The two were very close, Xiang Yang’s warm breath tickling her cheek.
Chen Jiao Jiao’s heart began to race.
Before she could lose her composure and reveal her girlish side, she pushed him away.
“Impressive, impressive. You’ve got skills. I believe you. You’re a wolfdog.”
Closing the passenger door, Xiang Yang skillfully slid into the driver’s seat and began driving her home.
They had first met in Chen Jiao Jiao’s residential complex, so she didn’t need to give him the address.
Xiang Yang watched the road while one-handedly steering the wheel.
A man looked truly handsome when he drove with concentration.
Especially someone like him, a rising male model.
Chen Jiao Jiao looked at his hand with bulging veins on the steering wheel and suddenly realized she had underestimated him.
A 20-year-old man was no longer a child.
She had treated him like a child for too long.
It wasn’t until they entered the complex that Xiang Yang asked her which building she lived in, snapping her out of her daze.
After she gave him the building number, Xiang Yang parked the car.
For some reason, the atmosphere between them had become strange once she realized he was no longer a boy.
When they weren’t speaking, the atmosphere even felt awkward.
Xiang Yang seemed lost in thought; he turned off the engine and neither got out of the car nor initiated conversation.
They stared at each other in the car for a few seconds before Chen Jiao Jiao reacted first.
“Alright, I’m here. I won’t ask you in for a seat. You should go.”
She scrambled out of the car somewhat flustered.
Xiang Yang followed her out, and they switched places.
One went to the back seat to retrieve his cloak, the other to the passenger seat for his down jacket.
As they passed the front of the car, their arms accidentally bumped.
Chen Jiao Jiao felt a jolt, and the spot that had been touched became hot.
Similarly, Xiang Yang also felt that interacting with Chen Jiao Jiao today was peculiar.
After she kissed him, everything about her seemed to have a different flavor.
At that moment, the spot where she had touched him felt heavy.
The sensation was so strong it was impossible to ignore, and he felt an urge to reach out and touch his arm…
Awkwardly, they each retrieved their clothes, closed the doors, and the car automatically locked.
Chen Jiao Jiao waved quickly, “Then I’m going in. Be careful on your way. Goodbye.”
Xiang Yang suddenly didn’t want to leave.
In other words, he didn’t want to leave like this.
Who knew when they would see each other again, or what excuse he would use then.
With a sudden surge of courage, before Chen Jiao Jiao could turn away, he called out to her.
“I’m a bit thirsty. If it’s convenient, could I come to your place for a glass of water?”
Since he had come all the way to her door, it would be impolite not to let him in.
Even though his excuse was flimsy, Chen Jiao Jiao agreed.
“It’s convenient. Just a glass of water. Come in.”
Upon entering, they hung their coats on the hooks by the entrance, put on slippers, and Chen Jiao Jiao went to boil water for him.
Xiang Yang took off his shoes and rummaged through her shoe cabinet, finding only three pairs of women’s slippers and no men’s slippers.
It seemed she usually lived alone.
His heart suddenly felt a secret sweetness.
Barefoot, Xiang Yang walked into the house and surveyed the layout.
It was similar to the house where he had tutored before.
The apartment was not small, and the location was good. To be able to afford this place, dress so elegantly every day, and drive a car worth three to four hundred thousand yuan.
It was clear she was wealthy.
After the sweetness, a sense of inferiority crept in.
An economically independent and mature woman was someone he couldn’t afford to pursue.
When the water was ready, seeing Xiang Yang standing there barefoot and lost in thought, Chen Jiao Jiao walked over.
“I’m sorry, there are usually no men at home, so there aren’t any men’s slippers. Just wear a pair of mine for now.”
“No need. I’ll leave after I drink the water.”
“I rent this place; it doesn’t have underfloor heating. It gets quite cold if you stand barefoot for too long. If you don’t want to wear women’s slippers, you can just sit on the sofa.”
Hearing her say the apartment was rented, Xiang Yang’s previously sinking spirits soared once more.
“You rent this place?”
Chen Jiao Jiao led him towards the sofa, “Yes. I rent the entire unit by myself. Did you think I bought it?”
“You think highly of me. Even though I drive around everywhere, looking presentable, I’m actually deep in debt.”
She liked to speak her mind.
“It’s all for show, for the clients.”
“That’s still very impressive.”
Xiang Yang now genuinely felt that it was very difficult for an individual to establish themselves in society.
Especially for a woman.
Starting a business alone at such a young age showed more courage and decisiveness than most men. What was there to fear from a little debt?
Chen Jiao Jiao smiled, deciding not to dwell on the topic, “I was about to ask, is your holiday break starting soon? When are you going home?”
Mentioning this, Xiang Yang felt a pang of disappointment.
Xiang Wan had taken their grandmother and left Nan Cheng. With only three days until school’s holiday break, everyone else was going home for the New Year, but he had no home to go to.
They had agreed she would contact him after settling down in another city for three months, but Xiang Wan hadn’t made contact yet.
He didn’t know how he would spend the New Year.
“No one is left in my hometown. I don’t plan on going back. How about you?”
Chen Jiao Jiao seemed somewhat surprised, “What about your family?”
Xiang Yang found it difficult to tell the truth, “They’re all out of town. During the Spring Festival, the crowds are huge, and I’m too lazy to go find them.”
Chen Jiao Jiao, though she hadn’t experienced the Chunyun (Spring Festival travel rush), had seen plenty on television and her phone, and she understood.
“Then stay in Nan Cheng for the New Year. You can still have a good time alone. Just like me. I’ll be alone for the New Year this year too.”
“You aren’t spending it with your family? Aren’t you from Nan Cheng?”
“Does my accent sound like someone from Nan Cheng?”
“I can’t tell.” Xiang Yang complimented her, “Your Mandarin is very good, no accent at all.”
Chen Jiao Jiao said, “My hometown is Jin Cheng. I don’t have many people left there; it’s just me.”
She couldn’t tell.
Such a vibrant and lively person, yet she was also alone.
Suddenly feeling a sense of kinship, as if she had found her people, Xiang Yang became happy again.
“What a coincidence. I didn’t expect us both to be single.”
He deliberately left the latter half of the sentence unsaid, wanting to see if Chen Jiao Jiao would pick up on it.
However, Chen Jiao Jiao did not.
To prevent him from feeling awkward and to avoid a lull in the conversation, even though she suspected he meant something more, she changed the subject.
“How many days until the break? Will the school dorms still be available after the holiday?”
“Three days. They won’t be.”
Having saved some money recently, Xiang Yang had planned to stay in a hotel, but at this moment…
He deliberately said, “I can’t sleep on the streets either, so I’ve been considering renting a place for the past couple of days.”
“I’ve just been too busy with work and haven’t had the time. I don’t know if real estate agents will even be working with the New Year so close.”
His words conveyed a sense of his loneliness and helplessness.
The two were of similar age, and both handsome and beautiful. If they felt well towards each other, they should be able to try developing something at this point.
However, Chen Jiao Jiao was not in the mood.
Her emotional life had been too difficult in the past year, and she wasn’t ready to fall into another relationship.
Especially with such a young man.
“I don’t have much experience with renting apartments, so I can’t help you. I can only wish you good luck.”