Chapter 66 Indulging Your Arrogance: "I love you."
When they returned to Fushun Hutong, Liang Jingzhuo's trouser legs were completely wet. Xie Qingci had taken a shower at school that night, changed her clothes, and went straight to bed.
Although she was wrapped up tightly, she was still chilled by the wind on the way back. Liang Jingzhuo came over, grabbed her feet, and warmed them in his palm.
Just as expected, they were frozen solid, like two ice cubes.
The man's palm was large and warm, pressed against the sole of her foot. Xie Qingci had a bit of a psychological trauma, always feeling that he was going to tickle her the next second. While pulling back, she couldn't help but laugh out loud, ticklishly, "What are you doing... No, let go of my foot first."
Liang Jingzhuo only wanted to warm her feet, but seeing her unable to dodge in time, he laughed and gathered both feet into one hand, put them in his arms, and then leaned down to press them down.
Xie Qingci lay diagonally on the bed, pinned down and unable to move. "You're so heavy, you're going to make me faint."
He looked at her through the dim light, his tall silhouette bathed in the golden glow of the lamplight. "Why didn't you complain about my weight before?"
It took Xie Qingci a moment to realize when he meant "before," and her face flushed. She called him a "rogue."
He smiled, lowered his head and kissed her, "That scoundrel demanded some compensation."
He hadn't seen her for a month, and repeatedly forbade her from suddenly coming to see him. He practically wouldn't even let the housekeeper wash the pillow she had slept on.
The moment their lips touched, Xie Qingci covered her mouth and pulled away, saying, "I have pneumonia. I might infect you. I escaped it last time, but I might not be so lucky this time."
She had barely dodged when her head was grabbed and turned back, and an irresistible kiss landed on her. "I don't get sick that easily. Your physical condition is too weak."
I've said before that she's too thin; it would be so much better if she gained some weight.
Without hesitation, he parted his lips and teased her tongue.
Xie Qingci's fever hadn't completely subsided, and her mouth was still burning hot. It was the first time she had ever kissed him that she felt her temperature was higher than his, and she even felt that his lips and tongue were cool and comfortable. She responded to him gently and lightly.
Having not seen each other for so long, Liang Jingzhuo couldn't resist her response and released her after kissing her for a while.
Her last two trips to Jingzhao were both unfortunate because she was sick.
Seeing the turbulent emotions in his eyes, Xie Qingci knew what was going on. She burrowed her feet into his shirt, pulled the pillow over half her face, blinked at him, and asked in a very soft voice, "Want to... give it a try?"
Liang Jingzhuo didn't understand what she was saying. He suppressed the hoarseness in his voice and asked, "Try what?"
She stammered, "I've heard that the feeling is different when you have a fever."
When the flu was prevalent before, I often saw people commenting online, "Why don't you try this 40-degree one?"
She didn't understand what it meant at the time, but Ke Meng explained the mystery to her.
Although she had almost tried it last time, it wasn't 40 degrees, and she had been drinking and was a bit tipsy, so she couldn't tell the difference.
When his waist and abdomen suddenly touched her icy feet, Liang Jingzhuo couldn't help but hiss coldly. He then wrapped her feet even tighter, understanding what she was saying.
He removed the pillow from her face and kissed her lips. "I'm not that much of a beast."
If he's still thinking about those things at a time like this, then he really can't be a decent human being.
"But you, um... you're done."
That mumbled "Mmm..." successfully made Liang Jingzhuo laugh. He pressed his forehead against hers, rubbed his nose against hers, and teased her on purpose, "What 'Mmm'?"
Xie Qingci refused to speak, lowering her head and hiding against his chest, saying, "It's nothing."
Seeing her ears turn bright red, Liang Jingzhuo smiled and kissed them, then said mischievously, "It's okay, I was just thinking about you yesterday."
A low voice, accompanied by a burst of breath, lingered in my ear.
Xie Qingci was stunned for a moment before realizing what he meant. She raised her hands to cover her ears, kicked him, and blushed deeply. She frowned and glared at him, "You're filthy!"
He seemed aggrieved by her words, pursing his lips, "So domineering? Not letting me see you, not even letting me think about you?"
"No." Still as domineering as ever.
He kissed her eyes and said, "Then come to my side soon. Once you're with me, I won't want to think about it anymore."
Xie Qingci tickled his waist with her toes, "Even if it's earlier, it will have to wait until I graduate next year."
He looked helpless. "Well, there's nothing I can do. I guess I'll just have to think about it for another year."
That's indecent!
Xie Qingci ignored him and made a move to pull her foot back, but he grabbed it instead.
Even after being covered up for so long, her feet were still freezing cold. Liang Jingzhuo frowned, took her feet out from under her shirt, and held them in his palm. "Have your feet been this cold all this time?"
Last time in Shanghai, she said it was because she wasn't wearing socks, but today she's wearing socks and shoes properly, and it's still so cold.
Xie Qingci curled her toes and replied, "No, just occasionally."
He asked, "How do we solve this?"
"Soak your feet or keep them covered for a longer time."
That's how she always did it before.
As soon as he finished speaking, he took her foot, brought it to his lips, kissed it, and stood up, saying, "Wait for me a moment."
After saying that, he went out, and after a long time he came back, went to the bathroom to fill a basin with hot water, squatted down by the bed, and put her two feet in it.
Although I can continue to keep her warm, it's been going on for a while, and I'm worried that her cold will get worse. Soaking her feet in hot water is a faster solution.
Xie Qingci didn't remember there being a foot bath basin here. After feeling the hot water sloshing around her feet, she propped herself up and took a look.
She stepped on a cute, cream-colored enamel basin and exclaimed softly, "Liang Jingzhuo! This is the basin I bought for baking."
Although she had never used it, she originally bought it for proofing dough during baking, but now he was using it to soak her feet.
Liang Jingzhuo went out to look for a while but couldn't find any suitable containers at home. Finally, she found this basin in the kitchen. The color scheme and pattern were very cute.
He guessed it belonged to kitchenware, but didn't think too much about it, since it was all he had.
He squatted down, covered her feet, and put them in the water. "Buy another one. This is the only one we have at home."
Xie Qingci was on the verge of tears. "These are handmade, and there's only one of each size."
Unique and special items are much more expensive than ordinary ones.
Liang Jingzhuo was at a loss for words. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Then you can continue using it for baking. I'll buy you a new foot bath tub tomorrow."
There was no turning back now that everything was done. Xie Qingci stomped her foot firmly on the bottom of the basin and sighed, "Would you eat this?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he lifted her wet foot with the hand that was covering it, then lowered his head and kissed it. "Eat it. We've kissed each other, so what can't you eat?"
Xie Qingci laughed and said he was disgusting.
After washing her feet, Liang Jingzhuo took the basin away and went to take a shower herself. When she came back, she was only wearing pajama bottoms and no shirt.
He lifted the covers and got into bed, but Xie Qingci crawled to the other side, accusing him of being a pervert.
He pulled the person who had run away back into his arms, saying, "You didn't take your pants off, so where's the indecent behavior?"
After saying that, he raised his eyebrows and said, "I was watching so enthusiastically at the bar that day, but I didn't see you say that he was being a hooligan."
Xie Qingci hid under the covers, glancing at him with her eyes, "You're so stingy, I won't go anymore, okay?"
"No, it's too late."
She pointed a finger at his chest. "You only know who's good and who's bad when you compare them. Those people aren't as good-looking as you. I'm not going."
It was as if he had seen wildflowers but still found homegrown flowers more fragrant, and had suddenly realized the truth.
Before, after taking off her clothes, she was so shy that she wouldn't even open her eyes. Of all the times they did it, she looked at him very few times.
Liang Jingzhuo chuckled, "Then I'll take my pants off and show them to you?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he received a punch to the chest, but it wasn't hard; it felt like a cat's paw scratching him.
The person in his arms glared at him, "I'm not talking to you anymore if you keep acting like this."
He looked down at her blushing face, smiled, leaned in to kiss her, and whispered, "Then I won't say anything more."
Xie Qingci saw the wound on the back of his left hand, which was pressed against the blanket. It had just healed, and the stitches were still somewhat visible.
She took his hand, her fingertips gently tracing the winding scar, and asked him, "Does it still hurt?"
Liang Jingzhuo kissed her forehead and whispered, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking, the person in his arms suddenly reached out and hugged him, pressing their face against his chest and softly calling his name: "Liang Jingzhuo".
He looked down at her, brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, and responded softly, "Mmm."
"You must stay safe and sound." She tilted her head and pressed her forehead against his chest. "You're not allowed to get hurt."
He smiled, "Even an accident is unacceptable?"
"no."
"How can you be so unreasonable?"
"Um."
The girl's soft, gentle voice reached my ears, like a soft cloud crashing into my heart.
He kissed her forehead tenderly and replied, "Okay, I'll remember."
-
Aunt Wen only discovered Liang Jingzhuo and Xie Qingci had arrived when she woke up in the morning. She busied herself preparing breakfast for them and then asked what they wanted for lunch.
For nearly a month, only Xiao Ju had been with her. When the two of them suddenly returned, she was busy and happy.
Xie Qingci has to go for an IV drip in the afternoon and can't eat anything spicy or stimulating, so she said she'll just prepare some home-style dishes.
Aunt Wen smiled and agreed, then turned to prepare.
As Aunt Wen walked out of the reception room and passed the floor-to-ceiling window facing the corridor, she glanced into the room.
The two people, one sitting and one lying on the sofa, were busy with their own things. Liang Jingzhuo was handling official business on his computer, while Xie Qingci was lying on his lap playing on her phone. When she saw something interesting, she smiled and handed her phone to him to show him.
He glanced at the screen, smiled along with her, then lowered his head and planted a kiss on her forehead.
Light and gentle, yet tender and gentle.
Aunt Wen smiled and looked away.
She suddenly recalled the first time Miss Xie came here; at that time, the two people sitting at opposite ends of the room were so distant that they didn't seem like they were about to become husband and wife.
She looked up at the snow outside the covered walkway and sighed.
Let it continue like this, even if it doesn't stop.
-
After returning from her IV drip in the afternoon, Xie Qingci was in much better condition than the night before, and her fever had subsided.
Aunt Wen set up a small stove for her, brewed tea, and put some oranges and nuts on the grill.
A light snow was falling softly in the courtyard, covering everything in a silvery white. Inside, the room was warm and cozy, quiet and pleasant. Xie Qingci leaned on the back of the sofa and looked at the snow scene outside the French windows.
Liang Jingzhuo sat to the side peeling oranges for her, his laptop on his lap, looking at work documents.
The refreshing scent of orange peel filled her nostrils. She watched the relentlessly falling snow for a while, then turned her head back, resting it on her arm, and looked at the person beside her.
He lowered his eyes as he peeled an orange for her, his expression serious and focused. Noticing her gaze, he turned to look at her.
Neither of them spoke, and they simply stared at each other in silence for a while.
Xie Qingci was the first to laugh, her eyebrows curving like two crescent moons, and she called out softly, "Liang Jingzhuo."
His expression was affected by hers, and a smile appeared in his eyes. He responded softly, "Mm."
She said, "Thank you."
He paused for a moment, then smiled and leaned in to kiss her. "Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
She shook her head. "No, that's all."
Then he started laughing foolishly.
Liang Jingzhuo broke off a segment of orange and put it into her mouth, smiling as he asked, "What did you remember that made you smile so happily?"
As the warm, sweet orange burst in her mouth, she still smiled, "I remember the first time I came here to see you, I thought you were a bit silly."
He laughed, "Really?"
She nodded. "Yes."
She was so bad at chatting that she almost threw her phone away.
Liang Jingzhuo chuckled but didn't refute.
Xie Qingci suddenly remembered the question she had when she first saw his name and asked him, "Why did you choose this name?"
Her name was based on her birth order in the family and didn't have any special meaning. Later, she looked it up in the dictionary and found that the character "濯" in her name meant "to wash," but it didn't have any deeper meaning.
Liang Jingzhuo broke off another segment of orange and put it in her mouth, replying, "Ms. Zhuang gave birth to me in Jingzhao. It was raining heavily that day, and flights were disrupted. My father couldn't make it in time. Ms. Zhuang said that this was something he owed her for the rest of his life, so she named me Jingzhuo."
Xie Qingci exclaimed, "Ah!" "So this is romantic!"
She thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure out that there was such a connection.
Liang Jingzhuo responded with a "Mm".
He then looked intently into her eyes and continued, "But I rarely tell others the origin of my name."
Xie Qingci looked puzzled. "Why?"
"When I was in middle school, I felt that this name was too hasty. The weather determined the name that would follow me for life."
Xie Qingci laughed, understanding what he meant. "This was your little secret, right? Well, now I know too!"
He looked at her, then leaned in and kissed her cheek. "But it's not too bad."
Xie Qingci felt his kiss land on her face and hummed in response.
He said sincerely, "You also appeared before me again on a rainy day."
He was initially tired of dealing with the pre-arranged meeting when an unexpected incident occurred.
A heavy rain that washed away the summer's gloom brought him the love of his life.
Xie Qingci was stunned for a moment, her eyes crinkling with a smile, and he felt a warm, moist sensation in his eyes. He kissed her eyelashes again, "I love you."
A small foreshadowing planted by fate many years ago has now been answered.
She said, "I love you too."
-
By the time Xie Qingci received her IV drip on the second day, her cough had subsided considerably. By the third day, after the last dose of medication was finished, an X-ray was taken, and the lung inflammation had subsided. She was told to take medication for a few more days to consolidate the treatment.
Seeing that she was alright, Liang Jingzhuo simply took her to Hong Kong Island for a few days. Anyway, Zhuang Shuying and Liang Junshi would have to go to Jingzhao during the Spring Festival, so they could go back together then.
Being by her side meant he could supervise her to make sure she took her medicine on time and watch her eat three meals a day on time and in the right amount. Not only that, he would also tempt her to have extra meals.
Xie Qingci was extremely distressed by this; after two weeks, she gained another two pounds.
Lin Lexin had just started her winter vacation recently, and from the first day she arrived, she eagerly came to visit her, eventually packing up all her belongings and moving in.
When Liang Jingzhuo came home from get off work that evening, he was still a little dazed to see Lin Lexin sprawled on the sofa eating snacks.
He glanced at his watch and reminded her, "It's late, you should go home."
Lin Lexin popped a potato chip into her mouth. "No, I'm not going back. I'm on vacation and have nothing to do at home. It saves me the trouble of coming over every day and having to leave. Can I sleep in your guest room?"
He paused for a moment, deep in thought. "Are you serious?"
Lin Lexin glanced at him and called out to the kitchen behind her, "Sister Yao Yao, can you tell my brother if I should stay here from now on?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Qingci, who was washing fruit in the kitchen, poked her head out and replied with a smile, "Lexin said it's inconvenient for her to come over every day, so I told her she can stay here directly."
Recently, Lin Lexin has stopped calling Xie Qingci "sister-in-law" because she feels it's too formal and creates distance. Calling her "Sister Xiaoci" like others doesn't show their closeness, so she just calls her by her nickname plus a formal title, which is perfect.
As soon as the voice fell, Xie Qingci saw the person standing in the living room fall silent. After a moment, without saying anything, he turned around, loosened his tie, and went back to the master bedroom to change his clothes.
Xie Qingci came out carrying the washed fruit. Lin Lexin glanced at the direction Liang Jingzhuo's figure had disappeared in and asked, "Is my brother angry?"
Xie Qingci put down the fruit, pondered for a moment, and said, "Probably not. I'll go and coax him."
After saying that, he straightened up and followed her into the master bedroom.
Liang Jingzhuo was taking off his suit jacket in front of the dressing room mirror. As he lowered his head to unbutton his cuffs, he saw a figure leaning against the door in the mirror.
He didn't turn around, but met her gaze in the mirror, as if he didn't know what she was doing there, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xie Qingci laughed and stepped forward to help him loosen his tie, "Just trying to coax you."
He looked down at her, continuing to feign ignorance, "Why are you trying to fool me?"
The little hand at his collar yanked off his tie and placed it on the table beside him. She said, "Oh," and then added, "I won't coax you anymore."
With that, he turned to leave.
He reached out and pulled the person back, encircling them in front of the mirror and himself, then lowered his head and kissed them.
Xie Qingci had just recovered from a minor illness a few days ago and had come to Hong Kong Island. The intimate behavior between the two was limited to kissing and hugging.
The main concern was that she was short of breath when she held her breath or made any large movements, possibly due to pneumonia. Liang Jingzhuo was worried and took her to the hospital for a follow-up visit. The doctor said that she might not have fully recovered yet and advised to observe her further. If there was no improvement, a full examination would be conducted.
So for the past few days, he has been very careful, not daring to kiss her for too long, let alone get any closer.
Having such precious things in his possession was indeed a great test for him.
Lin Lexin has been coming over to visit again these past few days. He didn't think much of it at first. Xie Qingci doesn't have many friends in Hong Kong, and he has to work, so he doesn't have much time to spend with her. Lin Lexin's visit is a good way to keep her company and relieve her boredom.
He even left them an extra card on the first day as payment for the young companions.
This young companion is quite professional; she takes money to help people solve their problems, arriving very early and leaving very late every day.
So apart from sleeping at night, they never had any time alone together. He would come back during his lunch break at first, but Lin Lexin didn't have the habit of taking a lunch break, so Xie Qingci would play with her.
He ran back, but he was still alone. Eventually, he didn't come back at noon either.
Well, that's great, we'll be sleeping here tonight, it was Xie Qingci who suggested it herself.
He pressed her against the mirror and kissed her for a while, then released her when he felt she was having trouble breathing.
His breathing became erratic, and he pressed his forehead against hers, saying, "What kind of behavior is it to leave halfway through trying to coax someone?"
Xie Qingci opened her mouth slightly, took a few breaths, and her whole body was flushed from the kisses. "You're not angry, so why should I coax you?"
Liang Jingzhu brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and instead of answering, asked, "You sleep with her tonight?"
Lin Lexin only said she would be staying here for a few days, but didn't say she wanted to sleep with her. Xie Qingci pursed her lips, "I guess... that's not the case?"
"real?"
"Um……"
Aunt Li's voice came from outside, reminding him that it was time to eat. He raised his hand and stroked her rosy lips. "Okay, let's eat."
However, Hsieh Ching-Tzu's prediction was completely wrong.
After finishing her meal, Lin Lexin took out the tarot cards she had just brought with her that day, saying that she had made some progress in her recent study of metaphysics and that she would be doing a divination for her that evening.
The word "evening" is quite clever.
Xie Qingci glanced at Liang Jingzhuo sitting opposite her, then turned her head slowly, "Tonight?"
Lin Lexin nodded vigorously, "That's right!"
After saying that, she raised her chin at Liang Jingzhuo without any politeness, "Brother, you should go to sleep first after you're done with your work. If we play too late, I'll sleep with Sister Yaoyao."
After saying that, he pulled Xie Qingci away from the table.
Liang Jingzhuo was left alone at the table. He leaned back in his chair for a long time, then suddenly chuckled, shook his head, and stood up to leave.
Xie Qingci's little brain couldn't keep up with Lin Lexin's; he had already guessed that this would be the outcome.
Xie Qingci stayed in Lin Lexin's room until midnight and came to a conclusion: the person dressed as a "witch" with a blanket draped over his shoulders and sitting cross-legged opposite him was a complete charlatan.
They calculated a bunch of questions for her, but none of them made any sense. One minute they predicted she had ten ex-boyfriends, and the next they predicted her true love wouldn't appear until next year, and that she would quickly fall in love, get married, and have three sons and one daughter.
Xie Qingci felt that this was no different from cursing her.
After several rounds of calculations, even Lin Lexin herself fell silent. She pursed her lips tightly, stared at the card array for a long while, and then looked up. "Do you think if my brother finds out, he'll make me pay him back the money I spent these past few days?"
"..."
Xie Qingci stammered "emmm..." for a while without saying anything.
It's probably not just that; they might even throw her out right now.
Lin Lexin seemed to have guessed this outcome as well. Her mind suddenly focused, and she put away the cards. "Forget it, saving my life is the most important thing."
-----------------------
Author's note: I just realized I set the wrong time. [facepalm]
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