Chapter 10 Indulging Your Arrogance "I don't advocate solving problems with violence."...
Before entering the bathroom, Xie Qingci mentally prepared herself, praying that she wouldn't see anything she shouldn't see.
However, that didn't happen.
The clean and tidy wet and dry separation area, and the marble washbasin countertop are all neatly organized, with nothing else except for some monotonous men's face care products and aftershave.
She took a deep breath, put the bathrobe into the laundry basket, glanced down at her wet clothes, bit her lip lightly, and started to take them off.
As she tossed the wet clothes into the laundry basket, she paused, realizing a crucial issue.
What about her underwear?
Her thoughts suddenly paused, and she covered her face in annoyance.
Why did you agree to take a bath here?
When she agreed, she didn't think about all that.
Just then, there was a gentle knock on the bathroom door, and Aunt Wen's voice came from outside, "Miss Xie, I've come to get my clothes."
Xie Qingci looked up and replied, "Okay." Then she stepped into the shower room.
Never mind, I'll just wash it first.
With permission granted, Aunt Wen pushed open the door and came in. She was tidying up the clothes in the laundry basket when Xie Qingci suddenly poked her head out of the shower.
"Excuse me, Aunt Wen, do you have any lingerie detergent here?"
It's better to wash it off quietly yourself and then blow-dry it.
Aunt Wen paused for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Yes, I'll go get it for you."
Xie Qingci smiled and said, "Okay, thank you."
Aunt Wen smiled and nodded, then took the dirty clothes and went outside.
The shower door closed again, and Xie Qingci finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Perfectly solved.
Aunt Wen brought the cleaning solution a short while later. She thanked her softly and told her to leave it outside.
She wiped the water off her hair from the hot steam and went outside to bring in the hair washing machine.
After washing up, she put on a bathrobe, dried her hair, and then stood in front of the sink to dry her underwear.
This summer version is lightweight and breathable, and it's easy to blow-dry; it's almost half-dry in no time.
The hairdryer in her hand roared loudly. Xie Qingci glanced at the thin fabric in her hand, hesitated for a moment, and then moved the clothes, which were already far from the air outlet, even further away.
Hot air blew in, and the temperature rose accordingly. A faint, familiar fragrance filled the air.
She glanced at the clothes in her hands.
The cleaning agent I just used didn't smell like this.
She frowned, searching for the source of the scent, and finally, her searching gaze settled on the bathrobe she was wearing.
The dark gray satin fabric was comfortable and easy to fit, but the size was a bit too big for her. Even with the waist tie tied, a long section of it still hung down, making it impossible for her to wear the pants.
She paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered where she had smelled this scent before.
The top notes are bergamot, while the base notes are mint and cedarwood.
On Liang Jingzhuo's body.
Upon realizing this, Xie Qingci suddenly felt that even breathing had become difficult.
The subconscious holding of my breath only resumed when the feeling of suffocation washed over me.
When she looked up again, the girl's face reflected in the mirror was flushed.
The bathrobe is new, so that must be the scent of his wardrobe fragrance.
After realizing that this was probably not his usual personal fragrance, the feeling of suffocation finally eased a lot.
She fanned the warmth off her cheeks, then lowered her head to continue blowing on her underwear, but her peripheral vision inadvertently caught sight of a black object in the laundry basket.
She paused for a moment, then turned to look.
A neatly folded pair of men's underwear was placed inside.
-
Liang Jingzhuo stood in the changing area for a while, pressing his temples.
His clothes are all in the walk-in closet in the master bedroom, so it wouldn't be appropriate for him to go there now.
Xie Qingci is still inside.
It wouldn't be appropriate to send Aunt Wen, since Uncle Zhong has always been in charge of organizing his personal clothing.
But this situation makes it even more inappropriate for Uncle Zhong to go.
He paused for a moment, then put on his bathrobe and went out.
Uncle Zhong had disappeared; we couldn't find him anywhere as we walked.
After going upstairs from the main hall, Liang Jingzhuo walked to the door of the master bedroom. The entire corridor was quiet. He stood quietly in front of the door for a while before raising his hand to knock.
After three gentle taps, there was no response from inside.
He paused for a moment, then raised his hand and knocked a few more times, but there was still no response.
He considered that she had just gotten wet, and that her shower might take a while.
But he's just going in to get some clothes, it shouldn't take too long, he should be out before she finishes.
He hesitated for a moment, then reached out, pried open the lock, and went inside.
The room was quiet, except for the whirring of a hairdryer coming from the direction of the bathroom.
He glanced at the warm glow emanating from the frosted glass door, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately decided to take a detour from the back of the living room to the dressing room.
-
After drying her clothes, Xie Qingci dressed herself neatly and decided to pretend she hadn't seen the little incident in the laundry basket. She then opened the bathroom door and went out.
The rain was still falling outside, accompanied by thunder and lightning, creating a typical summer thunderstorm atmosphere.
She stood by the window watching the rain for a while, somewhat worried that it might stop before midnight.
Suddenly, she heard light footsteps behind her. She thought it was Aunt Wen coming to bring her clothes, so she turned around and looked over. When her eyes met the person who came, she was stunned for a moment.
Liang Jingzhuo, wearing a bathrobe in the same color scheme as her, walked out from the direction of the dressing room.
With her tall and slender figure, even in a casual bathrobe, her perfect proportions and physique were still on full display.
As Xie Qingci looked over, Liang Jingzhuo also saw her. He paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on her nightgown for a while, remaining silent for a moment.
Xie Qingci followed his gaze to her bathrobe and explained, "Aunt Wen took my clothes to wash, and I'll change back into them once they're dry."
The clothes were a bit too big, tied tightly at the waist, and the hem had already reached the calves, revealing a section of fair lower limbs and ankles. The cuffs were folded up several times, and slender, fair forearms slipped out from the inside.
The clothes didn't fit her perfectly, but they still gave her a kind of languid and gentle beauty.
After saying that, worried that he might mind someone else wearing his clothes, he added, "I'll buy you a new one."
Liang Jingzhuo withdrew his gaze and replied, "No need, we don't have any clothes for you here, you can wear mine."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. He turned around, glanced at the door, and replied, "Come in."
Aunt Wen pushed open the door and came in with a cup of ginger tea, calling out, "Sir, Miss Xie."
Then he placed the teacup on the table and said, "I brewed some ginger tea. I saw that you were all caught in the rain. Drink some while it's hot to warm yourself up."
After saying that, he poured each of them a glass.
Liang Jingzhuo nodded and said, "Thank you."
Xie Qingci accepted the warm teacup and thanked her in return.
Aunt Wen smiled and glanced at the two of them, then picked up the tray and walked out.
The aroma of ginger wafts through the air as the steam rises.
Worried that Xie Qingci wouldn't like the taste of ginger, Aunt Wen specially added some osmanthus flowers and a few pieces of brown sugar.
Xie Qingci took a few sips from her cup.
The spiciness is still there, but the flavor is completely masked by the fragrance of osmanthus, and you can hardly taste the ginger.
The broth was thick, and even with the addition of brown sugar, my tongue was still unexpectedly burned by the spiciness.
She frowned unconsciously.
Xie Qingci didn't really like Jiang, but she didn't want to let Aunt Wen down.
Liang Jingzhuo noticed the hint of forbearance between her brows. Her smooth, black hair, like glazed porcelain, reflected a lustrous sheen under the light, cascading down to her waist.
Her long eyelashes were slightly parted, like a butterfly fluttering by, and her lips were rosy and moist.
He glanced at her casually, "Don't you like it?"
Xie Qingci raised her head and hummed in response, her bright eyes clear and unwavering, as if she hadn't heard a word he had just said.
Liang Jingzhuo didn't delve into her inexplicable reverie and moved on to the next topic, "Are Uncle and Aunt free this weekend?"
This time Xie Qingci heard clearly, thought for a moment, and said, "There should be some, why?"
The two of them had just returned from a business trip a few days ago and should be staying in Beijing without going out for at least the time being.
Liang Jingzhuo nodded. "I'll visit them this weekend."
We're getting married next month, and he hasn't even visited us yet; it's not appropriate, either in terms of etiquette or reason.
Xie Qingci pursed her lips and paused for a moment, recalling Xie Mulin's attitude when he was mentioned during their last visit to the family estate. "Are you sure?"
Liang Jingzhuo looked puzzled. "Does Uncle and Aunt have plans for the weekend?"
Xie Qingci shook her head. "No."
He nodded. "Then I'll go this weekend."
With the weekend plans settled, Xie Qingci thought it best to discuss it with Ms. Zhou first, just in case things got too ugly that day, so she would have an emergency plan.
She paused for a moment, then glanced at the person beside her. "Have you studied martial arts?"
Liang Jingzhuo's expression became even more puzzled. If Xie Qingci's complexion hadn't looked so normal, he would have even suspected that she had caught a cold and had a fever.
Why are you talking nonsense?
He replied, "No."
Xie Qingci breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, the scene shouldn't be too ugly. Although Xie Mulin had studied martial arts when he was young, he still had good emotional control and shouldn't be too impulsive.
“But I practiced Taekwondo during my middle school years,” Liang Jingzhuo continued.
Xie Qingci looked up at him, "How many segments?"
"Ninth Dan Black Belt".
"..."
After Liang Jingzhuo finished answering, his expression remained puzzled. He asked her, "What's wrong?"
Xie Qingci smiled and said, "It's nothing."
She should talk to Ms. Zhou; their lives should be the priority.
-
The rain finally began to subside an hour later. Liang Jingzhuo changed his clothes and went downstairs to ask Aunt Wen if Xie Qingci's clothes had dried.
Aunt Wen, who was preparing ingredients for breakfast every day, hurried out upon hearing this, saying, "It's all ready."
After saying that, he smiled and said, "I thought..."
Before she could finish speaking, she quickly changed the subject, "I'll go get it now."
The washed and dried clothes were warm and soft. Xie Qingci changed her clothes and came downstairs. Uncle Zhong, who had disappeared for half a day, finally reappeared.
I smiled and glanced at her. "Leaving already?"
Xie Qingci smiled gently and nodded in response: "Yes, the rain has stopped, so I will take my leave now."
Liang Jingzhuo glanced at the smile on Uncle Zhong's face, took the car keys, and said, "You rest, I'll take you there."
Uncle Zhong stood to one side with his hands clasped together, and replied with a smile, "Okay."
After saying that, he turned to Xie Qingci and said, "Miss Qingci, come visit often when you have time."
Xie Qingci smiled and nodded, replying, "Okay."
When the car drove out of Fushun Hutong, the rain had completely stopped, the dark night sky was washed clean, and a few stars were even visible.
Tomorrow should be a good day.
It wasn't appropriate to go back to the dormitory at this time, so Xie Qingci asked Liang Jingzhuo to take her back to the Xie family manor. She could go back and tell Xie Mulin and Zhou Mingzhen about his upcoming visit over the weekend.
It was nearly midnight when the car stopped in front of the Xie family manor. Before getting out of the car, Xie Qingci said to Liang Jingzhuo, "Thank you, goodnight."
Liang Jingzhuo, sitting in the driver's seat, turned his head to look at her and nodded in response, "Good night."
Xie Qingci suddenly stopped, paused for a moment, and turned around as she placed her hand on the doorknob, about to push the door open and leave.
Liang Jingzhuo asked her, "What's wrong?"
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "There's something I need to tell you."
Liang Jingzhuo nodded slightly. "Go on."
I had originally planned to tell him when we met today, but an unexpected incident interrupted me, and I only remembered it again now.
She sat back down in the passenger seat, turned her head to look at him, thought for a moment, and said, "I'm still studying. I was wondering if you could postpone it until I graduate if you're planning to have a wedding. Of course, if you weren't planning on having a wedding in the first place, then just pretend I didn't say anything."
If so, she will cooperate, but we'll have to wait until she graduates. That will reduce many inconveniences. If not, it's actually better.
Liang Jingzhuo looked at her for a moment in the dim ambient lighting, "Okay, we'll proceed according to your plan."
That means they are planning a wedding.
Xie Qingci pursed her lips, paused slightly, and nodded in agreement: "Okay."
After saying that, she turned around again to open the car door and get out, but then suddenly remembered something else and stopped. "There's also—"
She turned around again. "You know, the relationship between my father and your father..."
She thought about it all the way and decided it would be better to give him a heads-up beforehand.
"Please be patient with me this weekend."
Without even thinking about it, one could roughly guess that Xie Mulin wouldn't give him a friendly look.
After she finished speaking, Liang Jingzhuo paused for a long time, looking bewildered, before connecting her words with the question she had asked him in Fushun Hutong.
He suddenly chuckled, a very low and soft whisper, but a distinct smile spread across his lips.
Xie Qingci was taken aback; this was the second time she had seen him smile during these two meetings.
The first time was when she said that if he wasn't satisfied, they could end it. At the time, she didn't understand why he was laughing, and she didn't understand it this time either.
The ambient lighting inside the car flickered and changed. He leaned back in his seat, turned his head to look at her, and called her name: "Xie Qingci".
He said with a smile, "I don't advocate solving problems with violence, so don't worry."
A note from the author:
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Aci's inner monologue: Could it be that they're going to fight?
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