Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 615 Dawn (21)

Jing Chen's deep voice came from the watch phone: "Have you had lunch?"

Yan Zhen said, "Not yet, we'll go eat after we finish touring this exhibition hall."

"Hmm." Jing Chen asked again, "Around what time will you be home?"

"Hmm, maybe around four or five o'clock. There are still a few exhibition halls to visit, and there's a dolphin and orca show to watch in the afternoon."

"Okay, be careful and have fun."

Yan Zhen hung up the phone, and Sheng Qing put his arm around her shoulder from behind: "Is your brother checking up on you again?"

"It's not that he's checking up on me; he's just worried about me going out."

“In a society governed by the rule of law, there are police everywhere, and you’re all grown up, what’s there to worry about…” Sheng Qing complained, “He calls every time we go out together, isn’t that checking up on him?”

Yan Zhen smiled and didn't argue with her, quickly changing the subject with a few words.

The group ate lunch at a noodle shop inside the aquarium. The prices at the tourist attraction restaurant were double those outside, and the taste was quite perfunctory. Yan Zhen only ate half of it before putting down his chopsticks.

By the afternoon, Zhou Bingchuan was clearly less reserved, occasionally walking beside Yan Zhen and exchanging a few words with her.

Several pairs of eyes were watching Yan Zhen's reaction. Yan Zhen didn't want to say anything to his face. Finally, at five o'clock, the group left the aquarium.

While waiting for the bus at the bus stop outside the aquarium, Yan Zhen patted Zhou Bingchuan on the shoulder, gesturing for him to come over and talk.

The two avoided the others and walked to a slightly farther place. Yan Zhen turned on his watch and said, "I'll transfer the money for the mermaid pendant to your WeChat."

Zhou Bingchuan was taken aback, then quickly waved his hand: "No need..."

“My brother said I shouldn’t accept favors from others.” Yan Zhen’s attitude was serious. “We’re just classmates, there’s no reason for you to pay for my things.”

Zhou Bingchuan's expression changed slightly.

Even though he was only twelve or thirteen years old, he could tell from Yan Zhen's words that she was politely refusing him because she had no romantic feelings for him and did not intend to develop a relationship with him, so she insisted on returning the money to him.

Zhou Bingchuan looked like a flower wilted by the sun, his expression visibly declining. He hung his head and after a while said, "Yan Zhen, I understand what you mean... You don't need the money. Consider it a souvenir."

Yan Zhen asked, puzzled, "In remembrance?"

Zhou Bingchuan said with a wry smile, "My dad changed cities for work. After the entrance exam for junior high school, I will be moving to Shanghai to attend junior high school. If nothing unexpected happens, we may not have many chances to see each other again."

At this point, Zhou Bingchuan mustered up his courage and said, "Yan Zhen, I've liked you since fourth grade."

Yan Zhen: "...Thank you."

After Zhou Bingchuan finished speaking, his expression relaxed a bit. He smiled and said, "It's my business that I like you. You don't need to feel pressured because of it. I'm very happy to be able to come out and have fun with you today. I wish you the best of luck in your junior high school entrance exam."

Yan Zhen was touched by his sincere smile and smiled back, "You too."

The two exchanged a few words when the bus Zhou Bingchuan was supposed to take arrived. He waved to Yan Zhen and said, "I'll be going now."

"Okay, be careful on the road."

Yan Zhen breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Zhou Bingchuan and two other boys who had made plans to go to the electronics mall to play games leave first.

She turned around to look at the bus stop sign, but when she turned back, she was surprised to see Jing Chen dragging a suitcase, leaning against the sign with a blank expression, looking at her.

Yan Zhen was taken aback at first, then exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, what are you doing here?"

She ran over in a few quick steps, and the other two girls who were still waiting for the bus turned around at the same time. The two girls, who were discussing which member of a certain boy band was the most handsome, fell silent as soon as they saw Jing Chen.

Jing Chen's cold expression thawed as Yan Zhen ran over. Looking at Yan Zhen who had run up to him, he reached out and ruffled her hair: "The high-speed rail station is nearby, so I thought I'd come and pick you up to go home together."

"Why didn't you call me beforehand?" Yan Zhen complained. "Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"No, not really." Jing Chen said, glancing at two girls not far away who were hiding their presence like huddled quails, and waved to them.

The two little girls hesitated for a moment, then moved over in small steps and greeted him, "Brother Jingchen."

"Hello, brother."

"Hello," Jing Chen said. "The buses here are hard to catch, and even when they do, they take a long detour, taking an hour and a half to get back to the city. I'll take a taxi, and we can go back together."

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhen immediately agreed, "Great!"

The two girls exchanged a glance and nodded slightly: "Okay... thank you, brother."

Jingchen hailed a taxi on the roadside, arranged for the three girls to sit in the back seat, and sat in the front passenger seat.

At first, the two girls in the back row were afraid of Jing Chen's presence and dared not speak, trying their best to hide their presence.

But when Yan Zhen, who was playing with Jingchen's phone, saw the news that a boy band was going to hold a concert in Haicheng in two months, and shared it with the two girls, the three of them suddenly started talking and chattered away in the back seat, just like three noisy little sparrows.

After listening for a while, Jing Chen suddenly spoke up: "You guys like this boy band?"

The two girls shut their mouths, worried that Jingchen would be like their older brothers, and the next moment he would make sarcastic remarks about their idol, calling him "effeminate," "looking like a woman," and "gaudy," and even mocking them for having no taste.

Yan Zhen chimed in, "Yeah, this boy band is really popular in our class."

Jing Chen smiled and said, "I'll get you some autographed photos another day."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Qing excitedly jumped from the back row to the front armrest, staring wide-eyed at Jing Chen: "Really? Brother Jing Chen, you can get their autographed photos?"

"Hmm," Jing Chen said calmly, "My boss knows the manager of this boy band, he can help me get a few tickets."

"Ah!!! Thank you, brother!!!" Sheng Qing screamed, instantly forgetting the fear she felt ten minutes ago when she saw Jing Chen, like a mouse seeing a cat. "Brother, can you get me a few more tickets? There are five members in this boy group, and I support three of them. Can you get me three tickets?"

"can."

Another girl pushed past Sheng Qing: "Me too! Me too! Brother, can you get me a few too? I have a big group photo poster at home. I'll have Zhenzhen give it to you. Could you help me get all of them to sign the poster?"

"Ok."

Half an hour later, the two girls who got out of the taxi completely overturned their stereotypical impression of Jing Chen as fierce. When Jing Chen invited them to eat at a hot pot restaurant that Yan Zhen liked, they readily agreed.

After finishing their hotpot meal, Jing Chen first took them home, and then led Yan Zhen home.

It was May, and the night in Haicheng was cool and breezy. Yan Zhen was clearly in a good mood, walking a few steps ahead of Jing Chen, humming a song softly as he walked.

Jing Chen stared at her retreating figure for a long time before quickening his pace to catch up, asking seemingly casually, "In a good mood?"