“Hey.” Jesse had changed and was waiting at the counter with a beer in his hand. He saw Xin Yanting and he beckoned to her.
Xin Yanting raised her eyebrows and asked, “How do I look in this swimsuit?”
Jesse lavished generous praises. “Very sexy and attractive.”
Xin Yanting curled her lips in satisfaction before she glanced at the staff. “I want the herbal hot spring for nourishment.”
There were public hot springs available here and private ones where the patrons specify the herbs they want.
The staff nodded. “Please hold on.”
Xin Yanting quipped, “And two glasses of orange juice.”
Jesse glanced at her and added, “I don’t want…”
Xin Yanting glanced askew at him. “It’s not for you. It’s for me to replenish vitamin C.”
“Haha…” Jesse laughed, amused.
But his eyes were swirling with complex emotions.
…
“Xuxu!”
Xuxu had just bid Qi Lei goodbye and she turned towards her car. Suddenly, someone called her name.
A pleasant and familiar voice.
She spun around in surprise when she saw the towering figure approaching her. “Ah Heng! Why are you here?”
Jiang Zhuoheng hastened his footsteps towards Xuxu. He beamed brightly. “I took a spin around the vicinity.”
“Oh…” Xuxu pressed her lips. “It’s so late.”
When her grandfather was still around, she knew that he dropped by often. To think that her grandfather was no longer around, he would still come here often.
Perhaps it had become his habit.
“Yeah.” Jiang Zhuoheng nodded, his smile unwavering. “Why are you here at this time?”
Xuxu raised her hand to show him a bag of medical ointment. She replied, “Yan Rusheng sprained his waist. So I came to get some ointment for him. Qi Lei just made dinner and I couldn’t resist his cooking. So, I stayed for dinner.”
Jiang Zhuoheng asked, looking concerned. “How did he sprain his waist? Is it serious?”
“Ahem.” Xuxu dismissed his worries with her hands. “Nothing serious.”
Fortunately, it was dark and the lights were dim. He couldn’t see her blushing.
She glanced at Jiang Zhuoheng to steer the conversation away. “It’s cold at night. Why didn’t you wear something warmer?”
Jiang Zhuoheng bent to peer at his clothes and he shook his head. “I’m fine. I don’t feel cold.”
He only had a shirt on and left his coat in the car. When he caught a glimpse of Xuxu from a distance talking to Qi Lei, he got off too hastily to remember his coat.
They stood across from each other on the roadside. Both of them didn’t have the intention of parting even if they met by coincidence.
After several quiet moments, Xuxu took out her phone to check the time. It was almost ten.
She contemplated for a moment before asking Jiang Zhuoheng. “Qi Lei’s chess skills are on par with my grandfather. Do you want to play with him?”
“Sure.” Jiang Zhuoheng nodded curtly. His heart, which he usually had a good rein over, began to pound.
He wore a gentle smile.
“Let’s go then.”
Xuxu turned around to walk ahead.
Jiang Zhuoheng trailed behind her after she stepped forward. He seemed nonchalant and casual, but deep down, he couldn’t bear to walk so quickly.
He still treasured how he still had the chance to watch her from afar and to be near her.
…
“Why are you so late?”
After accompanying Jiang Zhuoheng and Qi Lei for two rounds of chess, Wen Xuxu reached home before midnight. She was afraid that Yan Rusheng would be asleep, so she treaded softly across the room.
But a pair of alert-looking eyes were staring at her. He questioned her when she entered.
