eurekapd Chapter 14 Jingning
Chapter 14 Jingning
When the appointed time arrived, Zhong Xiaoqin dressed up nicely, put on her favorite plaid dress, combed her hair neatly, tied it up with her treasured red hair tie with small flowers, and put on her newly bought brown leather shoes. She waited early at the intersection on the west side of Nanjing Road.
Zhong Xiaoqin listened to Chen Yu's advice and didn't ask Gu Jia to come along, but she didn't expect that Chen Yu would bring someone with him.
"Xiaoqin, this is Wang Wenwen, my mother's goddaughter, who is also my god-sister. This is Zhong Xiaoqin, who used to be a volunteer." Chen Yu introduced the two to each other.
"Hello, I've heard Xiaoyu mention you before. He said you met while volunteering together at the event." Wang Wenwen took the initiative to step forward and greet Zhong Xiaoqin.
Zhong Xiaoqin smiled, her warm smile illuminating people's hearts. "Hello, Wenwen, we did meet around that time. I had never been to the capital before, and it was only during the grand event that I went for the first time!"
Wang Wenwen is starting to understand Chen Yu better. Zhong Xiaoqin is still a human being if she doesn't smile, but she's practically inhuman when she smiles!
Chen Yu was a little annoyed when he saw Wang Wenwen staring at him. "Let's not talk here. Let's find a place to sit down and talk."
There's a plot hole here: why does Zhong Xiaoqin, who is so beautiful, have to go on a blind date to meet Chen Yu?
The three of them found a coffee shop and sat down. Zhong Xiaoqin said hurriedly, "I'm the host here, so let's make it clear that it's my treat."
Chen Yu smiled slightly and nodded.
The three of them each ordered a coffee, and Wang Wenwen couldn't help but ask Zhong Xiaoqin, "Do you know that Chen Yu is going to stay in Shanghai?"
Zhong Xiaoqin was taken aback, her mouth slightly agape, looking incredibly cute. "Chen Yu is staying in Shanghai? I didn't know that. Oh, Chen Yu is a senior now, is he going to look for a job in Shanghai?"
"No, my teacher recommended me to Professor Huang at Shanghai University of Technology. I plan to pursue my master's degree under Professor Huang." Although Chen Yu had never met Professor Huang, Professor Li highly praised him, and Chen Yu was willing to trust Professor Li's recommendation.
"Oh, is that so? Chen Yu is going to take the postgraduate entrance exam? My family also wants me to continue studying for the exam, but I really don't want to go to school anymore. I want to go out and work," Zhong Xiaoqin said, pouting.
"It's not the postgraduate entrance exam, it's a guaranteed admission to a postgraduate program," Chen Yu corrected.
"Guaranteed admission to graduate school? Isn't that something legendary? I've only heard of it, but never seen it. I've learned something new today. Several of my classmates are working hard to prepare for the graduate school entrance exam, it looks just like the college entrance exam."
Zhong Xiaoqin was practically invisible at school, and since she lived nearby, she would often rush home after class, resulting in far less contact with her classmates than usual.
"Gu Gu isn't planning on taking the postgraduate entrance exam anymore. She's really dating Xu Huanshan. I told you about it on QQ, right? You probably haven't met Xu Huanshan, have you?"
"It seems like they both have targets. Gu Gu is eyeing a foreign company, I think it's called Gilcom or something, and Xu Huanshan wants to work for a fireworks company. They're preparing for interviews and written tests. It's the first time I've heard that companies also have exams for recruitment?"
Zhong Xiaoqin was talkative; once she started, she couldn't stop chattering. Wang Wenwen wasn't interested in their pointless conversation; she was much more interested in Zhong Xiaoqin. Wang Wenwen had witnessed firsthand how irresistible Zhong Xiaoqin's smile was; it was hard to dislike her. She was cheerful and innocent—truly a good girl! But Wang Wenwen always felt something was off, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Alright, now that you've finished drinking, I'll take you to Jing'an Temple. I only went there once when I was a child, and I haven't been back since!" Zhong Xiaoqin's parents are both Party members, and their materialistic beliefs are still very firm.
At the entrance of the scenic area, Zhong Xiaoqin rushed to buy tickets, fearing that if she was a step too late, she would miss out on becoming a landlord.
Entering the scenic area through the side gate, one is immediately struck by the enormous incense burner and its dazzling golden splendor. The smoke from the incense burner rises high into the air before slowly dissipating, permeating the entire surrounding area with the aroma of incense. Furthermore, gold dominates the dominant color scheme of the main hall, walls, and pillars.
The entire hall felt like a display of wealth, rather than a place for quiet contemplation.
Although Chen Yu didn't particularly like this place, Zhong Xiaoqin clearly didn't feel the same way. In her eyes, it was just a tourist attraction, no different from any other. They bought three incense sticks, lit them, and because she was too short to insert them into the incense burner, she waved for Chen Yu's help. Wang Wenwen was tall enough, but instead of inserting them herself, she handed the incense to Chen Yu. Chen Yu didn't say much, deftly inserting the incense into the burner. The burner was almost full of incense; if you reached in without seeing what was inside, you'd definitely get burned.
After lighting the incense, Zhong Xiaoqin bowed and performed a respectful ceremony, seemingly offering a silent prayer, which made Chen Yu shake his head slightly.
The three then toured the main hall and side halls, looking at the oxidized pure silver Buddha statue and the jade-decorated murals. Zhong Xiaoqin pulled out her camera, proudly showing it off to Chen Yu, "Look, I brought a camera too. This time, I'll just delete any bad photos; you won't be able to take them!"
Then he looked at Wang Wenwen beside him and said, "Wenwen, come here, let me take a picture of you. You are so beautiful, the picture will definitely be beautiful too." He pointed to the steps and said, "Come on, stand here. The main entrance of the hall is behind us."
Wang Wenwen walked up the steps and stood there, smiling as she looked at Zhong Xiaoqin, who was holding up her camera and trying to find the right angle.
"I knew it! My photography skills are better than Chen Yu's. Look at the photos I took for you, aren't they much better than Chen Yu's?"
"Xiaoyu-ge has never taken a picture of me." Wang Wenwen suddenly felt a little disappointed.
"Oh, is that so? Then let him take pictures of you every day from now on, okay?" Zhong Xiaoqin didn't really understand Wang Wenwen's disappointment, but that's just how people with a people-pleasing personality are—they have to please her first!
But Wang Wenwen was indeed amused by Zhong Xiaoqin.
The three of them then strolled around for a few more minutes and finished visiting all the attractions. After all, the temple was quite small, and without a guide, it would only take a little over an hour to see everything on your own.
After leaving the scenic area, Zhong Xiaoqin had no further plans. Chen Yu suggested going to the Oriental Pearl Tower.
Zhong Xiaoqin hesitated. Although her family were locals in Shanghai, being a local didn't mean they were wealthy. They were a middle-class family, with enough to eat and wear, but not enough money to squander. However, remembering how Chen Yu had taken her and Gu Jia on trips and treated them to food and drinks in the capital without letting her spend any money, she gritted her teeth and nodded in agreement.
Chen Yu noticed Zhong Xiaoqin's hesitation and understood her concerns. He smiled slightly and took out two tickets for the Oriental Pearl Tower from his pocket. "I have a classmate who wanted to visit the Oriental Pearl Tower when he came to Shanghai last time, but he received a call right after buying the tickets and had to go back due to an emergency. I'll keep these two tickets. You can each have one, and I'll go get another one later."