Chapter 26 Deliberate

Xu's father and mother's first reaction to this sudden appearance of son-in-law was shock. Although they had many doubts and puzzles, the man was already standing at the door, holding large and small bags of supplements and gifts, and he looked handsome and well-mannered. So they welcomed Lin Jingchuan into the house.

Although Mr. Xu looked embarrassed, he still made an extra breakfast at the suggestion of Mrs. Xu.

While sitting together having breakfast, Xu's mother asked a few questions about Lin Jingchuan's age, education, family background and work experience. When she learned that Lin Jingchuan and Xu Mo graduated from the same school and had met each other several times before, the solemnity on Xu's mother's face dissipated a little and she felt somewhat relieved.

Senior students from the same school should know each other well.

Lin Jingchuan answered Xu Mo's questions calmly and leisurely. Unbeknownst to Xu Mo, he had already prepared for any possible concerns his elders might harbor, as if they were a crucial interview, even before boarding the train to accompany her back home. His impeccable answers earned Xu Mo's favor.

Both Xu's father and mother work locally. They both work until New Year's Eve and leave after breakfast.

Only Xu Mo, Lin Jingchuan and Zhao Tingyu were left at home.

Zhao Tingyu sat on a leather chair, the heating on at home. He was wearing only a black turtleneck sweater, the collar of which just reached his sharp Adam's apple. At this moment, he stared at Lin Jingchuan and Xu Mo without blinking, his expression stern.

Psychologically, this is a defensive state.

In contrast, Lin Jingchuan's expression was much more relaxed. He didn't care about the scrutiny from others, especially since the person across from him was Zhao Tingyu—his defeated opponent. Although he appeared calm on the surface, his heart was actually not at peace. If one could describe his mood with a single facial expression, it would be a sneer.

Xu Mo hadn't had her father's noodles in a long time, and her childhood taste buds were awakened. Although she wasn't very hungry, she still cleaned the entire bowl, even finishing the soup. She had read a saying before: "The delicacies one seeks in life are actually the result of hometown cuisine." It was indeed true.

Although she has lived in Guangdong for eight years and has eaten many exquisite delicacies that she did not taste in her childhood, she is still easily impressed by a simple bowl of egg noodles made by her father.

She put down the white porcelain bowl that was bigger than her face, put down the chopsticks, and was about to take a napkin to wipe her mouth when Lin Jingchuan's hand came first. He took the napkin but did not hand it to her. Instead, he used the edge of the napkin to gently rub the corner of her lips to help her wipe off the oil stains left by eating noodles just now.

A dry tissue was carefully pressed against the corner of her lips to remove the remaining soup. Lin Jingchuan looked at her intently, and his warm fingertips accidentally touched the skin of her cheek. Xu Mo subconsciously closed her eyes for a moment.

——Lin Jingchuan did it on purpose, this realization popped up suddenly.

Although he is a gentleman and considerate, he also has boundaries and would not do such intimate things to her in front of a third person.

But why did he do this on purpose? Was it because of Zhao Tingyu?

On the high-speed train, Xu Mo had already sensed Lin Jingchuan's concern for Zhao Tingyu from his sudden question. She actually found Lin Jingchuan's concern a bit unexpected. After all, he was a mature man in his thirties, adept at his job and experienced. A relationship shouldn't affect his emotions and expose flaws beneath his mature facade. Or perhaps, as a woman, she couldn't understand the primal competitive drive among males.

When Xu Mo opened her eyes again, a strong gaze from the opposite side swept over.

Zhao Tingyu's gaze became increasingly cold and profound, like an icy pond.

Before Lin Jingchuan, Xu Mo had never shown intimacy with another man in front of him, so Zhao Tingyu had never imagined that when she really did act intimate with another man in front of him, his heart would be surrounded by the flames of anger and jealousy like it was now. His rationality was completely scorched at this moment, and the words that came out of his mouth were unthinkingly harsh and vicious: "Xu Mo, you don't even know how to wipe your mouth after getting married?"

Xu Mo's lip lines drooped. She knew that Lin Jingchuan's actions would undoubtedly irritate Zhao Tingyu, but she didn't think she should bear Zhao Tingyu's abuse and suppression for this. She looked at him angrily: "Someone else wiping my mouth is different from me not being able to wipe my mouth. OK? Others wiping my mouth is none of your business."

Zhao Tingyu's face became darker and darker. He once again felt how bad Xu Mo's attitude towards him was. She had really changed. She no longer loved him, so she could not be hurt by him, and he could no longer touch her.

But his purpose was not to hurt her, but to stop her and Lin Jingchuan from being together. Zhao Tingyu took a deep breath and calmed down. He repeatedly told himself not to say bad things to Xu Mo anymore, as this would only push her further away.

Zhao Tingyu turned his gaze towards Lin Jingchuan, but the latter smiled and turned his head to look at Xu Mo: "I'll go wash the dishes first."

Zhao Tingyu suddenly had a strange feeling. He seemed to suddenly understand why Lin Jingchuan suddenly wiped Xu Mo's mouth in front of him. He was deliberately provoking him, and then pretending to be magnanimous.

Zhao Tingyu was furious, but he was speechless and had nowhere to express himself. Xu Mo already had a negative impression of him. When he told her this, Xu Mo would only look at him with contempt and ask if he had persecution complexes.

Zhao Tingyu felt as if he had swallowed several needles and was so uncomfortable that he could only watch Xu Mo and Lin Jingchuan walk into the kitchen together. They stood in front of two sinks respectively, one washing dishes and the other scrubbing pots. The two of them seemed to have their own atmosphere, excluding him.

Zhao Tingyu didn't want to watch any more, so he went back to his room.

I put the washed dishes into the disinfection cabinet and the job was done. It was only 8:30 in the morning.

Xu Mo took off her gloves, leaned on the edge of the sink and asked Lin Jingchuan: "It's still early, do you want me to take you to South City for a walk?"

I had only been with Zhao Tingyu for half an hour when something like this happened. The three of them were really not suitable to be in the same space.

It’s better to get out as soon as possible.

Lin Jingchuan lowered his eyes and looked at her with a smile: "Okay."

It was raining a little, and the water drops from the leaves of the magnolia tree at the entrance of the community fell on Xu Mo's forehead. She looked up at the gray sky, and her eyelashes were wetted by the drizzle.

Lin Jingchuan went to the convenience store at the door and bought an umbrella. He strode towards her and gently took her into his arms. He asked, "Where do you want to go?"

Xu Mo rubbed her cold fingers and said, "There are some nice mountains in Nanshi, but this weather is not suitable for hiking."

"Hmm..." Lin Jingchuan tilted his head to look at her fair and quiet profile. When she went out, she tied her long hair into a small bun and fixed it at the back of her head near her neck. A few strands of hair hung down to her ears, making her look more mature and peaceful than when she let her hair down.

In his opinion, Xu Mo wasn't difficult to understand; after all, he was a few years older than her. But at this moment, he couldn't quite fathom Xu Mo's thoughts, and he didn't know if she understood his subtle rivalry with Zhao Tingyu.

To outsiders, he was a consistently excellent, gentle, and handsome Vice President of the group, always making rational decisions and seemingly unburdened by emotions. But only he knew that, like any ordinary person in the world, he too had negative emotions and would resort to trickery to gain something.

"Let me take you to a bookstore that's been open for over ten years," Xu Mo said. "The coffee there is delicious."

"Okay." Lin Jingchuan took a taxi.