Chapter 119 The Young Girl Bailey's Sweetness (Zhu Wan x Fang Qibai)
"Fang Qibai, you can buy vinegar if you want, but why did you steal my Ayuan away too?"
Qiu Chen chimed in from the kitchen, "I was wondering why A-Yuan hadn't come up for so long after delivering a cell phone."
Fang Qibai handed the vinegar he was carrying to Yi Jia, noticing that the little girl's hands, which were hanging down, were a bit red from the cold.
Zhu Wan's cheeks flushed slightly as she listened to Sister Jia teasing her. "Sister Jia, I'm the one who wants to go with her."
Yi Jia pinched A Yuan's cheek, "Don't be too obedient, or you'll get bullied."
Zhu Wan smiled and shook her head, "I wasn't bullied. I'm very good at fighting."
Yi Jia raised an eyebrow and hugged A Yuan tightly. "A Yuan, you look so sweet, it makes me want to take a bite."
"You're such a good girl, but you can fight too?"
Zhu Wan nodded and obediently let Sister Jia hug her.
Yi Jia held A Yuan tightly, reluctant to let go, and smelled her sweet fragrance. "You're wearing perfume?"
A faint pink tinge appeared on Zhu Wan's ears.
She left home this morning, waking up half an hour earlier than usual. She didn't wear her school uniform and even sprayed on the perfume her sister had given her.
Yi Jia felt like a female hooligan right now. Ah Yuan in her arms was fragrant and soft, and she wanted to hold her a little longer.
She also wanted a younger sister like A-Yuan.
Zhu Wan was a little out of breath from Jia Jie's hug. "Jia Jie, I feel a little hot."
Yi Jia deliberately didn't let go, hugging her even tighter. "And then?"
Zhu Wan stood obediently in place, saying, "I'll let you hug me a little longer, then you can let go of me."
Yi Jia chuckled, "You should have said, 'Sister Jia, let go of me, I'm so hot,' right now."
She touched her conscience and said, "Ah Yuan, I didn't bully you at all, so why do I keep feeling like I'm bullying a child?"
She's so adorable.
Yi Jia let go of her and looked at her white coat. "We're having hot pot later, and this will get dirty if you wear it."
"A clean and pretty little girl shouldn't get dirty."
The heating was on inside, and Zhu Wan said to Sister Jia, "It's okay, I'll take off my coat when we eat."
Yi Jia noticed that her sweater underneath was also white. "Fang Qibai, find a dark-colored coat for A Yuan."
This way, it's less likely to get your clothes dirty.
Fang Qibai handed Zhu Wan the hot water he had filled from the water dispenser, but Zhu Wan quickly shook her head and said it wasn't necessary.
Fang Qibai didn't let her refuse, and put the water glass in her hand, saying, "Warm your hands."
Zhu Wan held the white mug in both hands, realizing that her words had caused him to misunderstand. She explained earnestly, "I meant that I don't need to find clothes for myself. Thank you for the water, Brother Qi Bai."
Fang Qibai gazed at the young girl and said, "You're welcome."
Qiu Chen took the prepared cocktail out of the kitchen and saw A-Yuan standing in the living room taking small sips of hot water. He glanced at the white mug in her hand a few more times.
He complained to Yi Jia about Fang Qibai, "You don't know, last time I used a dog-white cup to drink water, I washed and disinfected the cup, but he still made me take the cup away and bought a new one online."
Yi Jia: "Knowing he's a germaphobe, you still use his cup."
Zhu Wan paused in her act of drinking water, her face slightly flushed.
It seems that Brother Qi Bai only told her to cover her hands.
She held the water glass and subconsciously drank the water inside.
Fang Qibai came out of the room with a gray sweater in his hand. He saw the little girl holding a water glass and looked a bit embarrassed. He also heard Yi Jia and Qiu Chen's conversation.
Zhu Wan lifted her curled eyelashes; the cup in her hand, which wasn't hot to begin with, suddenly felt scalding.
Her voice was very soft, as if she had done something wrong: "I'll buy you a new cup."
Fang Qibai handed her the sweater in his hand, teasing her on purpose: "Okay."
Zhu Wan didn't accept the sweater, but she remembered what Chen Ge and Jia Jie said about her being a germaphobe.
Fang Qibai casually draped his clothes over the sofa. "It's not that exaggerated. I'm just drinking your water. I'm not a germaphobe."
Qiu Chen yelled, "So you're just a perfectionist when it comes to feelings, huh?"
Yi Jia nudged him with her elbow, "Stop talking nonsense. How can you compare to A Yuan? A Yuan is so fragrant and soft, who would complain about her? Quickly move the ingredients and pot from the dining table to the coffee table. Let's watch a movie and eat hot pot at the same time."
Fang Qibai lent a helping hand.
Zhu Wan knew that Fang Qibai's words were not ambiguous; he simply wanted her to drink water from his cup without feeling guilty.
In my heart, because of his words, it was as if ten thousand butterflies had suddenly awakened, their thousands of wings fluttering, as if all the butterflies were flying towards spring at the same moment.
Qiu Chen pointed to his face, "Don't I look nice and soft to you?"
Among this group of grown men, he's a breath of fresh air, the cleanest guy ever.
Yi Jia retorted, "Smell the lingering smell of cigarettes on you."
She exaggerated.
Qiu Chen lowered his head to smell his clothes, but couldn't smell anything.
"Ah Yuan, do you smell if Brother Chen smells bad?"
Fang Qibai pulled Qiu Chen, who was blocking his way, aside.
Qiu Chen bypassed Fang Qibai and insisted that Zhu Wan smell him.
Zhu Wan lowered her head and sniffed Chen Ge's clothes. "There's a slight smell of smoke, and a faint fragrance. Chen Ge doesn't smell bad."
Yi Jia laughed uncontrollably. She winked at A Yuan, signaling her to badmouth Qiu Chen.
Ah Wan is just too honest.
Qiu Chen was satisfied.
Yi Jia put his hands on his hips and said, "Alright, stop chatting and get to work."
She directed Fang Qibai to get a power strip, and asked Qiu Chen to arrange the mixed drinks nicely.
Zhu Wan's gaze remained fixed on Fang Qibai.
When Sister Jia looked at her, she lowered her head and took a sip of water to hide her unease.
Everyone was busy, but she was the only one standing still.
Zhu Wan put down her mug to help serve the dishes.
After clearing the space, Yi Jia held up his phone and said, "Look at the camera."
Zhu Wan subconsciously looked up.
Yi Jia stretched out his arms, trying to shove all four of them in, but leaned back and bumped into A Yuan, who was carrying a fruit platter behind him.
Zhu Wan took half a step back and bumped into Fang Qibai's arms.
Fang Qibai took the fruit plate from her hands. "Be careful."
The moment Zhu Wan was embraced, her heart stopped beating, and her eyelashes trembled.
Yi Jia shouted, "Don't move, yes, just keep this posture and movement."
“Ah Yuan, look at the camera.”
Zhu Wan steadied herself and looked up at Jia Jie's phone screen.
Yi Jia was very satisfied after the photos were taken.
Qiu Chen held up a pink cocktail and said, "Could you please be prepared before filming? I almost spilled the drink all over the place."
Yi Jia pulled Zhu Wan to sit cross-legged by the coffee table. "The candid photos weren't so deliberate. I posted them in the group chat."
Realizing that A-Yuan wasn't in the group chat, Yi Jia added her in.
The group of five became a group of six.
Yi Jia noticed that A Yuan's face was very red, and looked at her clothes, "A Yuan, if you're hot, take off your clothes."
The little girl's white coat was loosely wrapped around her body, the cashmere texture gleaming softly. The fur trim around the collar gently brushed against her delicate chin as she leaned forward slightly, like a cloud resting in the warm light.
Zhu Wan got up and took off her coat.
Yi Jia leaned on the sofa and helped her get Fang Qibai's gray pullover sweater.
Qiu Chen poured a lot of food into the pot all at once.
Zhu Wan hesitated for a few seconds, then, seeing Fang Qibai's gaze, quickly took the sweater and put it on.
Yi Jia saw that Qiu Chen insisted on sitting with A Yuan no matter what.
She objected, "You're a tall guy with long legs, why do you always squeeze in here with us girls? Isn't that annoying?"
Qiu Chen handed the poured wine to Yi Jia, saying, "Switch seats with me, and I promise to take excellent care of you tonight."
Yi Jia smiled and accepted the wine, then got up to change seats, and pushed A Yuan next to Fang Qibai.
Sitting like this makes the space more spacious for everyone.
Qiu Chen coaxed Zhu Wan, "Come sit with Brother Chen."
Fang Qibai bent his knees and brought Zhu Wan a bowl and chopsticks.
Zhu Wan didn't go to Qiu Chen's side; she just smiled and didn't say anything.
Yi Jia told him to mind his own business, "Anywhere is fine for sitting. Don't bother A-Yuan, let her eat in peace."
Amidst the rising steam, Fang Qibai handed the remote control to Zhu Wan, saying, "Watch whatever you want."
Qiu Chen was worried that the heat from the hot pot would affect the money tree that Zhu Wan had brought, so he asked Fang Qibai to move the money tree to another place. "This money tree is a housewarming gift that A-Yuan brought for you."
Fang Qibai moved the money tree to the sofa.
Through the sweltering steam, his voice carried a hint of languor as he lifted his eyelids to look at the little girl beside him, "Thank you, A-Yuan."
Zhu Wan sat quietly, her gaze returning from the television screen, her curled eyelashes fluttering as they met Fang Qibai's eyes.
As he was moving, Fang Qibai's trouser leg, which was sitting cross-legged, inadvertently pressed down on the little girl's sweater hem. He pulled the sweater out of the way for her.
When he looked up again, the little girl was still looking at him.
The gray sweater clung loosely to her body, making her appear even slimmer and more petite.
Zhu Wan once again met Fang Qibai's gaze, as if raindrops were falling on the softest part of his heart.
She hurriedly looked down, tucked her hair behind her ear, and looked back at the television screen.
Fang Qibai took a sip of the Longjing craft beer that Qiu Chen had poured for him, suppressing his craving for cigarettes.
Zhu Wan doesn't have decision-making difficulties.
There are many movies she hasn't seen.
"How about watching The Legend of 1900?"
Qiu Chen leaned lazily against the sofa and handed her the special cocktail he had made especially for Zhu Wan. "Sure, why not?"
Zhu Wan thought it was a drink and reached out to take it.
The ice cubes swayed beautifully in the liquid milk powder.
She took a sip, and it tasted so good that she squinted her eyes.
Seeing that she was enjoying the juice, Fang Qibai didn't take the cocktail from her hand.
Yi Jia clinked glasses with A Yuan, "The dishes are all cooked, A Yuan, hurry up and pick up some food."
A warm, misty fog enveloped the glass inside, blurring the boundaries of the cold.
Zhu Wan held up her bowl to receive the beef balls that Sister Jia had placed on her plate.
The cuffs of her gray sweater were too wide and kept sliding down with her movements; she awkwardly tried to push them back up a few times.
Fang Qibai put down his chopsticks and naturally reached out to carefully roll up her sleeves twice. His fingertips accidentally brushed against her slightly cool wrist skin, touching and then separating.
Without a second thought, Zhu Wan obediently offered him her other hand, which was holding the bowl.
Complete trust, tinged with a drunken, unconscious dependence.
If she were rational and clear-headed, Zhu Wan would not have made such an unconscious, almost coquettish gesture.
Yi Jia, sitting opposite, was stunned. The beef ball she was holding fell into the boiling soup with a "plop," splashing up a few drops of scalding oil.
A drop of hot soup landed on Zhu Wan's forearm before she could retract it. She hissed softly and instinctively touched the slightly reddened skin.
"Ah Yuan, are you alright?" Yi Jia quickly grabbed a few tissues and handed them over. She was about to put the freshly scooped-out meatballs into her bowl when her gaze lingered on Zhu Yuan's flushed cheeks and overly bright eyes, and she suddenly understood something. She looked at the empty glass in front of Zhu Yuan, "Qiu Chen, what did you give Ah Yuan to drink? Fan Fan said you're not allowed to bring Ah Yuan to drink alcohol."
Qiu Chen was grimacing from the heat of the meatballs and mumbled, "It's... a special Baileys cocktail for young women, it doesn't have much alcohol..."
Yi Jia slapped him, "No alcohol content yet? A-Yuan is drunk."
“I just added 30ml of vodka…” Qiu Chen stroked his chin, looked at Zhu Wan, and suddenly laughed, “But I must say, Zhu Wan is quite funny when she’s drunk.”
The surrounding laughter and the bubbling of the hot pot turned into a hazy, indistinct background sound in Zhu Wan's ears, sometimes near, sometimes far, as if she were looking through a layer of warm frosted glass.
Only the lowered eyebrows and eyes in front of me are clear—
Fang Qibai was rolling up her other sleeve.
Zhu Wan thought, "His eyelashes are so long, casting a light shadow under his eyelids. His movements are unhurried, and his fingertips occasionally brush against her skin, stimulating a subtle, heart-fluttering tingling sensation."
The skin that was accidentally touched started to burn, hotter than the scalding soup that had splashed on it.
Their eyes met.
In those calm eyes so close to hers, Zhu Wan saw her own small, clear reflection, and a profound warmth that she couldn't fully understand, yet which made her heart beat erratically for a moment.
Her world was so quiet that only their intertwined breaths remained, and the warm, discreet touch of his hand on her wrist.
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