He had subtly insulted Jiang Chuan, and seeing that Jian Fei showed no intention of defending him, Ke Teng felt a bit more at ease.
However, her sitting so formally, clearly less relaxed around him than before, made him uneasy again.
He deliberately took off his overcoat and tossed it to her.
"Hold this for me, and don't wrinkle it."
Jian Fei finally had something to do, freeing her from his sarcastic remarks, and breathed a sigh of relief.
She carefully spread the coat over herself, smoothing it out as if tucking herself in, and closed her eyes.
From a certain angle, the coat covered her entirely, as if Ke Teng were embracing her.
The coat had a faint woody scent, similar to the one that had lingered in her senses that day.
"Oh, what are you thinking about!"
Realizing her thoughts had strayed, Jian Fei vexed herself by pinching her arm under the coat.
"Jian Fei, Jian Fei, why are you so pathetic? It was just one night, and you keep thinking about it without end!"
Seeing her wearing his coat, sleeping obediently, Ke Teng was quite pleased as he started the car and drove off.
With no ingredients at home, Jian Fei needed to go to the supermarket, and Ke Teng accompanied her.
She browsed ahead, and he followed behind, like a personal bodyguard.
After quickly selecting items, they went to queue for payment. Unconsciously, Jian Fei's gaze fell on the shelf next to the checkout counter.
Even though she had never had a boyfriend, she had common sense.
On the shelf were...
"Ah, Jian Fei, here you go again!"
Before, she would only stare at the candies. Now...
In fact, it wasn't just her; Ke Teng's gaze had also drifted over.
However, he was much more open about it than she was.
When it was their turn, Jian Fei placed the groceries on the counter and took out her phone to pay. Ke Teng swiftly placed two boxes on the counter.
"Let's pay together."
Then he also took out his payment code.
With a man present, the cashier naturally wouldn't accept money from the woman.
However, her gaze lingered on them with a knowing smile.
Jian Fei felt the bag was too hot to handle and handed it to Ke Teng.
As they walked out, she couldn't help but question him in a low voice.
"Didn't you say we were eating at my place? Why did you buy this?"
"We are eating at your place, and this is for using."
"..." Jian Fei was speechless.
"I was drunk that day, of course, I was still conscious and didn't regret anything, it's just..."
Ke Teng finished her sentence: "It's just that you don't want to do it with me again, right?"
Jian Fei didn't know how to respond.
After all, she didn't regret accepting his favors, and refusing now would make her seem hypocritical.
She couldn't explain why, but Ke Teng, like a pure young man, kept asking for an explanation.
"Why? Was my performance unsatisfactory, or do you just not like me?"
They hadn't even left the supermarket yet, and with people coming and going, they were discussing this, even mentioning performance dissatisfaction...
Jian Fei felt like she wanted to disappear into the ground. She stopped answering and rushed outside.
Back in the car, he threw the items in the back, got into the driver's seat, and stared at her, relentless.
"You still haven't answered my question, what is it because of?"
Why was he so insecure?
How could he come up with such strange reasons?
Couldn't it be that he was too outstanding, and she wasn't good enough for him?
Jian Fei sighed, knowing she couldn't avoid this topic, and tried to explain.
"It's not about you, it's about me."
"What's wrong with you? Don't tell me you actually like that Jiang Chuan?"
She was fed up. How did it get back to Jiang Chuan?
Jian Fei said urgently, "It has nothing to do with him, and nothing to do with you. It's just my problem. I don't want to date right now."
"I'm not saying I want to date you! I mean..."
It was becoming more confusing as they spoke.
She, a doctoral student on the verge of graduating, couldn't even express such a simple issue clearly.
Seeing her flushed face, Ke Teng knew what she meant and smiled.
"I understand what you're worried about. But at least we should try."
"We're still young, and there's still room for mistakes. If we don't try, how will we know if we'll be happy?"
"Anyway, I'm happy to be with you. You make me feel comfortable. I can promise not to force you to do anything you don't want to do."
"If you don't want to make it public, fine. If you feel unhappy, you can stop it anytime. I promise not to pester you, okay?"
Jian Fei was still thinking about his words as they arrived at her doorstep.
What kind of relationship was this?
More than friends, less than lovers?
Why was Ke Teng willing to spend time playing this game with her? What was he thinking?
Did he want something simple after eating too much rich food?
Logically, she should refuse, but for some reason, Jian Fei nodded.
Perhaps her life for the past 26 years had been too repressed, conservative, and uninteresting. She wanted to add a splash of color to her stagnant life.
Ke Teng was right; she still had room for mistakes.
If it didn't work out, she could consider it a failed relationship.
Having such a good ex to reminisce about wouldn't be a loss.
After getting her nod, Ke Teng, upon getting out of the car, naturally carried the items in one hand and reached for her with the other.
Like a young couple, they returned to the room.
Just as Jian Fei was about to suggest cooking, Ke Teng picked her up.
"Haven't seen you for a few days?"
Jian Fei knew what he meant. She was even more nervous than the first time, her eyes darting around, her teeth chattering.
"You, you, you, can't we have some buffer?"
"Buffer for what? I see now, you're someone who needs to be pushed to do things, otherwise you'll never accomplish anything. Let's just do it."
They didn't have dinner until ten o'clock, ordering takeout.
Jian Fei was too tired to move, but Ke Teng insisted she eat something.
"Your stamina isn't good. You're a medical student, don't you have this basic knowledge? From now on, you'll exercise with me for an hour every day."
"Exercise for an hour every day? Aren't you going back to Shangcheng?"
"Let's say I wasn't precise with my words. As long as I'm here, you'll accompany me for an hour of exercise."
"..."
"Got a problem? Don't want to go out?" Ke Teng threatened her.
"Fine, then we'll exercise at home."
Jian Fei was terrified: "No, no, no, I have no objections!"
After dinner, Jian Fei went downstairs to throw out the trash. Thinking he definitely wouldn't leave tonight, she also bought him a pair of slippers and a toothbrush at the small store.
When she handed him the items, Ke Teng's smile was uncontrollable.
"Found your position so quickly? So sensible. Good."
Jian Fei kicked him.
"What do you mean 'found my position'? It's obvious you're not leaving tonight, and you can't not brush your teeth in the morning, right?"
Ke Teng smirked: "Who said I'm not leaving tonight? I was planning to leave."
He pulled her down, making her lean into his embrace.
"But since you want me to stay so much, I can cancel other invitations."