Chapter 45: Bringing Up Old Debts
Back in the main cabin, Jiang Wei was the first to see Luo Xincheng. She looked at her complexion and smiled.
"You're alive?"
Luo Xincheng sat down next to her and sighed, "I guess I've barely survived."
But I'm still sleepy.
She yawned slowly. "I'm thinking of going home to sleep."
She could sleep in the lounge, of course, but the beds there weren't comfortable, so she couldn't sleep.
Jiang Wei glanced at her watch, somewhat surprised. "Sleepy so early? Did the painkillers you took contain sleep-inducing ingredients?"
Luo Xincheng tilted her head, leaned against Jiang Wei's shoulder, squinted her eyes, and couldn't quite explain it.
Her gaze swept past the swaying figures and she saw Fu Zhiheng wearing his coat, sitting in a corner. On the table in front of him were colorful bottles and jars, and he picked them up one by one to read the labels, as if he was struggling to decide which one to drink.
Luo Xincheng stared in that direction, her eyes gradually losing focus, her feelings slightly complicated.
On one hand, she found it funny that Fu Zhiheng was having a major outburst of indecisiveness and that he had to pick up every bottle of drink and examine it closely because of his poor eyesight. On the other hand, she felt a little sorry for him, as he was all alone and had to entertain himself.
After all, such noisy occasions are not very friendly to people with social anxiety.
"Hey, wake up, did you hear what I just said?"
The shoulder she was using as a pillow trembled violently. Luo Xincheng gradually came to her senses and heard Jiang Wei raise his voice.
"Hmm?" She looked at her as if waking from a dream. "Did you just say something?"
I didn't hear it at all.
"It's too noisy here," she made an excuse.
Luo Xincheng immediately covered her ears and said it was too noisy.
“The yacht will be docking back soon. Wang Jiayan has a friend who's booked a club for everyone to go. I'm not planning on going, but I can give you a ride home.” Jiang Wei continued, “You came in Wang Jiayan's car, right? I don't know if it's easy to get a taxi at the dock, or would you prefer your driver to pick you up?”
Luo Xincheng's first reaction was to call a taxi or have a driver pick her up, but she picked up her phone and said, "I'd rather not trouble you."
But before sending a message to the driver, she paused and hesitantly opened Fu Zhiheng's WeChat.
Luo Xincheng: [Don't you find it noisy and boring here?]
On the other side, noticing the phone screen on the table light up, Fu Zhiheng picked up the phone and glanced at it.
Is it noisy? Yes, but it's not exactly boring.
He glanced instinctively in Luo Xincheng's direction, but was blocked by someone, so he had to give up.
Fu Zhiheng: [I'm alright, what's wrong?]
Luo Xincheng stated bluntly: "[I'm getting sleepier and sleepier, and I want to go home and sleep, but I didn't drive here today.]"
Fu Zhiheng instantly understood: "[Then shall I take you home?]"
Luo Xincheng: [Okay, I'll come find you after I get off the yacht.]
After saying that, she felt that her words were a bit stiff, like a superior speaking to a subordinate, so she thought about it and started looking at emojis.
She had quite a few sweet and cheesy emojis, but she felt a little embarrassed to send them to Fu Zhiheng, as she felt her image would suffer a devastating blow. So, after searching through them, she sent a more elegant and reserved flying kiss.
Not long after, he replied with a shy little yellow face emoji.
Luo Xincheng raised an eyebrow, her playful side suddenly aroused: [Not even a cute emoji?]
Fu Zhiheng: [I'm sorry, this is all I have.]
Fu Zhiheng: [Malou kowtowing.gif]
Luo Xincheng: [???]
Fu Zhiheng: [My emojis are all saved from work group chats, so they're mostly this type.]
Fu Zhiheng: [Talking Tom kneeling and begging for mercy.jpg]
Luo Xincheng was so amused that she dared not laugh, afraid of getting a stomachache: [Okay, she's quite cute too.]
Cute and funny.
Ten minutes later, the yacht docked at the pier.
Luo Xincheng said goodbye to her friends one by one, and once again declined Jiang Wei's offer to give her a ride. After parting ways with them, she sneaked away to where Fu Zhiheng had parked his car.
She instinctively walked towards the back seat, but the passenger door was opened first.
Fu Zhiheng got out of the driver's seat, placed his hands on the car door, and locked his bright, expectant eyes on her. "Don't you feel lonely sitting alone in the back?"
What else could Luo Xincheng say after she said something like that?
Her lips twitched, and she turned around and got into the passenger seat.
After I fastened my seatbelt, I suddenly heard his slightly teasing laugh beside me, "You shouldn't have to force yourself to stay awake this time, right? You won't dare to sleep in my car, will you?"
Luo Xincheng leaned back lazily in her chair, glanced at him upon hearing this, and said in a light, playful voice with a hint of reproach, "I'm afraid to sleep, because I'm afraid you'll take advantage of me while I'm asleep."
Fu Zhiheng frowned, revealing a wronged and indignant expression. "How could I possibly do such a thing?"
She gathered her loose long hair, and as if reminded, laughed happily, "Yeah, you wouldn't dare. At most, you'd just stare at me blankly after I fall asleep."
Fu Zhiheng looked embarrassed, buried his head in his hands and started tapping on CarPlay, saying nothing more.
Seeing this, Luo Xincheng had no intention of letting him off the hook. She poked his face and teased him, "Concentrate on driving, and don't stare at me too much later."
“I know,” he said, knowing what was important and what was urgent. “Your safety is definitely more important.”
He turned on the navigation and pressed her leaning back, telling her to sleep if she felt sleepy and not to disturb his driving.
Luo Xincheng: ?
Does saying a few words bother you?
She adjusted her seat, yawning several times in the process.
But my mind was still clear, and I wasn't sleepy.
It's so strange. I was drowsy on the yacht, but after coming out and being exposed to the cold wind, now that I'm sitting in the car, all that sleepiness has magically disappeared.
Although he was still yawning, his thoughts were unusually active, and he felt a strange sense of excitement and anticipation.
She felt a strange sensation in her heart and turned to look.
Fu Zhiheng was no longer looking at her; he was staring intently straight ahead. To see things more clearly, he narrowed his eyes slightly, a common problem among nearsighted people.
A stream of deep blue light flowed down from the top of his head, meandering down his deep-set eyes and high nose bridge. The interplay of light and shadow illuminated his face in a way that was both bright and dim, like a tranquil oil painting.
She leaned towards the car window, resting her head on the window, her gaze focused on his face.
Feeling an inexplicably ardent gaze, Fu Zhiheng couldn't help but glance at her, only to meet a pair of bright, piercing eyes that showed no sign of sleepiness.
He paused, then asked, "Don't you want to sleep?"
You would never guess that just a few minutes ago she looked dizzy and wanted to fall asleep immediately.
"Hmm, I'm suddenly not sleepy anymore," she said casually. "Maybe the sleep-inducing effect of the painkiller has worn off?"
Fu Zhiheng was thin-skinned, and it was impossible for him not to feel a little proud after being stared at for so long, but he felt more embarrassed and at a loss.
He was steering the car, his eyes fixed intently on the road ahead. "You just told me not to look at you."
In reality, however, he was stared at intently the entire way.
Luo Xincheng looked at him thoughtfully, "I'm thinking..."
Just then, the road ahead became congested, and the car stopped. He finally turned to look at her. "What?"
Her expression was subtle, as if she was hesitating whether to continue asking, "During your sophomore year, you suddenly went to Chicago. Were you planning to look for me?"
Now that they're back together, she wants him to answer some of the questions that are bothering her.
Fu Zhiheng opened his eyes wide, feeling a little dizzy from this unexpected question.
He never expected her to ask that question, nor had he mentally rehearsed a similar scenario beforehand, so when he suddenly heard the question, his mind went completely blank.
Until a sharp siren suddenly rang in my ears.
He suddenly came to his senses and realized that the cars blocking the way in front had already driven away, while the cars behind him started honking their horns to urge him on.
He hastily restarted the car, feeling embarrassed and muttering to himself, "Asking such an explosive question while I'm driving is just too much."
Luo Xincheng asked, puzzled, "Is this question so difficult to answer?"
She never liked to complicate simple questions, so she immediately said, "Just answer 'yes' or 'no,' that's all."
Fu Zhiheng's expression remained hesitant and uncertain.
Luo Xincheng was really afraid that he would get caught up in the decision and end up choosing 'or'.
Fortunately, his later answer wasn't too outrageous: "If I said 'yes,' would you think I'm stupid and fanciful?"
Why do you say that?
"Because Chicago is so big, finding someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack, and besides, my trip that time only lasted two or three days..."
Fu Zhiheng glanced at her and said with a forced smile, "Hehe, it was indeed a surprise. I was about to give up, but when I turned around, I saw that my ex-girlfriend seemed to have a new boyfriend. The two of them walked past me, chatting and laughing."
Luo Xincheng: "..."
Luo Xincheng had to admire his good memory. "How do you still remember? There's really nothing between him and me."
"I know." He nodded, realizing how easily his words could be misunderstood, and explained seriously, "I'm not such a petty person. I was just joking. It's normal social interaction. I don't mind, and it won't interfere with your interactions with ordinary friends of the opposite sex."
Luo Xincheng: "..."
She cleared her throat, trying to change the subject, when he stopped the car at the green light, his innocent eyes wide with feigned curiosity as he asked, "But I felt that the blue-eyed boy wasn't treating you like a normal friend... Did he like you?"
Luo Xincheng: "..."
What happened to not caring?
She began to regret bringing up the topic; she hadn't even figured things out yet, and he had already left her speechless with his interrogation.
"Is this question hard to answer?" He tilted his head and returned her words verbatim. "Just answer 'yes' or 'no,' that's all."
Luo Xincheng was truly exasperated. "Could you please stop mimicking my speech?"
He immediately lowered his head and continued driving.
The flashing neon light disappeared across his face, and he said in a muffled voice, "Oh, so that means I like you..."
After a moment of sullenness, he suddenly changed the subject, "But you're so great, it's abnormal if you don't have any suitors. Back in high school, you had a lot of boys giving you love letters."
Why is this bringing up high school again? Can you please stop dredging up old grievances?
She leaned against the car window, sighed, and then, in a fit of self-deprecation, boasted, "You're just that charming. You should be grateful to be with me."
After saying that, he laughed heartily and said, "Indeed, although many people like you, you only like me, both times."
He was overjoyed, as if he had gotten a great deal, and his shoulders shook with laughter.
Luo Xincheng was speechless, she really had nothing to say, "Please drive properly, I beg you."
She's so young, she doesn't want to die with him.
But she didn't dare say it aloud, afraid that the words "suicide pact" would hit his sweet spot again.
Fortunately, Fu Zhiheng didn't cause any more trouble after laughing. He drove steadily all the way and finally stopped at a parking lot outside the villa area.
After parking the car, she didn't get out as eagerly as last time. Instead, she rested her hand on the car window, propped her head up, and looked dazed.
"Why that expression?" He smiled and leaned closer, extending his hand at the same time.
Luo Xincheng thought he was going to help her unbuckle her seatbelt, but he didn't.
He simply reached out and put his arm around her waist.
"What are you thinking about?"
He whispered in her ear, deliberately lowering his voice and slowing it down. His low, husky voice had a slightly raspy quality. As he spoke, his lips brushed against her earlobe, and his warm, damp breath quickly brought a faint blush to that small patch of skin.
Luo Xincheng stared straight ahead at the windshield, her face showing an indifferent expression that showed she was not swayed by beauty. "I'm thinking of never riding in your car again."
Fu Zhiheng: "?"
He looked at her in disbelief, his eyes filled with an intense, unyielding confusion.
But what puzzled him wasn't that his driving skills were so bad that she wouldn't want to ride in his car anymore.
Instead, she couldn't understand why, in such a dim and ambiguous environment, with him so close and speaking in such a low voice right next to her ear, all she could think about was not wanting to ride in his car.
This made him wonder if his hints were still too subtle.
...Just how provocative do I have to be for her to understand what I mean?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
