Cen Xi waited at the small river bank early, although she wasn’t hundred percent sure that Qiao Sen would come. They had not interacted much since the last time they were like a house on fire.
She did not take this matter to heart.
After all, she was the one who had feelings for him and he had none for her. He only did that to her after being blocked in the washroom and having his belt taken from him by her.
She was at fault too.
Although they did not interact much, Cen Xi would occasionally find him staring at her when he thought she was not paying attention.
She was unable to describe that gaze. It was slightly cold, complex and bone-chilling.
As Cen Xi rested her cheeks in between her hands,, she stared at the clear river for some time. She waited for nearly an hour.
He did not come.
Cen Xi lowered her eyes, hiding a trace of disappointment.
It was likely he would not be coming!
Cen Xi stood up from the river bank and turned around, when she saw a tall figure walking towards her from afar.
He was wearing a black jacket and looked tall with his long legs. He had one hand in his pants pocket, giving out an aloof and dignified air.
The doubt that was hidden in Cen Xi’s heart floated up again. She was not sure who he was, but one thing was for certain. Qiao Sen was no ordinary person.
His legs were long and very soon, he was in front of her. Cen Xi stood behind a pile of weeds. He walked over and pushed those weeds aside, looking at her like he was looking at a ‘dwarf’.
In fact, Cen Xi was not considered short as she was 1.65 meters tall. But her bones were slender, her face small so she looked small when she was next to him.
“What do you want?” His gaze was cold and the bright rays of light fell on him, making him look blurry and unclear.
Cen Xi took out a folded paper from her pocket and passed it to the expressionless man. “This is something I heard from Young Master Li. I know you’re looking for the base of the organization. That day I was drinking with Young Master Li and he seemed to mention that there are two connected mountains at the headquarters. There is a sea in the west and the soil there is red.”
Qiao Yanze took the note from Cen Xi, opening it and taking a glance.
She even listed out a few places she thought to be suspicious. This girl should be less than 20 years old, but she had such a wide range of knowledge. One of the places listed was a no man’s land.
“I don’t know if it will help you. You’ll be discharged soon and I hope that you can come back safely after you complete your mission.”
Qiao Yanze said nothing. He took out a lighter and lit the paper Cen Xi had handed to him. When the paper had turned into ashes, Qiao Yanze raised his head and looked at her darkly. “What’s your motive?”
Cen Xi’s curled eyelashes fluttered slightly and the hands that hung by her sides clenched slightly. “Mr Qiao, what do you mean?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve really fallen for me.” He came up to her, his long fingers pinching her chin.
During the period of his hospitalization, she took care of him without complaint and risked the danger of getting information from Young Master Li. If she was not careful, she might even lose her life!
Cen Xi’s chin was hurting from his pinch. But compared to the pain in her chin, she felt more miserable in her heart.
He hated her, so no matter what she did, it felt like there was a motive behind it!
Forcing the tears that were brimming in her eyes back, she said bitterly, “I don’t have any motives. You saved me in the desert, I just, just…”
“Don’t be delusional!” He tightened his hold on her chin, his gaze sharp and cold. “It’s impossible in this life!”
He pushed her and she fell onto the grass. Her palms pressed onto the stones and scraped against the gravel. It stung in pain.
She lowered her eyes, her fingernails digging into her palms as she tried to adjust her mood. She raised her head and looked at him. “Can you stop having wishful thoughts? I said it’s just to repay you for saving my life in the desert. There are so many men who like me. You should go and take a look at yourself in the mirror!”
Not wanting to look embarrassed in front of him, Cen Xi stood up from the ground and left.
As she walked down the river bank, she started to run. She had not shed tears for a long time. But at this moment, she felt a lump in her throat and her heart felt suffocated, and she felt very miserable.
Her tears fell in large drops.
Along the way, she fell, but she got up quickly and kept running.
…
On the riverbank.
Qiao Yanze looked at the girl who had run away, stumbling and tripping, and he pinched his nose bridge with his long fingers.
There was still a faint fragrance lingering around the air at the place she stood just now.
He frowned and took a few steps forward. He only felt comfortable when that faint fragrance dissipated.
…
Qiao Yanze was discharged in the afternoon.
Ba Er and Young Master Li came to pick him up. Young Master Li did not see Cen Xi in Qiao Yanze’s ward and after letting Ba Er know, he went to look for Cen Xi.
In the end, he found Cen Xi in the canteen.
She had bought a large bowl of noodles that even men could not finish, and was busily eating it with gusto.
Young Master Li went over and did not disturb her. Looking at her slurping the noodles into her mouth, a smile could not help appearing on his handsome and devilish face.
He did not know what spell he was under. He actually found that other than being interesting, this little Xiaohei was also quite good-looking.
Other than her skin being a little dark, her facial features were not too bad.
Cen Xi did not notice Young Master Li who was not far away. It was not meal time yet at the canteen so she asked the chef to make a bowl of noodles for her.
She ate very fast, but was also very elegant and did not have the sounds of her slurping the noodles.
Seeing that the bowl of noodles was half eaten and she had no intention to stop, Young Master Li went over and took the big bowl of noodles away.
Cen Xi’s eyes were blurred by the steam from the noodles and she could not see her surroundings clearly at all. She mechanically moved her chopsticks down, but did not pick up any noodles.
She closed her eyes, opened them again and found that her bowl of noodles was missing.
Eh?
Looking up, she saw Young Master Li standing opposite her. She quickly adjusted her mood and smiled at him. “Young Master Li, why are you here? Aren’t you picking Mr Qiao up?”
Young Master Li sat opposite Cen Xi and saw that her eyes were red. “You cried?”
“Yes.” Cen Xi pointed at the bowl of noodles Young Master Li had taken away. “But it’s because of the spiciness. It feels really good to eat spicy things.”
Young Master looked at Cen Xi like she was an idiot. “Don’t think I don’t know that you’re crying because Qiao Sen is leaving. You like him.”
Cen Xi’s heart jolted.
Was it really so obvious that she liked Qiao Sen?
“He’s not handsome, why would I like him? He’s just the first patient I’ve taken care of since I started work, so I feel a little reluctant. Of course, I’ll also miss my friend, Young Master Li too.”
“Really?” Young Master Li touched his head happily, his handsome face looking slightly unnatural. “Then, I’ll come and play with you when I’m back from the base.”