Chapter 16: Eat the person's mouth

Ma Xiao's car was parked at the entrance of the community.

When he saw them, he began to wave from afar.

Ma Xiao is Uncle Ma's only son. Yan Nian has met him several times since returning to Lindu. He is humble and steady.

Xu Ke had never seen this before, and at this moment he whispered in her ear, "Why do I feel like he's going to salute us any second?"

Yan Nian looked at Ma Xiao, who stood tall and straight in the distance, with a crew cut and a wheat-colored complexion, and was amused: "He just retired from the army this year."

Xu Ke stared ahead and asked, "Oh! I came downstairs to pick you up personally. Is he interested in you?"

Yan Nian turned his head to look at her, then looked at Ma Xiao, and straightened his lips: "No."

As he approached, Ma Xiao saw Xu Ke and was a little surprised. He asked, "Niannian, who is this?"

Before Yan Nian could introduce herself, Xu Ke spoke first, "I'm Xu Ke, Double Xu, lovely Ke, Nian'er's cousin. I heard it's your birthday, so Nian'er and I are going together. Do you mind?"

Ma Xiao smiled modestly and said, "Of course not. It's an honor."

Ma Xiao opened the back door for them.

We walked in silence all the way to the Ma family villa.

This was Ma Xiao's first birthday party after returning home. The setting was military-themed, not extravagant. Aside from the army green balloons and paper figures standing by the door, the rest of the decor was quite simple.

Two years older than Yan Nian, 27 this year.

Ma Xiao led them through the corridor to the enclosed open-air backyard.

It was a little after four in the afternoon, and there were already quite a few people gathered there, mostly men, probably around ten or so.

They might be playing games, and the laughter is so lively.

Yan Nian saw Zhou Ran sitting alone on a rattan chair in the crowd.

He was wearing a black casual outfit, leaning back in a chair in a ruffian-like manner, playing with a retro dark lighter in his hand. His bony hands lazily opened and closed it, his eyes looking into the distance, as if he was indifferent and unimportant to everyone.

This scene is instantly painted.

Compared to Xu Ke, who also discovered Zhou Ran's existence, Yan Nian was much calmer.

Xu Ke grabbed her hand tightly: "Damn, Nian'er, that guy at ten o'clock, is that Zhou Ran?"

"Yeah." Yan Nian's hand was grabbed so hard that it hurt, and she finally managed to pry her hand open.

Someone first noticed their arrival and teased Ma Xiao, "Hey, did you leave us here to pick up some pretty girls?"

Let’s all look at this together.

Yan Nian specifically observed the person behind the crowd, but did not react at all.

Ma Xiao led them over and introduced them, "This is Yan Nian and Xu Ke."

Hearing this, Zhou Ran snapped the cap of the lighter in his hand shut and looked over sideways.

Yan Nian also withdrew his gaze at this time, pretending not to see him, and smiled at the people present with the corners of his lips slightly raised as a greeting.

Everyone focused their attention on Yan Nian, and someone started to make a noise: "Girlfriend? Ma Xiao."

In an instant, the lively scene quieted down. Ma Xiao looked at Yan Nian, touched his head, and smiled innocently: "No."

Ma Xiao had someone else to take care of, so he let them move around on their own and would come back soon.

Yan Nian didn't like crowded and noisy places like this, so he didn't join in.

Xu Ke poked Yan Nian's arm and said, "Your boss is watching you? Why don't you go and say hello?"

Yan Nian's eyebrows twitched, and he looked over and met those scrutinizing eyes.

Ever since I met Qi Jin yesterday, I have been open with him.

It had been a long time, and everything Zhou Ran showed was consistent with his reaction after their reunion.

To some extent, it may be true that you think she is unreliable.

If she kept dwelling on the past, it would be ridiculous in front of Zhou Ran. After all, she didn't say it in the beginning.

Yan Nian walked over and greeted: "Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Ran raised his face and chin, as if this was his home: "Well, sit down!"

"..." Yan Nian replied: "No, there are people waiting for me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Ke had already walked over and threw himself on the rattan chair opposite Zhou Ran, looking at him with his palms resting on his chin.

Yan Nian: “…”

Xu Ke had only met Zhou Ran once, when she saw him in the van, and Zhou Ran didn't recognize her.

Yan Nian said, "I'm going to the bathroom."

Following the guidance of his aunt, Yan Nian went to the toilet and stood there for a while.

After about ten minutes, a few shadowy figures came in outside. Seeing that it was almost time, Yan Nian opened the toilet door.

A tall figure was leaning next to the toilet. Yan Nian paused and tightened his hand on the door handle.

Yan Nian thought he was going to the toilet and came here to queue up.

There was no one else around, and I didn't feel like saying hello to him. It seemed weird to say hello at the bathroom door.

If she opened her mouth, he would definitely shamelessly think that she wanted to watch him go to the toilet.

Yan Nian's imagination stopped there, and she didn't close the door. As she took a step forward, Zhou Ran suddenly put his hand on the door frame, blocking her in the bathroom, and slowly turned around.

Yan Nian took a step back and tilted her head to look at him.

The man was nearly 1.9 meters tall and very oppressive. His amber eyes under his thick eyelashes looked at her indifferently.

Yan Nian's heart was beating a little faster at this moment, and her slender and slightly curved eyes were filled with him.

Zhou Ran asked, "What do you mean?"

Yan Nian was a little confused and asked, "What?"

Zhou Ran raised the corners of his lips and raised his phone to show her.

Yan Nian moved closer and saw the WeChat chat page with two big words on it: Xu Ke.

Just passed.

Seeing him smiling freely like a winner in life, Yan Nian had a bad feeling and her right eyelid twitched twice.

Zhou Ran took back his phone: "Your cousin?"

"Yeah." Yan Nian nodded and silently observed his expression, wondering what Xu Ke had said to him.

Zhou Ran said playfully, "She asked me if I had a girlfriend... and asked me to take good care of you."

He said "girlfriend" and "take care of you" very slowly. Yan Nian's heart tightened. Xu Ke was indeed capable of doing such a thing.

Zhou Ran smiled and said, "Yan Nian, there's no need for you to beat around the bush, right?"

"..." Yan Nian had no idea what they talked about after she left. Xu Ke even added him on WeChat.

Adding WeChat is a very normal thing nowadays, it’s just about making friends.

But to Zhou Ran, she felt that her cousin's actions gave her a chance to be criticized.

It was as if she was deliberately approaching him.

Yan Nian didn't care about that, fearing that the situation would get worse.

Pretending not to understand, she said nonchalantly, "I didn't expect you to be so conservative. Adding WeChat can cause you so much trouble. I'll definitely explain it to my cousin when I get home. I promise I won't bother you."

Yan Nian took a step forward and wanted to go out.

Zhou Ran still had his hand on the door frame, staring down at her. Clearly, the honorific "you" didn't please him, and he had no intention of giving in.

Yan Nian pursed her lips and asked, "You've been standing here for so long, aren't you anxious?"

Zhou Ran: “…”

Without waiting for him to speak, Yan Nian was slightly surprised: "Could it be that you have a habit of peeping at people going to the toilet?"

Zhou Ran: “…”

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Yan Nian seemed to understand something and said, "Don't worry! Everyone has some little quirks. I will keep it a secret. Your quirk shouldn't be too serious. However, you should try to restrain it. If it were someone else, I don't know if they would be as kind as me to keep it a secret for you."

Zhou Ran: “…”

As for the height issue, Yan Nian tilted her head back at this moment, and seemed to be in a good mood, with charming eyes that were captivating.

Zhou Ran suppressed his smile and raised his hand.

Yan Nian thought she was talking nonsense and Zhou Ran was going to beat her up, so she took two steps back in self-protection.

Zhou Ran moved his gaze to an unknown object on her shoulder, smiled, put down his hand and stepped aside.

Remind her: "There's something on your right shoulder."

Yan Nian turned her head and saw something gray on her white clothes.

I suddenly felt that I was a little mean and had taken advantage of someone else's kindness, so I raised my hand to shake it off and didn't forget to say thank you!

Before he could move, Zhou Ran stood at the door and asked impatiently, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"

Yan Nian looked at him blankly, as if she was stalling for time and didn't want to leave.

Zhou Ran pursed his lips: "You want to watch me go to the bathroom?"

Yan Nian: “…”

When she came out, Zhou Ran closed the door and locked it with a "click", isolating her outside.

…

Yan Nian returned outside listlessly, and Xu Ke had already joined the group of people and was having a great time.

She wanted to ask something, but she didn't have the chance.

Yan Nian was a rather dull person. He sat aside waiting for his meal, just wanting time to pass quickly so he could leave.

In the evening, the yard was lit up with lights and the long table was filled with all kinds of drinks and desserts.

There are both Chinese and Western food.

The atmosphere is very lively and noisy.

Xu Ke had already become friends with those people and was a little crazy at this moment.

Ma Xiao was originally sitting next to Yan Nian, but not long after, he was pulled to another place by Zhou Ran.

The Ma family and the Zhou Ran family have business dealings, and they were classmates in elementary and junior high school, so they have always been familiar with each other.

Ma Xiao was the birthday boy tonight. He was unable to break free and was forced to drink a lot of wine.

No one dared to force Zhou Ran to drink, so he walked away without drinking a drop of alcohol. He slowly sat down next to Yan Nian with a plate of spicy crayfish that had just been cooked.

Yan Nian's slender white fingers held the knife and fork to cut the steak. She first cut a random strip, then cut it into small pieces, cutting only as much as she wanted to eat. She was very particular.

Noticing him, Yan Nian turned her head and looked, her eyes fixed on the plate of sizzling and fragrant spicy crayfish. She swallowed and didn't know where he got it from, she didn't see it.

Yan Nian looked at the steak under his knife and suddenly felt that it was not as delicious.

Zhou Ran sat next to him, put on gloves skillfully and started peeling shrimps.

Yan Nian was attracted by the aroma of crayfish and turned her head frequently. She couldn't resist the temptation of spicy food.

Zhou Ran turned his head to meet those eyes that were longing for food and asked, "Want to eat?"

Yan Nian nodded shamelessly.

Zhou Ran was not a good person and said in a sly way, "You wish."

Yan Nian: “…”

Zhou Ran swished the plate aside, away from her, and peeled the shrimp onto another plate, refusing to eat them.

Yan Nian wanted to smash his head, but she couldn't continue to watch with such a thick face, as if she wanted to eat it very much, so she turned around and ate her own food quietly.

Zhou Ran finished peeling a plate of shrimp and stood up to get a drink.

Seeing him walk away, Yan Nian took the fork in her left hand and picked up the peeled shrimp on the plate.

The chewy crayfish slid off the plate. Zhou Ran stood behind her without her noticing: "Is it delicious?"

Yan Nian's hand and fork paused in the air and he turned his head.

Zhou Ran looked at the shrimp that slipped out, oh, it hasn’t been eaten yet.

He sat down with a glass of orange juice, as if he was just asking for her opinion and had no intention of mocking her for cheating.

It would be embarrassing to retract the hand that had been extended, so Yan Nian had no choice but to fork another one in front of him, putting it in her mouth fearlessly and commenting, "It's delicious."

Zhou Ran took a sip of orange juice and smiled meaningfully, as if to say that she was eating what was in the bowl and looking at what was in the pot.

The aunt brought over the steak and placed it in front of Zhou Ran.

"Take your time. Tell me if you need more."

"Thanks!"

Zhou Ran pushed the crayfish and steak over and pointed at the crayfish: "Deal with it."

Pointing at the steak again: "Cut it for me."

Yan Nian: “…”

Don’t you have hands?

Perhaps sensing what she meant, Zhou Ran was about to speak.

Yan Nian dragged the steak in front of him and picked up the knife and fork in front of him to cut the steak.