Youngsters’ birthday parties generally didn't last very late. After all, adults were present, and some students’ parents also drove over to pick up their children. Some of them who had a special relationship with Song Chi had informed their parents that they would be staying in the Song residence. Tong Jia was a teacher, so she was ready to leave only after all the students who should’ve left had left.
Song Yancheng stopped her: "Teacher Tong, please wait a moment, I'll drive you home.”
The butler standing beside him froze for a moment, before smiling knowingly.
Tong Jia smiled and waved her hands. "No, I'll just take a taxi home." She felt that it was unusual for a guardian to send her home by themselves.
Song Yancheng changed into an overcoat sent by his servant. He walked up to Tong Jia and said with a slight smile, "How could I let you go alone? It's late, Teacher Tong. Don't be so polite.”
In Tong Jia's point of view, Song Yancheng was indeed very kind, but she didn't say anything more. The Song residence was located in an affluent area. If she wanted to take a taxi, she would have to walk for at least half an hour. Thinking of that, Tong Jia nodded and smiled politely at Song Yancheng. "Then I’ll be troubling Mr. Song.”
After watching Tong Jia get into Song Yancheng's car and leave, Song Chi's best friend hugged him from the side, frowned, and said, "I say, Chi, do you think your eldest brother has a crush on Teacher Tong?" Children of this age had a vague idea of love.
Song Chi jabbed him with his elbow. He scolded, "What are you talking about?”
After saying this, Song Chi also revealed a thoughtful expression. The housekeeper bowed his head, smiled, and walked to Song Chi. "Second Young Master, the stuff is ready. Should we prepare a midnight snack?”
Song Chi returned to his senses. "Oh, no need.”
Tong Jia was sitting in Song Yancheng’s car. She wasn’t good at dealing with people. Although she was familiar with Song Yancheng after playing games, she was still uneasy when they were staying together at present. Song Yancheng also saw Tong Jia's tense expression through the rearview mirror. He thought about it and tried to actively create some chat topics. "Teacher Tong, did you have fun today?”
"Mmm, yes." Tong Jia thought her answer was too blunt and added again: "Mr. Song, thank you for your hospitality today.”
The atmosphere inside the car was awkward. Tong Jia had just finished and already felt stupid. Sometimes she preferred dealing with students. She was under a lot of pressure when talking to a successful person like Song Yancheng.
Song Yancheng also noticed Tong Jia's restraint, thinking that between the both of them, she was more like a student, while he was like a teacher. When this strange idea surfaced in his mind, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Teacher Tong, if you don’t mind, you can call me by my name directly.”
Hearing this Tong Jia was astonished. She had thought that a person like Song Yancheng would be arrogant. But after meeting him in person, he was actually humble. Tong Jia soon got over it. She felt that her vision was too narrow. For Song Yancheng's status today, both his IQ and EQ were definitely higher than that of ordinary people like her.
"Of course, Mr. Song, oh, no, Song Yancheng, you can also call my name directly." Tong Jia said with a smile.
Nevertheless, she should still take the chance.
"Tong Jia, do you like flowers a lot?" Song Yancheng was startled when he spoke out her name. It was so familiar as if he had called it numerous times. He thoughtfully looked at Tong Jia through the rearview mirror. Their eyes met, and his emotions were thrown into turmoil more and more.
“I don't like them very much." Tong Jia smiled sadly and replied.
This was the truth. She couldn’t name more than half of the flowers in the greenhouse back there, but if conditions permitted, she would be very happy to enjoy the flowers just like today.
Song Yancheng nodded gently as if in response to her words.
For a while, two people had nothing to say again. Neither Tong Jia nor Song Yancheng were people who talked a lot, and they weren’t good at dealing with people. In that moment of silence, the both of them were digging through their brains to find a topic. After all, this journey wasn’t short. It would be very strange and embarrassing to keep silent.
What made Tong Jia depressed was that she wasn’t an expert in finding topics, and neither did Song Yancheng seem to be, so she was silent all the way until the apartment building could be faintly seen. Tong Jia's eyes lit up again. She was about to get rid of this embarrassing and dreadful atmosphere!
"Just stop at the intersection ahead. You can turn here." Tong Jia said warmly.
Song Yancheng held the steering wheel with both hands, turned the corner, and stopped at the gate of the community. He unbuckled his seat belt first, pushed open the door, and got off. He quickly walked to the other side to help Tong Jia open the door. Tong Jia, who had just picked up her bag, was dazed when she saw this scene. She soon got off with her head down. She whispered, "I’ve troubled you.”
In fact, even Song Yancheng couldn't understand why he was like this. It seemed that his subconscious had urged him to do it. However, looking at Tong Jia's slightly blushing face, he felt pleasure in his heart. It didn’t matter where those strange emotions had come from.
"Tong Jia, please take care of Song Chi at school. I'm always busy with my work and am careless about his studies. If Song Chi has any problems at school, you can contact me directly." Song Yancheng didn't wait for Tong Jia's reply. He took out a pen from his pocket and looked around for a moment before quickly stepping aside, picking a leaf up from the ground, and writing his mobile phone number on it.
Tong Jia, who watched the scene, was immediately dumbfounded.
Song Yancheng blew on the leaves, trying to make the handwriting on it dry quickly.
Tong Jia was stunned. She couldn't believe that Song Yancheng would do something cheesy like this which could only be found in stories.
Song Yancheng didn't think he had done anything as such. He handed the leaves to Tong Jia, who was still looking calm and was smiling.
Tong Jia felt that she should take it, but in fact, she directly took out her mobile phone from her bag and unlocked the screen. She smiled and said to Song Yancheng, "Er, you can directly give me your number, and I’ll call you now, so that you have my mobile phone number.”
"That's also right." Song Yancheng told his number to Tong Jia, and after a while, his mobile phone in the car rang.
Before saying goodbye, Tong Jia still picked up the leaf from Song Yancheng’s hands.
When she returned to her room, Tong Jia leaned back against the door, raised her hand, and looked at the string of numbers on the leaf.
Song Yancheng did not know which floor Tong Jia lived on. He leaned against the door and looked up at the apartment building. After a while, when he saw a window light up, he felt slightly relieved.
On the way back, Song Yancheng thought very clearly. He wasn’t willing to avoid his true thoughts. He really didn't remember what had happened before, and although he was now like a blank sheet of paper regarding feelings, he was sure that Tong Jia was different.
This difference wasn’t standing with her, but a feeling that satisfied him more than sitting in the office.
Sitting in the office, he was ambitious and high-spirited. But with Tong Jia, her eyes, her hair, and her faint fragrance were all attracting his heart, like a pair of gentle hands gently touching and comforting his body.
He remembered the question that the student had asked today. Was Tong Jia beautiful? Of course, she was beautiful, but…not just beautiful.
After his discharge from the hospital, he had been invited to various dinners. He had met many beautiful people, but Song Yancheng felt that those beauties were only skin deep. Only Tong Jia made him feel alive.
Yes, it was alive.
Was it love at first sight? This idea flashed through Song Yancheng’s heart, but he laughed inexplicably.
When he returned to the Song residence, Song Yancheng walked into the living room and the housekeeper followed respectfully.
Song Yancheng suddenly stopped. He pulled out his mobile phone from his trouser pocket, thought for a moment, and wrote a text while going upstairs.
Tong Jia, who just took a shower and was ready to rest, received a text message from Song Yancheng. Uh, it was an inexplicably cute text message.
【I got home safely.】