The next morning, Cen Jin didn’t wake up until nine when a phone call from Ms. Qin disturbed her sleep. Fumbling for her phone, half-eyed, she saw "Dear Ms. Qin" written in large letters on the caller ID, which instantly cleared the fuzziness in her mind with a buzzing sound. Her back stiffened, her drowsiness vanished, and she sprang up from bed like a spring, clearing her throat subconsciously to make her voice sound less sleepy.
When the ringtone chimed for the third time, Cen Jin finally slid the answer button and spoke brightly, "Hi... Mom."
On the other end, Ms. Qin suspiciously asked, "Why did you take so long to answer? Nie Cenjin, you didn’t just wake up, did you!"
"No... no, I’ve been up for a while, just changing clothes," Cen Jin glanced around guiltily, totally lacking confidence in her spontaneous excuse.
"Really?" Ms. Qin obviously expressed deep skepticism about her words.
"Yes, of course," Cen Jin tried hard to make her words sound utterly believable, nodding firmly even as her small hands nervously clutched the quilt and her eyes roamed all over the room.
"Well, as long as you’re up. I threw some clothes in the washing machine this morning before heading out, they should be done now. Are you going to the studio today?" Ms. Qin heard her confident tone and didn’t doubt her further, directly explaining the purpose of her call.
"Yes, I am! Just about to change clothes and head out."
"Then hang the clothes out to dry before you go."
"There’s also two bed covers in the other washing machine, remember to hang them up too. Make sure to spread them out. Don’t just hang them clumped together; it’ll cause a smell."
"There’s porridge and eggs I cooked this morning in the pot, eat if you’re hungry."
"Alright, then. I’ll hang up now, nothing else for now."
After listening to all of Ms. Qin’s instructions, Cen Jin hung up the phone with a sigh of relief, tossed the phone aside, and flopped back onto the pillow, covering her head with the air conditioner quilt. She closed her eyes, but after about five minutes, she jerked awake, shaking her head forcefully.
Almost fell asleep again.
Cen Jin got up, washed up, dressed, and after completing a series of tasks as instructed by Ms. Qin, poured a bowl of porridge to drink, then grabbed her phone and bag before heading out.
By noon, Cen Jin received a call from Jiang Baizhou, asking if she was free to have lunch together. Putting down her pen, she raised an eyebrow, naturally accepting the invitation with delight, offering Ye Lingran an apologetic smile before heading directly to the restaurant where she had agreed to meet Jiang Baizhou.
Even though Cen Jin hadn’t explicitly mentioned she was dating, Ye Lingran could guess eight or nine-tenths just by observing her gestures and the look in her eyes.
Watching her back, she revealed a gentle smile.
When Cen Jin arrived at the restaurant, she noticed an additional familiar figure beside Jiang Baizhou. She paused slightly, her steps growing smaller, and as she walked over, Lu Xize raised his hand with a smile and greeted her, "Hi, Cen Jin, we meet again."
"Hi." Cen Jin smiled and raised her hand in greeting too. As she walked over, she noticed Jiang Baizhou sitting there with an indifferent look, and she immediately understood the situation.
Most likely, as Jiang Baizhou came out for lunch, Lu Xize had shamelessly tagged along.