Chapter 69: Second Close Contact
“Click~”
The instant the door opened, the sister and brother synchronously managed their facial expressions.
After drying her hair and taking some fruit from the space as a gift packed in an empty gift box, Su Ning thought that since they were visiting a friend’s house, going empty-handed would be too rude.
However, the things bought earlier at the Friendship Store weren’t suitable, and seasonal fruit was just right.
“I’m ready.”
“Let me hold that for you?”
“No need, it’s not heavy, I can carry it.”
It wouldn’t be good to forcibly snatch it directly from her hands, so Yan Bei nodded, thinking they could only hurry back to the car so she could relax, “Then let’s go, the car is waiting for us downstairs.”
“Okay.”
Yan Xi watched cheerfully from the side, and since she knew her younger brother’s thoughts, she couldn’t do something stupid like interrupting anymore.
Who said Yan Xiao Qi was inarticulate and didn’t like to speak?
Wasn’t he speaking quite well? It made people feel he had poise without making the atmosphere awkward.
The three went downstairs to the car, Yan Xi’s eyes turned as she smiled sincerely at her, “Su Ning, how about I help you put the things in the front? The back seat isn’t convenient.”
“Thank you, Comrade Yan.”
“Psh, what Comrade Yan, aren’t you friends with Yan Xiao Qi? If you don’t mind, you can call me sister too!”
“Sister Yan.”
“Hey~”
Yan Xi took the large gift box from her hands and responded delightedly. This soft, glutinous, delicate and charming little girl calling her sister was really different from her hard-headed stinky younger brother, so pleasant to hear!
After placing the gift box on the front seat, the dazed Yan Xi, charmed by being called Sister Yan, walked to Su Ning’s side in the back seat and squeezed in.
“I’ve had two wishes since I was little, and now thanks to you, Ning Ning, I’ve finally fulfilled one. You don’t mind me calling you this way, right?”
“Of course not, family and friends all call me this.”
Forced to sit in the middle, Su Ning felt she was no more than a fist’s distance from Yan Bei on her right, and couldn’t help pondering inwardly: What if…
What if she accidentally hurt him more, that would be definite. Was coming to his door like this ‘walking into a trap’?
She was amused by this sudden idea that popped up, but her body honestly stiffened, trying to stay as far from him as possible.
With Yan Bei’s keen perceptiveness, he immediately noticed her small movements, a mist rising in his eyes as he thought about something.
“Ning Ning, how old are you this year? Where is your home and who else is in your family?”
“Just turned eighteen, home is in Beijing City with Dad, stepmother, and stepsister.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Shaking her head, Su Ning smiled brightly at the apologetic Yan Xi, “It’s fine.”
She never thought it was a big deal, without the rejection of reconstituted families or reluctance to mention it that other children had.
Even though she didn’t know Xu Zixin’s true face back then, she never said much about her father’s remarriage.
Because in the end, marriage is between two people, and biological children have no reason to interfere; she was always clear on this.
“Then how did you end up in Xiangnan, Ning Ning?”
Seeing she really didn’t mind, Yan Xi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her good feeling toward her rising quite a bit.
She looked as pretty as her younger brother, was enthusiastic and polite, and her temperament was rare in matching her taste without being pretentious!
Unlike those in the courtyard, either tomboys like herself or fragile, helpless, pretentious little white flowers.
Yan Xiao Qi had good taste~ She liked this girl as her sister-in-law, perfect!
“My maternal grandfather is from Xiangnan, so I wanted to work in his hometown for a few years.”
“Oh, I see. Then will you choose to settle there in the future? Or go back to Beijing City?”
“We’ll see at the time, haven’t thought about it yet for now.”
In their casual chat, Yan Bei listened quietly on the side, memorizing everything about her, big or small.
So she was from Beijing City, and besides Dad, her close relatives were all gone? No wonder she looked so sad at that house in Team Two of Hongqi Commune back then.
Her maternal grandfather must have loved her dearly, for her to want to live in his hometown at the first opportunity.
From the flat tone, her relationship with her father seemed a bit strained? Was it unhappiness living with stepmother and stepsister? Another reason for choosing Xiangnan?
Ning Ning…
Just these simple two words, murmured silently, made his heart warm and hot.
Secretly chanting the girl’s nickname made Yan Bei feel a bit embarrassed like a child who did something wrong, slightly uncomfortably turning his face away, not daring to look at her.
Not knowing or having time to care about her younger brother’s momentary awkwardness, Yan Xi chatted with her while keeping an eye on the road ahead.
This was also the real purpose of her deliberately squeezing over to sit while chatting with her.
Heh, without her, just relying on Yan Xiao Qi? When would the deadlock be broken.
Looking at Su Ning’s appearance, she probably doesn’t know at all that he has feelings for the household, and it seems she hasn’t thought in that direction either.
He himself has a face of Zhang Bai that one never tires of looking at, and appreciating it every day probably made him immune long ago.
Relying on Yan Xiao Qi’s face and still waiting for Su Ning to be as dazed and confused as with other little girls, automatically throwing herself at him?
What a pipe dream!
Yan Xi, who was multitasking, saw the big bend ahead that she had been longing for, immediately stopped complaining about her subordinate, leaned back toward the seat to avoid Su Ning’s line of sight, and gave him an eye signal.
Watching her twitching eyes, Yan Bei had a wooden expression: Sis, did you forget? We’ve never had special telepathy since the womb.
With those wildly twitching features and eyes squeezed almost shut, who could guess what you want to say? What do you mean?
Thinking he had smoothly received her hint, Yan Xi prepared herself, calmly and composedly straightened up again, met Su Ning’s turned gaze, and smiled even more affably.
“Screech—”
“Bang!”
“Mm-hmm~”
Su Ning, who almost got flung out hard during the sharp turn, had a face full of lingering shock: This time it’s totally over!
The beauty crashed straight into his arms again, and even though his chest hurt dully from the impact once more, Yan Bei didn’t choose to dodge: Even if it meant breaking two more ribs for Ning Ning, he was willing!
Seeing that she had successfully stuffed the person into her subordinate’s arms, Yan Xi, who was completely unaware of unintentionally screwing over her brother, admired herself greatly: This move was fast, accurate, and ruthless—Big Demon King really should see it!
“Yan Bei, how do you feel?”
“Hiss~ Don’t… move first.”
Her two hands clenched into fists had subconsciously padded in front of her own chest when she lunged forward, which pressed against his chest.
Hearing his voice suppressed to an extremely low pitch, as if desperately enduring, Su Ning stared at her own little fists.
She really had it out for his ribs, destined to form such a deep bond!
Half-lying motionless in his arms, her little face somewhat dejectedly resting on her two fists, her eyes like crystal grapes rolling around.
Su Ning didn’t know how hard her appearance made Yan Bei hold back his laughter: Cough, no, his chest really hurt too much.
“I… I’ll take responsibility…”
It turned out you really could hear the sound of flowers blooming; in that moment, Yan Bei felt like he heard the whole world’s flowers blooming in competition.
His excited mouth opened and closed but couldn’t utter a single word, his brain thrilled to a blank.
“Your ribs are mine now!”
Crack~
The colorful flower world instantly withered and shattered into gray-black ash.
That’s what they call one thought heaven, one word hell.
Yan Bei listened to her panting declaration with a mix of laughter and tears, his eyes full of helplessness, “Alright.”
The warm softness carrying her unique faint fragrance, he naturally didn’t want to let go, but deep down he knew taking tofu advantage in this situation was immoral and ungentlemanly, so he forced himself to release his hand from around her back.
“How is it? Or should we still detour to the…”
The unfinished words in her mouth were startled back by his reaching hand; once she understood the hint, Su Ning looked at him with slight hesitation: Sure?
The pad of his long, strong index finger had a thin layer of callus, the kind from frequently holding a pen.
Stroke by stroke writing in her palm, it tingled numbly, slightly itchy.
After he finished the last stroke, he impatiently withdrew his paw, rubbing his palm hard with the other hand, and only then did that sudden itchy feeling in his heart dissipate.
“What… happened?”
Only when she realized the situation between the two wasn’t as she imagined did Yan Xi belatedly speak up to ask, “Did Yan Xiao Qi bump into your injury?”
“…”
The culprit herself had made the household take the blame, and facing her own seemingly reproachful words, her embarrassed face felt like it was about to smoke; Yan Xi closed her eyes and forcefully patted her forehead.
“Ning Ning, don’t overthink it, I didn’t mean to blame you, hey, it’s not your fault either…”
“Sis, I’m really fine, it just hurt a bit from the bump, but the pain has passed now.”
If he let his sister explain any more, Ning Ning’s face could fry eggs; Yan Bei had to interrupt.
Cough cough, regarding the emotions, since Pear doesn’t believe in love at first sight, the novel world inevitably reflects that view too, so Su Ning’s feelings won’t develop that quickly.
After weathering storms and trials, that’s when the most beautiful flowers bloom. Now thinking about it, that initial budding ambiguity at the very start is what gets people hooked the most, hahahaha, hope the one who falls first doesn’t suffer too much.
