Chapter 45

45. There is plenty of time in the future (2)

Jin Chuwan looked at the boy in front of her, her smile unchanged.

"Should I call Lily and tell her about your drunken outburst last night?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xing'en's expression stiffened slightly.

He glanced tentatively at Jin Chuwan.

"I...was I drunk and acting crazy?"

Jin Chuwan certainly wouldn't just repeat the facts; she glanced at the boy whose eyes were darting around.

"So drunk he was sitting on the side of the road, he couldn't even recognize anyone. Don't you have any recollection of him at all?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xingen lowered her head, seemingly trying to hide her embarrassment.

These old-fashioned houses are generally not large, but compared to the towering skyscrapers of the future, they offer a unique sense of comfort.

Birdsong was intermittent outside the window, and the sounds of people were scattered downstairs. In the distance, there was the faint sound of car horns.

The newly decorated room looked warm and comfortable. Perhaps because she was in a good mood, Jin Chuwan did not notice the faint disappointment in the boy's eyes.

She didn't want to put too much pressure on Lee Sung-eun and was willing to believe that he was truly unaware of what had happened because he was drunk and hadn't slept properly.

So she simply raised her hand and ruffled the boy's soft hair.

"Forget it, if you can't remember, don't think about it. There seems to be a food street nearby, shall we go check it out?"

As Jin Chuwan spoke, she placed the gift that had just been left at the door onto the table.

Li Xingen smiled and nodded. He slowly untied the apron from his waist and followed behind Jin Chuwan.

He knew that in Jin Chuwan's eyes, he was probably still the same as before, a well-behaved and sensible child from his friend's family.

The boy glanced down at Jin Chuwan, who was still pondering her departure route, and couldn't help but recall last night.

If she hadn't pushed him away so forcefully, perhaps he really would have treated that kiss as a dream, just as she hoped.

But then he suddenly woke up.

I was very lucid, and I can even recall the softness of our lips touching now.

Jin Chuwan lowered her head and locked the door. When she was about to leave, she found Li Xing'en standing right behind her.

The two were standing almost touching.

The boy looked down, seemingly curious about the old-fashioned double-layered security door. Jin Chuwan frowned and nudged the person behind her with her elbow.

"What's so interesting about this?"

The boy who had been pushed away seemed to finally come to his senses. He pointed to the iron gate outside and said, "Let's go to the market later. That door screen looks too old."

Jin Chuwan looked back and it seemed that was indeed the case.

"Okay, we'll take a look later."

On the way, the two chatted about things around them as usual. Occasionally, Li Xing'en would also talk about Lily. The twins are not young anymore. The president said he wanted to send them to a preschool, but Lily thought that hiring a tutor would be fine.

It seems there's been a minor conflict in their family because of this.

"It sounds like Lily's authority as the head of the family is being challenged?"

Li Xing'en listened and smiled, "Maybe someone is even jealous of a child, and the mother is a little angry?"

Although it sounds frustrating, being jealous of children is probably a standard trait for male protagonists in urban romance novels.

Passages that seemed sweet in the book before now feel somewhat absurd and laughable when experienced firsthand.

"Xing'en, you mustn't learn these things in the future..."

--

After finishing their meal, the two went to a nearby market and bought a window screen.

It's that kind of dark blue material that's a bit hard. It's kind of tacky and ugly, but it's cheap and durable. However, she and Li Xing'en didn't have the tools when they were installing it, so they ended up having to hire an installer from nearby.

"Xing En, I'm all done here. You should go home and get some rest too..."

Jin Chuwan yawned as she spoke. She hadn't slept well the night before and was feeling a bit sleepy.

It was already dark. Li Xing'en glanced out the window and then pondered the possibility of successfully staying.

However, he soon gave up.

Because Kim Cho-wan now appears to be forcing herself to be energetic.

"Then I'm leaving. Lock the door and I'll bring your suitcase over tomorrow morning."

Jin Chuwan nodded vaguely, too sleepy to notice her phone suddenly vibrating on the table.

"Then be careful on your way home, and send me a text message when you get home."

After Jin Chuwan finished speaking, she closed the door.

She hugged her pillow, turned around, and collapsed onto the bed.

The living room ceiling light was still on, and the phone on the table buzzed twice more.

A message flashed on the gray-blue display screen.

Let's meet tomorrow.