The two of them sat at the table, eating and chatting casually.
The food was delicious. Lin Feng found himself enjoying it more than he expected.
After a while, he set down his chopsticks.
"About what you mentioned earlier," he said. "Why do you want to quit?"
Liu Mei paused mid-bite. She set down her own chopsticks and let out a soft sigh.
"I originally came here to run away from my family," she admitted. "But recently... I received news that they might be narrowing down on me."
Lin Feng's eyes widened.
Could it be...
"Teacher is from an ancient wealthy family and ran away from home to experience ordinary life?"
Liu Mei stared at him for a moment.
Then she burst out laughing.
"You're too creative," she said, shaking her head with amusement. "But sadly, no. My family is just too old-fashioned. I wanted to be independent, live life on my own terms."
"Is that so?" Lin Feng said, inspecting her carefully.
She noticed his gaze and scooted closer to him on the couch.
"You seem disappointed that I'm not some rich heiress," she said with a teasing smile. "Are you that kind of person?"
"O-Of course not," he said, swallowing hard.
She turned away with a shrug.
"Well, it's a shame. Even if I was a rich heiress, I'd be too old for you anyway."
Lin Feng shook his head immediately.
"Teacher isn't old at all," he said. "In fact, you're too young."
She turned back around, a smile playing on her lips.
"Really? It's the first time I've heard that I'm too young."
Lin Feng nodded firmly.
Her smile grew mischievous.
"So if I'm not old... then I just lack money? Is that it?"
Lin Feng raised his hands defensively.
"Teacher misunderstood me. I'm definitely not that kind of person."
She smiled, tilting her head.
"Then I'm not lacking anything?"
She looked directly into his eyes.
Lin Feng felt a slight blush creep across his face. He looked back at her.
She leaned closer.
And closer.
"Umm, Teacher... this isn't appropriate," he murmured.
Then he felt her weight slump against his shoulder.
He froze, confused.
"Teacher?"
He shook her gently.
She was out cold.
"What the hell?"
He looked around, trying to figure out what happened. Then he noticed something.
He reached over and picked up the bottle they had been drinking from, turning it to read the label.
He facepalmed.
This girl... how has she survived this long?
The drink was alcoholic.
One couldn't tell right away from the packaging - it had bright, cheerful colors that made it look like some kind of fruity juice. She had probably bought it in a rush, thinking a young person like him would enjoy something like this.
That said, it wasn't even that high in alcohol content.
It seemed she couldn't hold her liquor at all.
Then why did she even bother going drinking with her coworkers in the first place?
He sighed and carefully shifted her weight off his shoulder.
Lin Feng carried Liu Mei to her bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. He pulled the blanket over her, then went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water, placing it on the nightstand where she could easily reach it.
He looked at her sleeping face for a moment.
Then he turned and left.
...
Back at the door, Lin Feng pulled out his phone and typed out a message.
Lin Feng: Thank you for having me today. The food was delicious, and I had a nice time talking to you. It's a shame to hear you might be moving away.
He paused, then attached a photo of the drink bottle.
Lin Feng: By the way, don't buy this again. It's alcoholic. Please be more careful with what you purchase if you can't handle certain things. What if it had something you were allergic to?
He hit send and headed out.
…
A while later.
Liu Mei lay in her bed, phone in hand.
She stared at the messages on the screen.
Her face flushed as the memories from earlier came back to her.
Then she buried her face into the pillow and let out a muffled scream.
After a long moment, she turned onto her side, still clutching the phone.
A deep blush colored her cheeks as she began typing a reply.
…
Back in the dorm.
Li Jun was out handling deliveries. Chen Ming sat at the study desk next to Zhang Wei, both of them absorbed in their own work.
Lin Feng lay on his back on his bed, scrolling through his phone.
At that moment, a notification popped up.
Looks like the teacher finally came to.
He had been starting to get worried.
Teacher Liu: Thank you for hanging out with me today. I'm so sorry about what happened. I really didn't mean to... I don't even know what to say. I'm so embarrassed.
Lin Feng looked at the message with a small smile.
It seems she still remembers.
Though he would have preferred she didn't. Things were going to be awkward now.
Well, at least this meant it would be a while before she invited him over again.
He let out a quiet sigh.
All I've been doing recently is going out with girls. I need to focus on what's actually important.
He closed the messages and returned to his notes.
He had a few things planned out.
Once his business registration was complete and he received his papers, he would go with his roommates to pick them up, taking advantage of this to finally register their delivery business officially - using Fenghua Holdings as the shareholder, just as he had planned.
Now that he thought about it, he should probably bring Yu Shen along too.
It would be a good opportunity to introduce him to his friend group.
He could already picture it - the four of them making money through the delivery business, then investing their earnings into Tianji Capital.
Yu Shen was a good person. They would probably get along well.