Chi Yao still had that ‘you’d better get away from me’ look: “If you want a beating, just say so.”
Xu Ting: “…Well, that’s not what I meant.”
After a while, Chi Yao sat down beside her again.
Lin Zhexia had been stunned by the word “confess” and didn’t even notice Chi Yao’s return.
Until a hand reached out from under the table, entering her field of vision.
The young man’s slender, bony hand was holding a lollipop.
“To reach the minimum order,” Chi Yao said, “it was free.”
Lin Zhexia took it and saw the lollipop wrapped in a light yellow cover, lemon flavored.
Lin Zhexia: “Thank you for bestowing upon me your free order filler.”
Chi Yao: “You’re welcome.”
After Xu Ting and Chi Yao returned, Old Liu paid the bill, and everyone walked back to the hotel along the sea.
Lin Zhexia was worried that Shen Shanshan might fall while walking, so she followed beside her for a while, but quickly discovered that apart from walking a bit slower, she had no other symptoms.
Lin Zhexia walked at the back of the group, slowly unwrapping the candy Chi Yao had just given her.
The sea breeze blew against her face.
Lin Zhexia bit into the candy.
Although it was candy, she couldn’t taste any sweetness, only feeling that this piece of candy was so sour it became bitter.
“Alright, everyone back to your rooms. It’s been a tiring day, go to bed early.”
Before dispersing, Old Liu waved his hand and said, “No need to rush to get up tomorrow. We’ll head back in the evening. Since we’ve made the trip to Haicheng City, you can look around during the day. Now that we’re here, see the sea before leaving.”
Xu Ting, continuously excited, applauded: “Great!”
After applauding, he noticed Lin Zhexia with the lollipop in her mouth: “Young Lin, what’s wrong? You don’t look too happy.”
Lin Zhexia had the candy in her mouth, her mood inexplicably low. After a while, she said: “I don’t know, maybe I’m too tired.”
After saying this, she first escorted Shen Shanshan back to her room, then took out her room key card from her shoulder bag.
Walking forward silently with her head down all the way, when she reached the door of her room and was about to use the key card to open it, the door had just made a “beep” sound when it was opened, and a hand reached out from behind. That hand pressed on the door handle and closed the door again.
“Wait a moment.”
Chi Yao’s voice came from behind.
“?”
“Turn around,” the voice said again.
Lin Zhexia slowly turned around.
The candy in her mouth had already dissolved, leaving only a white, thin stick that wobbled as she spoke: “Why did you close my door?”
Chi Yao bent down slightly and reached out to feel her forehead.
Then he glanced at her now fully scabbed knee.
“Temperature normal,” Chi Yao withdrew his hand, “go in.”
Lin Zhexia realized that because she had just said she was “too tired,” Chi Yao was concerned that she might catch a cold after being exposed to the sea breeze all the way, wearing too little.
“I’m very strong,” Lin Zhexia emphasized with the thin stick in her mouth, “unlike a certain person who would end up in the hospital after being blown by the wind when he was little.”
Chi Yao now didn’t have the good temper he had when checking her temperature earlier.
He directly reached out to take the key card from her hand, then swiped the door open: “Three seconds, disappear from my sight.”
“…”
After returning to her room, Lin Zhexia took a shower, then made a phone call to Lin He.
“Chi Yao got first place, congratulations to him on behalf of mom,” Lin He said on the other end of the phone, “you should learn more from him, don’t always be so rash, with your mind never on your studies.”
Lin Zhexia: “You can praise him without disparaging me in the process.”
Lin He chatted for a bit, then changed the subject: “Your Wei Uncle and I are on the great grasslands. The scenery here is really beautiful. Did you see the photos I sent you? Next time I’ll bring you here to visit…”
Lin Zhexia listened, making affirmative sounds several times.
After hanging up, she found herself unable to sleep, lying in bed.
The words the girl had said with a bit of shyness but with great courage still echoed in her ear:
—I plan to confess to him tomorrow.
Before Shen Shanshan told her these things, she had never thought about the fact that one day Chi Yao might be with someone else.
She picked out this sentence and repeated it to herself:
Chi Yao.
One day.
Will be. With someone else.