Chapter 90: Best Friend’s Teasing
"Mom! I’m heading to class!"
"Be careful on the way!"
As usual, her mother was cleaning the house with a mop when she saw Chen Cheng following behind An Yuan out the door. With a slight frown, she walked over to the living room window and looked toward the neighborhood entrance.
It didn’t take long before she saw her daughter sitting on the back seat of An Yuan’s bike, riding off together.
She sighed helplessly.
Back in middle school, when Chen Cheng entered her teenage years, she had done everything to keep an eye on An Yuan. Yet, despite all her precautions, her daughter still ended up dating him before even getting into college.
She must have been hiding it from the family for a long time! At least for the past few months, she had noticed something was different about her.
Her mother stood there, lost in thought, recalling all the small changes in her daughter.
………………………………
Unlike usual, Chen Cheng wasn’t hugging An Yuan’s waist or resting against his back. Instead, she sat quietly, head lowered, playing with her fingernails, lost in thought.
An Yuan didn’t say anything either. He just focused on pedaling.
The awkward tension from earlier in the kitchen still lingered between them, maybe even worse now. Neither of them knew what to say.
"An Yuan."
"Chengzi."
They spoke at the same time, then fell into silence again.
Chen Cheng sighed and leaned her head against his back. "You go first. What is it?"
An Yuan hesitated before speaking. "I probably scared you just now..."
He stopped the bike at a red light, gripping the handlebars tightly, his palms sweating. "It’s just… when you suddenly hugged me, I kinda lost control for a second."
"You didn’t brush your teeth."
An Yuan froze.
So THAT’S why she ran away?
He had thought she was just overwhelmed by the kiss and freaked out. Turns out, she was just grossed out because he hadn’t brushed his teeth?!
"So if I had brushed my teeth, it would’ve been okay?"
Chen Cheng didn’t answer.
An Yuan turned his head slightly, catching a glimpse of her red, embarrassed face. She’s not saying no.
He decided to change the subject. "When the holidays start, I’m thinking of taking a part-time job. Maybe delivering packages or food, just to save up a bit."
"I’ll go too."
"What for? You should just stay home and study. Don’t you want to get into a good school?"
The light turned green, and he started pedaling again. "I don’t get it. You suddenly care about studying now? Weren’t you the one who kept saying grades don’t matter because we ‘time-traveled’?"
Chen Cheng mumbled, "I just… want to see what a good school is like."
An Yuan nodded in understanding and continued, "The money from our part-time jobs will be our starting fund. Once we have some savings, we can figure things out. Maybe start a small business or invest in stocks again."
"Worst case, we just go back to the old plan. Either way, we’ll be fine."
Chen Cheng hesitated before muttering, "Maybe we shouldn't."
"What?! Why?!" An Yuan nearly swerved in surprise.
"If you work overtime every day, you’ll get fat, bald, and turn into an oily middle-aged man. That’d be so ugly."
"Oh, come on..." An Yuan sighed in relief and chuckled. "So you’d just go find a handsome guy instead?"
"No way!"
Chen Cheng suddenly leaned in and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. "I just don’t want you working yourself to death. What if I wanna play games with you and you’re always too busy?"
An Yuan was speechless for a moment.
Then she added softly, "We’ve already time-traveled. Let’s live a little easier this time."
An Yuan let out a small hum of agreement.
At least his best brother cares about him.
Thinking back on his past life... man, that was just suffering.
By the time they arrived at school, Chen Cheng’s fever had mostly faded. They were about half an hour early.
Just as they stepped into the classroom, Hu Wei, her best friend, spotted them and immediately jumped up, rushing over with a grin.
"Chengcheng~ Are you feeling better? Still have a fever?"
Hu Wei grabbed Chen Cheng’s arm, touched her forehead, and grinned excitedly. "Looks like you’re almost recovered, huh?"
"Eh? Uh, yeah."
They hadn’t seen each other all morning, but Hu Wei immediately felt something was off. She glanced at An Yuan, who was walking away, then leaned in and whispered, "What’s up with you?"
"Nothing."
"Oh really? Then why were your eyes glued to An Yuan just now? And why is your face so red?" Hu Wei’s smile widened mischievously. "Wait a minute… did he do something to you when he picked you up at lunch?"
"No, no! Stop making things up!"
Chen Cheng quickly lowered her head and tried to escape to her seat, but Hu Wei grabbed her arm and wouldn’t let go.
"Shuting! Come here! She’s hiding something from us!"
Chen Shuting, who had been reviewing her notes, immediately put her book down and rushed over, grabbing Chen Cheng’s other arm.
"A secret? And you didn’t tell your best friends?! Spill it!"
"There’s nothing to tell!"
Now, both her arms were being held hostage, and she was dragged to the corner of the classroom.
Chen Cheng looked at her two friends, whose eyes were burning with gossip-fueled excitement. She glanced left and right, but there was no way to escape. Turning her head away, she looked pitiful, like an innocent girl being cornered by two bullies.
"Just tell us~ We might even give you some advice!"
"Yeah, exactly!" Shuting nodded eagerly. "Come on, just whisper it to us. We won’t tell anyone."
"If you don’t say anything, I’m just gonna start guessing!" Hu Wei squinted, rubbing her chin. "Hmm… could it be… you gave him your first time…?"
Chen Cheng frantically shook her head like a rattle and quickly interrupted, "Of course not!"
"Ooooh~ How big is An Yuan?"
Shuting leaned in with a sly grin. "He plays basketball all the time, so he must have amazing stamina. He must be really good, right?"
"Could he reach your belly button?"
Chen Cheng’s face turned pale as she instinctively leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. As her two pervy friends closed in, she had no choice but to mumble.
"We… just kissed."
Hu Wei immediately dropped her teasing expression and looked unimpressed.
"Pfft. That’s it? And here I thought it was something juicy."
Shuting, who had never been in a relationship, was still curious. "So? What’s it like? And weren’t you the one who kept saying you weren’t dating anyone?"
"Yeah! You said you weren’t in a relationship, but now you’re kissing him?"
Chen Cheng hesitated for a moment. "I mean… we’re technically not dating?"
After all, An Yuan had never confessed to her, and she had never confessed to him.
Though at this point… they were definitely more than friends.
"If he’s not your boyfriend," Hu Wei gasped dramatically, covering her mouth, "then wow, Chengcheng, you’re so bold! You totally took advantage of an innocent boy, didn’t you? You little vixen!"
Shuting joined in, shaking her head. "I always thought Chengcheng was so pure and innocent, but nope! Turns out she’s shameless!"
Wait, hold on! How did she suddenly become a shameless vixen?!
Chen Cheng’s already flushed face turned an even deeper shade of red. She tried to explain, but the two of them kept throwing teasing remarks at her, leaving her completely speechless.
"Ahhh! Stop it already!"
Overwhelmed by embarrassment, she covered her head with her hands, pushed Hu Wei aside, and ran back to her seat, letting out a frustrated scream.
She flopped onto her desk, burying her burning face in her arms, refusing to lift her head.
The commotion immediately caught the attention of several classmates, who glanced over and started whispering among themselves.
"Chengcheng is seriously adorable." Shuting snickered, nudging Hu Wei. "Look how pure she is! Meanwhile, you’re just a total pervert."
Hu Wei stood with her hands on her hips and confidently said, "What’s wrong with that?"