Although there was a carpet, the golden yuanbao still made a slight noise as it rolled down.
The two of them looked at the ground simultaneously and fell silent for a moment.
"Is this what it means to treat money like dirt?" Chen Ziming was the first to recover. He bent down, picked up the yuanbao, and handed it to Su Yue.
His voice carried an irrepressible chuckle.
"No..." She carefully took it and put it away. Her mind raced, and she frowned, turning to him.
"Chen Ziming, you're a police officer, how can you steal things?" she questioned him with a serious expression and righteous indignation.
The man in front of her froze for a moment, then amusingly reached out and rubbed her little head. "My dear, your focus is truly peculiar."
"Don't change the subject," Su Yue dodged his hand.
He chuckled, then simply pulled her into his embrace. "The old man gave them to me personally, saying we each get one, so I gave them both to you."
"Really?" Her face showed surprise.
Chen Ziming said with a hint of helplessness, "Do you want me to call him to confirm?"
Su Yue shook her head quickly.
However, holding the two yuanbao felt extremely hot. She didn't dare to accept them, nor could she return them.
"Scared again?" Seeing her unease, he asked softly.
She stared at the box in her hand, then looked for a few more seconds before finally replying in a low voice:
"It's not fear, it's just that I never expected such precious antiques could be used as toys to give to juniors at your house."
Even though she was beginning to get used to it, she couldn't help but lament the disparities in life.
The girl's fair, delicate hands gently caressed the chubby little yuanbao, completely oblivious to the man beside her frowning.
"I'm going to correct two mistakes you've made," he said slowly, tightening his grip around her waist.
"First, this item, even in the old man's possession, is considered a treasured collectible that isn't easily shown to others, let alone given away."
"Second, you aren't just any junior. You're our family's beloved little treasure. Grandpa dotes on you, which is why he was willing to give you this, and he was worried you wouldn't accept it, so he asked me to give it to you privately."
"I didn't expect you ungrateful thing to think he just randomly picked a trinket to give you? I'll complain about you when we get back and break his heart..."
Su Yue was stunned by his words, especially the last sentence. She quickly sat up straight and covered his mouth.
Her eyes widened in anger, and she lowered her voice, "You, dare!"
She felt a trembling sensation in her palm. Upon closer inspection, she realized the person whose mouth she was covering was smiling.
His eyes were full of tenderness as he smiled. Taking advantage of her leaning closer, he pulled her to sit on his lap.
As he pulled her over, he didn't forget to place the items in her arms aside.
"Anger at being exposed?" Chen Ziming reached out, easily pulled her small hand away, and held it in his palm, unwilling to let go.
"No, I just... I'm overwhelmed with joy," Su Yue didn't let his words distract her. She lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and then stated her thoughts.
"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows with interest. "It seems I haven't doted on you enough for you to still be unaccustomed to being cherished after all this time."
She didn't want to argue about this. Instead, she hesitated, her questioning eyes looking at him again.
Finally, she asked the question that had been bothering her for a long time:
"I want to know, we've only been together for over half a year. Even though we firmly believe we won't separate, from Grandpa's perspective, and from your other family members' perspectives, aren't they afraid we'll break up?"
Yes, why did they treat her so steadfastly, like a future granddaughter-in-law?
Clearly, she and Chen Ziming were still young, and in the eyes of many elders, they were in a phase of unsettled emotions.
Weren't they afraid they were just playing at dating, and if they broke up, she would run off with these valuable items?
Recalling the expensive necklace Chen Ziming had given her, a gift he had commissioned after they had spent only one night together.
It seemed that from the very beginning, he was very confident that she would become his girlfriend, and even his wife in the future.
But what did he know about her then?
Why was he so certain, so convinced that she was the kind of person he liked?
...
All sorts of doubts entangled her mind.
She couldn't figure it out.