Best to Have Met You - Chapter 7.2

Chapter 7.2: Attracting the Bees & Butterflies 

The day after the ‘incident’, An Ning received a text message from Xu Mo Ting when she was on her way home. He asked her to go to a restaurant on XX road. Since she dared not disobey his decree, she can only obediently obey his order. When she was at the pedestrian street near XX road, she was blocked by a lot of people. Thus, she walked forward to check what was happening, and found the police officers were cordoning off a commercial building. Some people wearing dark blue government uniform were also there. When she intended to turn around and walk away, she heard someone from behind called her name ……

He walked over in his well-ironed uniform. As a result, she could not help looking and losing her composure. Then Xu Mo Ting spoke: “What happened to your face?”

“Fight.”

He held out his hand to stroke her wound lightly, “I am almost finished, so wait ten minutes for me.”

An Ning nodded.

Xu Mo Ting walked back inside the barricades, whereas An Ning stayed put to wait …… this scenario was like she specifically came early to wait for him to “finish work”. If she had known earlier, she would take a detour via the road at the back of the building …… An Ning can’t help, raising her hand to fan her feverish face, until she felt someone was looking at her. She instinctively turned around——they bumped into each other a few times (the first time was in the cinema). Thus, she has a vague impression of him and in the end, remembered who he was. On the other hand, he has already nodded his head at her.

Xu Mo Ting drove his car today. He skillfully turned the steering wheel, and finally asked something out of character: “Do you know my colleague?”

An Ning was sitting beside him and looking at the scenery outside the window. She automatically said: “He should be my stepmother’s younger brother, can be considered my uncle.”

Xu Mo Ting turned and glanced at An Ning’s gentle side profile: “It has been a few days since we last met.”

An Ning blushed slightly, “Three days only.”

Mo Ting smiled: “It is not long if compared to five or six years.”

At this moment, the car has already stopped. When he leaned over, An Ning first reaction was, he was going to kiss her. Oh, she guessed correctly …… could it be that kissing can become a habit?

An Ning was busy with study and work. Recently, she was also busy with dating and playing. Of the former, naturally with someone …… As for the latter, Fu Qiang Wei suddenly became exhilarated with all kinds of entertainment activities. Consequently, she began to go to bar and ktv regularly with Mao Mao, Zhao Yang and others, leading a life of  dissipation. Although An Ning didn’t like to join in the fun, she needed to distract their attention, so she will occasionally go with them.

On a certain day, the moment Qiang Wei came in, she strongly recommended: “Girls, there is a large-scale social gathering for all the major institutions tomorrow, so are you interested?”

Except An Ning, everyone was interested, but Mao Mao was determined to bring Meow Meow along, to alleviate the situation. In order to avoid bloodshed incident caused by impetuous behavior, An Ning was unable to escape her fate.

The activity was conducted in the auditorium in the university next door. Mao Mao and Qiang Wei wore their skirts. Zhao Yang appeared as usual, but also in a skirt. Only An Ning wore a shirt and jeans. Mao Mao repeatedly lamented such a waste of resources!

There were more males than females on that night so almost all the females who came in were approached and invited by the males to dance. Naturally there were also a lot of men who came over to chat with An Ning.  She was not used to interact with strangers, so she just dealt with them politely and fairly peacefully. However midway, there was a fourth year student from another university who was relentless in his pursuit of her until a phone call rescued her.

“What are you doing?” The other side seemed to be on his way out of the office because she could hear some people bidding him goodbye.

An Ning thought she had better tell the truth, “At a social gathering.”

“Oh.” There was silent at the other end for a short period of time, then he said, “Interested in anyone?”

He …… was angry? For safety reason, An Ning immediately said: “I was forced to come here.”

“Is it?” There was a hint of laughter in his voice, “I’m going to uni tonight, so do you have time to meet up?”

“Is that a question?” She “blurted out.”

“……” Mo Ting pressed his forehead.

At the spur of the moment, An Ning did not know how to, “remedy” the situation, but she felt this kind of silence was very comfortable. She heard Mao Mao calling for her and coming towards her, “I am going to hang up because my friend is calling me.”

Before Mo Ting hung up the phone, he reminded her, “Don’t drink.”

Why his tone sounded, like she was an alcoholic …… when she turned around, Mao Mao was already standing next to her: “Your man called?!”

An Ning: “Why you called me?”

“Qiang Wei just ran into the people who bullied you and Zhao Yang last time. As it turned out, the two of them are from this university. Haha, it seems that they have been punished by the university. They were reprimanded and given detention. The leader in the university is really wise ah.” Mao Mao was unable to conceal her happiness.

An Ning was thinking: Zhao Yang was the one who bullied them, right?

An Ning left early at eight o’clock. When she arrived at the downstairs of her dormitory, she was surprised to see a person standing in the doorway. This man who was wearing a dark jacket, turned around and saw her. He extinguished the cigarette in his hand, then walked to stand in front of her: “I am in the vicinity, so I came over without an appointment.” His reason was fair and reasonable.

An Ning nodded and did not know what to say since she was unfamiliar with him. Regarding the “relatives” from her father’s side, she did not dislike but also unlikely to care or pay much attention.

He did not seem to want to stay long, so he directly said: “Your father asked me to bring a message to you. If you’ve time, go back to G city.”

An Ning nodded again. Thinking that he would leave after that, but nothing happened. When she looked up, he was looking at her, “Are you free? Let’s find a restaurant to sit down, since I’ve not eaten dinner yet.”

An Ning did not expect this, so she did not know what to do at that moment. He was waiting patiently.

Ultimately, she still agreed, even though reluctantly. When they were going into the restaurant, they actually ran into Zhang Qi who was coming out from inside. He was a little surprised to meet them there, but his facial expression did not change. They casually chatted a few words with each other before taking their leave. Before walking away, he can’t help but asked: “Did Mo Ting tell you that he is coming over today?”

“Yes.” An Ning smiled. It can clearly be seen, guys also have vivid imagination.

Zhang Qi was conscious that he had overstepped his boundary. In the end, he smiled, said goodbye and turned to go out. When the door was closing, he did look back, his eyes flickering a bit because this was really surprising – Zhou Jin Cheng was Control Yuan’s second in command.

“What do you recommend?” He asked after sitting down.

An Ning replied, “The teppanyaki here is quite good, but you might ——”

“Then I’ll give it a try.” He smiled and called the waiter.

Will someone who was used to fine dining every day, eat teppanyaki? Well, occasionally light food was also needed to balance the diet. She ordered a fruit juice because she has eaten a lot at the social gathering.

Ten minutes later, a handsome man dressed in a simple T-shirt walked into the restaurant. When Mo Ting saw the people sitting at a table near the window, he slowed his footstep. He originally wanted to come here to buy dinner for her but apparently it was not needed now. He stroked his forehead lightly, then moved to sit at a table behind. After drinking the warm water served by a waiter, his stomach pain from before felt slightly relieved. At this moment, the mobile phone rang with a text message, “I’m currently at a noodle bar. Can you call me? Just say there is an urgent matter …… Well …… I don’t really know how to interact with this uncle of mine.” He can imagine that she must be appearing a little pitiful.

An Ning was biting her straw and waiting patiently for his reply. In a flash, he replied: “Come out after you’ve finished eating. I don’t have an urgent matter.”

The people in the dormitory were all busy socializing, so nobody replied her text message. Hence she has to to ask for his help …… but he really  “refused to help.”

At this moment, Zhou Jin Cheng lifted his eyes to look at her, “Are you waiting for someone?”

An Ning was thinking if she was really a cat, all her body hair will stand on end now: “Well …… have you tried stewed thin beef slices before?”

He smiled: “No.”

“How about a special dish from north Europe called steak tartare?”

“No.”

“……” For the first time, An Ning felt how it was like to exert oneself by beating on cotton, so she remained silent.

When they were about to leave the restaurant, the waiter told them that their bill had already been settled. One was surprised and the other was thinking. Then Zhou Jin Cheng turned his head, smiled at her and said:. “It seems that I’ve benefited from you.”

When the Mercedes was driven away, An Ning began to ponder. In fact, she did not like this kind of relative, right? An issue that has been weighting heavily in her mind is these people who have power within their grasp. Just like father, everything was built on benefits and relationships, so she did not know how much was sincere.

Xu Mo Ting returned to the dormitory and took a shower. Zhang Qi praised the person who was wiping dry his hair: “Now, I know why women are so attracted to you. It is a pity that you don’t like to show off. Otherwise, you absolutely can overwhelm Jiang Xu from the Faculty of Arts. ”

Xu Mo Ting was not interested in this topic of conversation, so he picked up the watch from the table and put it on: “This semester, the tutor of a masters degree has been praising you so you can advance further.”

“Study for a PhD? I do have such intention.” Since they were talking about it, Zhang Qi inevitably asked: “How about you? If you want, it should be easy ——”

Mo Ting smiled: “I don’t have such intention currently.”

“Ya, you don’t lack a degree,” Seeing that he was about to go out, Zhang Qi began to speak then hesitated. Mo Ting noticed that and asked: “Is there anything else?”

“This …… I don’t know if I should say it. I saw your wife just now.”

Xu Mo Ting casually said okay.

Zhang Qi: “Like this only?”

“Otherwise, how?” His tone was flat, he did not look like he was lying.

“I thought you will care at least a little.” Apparently he was making a big fuss over a minor issue. Zhang Qi started to relax and can’t help jokingly said: “Frankly speaking, your girlfriend can be considered a great beauty. If you don’t keep track of her constantly, will you feel at ease?”

The fingers that were fastening the shirt buttons stopped. Xu Mo Ting did not deny that it did affect his mood a little, but he spoke calmly like normal: “Anyway, she can’t escape.”

When Xu Mo Ting came down, he saw someone standing next to the flower bed. Her head was drooped and her feet was kicking some pebbles. Her rear view under the dim light from the street lamp seemed a little delicate. Her hair has grown until the waist. Recalling a few years ago, being dragged by a classmate to the gymnasium to watch the female student match —— at that time, her hair was until her shoulder only  …… his first time spying on someone during his adolescence years. For the first time, it made him aware of the throbbing in his body, like touching a poppy. He felt slightly numb, from the hands to the chest.

The moment An Ning looked up, she saw Xu Mo Ting was approaching her.  She gave him a warm and faint natural smile. Then, she straightened up and put her hands behind the back to wait for him.

“I am in the vicinity, so I came early.” She hoped she looked perfectly composed, showing no sign of nerve.

Mo Ting held out his hand to caress the plaster strip on her face, “Feeling better?”

Whenever she has to face reality, she was dead meat. Because of his touch, her face turned slightly red: “Oh, it is okay now, just a small cut only.” Mao Mao was the one who forcefully put the plaster strip on her, saying there are gems and dirt everywhere. An Ning was certain that she must be very bored recently.

At this point in time, they were hidden under a tree and they were also at a corner where not many people will walk by. Xu Mo Ting was contemplating. In the end, he came up to lick her lips. Because it was too sudden, An Ning has no time to react, before his hand was around her hair to imprison her.

“Don’t grit your teeth.”

When the lips met, the licking became deep kissing. An Ning’s nerve was once again weak. His breath smell of jasmine, somewhat refreshingly cool and also moisten.

Xu Mo Ting pulled her to the pillar behind the flower bed, blocking everything from the outside world. He leaned on her neck. Over the past many years, this was the first time he was obsessed with someone. The nervous and frightening first kiss in the restaurant, drew out the tremors hidden in the depths of his body. He did not want to be in the situation where he obviously wanted it, but couldn’t get it again.

He dropped a kiss on her eyelids without any trace, resembling a type of ritual.

The sound of footsteps disrupted one of the party’s world. Two girls who had wanted to take a shortcut were startled by the scene before their eyes. It was not uncommon for lovers to get intimate in the university at night, but the problem was this handsome man in front of them, was the perfect, cool and unapproachable Xu Mo Ting from the Faculty of Foreign Studies.

“Sor …… Sorry.” A girl who regained her composure first, pulled the sleeve of her friend and both of them quickly walked away.

“Xu Mo Ting  ……”

“Yes?” His voice was still a little hoarse.

An Ning knew her face must be red now, “Well …… do you like me very much?”

When An Ning returned to the dormitory, Zhao Yang was asking everyone when did they buy their first computer?

Qiang Wei: “1997, it left a deep impression on me because of the reunification with Hong Kong.”

“1997 ah?” Mao Mao shook her head: “I was a good kid at that time, so I never went online because of the university entrance exam.”

Qiang Wei frowned: “I was in primary school at that time.”

“……”

When Mao Mao saw An Ning came in, she immediately jumped up and asked: “Meow Meow, please recommend some books for me to read.”

An Ning: “How about …… fairy tale?”

Mao Mao: “I don’t read fairy tale. If I read, it will be the adult version.”

Qiang Wei smiled: “In fact, fairy tales are extremely dark. What did ‘The Red Shoes’ tell you? If you don’t want to attend the funeral barefoot but you only have a pair of red shoes, then what await you is both of your feet will be amputated! What did ‘The Ugly Duckling’ tell you? The world discriminates between beauty and ugliness. When you are an ugly duckling, everybody also wants to kill you, unless you can live until the day you grow into a swan. How about ‘The Little Mermaid’? Oh, you should not lust after things that don’t belong to you, otherwise you will turn into sea foam. ‘The Princess and the Pea’ is incomprehensible. In addition, what does ‘The Tinderbox’ encourage ah? Simply to deceive people for undeserved fame!”

Zhao Yang: “You sound like an angry youth ah.”

Qiang Wei: “Hmmm, finally a comparison on the classics. Perhaps ‘Jane Eyre’ is more positive than ‘Wuthering Heights’. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is more active than the ‘Lily of the Valley’. Reading Tang and Song poems is better than ‘The Flowers of Evil’ (French poetry). In addition, ‘The Complete Works of Franz Kafka’ is definitely more frightening than Hitchcock!”

Mao Mao: “Hence everyone come together and read the positive and active NP (N persons – a girl or a guy with several partners) text which can also improve your health.”

“……”

Qiang Wei: “Why Meow Meow went to bed already?”

An Ning, I have a crush on you for five years ……

An Ning was late for the project team meeting on the next morning.  When she went in, her two partners as well as Xu Mo Ting were already there. When he heard the sound of the door opening, he turned and greeted her.

E waited for her to sit down beside her before she laughed and asked: “Did you sleep with the quilt drawn over your head? Your hair is messy.”

An Ning lifted a hand to tidy up her hair, but because her hair was too long, the ends got entangled, so she let it be. Then she lowered her head to ask E, “Which part are you discussing about now?”

“We’ve just started.” She lowered her voice, “When a certain male came in just now, he fell down. Such a pity that you did not see it ah, because really funny.”

“Oh ……”

The person at the head of the table tapped lightly on the desktop, so the two girls tactfully ended their gossip.

A certain male pushed a slip of paper in front of Meow Meow. She hesitated before picking it up, “Meow Meow knows everything, so please recommend me some dit da jow (Chinese liniment) la.”

An Ning’s first reaction was to laugh out loud, but the person at the head of the table was already looking at them, so she immediately gave a serious expression.

A certain male was thinking, weren’t these two lovers? Why were they behaving like virtual stranger?

The result from their discussion today was pretty good.

“The issue now is to borrow a laboratory for our long-term use, but it looks like there is a lack of such facility in the whole campus.” At this point, a certain male felt indignant at the injustice: “The university snubs our Department of Physics!”

An Ning: “I will go to talk things over with them.”

A certain male: “Okay, trouble you la. I’ll begin to concentrate on the second phase, to avoid getting caught unprepared at that time.”

An Ning: “Okay, you go ahead and do it. I’ll deal with the others.”

A certain male: “Your Excellency is brilliant!”

E laughed: “The two of you really have a tacit understanding.”

A certain male blurted out: “Of course, Meow Meow and I were in the same class since the first year of university.”

At this time, Xu Mo Ting has returned to his seat after walking to the window to pick up a phone call. He spoke softly to Li An Ning: “Xu Cheng Yu asked you to go shopping with her, but I’ve declined on your behalf.”