Chapter 46 Camping

◎ “You can refuse anyone”◎

After returning home, Jiang Siyue had dinner and went upstairs. While looking for a data cable in the drawer, she accidentally saw some scattered small square pieces. Her face turned red and she quickly closed the drawer.

It wasn't until the phone issued another battery warning that I came to my senses and hurriedly charged it.

I was already tired last night, and he tossed me to and fro like a doll. It wasn't long before I fell into a drowsy sleep. I vaguely heard Zhao Yan sighing, as if he was not satisfied.

I don't know what will happen tonight...

She tightened her hands under the quilt, her cheeks flushed, and after turning down the air conditioner a little, she checked the time.

It's half past nine, and I usually get home around this time.

The tension in her heart grew little by little. Jiang Siyue laughed at herself for worrying too much. She found a professional book and read it word by word in a low voice. The effect was better than nothing.

Half an hour passed, the house was still quiet, there was no sound, and Zhao Yan's parking space downstairs was empty. He still hadn't come back.

A trace of worry arose in my heart. I waited for another ten minutes, and my worries grew. I put down my professional books and called Zhao Yan. After a while, the call was connected.

"Have you been to the company?"

"No, there was an accident and the road was jammed with traffic."

My heart was relieved.

"Then drive carefully. I'm going to sleep first."

A very light laugh came from the other side, like the wind passing by.

"Waiting for me?"

"No!" he denied hastily. "Hang up, bye!"

A busy tone came from the headset, and Zhao Yan's mouth curled up. He felt that the endless traffic ahead was not so bad anymore.

*

The camping site was chosen by Min Sui. It is near Yunjing and is a famous summer resort. We will spend this weekend there. Before going, we need to collect everything we need.

Jiang Siyue felt very comfortable as she rolled down the car window and breathed in the refreshing air unique to the morning.

"Does it still hurt? Do you want to go get some medicine?"

"Ahem, no need." Jiang Siyue's bright mood was clouded by a layer of embarrassment and annoyance. She muttered, "It's been a whole day. How can I be that weak?"

"You're not weak?" Zhao Yan raised his eyebrows, "Then why are you begging for mercy?"

"That's because, that's because—" she couldn't say.

"Why? Are you playing hard to get?" Zhao Yan's eyes were filled with smiles. "Oh—I see."

"No." Jiang Siyue paused, trying to use normal words to express the words that had blushed. "That night was too sudden. I was already tired after studying all day, and I haven't gotten used to you yet..."

"It's okay, there's plenty of time for you to adapt."

The topic finally came to an end. After a while, the car was waiting for the red light at the intersection. Zhao Yan tapped the steering wheel with his slender fingers. "How did you feel that night?"

Shame rushed to her head, Jiang Siyue gritted her teeth, "Zhao Yan! Drive carefully."

While shopping in the supermarket, Jiang Siyue was busy throwing things away and didn't even want to look at him.

After loading their things, the cars of several people met on the national highway out of Beijing.

It was the same people from Tokyo last time, except that Li Songci was replaced by Fang Ming, and Sun Yao was also accompanied by another girl. Jiang Siyue felt that she looked familiar, and when she introduced herself, she realized that she was Yang Tongtong, a popular young actress in the entertainment industry.

After greeting each other, Fang Ming asked, "Is there anything you want in the data from last time?"

"Well, the results so far are pretty good."

"Come find me if you need anything." Fang Ming had just finished speaking when he was punched by Min Sui, who angrily said, "Don't talk about those things when you're out having fun. It ruins the mood."

"Zhou Yan, can you please help me?!" Fang Ming turned to Zhou Yan for help, but the latter spread his hands and said helplessly, "I can't help you."

"It's okay." Jiang Siyue said with a smile.

Aside from the first time I spent with Zhao Yan's friends at the bar, every subsequent time was quite relaxing and enjoyable. After a brief greeting, they got back in the car and headed for their destination.

Not long after parking the car, the camping owner brought tents and other things, and the group began to set up the tents. Zhao Yan was very familiar with these things. Jiang Siyue worked under his command, and after a while, the task was completed. Jiang Siyue was about to prepare the ingredients, but was pulled aside by Zhao Yan to sit down.

"Take a break." Zhao Yan handed over a glass of watermelon juice.

Jiang Siyue sat down on the recliner beside him.

The air in the mountains is very good, with occasional sounds of wind and birdsong, and the sunshine is just right, slightly hot but not scorching.

There was only half a cup of watermelon juice left. Jiang Siyue stirred it with a straw and asked, "Is Meng Ran your best brother?"

The first time he took himself to meet his friends, it was Meng Ran he met. In his heart, this brother should be quite important, but now he has never seen him before. More or less, he must have his own reasons.

Zhao Yan was wearing sunglasses, which covered most of his face and made it impossible to see anything.

"Yeah, almost." Zhao Yan's voice was almost blown away by the wind, "but it's not as serious as you think."

"You don't know what I'm thinking."

Zhao Yan tilted his head. Through a layer of sunglasses, Jiang Siyue's lips were slightly parted. Her eyes were clear and all her emotions were visible. She curled her lips silently, "He and I didn't break up. Even if we did, it wasn't your fault."

"Oh." Jiang Siyue lowered her head and drank her drink, thinking to herself: That's a pretty accurate guess.

After a while, she suddenly asked, "If I really collapsed because of you, would you feel sorry?"

Zhao Yan stared at her for a while, the smile on his lips deepened, "No." Sun Yao shouted his name not far away, and Zhao Yan got up and left.

Barbecue is an indispensable part of camping. Jiang Siyue was still responsible for eating. During the meal, the boss also sent down some refreshing cold dishes, which was very pleasant.

"Ah!" Yang Tongtong accidentally dropped the barbecue on her skirt and screamed in surprise. Jiang Siyue beside her quickly took out a tissue to wipe it for her.

"Forget it!" Yang Tongtong pushed her hand away, looking annoyed. "I'll go change."

Jiang Siyue stood up to give her a seat.

Min Sui placed a plate of beef in front of Jiang Siyue and said, "Try my cooking."

Jiang Siyue smiled and put a bunch of them in her mouth, savoring them for a while, then nodded at Min Sui's expectant eyes, "Delicious!"

Min Sui was overjoyed and took a bunch as well, then -

“So spicy, so spicy—Pfft!”

Min Sui moved the plate away and said hurriedly, "Don't eat it, it's too spicy."

"No!" Jiang Siyue shook her head sincerely and took another bunch. "I really think it tastes good."

Min Sui owns her own company and has met many different kinds of people. She can see through anyone who is just trying to flatter her. Now she knows that Jiang Siyue really thinks the food is delicious.

"You are simply my best customer!" Min Sui hugged her excitedly, then let go. In return, I'll show you something.

Jiang Siyue moved closer.

"Sun Yao was in a relationship in high school. After being caught, he forced Zhao Yan to admit his love and asked Zhao Yan to read him a letter of apology on Monday. This is the video."

Min Sui found the video and clicked on it.

It was a bit far away and the image quality was a bit poor, but I could still recognize it was Zhao Yan. His face was young and immature, and perhaps because he was taking the blame, his tone did not show any remorse, but rather a strong sense of arrogance.

At the end of the video, Zhao Yan came back after finishing his work, and everyone made fun of him. Zhao Yan pretended to "wave his fist" to warn them.

Afterwards, Min Sui showed her a lot of their previous photos, some from high school and some from college. Zhao Yan was not much different from now except that he looked a little younger.

Min Sui still has ambitions for cooking, and after chatting for a while, she stood in front of the grill again.

Yang Tongtong came back after changing her clothes and sat down. Seeing the beef on the table, she grabbed it and started eating. Jiang Siyue reminded her, but she was halfway through her words, "That——"

"It's so spicy! Give me some water, quick!"

Jiang Siyue handed the water over. Yang Tongtong felt uneasy because of the spiciness. Her nails scratched the back of her hand, leaving a red mark.

"Are there any new ones?" Yang Tongtong pushed the beef away and said to Jiang Siyue coquettishly, "Sister Jiang, I want to eat zucchini with less salt and oil."

Jiang Siyue took a quick look and found that there was indeed nothing left. It would not be good to ask Min Sui to bring the dishes all the time, so she stood up and walked towards Zhao Yan and the others.

Barbecuing in the hot summer was very tiring, and Zhao Yan sweated a lot. After Jiang Siyue told him Yang Tongtong's request, she took out a bottle of iced watermelon juice and handed it to him. Zhao Yan drank half of it in an instant.

"How about I fan you here?"

Before Zhao Yan could say anything, Fang Ming said, "No! I'll be jealous!"

“…”

Jiang Siyue carried the dishes and escaped from everyone's teasing.

"Ah, why is it eggplant!" Yang Tongtong pushed it away in disgust, "I'm allergic to eggplant, Sister Jiang~"

Jiang Siyue actually wanted to eat eggplant, but it would not taste good when it was cold, but after hearing what she said, she had to get up and go back.

Zhao Yan frowned slightly and reminded: "Eggplant is not delicious when it is cold. Go back and sit down. I will bring you the rest."

"No." Jiang Siyue simply shook her head, "She is allergic to eggplant, please let me change it, ah——"

The charcoal fire in the barbecue exploded slightly, sparks flew everywhere and landed on the back of Jiang Siyue's hand.

Zhao Yan's eyes flashed, he took off his gloves and grabbed her hand. The red mark on it naturally did not escape his eyes. "What's going on?"

"It seems to have been scratched by a fingernail."

Jiang Siyue's nails were always trimmed and rounded, so there was no chance of her scratching herself. Zhao Yan took her hand and walked out. After two steps, he turned back and said to Sun Yao, "Call Miss Yang's assistant to come over."

"Huh?" Sun Yao was standing in the windy area, surrounded by noise and confusion, and he had no idea what was going on. "What happened?"

"She needs someone to take care of her, so you should find a professional." Zhao Yan said this and pulled Jiang Siyue away. Sun Yao still didn't understand the situation, so he had to ask others for help.

"It's just a small wound, there's no need to make such a fuss." Jiang Siyue refused to apply medicine, "Besides, it's nothing, just two steps away."

Zhao Yan looked at her without saying a word. Jiang Siyue blinked and took his hand as she walked towards the table. "I heard that you were caught in a premature love affair in high school. Will you review it on Monday?"

"Yeah." Zhao Yan agreed.

"Huh?" Jiang Siyue's eyes widened, and her grip on his hand tightened involuntarily. Noticing the teasing in the corners of his eyes, she immediately realized he was being sarcastic, and said exaggeratedly, "Why are you so careless?"

"Because I like excitement."

"Ah?" Even though she knew it was a lie, Jiang Siyue was still a little shocked.

Zhao Yan raised the corner of his mouth slightly, lowered his head and pecked her lips. In Jiang Siyue's shocked eyes, he pinched her earlobe and said, "You can refuse anyone, even Sun Yao himself."

He spoke in a serious tone and Jiang Siyue looked at him at a loss.

After a moment, Zhao Yan said, "I feel a little regretful."

"Um?"

"Weekends should be spent at home."

His eyes flashed with lust. Jiang Siyue's throat tightened, and the memory of him ignoring her previous plea for mercy came back to her. She quickly took two steps back and said, "I think this place is pretty good."

Zhao Yan hugged her from behind, resting his chin on the crook of her neck, breathing evenly and hotly, "Apart from pain, do you still feel nothing else?"

These words were like a key that unlocked her sealed memories. Her cheeks grew hot and her breathing became disordered.

Zhao Yan instantly understood what she meant and laughed softly. The chuckle fell into his ears, which was extremely charming.

"Yes." Jiang Siyue spoke reluctantly, saying seriously, "Apart from pain, there's no other feeling."

"Little liar."

"...Mr. Zhao, as a teacher, could you please be more serious?"

Zhao Yan's eyes darkened for a moment, "Well, no."