Qiao Xixi was a woman of action.
They had talked about getting her ears pierced during the day.
By night, she was already pushing them in the group chat.
They say it takes three women to make a drama.
That was an understatement.
Qiao Xixi could put on a whole play by herself.
Ninety-nine plus unread messages, all from her.
By the end, Mu Chen was driven mad, and directly said: [We'll do it tomorrow.]
As soon as he appeared, Qiao Xixi immediately went silent.
Mu Chen didn't notice. He put his phone aside after sending the message.
After finishing what he was doing.
He habitually picked up his phone, wanting to see what new madness Qiao Xixi had cooked up.
To his surprise, the group chat was eerily silent.
Not a single new message.
Mu Chen refreshed it twice, confirming it wasn't a network issue.
He also confirmed he hadn't been kicked from the group.
That meant she was deliberately avoiding him.
Realizing this, Mu Chen felt a pang of something unpleasant in his heart.
His fingers unconsciously swiped across the screen.
Finally, he clicked on Chi Zerui's profile picture.
Yin He: [Location confirmed?]
Chi Zerui, who was unexpectedly messaged by Mu Chen, was stunned for a few seconds.
Then, he replied with a voice message: "What? The girl isn't talking to you anymore, and you're unhappy?"
Yin He: [.]
Chi Zerui instantly burst into uncontrollable laughter, collapsing onto the sofa.
Truly, retribution comes in all forms, Heaven spares no one!
When Qiao Xixi was enthusiastically chasing him, he hadn't even spared her a pleasant glance.
Yu Wenli glanced at the redness and swelling on her fair earlobe, his gaze deepening as he nodded.
"My Yiyi looks beautiful no matter what."
"..." The young girl's heart swelled with joy, but she playfully retorted, "You're just trying to flatter me."
"Brother never lies."
Yu Wenli hooked his arm around her and pulled her onto his lap.
"Good girl, let's apply some more ointment."
He leaned in and picked up the iodine and medical swabs from the corner of the table.
Although the doctor had disinfected it when it was pierced.
But after an afternoon of shopping and eating.
It was better to disinfect it again.
The young girl obediently tilted her head up.
Her fair and slender neck was thus exposed directly to the young man.
So beautiful... it made him want to leave a mark.
"Hmm?"
While applying ointment to the other earlobe, Wen Tingxue noticed the browsing interface on his computer.
It was almost entirely composed of searches for: "Precautions after getting ears pierced."
And a small portion of travel guides.
"You're..."
Suppressing her inner joy, she pointed at the latest interface and asked, "Changing the location?"
"Mm." He nodded without denial. "The original place was quite hot.
"It's not suitable for wound recovery, so I found some places with more suitable temperatures.
"Take a look, is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
Her slender finger hovered over the mouse, slowly sliding.
He liked to wear rimless glasses that filtered blue light when he worked on the computer.
Coupled with his cool and aloof tone, he was the epitome of a refined scoundrel.
Wen Tingxue felt her heart being fiercely stirred.
She had only thought about getting her ears pierced, but he had already thought through all the subsequent arrangements.
"Brother Yu," she proactively wrapped her arms around his neck.
Breathing out a fragrant sigh, she said, "You're so good..."
Yu Wenli's hand movements paused.
Then he chuckled, "Brother never accepts verbal praise."
He turned his head, his peach blossom eyes behind the lenses looking both lustful and alluring.
"Yiyi, why don't we have something more tangible, hmm?"
The slight upward inflection of his nose was lazy and captivating.
But what was even more irresistible was his overwhelmingly provocative gaze.
It was as if a single glance could make someone surrender and pledge allegiance.
Wen Tingxue was no match for him; half of her soul had already been stolen.
"You..." the young girl asked with infatuated eyes, "What tangible thing do you want?"
Her soft and tender tone made one want to bully her.
Yu Wenli chuckled, "Good girl, first help Brother take off his glasses."
"Oh."
The young girl obediently did as she was told, but as she leaned closer, he bit her neck.
The pressure was not strong, but her entire body felt like it had received an electric shock, a potent and electrifying sensation.
At this moment, downstairs at the Wen residence.
Xing Jiahe was seeing Xu Kexin home.
"That..." the young man pursed his lips shyly.
Finally, he handed her the paper bag he had been carrying all along.
Xu Kexin was surprised, "For me?"
"Yes," Xing Jiahe nodded, "It's the dress you liked last time."
He would look at it almost every time he passed the mall.
He was afraid the dress would be sold out.
As it turned out, when he went to look a few days ago, there was indeed only one left.
So he bought it.
"Don't be angry, I just thought this dress would look amazing on you..."
Xing Jiahe explained frantically, afraid she would be unhappy.
His speed of speech was almost the fastest it had ever been.
Xu Kexin chuckled, "Why are you so nervous? I'm very happy."
Finally, someone remembered her preferences.
"But," she couldn't help but ask curiously, "How did you know my size?"
The young man shyly fiddled with his bangs.
"I... I used hand gestures with the sales assistant..."
"Pfft." Xu Kexin burst into laughter.
Her laughter was like a string of silver bells.
Xing Jiahe's face turned red with embarrassment, but his eyes were smiling.
...
While packing, Yu Xiuxiu narrowed her eyes and asked:
"Yiyi, what's wrong with your neck? It's red."
"Cough."
Wen Tingxue awkwardly covered it with her hair and mumbled:
"Maybe a mosquito bit me while I was sleeping last night."
"What kind of mosquito was it?" Wen Zhong'en said sarcastically, "Why didn't you swat it?"
"Probably because I couldn't bear to."
Yu Xiuxiu's hands trembled with suppressed laughter.
Wen Tingxue wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Fortunately, the two of them didn't bring it up again, only reminding her and Xu Kexin to be careful.
The next day, at the airport.
As the plane took off, Jiang City grew smaller in Wen Tingxue's eyes.
Eventually, it was no longer visible.
Although she had grown up in Lu City since childhood.
She didn't have many good memories of Lu City.
Instead, Jiang City had given her too many extraordinary experiences.
To suddenly have to leave for a while, she felt a little reluctant.
"You'll be back in a few days, why are you being so melancholic?"
Yu Wenli couldn't stand to see her even slightly unhappy. He pinched her little face and tried to coax her.
Unexpectedly, the young girl gave him a resentful glance.
Then she stubbornly turned her head away, leaving him with only an angry back.
Yu Wenli: "..."
Tsk.
If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have held back his kisses last night.
The plane landed in Mengcheng four or five hours later.
The young girl opened her eyes blearily, "Are we here?"
Her hoarse voice carried the adorable grogginess of just waking up.
Yu Wenli smiled and picked up her jacket, "Yes, the temperature here is comparable to Jiang City.
"Put on a layer before we go down."
"Oh."
Wen Tingxue's mind hadn't caught up yet. The scenery outside was completely different from when she fell asleep.
She stared blankly, and it was Yu Wenli who helped her put on her clothes.
Qiao Xixi's teeth ached with envy, "I'm like a dog by the roadside, kicked for no reason."
Xu Kexin laughed, "You'll get used to it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xing Jiahe also handed her a jacket, "Put it on, it's cool outside."
Qiao Xixi: "..."
Was she deliberately seeking abuse by going on vacation with them?
As she was thinking, a hand reached out beside her, long and handsome, with well-defined bones.
It was the hand she had dreamed of holding.
"Thank you, I don't need it."
Qiao Xixi immediately composed herself, her expression cold as she refused.
Mu Chen decisively withdrew his hand.
His expression hinted at regret.
He hadn't intended to give it to her, but seeing her gaze enviously at Wen Tingxue, he had acted on impulse...
He cursed himself mentally and was the first to disembark.
Hao Luo'er took out a jacket from her bag and put it on, then offered one to Chi Zerui.
But Chi Zerui shook his head, "No need, I'm not afraid of the cold."
With that, he walked away.
Hao Luo'er pursed her lips with a hint of disappointment, but quickly cheered up.
Mengcheng Airport was still some distance from their destination.
After a simple meal, Chi Zerui hired a car.
By the time they arrived, the temperature had dropped significantly.
Qiao Xixi hadn't prepared a jacket and was too lazy to open her luggage, shivering with cold.
Mu Chen frowned and was about to go and drape his jacket over her.
Hao Luo'er gave her her own jacket.
"We're out to have fun, don't catch a cold."
"Thank you! You're my savior!"
Qiao Xixi hugged Hao Luo'er gratefully.
Mu Chen, unable to bear watching, walked past them.
-
As the saying goes, being early is not as good as being on time.
As soon as the group had put down their luggage.
The host of the B&B shouted in the group chat:
[There's a bonfire party tonight! For those who like liveliness, hurry over.]
This was followed by a location.
Qiao Xixi, of course, wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to have fun.
She went around knocking on doors to get everyone, pointedly leaving out Mu Chen.
By the time Mu Chen received a message from Chi Zerui and rushed over, Qiao Xixi was already dancing with a handsome local young man.
He was wearing ethnic clothing, his long sleeves swirling.
This made Qiao Xixi, in her red dress, exceptionally dazzling.
Amidst a cascade of silver bell laughter, the young girl swayed her hips around the bonfire.
Her seaweed-like long hair, tossed about, was alluring and fiery.
Mu Chen watched her, somewhat lost in thought, as Chi Zerui sat down, slinging an arm around his shoulder.
"How is it? A bit regretful, aren't you?"
He winked and watched the spectacle. Mu Chen calmly shifted his gaze.
"No, just quite surprised."
He hadn't expected her to be such a good dancer.
"Hmph," Chi Zerui scoffed, "You're just saying that."
After years of brotherhood, they knew each other's true feelings.
"..." Mu Chen said, "Believe it or not."
As they were talking, the handsome young man who had been dancing with Qiao Xixi suddenly knelt on one knee and made a passionate confession.
"Xixi, I like you! Will you be my girlfriend?"