Chapter 49: Hold me tight and don't move around.

The weather was gloomy and cold, with a biting wind blowing in her face. Xing Lan's face was somewhat pale, and a few strands of black hair on her forehead moved lightly in the wind.

After the rain, the air pressure was low, and several small puddles of varying depths were piled up on the limestone path in the cemetery.

Xing Lan wore a pair of black leather shoes today, which she had bought especially for her visit to her mother. This brand of leather shoes is of superior workmanship, uses high-quality materials, and has a first-class style and color, but it is also very delicate; if it gets wet, it will basically be ruined.

Li Baidong watched from behind for a long time, noticing that as Xing Lan walked, her trouser legs fluttered slightly in the wind, vaguely revealing her slender, fair ankles. Even on a cloudy day without sunlight, that small patch of snow-white was still exquisitely clear, standing out starkly against the vast expanse of gray in the cemetery.

When they reached a large pond, their beautiful ankles suddenly stopped, motionless, as if hesitating.

Xing Lan glanced at the pond that stretched across her face, then looked down at the tips of her patent leather shoes. She pursed her lips, intending to ignore it and step across it, when she suddenly felt a sinking sensation in her waist. Then, her entire body was suddenly lifted into the air.

Li Baidong had been silently following him all the way, but suddenly stepped forward quickly, and without saying a word, picked him up in his arms.

The boy's two large, slender hands, one pressed tightly against his warm waist, the other gently supporting his knee. The movements were very careful, yet forceful and irresistible.

Xing Lan was completely taken aback by his sudden action. She abruptly looked up at Li Baidong, hesitating to speak, "You..."

Li Baidong lowered his head, smiled at him with his eyes crinkling, and said softly with a rising tone, "Brother, you're so light. Have you lost weight recently?"

As he spoke, he suddenly stopped and, as if teasing a child, solemnly weighed the person in his arms up and down. Xing Lan's brow twitched, and he subconsciously reached out to grab the collar of the person opposite him.

Xing Lan wasn't used to being held suspended in mid-air like this. She couldn't find her center of gravity and felt like she was about to fall at any moment, which made her feel very insecure.

His dark eyes narrowed slightly, and his breathing became a little erratic: "I'll hug you, but don't... don't move around."

Seeing that he was truly flustered and at a loss, Li Baidong stopped bothering him and carried Xing Lan across the troublesome pond with ease, his steps steady and calm.

Even after crossing the numerous puddles in front of him and reaching dry ground, he did not put Xing Lan down, but continued to carry him step by step towards the exit of the cemetery.

Just as they were about to leave the cemetery, they suddenly heard a sharp screech of brakes.

A black luxury car also stopped at the entrance of the cemetery. When the door was opened, a man in a black overcoat stepped out.

Today is neither Qingming Festival nor a weekend, and the weather is not very good either. There are not many people coming to the cemetery to pay their respects, and there are only two or three cars parked on the empty road.

Xing Lan raised his eyes slightly and immediately saw his father Xing Yi's serious and cold face. Next to him, a young male assistant was bowing and attentively holding a black umbrella for him.

Li Baidong noticed the soft body in his arms suddenly stiffen. He subconsciously followed Xing Lan's gaze and recognized the man not far away as Xing Lan's biological father, Xing Yi. He had seen Xing Yi's sanctimonious interview on television before.

Li Baidong withdrew his gaze and was about to say a few words to comfort Xing Lan when he felt a warm sensation in front of him.

Xing Lan lowered her eyes silently at some point, wrapped her slender arms around his neck, and quietly buried her face in Li Baidong's broad chest.

In order to avoid being recognized by Xing Yi, he had to press his face as close as possible to the thin wool sweater Li Baidong was wearing, his delicate face almost pressed against the man's hot chest, with only the back of his obedient black head showing.

The cemetery was deserted. As Li Baidong, carrying Xing Lan, brushed past Xing Yi, Xing Yi turned his head intentionally or unintentionally and glanced at them with a furrowed brow.

Because he didn't recognize Li Baidong, and from this angle he couldn't see Xing Lan's well-hidden face at all, he didn't notice anything amiss.

After the two men walked away nonchalantly, Xing Yi looked at him strangely and turned to his assistant in a low voice, asking, "Were those two men who just walked by?"

The assistant looked up and glanced at the two figures walking away, recalling, "It seems so? I remember he was holding a short-haired girl who looked quite tall."

As a leader, Xing Yi was used to lecturing people in the company, and he always had an air of superiority when he spoke.

He shook his head, his tone cold and harsh, filled with strong criticism: "What's wrong with young people these days? They're all so frivolous and lead such chaotic lives, yet they don't even restrain themselves in a place like this. It's truly indecent!"

"Two men getting together is utterly absurd and incomprehensible. If this were my child, I would have crippled him and locked him in the house so he could never go out and fool around again!"

Seeing that Xing Yi was getting more and more agitated and his neck was turning red, the assistant quickly advised, "Mr. Xing, please calm down. They say that like father, like son. Your child has inherited your excellent genes, how could he do such an absurd thing?"

Xing Yi's face darkened, and for some unknown reason, he let out a cold snort.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Although our Xing family may not be considered wealthy or noble, we have always been a respectable and law-abiding family. We would never allow a morally corrupt male pervert to appear in our descendants! Absolutely not!"

After Xing Yi finished speaking with disgust, he took a few seconds to calm himself down, raised his hand to indifferently straighten his suit collar, and strode into the cemetery.

The assistant quickly chased after him and held an umbrella over him.

Just as he was about to step through the gate, he inadvertently turned his head, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes.

strangeness.

That white Audi parked behind them looks kind of familiar.

-

Li Baidong only put Xing Lan down after walking to the car.

Xing Lan glanced back at his father, only to see Xing Yi stride confidently into the cemetery, his figure quickly disappearing from sight.

Xing Yi was in high spirits and good mood today, his face was glowing, and there was not a trace of sadness or longing for his deceased ex-wife in his expression. It was clear that he came here just to satisfy his strong desire to perform.

Shedding a couple of crocodile tears at the grave of a deceased friend cannot erase all the sins committed in the past.

Xing Lan coldly curled the corners of her lips and couldn't help but sneer, "Pretending."

Li Baidong opened the driver's side door for Xing Lan, but Xing Lan stood beside him with her arms crossed, not moving at all.

He asked Li Baidong, "Can you drive?"

Li Baidong paused for a moment, then nodded: "I would... but I haven't driven much since I got my driver's license."

Xing Lan pursed her lips and nodded, then turned and sat down in the passenger seat, looking at Li Baidong calmly: "Then you drive."

"Huh? I'll drive?" Li Baidong's eyes widened in disbelief. He hesitated by the roadside, not daring to get into the car for a long time.

Xing Lan raised her eyes and glanced at him slightly: "What are you afraid of? You dare to drive this fast on a motorcycle, but you wouldn't dare to drive on a four-wheeled vehicle?"

Li Baidong thought to himself, how could his secondhand motorcycle, which he had haggled with the seller for more than half an hour, compare to Xing Lan's new motorcycle worth hundreds of thousands of yuan?

What if he accidentally scratches or bumps it, and Xing Lan gets angry and ignores him?

“Brother…” Li Baidong was about to find an excuse to refuse tactfully when Xing Lan interrupted him first.

"Drive however you want, it's on me if you crash." Xing Lan rested one elbow on the car window and said casually, "Besides, I'll be right next to you and keep an eye on you. I'll be your free instructor, nothing will happen."

"All right."

Li Baidong listened to him and obediently got into the car and fastened his seatbelt.

Li Baidong hadn't driven in a long time, so he was a bit rusty and drove slowly at first, which led to him being honked at a few times by the cars behind him. However, he quickly got into the swing of things and arrived at his destination smoothly.

The car stopped at the entrance of Ningda University.

Xing Lan did spend some time checking the road conditions for Li Baidong during the first half of the journey, but seeing that he was driving well, she simply closed her eyes to rest.

At this moment, he slowly opened his eyes, turned to Li Baidong and said, "Isn't this driving pretty well? I see the parking space is also parked quite straight."

Li Baidong smiled, blinked, and said ingratiatingly, "It's because you taught me well, brother. You're my best teacher."

He bent down to unbuckle his seatbelt and looked at Xing Lan: "Well, Teacher Xing, shall I go to school now? There's something going on at the club today."

The drama club is currently working on a new script, but progress is slow due to the large number of characters and complex plot. As the club president, Li Baidong often organizes brainstorming meetings with the members, sometimes keeping him busy until very late.

Xing Lan nodded: "Go ahead."

Li Baidong licked his lips, but instead of getting out of the car, he gently placed his hand on Xing Lan's hand and said, taking advantage of the situation, "I've driven for you for so long, don't you have any reward for me?"

What do you want?

Li Baidong smiled and pointed to his cheek: "I don't want much, just a kiss from the teacher will do."

Xing Lan glanced at the pedestrians passing by outside the car window, then turned back to Li Baidong: "Aren't you afraid of being seen by your classmates and teachers?"

Li Baidong looked completely innocent: "What's the big deal? My WeChat Moments background is always a picture of my brother, they already know that."

He glanced at Xing Lan, then added casually, "My parents and my brother know too."

"..." Xing Lan opened her eyes in disbelief, and repeated in surprise, "Your parents know too?"

“Yes.” Li Baidong smiled happily.

Xing Lan's face remained calm, but her mind was in turmoil, and her brows furrowed unconsciously once again.

Seeing Xing Lan standing silently beside him, not happy at all, but looking as if facing a formidable enemy, Li Baidong's face instantly turned cold in the shadows.

He smiled as he approached Xing Lan, but there was no smile in his dark eyes: "What's wrong, brother? Don't you want my family to know? Now that we're together, isn't this just a matter of time?"

Xing Lan bit her lip, her eyes darting away. She didn't notice Li Baidong's increasingly gloomy gaze beside her, and asked hesitantly, "Then your parents... don't they object?"

Xing Lan remembered when Xing Yi first discovered he was with his ex, he threw a tantrum at home, flipping the table. He smashed several antique vases that he would never touch under his own nose, and went so far as to break his beloved new wife's temper.

“Why would they object?” Li Baidong laughed. “They’re all very supportive. My mom even told me to bring you home during my vacation so we can all have a meal together. How wonderful would that be?”

Xing Lan didn't speak, but clenched her fists with mixed feelings.

Even though he has little dating experience, he knows that if two people meet each other's parents, the relationship is considered officially settled and is no longer just a casual chat.

If they break up in the future, it won't be a simple matter between the two of them anymore. They'll have to inform and explain to each other's parents, which will be both awkward and troublesome.

Li Baidong stared intently at him, noticing he was lost in thought, and asked in a low voice, "Brother, what's wrong? Don't you want to see my parents?"

Xing Lan remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with difficulty: "...No." These words were completely against her will.

Xing Lan was afraid that Li Baidong would take advantage of the situation now, so she suddenly smiled and said to him, "Since you want to see me, let's meet up next weekend."

Fortunately, Li Baidong didn't say that.

Looking at Xing Lan's tense expression and the cold sweat that seemed to be dripping from his forehead, Li Baidong pursed his lips, placed his hand on the back of Xing Lan's hand with a little force, and slowly rubbed it with his fingertips. He said in a relaxed tone, "But my parents are busy lately, and my brother has been traveling for work a lot these past few months. Let's wait until there is a chance later."

Xing Lan's tense heart finally calmed down. She turned to look at Li Baidong and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Okay."