AFM Ch 10

Over the past two days, Jing Mian had begun to frequently run back home.

He would eat a few extra dinners, but in truth, Jing Mian was picking out some essential items. Aside from a few seasonal clothes and the necessary equipment for his live streams, there were also albums and videos from his childhood, as well as some computer science textbooks…

Jing Mian guessed that they would move in together before the wedding.

Instead of making a big deal about finding a moving company, since he didn’t have much stuff, he might as well move it little by little.

For now, he would temporarily store it in his dormitory.

In preparation for moving into Mr. Ren’s house.

But Jing Mian suddenly remembered that Ren Xingwan probably still didn’t know what he studied.

He hadn’t introduced himself, so the other party hadn’t asked either.

Jing Mian fell into deep thought.

In another sense, it seemed like what he studied wouldn’t have any impact on this marriage…so it had been automatically ignored.

And if Ren Congmian wasn’t so famous, Jing Mian probably wouldn’t have known what Mr. Ren did for a living until after they moved in together.

This marriage was really quite absurd.

But compared to rejection, the shock and disbelief were more prominent.

Jing Mian consoled himself. It didn’t matter if he didn’t know.

In a family marriage, Jing Mian could be considered quite lucky to have matched with such a marriage partner.

A husband who was handsome and rich, had fans all over the world, and was also his childhood friend. He’d even offered five million yuan on the spot.

Who could resist?

As the school’s anniversary approached, the atmosphere on campus grew more and more intense.

Perhaps it hadn’t been this lively in past years, but Ren Congmian’s arrival had clearly made the entire school boil over in excitement.

Several hot topics on the forums never dropped off the front page. Some people had prepared posters, clothes, and new shoes, hoping to get lucky and snag a signature at the scene. Some had even bought light signs and cheering sticks.

Not all students were die-hard fans, but there were always some who would follow trends.

Even if they couldn’t get close to such a celebrity at the scene, it was still good to feast their eyes on them.

Jing Mian stopped in the cafeteria, listening to the girls around him passionately discuss their own “husband.” He lowered his eyes as he scanned his phone for the QR code and pointed at the plate of tempting, steaming chicken drumsticks. “Auntie, can I get another drumstick?”

“Sure thing, handsome boy.”

Jing Mian returned to his dormitory with three servings of food like a food warrior.

Last semester, the old professor teaching C language had been strict about attendance and caught three classic cases of skipping class, so all three of them had failed. Now they were cramming for the makeup test.

Only Jing Mian was free.

In order to not disturb the others while they studied at night, Jing Mian moved the live stream to the daytime and chose a coffee shop near the school.

This coffee shop was located at the corner of a small alley across from the school.

Although it was hidden in a corner of the bustling city, its environment was unexpectedly elegant and refined.

The owner was a kind old man who had opened the shop with his wife after retiring. The business hours were also very flexible; the shop would open when he woke up and close when he got tired, but it was still quite popular among A University students.

The interior design of the coffee shop was warm and clever, with an elegant atmosphere, making it the best place to read or chat.

Jing Mian walked to the front desk with his laptop and headphones, ordered a coconut milk latte, and silently walked to the other side of the coffee shop. He found a corner, set down his laptop, and pulled his chair closer to the charging outlet on one side.

The coffee shop was divided into a silent area and a chatting area.

This was Jing Mian’s second favorite location for live streams.

The background of this location was a warm-colored wall near a corner where no one walked by. Not only would it not reveal the school’s address, it also wouldn’t disturb other customers or suddenly appear in their frames.

Jing Mian sat down and slowly put on his headphones.

Just as he was about to open the livestream, he suddenly felt someone pat him on the shoulder.

He turned to see a woman around fifty years of age.

The woman looked a little embarrassed as if she was sorry for interrupting Jing Mian. She said quietly, “This is my first time coming to a place like this. If you have the time, could you help me order something? Something that girls would like. I’m going to give it to my daughter.”

Jing Mian nodded. “Of course, Auntie.”

He went to the front desk and hesitated for a moment before helping the woman order a cappuccino. “This one is less bitter and has more milk. Girls might prefer something sweeter.”

“Thank you.” The woman took the drink and couldn’t help but look at Jing Mian. She sighed. “It’d be nice if my daughter had a boyfriend as kind and courteous as you.”

Jing Mian was confused. This comment didn’t make much sense.

Even though he didn’t understand, Jing Mian smiled and bid the woman farewell before turning back to his seat.

Not long after he sat down, the woman also followed the waiter’s directions to the chatting area.

There weren’t many people during lunchtime, so the coffee shop seemed rather empty. There were two empty seats between Jing Mian and the woman.

Jing Mian lowered his gaze and was about to start his livestream when his phone suddenly rang.

Jing Mian’s fingertips paused slightly when he picked it up.

[Ren Xingwan]

It was an unexpected call from a safe number.

Jing Mian’s throat felt a little tight. After all, he hadn’t met with Mr. Ren for many days, nor had they spoken.

The hesitation lasted only a moment. The young man didn’t keep the other party waiting for long and quickly answered.

“Hello?” Jing Mian paused. “Mr. Ren?”

“Mm.”

The voice on the other end was deep and slow, with a cold and magnetic tone that made his eardrums tingle. “What are you doing?”

The technology was too advanced. Through the phone, it sounded like the man was speaking right next to him.

Jing Mian thought that Mr. Ren’s voice was indeed very pleasant to listen to, the kind that made one feel as if their ears were being pampered.

Jing Mian held his breath slightly and unconsciously tapped the table corner with his fingertips. He said truthfully, “I’m at a coffee shop.”

The man asked, “Why aren’t you at school?”

“No, it’s a coffee shop near school.” Jing Mian hesitated before explaining, “My dormitory classmates have makeup tests, so I’m afraid I’ll disturb them, so I came out to find a place to study.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jing Mian suddenly remembered that he had promised Manager Yang yesterday that he would live in Mr. Ren’s house by the river.

Jing Mian felt a little embarrassed.

The situation now seemed to have become… he had agreed to live together with Ren Xingwan, but on the very same day, a sudden incident occurred that forced him to spend the night outside his dormitory. He would rather hide in a coffee shop than go to Mr. Ren’s residence.

But… it wasn’t like he could help it.

Jing Mian thought that anyone would need some time to digest the news of living together with Ren Xingwan.

Thankfully, the man didn’t mention the matter of living together.

After a moment of thought, Mr. Ren said, “Tomorrow…”

“Right! I stole the household registry!”

A woman’s voice suddenly interrupted the two men’s conversation.

Jing Mian was stunned and turned his head to see it was the aunt from earlier.

The woman was holding her phone and seemed to be complaining to someone on the other end. The more she spoke, the more agitated she became. “I chased after her all the way to school today just to find Yanyan. She can’t get married like this, she’s so young, and she doesn’t even know anything about the other person’s personality or background…”

“That’s right… She’s still a child herself. She can’t even get up in the morning and sleeps until noon. She can’t even wash clothes without hurting her hands, and her cooking skills are limited to making instant noodles. She doesn’t even know anything about love… That guy is just using his pretty face to steal my little girl’s heart.”

Jing Mian swallowed.

The voice was loud, but every word clearly entered his ears.

He tried not to take it to heart.

After all, he had never cut his hands while doing laundry before.

His heart hadn’t been stolen away either.

Unexpectedly, the woman sighed and continued, “He’s almost thirty and he wants to marry a twenty-year-old college student? Is that even appropriate?”

Jing Mian fell silent. He suddenly felt a bad premonition.

Sure enough, in the following second, the aunt’s voice was full of pain and anguish as she said firmly, “What kind of old lecher could have the guts to lay their hand to a young college student?”

Jing Mian’s pupils trembled.

The black mask covered his expression.

But the fingers trying to hang up the call showed that he was gradually panicking.

Finally, the red end call button was pressed.

The call ended at that moment.

The world instantly quieted down.

Jing Mian hung up the phone and recalled what had just happened. Only then did he realize that he had been a little too rash earlier.

First of all, the man on the other side of the line might not have heard what the aunt said through the phone. Even if he did, it might not be anything. He had closed the call in such an obvious way that even if Mr. Ren didn’t think so, it would seem like…he himself thought so?

Jing Mian held his phone, feeling flustered enough to drop his head.

He had to find a way to smooth this over.

Jing Mian sat upright as the clock ticked away. Only after the auntie walked off with her cappuccino did he quietly pick up his phone. After a moment of hesitation, he returned Ren Xingwan’s call.

This time, Jing Mian didn’t have to wait long. The man picked up almost immediately.

This made Jing Mian feel a little nervous.

Jing Mian swallowed and pressed the phone to his ear. He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible as he said in a small voice, “Mr. Ren, it seems like the line dropped earlier.”

“It looks like the TV was a bit loud… Did you say something earlier?”

As he spoke, the young man gently rolled up his sleeve with his slender index finger, wrapping it around his fingertip. One turn, two turns… This was a habit Jing Mian had when he lied.

…

A few seconds of silence passed.

Jing Mian vaguely heard the sound of the man’s earphone being slightly squeezed on the other of the line.

It was like he was enduring it, both amused and angry.