CHAPTER 197: CHAPTER 197: RIDE-SHARING

Ever since Li Jing bid farewell to Zhou Li in Linshui last time, the two hadn’t been in contact.

Therefore, Li Jing’s impression of Zhou Li remained at Linshui.

Short hair, clean, reserved and shy but competent at work.

Although she doesn’t like makeup, her appearance can score nine points, which was why Huang Jun called her the hidden class beauty upon meeting her.

Li Jing still had some affection for Zhou Li.

After all, it’s hard for any guy not to feel a bit fond of a girl who’s secretly admired him for years, looking pretty and cleanly pure.

If it weren’t for the earth-shattering changes in Li Jing’s life now.

If Li Jing had met Zhou Li in his previous state, perhaps a romantic love story might have happened.

But now Li Jing has evolved into a jerk, only wanting to live his life freely, and any new fixed intimate relationship would only make him feel constrained.

With Zhou Li’s blushing shy face appearing in his mind, Li Jing curiously clicked on the message from Zhou Li.

He didn’t know what made Zhou Li, who never took the initiative to contact him, suddenly reach out at this moment.

According to her character, unless it was a matter of desperation, she probably wouldn’t have come to trouble him.

"Li Jing, are you still in Tianhai? Are you driving home? I’m also in Tianhai but didn’t grab a ticket, can I catch a ride with you?"

After sending this message, Zhou Li seemed to find her request sudden and added:

"If it’s inconvenient for you, I won’t go. Don’t trouble yourself because of this. I can think of other ways."

Reading Zhou Li’s words, Li Jing was surprised that she was also in Tianhai, but didn’t think much and just found her later words amusing.

If Zhou Li really had other options, she probably wouldn’t have come to him.

With Zhou Li’s nature, she must have really found no way to get home before reaching out to him, yet didn’t want to trouble him, hence saying so.

Li Jing didn’t hesitate and replied directly, "Sure, but I’m leaving at noon today, have you packed your luggage?"

Originally, he had plans with Huang Jun, but Huang Jun signed up for the competition at the end of February, so he didn’t plan to go home during the New Year due to the need for intensive training.

"Ah, I’ve packed, I’ve packed! Thank you so much. Where should I find you? Tell me the time and place, I’ll come to you."

Zhou Li replied almost instantly, appearing particularly delighted and excited by Li Jing’s response, followed by several cute thank-you animations.

"No need, you don’t have a car, and it’s inconvenient carrying luggage. Send me the address, I’ll pick you up at 1 in the afternoon."

"That’s too much trouble for you, let me cover the gas for this ride."

Seeing the reply, Li Jing shook his head and smiled, replied "No need," and ended the chat.

At this time, Zhang Xinxin had already climbed out of bed, looking at Li Jing’s phone with curiosity: "Brother Jing, who are you chatting with?"

"A classmate from middle school, happens to be in Tianhai too, wants to catch a ride home with me."

Li Jing put down his phone and turned to look at Zhang Xinxin.

She was still wearing last night’s sexy cosplay outfit, her impressive cleavage almost spilling out from the open neckline.

"Classmate? Is she pretty?" Zhang Xinxin blinked her big eyes, her slightly messy long hair falling around her face, coupled with her already charming features, adding a lazy seductive allure.

"She’s okay, just an ordinary friend."

As soon as Li Jing finished speaking, Zhang Xinxin naturally lowered her head toward him.

Seeing her move, Li Jing’s expression changed slightly: "You’re not satisfied these days?"

Zhang Xinxin reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, revealing her seductive face, her red lips sticking out her tongue, a slight smile at the corner of her mouth:

"You’re leaving today, right? I have to get close to your brother one last time, lest he goes and pleases other women..."

As her words fell, Li Jing’s body tightened slightly, sinking once again into an extreme pleasure.

...

Meanwhile, in the two-bedroom rented apartment.

Wearing a bear pajama set, Zhou Li put down her phone and happily hugged the plush cartoon toy on her bed, "Great! I didn’t expect him to agree. Luckily, I mustered up the courage to send him a message, or I would have missed this opportunity."

"Lili, did you find a ride?"

At this time, her roommate from another bedroom walked to her room’s door, concerned, "I have a friend going back to Tan City, you can catch a ride with her there, then take the high-speed rail from Tan City..."

"Thanks, no need, I’ve already arranged to catch a ride with my classmate."

Upon seeing the girl at her bedroom door, Zhou Li quickly restrained her excited expression.

"Really? That’s great. I was worried you wouldn’t get back home for the holidays. We outsiders look forward to returning home for the New Year all year long."

The roommate also felt happy for Zhou Li, then took out her phone to check the road trip duration for her. Suddenly surprised, she said, "Oh my, driving from Tianhai to your hometown takes ten hours without traffic jams. It’s going to be exhausting..."

"Ten hours?"

Zhou Li hadn’t expected the drive to be so long, she quickly got up and walked over to glimpse at the map route shown on her roommate’s phone.

But to the roommate’s surprise, Zhou Li showed not dissatisfaction but a subtle expectation, "Ten hours, meaning I get to spend ten hours with him..."

Seeing Zhou Li’s inexplicably flushed face, the roommate frowned and questioned, "Lili, are you okay? Thrilled about sitting for so long? Are you somehow excited? Do you have a masochistic tendency?"

"What are you talking about, I’m not excited."

Zhou Li’s face slightly changed, refuted quickly, then turned back toward her room: "I need to pack my luggage, my classmate’s picking me up at one in the afternoon. I’ve already troubled him and can’t let him wait any longer."

Seeing this, the roommate stepped forward proactively, "Let me help you, I’ve got a ticket for tomorrow morning, not in a hurry to pack..."

...

At twelve forty noon, Zhou Li waited early with two suitcases at the community entrance.

Her roommate stood by helplessly, "Didn’t you say one o’clock? You’ve come down way too early."

"Oh, he’s specially coming to pick me up, I ought to come downstairs early to wait. How inappropriate it is to have him help and keep him waiting."

Seeing Zhou Li, the roommate squinted slightly and clicked her tongue, "Something’s really wrong, seriously wrong..."

Zhou Li glanced at her roommate’s strange expression, frowning in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"Going back home for New Year’s, I can understand your excitement and joy. Coming down so early, I can reluctantly accept. But..."

Saying this, she looked Zhou Li up and down with her exquisitely dressed appearance, "You never wear makeup, and now suddenly apply makeup and put on new clothes meant for New Year, that’s definitely not right."

"You’re guessing nonsense..." Zhou Li’s face turned beet red, quickly explaining, "I simply want to go home looking nice..."

"Don’t bother explaining, you’re bad at lying, your face is as red as a monkey’s butt."

The roommate confirmed her suspicion, proudly saying, "Say it, the classmate you’ve arranged is a guy, right?"

"Yes, so what?"

"Oh~~ now that makes sense."

The roommate’s eyes instantly lit up with gossip, "No wonder you rejected the matchmaking introductions. It turns out there’s a guy already hidden in your heart!

Anyway, is he handsome? What’s his job? What’s the nature of your relationship now..."

Just as Zhou Li was about to fail under the barrage of questions, her eyes suddenly brightened as she glimpsed a distant car, immediately saying, "Enough, there’s a car coming, could be him."

"So quick? Let me see!"

The roommate turned around, full of curiosity, only to see a flashy Maserati driving swiftly from the end of the road.

After coming to a stop beside the two, the window slid down, revealing a young man impeccably dressed, with a top-notch hairstyle reflecting quality.

Initially stunned, the roommate, upon hearing Zhou Li’s surprise voice, confirmed it was Zhou Li’s friend, shocked:

"Wow, Zhou Li, you secretly hid such a high-quality guy without telling me, you’re not being a good sister!"