Chapter 777: Chapter 757: This Thing Isn’t Easy to Handle
By the time Luo Qianqian and Jimo Cheng were ready to head back to school, Luo Qianqian was already holding a box in her arms, the wooden box she had seen before.
In the car, with the wooden box by her side, Luo Qianqian bit her lower lip as she noticed the uneasy expression on Jimo Cheng’s face sitting beside her, "Senior Brother, are you blaming me for not saying anything?"
Jimo Cheng was startled, then shook his head, "No, don’t overthink it." However, his smile seemed forced no matter how one looked at it.
"Actually..." Luo Qianqian wasn’t sure what to explain and just as she opened her mouth, Jimo Cheng held her tightly in his arms.
"You don’t need to say anything, just let me hold you," Jimo Cheng’s voice was very soft.
Luo Qianqian rarely heard a trace of vulnerability in his voice. She looked surprised and then her expression softened. She leaned her head against Jimo Cheng’s chest and placed her palm on his back, gently patting it.
Jimo Cheng was startled by Luo Qianqian’s sudden actions but then held her even tighter.
"I’m here for you, Jin Nian," Luo Qianqian patted Jimo Cheng’s back, speaking softly. She naturally understood the pain of not having parents behind Old Master Jimo’s emotion. Although he had always tried to appear indifferent, deep down he was uncomfortable and also wanted someone to confide in.
Feeling the warmth in Luo Qianqian’s gentle voice, Jimo Cheng let out a slight hum.
The driver smiled upon seeing them through the rearview mirror, slowed down the car, and allowed the two to be close for a bit longer.
"Jin Yue, you’re my family too," Jimo Cheng released Luo Qianqian and spoke thus sincerely.
Luo Qianqian, hearing the calmness return to Jimo Cheng’s voice, smiled, "Of course, I would be unhappy if you said otherwise."
Jimo Cheng looked at Luo Qianqian’s feigned petulance and adoringly curved his lips, pinching her cheek.
"Senior Brother, actually..." Luo Qianqian wanted to explain, but saw Jimo Cheng shake his head.
"I trust you, you don’t need to explain to me." If it wasn’t for trust, how could he have stepped in front of Grandpa to protect Luo Qianqian so quickly? If it wasn’t for trust, how could he show her his most vulnerable side?
Luo Qianqian tilted her head to look at Jimo Cheng, then smiled with curved eyes, "Then I might become completely unrestrained from now on."
"I’m used to it," Jimo Cheng smiled too, his face full of serenity, "Is it safe to keep this in your dorm?" He pointed to the wooden box beside them.
Upon hearing this, Luo Qianqian immediately slumped, "Actually, I feel carrying it with me is the safest, but wouldn’t holding this just attract unwanted attention?"
Jimo Cheng nodded, "Shall we send it back home instead?"
Luo Qianqian tilted her head, "But if I send it home, it will be a hassle when I have to go to class..." She pouted, looking utterly confused, "So I don’t know why Grandpa Kong gave this to me now. I don’t know how to play it, can’t practice, and ’possessing a jade incurs guilt’—I’m afraid of losing it, and I fear it getting chipped or broken..."
"I don’t understand it either," Jimo Cheng said with a wry smile, shaking his head. He could admit that he was now clueless not just about his young fiancée’s thoughts but also about his own grandfather’s intentions.
"How about I wear Hanfu every day and carry the Jade Flute so it won’t stick out?" Luo Qianqian blinked, offering a suggestion, but she shrank her neck at the thought of the cold northern wind outside, "Seems a bit cold though."
Jimo Cheng shook his head helplessly, that kind of cold was not just a little.
"Or should I get a portable case for carrying instruments? Not as big and cumbersome as this wooden box, and it wouldn’t look so fragile," Luo Qianqian thought of the instrument cases her classmates used to carry flutes, and the idea struck her.
"Modern things are stable, but..." Jimo Cheng frowned, not looking particularly convinced.
Luo Qianqian pouted, "Otherwise, carrying it every day, if I fall, that wouldn’t be good either..."
"Cough, cough..." The driver suddenly coughed lightly twice, seeming a bit embarrassed as he interrupted their conversation, "Master Jin Nian, Miss Jin Yuee, so where are we headed now?"
Hearing the driver’s words, Jimo Cheng and Luo Qianqian both paused, gazing at the crossroads in front of them where the path to the Luo Family diverged from the one to the school.
Luo Qianqian looked at Jimo Cheng, and Jimo Cheng looked back at Luo Qianqian. Luo Qianqian hesitated for a moment, "Then let’s go to my house." The house was always safer than school.
As long as she mentioned it to her grandma, probably no one would tamper with it.
Jimo Cheng nodded.
Then he turned to Luo Qianqian, "Should we take it back to your house?"
Luo Qianqian spread her hands, "That’s the only option now. Bringing it to school could be risky—if something goes wrong, others might think I’m faking an accident, carrying such valuable things to school."
Speaking of faking accidents, Luo Qianqian suddenly burst into laughter, "You don’t know, the first time I found Grandpa Kong, it was because he was involved in a faked accident."
Jimo Cheng looked deeply into Luo Qianqian’s eyes, "I know."
"Ah?" Luo Qianqian was full of confusion—clearly, he wasn’t there at the time.
"I have seen the surveillance footage," Jimo Cheng said with a smile, "Grandpa certainly didn’t expect that you would become his closed-door disciple at that time."
Luo Qianqian pouted, "You should say that Grandpa Kong certainly didn’t expect that I would lead away the pig he was raising."
Jimo Cheng was stunned for a moment before he laughed, "The pig was quite willing."
When they got back home, Luo Qianqian hurriedly put the items in the study and told Old Master Luo and Yue Tingyu that the objects were gifts from Old Master Jimo and were valuable—they shouldn’t be given away. Then she rushed off again, not forgetting to grab a paper bag of beef jerky, opened the package, and gave Baozi two strips before boarding the car with the rest.
She handed it to Jimo Cheng.
Jimo Cheng took the beef jerky with a puzzled look, "What’s this...?"
"This is what my brother bought for me. It’s quite tough, so now Baozi eats more of it," she said, casually biting into a strip from the bag.
Jimo Cheng took the beef jerky, his face a mix of laughter and resignation. Just a moment ago it was a pig, and now he was competing with Baozi for food.
Back at school, Luo Qianqian hurried off the moment they arrived, "I’m off first, see you later." Waving her hand without looking back, she ran off.
Jimo Cheng sat in the car holding the half-empty bag of beef jerky, his face displaying a bit of helplessness. But looking at the time, he understood—after all, there was only a little over ten minutes until class started, and rushing back to get textbooks did take time.
"Master?" The driver, seeing that Jimo Cheng had no intention of getting out, was somewhat confused.
"Yeah, let’s go back to Han Moxuan. Would you like one?" Jimo Cheng extended the paper bag toward the driver.
The driver shook his head with a helpless expression. Miss Jin Yuee had offered it to the master—how could he dare to eat it?
Jimo Cheng quietly bit into the beef jerky, understanding why Baozi ate more of it—it really could make one’s cheeks ache after chewing for a while...
Luo Qianqian hurriedly returned to her dorm room, then frantically organized her textbooks, waving to the bewildered Qin Nuan, "I’m heading to class!" And with that, she left without a cloud in the sky, um, except for the half-eaten strip of beef jerky on the desk.
