Chapter 49: This Progress, Unexpected

Three o’clock in the afternoon, at the entrance to Jinghua Conservatory of Music.

Li Jiayan was dressed in a long white gauze dress adorned with polka dots, her glossy black hair cascading over her shoulders. On both sides of her forehead, strands had been woven into delicate braids, creating a unique hairstyle.

At exactly 3 p.m., she met her date for today—Zhang Chen.

By coincidence, he too wore a casual white top. The matching tones of their outfits gave them the air of a couple.

This time, he hadn’t arrived in the production team’s car but had driven his own.

The luxury car was conspicuous, parked at the school gates. Several students passing by, knowledgeable about cars, couldn’t help but cast curious glances their way.

“Bentley Mulsanne,” Li Jiayan murmured inwardly.

Zhang Chen approached and greeted her with gentlemanly courtesy. “Hope I haven’t kept you waiting.”

“Not at all,” Li Jiayan replied with a smile, glancing back at her alma mater. “I invited you to visit my old school today—I hope you won’t find it too dull.”

Zhang Chen looked at the entrance to Jinghua Conservatory. “Not at all. I’ve never been here before—I’m actually quite curious.”

They strolled through the campus as they chatted.

Li Jiayan took him to all the famous spots and showed him the classrooms where she once attended lectures.

The air was thick with an artistic atmosphere, and after a while, Zhang Chen began to feel drowsy.

He liked women with an artistic temperament, but he didn’t care for lingering too long in places saturated with highbrow culture.

He could never quite appreciate these things, and so found them rather dull.

Still, the sight of Li Jiayan improvising a piece for him in the piano room stirred his heart. Yet he wondered—how long could such interest last?

He thought of Ye Fangfei.

That woman who, for the time being, had eluded his attempts to tame her.

She could play piano too. He’d had the privilege of hearing her once and had been utterly captivated.

She could play, dance, and sing—tsk, tsk—Ye Fangfei was in a league of her own.

He wondered who she’d chosen for her date today. Could it be that Lu Zhou fellow?

Li Jiayan noticed Zhang Chen’s distracted air.

He didn’t seem particularly taken with the artistic atmosphere of the conservatory.

“We have a big lawn on campus—shall we go fly a kite?” she suggested.

If he didn’t care for the arts, something more down-to-earth might do the trick.

If he showed no interest even in ordinary activities, it would mean he wasn’t interested in her at all.

“Where would we get a kite?” Zhang Chen raised an eyebrow.

“They sell them at the campus store. Want to try?”

“Sure, it’s been ages since I’ve flown a kite.”

So, the two of them bought a kite and headed to the lawn.

“How do you do this?” Li Jiayan asked, holding the kite with a puzzled look.

Zhang Chen chuckled. “You suggested flying a kite—I thought you knew how.”

“I don’t…” Li Jiayan admitted with a mischievous smile.

“That’s all right—we’ll do it together. I’ll show you.”

Zhang Chen took the kite and handed her the spool of string.

“Here, you take the line and walk back about ten meters. When the wind comes, I’ll let go. Keep the line taut and run—got it?”

Li Jiayan followed his instructions enthusiastically.

But after several attempts, the kite still refused to take flight. Li Jiayan burst out laughing at her own clumsiness.

“I can’t get it up—what should I do?” she said, her tone playfully plaintive.

“Come here and hold the kite,” Zhang Chen said.

“All right.”

…

“Ah, there’s a breeze! Should I let it go?”

“Go for it!”

As she released the kite, Zhang Chen ran, pulling the string. At last, the kite soared upward, and Li Jiayan, exhilarated, ran alongside.

“It really does take you to make it work!”

Once the kite was flying steadily, Zhang Chen handed her the spool.

“Let out more line, and it’ll climb even higher.”

“Ah, Zhang Chen, it looks like it’s about to fall!”

“Keep the line taut.”

Zhang Chen placed his hand over hers, guiding her.

It wasn’t their first time touching, but unlike their previous duet at the piano, this moment felt hazy and intimate. Li Jiayan felt her cheeks flush.

Zhang Chen glanced down at her, noticing her pink cheeks—so beautiful and endearing.

With such a lovely woman before him, what man could remain unmoved?

But with cameras rolling, Zhang Chen knew exactly how he must behave. He couldn’t let Ye Fangfei see any sign that another woman had touched his heart.

He subtly increased the distance between them, feigning nonchalance. “Try again.”

…

Because Zhang Chen had two dates to keep today, his time with Li Jiayan lasted only two or three hours on campus.

He hurried off to his next engagement but didn’t tell Li Jiayan he was double-booked, simply saying he had business matters to attend to at the company.

Li Jiayan wasn’t naive—she knew perfectly well what was going on, but they both pretended not to notice and went their separate ways.

For his next date, Zhang Chen headed to a country inn.

This time, the activities had all been chosen by the woman.

Waiting for him at the inn was Chu Yao.

Today, she exuded a different charm, dressed in an elegant white cheongsam, her hair swept up into a chignon.

Her gentle, refined presence caught Zhang Chen off guard.

He hadn’t been expecting much—after all, they’d already gone on a date before, and there had been no surprises.

But today, Chu Yao’s arrival was a pleasant surprise.

She had put real effort into planning this.

Dressed in a cheongsam, she radiated a different aura, the kind that made people take a second look.

“Should I go back and change into a Zhongshan suit to match you?” Zhang Chen joked.

Chu Yao laughed quietly behind her hand and led him inside.

The inn itself had a touch of old-world charm. As they stepped in, Zhang Chen began to understand her choice of attire.

“Mister Zhang, what would you like for dinner? Please, choose some dishes.”

Once they were in the courtyard, Chu Yao handed him a menu.

After they had ordered, she explained that the main ingredients had to be prepared by themselves.

If they wanted to eat Fragrant Chicken, they’d have to catch a chicken and take it to the kitchen to be cooked. If they wanted steamed fish, they’d have to fish it from the pond. For wild greens, they’d need to pick them from the hillside.

Zhang Chen glanced at the menu he’d just ordered and burst out laughing. “So, will we get to eat everything by eleven tonight?”

Chu Yao laughed heartily. “Have a little faith in yourself.”

And so, they began their hands-on experience at the inn.

Their plan was to start with the simple tasks and save the more challenging ones for last—such as catching a chicken.

For the final round, they found themselves chasing chickens around the coop, unable to catch a single one for the longest time.

Perhaps these chickens had become seasoned escape artists from being chased so often—they were remarkably adept at dodging people.

“Zhang Chen, you go over there. I’ll stay here. We’ll herd them into that corner together,” Chu Yao strategized.

“All right.”

Working together, they finally managed to catch a hen.

“Let’s see where you’ll run now! We’ve finally got you!” Zhang Chen said triumphantly, holding the chicken aloft with a broad grin.

But the chicken kicked wildly, nearly scratching Chu Yao’s face. She staggered backwards in alarm, stepped on a stone, and tumbled back with a startled cry.

“Careful!”

Reacting swiftly, Zhang Chen caught her.

As he loosened his right hand, the hen seized the opportunity—flapping its wings, it broke free with three triumphant clucks.

Chu Yao: …

Zhang Chen: …

Chu Yao steadied herself, her cheeks flushed as she looked down. “It’s my fault—the chicken got away.”

Zhang Chen found the whole scene amusing and couldn’t help but laugh.

“What are you laughing at?”

“At you—chasing chickens in a cheongsam! The picture is so surreal I can hardly bear to look!”

“Oh, so it’s my fault? You’re the one who wanted chicken, and now my hair’s a mess,” Chu Yao replied, not at all annoyed, but laughing herself.

“I’ve decided—we’re not having Fragrant Chicken tonight!”

Abandoning the chicken, they decided not to linger in the yard any longer.

But just as they were leaving, Chu Yao discovered the heel of her shoe had snapped—no doubt when she’d twisted her ankle earlier.

Biting her lip in embarrassment, she looked at Zhang Chen.

“The quality of these shoes…” Zhang Chen quipped. “The brand deserves to be blacklisted.”

Without further ado, he bent down and scooped her up in his arms, striding out of the yard.

Chu Yao clung to his neck, her heart pounding wildly.

Oh my, she hadn’t expected things to progress so quickly.

…