Give her a gift

Another round ended, and the 200 chips that Zuo Xiao borrowed from Jiang Miaomiao were reduced to only 40 in a blink of an eye. He was so depressed that his face turned black.

Just as they were about to shuffle the cards, the door opened and Zhuang Jinghao and Jiang Yun returned. Chen Liqing made way for them at the right moment: "I lost." Jiang Yun smiled proudly: "Hey, it's no big deal!"

At this time, Zhuang Jinghao came over, bent down and took Zuo Xiao's arm, and whispered, "I need your help with something. Can you come out for a moment?" Turning around, he asked, "Chen Liqing, can you play a few games for her?"

Zuo Xiao was taken out by Zhuang Jinghao. She pulled her around a corner and came to an empty corner at the end of the corridor.

"What's the matter?" Zuo Xiao said with a mischievous smile, "I'm just cramming for an exam. I want to ask me how to conquer Chen Li—"

The last word was whispered into Zhuang Jinghao's palm. She was extremely nervous and said in a low voice, "It has nothing to do with him!"

Zuo Xiao took her hand away: "Then what do you want to do? You're talking nonsense..."

Zhuang Jinghao still looked nervous and suddenly grabbed her wrist. Before Zuo Xiao could react, she was pushed into a door.

I fell into someone's arms unexpectedly.

Who else could it be but Zhuang Yu'an? !

Zuo Xiao understood the conspiracy between the brother and sister almost instantly: the main culprit annoyed her and waited here for an opportunity; the other accomplice lured her into a trap and pushed her into the pit.

None of them are good!

"Let me go!" She angrily shook off his hand that was wrapped around her waist, but the next second even her hands were restrained.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault..." The tall man restrained her from behind, lowering his body and posture, and apologized to her in an almost humble tone, "I was inconsiderate and made you misunderstand... It's all my fault, please forgive me?"

Zuo Xiao was furious, and in the midst of the fierce struggle, he was distracted for a moment: What misunderstanding?

The more she struggled, the tighter Zhuang Yu'an's arms tightened around her. Not only could she not move, but she was even more tightly wedged into his embrace. She was enveloped by his breath, feeling the burning heat on her back. She suddenly felt both ashamed and annoyed, her breath stuck in her throat, unable to even utter a word of rebuke.

"Yan Qing is a smokescreen." Zhuang Yu'an leaned close to her ear and clarified the misunderstanding with the simplest words, "I asked her to cooperate with me in acting and confusing Luffy, so she came tonight too."

Zuo Xiao was stunned for a moment, then his face turned red and he struggled even harder.

"None of my business! Let me go!"

"Zhuang Yu'an, you bastard! Let me go!"

"I won't let go until you calm down." He said the most shameless words in the most affectionate tone, and the hot air sprayed on her neck, stirring up waves deep in her body.

Suddenly, my throat felt choked, and a familiar feeling surged up. Caught off guard, a few tears welled up in my eyes.

When she realized this, she was suddenly stunned.

Why……

Why is it that ever since I started dating him, my tears have been flowing like water for free?

What exactly caused her to become tear incontinent?

God, she was so ashamed and angry...

The person in his arms suddenly lost his strength. Zhuang Yu'an was surprised. When he leaned over to look, he saw that her eyes were wide open, with a few tears hanging in her eye sockets, like morning dew about to fall between flower buds.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, he quickly turned off the lights. Then he turned her over, held her face in his arms, and rubbed her back to comfort her.

Zhuang Jinghao waited outside the door for a long time.

This is a room used for playing Texas Hold'em. No one is interested in playing here tonight, so her brother chose this place and asked her to help bring Zuo Xiao over so that he can explain the misunderstanding in person.

After she pushed Zuo Xiao in, she immediately closed the door from the inside. She wanted to leave, but she was afraid that someone might come and see them alone in a room, so she stayed outside.

Not long after Zuo Xiao entered, she heard angry voices coming through the door. She only heard "son of a bitch" and "let me go," and was so frightened that she dared not breathe. However, she heard no more voices after that. Fifteen minutes passed, and the room was completely silent, as if no one had entered.

No, Zuo Xiao still has Chen Liqing filling in for her poker game. If she's absent for too long, people will get suspicious, right? Thinking of this, she mustered up the courage to knock on the door.

"Are you guys ready?" she asked in a low voice.

After a while, I heard my brother's voice from inside: "Right away."

After waiting for another two or three minutes, the door opened and the tall, imposing brother walked out first. Zhuang Jinghao tilted his head to look inside and found it was pitch black. He couldn't help but wonder: Is there anything that can't be said with the lights on?

She looked up at her brother's face and was stunned.

He himself was completely unaware, standing at the doorway with a calm and composed demeanor, clearly waiting for the people inside to emerge. Zhuang Jinghao blushed, and hesitated several times as he tried to speak.

Just as she was struggling, she saw Zuo Xiao coming out. At that moment, she was so shocked that her body swayed and she subconsciously held onto the wall.

Their eyes met, and Zuo Xiao's eyes clearly flashed with embarrassment, but he pretended to be nonchalant and said lazily, "Let's go."

Zhuang Jinghao's scalp tingled, and he finally couldn't help but say, "Wait a minute!"

She looked at this, then looked at that, suddenly grabbed Zuo Xiao's hand and pushed her back into the room.

There are some things that she really can't say, but if she doesn't say them, some of them might become a laughing stock!

She hurriedly pulled her brother aside: "Brother...you...you have lipstick all over your lips!"

Her brother was obviously stunned. She didn't care about his shame and hurriedly reminded him, "And Zuo Xiao, her makeup is all smudged and her mouth is so swollen! Are you...are you sure you want to go out and meet people now?"

After saying that, she ran away like a gust of wind while her brother was still in shock. As she ran, she thought: Oh my god! Can my lips be swollen from kissing in just ten minutes?

Half an hour later, Zuo Xiao returned to the mahjong room. A moment later, Zhuang Yu'an walked in.

Zhuang Jinghao quietly looked at the two of them: "Well, my brother has returned to his usual dignified and self-possessed appearance." Zuo Xiao's mouth was still a little swollen, but people who didn't know the truth probably couldn't see it.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her face suddenly flushed, and she stole a glance at Chen Liqing, tracing the shape of his lips. His lips were slightly fuller than the average man's; if they were any more swollen, they would definitely be exaggerated...

"You won so much?" Zuo Xiaoqing said in disbelief after counting the chips, "Chen Liqing, you can do this!"

Chen Liqing raised her lip and said, "I got 500 yuan on credit from Sister Miaomiao. You can transfer it to her later."

"Damn it!" Zuo Xiao grimaced in anger.

"You must accept your loss and not refuse to pay!" Jiang Miaomiao said with a provocative smile, "Do you still want to play?"

"Play! Why not?" Zuo Xiao angrily pulled out his phone. "It's 700 yuan, right? I'll transfer it to you first!"

"Don't—" Jiang Yun stopped the two people's reckless behavior in time, "Remember, don't turn it on the spot, otherwise it will constitute gambling, understand?"

A new round began, and Zhuang Yu'an took a chair and sat beside Zuo Xiao. He acted as her strategist throughout the rest of the game, but she no longer rejected him, even whispering and discussing things with him. The other three people at the table understood and exchanged glances.

Zhuang Jing was worried that their affectionate scene would upset Chen Liqing, so she said, "I want to play Werewolf. Chen Liqing, do you want to join us?"

Amidst my anxiety, I heard him say cheerfully, "Okay."

At two in the morning, snowflakes began to fall again on the city streets. There were fewer people on the streets, and the lights were sparse, leaving the city feeling unusually empty and quiet.

Zhuang Yu'an was still driving the car, and the two girls sat in the back seat.

Zuo Xiao had pulled off a comeback tonight, not only not losing money, but actually winning two hundred. The joy of winning, coupled with the alcohol, made her crouch in the corner between the seat and the car door, grinning foolishly.

"I've prepared Christmas presents for both of you!" Zhuang Jinghao, who had also had a few drinks, spoke with a hint of innocent charm, "Do you have my present?"

"At home." Her brother's steady voice came from the front row. She chuckled twice and then turned her head to look to the side.

"Of course I have..." The drunk with red cheeks raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly, "It's already on your bedside table. Just enjoy it..."

The driver coughed twice as if choked. Zhuang Jinghao felt a little embarrassed and silently made a "hush" gesture.

Zuo Xiao smiled, and instantly revealed a variety of charms. "I've tried this one, it works great."

Zhuang Jinghao shuddered in fear and rushed over to cover her mouth. The two girls were laughing and twisting into a ball. Zuo Xiao was shaking with laughter and said breathlessly, "I was talking about lip balm! What are you thinking!"

"Huh?" Zhuang Jing was stunned, embarrassed but also with a hint of disappointment, "So it's lip balm..."

"Yes..." Zuo Xiao chuckled, "Lip balm, the kind that makes your skin wet and watery once you apply it..."

Her words sounded innocuous, but Zhuang Jinghao felt that people were being malicious, so she quickly changed the subject: "Did you prepare a gift for your brother?"

"Of course not," she said without hesitation.

"Ah..." Zhuang Jinghao couldn't help but mutter in disappointment, "Brother prepared a gift for you..."

"He said so himself!" Zuo Xiao let out a slimy chuckle, "His presence is the best gift."

Oh my god! Zhuang Jinghao's eyes widened, and his heart began to beat wildly.

Oh my god! Not only does my brother know how to kiss, he's also so good at saying sweet words, one set after another... His image as a single, abstinent mother has completely collapsed, okay!

When I came to my senses, I saw Zuo Xiao chuckle and close his eyes. After a while, his breathing became even. It turned out that he fell asleep.

The car drove into the garage. Zhuang Jinghao woke up from his sleep and muttered to himself, "We're here..." He turned sideways, preparing to wake up the person next to him.

"I'll do it." The brother said softly.

Zhuang Jinghao opened the door and got out of the car, but saw her brother leaning into the back seat and carrying the person out after a while.

He held her legs with his left hand and wrapped his right arm around her back, letting her face rest on his right shoulder - a standard princess hug.

Zhuang Jinghao instantly thought of Zuo Xiao's mouth being swollen from being kissed by her brother, and was immediately too embarrassed to bear to look at it. She hurriedly closed the car door and ran away.

I gradually felt a little aggrieved: Really... When you play like this, have you ever considered the feelings of single people?

After entering the house, her brother put Zuo Xiao on the sofa. She finally woke up slowly, tilted her head, stretched out lazily, and murmured, "We're home..."

"Well, we're home." Her brother stared at her intently, his eyes and voice so gentle that it almost brought out tears.

"It's too late. How about exchanging gifts tomorrow?" Zhuang Jinghao offered, but Zuo Xiao shook his head and said stubbornly, "I want it now."

The brother and sister looked at each other and nodded at the same time.

Zhuang Jinghao took out two small gift boxes from under the Christmas tree, then ran back and stuffed one of them into Zuo Xiao's arms: "Merry Christmas!"

"Thank you." Zuo Xiao opened the gift with a smile and took out a sandalwood box.

When she opened it, she saw five guitar picks quietly embedded in the black sponge. They were blue, purple, pink, white and green. As she gently turned them with her palm, they exuded a moving luster under the light.

"This is a handmade Italian pick!" Zhuang Jinghao introduced. "It's made from natural Ethiopian minerals and hand-polished by artisans. Each one is unique!"

"What should I do..." Zuo Xiao murmured, "My picks keep disappearing. I'm so reluctant to use such a good pick..."

"It's okay! If you lose it, I'll help you find it!" Zhuang Jinghao had just finished speaking when she was kissed hard on the cheek. Her face flushed red with embarrassment, and she looked at the other person in disbelief as she touched the still warm skin.

Oh my god, is this what drunk Zuo Xiao looks like? Why didn't she know this before?

She couldn't help but turn to her equally dumbfounded brother. How "passionate" would Zuo Xiao be towards him next? Should she avoid him?

At this time, the elder brother came back to his senses, and said with a hint of embarrassment in his smile: "Our gifts collided."

"Ah?" Zhuang Jinghao's heart tightened. "Is that also a pick you gave me?"

"Almost." Zhuang Yu'an smiled helplessly, turned around, took out a small dark red velvet box from his coat pocket, and silently put it into Zuo Xiao's palm.

Zuo Xiao curled his lips and sneered at him, "Which country's ore is this from?"

He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then said, "It's most likely from Mexico."

Zuo Xiao chuckled and opened the lid. Lying on the velvet was a pure silver necklace, a minimalist snake bone chain. The pendant was a silver pick with a smooth, rounded triangle, and a round piece in the center...

coin?

She grabbed the pendant and took a closer look.

The coin was clearly of some age, showing signs of wear and tear in various places. In the center was the Queen's profile, crowned, her features plump and majestic. A circle of capital letters encircled the circular rim. Zuo Xiao, too lazy to scrutinize each word, flipped the pick over.

On the other side of the coin, two different plants grow from the base, each towards a crown at the top, enclosing the two English words "SIX PENCE." If you look closely, you can see the number 1889 at the base of the plants.

"Is this... a British sixpence?" she said uncertainly.

"Yes." Zhuang Yu'an smiled slightly. "The sixpence at Christmas symbolizes luck, so I made a pick out of it, hoping it will bless you with a smooth performance."

"Superstitious..." Zuo Xiao didn't appreciate it and muttered, "The good boy you gave me last time was useless, completely useless..."

Zhuang Yu'an choked and pursed his lips awkwardly: "Then just use it as a normal pick."

"You want me to hang it around my neck, so I can use it when I need a pick?" She curled her lips and smiled, "It's quite practical..."

"Yeah." Zhuang Yu'an said with a smile, "I also prepared a bracelet that you can wear on your hand."

"It's too much of a hindrance to wear it on my wrist." Zuo Xiao narrowed his eyes and offered his palm, "Please help me wear it around my neck."

Zhuang Yu'an was slightly startled. Zhuang Jinghao was also stunned, unable to look away.

"Why are you still standing there?" Zuo Xiao said coquettishly.

Zhuang Yu'an heard this and silently took the necklace from her palm. Then, he put his hands through her neck and fastened the chain from behind her, and also smoothed the hair around her neck.

Slender, white fingers like scallions rubbed the pick on his chest with satisfaction. Zuo Xiao joked, "It's made of pure silver, right? It won't rust from wearing it, will it?"

"It's pure silver," Zhuang Yu'an said. "It wasn't until after World War II that the British government changed the material of their coins to a copper-nickel alloy. Before that, they were all made of silver. Just now you asked me where the ore came from. At the time, Mexico was the world's largest silver producer. Other possible sources include the United States, South America, Australia, and other places."

"Wow, that's amazing..." Zuo Xiao leaned her head into his arms and chuckled, "You've got me again."

At this moment, there was a charming and lingering atmosphere between them. Even if Zhuang Jinghao was slow-witted, she knew it was inappropriate to continue being a light bulb, so she took advantage of the time when the two were hugging each other and got up and slipped away.

I took two steps and suddenly stopped: My brother and I haven't exchanged gifts yet! I turned around and looked at the two of them who were already glued to each other on the sofa: Forget it, forget it, let's talk about it tomorrow...

Zhuang Yu'an realized that his sister had left, so he tightened his arms and hugged her tightly.

His chest was warm, his nose was filled with her scent, his heart and eyes were filled with her. He felt an infinite love emanating from his heart, spreading to every limb, and every cell in his body was immersed in complete satisfaction. Even heaven could not be more than this.

The person in his arms hadn't made a sound for a long time. He murmured softly, "It's too late. Can I carry you to bed?"

A gentle hum came from her nose, and her beloved shook her head slightly: "No, I don't want to sleep... I still have a gift for you..."

Zhuang Yu paused, suppressing the joy welling in his chest, and said softly, "Baby, did you prepare a gift for me?"

The word "baby" stirred a wave of tremors, as expected. Zhuang Yu'an's heart fluttered at her reaction, and he lowered his head, his lips gently kissing her earlobe. The touch between their lips was so soft and delicate that he couldn't stop teasing, sucking and rubbing, stirring up a series of delicate tremors.

Suddenly, he realized that something in his body had reacted and his movements stopped abruptly.

The woman in his arms was still panting softly from his caress, and every breath made him more tense. God knows how much willpower he mustered to gently push her away from his arms, and how he endured the maddening tightness, stood up, picked her up, and walked towards the bedroom with almost a stuttering step.

By the time he had laid her down on the bed, his forehead was already covered in sweat. Not daring to stay any longer, he strode out of her room.

All was quiet. Zhuang Yu'an returned to his bedroom wrapped in a towel. He glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table: 3:55.

I didn't feel sleepy at all. I thought that since I had less than two hours left before I had to wake up, I might as well not sleep.

He bent down and took out a tablet from the bedside table, skillfully opened the Green Novel App, clicked on "Jasmine Garden", and started reading again from Chapter 15. He read carefully, pausing from time to time to ponder.

That's when there was a knock on the door.