The two of them had never really had a proper date before.
When Nan Zhi returned, Qiao Yanze told her about his intention to bring Cen Xi out. Of course Nan Zhi had no objections.
Since Uncle didn’t have long to live anymore, forcing him to stay in the hospital would only give him regrets to leave with. Even though she felt extremely sad, Nan Zhi still smiled as she replied, “Have fun with Cen Xi!”
Qiao Yanze hugged Nan Zhi.
“Let’s go.”
To show how much she cared for this date, Cen Xi returned to her apartment and chose a white dress from her wardrobe. The long and silky material exposed her lustrous and slender figure perfectly. She also put on some makeup and tied her long hair into a fish braid.
Qiao Yanze waited for her downstairs. He was wearing a hat and a face mask, only leaving his eyes exposed. He was wearing a more casual-looking suit as he leaned against the car door. After a while, an exquisite-looking girl walked over.
Seeing her soft and slender figure, her cold and exquisite face and her youthful aura, Qiao Yanze slowly narrowed his eyes as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down unconsciously.
As she walked over, her petite face shone with a golden hue. “Do I look alright like this?”
“More than alright. Every man in this world is going to be head over heels for you,” he praised her generously.
Shyness appeared on Cen Xi’s face.
Since his body condition wasn’t too good, he went to sit in the front passenger seat while she drove. They headed to an old town that was about an hour’s distance away from the Capital.
The old town was far away from the Capital’s noisiness and liveliness. It hadn’t been developed greatly and still retained the flavor and simplicity of a town that was at least a century old.
Once they arrived at the old town, they walked through the entrance. Green stone plates lined the roads while old buildings lined both sides of the street. Each of the buildings had black and white walls, painted doors and square windows that were filled with an aged flavor.
Qiao Yanze and Cen Xi arrived at a teahouse at the foot of the mountain.
They chose a private room to sit in. Inside, the environment was quiet and elegant, cozy and comfortable.
Qiao Yanze brewed the tea with familiarity. He was using tea leaves plucked by the ancient town’s citizens personally. Tasting the tea carefully allowed one to appreciate its mellow and sweet taste, its fragrance lingering in the after-taste.
In contrast, Cen Xi didn’t know tea very well. However, the current atmosphere made her feel somehow relaxed and comfortable. With white clouds, green mountains, swirling mist, the fragrance of tea and the person she loved beside her, everything seemed quiet and far away, calm and peaceful.
After drinking two cups of tea, Cen Xi noticed a guzheng in the room. She got up and sat before the guzheng.
Qiao Yanze glanced at her with slight interest. “You know how to play it?”
“A little. When I was young, my adoptive parents wanted to nurture me into a proper lady that knew how to play instruments, play chess, read and draw. However, I was only interested in those bows and guns.”
Hearing this, Qiao Yanze burst out in laughter at Cen Xi’s words. “Play a song for me and we’ll see if you have any potential to become a proper lady.”
Cen Xi didn’t shy away either. “Alright. But you’re not allowed to laugh at me if it doesn’t sound nice.”
Looking down again, Cen Xi’s slender fingers started to play the instrument strings. She played a classic and slow song, the lustrous music and tune lingering in the room, just like the tea fragrance he was holding. He closed his eyes, appreciating the music.
Somehow, his frustrated heart slowly returned to a peaceful sort of calm.
After the song, Cen Xi walked in front of Qiao Yanze and leaned her face in front of his. “How was it? Did it make your ears suffer?”
Qiao Yanze grabbed Cen Xi’s wrist and pulled her onto his lap, hugging her close.
…
The two of them spent the night in the town. The next day, they went to an island not too far from the Capital.
They arrived at the beach.
There were many white seagulls by the beach. Some were swimming while some were playing with the water, while the remaining were flying across the blue sky. Several tourists were feeding them bread and prawn crackers.
Cen Xi saw a girl biting onto a piece of bread before a seagull flew over and took the bread right from her mouth.
“So interesting!”
Qiao Yanze bought a packet of bread for Cen Xi. “You can try it too.”
Cen Xi nodded as she learned from that girl and tore a piece of bread and bit it.
Countless seagulls flew over her head. Cen Xi was both afraid of being pecked by the seagulls and hoped for them to take the bread. Her anticipation and nervous appearance looked unknowingly adorable.
Click. Qiao Yanze took his camera and took a photo for Cen Xi.
Suddenly, a seagull rushed downwards, with a speed as fast as an arrow and swiftly took the piece of bread Cen Xi was biting onto, before it flew back up into the skies.
Cen Xi glanced at Qiao Yanze in excitement. Her smile was dazzling and bright. “Did you see that? Did you see that?”
It was rare for Qiao Yanze to see such a smile on Cen Xi’s face. It was mesmerizing and so attractive. He hurriedly pressed the shutter to record this scene down.
…
After feeding the seagulls, Cen Xi and Qiao Yanze walked towards a quieter side of the beach and sat on a piece of rock. Their fingers were interlaced tightly together.
“Xiao Xi, you must continue living happily like you are today.”
Cen Xi was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to cry, her emotions sinking once more.
She hugged his arm, leaning her face against his. “I can’t bear to part with you…”
“You will meet a better man in the future.”
Cen Xi bit her lip tightly, unable to control her emotions as she fell silent and started crying. He pulled his mask down and covered her eyes with his large palms. He then kissed each of her tears away.
After the kisses, he leaned his head against Cen Xi’s shoulder. “Xiao Xi, I’m a little tired.”
“You can nap for a while. We’ll head back to the hospital in a while.”
Qiao Yanze hummed in a hoarse voice.
She couldn’t help but speak a minute later. “Can I call you Brother Yanze from now?”
“Yes.”
“Brother Yanze, when did you fall for me?”
“I fell for you unknowingly.”
“Brother Yanze, did you really sleep with Ji Wei?”
“It was a lie.”
“Brother Yanze, do you regret knowing me?”
“I don’t.”
“Brother Yanze…”
“Xiao Xi, can you let me sleep?”
“I don’t want to let you sleep. Can you not sleep?”
The man leaning against her shoulder fell silent.
“Brother Yanze, can you kiss me once more?”
But he had stopped replying.
Cen Xi tilted her head to glance at the man leaning against her shoulder. He had closed his eyes, as if he had fallen into deep slumber.
Cen Xi stared at the endless and borderless sea. It felt as if her heart had been emptied.
Tears kept falling, one after another.
…
She never noticed that a stealthy-looking man was slowly approaching her and Qiao Yanze. Using the chance where she was sobbing terribly, that man snatched the bag placed beside her.
Cen Xi didn’t notice it at all.
The man perked up in happiness and ran away with the bag in a hurry.
However, before he managed to run out of the beach, he was tackled down to the ground by Da Zuo and Xiao Zuo who were protecting Cen Xi and Qiao Yanze quietly in the background.
Da Zuo and Xiao Zuo brought the thief before Cen Xi. The bag the thief was holding fell to the floor and everything inside was spilled out. From the corner of her eye, Cen Xi saw a key lying on the floor.
Suddenly, the words Young Master Li had said before he passed flashed in her mind.
“I bought a mansion at Switzerland’s XX Garden and planned to bring you there for our wedding. In the end, we can’t go against our fate and can’t go anymore…
“You need to go there and take a look. Maybe then you might change your impression of me. For you, I was willing to give you everything as well.”
In that second, Cen Xi seemed to have thought of something as her moist eyes suddenly widened.
