Chapter 53 "Open it yourself".

Tang Ci watched him without moving, her thoughts wandering, only snapping back to reality a few seconds later.

Sheng Yu looked at her expressionlessly. The words he uttered sounded more like a transaction than a confession.

"Why?" Tang Ci asked in a low voice, puzzled.

Sheng Yu frowned, ran a hand through his hair, and scoffed, "Probably because he's unwilling to accept it?"

Tang Ci understood that someone as proud as Sheng Yu would not allow betrayal to exist in his life.

She had betrayed him, and now he wanted her to pay for it.

That makes perfect sense.

She had no reason to refuse.

Tang Ci stood calmly, her gaze fixed on Sheng Yu's crisp shirt, which had been worn all day and had several wrinkles at the elbows.

She twitched her fingertips, not daring to smooth out his wrinkles, and slowly blinked, pausing for a few seconds before asking, "So you're not going to find someone you like?"

"Things should be dealt with one at a time." Sheng Yu also remembered this matter, put his hands in his pockets, and said bluntly, "Let's settle things between you and me first."

"The dating period is two months. Once the time is up, it ends if either party wants to withdraw." He stated the rules of the game without hesitation: "Do you agree?"

At this moment, Tang Ci truly felt that he was a businessman. Emotions were like a game to him; he could not only easily set the rules but also ensure fairness and impartiality for both sides.

She nodded slowly.

“Then let’s start now.” Sheng Yu was determined to be fair to the end, and asked her again, “Is that alright?”

Tang Ci's mind was a complete blank, but she was led by his words to say, "Okay."

"Go back to the hotel and reschedule your flight for the day after tomorrow."

Tang Ci clenched her fingers, looking at him with confusion.

"What should you do in a relationship?" Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow and asked patiently, a rare occurrence for him.

Tang Ci pursed her lips: "A date?"

"Have you decided where you want to go?" Sheng Yu reached out and took the schoolbag from her shoulder into his own hands. "I'll take you there tomorrow."

/

Sheng Yu was not very satisfied with the chain budget hotel she had chosen. When checking in at the cramped hotel reception, she refused the complimentary milk that was close to its expiration date.

As Tang Ci entered the elevator, she glanced at the carton of milk with some regret. Sheng Yu pressed the elevator door button and asked, "Want some?"

The elevator mirror reflected the two figures. Sheng Yu stood not too far from her, her backpack slung over his shoulder.

His tone was so normal that it seemed like they were a couple in a normal relationship.

Tang Ci lowered her eyes awkwardly and said softly, "No."

Sheng Yu booked a day later than her, and her room was on a floor higher than Tang Ci's.

Tang Ci arrived first, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, she reached out to him for his bag: "Give it to me."

Sheng Yu placed the backpack strap in her hand and gentlemanly blocked the open elevator door.

Tang Ci stepped out of the elevator, clutching her room card as she looked at the room number sign on the wall.

Sheng Yu suddenly called her name from behind.

"Tang Ci".

Tang Ci turned her head: "Hmm?"

His arm was still blocking the elevator door: "You didn't say a word after your date with Song Ke?"

Tang Ci paused for a moment, then said in a muffled voice, pinching her fingertips, "Goodnight."

"That's all?" Sheng Yu raised his eyebrows, as if he didn't believe it.

Tang Ci racked her brains but couldn't come up with a solution, so she stood there awkwardly.

Sheng Yu bowed slightly and offered his forehead.

Looking at his smooth forehead, Tang Ci's heart skipped a beat. She quickly touched his forehead with her lips and then abruptly pulled back a meter away.

"alright."

Sheng Yu stood up, retracting his arm as he did so: "Don't wait for me to remind you next time."

Tang Ci gave a soft "hmm," and only after the elevator doors closed completely did she rub her burning cheeks amidst the low hum of the elevator.

Tang Ci returned to her room as if in a dream, tossing and turning in bed until the early hours of the morning. Only then did drowsiness finally suppress her racing thoughts, allowing her to sleep for a few hours.

The lack of sleep made her much slower than usual when she arrived at the restaurant in the morning.

So much so that she only realized it after Sheng Yu sat down next to her with his tray and finished a cup of soy milk.

"Good morning," Tang Ci hurriedly greeted.

Sheng Yu lifted his eyelids slightly, revealing faint dark circles under his eyes: "Good morning."

Tang Ci, biting into a red bean bun, asked, "Didn't you sleep well?"

"Overtime." He didn't even lift his eyelids this time.

Tang Ci paused for a moment while holding the steamed bun, and said considerately, "Thank you for your hard work." After finishing his meal, Sheng Yu put her plate back in the sink, turned on the tap to wash his hands, and Tang Ci followed behind him, taking out a tissue to hand to him.

"Have you decided where to go?" Sheng Yu asked naturally as she took the tissue after washing her hands.

"Let's go to Tanshui Park," Tang Ci said. "I looked up travel guides last night, and they said the Flower Festival isn't over yet."

Sheng Yu threw the tissue into the trash can some distance away, took out his phone and hailed a taxi: "Let's go."

As he spoke, he extended his arm toward her.

Tang Ci was stunned for a moment, then carefully took his arm.

Sheng Yu then stepped out of the restaurant.

Because she had no travel experience, Tang Ci only looked at the attractions when searching for travel guides, and didn't refer to data such as visitor flow at all.

Therefore, as soon as she arrived at the entrance of Tanshui Park, she was shocked by the long queue in front of her.

"There are so many people."

Sheng Yuchao glanced at the entrance of the scenic area and said, "I'll go ask if they have YTO Express."

"What is Yousutong?" Tang Ci asked, raising her face.

"A fast track to paying more."

"There don't seem to be many people..." Tang Ci tugged at his sleeve, "and the line is moving very quickly..."

Sheng Yu chuckled lightly: "Then let's line up."

After being jostled by the surging crowd for half an hour, Tang Ci realized she had only moved fifty meters and couldn't help but wrinkle her nose in annoyance.

"Still queuing?" Sheng Yu asked calmly.

Tang Ci looked pale and obediently said, "I'll listen to you this time."

“Okay, but you have to listen to me once you're inside.” Sheng Yu said calmly, “Are you sure you want to listen?”

Tang Ci was hesitant at first, but after being nudged by the child in front of her in line, she immediately nodded: "OK, OK."

The fast lane had almost no queues, and they entered the park in just five minutes.

Tanshui Park is very large, divided into five areas, each with different attractions.

Hydrangeas and snapdragons blooming freely in the park create a magnificent sea of ​​flowers, adorning every pavilion and stream, and girls dressed in Hanfu can be seen strolling among them everywhere.

The scene was so beautiful that Tang Ci craned her neck to look at it with great curiosity.

Passing by a shop renting Hanfu (traditional Han clothing), Sheng Yu stopped and said, "Let's try it on."

Tang Ci was about to refuse, but remembering what Sheng Yu had said when they entered the park, she swallowed her words. In addition, she was indeed tempted, so she cleared her throat and said, "Then let's go take a look."

Seeing the hint of excitement in her eyes, Sheng Yu went into the store first.

Tang Ci was overwhelmed by the dazzling array of Hanfu, and finally couldn't decide between a pale yellow cross-collar ruqun and a light blue qixiong ruqun.

The shop assistant suggested, "Why don't you ask your boyfriend?"

Tang Ci glanced sideways at the sofa, where several men were sitting, waiting for their girlfriends.

Sheng Yu was sitting by the window, wearing headphones and making a phone call.

Just as Tang Ci was about to look away, Sheng Yu glanced at her and said, "Blue."

The shop assistant covered her mouth and chuckled: "Your boyfriend may seem aloof, but he's actually always watching you."

Even though she knew that Sheng Yu had only glanced over by chance, Tang Ci was still a little embarrassed and took the blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) to the fitting room.

After trying on the dress, which was the right size and length, Tang Ci came out of the fitting room and let the makeup artist proceed with the next step of her makeup and styling.

The makeup and hairstylists were extremely skilled, and the look began to take shape after ten minutes.

While applying her eye makeup, Tang Ci kept her eyes closed the entire time. As soon as she opened them after finishing, she met Sheng Yu's gaze in the mirror.

As soon as she moved her neck, the makeup artist held her chin and said, "It'll be done soon, don't move."

Tang Ci lowered her eyes and stopped moving, with only the gold pendant on her hairpin dangling softly around her neck.

Sheng Yu looked at the section of the snow-white neck covered in golden light, and his Adam's apple moved slowly.

After the makeup artist finished applying the last stroke between her eyebrows, she looked at her from a distance and exclaimed in admiration, "A fairy!"

Tang Ci smiled sheepishly and stood up from the dressing table. Sheng Yu also got up from the sofa behind her.

She lowered her skirt and looked at him awkwardly: "Is it alright?"

"It's alright." Sheng Yu put away his phone. The screen briefly showed the camera interface, which must have been accidentally touched.

Tang Ci lifted the hem of her skirt and said "Oh".

Wearing floor-length ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) made it inconvenient to participate in the mechanical rides, so they followed the crowd to stroll on the scenic mountain.

A waterfall is situated halfway up the mountain, its beauty enhanced by the verdant pines and clear spring. From afar, it appears exceptionally elegant.

Upon closer inspection, several koi carp were swimming in the pond. Tang Ci crossed the suspension bridge and went up the stone steps to take a look.

Sheng Yu received a work call, stood under the bridge, stared at the pale blue light, and occasionally spoke a few words into the receiver, his brows gradually furrowing.

Tang Ci was admiring the fish with her head down when someone suddenly took a picture of her close to her clothes.

It turns out that some tourists mistook her for an NPC in the scenic area.

Tang Cicai waved her hand and explained to the previous tourist, and then the next tourist, who was confused, stood next to her.

Amidst the clicking of camera shutters, tourists actually lined up spontaneously, cheerfully discussing what poses to strike when taking photos with the fairy NPC.

Unable to explain clearly, Tang Ci could only awkwardly become a background figure.

Seeing the line getting longer and longer, Tang Ci wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead and looked pitifully at Sheng Yu under the bridge.

"That's all for now." Sheng Yu hung up the phone, walked to the stone steps directly opposite Tang Ci, and raised a finger: "Jump down."

Tang Ci exclaimed "Huh?" and subconsciously gripped the railing tighter.

Sheng Yu stretched out his arm to her: "Don't be afraid, I can catch you."

Tang Ci glanced sideways at the long queue, apologized to the next tourist, and jumped down with her eyes closed.

Tang Ci opened her eyes only after she was embraced by a warm, comforting person.

She sniffed his shoulder almost imperceptibly with the tip of her nose.

It has a very faint, crisp cedar scent, which is the smell of aftershave.

Things are different now.

As Tang Ci got off him, she thought blankly.

The tourists behind them, not understanding what was going on, started chattering amongst themselves. Tang Ci quickly pulled Sheng Yu's hand and led her down the mountain.

"Can't even refuse a stranger?" Sheng Yu glanced at the hand she was holding and asked in a low voice.

Tang Ci realized her actions and quickly let go of his hand: "How can I refuse when everyone else is standing here..."

Sheng Yu's eyes darkened: "You're only tough on me."

/

After lunch, Tang Ci changed back into her own clothes so she could easily enjoy the activities.

After exploring all the parks, it gradually got dark. Every street in the park was lit up with different shaped lights, and the clear and melodious sound of a piano swayed in the wind from the speakers.

The park offers tickets to see the lights, so there are more visitors at night than during the day.

While queuing to watch the performance, Tang Ci and Sheng Yu were originally half a person apart, but as they walked, they were squeezed together by the crowd.

The back of her hand, hanging by her side, swayed as she walked, occasionally bumping into Sheng Yu's fingertips before quickly separating.

A tiny electric current spread from the skin that touched, and gradually Tang Ci felt numbness in her arms. Her eyelashes seemed unable to bear the weight of her eyelids and drooped down slightly.

The dazzling lights were no longer visible; all she could see was the dark cobblestone path beneath her feet.

When their skin touched again, Tang Ci moved her fingers very gently, her fingertips brushing against Sheng Yu's soft palm.

She woke up with a start, her fingertips quickly curling into her palm.

Sheng Yu looked down at her and grabbed her hand directly: "Don't touch it." His tone was reproachful.

Tang Ci let out a soft "oh," and stopped fidgeting with her fingers.

Sheng Yu forgot to let go of her hand.

Even after leaving the park and arriving at the lobby of Sheng Yuxuan's hotel, the two were still holding hands.

The receptionist, dressed in a business suit, greeted them with a smile. Noticing their actions, she asked gently, "Is a double room available?"

“Okay.” Sheng Yu glanced at her sideways.

She kept her head down and didn't speak, probably because she was too sleepy and her mind was wandering.

It wasn't until she returned to her room and took a shower that Tang Ci seemed to realize something, and stood motionless at the foot of the bed in her nightgown.

Sheng Yu came out wearing a bathrobe, sat down on the edge of the bed in front of her, reached out to straighten her disheveled skirt, and asked slowly, "Based on your previous relationships, what should be the next step?"

Tang Ci took deep breaths, her mind reeling from the jumbled information she'd browsed online, and asked, still somewhat dazed, "Do you need my help...?"

She said this, but didn't move at all.

Sheng Yu narrowed his dark eyes slightly: "I'm not as hypocritical as Song Ke."

“I prefer to give first and then receive.” He said, patting Tang Ci’s leg lightly. “Open it yourself.”