The night before the college entrance exam results were released, I redeemed my Peking University ad

"I...I wasn't thinking of anything!"

Li Mei bit her lip.

That bastard!

Why do I always feel so completely controlled by him?

He doesn't act like a teenager at all!

"Then why are you blushing?" Ji Bai asked with a smile.

"It's hot! It's from the charcoal fire!" Li Mei quickly made an excuse.

"Why is it yellow again?"

"Who are you calling yellow-faced? Fine, you think I'm a 'yellow-faced woman'?"

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant." Ji Bai waved his hands repeatedly.

Why did you just say that?

My face is yellow again... What's the story behind that?

My damn memory!

but……

"Teacher, what do you mean by 'I dislike your old lady'? Tell me, are you trying to make a move on me?"

"you?"

Li Mei was speechless, and could only glare at him.

But her eyes weren't menacing at all; instead, they were watery and pleading, like a little animal that had been bullied badly.

Seeing this, Ji Bai knew when to stop and continued grilling the meat, but a smile he couldn't hide always lingered on his lips.

Li Mei secretly took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

My heart felt both sweet and panicked, like being scratched by cat claws.

She felt that something was really wrong with her today.

If this kid had dared to talk to her like that in class before, she would have thrown a piece of chalk at him long ago.

But now...

She actually felt a little... pleased.

Terrible.

To cover her guilty conscience, Li Mei started making conversation: "Do you know how much this meal cost? This one plate of meat alone cost almost half a month's salary for me."

Her intention was to change the subject and, incidentally, complain about the extravagance of the meal.

As a result, Ji Bai, with half a piece of meat in his mouth, looked up at her and slowly replied:

"Then I'll take care of you from now on."

Li Mei almost dropped her chopsticks.

She looked up abruptly and met Ji Bai's eyes.

When the boy said this, his expression didn't seem like he was joking. His tone was casual, yet it carried an undeniable certainty.

Li Mei's heartbeat felt like someone had stepped on the gas pedal, soaring to 180 beats per minute.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out for a long time. In the end, she could only lower her head and rummage through the rice in her bowl, pretending to be very busy.

"Who, who needs you to support them..."

She muttered softly, her voice so faint it was barely audible, lacking any real confidence.

Ji Bai smiled and didn't press her any further.

Some things are more meaningful when left unsaid.

Just then, the chatter of a few young people at the next table drifted over.

"Holy crap, did you guys watch today's live stream?"

"How could I not watch it! Ji Shen was on fire the whole time! I was completely stunned when he publicly released the patent for free!"

"That was fucking awesome! The Hausen family is going to be lucky to escape with their lives!"

"Where do you think Ji Shen is right now? He's probably up to something big in some top-secret lab, right? Maybe the next thing he'll be working on is a lithography machine!"

"I bet a bag of spicy strips that Ji Shen will be on CCTV News within a month!"

"Pshaw! You're betting too conservatively. I bet Ji Shen will win the Nobel Prize this year!"

"To be honest, at Ji Shen's current level, even the Nobel Prize wouldn't be worthy of shining his shoes."

The young people got more and more excited as they talked, their voices grew louder and louder, and they almost sprayed saliva onto the next table.

Li Mei was secretly delighted and glanced at Ji Bai furtively.

The man acted as if nothing was wrong, intently flipping lamb kidneys on the grill, sprinkling cumin with the skill of someone who had been running a barbecue stall for ten years.

She suddenly had a feeling that was both absurd and hilarious.

The whole world is guessing where Ji Shen is right now.

Who would have thought?

Ji Shen is sitting here, grilling kidneys for me.

This secret thrill of "the person the whole world admires is grilling meat for me" filled Li Mei with an inexplicable sense of pride.

She couldn't help but smile slightly.

"What are you laughing at?" Ji Bai looked up at her.

"N-nothing," Li Mei quickly composed herself and lowered her head to eat.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth from turning down.

At that moment, a boy wearing glasses at the next table suddenly remarked:

"Honestly, if I could have a meal with Ji Shen, I'd be willing to pay 100,000, let alone 10,000."

The person next to him immediately chimed in, "One hundred thousand? You dare to dream! With Ji Shen's current net worth, the patent fees alone are enough to buy this whole street! Being able to have a meal with him would be a stroke of incredible luck."

"Sigh, I guess I'll just keep thinking about it."

"Me too, but I guess I'll never get close to him in this lifetime."

Upon hearing this, Ji Bai suddenly put down the clip, turned slightly to the side, and leaned close to Li Mei's ear.

Did you hear that?

His voice was very low, with a hint of amusement, and his warm breath brushed against her earlobe:

"You got a great deal on this meal."

Li Mei's face flushed red instantly, all the way to her ears.

She felt as if a tiny electric current had passed through her body, starting from her ears and tingling all the way to her tailbone.

She wanted to dodge, but her body wouldn't obey her commands, and she remained frozen in her seat, unable to move.

"Can't you... speak properly! Why are you getting so close!"

Li Mei hurriedly dodged to the side, her tone both ashamed and angry, but her voice was so soft that it had no intimidating power whatsoever.

"I was just worried you wouldn't hear me clearly."

Ji Bai didn't take it to heart, sat up straight again, picked up a piece of grilled beef tongue and put it into her bowl.

"Here, have a piece of tongue to nourish yourself."

"Why would you need to supplement your tongue!"

"Just do it, it'll be useful later!"

"Ji Bai!!"

Li Mei was both angry and amused.

The two were arguing when a waitress came over.

"Hello, miss."

The waiter bowed slightly and smiled at Li Mei, saying:

"Mr. Huang from the VIP room, please come over for a drink."

Li Mei's smile froze instantly, and she slowly lowered her hand holding the chopsticks.

"Excuse me, I don't know any Mr. Huang. Please pass on his message. Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not available right now."

The waiter was clearly not expected to be refused; his smile faltered for a moment, then he nodded and turned to leave.

Ji Bai turned his head and glanced in the direction of the row of VIP rooms.

Behind the frosted glass door, the lights flickered, and the faint sounds of several men laughing could be heard, mixed with the clinking of glasses.

"Wow, old teacher, your charm hasn't diminished at all. Even when you're having barbecue, someone comes to deliver wine to your door."

"Shut up."

Li Mei glanced at him, but her face felt a little hot.

The waiter returned less than two minutes later.

"Mr. Huang said he would like to invite you over to meet him and make friends. We would appreciate it if you could do us this favor."

Li Mei's tone turned cold: "I'll say it again, I don't know any General Manager Huang, and please don't come again!"

The waiter could only leave awkwardly.

Li Mei's good mood was instantly ruined. She glanced at Ji Bai across from her and found that the little devil was actually smiling.

"What are you laughing at?" Li Mei glared at him irritably.

"I'm glad someone gave me a chance."

"What opportunity?"

"A chance for a hero to save the damsel in distress!"

"W-what, a hero saving a damsel in distress?" Li Mei's face instantly turned red.

"What kind of hero are you?"

"Why doesn't that count?"

Ji Bai chuckled.

"Like a dragon crossing the river, a tiger descending the mountain, striking up a conversation is a gamble with your life!"

Before the words had even finished, a commotion was heard coming from the direction of the private room.

Then, a middle-aged man in his fifties, with a large belly, came out carrying a wine glass...

……