Returning to Parents' Seventeen
Chapter 131 He Is Willing to Give Her Time

Chapter 131: Chapter 131 He Is Willing to Give Her Time

Before Shen Yubai could give it much thought, Xu Chuning came downstairs.

Seeing the two together looking at the photograph, she felt slightly embarrassed and quickly called out, "Grandma."

Grandma looked up bewildered, "What’s wrong?"

Xu Chuning pursed her lips, her expression a bit unnatural, "You..."

She paused, turning her head towards Shen Yubai, "Have you packed your things?"

Shen Yubai hummed in response.

Xu Chuning: "..."

How could he pack so quickly?

"Then, why don’t you go help Ban Shu and the others?" Xu Chuning asked in a fluster.

For some unclear reason, she didn’t want Shen Yubai to know about her family background. She didn’t want his pity.

Shen Yubai didn’t say anything; he silently met Xu Chuning’s gaze, probably understanding her intention. Though puzzled, he still complied with her suggestion, "I will go now."

Hearing his answer, Xu Chuning instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Yubai informed Grandma before standing up to go upstairs.

Watching him disappear into the stairway, Xu Chuning approached her grandmother and asked in a subdued tone, "Grandma, why did you show my embarrassing childhood photos to others?"

"Xiao Shen is not just anybody," Grandma directly stated, "Isn’t he your friend?"

Xu Chuning was taken aback, "He is my friend, but—"

Contemplating, she said tactfully, "I was too ugly as a child; I don’t want my friends to see."

"..."

Grandma didn’t quite understand Xu Chuning’s reasoning, but since she said so, Grandma agreed, "Alright, it’s Grandma’s fault this time. I won’t show your photos to others again."

Xu Chuning softly said, "Mm, thank you, Grandma."

Grandma chuckled and patted her hand, "Come and rest beside Grandma for a while?"

Xu Chuning: "Okay."

The two sat on the sofa, and Xu Chuning kept Grandma company looking at photos for a while before urging her to rest.

After Grandma entered her room, Xu Chuning put away the photo album and went upstairs to find Deng Xitong and the others.

"Are your bags all packed?" Xu Chuning approached the doorway of the room.

Cheng Mingyin turned her head to look, "Yes, we are all a bit reluctant to leave."

Xu Chuning chuckled softly, "You can come and visit again in the future."

Cheng Mingyin: "Sure."

The three chatted in the room for a while, and Xu Chuning was ready to go back to her room to sleep. But as she passed by the room where Shen Yubai was staying, she couldn’t help but stop.

After pondering for three seconds, Xu Chuning knocked on the door.

The door was pulled open from inside, and Shen Yubai appeared before her in a simple T-shirt and casual shorts, looking down at her, "What’s up?"

Xu Chuning looked up, her eyes slightly twinkling, "Are you going to sleep?"

Shen Yubai paused, asking softly, "Do you have something to say?"

"...No," Xu Chuning didn’t know why she knocked; she wasn’t ready to say anything to Shen Yubai, "I was just asking you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yubai raised his eyebrows, looking at her with a teasing smile, "Is it that simple?"

Xu Chuning looked down, muttering, "Can it be complicated?"

Shen Yubai: "..."

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Yubai raised his hand to rub his eyes and spoke with a chilly tone, "Was about to sleep, what about you?"

Xu Chuning: "I’m also going to sleep."

She paused, then reminded him, "Let me know after you get back tomorrow."

Shen Yubai nodded slightly.

After exchanging a few words of small talk, Xu Chuning pursed her lips slightly, "I’ll go downstairs then."

Shen Yubai responded, and as she turned to leave, he suddenly called out to her, "Xu Chuning."

His voice was cold and pleasant. Every time Xu Chuning heard him call her name, word by word, she would have the illusion that her name sounded very pleasant.

And it was the same at this moment.

She paused, turning her head slightly, "What is it?"

Shen Yubai lowered his lashes, his gaze intent upon her, "Goodnight."

What he truly wanted to say was that if she didn’t want him to know or didn’t want to speak, she didn’t have to feel any pressure. He wouldn’t blame her; he was willing to give her time.

However, it just didn’t seem appropriate to say these things at the moment.

Xu Chuning was taken aback, not expecting that he had stopped her just to say goodnight. She paused, replying in a dazed tone, "Goodnight."

Once back in her room, You Shuzhen was already asleep.

Xu Chuning lifted the blanket to get into bed and closed her eyes, but the image of Shen Yubai stopping her appeared in her mind—the beauty of his eyes, so clear and black and white, gazing straight at her made her heartbeat quicken. She was nervous, partly because she was afraid Shen Yubai would ask her a question she didn’t want to answer.

After letting her imagination run wild for a while, Xu Chuning sighed softly and then opened her eyes.

It was strange, she who rarely suffered from insomnia, had been experiencing it quite frequently lately.

After tossing and turning for a long while, Xu Chuning finally fell into a deep sleep, aided by the lulling count of sheep.

*

The next morning, Shen Yubai and his party left.

Just as when they arrived, Shen Yubai had arranged for a driver to pick them up and drop them off right at the front door.

Watching the car drive away, Xu Chuning belatedly felt a sense of loss and reluctance.

Suddenly, her phone in her pocket vibrated.

Taking her phone out, Xu Chuning saw a message from Shen Yubai: [It’s sunny outside, go back inside early.]

Xu Chuning looked down at her phone: [Mmm, take care.]

Shen Yubai: [Don’t worry.]

After the brief exchange between the two of them, Xu Chuning noticed someone @ing her in the group chat. She checked and found that Deng Xitong and Cheng Mingyin were messaging in the group: [Ningning, see you next week.]

Ban Shu: [I’ll treat you to a meal when you’re back next week.]

Yu Gaoyi: [What about me? When can I treat you?]

Shen Yubai: [You can take turns, one meal each.]

Seeing everyone chat warmly in the group, Xu Chuning couldn’t help but smile. It was a curious feeling; suddenly, she didn’t feel alone anymore.

She felt as if her friends were still around her.

After chatting with them in the group for a bit, Xu Chuning reluctantly put down her phone.

Knowing that she wasn’t in the best of moods, You Shuzhen even went out of her way to take her shopping in town in the afternoon, buying things for grandma.

The day after Shen Yubai’s departure, Xu Chuning and You Shuzhen took their grandmother for a checkup at the hospital. It was a reminder from Shen Sinian back in Jiang City, neither she nor You Shuzhen had been for a checkup in a long time, and the same went for their grandmother. Given grandmother’s age, which was much greater than theirs, it was time when health issues might arise, so Xu Chuning and You Shuzhen needed to pay extra attention.

If they were not home at other times there wasn’t much they could do, but now that they were home, they needed to take grandmother to the hospital for a checkup.

If any issues were detected, they would seek timely treatment; if there were none, then they would be able to return to Jiang City next week with peace of mind.

Initially worried about the cost and deeming it unnecessary, grandmother finally relented and agreed after being coaxed by Xu Chuning for a long time.

The next day, Xu Chuning received the checkup results.

Grandmother had some minor health issues, but nothing serious, just daily medication needed.

Xu Chuning sent the medical reports to Shen Yubai, asking for his help to consult with the doctors in Jiang City. After getting a response that "it’s not a big issue," both she and You Shuzhen were relieved.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for Xu Chuning and You Shuzhen to return to Jiang City.

Originally, the two planned to go back two days before the start of the semester. But during their time in Pingning, calls to You Shuzhen asking when she would end her holiday and resume business at her store had been non-stop. By coincidence, before they returned home, those who had eaten noodles or bought breakfast from their small store had taken it upon themselves to spread the word about the store, ultimately building a considerable reputation in the area.

After thinking it over, You Shuzhen decided to go back two days earlier to reopen the store for business sooner.

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