Chapter 58 Spring Outing (End of Main Text)

Yan Zhenxi straightened Jiang Zhiyao's hair and carefully inserted the last hairpin.

"It looks good," Jiang Zhiyao said affirmatively after looking at herself in the mirror from left to right.

"Going out now?" Yan Zhenxi leaned down and asked Jiang Zhiyao gently in her ear.

Jiang Zhiyao nodded: "Okay."

Today, Yan Zhenxi is on leave. The weather is sunny and the spring sunshine is bright. Jiang Zhiyao plans to go out for a spring outing with him.

The location for the spring outing was next to Chunhu Lake on the outskirts of Beijing. Mingzhu went there a few days ago and said that the scenery by the lake was very nice.

When they reached a point a short distance from Spring Lake, Jiang Zhiyao and Yan Zhenxi disembarked from the carriage.

Beside the lake is a small hill, which can be seen from a distance as it is covered with lush vegetation.

They walked slowly forward on the green grass, the spring sunlight filtering through the emerald leaves overhead, and a few tourists were scattered around the lake.

There is a grove of crabapple blossoms not far away.

Although they were all planted by people, the flowers, plants and trees growing in the wild always seemed to have more vitality than those at home. Jiang Zhiyao took Yan Zhenxi's hand and walked into the flower forest.

Jiang Zhiyao stood on tiptoe, holding onto the branch with one hand, and picked a particularly brightly colored crabapple blossom with the other. Yan Zhenxi stood behind her, supporting her.

After taking it off, Jiang Zhiyao turned to look at him with a smile on her face: "Zhenxi, lower your head a little."

Yan Zhenxi obediently lowered his head, letting Jiang Zhiyao tuck the delicate begonia flower into his temple.

When Yan Zhenxi looked up at Jiang Zhiyao with a smile in his eyes, Jiang Zhiyao couldn't resist giving him a kiss on the corner of his eye.

After Jiang Zhiyao finished kissing him and stepped back, Yan Zhenxi pointedly touched his own lips and said, "Ayao, you kissed the wrong place."

The crabapple blossoms by his ear made Yan Zhenxi's lips appear even redder, and Jiang Zhiyao kissed his lips without hesitation.

Yan Zhenxi's smile widened, and he wrapped his arms around Jiang Zhiyao.

Jiang Zhiyao imitated Yan Zhenxi's usual manner, first gently rubbing her lips against his lips a few times, and then sucking on his soft lips.

After noticing that his lips were becoming increasingly wet and soft, Jiang Zhiyao gently licked his slightly parted lips and easily pried open his teeth.

A moment later, Jiang Zhiyao pulled away from Yan Zhenxi's lips, her breath unsteady as she whispered, just inches from his, "I want you to kiss me..."

Yan Zhenxi chuckled softly, his slender fingers pressing against Jiang Zhiyao's moist lips, wiping away the moisture: "Why are you talking so sticky?"

"Aren't you going to kiss me?" Not getting a response from Jiang Zhiyao, Jiang Zhiyao raised her misty eyes and looked at Yan Zhenxi with a puzzled expression.

"Ayao, say it again," Yan Zhenxi said in a low, hoarse voice, "say the same thing as before."

“…I want you to kiss me.” Jiang Zhiyao whispered again.

Yan Zhenxi then kissed Jiang Zhiyao's soft lips, gently sucking on them and inching closer until his tongue touched hers.

After a long while, the two finally parted ways. Jiang Zhiyao's eyes were shimmering, which made the surrounding spring scenery seem somewhat dim.

Yan Zhenxi chuckled and kissed her eyes again. Jiang Zhiyao blinked several times, tickled by the kiss, and the mist in her eyes made her eyelashes wet.

"It's all gone," Jiang Zhiyao complained softly.

The flower she had just pinned to Yan Zhenxi's temple had already fallen to the ground because of the previous kiss.

"I'll pick them." Yan Zhenxi gently removed the flower petals from Jiang Zhiyao's head, speaking in a very gentle voice.

It was a flower that fell on her head when Jiang Zhiyao picked it earlier.

Yan Zhenxi picked two crabapple blossoms from a nearby tree and handed one of them to Jiang Zhiyao.

Before Jiang Zhiyao could say anything, he lowered his head and put the flower back in its original place.

After Jiang Zhiyao finished putting the hairpin on, Yan Zhenxi raised his hand and put another hairpin into her hair bun.

"Alright." Yan Zhenxi took Jiang Zhiyao's hand, and the two continued walking towards the lake.

As the two approached, the lake appeared increasingly expansive. A gentle breeze stirred the surface, creating ripples that caused the weeping willows along the shore to sway slowly.

There was a swing by the lake. Jiang Zhiyao's eyes lit up when she saw it, and she quickly walked over.

Jiang Zhiyao sat on the swing, gently swaying with Yan Zhen's hand, and looked at the scenery in front of her, feeling very comfortable.

After enjoying herself for a while, Jiang Zhiyao got off the swing, took Yan Zhenxi's hand and sat on the swing, saying excitedly, "Now it's my turn to push you."

"No need." Yan Zhenxi took her hand in return, wanting Jiang Zhiyao to sit down with him.

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Jiang Zhiyao shook her head repeatedly. Yan Zhenxi sensed something and chuckled slightly.

As soon as he sat down, he heard Jiang Zhiyao remind him, "Hurry up!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than the swing was lifted high into the air.

"Was it fun?" After the swing calmed down, Jiang Zhiyao came to Yan Zhenxi with a bright look in her eyes, and asked with a smile while slightly out of breath.

"It's fun," Yan Zhenxi answered without hesitation, seemingly genuinely enjoying the experience.

Jiang Zhiyao asked with some doubt, "Really?"

"Of course," Yan Zhenxi said gently. "Would you like to give it a try, Ayao?"

Jiang Zhiyao hesitated after hearing this. She had never tried swinging like that before. When she saw a swing in Qingzhou, she could only sneak onto it when no one was around and swing slowly by herself. After arriving in the capital, she never played on it again.

She sat back down, gripping the side tightly. After a short while, the sound of the wind from the swinging swing stopped, and Yan Zhenxi's smiling voice rang out beside her: "Was it fun?"

"It's fun!" Jiang Zhiyao calmed her slightly frightened and rapidly beating heart, and turned to look at Yan Zhenxi next to her with bright eyes.

Yan Zhenxi chuckled softly and continued to help Jiang Zhiyao swing on the swing.

After playing around like that for a while, the sky suddenly darkened, and it looked like it was about to rain.

Jiang Zhiyao had no choice but to put down the swing and go with Yan Zhenxi to find a place nearby to take shelter from the rain.

She also wants to install a swing in her mansion when she gets back.

But the weather turned against them; just as they spotted a small pavilion in the distance, before they could run inside, it started to rain.

Yan Zhenxi immediately took off his outer robe and wrapped it around Jiang Zhiyao, then quickened his pace and ran towards the pavilion.

Upon arriving at the pavilion, Jiang Zhiyao peeked out from under her outer robe, revealing her watery eyes. Looking at the slightly disheveled Yan Zhenxi in front of her, she couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling.

Yan Zhenxi looked at Jiang Zhiyao in front of him with amusement, gently pinched her cheek, and scolded, "Bad Ayao."

Jiang Zhiyao handed Yan Zhenxi's outer robe, which she had draped over herself, and took out her own handkerchief to wipe the rainwater from Yan Zhenxi's hair and cheeks.

Fortunately, the distance between them and the pavilion wasn't too far when it rained, so Yan Zhenxi didn't get too wet. Jiang Zhiyao, on the other hand, only had a small water stain on the toe of her shoe because of her outer robe.

Seeing Yan Zhenxi's appearance after being wiped with a handkerchief, Jiang Zhiyao couldn't help but laugh again.

Her hair ornament was askew, and her hair was not as neat as usual, with some strands sticking up. Yan Zhenxi raised her hand to press them down, but they stuck up again as soon as she did.

Yan Zhenxi had no choice but to lean closer to Jiang Zhiyao and say in a somewhat fierce tone, "Don't laugh."

But Jiang Zhiyao laughed even harder, cupped Yan Zhenxi's face and kissed him twice, her voice brimming with laughter: "So cute."

Yan Zhenxi didn't say anything more, and slowly lowered the hand that had been raised halfway to straighten the hair ornament.

After admiring Yan Zhenxi's appearance for a while, Jiang Zhiyao carefully tidied his hair.

After everything was tidied up, the rain stopped and the sky cleared, revealing a rainbow on the horizon.

The two walked away into the distance, and occasionally they could hear some sounds coming from afar.

"Pillow Creek, Pillow Creek, there are colorful rainbows over there."

"It looks great."

"Are we going back now?" There was a hint of reluctance in her voice.

“We can come again in the future. If you want, Ayao, I will come here with you every spring.”

"OK."