Chapter 16

When He Xi was a child, he spent a long time being spoiled by his father and taking advantage of his father's power to bully others. He spent all day in Yixing Street, playing with cats and dogs and doing justice.

As for Zhao Lin, she searched hard in her mind, but still had a vague impression of him.

"Everyone says that this girl has become a different person after growing up."

Shi Xin received a call from her class teacher while she was preparing food in the store. She was confused after hearing what he said and hurriedly called He Xi. However, she missed several calls, so she immediately closed the store and went home to look for him.

Several people met at the alley entrance. Shi Xin pulled He Xi up and down to check him thoroughly, and only felt relieved after reading the report.

"The only thing is, he's very stubborn."

Shi Xin is usually busy with the noodle shop business and rarely has free time at noon. She took advantage of today's incident to take a break. The atmosphere in the courtyard was lively and she started talking.

He Xi sat on the side picking vegetables silently, and rarely raised his head to listen to their conversation.

"I was just saying, if our brat were half as obedient as Xixi, I would have less worries."

Although Grandma Li said this, the smile on her face showed special relief.

He Xi glanced at the boy opposite him calmly, and saw that his slender fingers were holding the phone, moving quickly across the screen, without any embarrassment of being talked about and laughed at.

To be honest, He Xi obviously couldn't be as calm as him.

When she was a child, she was impetuous and expressed her emotions openly, but as she grew up, she unknowingly became gentle and reserved.

The continuous sound of a mechanical female voice was enough to show how fierce the battle was.

Zhao Lin stared at the screen, his hands moving expertly, manipulating his character with ease. He seemed oblivious to the subtle, prying gaze.

“YES——!”

At the end of the round, Xiang Yuzhi excitedly pumped her fist and cheered. It turned out to be a wonderful feeling to be led by a master! She seemed to understand why He Xu was so attentive to this person.

"One more round, one more round—"

A familiar urging voice came from the receiver, and He Xi glanced over again. Seeing Xiang Yuzhi's starry eyes adoring the person next to him, she lowered her eyes helplessly.

There is always someone who can capture people's hearts easily, like the full moon reflected in a deep pool.

"I've grown so tall in the blink of an eye. I can take advantage of this opportunity to come back to school and spend more time with my wife. Who knows how long my body can hold on..."

Shi Xin knew something about the Li family's affairs, and he couldn't help but be moved when he heard her sighing like that.

"Don't say that, old man. Everyone in the neighborhood would envy you for having such a handsome grandson!"

Shi Xin opened a shop and started her business when she was in her early twenties. Looking across the entire Yixing Street, no one could be more sweet-mouthed and talkative than her.

"Just relax and take good care of yourself now. In two years, maybe you'll bring your granddaughter-in-law back to you, hahahaha..."

"cough--"

He Xi, who was daydreaming, suddenly heard her cousin's shocking words. She reacted a few beats late and a breath got stuck in her chest, making her cough violently.

She drank the warm water on the table in a hurry. When she looked up, she saw that everyone was looking at her, and she felt embarrassed again.

"Look how scared you are of the children. They are still young and should focus on their studies first."

Uh, after Grandma Li finished speaking happily, He Xi felt his cheeks burning and his heart choked again. What the hell is going on?

She hurriedly picked up the vegetables and walked towards the kitchen.

"Xixi is still as playful as she was when she was little, haha..." The old man looked at the man walking away angrily with a smile on his face, "Just now I ran into Old Yu and the others in the park and they were talking about it, the two kids..."

"grandmother--"

"The rice is ready, I'm a little hungry."

Zhao Lin's long legs dangled under the table, and his gaze inadvertently shifted back to the motionless shadow under the kitchen windowsill.

"Please sit down and let me go to the kitchen. There are only two vegetables left to stir-fry."

Before Shi Xin stood up, he glanced at Zhao Lin vaguely, and the atmosphere at the table suddenly became a little subtle.

*

"I just think that Zhao Lin must be interested in you."

Xiang Yuzhi was lazily rocking in the rocking chair and swore something, and she was quite dissatisfied with He Xi's prohibition of her using the term "great god" to refer to Zhao Lin.

"I think your brain is being clouded by your wild fantasies."

"What? You're the one who doesn't understand romance!"

He Xi ignored her chatter and fiddled with his phone out of boredom.

The midday sun was scorching, and the people who were suffering from the heat had nowhere to go. It was better to turn on the air conditioner inside the house.

In this season, He Xi particularly missed the days of spending his summer vacation at his uncle's house. The cool stream, the fresh and sweet fruits, the greenery that filled the distance from the window...

Just thinking about it makes me feel refreshed.

He Xi lay lazily on the bed. She took some medicine after dinner and the pain was relieved a little. Before Jiang Yue returned to school in the morning, his cousin had asked him to help her take leave again.

Having not slept well last night, she felt a little sleepy while scrolling through her phone. She dozed off for a few seconds and then looked intently at the people who were still fighting in the game.

I don't understand if it's really that fun. For a while, He Xi was fed up with the sound of keyboard clacking and hoarse shouting and cursing coming from He Xu's room next door.

“Hey… Tsk! It’s over, it’s over!!”

"Oh my god - God, save me, save me!"

He Xi glanced away, ignoring Xiang Yuzhi, who was in high spirits, and hugged the pillow, closing his eyes again. In his daze, he felt a burning sensation behind his ears, like a hot breath spraying on him.

She was extremely annoyed. Just as she was about to turn around to look, she heard a male voice beside her ear, "Don't move."

He Xi hissed and subconsciously touched the bump on his head. Hmm, it doesn't hurt at all, hehe...

She was about to breathe a sigh of relief with a silly smile on her face when she looked up and saw Zhao Lin sitting opposite her, his fingers dancing freely in the game world.

"What are you showing off for? It's so great that you can play games!"

She glared at him, and as if not satisfied, she stretched out her hand and made a face, slightly...she wished she could get closer to the person opposite her, she was not afraid.

She is not afraid of Tan Zheng, let alone this man's lackey.

"Who are you calling a lackey?"

Before He Xi could finish feeling proud, she heard another oppressive voice. She flinched and met Zhao Lin's dark eyes.

Seeing him pass the exam step by step, He Xi's heart began to beat irregularly, and her panic and fear were mixed with a hint of something that she didn't have time to distinguish.

"I won't say anything nonsense, don't worry."

As soon as the boy raised his hand, she was the first to give in, slowly moving her feet back to explore. If a hard fist hit her body, it would be bruised and painful.

"Oh—are you so useless?"

He Xi heard Zhao Lin chuckle and watched his arms and hands fall down - resting on the tree trunk behind her.

"You...you go away!"

"Are you going to freak out again?"

With a loud bang, He Xi seemed to remember something and finally understood what was strange. She was possessed by a nightmare.

She pushed the person in front of her away and ran home.

She ran panting for an unknown amount of time before she turned back to see if Zhao Lin had caught up with her. As soon as she turned around, she was knocked to the ground.

Tan Zheng crossed her arms, a provocative smile on her lips, "It's like a cat catching a mouse, it's that easy, isn't it." Then she looked behind her, her smile becoming more charming, "Don't you agree, Brother Lin?"

He Xi's eyes turned red with anger. She felt her heart was about to burst out of her chest, and she forced herself to wake up.

After failing several times and seeing that Tan Zheng's foot was about to fall on her, she staggered forward, got up and ran.

"Hurry... hurry, Jiajia, run—"

He Xi woke up panting, scenes from her dream flashing through her mind like a kaleidoscope. Her heartbeat like a drum gradually calmed down along with the sweat drops buried in her hair.

The room was silent. She was stunned for a long time before she rubbed her numb arm and walked downstairs.

He went to the bathroom woodenly, and when he saw the pale face in the mirror, he came back to his senses completely. He quickly washed off the damp sweat on his body.

*

"Xixi, you finally woke up--!"

As He Xi stepped out of the bathroom, he saw Xiang Yuzhi rushing in anxiously. "I looked upstairs and you're not here. Who's the good person who keeps their phone on silent all day long?"

"My fault, my fault."

He Xi quickly begged for mercy, saying that he had not paid attention to the news before going downstairs.

"Okay, I'll forgive you this time. It's your fault that you have a bump on your head."

He Xi swallowed her soft knife with a wry smile and was dragged into Grandma Li's yard.

"You have to give me some face later and eat a few more bites."

"Why, don't tell me that this young lady who has never touched water is cooking?"

"Who are you looking down on? I'll show you what a delicious meal is, humph!"

He Xi glanced around and didn't see the person who made her heart palpitate. Her nerves, which had been tense when she first entered the hospital, finally relaxed a little.

"Xixi is here, come and sit down."

Grandma Li came out with the dishes and greeted her and offered her a seat.

"Grandma, I'm sorry to bother you these past two days."

He Xi is shy and actually feels embarrassed to bother others all the time.

"Girl, since you call me grandma, don't be so formal. Let's treat each other as family."

"Thank you, grandma." He Xi wanted to say something, but his eyes met the person coming out of the kitchen, and his mind suddenly went blank.

At first glance, his expression was complicated.

Seeing that the other party seemed to be exploring, she stepped past him and ran to the kitchen to serve the dishes.

After they sat down, Xiang Yuzhi pretended to clear his throat and said, "Today's dinner menu: assorted shrimp, stir-fried broccoli, stir-fried mushrooms with ham, sliced ​​loofah and pork, minced meat, egg and tofu, and chestnut, yam and pork rib soup."

He Xi was amused by her mischievous expression. "To me, none of these look like they were made by you."

"Tsk, I'm grandma's last disciple. How can you, a commoner, see through my skills?"

He Xi was almost dying of laughter at Xiang Yuzhi's words. Most people couldn't stand this little girl's antics.

"Xixi, try some of the dishes. They are indeed made by Xiaoyu and Yuanyuan."

ha?

He Xi was so shocked that her jaw dropped. She must have heard it right. Today, not only Xiang Yuzhi was acting crazy, but also the man with a serious face sitting opposite her, who was as steady as an old dog, could also cook?

"Um."

She responded obediently, her eyes glancing over the plate on the table as she reached up to pick up some food. The stir-fried broccoli was crisp and refreshing, with just the right amount of acetic acid in the base, a little more astringency and a little less blandness.

The essence of seasoning is definitely not something a novice can grasp.

“Is it taste good?”

He Xi smiled and nodded, meeting Grandma Li's concerned gaze, "Grandma, I like this taste very much."

She picked up another piece and was eating with relish, puffing out her cheeks, when she suddenly heard a chuckle coming from the opposite side.