Chapter 28: Her Stubbornness
“Xiao Ge, Grandfather believes in you!” The Old Master couldn’t hide his excitement, saying with a trembling voice, “Our Xiao Ge will definitely be the most outstanding.”
Xia Chenge saw trust in the Old Master’s gaze, and she nodded as if making a vow: “I will definitely not disappoint you!”
Whether it was the Apocalypse or now, she would still be that unrivaled genius girl!
“Then starting tomorrow, after dinner, you’ll come to Grandfather’s room, and Grandfather will teach you.” The Old Master was somewhat impatient to impart all his knowledge.
“Okay,” Xia Chenge agreed.
Old Madam Xia, seeing this, let out a long-lost knowing smile.
Xia Chenge remembered Ling Hanmu was still downstairs. Knowing the original owner’s connection with him, she began to re-evaluate her relationship with Ling Hanmu.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, I have a friend downstairs. I’ll go down to see them first, and come back to accompany you later, okay?” Xia Chenge said to the elders.
“Then hurry and go. Guests should be welcomed. How can you leave someone alone? Don’t worry about us old folks,” Old Madam Xia urged her to go down.
Xia Chenge smiled and withdrew from the room. As soon as she closed the door, the smile on her face vanished.
She took a deep breath, her expression returning to normal.
When she went downstairs and saw Ling Hanmu sleeping soundly on the sofa, she suddenly felt like she was meddling: he didn’t even consider himself a guest…
The thought of the original owner having a marriage contract with him gave Xia Chenge a splitting headache.
Ling Hanmu clearly remembered this matter. If he insisted on bothering her with it, how would she handle it? He wasn’t someone easily fooled.
Xia Chenge walked to the sofa. The Young Master, who was arrogant and imperious in front of others, was asleep, but he looked as quiet and innocent as a child. His long, curled eyelashes cast faint shadows on his lower eyelids, obscuring his beautiful eyes, and his fair skin was so delicate it was enviable.
He truly had a naturally good appearance, coupled with his prominent family background, so why wouldn’t girls flock to him, wanting to catch his attention?
His tall frame looked quite cramped sleeping on this sofa, curled into a ball, yet it had an indescribable contrasting cuteness.
The air conditioning in the hall was quite strong. Xia Chenge went upstairs to get a thin blanket and gently covered Ling Hanmu with it.
Ling Hanmu stirred. Xia Chenge immediately retreated, intending to take the blanket with her.
However, Ling Hanmu didn’t wake up, only furrowed his brow.
Seeing this, Xia Chenge breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t know why she was nervous, afraid of Ling Hanmu discovering her sudden, meddling action.
Seeing that it was still early, Xia Chenge went upstairs to change into a tracksuit, planning to go for a run at the nearby Forest Park, and then invite Wei En back to take care of the Old Master.
Xia Chenge didn’t intend to go with Ling Hanmu. Unexpectedly, when she went downstairs, she saw that Ling Hanmu had already woken up, sitting on the sofa with the blanket, his eyes still groggy.
At first glance, he looked quite childlike.
However, the moment he saw Xia Chenge, he immediately revived to his full glory as Young Master Ling.
“Little Brother, where are you going?”
“Running.”
“Ah, running is good, I’ll go with you, let’s go, let’s go.”
“I want to be alone and quiet.”
“You’re annoyed by my noise again.”
It’s good that you know! Xia Chenge thought to herself.
“Then I won’t talk,” Ling Hanmu said with a smile. “It’s better to have company when running, at least you can encourage each other, right?”
Since Ling Hanmu wanted to go, anything she said would be futile.
Xia Chenge walked towards the door, and Ling Hanmu quickly followed.
“Where are we running to?” Ling Hanmu prepared to drive.
“We’re running there like this,” Xia Chenge raised an eyebrow at him. “If you drive, don’t follow me.”
“Are you sure?” Ling Hanmu was very doubtful. “Little Brother, it’s fine if you want to exercise, but don’t be too hasty. Take it step by step, or you might get the opposite effect.”
Xia Chenge smiled faintly and retorted, “Are you scared?”
Ling Hanmu raised his eyebrows: “How could I be? Am I the kind of person who gets scared? Let’s go, let’s go, today is the day I’ll show you what this Young Master is capable of.”
Xia Chenge snorted and ran past Ling Hanmu.
Ling Hanmu, unwilling to be left behind, chased after her and ran alongside her.
The Forest Park was about two kilometers from the Xia family’s residence. Ling Hanmu was initially worried that Xia Chenge wouldn’t be able to keep up.
However, when they reached the Forest Park, Xia Chenge was still breathing steadily, not panting as Ling Hanmu had imagined.
A lap around the Forest Park was about ten kilometers. Ling Hanmu was still worried that Xia Chenge’s body couldn’t handle such strenuous exercise all at once.
“You’re not planning to run a whole lap, are you?” Ling Hanmu frowned slightly. “This can easily injure your body. You should take it slow.”
“Do you want to have a competition?” Xia Chenge looked at him sideways, full of provocation.
The final result was the best proof; words were useless!
“Are you sure you want to compete with me?” Ling Hanmu raised his eyebrows. “Then there must be a prize.”
“If I win, you promise me one thing. If I lose, I’ll promise you one thing too, how about it?” Who was she? How could she possibly lose?
“You said it, it’s a deal.” As if afraid Xia Chenge would go back on her word, Ling Hanmu extended his palm to her.
Xia Chenge slapped his palm firmly, took a step forward, and looked at Ling Hanmu with determination: “It’s a deal.”
Ling Hanmu curved his lips slightly: “This Young Master never goes back on his word, so, let’s begin!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Chenge had already taken the lead and run off.
Ling Hanmu said with a smile, “You’re a girl, I’ll let you go first!”
With that, he also set off to chase Xia Chenge.
Ling Hanmu had initially thought it would be a one-sided competition, but as time passed, he gradually realized that he had truly underestimated Xia Chenge’s endurance.
For most people, running two to three kilometers at the beginning was already their limit.
But Xia Chenge’s explosive power was astonishing; she maintained a distance from Ling Hanmu and didn’t fall behind at all.
Ling Hanmu began to take the competition seriously, no longer having the attitude of holding back as he did at the start.
Those who were overtaken by Xia Chenge were surprised and unwilling to be surpassed by a young girl.
Thus, under the unintentional influence of Xia Chenge and Ling Hanmu, it unexpectedly turned into a spontaneous, referee-less race.
Everyone’s face showed a look of unwillingness to admit defeat, and they all exerted their strength to chase Xia Chenge and Ling Hanmu.
They had all been exercising here for a long time, some had even participated in marathons. People were always competitive in their areas of expertise, how could they allow two newcomers, a girl and a boy, to steal their thunder?
Sharp as Xia Chenge was, she naturally noticed their competitive spirit. She just smiled faintly.
If it were her in the Apocalypse, these people wouldn’t even be able to see her shadow, let alone chase her.
After running so far, it was false to say it wasn’t difficult. Her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest, and even her breathing felt like it was burning.
Xia Chenge had never experienced such a feeling; she was relying entirely on willpower to keep going…
