46 Chapter 46
◎Liao Yishen, do you want to...◎
Sang Xinqi sighed softly, put down her chopsticks and stood up. "Forget it, let's not eat anymore. Let's go out to eat."
Liao Yishen quickly reached out to stop her, "Don't worry, I'll just put it back in the pan and stir-fry it again."
Sang Xinqi paused, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, "That... that's fine."
Liao Yishen picked up a few dishes and walked towards the kitchen. Sang Xinqi followed closely behind him. He put the wok back on the stove, turned on the fire, and poured all the dishes into it.
Sang Xinqi stared at the plate of cola-coated chicken wings and asked hesitantly, "Should we pour this in too?"
Liao Yishen said "hmm" and poured the chicken wings into the pot without hesitation.
He skillfully sprinkled some seasonings, and as the spatula flew, the aroma of food filled the air again. After a moment, he picked up a piece of lotus root and tasted it.
"How is it?" Sang Xinqi moved closer.
"That's enough," Liao Yishen said, picking up a chicken wing and handing it to her mouth. "Want to try it?"
Sang Xinqi took a bite from his hand, chewing it carefully, and her eyes lit up. "It's really much better than before! The sweetness is just right."
She raised her head, gave Liao Yishen a bright smile, and gave him a thumbs-up. "That's amazing."
-
After dinner, the two of them curled up on the sofa watching TV. Sang Xinqi rubbed her round belly and sighed contentedly, "I'm so full from eating. Luckily you're here, otherwise all this food would have gone to waste."
"I'll make you whatever you want to eat in the future," Liao Yishen said gently, and took her into his arms.
Sang Xinqi lowered her head and pinched the soft flesh around her waist, muttering softly, "I feel like I've gained weight recently."
Liao Yishen tightened his arms and gently rubbed his chin against the top of her head. "How are you fat? I think you'd look better if you were rounder."
Sang Xinqi rolled her eyes silently and thought: Men’s mouths are deceitful.
She doesn't want to get fat.
-
A week later, Liao Yishen's mother was finally discharged from the hospital.
Liao Yishen took Sang Xinqi to pick her up. After returning home and settling down, the three of them went out for dinner together. At the dinner table, Liao's mother held Sang Xinqi's hand and chatted non-stop, from trivial matters at home to future plans, and they got along better and better as they talked.
On the way back, Sang Xinqi's eyebrows were curved, and the smile on the corner of her mouth could not be hidden.
"My mom likes you, and you're so happy?" Liao Yishen glanced at her and said sourly, "I like you, but I've never seen you so happy."
Sang Xinqi: “…”
She turned her head and glared at him, "Are you even jealous of your own mother?"
Liao Yishen turned his face away and said stubbornly, "I'm not jealous."
Sang Xinqi suppressed her laughter and deliberately coaxed him, "Okay, okay, you're not jealous, you're not jealous."
Liao Yishen: “…”
The two of them bickered and laughed all the way home. The deep winter night was chilly, so they washed up early and got into their warm beds.
It was still early and no one was sleepy.
"Do you want to..." Sang Xinqi turned sideways, gently poked his arm with her fingertips, and hesitated to speak.
Liao Yishen's eyes darkened, and he immediately understood, "Okay."
Sang Xinqi's ears turned slightly red, but she boldly reached out and touched his firm abdominal muscles.
Liao Yishen grabbed her wrist, turned over and pressed her under him, then bent down to kiss her lips. Since the last time, the two had not found a suitable opportunity to get close. The touch at this moment made each other's body temperature rise rapidly.
The clothes slipped off quietly during the passionate kiss. Sang Xinqi's fingertips moved along his waistline, greedily stroking every firm muscle. She really liked the ups and downs of the touch under her fingertips.
"Hmm..." After just two touches, her wrist was grabbed. Liao Yishen leaned over her, breathing heavily, his Adam's apple rolling. "You like it so much?" His low, hoarse voice was filled with danger.
Sang Xinqi's cheeks flushed red, her eyelashes trembled, and she nodded honestly, "I like it." Before she could finish the word, she was completely swallowed up by his passionate kiss.
…
An hour later, Sang Xinqi lay in his arms, her fingers constantly touching his abdominal muscles.
Liao Yishen indulged her and let her do what she wanted, thinking to himself: I still have to keep exercising, in case my abdominal muscles disappear one day.
-
Time flies, and it’s the end of the year in the blink of an eye.
Sang Xinqi originally thought that her parents would not come back this year, but unexpectedly she received a call on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, saying that they would be home in two days and asked her to find someone to clean up the old house.
On this weekend, Sang Xinqi and Liao Yishen came to the old house where they used to live. The moment they opened the door, a musty smell that had not been lived in for a long time hit them in the face.
The sunlight slanted in through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the dust floating in the air. The surfaces of the furniture were covered with a thick layer of dust, and footprints on the floor were clearly visible.
"I really want to rent them a new house nearby," Sang Xinqi said, standing in the middle of the living room. "My mom doesn't want to live here."
Liao Yishen chuckled and said, "I'll give the cleaning lady some extra money later."
He stretched out his hand and scratched the coffee table, and his fingertips were immediately covered with dust.
"Aunt Jiang clearly hires someone to clean the house every six months," Sang Xinqi frowned and looked around. "It's only been six months since anyone has lived here, how come it's so dirty?"
"This is what happens when a house is deserted," Liao Yishen said, and opened the sliding door of the balcony to ventilate.
Not long after, the cleaning lady who was scheduled to come arrived.
The aunt stood at the door and peeked in, then said embarrassment, "This workload is too huge. I definitely can't finish it within the time stipulated by the platform."
Sang Xinqi said cheerfully, "Auntie, just keep cleaning. I'll pay you double for the extra time."
Auntie's eyes lit up, and the wrinkles on her face smoothed out. "No problem, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
After the deal was settled, the two went downstairs just as the winter sun was shining brightly.
Sang Xinqi suddenly became interested. "How about we go to the gym we used to go to in high school?"
"Okay," Liao Yishen took her hand naturally.
"I haven't played badminton for a long time. We must have a good game later," Sang Xinqi shook their clasped hands.
Liao Yishen smiled and nodded. The wind in late winter was particularly cold, especially in places without sunlight.
They walked slowly along the sidewalk, looking for places with sunshine.
After a while, the two arrived at the stadium they often went to in high school.
Sang Xinqi stood at the door, her eyes sweeping over the familiar sign and the newly painted exterior wall. She said softly, "It seems a little different from before, but I can't put my finger on what's changed."
"Oh, I haven't seen Teacher Meng for a long time. I wonder how he is doing now," said Sang Xinqi.
"He's doing fine and is now concentrating on running the arena," said Liao Yishen.
Sang Xinqi hummed, "Are you in touch?"
Liao Yishen nodded, "We chat occasionally."
Sang Xinqi hummed, looking at the glass door of the gym. She could faintly hear the sound of rackets hitting balls from inside. "Did you come here often later?"
Liao Yishen was silent for a moment, his eyes slightly lowered, "After moving to the south of the city, I seldom come here."
What he didn't say was that during the summer after their breakup, he came here almost every day, sitting alone in the corner, watching others play. As he watched, the image of them swinging their rackets side by side would vaguely appear before his eyes. Those memories were like old movies, replaying over and over again in the empty gym.
The two walked into the gym and saw Teacher Meng sitting in a wheelchair. They greeted him, "Teacher Meng."
Teacher Meng looked much older than he remembered. The white hair at his temples was particularly conspicuous under the light, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were deeper than before. He was reading the book with his head down. When he heard footsteps and looked up, his cloudy eyes suddenly lit up.
"Yi Shen! Sang Xinqi!" He stood up excitedly, his voice filled with undisguised surprise.
Sang Xinqi looked at Liao Yishen in surprise, then turned to Teacher Meng, "I never thought you would still remember me after all these years."
Teacher Meng smiled so hard that the wrinkles around his eyes smoothed out. Compared to the stern teacher eight years ago, he was now a bit more kind. "You and my nephew were in the same class. I have a very deep impression of you. And..." He winked at Liao Yishen, "Yi Shen and I have been in contact quite a lot over the years."
Sang Xinqi pursed her lips and smiled, her eyes wandering between the two of them.
Liao Yishen asked with concern, "Teacher Meng, how are you feeling recently?"
"That's all," Teacher Meng waved his hand. A faint medicinal aroma wafted from the thermos on the table. "These old bones can only last a few more years."
"Don't say that," Sang Xinqi said quickly, "You will definitely live to be a hundred years old."
Teacher Meng smiled and closed the book. His slightly hunched figure was reflected on the glass tabletop. "Why are you here today? You kids haven't been here much since you graduated, except for Yi Shen who comes to visit occasionally."
Hearing this, Sang Xinqi felt uncomfortable.
"Sangsang's old house needs to be cleaned," Liao Yishen naturally took over the conversation, "and it's just a good opportunity to stop by and play some ball."
"Okay, okay," Teacher Meng pointed to the equipment room, "The rackets are all in the usual place, go play."
Liao Yishen nodded and gently touched Sang Xinqi's elbow, "Let's go."
Sang Xinqi nodded, and the two of them found an empty court. Gripping her racket, she suddenly whispered, "I just saw the change in Teacher Meng, and it really made me feel bad. I haven't even thought about visiting him in all these years. I feel like I've been being too much."
Liao Yishen reached out and rubbed the top of her head, feeling the familiar soft touch from his fingertips. "Don't think like that. Everyone has their own lives to live and is entangled in trivial matters. How can they be considerate of everything?"
"I understand the logic..." Sang Xinqi puffed out her cheeks and gently poked the ground with her racket. "But seeing Teacher Meng's hair getting so much whiter and his back getting hunched, I still feel uneasy."
She shook her head. "Forget it, let's not talk about this. Let's play a round? It's been a while since we last played one-on-one."
Liao Yishen narrowed his eyes slightly, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his lips. "Last time we played basketball, it was still four of us, right? You and that...Xu Jianian? On the same team."
Sang Xinqi almost dropped the racket in her hand: "..."
"You did this on purpose?" She couldn't help laughing.
Liao Yishen snorted lightly and pretended to adjust the strings nonchalantly, "My memory is bad."
"Even with a bad memory, you can still call out the surname and given name correctly," Sang Xinqi smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, and she deliberately shook her racket, "Could it be that some people are..."
"Serve," Liao Yishen suddenly interrupted her, but the tips of his ears turned red.
The sunlight poured through the glass on the ceiling, casting a small shadow under his eyelashes, hiding the smile that could not be hidden in his eyes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
