Since they t at the concert, Lin Jing and Fu Chenxuan had beco more in touch, and sotis they’d et up for a al when they were free.
"Jingjing, I think you should really thank ." Jiandan sat on the windowsill, swinging her legs, watching Lin Jing who was practicing yoga. Lin Jing chuckled, "What do you want?"
Jiandan tilted her head to think, "My paper is almost done, and I want to go out and play for a few days. Co with ." She didn’t have many close friends in real life, just so author friends. Usually everyone was busy with work or love affairs, and the only single dog was Lin Jing.
"Sure, where do you want to go?" Lin Jing agreed imdiately without even hesitating.
Jiandan was surprised, "Wow, you agreed so quickly. I thought you’d say you needed to accompany the handso Fu."
Lin Jing laughed, "He and I are just friends now, what’s there to accompany?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, look at you, all peachy-faced, saying you’re just friends with him, who would believe that? By the way, have you bagged the handso Fu Chenxuan yet?" Jiandan was curious. It had been a month, and she thought there should have been so progress by then.
Lin Jing smiled, "No rush, these things take ti."
"Still slow, sister, you’ve been waiting for over twenty years. How much longer do you plan to wait? If you wait any longer, your handso guy will belong to soone else."
"He’s not soone who easily falls for soone." Lin Jing spoke with certainty, having known Fu Chenxuan for a while and understood his disposition.
"Jingjing, the more such people fall for soone, the harder it is for them to forget. If you wait until he really likes soone else, then you’ll have no chance at all. So you must seize the ti."
Hearing this, Lin Jing frowned, "But Chenxuan doesn’t seem to have those feelings for ." During their ti together, Fu Chenxuan treated her more like a friend. Relationships were about mutual feelings. She couldn’t force him.
"You’re so smart usually, why are you being silly now? He treats you as a friend, not taking initiative. Can’t you take that first step? It’s said that a woman chasing a man is separated by a re layer of gauze. Maybe once you pierce that layer of paper, your relationship might progress quickly."
"Really?" Lin Jing looked puzzled. When it ca to romance, she indeed lacked experience.
Although Jiandan didn’t have practical experience either, she had written many romance novels. She had never seen pork, but hadn’t she seen pigs running? Thus, Jiandan jumped down and walked over to Lin Jing, whispering to her for a long ti, leaving Lin Jing utterly astonished.
"Where did you learn all these?" Lin Jing asked curiously.
Jiandan chuckled, "I have written quite a few books and read even more novels. These are the usual tricks. Although novel tricks might not work in reality, they could serve as a reference. Combine theory with practice; what if it works?"
Still, Lin Jing was hesitant. Her character, as her na suggested, was quiet and introverted. Taking the initiative to pursue soone was really hard for her to even voice out.
"Ah, don’t hesitate. What’s there to be afraid of?"
"I’m afraid if he really doesn’t like , we might not even remain friends."
"Do you really want to be just friends with him for life?" Jiandan countered.
Lin Jing was silent. She probably didn’t want that.
"So, when love cos, don’t hesitate. Otherwise, you might regret it your whole life. Even if he really doesn’t like you, so what if he rejects you? It’s better than keeping it all inside, isn’t it?" Jiandan saw things very simply. For her, love ant to shout out loud. Keeping love hidden was a crush, and crushing on soone for too long could lead to depression.
Lin Jing was sowhat moved by her words, but she still couldn’t make up her mind. At that mont, Jiandan ominously said, "Jingjing, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Once soone else steals a march on you, you’ll never have a chance again."
Lin Jing’s heart trembled at the thought of Fu Chenxuan being with soone else. She finally made up her mind, "I’ll try then, but I need to find the right opportunity."
"Finding an opportunity is easy, just choose a weekend, have dinner together, watch a movie, then take a walk on the street, ideally under the moonlight, and confess in the moonlight—how romantic."
"But there are so many people on the street, wouldn’t it make him feel pressured?" If Fu Chenxuan thought she was leveraging the crowd to force him, that would be bad.
"Tsk, that’s all in your head, you’re overthinking. What you should be thinking about now is how to confess to him," Jiandan said disdainfully, feeling Lin Jing was overly sensitive and worried.
Lin Jing pursed her lips in silence, understanding so things Jiandan hadn’t experienced and didn’t understand. However, she couldn’t continue like this; otherwise, she and Fu Chenxuan would remain just friends.
So, that Saturday, Lin Jing directly invited Fu Chenxuan to go hiking.
Fu Chenxuan gladly agreed.
Seeing Lin Jing packing, Jiandan’s eyes twinkled as he suggested, "Jingjing, why not bring a tent? Since we’re not working on Sunday, you could camp on the mountain with him."
Lin Jing looked hesitant, "Is that really okay?"
"What’s not okay about it? You’re just too shy and overly cautious. At this rate, when will you ever catch up to a man? You need to be bold yet careful, understand?"
Lin Jing thought it over, then called Fu Chenxuan again, suggesting they change the hiking to camping. Fu Chenxuan glanced at his sister, who was eagerly looking at him, and nodded in agreent.
"Brother, does that an you agree to take with you?" Fu Shuyi asked with a smile after her brother hung up.
Fu Chenxuan looked at her helplessly, "You’ve been nagging all night; if I don’t take you, will you not go?"
"Of course not, even if you don’t take , I’ll go by myself. Brother, can I invite Sister Guoguo and Brother Pei Hao too?"
Fu Chenxuan raised an eyebrow, "Are you looking for trouble knowing they like each other?"
"Not at all. I’m creating an opportunity for them. Didn’t you say Brother Pei Hao and his girlfriend have already broken up? Since Sister Guoguo hasn’t given up on him, why not give them a chance? Maybe this ti it’ll work."
Pei Hao and Jiang Xiaoyue had broken up a month ago. Last ti Fu Chenxuan and Guoguo saw them at a restaurant, they were discussing the breakup, and that al was their last one before parting ways.
Since returning from the Jiang family, Pei Hao realized that perhaps Jiang Xiaoyue’s intentions in dating him weren’t pure, and subsequent developnts proved this. After coming back, she continually hinted, both overtly and covertly, that she wanted to bring Pei Hao ho to et her parents—after all, both were not young anymore and it was ti to set a wedding date.
But hearing the terms Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang proposed at the Jiang ho made Pei Hao uncomfortable; he pretended not to understand and later Pei Yinong spoke up, saying he wanted to et Jiang Xiaoyue.
When Jiang Xiaoyue visited, there wasn’t much issue. Although Pei Yinong didn’t particularly like her, he didn’t dislike her either, so he agreed to a eting with both parents.
The eting was set in a private restaurant in Beijing, a favorite venue of Pei Hao’s. However, Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang were unhappy with this location, implying through their remarks that it was not classy enough, questioning why it wasn’t held in a five-star hotel, and accusing the Pei family of being stingy. At that ti, Jiang Xiaoyue was visibly embarrassed, repeatedly reminding her parents to mind their manners. However, Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang thought that the first eting was critical, and the girl’s side shouldn’t appear subservient, needing to hold themselves high so their daughter wouldn’t be wronged after marrying into the Pei family.
Pei Yinong and Chenxi, being cultivated people, naturally didn’t squabble with them and, amiably, they didn’t explain that a al at that private restaurant costs as much as three in a five-star hotel.
Because of Pei Yinong and Chenxi’s deanor, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang beca even more smug, and when discussing the marriage, they suddenly demanded an enormous dowry, claiming the previous agreents were insufficient given their daughter’s worth. By the end, they directly asked Pei Hao to transfer half of the company shares he inherited from his father to Jiang Xiaoyue, making her the company’s general manager, else it would an he didn’t truly love Jiang Xiaoyue.
Pei Hao’s expression turned dark and he stood and left.
Chenxi, though still smiling, voiced the sa sentint—the Jiang’s daughter was too costly for them to afford.
Thus, the first eting between both parents ended in discord.
The next day, Jiang Xiaoyue apologized to Pei Hao and explained that the dinner table incident was just a test by her parents to gauge his sincerity. Even if he had agreed, she wouldn’t have taken the shares.
However, such an explanation seed far-fetched to Pei Hao, and he wouldn’t accept it, whether it was a test or genuine. He couldn’t bear to see Mr. and Mrs. Jiang selling off their daughter, so he suggested breaking up.
Jiang Xiaoyue wanted to hold on, but Pei Hao had already made up his mind, and his decision was difficult to change. After trying for a while and realizing that he truly wouldn’t turn back, she had no choice but to agree to the breakup.
Mr. and Mrs. Jiang, on the other hand, wanted to make a scene. They claid that since Pei Hao had slept with their daughter, he had to take responsibility. They agreed to the breakup, but demanded a hefty sum as breakup compensation.
Pei Hao made it clear, however, that there hadn’t been as much as a kiss between him and Jiang Xiaoyue, let alone sleeping together. So, there was no question of him taking responsibility. His words left no face for the Jiang family; not only Mr. and Mrs. Jiang but even Jiang Xiaoyue felt extrely embarrassed, yet she held back and didn’t react.
To avoid further conflict and preserve any chance of remaining friends in the future, Jiang Xiaoyue took her parents away.
With the situation becoming so tense, the marriage was inevitably called off. Pei Hao gave Jiang Xiaoyue so money as a breakup fee, but she didn’t accept it.
"Brother, I really think that Brother Pei Hao also has feelings for Sister Guoguo," Fu Shuyi said confidently, "Trust my instincts. Give them a chance, and maybe they’ll make a great match." But, Fu Chenxuan didn’t agree.
"Don’t get involved in this," Fu Chenxuan warned her. "Their romantic affairs should be their own. Your involvent will only make things more complicated."
Fu Shuyi pouted, discontentedly saying, "I’m doing this for Sister Guoguo. You haven’t seen how unhappy she has been lately. Actually, there were several tis I almost told her about Brother Pei Hao’s breakup."
Because their families had been close, the children grew up together, especially Tangtang and Guoguo, who were both girls and had similar personalities, resulting in a strong bond. This was why, even though Guoguo hid it well, Fu Shuyi had long noticed Guoguo’s feelings for Pei Hao.
"What you’re doing will only cause Guoguo to fall deeper. Tangtang, in love, it’s not just about ’I like you,’ but also ’I want to be with you.’ Unless Pei Hao takes a step toward Guoguo, it will just be unrequited love for her, so it would be better to let go of him sooner rather than suffer longer," Fu Chenxuan spoke solemnly.
Fu Shuyi sighed, "I just don’t understand. If Brother Pei Hao likes Sister Guoguo, why won’t he be with her? Why go after so other girlfriend and cause all this trouble?"
"What a busybody you are," Fu Chenxuan chuckled.
"Hmph, don’t think I don’t know. That Lin Jing likes you, right? And you like her, don’t you? But honestly, brother, I don’t really like her."
"Don’t talk nonsense; Lin Jing and I are just friends."
"That’s good then, I wouldn’t want her as my sister-in-law," said Fu Shuyi, who had t Lin Jing once before and didn’t take to her.
Fu Chenxuan raised an eyebrow, curiously asking, "You’ve only t her once, right? How could you judge her so quickly?"
"It’s just instinct. Compatibility at first sight is important, and maybe she just isn’t my type. I think that friend of hers nad Jiandan seed quite nice."
Fu Chenxuan did not take her words to heart, thinking of her as just being childish. Lin Jing might have changed a lot, but her kind heart remained the sa, which was enough, after all, they were just friends.
Knowing they would be staying outdoors for a day, Fu Shuyi looked around and, without telling Fu Chenxuan, called both Guoguo and Pei Hao. So, the next day, when Fu Chenxuan saw Pei Hao and Guoguo at his gate, he imdiately knew it was his sister’s doing. But since they were already there, he couldn’t send them back, so he pretended to be unaware, and later, when no one was looking, he called a couple of his friends over.
"Bai Junnan, why are you here?" Fu Chenxuan reached the eting point before Lin Jing and was not pleased to see who was waiting there. He gave Fu Shuyi a stern stare; the girl really needed to be disciplined.
Fu Shuyi t her elder brother’s gaze unflinchingly, calmly responding, "I invited Brother Jun Nan. Since it’s the weekend and no one is busy, I thought it would be nice to relax a bit."
Dressed casually in hiking boots, Bai Junnan smiled slightly, "I talked with Shuyi last night, and she ntioned you guys were going camping today. I was free, so I ca over. Chenxuan, you don’t mind, do you?"
Fu Chenxuan forced a smile, "Why would I?" This scoundrel, coming here and then saying such things; his hands itched to punch the man in front of him.
Blocking between Bai Junnan and Fu Chenxuan, Fu Shuyi looked at her brother with a smile, "Brother, aren’t your friends supposed to be here by now?"
Fu Chenxuan looked at his sister awkwardly changing the subject and glared at her, "The road was blocked, arriving soon."
He glanced at Bai Junnan, his intention clear in his eyes, clearly planning to find an opportunity to talk about life with him, Bai Junnan shrugged indifferently.
Here, Bai Junnan didn’t know the others, but after Fu Chenxuan’s introduction and since they were all about the sa age, they quickly struck up a conversation.
After waiting for about half an hour, Lin Jing hurriedly arrived, but she didn’t expect there to be so many people present, her expression montarily stiffened.
"Chenxuan, I’m very sorry to have kept you waiting. There was a car accident on the road, and it took so ti for the traffic police to handle it," explained Lin Jing, who had set off from ho early and didn’t expect to still be late.
Fu Chenxuan frowned, "Are you alright?"
Lin Jing shook her head, "I’m fine, it wasn’t our car that had the accident, I was just stuck on the road. Who are these people?" She didn’t recognize anyone other than Fu Shuyi.
Fu Chenxuan then rembered he hadn’t introduced them yet, lowering his voice, "I’m sorry, my sister heard I was going camping and made a fuss about coming, so I thought, the more the rrier, and called a few friends along. You don’t mind, do you?"
Lin Jing smiled and shook her head, "Not at all, the more the rrier." Yet with more people, her plan to confess was going down the drain, probably until next ti.
Fu Chenxuan introduced Lin Jing to everyone present, but they were all unfamiliar with her and couldn’t quite warm up to her yet.
There were eight of them in total, and when they climbed to the top of the mountain, they found there were quite a few others camping too. Fortunately, the mountaintop was spacious enough for several tents, though one tent per person was not possible, and they had to share, two per tent. Considering there were three girls, the largest tent was given to them, and the remaining n shared two per tent.
"You girls go gather so firewood, and we’ll set up the tents." After selecting the spot, Fu Chenxuan began to assign tasks. This was in Beijing’s Western Suburb, where the scenery was lovely, attracting many visitors, and there were no wild animals nearby, so it was safe for the girls to gather firewood. Besides, Fu Shuyi’s skills were reliable.
Fu Shuyi, dragging Guoguo along to gather firewood, was followed by Lin Jing, who felt sowhat awkward. Had she known it would be like this, she should have brought Jiandan along; at least things wouldn’t be so awkward if Jiandan had been there.
Originally, Lin Jing wanted Jiandan to co with her, but Jiandan refused, "This is a good opportunity for you to confess to Fu Chenxuan, why would I go?"
"Sister Lin Jing, I heard from before that you and my brother were kindergarten pals, and you used to play at my house a lot, is that true?" Fu Shuyi asked curiously.
Fu Shuyi took the initiative to speak to her, and naturally, Lin Jing would answer, smiling and nodding, "Yes, it’s true, but later my dad was transferred, and our family moved away from Beijing."
Fu Shuyi, of course, knew this as her brother had ntioned it, "Sister Lin Jing, haven’t you been back to Beijing over these years?" Her face was full of curiosity, seemingly just a simple inquiry.
Lin Jing nodded, "Yes, after graduation, I worked for a few years in other cities."
"So many years away, what suddenly brought you back?"
Lin Jing paused briefly, glanced at Fu Shuyi, seeing her expression was quite natural, the weird feeling of being targeted inside her lightened a bit, she was too sensitive, the young girl was just curious.
"Beijing is after all my hotown, although my parents are out of town, this place is ho, and my parents also hoped I would co back, so I did." The reason was very reasonable, Fu Shuyi heard and just made a sound of acknowledgnt.
Guoguo had clearly forgotten the childhood incident when she had a disagreent with Lin Jing over a toy. She was easy to get along with, and seeing Lin Jing wasn’t very talkative, she took the initiative to speak to her, to avoid making Lin Jing feel isolated.
There were plenty of dry branches on the mountain, and the three of them quickly collected a good amount. Carrying the branches back, Fu Chenxuan and the others were still setting up tents, but were nearly done.
"Brother, are these firewood enough?" Fu Shuyi asked.
Fu Chenxuan looked over, nodded, "It’s enough, put the firewood aside for now, I’ll make the fire later."
Fu Shuyi obediently found a sowhat open space to lay the firewood, then found a relatively clean spot to sit down and watch everyone busily at work.
Lin Jing held a bottle of water and walked toward Fu Chenxuan, who was busy working, "Chenxuan, have so water."
Fu Chenxuan took it, thanked her, but didn’t drink it; instead, he handed the water to Pei Hao, "Brother Hao, you just said you were thirsty, have so water first."
Pei Hao glanced at Lin Jing and accepted the water with a smile, "Thank you."
Lin Jing, with a gentle smile on her face, didn’t mind at all that her kindness had been "rebuffed." "Is there anything I can help with?"
"No need, we’ll be done here soon. You go and sit down and rest for a while," Fu Chenxuan said.
Lin Jing pursed her lips, "Okay, if you need help, just call ."
From a distance, Fu Shuyi, who had noticed this scene, nudged Guoguo, "Sister Guoguo, I can bet my life, Lin Jing definitely likes my brother."
Guoguo also saw this scene, "You think too much, they are probably just friends."
"Sister Guoguo, you are too naive. How does that look like just friends? It’s only my brother who unilaterally sees her as a friend. Just look at her initiative; only my stupid brother wouldn’t notice."
"You speaking about your brother like that, be careful he might hear you and deal with you," Guoguo warned her.
"It’s just the two of us here, I’m only telling you, and you wouldn’t betray . Sister Guoguo, you’ve known my brother for so many years, why couldn’t you spark anything? It’d be so good if you could beco my sister-in-law."
Guoguo was slightly startled, then chuckled, "Maybe because Chenxuan and I are too familiar. We’ve been together since childhood, seen all sides of each other, no novelty left, attraction is naturally non-existent, and the feelings have turned into familial love."
"But Brother Hao also grew up with us since childhood, how co you started liking him?" Fu Shuyi said in a lancholic tone.
A flicker of panic flashed in Guoguo’s eyes, "Tangtang, don’t talk nonsense, I don’t."
"What don’t you? You don’t like Brother Pei Hao? Sister Guoguo, I’ve seen through it long ago, otherwise why do you think I asked you to co with him?" Fu Shuyi whispered into Guoguo’s ear.
Guoguo looked at her in surprise, "He was your invite?"
"What else? You think my brother would invite him?"
"Tangtang, don’t do such things in the future, Brother Pei Hao already has a girlfriend," Guoguo said in a low voice, effectively admitting her feelings for Pei Hao.
Fu Shuyi pursed her lips, "Sister Guoguo, you are hiding in your shell, not paying attention to the outside world. Don’t you know Brother Pei Hao broke up with his girlfriend long ago? He’s single now."
Guoguo was shocked, "When did that happen? Weren’t they planning to get engaged? Why did they break up?"
"They broke up a month ago. As for why? Naturally because the girl was too greedy. When discussing the engagent, she demanded too much—a house, a car, and a hefty sum of money, which was no small amount, of course, Brother Hao disagreed. Both families had a falling out, and it seems the girl’s parents later made excessive demands, leading to the breakdown of their engagent."
Fu Shuyi did not detail the breakup process, just gave an outline.
As Guoguo looked at Pei Hao, who was busy with everyone else, a touch of worry flashed through her eyes, "Then he must be very sad?" She had been unaware of all this as she had deliberately excluded Pei Hao from her world, hoping to get over him sooner.
Fu Shuyi snorted, "Does he look like he’s heartbroken to you? Sister Guoguo, your eyesight isn’t good."
Guoguo glared at her irritably, "Brother Pei Hao is your cousin, aren’t you worried about him?"
Fu Shuyi chuckled, swinging her legs. "If he weren’t my cousin, I wouldn’t bother with your matters, Sister Guoguo. Although I feel Brother Pei Hao is not good enough for you, looking around, he seems to be the best option available, and most importantly, you like him. Why don’t you take the initiative to chase after him?"
Guoguo looked disheartened. "Forget it, he doesn’t like . To him, I’m just a little sister."
"Feelings can be developed," Fu Shuyi said with a smile. "And I think, Brother Pei Hao is not entirely devoid of feelings for you. Maybe if you take the lead, he might just give in."
"By the way, Sister Guoguo, have you ever confessed your feelings to Brother Pei Hao?"
Guoguo hesitated for two seconds and nodded gently, "But I was rejected."
"What does rejection matter? Just look at her." She gestured with her eyes for Guoguo to look in Lin Jing’s direction. Although Fu Chenxuan hadn’t asked Lin Jing to help, Lin Jing still took the initiative to do so small things within her capability.
"Look how proactive she is, you should be a bit more proactive too. You can’t just stand there waiting for Brother Pei Hao to fall from the sky and hit you on the head. If that knocks you silly, it wouldn’t be worth it."
"Where do you get these crazy ideas?" Guoguo chuckled.
"Sister, my dear sister, I’m doing this for you." She really wasn’t the type to ddle in others’ affairs, she would usually just listen to gossip if it were about soone else.
"Forget about , what about that guy nad Bai..." Guoguo forgot the na.
"Bai Junnan," Fu Shuyi said quickly.
"Right, Bai Junnan. What’s going on with you two?"
"What could be going on? Just friends. It’s normal to hang out with friends on weekends, just normal socializing," Fu Shuyi said casually.
"I think it’s more than that. Just now, Brother Chenxuan looked like he was about to breathe fire when he glanced at Bai Junnan."
"My brother is just too protective," Fu Shuyi said nonchalantly. "I an, I’m 21 now. Even if I really did have a boyfriend, what’s the big deal?" Her dad and her brother were just overprotective. The very presence of a male around her would put them on high alert, which is why she had never dated anyone.
"Do you like Bai Junnan?" Guoguo asked, curious.
Fu Shuyi shook her head. "Not really, but I do enjoy hanging out with him. He seems different from the other guys I know."
Guoguo instantly understood. Even if Fu Shuyi didn’t like Bai Junnan, she felt positively towards him; Guoguo just wasn’t sure whether Bai Junnan was good enough for Fu Shuyi.
With this in mind, Guoguo glanced in Bai Junnan’s direction, only to find him also looking their way, specifically at Fu Shuyi. Realizing Guoguo was looking, he flashed a friendly smile.
Guoguo returned the smile faintly and looked away, not feeling awkward in the least.
Over there, the tent was already set up. Fu Shuyi and the others approached. "Brother, what’s next?"
"I’m going to start a fire. Who can go wash the vegetables? I rember there’s a creek nearby."
"I’ll go," Lin Jing said.
"I’ll co with you," Guoguo added.
The two took the fruits and vegetables they’d brought and headed to the creek, while Fu Shuyi helped move the baggage into the tent. There wasn’t much luggage, just a backpack, and it was quickly settled.
"Brother, I think next ti we could choose an island for camping," Fu Shuyi suggested.
Fu Chenxuan was preparing to start a fire when he heard the remark and didn’t even look up, "Wasn’t it your own idea to co along? And now you find it boring?"
"No, I just think we could find a more exciting place, like doing a survival challenge on a deserted island. How thrilling that would be," Fu Shuyi said with longing.
"If it’s about surviving on a deserted island, then you should bring nothing at all, go there empty-handed, live off the land and the sea. Even for making a fire, you would need to start it by friction." Fu Chenxuan was just shooting the breeze with his sister.
Fu Shuyi’s eyes widened in disbelief, "How could that possibly be done?"
"That’s what true survival on a deserted island ans," Fu Chenxuan calmly replied.
"Heh, Brother, you’re just teasing ," Fu Shuyi scoffed and turned around to look for Bai Junnan.
Fu Chenxuan watched her walk away, his gaze slightly darkening, hmm, Bai Junnan, that guy really needed to be dealt with.
They had brought pots and condints along with so ingredients, all for this camping trip, "Junnan, co help with the cooking." Fu Chenxuan fanned the flas and called out to Bai Junnan, successfully interrupting the chat between Fu Shuyi and Bai Junnan.
Bai Junnan walked over, his expression playful as he looked at Fu Chenxuan, who was unapologetically intentional, "So what?"
Indeed, among them, Bai Junnan was the best cook. By the ti Guoguo and another person returned, Bai Junnan had the dinner ready in no ti.
"Mmm, Brother Jun Nan, this is so delicious," Fu Shuyi barely tasted it before her eyes lit up.
Bai Junnan smiled slightly, "If you like it, eat more."
"Brother Jun Nan, is there anything you can’t do? I feel like you know everything," Fu Shuyi lavishly praised him.
Fu Chenxuan’s expression darkened as he placed so food on her plate, "Eating still doesn’t keep your mouth shut."
Fu Shuyi snorted and ignored him, "Sister Guoguo, try this, it’s delicious."
Sitting on the other side of Guoguo was Pei Hao. Since the al started, Guoguo had hardly spoken, just focused on eating. Hearing Fu Shuyi’s words, she looked up and caught a glimpse of Pei Hao out of the corner of her eye, talking to a colleague seated next to him.
He seed natural, showing no signs of heartbreak after their breakup, although Guoguo couldn’t be sure whether he was just burying his emotions, as Pei Hao was always reserved.
She was lost in thought, unable to focus on eating.
"Eat more vegetables," Pei Hao suddenly said. Though he was talking to soone else, his attention was always on Guoguo. Saying that, he even picked up so of her favorite food with the chopsticks.
Guoguo softly thanked him, looking very unnatural like a child caught cheating—fortunately, nobody noticed her strangeness then, otherwise even those unaware of her thoughts might have guessed them.
Pei Hao sighed inwardly, feeling more pity for this silly girl, but decided to suppress this feeling, pretending not to have seen it, and continued talking to others.
After dinner, so of the n took responsibility for washing the dishes and cleaning up the trash.
The group gathered around the fire, while Fu Chenxuan pulled Bai Junnan aside to "talk about life and dreams."
Standing on the edge of a cliff, Fu Chenxuan and Bai Junnan faced each other, "Do you like my sister?" Fu Chenxuan got straight to the point.
Bai Junnan’s face sported a gentle smile, not answering his question directly but instead said, "Shuyi is quite cute, very innocent."
Fu Chenxuan stared at him, his expression unreadable, "Jun Nan, you’re my friend. I’m going to be straightforward. I don’t want you setting your sights on my sister."
Although Bai Junnan was the only son of the Bai Family, the Bai Group was a family business with complex interpersonal relationships and internal family strife. Bai Junnan had lived in such an environnt since childhood, developing a deep and cunning nature. Despite his gentle and gentlemanly appearance, he was definitely not a simple character. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ventured to start his own barbecue restaurant, and his position within the Bai Family remained unchallenged.
Fu Shuyi, on the other hand, had been pampered since childhood. Although very intelligent, she definitely was not a match for an old fox like Bai Junnan. If Bai Junnan really intended, Fu Shuyi would surely fall into his tender trap.
Let’s not talk about whether Bai Junnan’s feelings for Fu Shuyi were genuine. The environnt of the Bai Family itself was not suitable for her. He rely wished for his sister to find a man who would love and protect her, leading a simple and happy life, not one caught in the endless internal fighting of a family, where a life full of scheming was unsuitable for her.
"Chenxuan, are you misunderstanding sothing? Shuyi is indeed adorable, and I like her a lot, but my feelings are no different from yours."
Fu Chenxuan stared into his eyes. Bai Junnan returned the gaze calmly. Fu Chenxuan retracted his probing look and shrugged, "That’s for the best, especially since you’re too old to be chasing young girls."
Bai Junnan’s handso face cracked in disbelief, "Did you just call old?"
"Shuyi is only twenty-one, and you’re already twenty-five. Aren’t you old?" Fu Chenxuan stated matter-of-factly.
Bai Junnan’s face darkened slightly as he clenched his teeth, "If I rember correctly, aren’t you twenty-five as well?"
"Yes, but I’m Shuyi’s brother, which naturally makes it different."
Bai Junnan felt an itch in his hands. This guy had been away for a few years; how co his mouth had gotten so cheeky?
He hooked Fu Chenxuan’s neck, "I’ll treat you to a drink so other day." Although he couldn’t beat the kid, his capacity for alcohol was definitely better than Fu Chenxuan’s. He had to get him drunk, to make him regret calling him old. n were like flowers at thirty; he was just a bud now.
"Sure." Fu Chenxuan agreed readily, "But I’ll take that special bottle of Martell you have."
Bai Junnan huffed, "You’re really not shy, are you?" But he agreed nonetheless.
Fu Chenxuan’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.
The two returned to the campfire, where everyone was listening to Li ng tell a story. Whatever it was about had everyone laughing heartily.
"Brother, Brother Jun Nan, where were you guys just now?" Fu Shuyi asked casually as they returned.
"Just discussing so matters. What are you guys talking about, laughing so happily?"
"Li ng is telling stories about you guys starting a business together in Country Y. I had no idea you had so many interesting episodes."
It was mainly Li ng telling the stories while William supplented. William, a witty and humorous gentleman, and Li ng, a natural storyteller, turned even the smallest incidents into enjoyable tales.
"Be careful not to catch a cold." Fu Chenxuan took off his jacket and draped it over Guoguo, who was only wearing a shirt. Such attire was fine during the day but could turn cold at night.
"Thanks, Brother Chenxuan." Guoguo smiled warmly as she thanked him and wrapped the jacket tighter around her.
Seeing this, Lin Jing’s eyes dimd slightly, a tinge of loss surfacing in her heart. anwhile, Pei Hao, erging from a tent, glanced at the clothes in his hand, smiled lightly, and set the clothes back inside.
"Let’s play Truth or Dare," suggested Fu Shuyi.
It was still early for their usual bedti, and nobody objected.
Reviews
All reviews (0)