother Chen was stunned.

The whole place was a wreck...

Chen Ming was a conservative person; she’d never seen such a wild scene in her life. Her old face turned bright red on the spot. It took her a good while to recover before she quietly closed the door tight first—she couldn’t let Chen Ming’s colleagues see this and ruin his reputation. Once the door was shut, the old lady’s chest filled with fire, and she stormed straight into Chen Ming’s bedroom.

It was a three-bedroom apartment, about 140 square meters, very minimalistic decor, the environment was quite nice—except for all those little items scattered all over the floor that made one’s face burn and heart race. Mother Chen practically didn’t dare look, dodging left and right all the way to the bedroom...

Sure enough, Chen Ming was in bed with a girl.

The scene was too much of a shock. Mother Chen’s old face flushed crimson again. She stomped her foot and called out softly, "Chen Ming."

Chen Ming woke up, sat up as soon as he opened his eyes, and when he realized it was his mother, he instantly felt extremely awkward. He scratched his hair. "Mom, how come you’re here?"

Mother Chen’s old face grew even redder. "Tell me what’s going on here? Who is this girl?"

Chen Ming felt even more awkward. He got up, grabbed a shirt and pulled it on, then put on a pair of trousers. "Let’s talk outside."

Before Mother Chen could say anything, the girl beside Chen Ming, half-awake, rolled over, turned sideways, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "What time is it?"

Now Mother Chen got a good look. That girl wasn’t some stranger—it was actually Song Jia.

She was so shocked she didn’t even know what to say, glaring daggers at her son.

She was a conservative person. She’d heard her son say it was impossible before, and now it was obvious the two of them had gotten drunk and then... messed around. Chen Ming was also very helpless. He gently patted Song Jia. "My mom’s here."

Song Jia’s eyes flew open and she came face to face with Mother Chen’s old, stunned eyes.

In that instant, all three of them felt pretty damned awkward.

In the end, it was the old lady who spoke up first. "I’ll go tidy up the living room and cook breakfast. You two talk things through and then come out. And Chen Ming, find her two proper pieces of clothing to wear. Those two scraps of fabric can’t be worn anymore."

Chen Ming raked his messy hair. "Got it, Mom."

Chen Ming could still keep his mom in check. He quickly left, put on a pot of millet porridge, and then started cleaning up.

Things that could still be used were gathered together and put in the bathroom; things that were beyond saving were stuffed into a separate bag so no one else would see them. She took quick little steps to toss the bag into the trash can downstairs. On the way back, she couldn’t help muttering to herself that at her age she was still wiping these two kids’ butts.

In the bedroom, Chen Ming looked at Song Jia. "Do you want to get up, or sleep a little longer?"

Song Jia lay back down, then after thinking for a bit said, "I’ll get up. I’ve got a job this morning."

She got up and walked toward the bathroom, naturally bossing him around. "Help me find something I can wear."

Chen Ming scratched his head again, a bit of a headache coming on. He was a big rough guy; how was she supposed to wear his clothes?

But no matter what, he still had to find something. He dove into the walk-in closet and rummaged around for ages, finally digging up a pair of woolen sweatpants from his college days, and a dark red wool sweater... She should be able to squeeze into them.

Song Jia came out wrapped in a bathrobe. Seeing the clothes laid out on the bed, she snorted lightly. "Your college clothes, huh?"

Chen Ming was brushing his teeth. When he heard that, he grunted an acknowledgment, and for some reason his heart went soft.

Right now they really did feel a bit like... newlyweds.

Song Jia pulled the clothes on directly and found that aside from the waistband of the pants being a bit big, everything else actually fit pretty well. She tightened the drawstring around her waist and checked herself in the mirror. Not bad at all.

She reached up and casually tied her hair, and without waiting for Chen Ming, she went straight out to eat breakfast.

Mother Chen was very capable. In no time at all she had the porridge ready, and had also made two small side dishes. She’d bought the breakfast items from a good nearby shop. When she saw Song Jia come out, she called her over to eat. Right after that Chen Ming came out as well, and her expression immediately darkened. "Look at you!"

She was old-fashioned and always felt that her son was being disrespectful to women like this. Especially since Song Jia was a Film Queen, a Film Queen, and yet here she was tangled up with her rough-and-tumble son like this. She herself felt... quite guilty toward the girl.

But then she thought again: for her Chen Ming to have someone thinking about him this way, he must have something special about him. With that thought, Mother Chen’s expression changed as quickly as a June sky, turning overcast to sunny in a second. Her face filled with smiles, and she kept urging, "You two eat more. Jia said she has a schedule later. Chen Ming, you’re not that busy these few days anyway. After breakfast, you send her over and then go to work, you hear me?"

Chen Ming looked up and glanced at Song Jia, then grunted.

Mother Chen got angry. "I’m talking to you. What’s with all that mumbling? A big man being so halfhearted."

"Got it," Chen Ming muttered again. This time Mother Chen was satisfied. She turned to Song Jia and spoke warmly, "If Chen Ming ever does anything wrong, just tell me."

Song Jia fixed her eyes on Chen Ming and smiled. "I will."

Mother Chen was very pleased. She felt like the two kids were basically set now—spending the night together and then having breakfast with a parent. With them being this obedient, it’d be ridiculous to say they weren’t dating.

Right then, Mother Chen couldn’t wait to broadcast this to the whole world. Her son really had some skills, really had some skills.

After breakfast, Song Jia had to rush off to her schedule. Chen Ming handed her coat to her, then went to find a scarf for her. Once they were in the car, he suddenly frowned. "Are you not wearing thermal pants?"

"Nope," Song Jia answered very straightforwardly.

Chen Ming frowned, then said, "Then tomorrow I’ll have my mom knit you two thin pairs. You can wear them normally—doesn’t count for red carpet events."

Song Jia leaned back in her seat and turned her head to look at him. "Chen Ming, do you think I’m your girlfriend now?"

She scooted closer, her tone deliberately wicked. "I was drunk last night."

Chen Ming stared at her. Their noses were practically touching. He stayed quiet for a bit, then suddenly said, "Okay then, I’ll sue you for taking advantage of me while drunk..."

"You’re shameless." Song Jia leaned back again, lounging in her seat. "We’re all adults. You’re not going to make me take responsibility, are you?"

"What if I do want you to take responsibility?" Chen Ming gripped the steering wheel and thought for a moment. "Forgot to tell you, last night some colleagues saw you clinging to me, and they might have already told your brother. There’s a good chance I’m going to get beaten up. If I don’t make you take responsibility, who else am I supposed to go after?"

Song Jia’s eyes went wide. "Chen Ming, you’re too shameless, aren’t you?"

"You’re the one who insisted on coming over. I... worked very hard too." He glanced at her. "I’m not like you. After last night, I might not be able to get a girlfriend in my circle ever again. In the rumors I’ll just be that man who got played by a movie star."