Chapter 1 A Burning, Fragrant, and Soft Embrace
In early July, with the arrival of midsummer and the blazing sun overhead, the blue and white walls of the guesthouses on Wangshui Island appeared to ripple faintly in the sunlight.
Beyond the asphalt road fence, the sea surface shimmered with a golden reflection in the sunlight.
At the end of the road, a cobblestone alley leads to the local residential area of Wangshui Island.
No. 7 Dongpu Lane.
In the enclosed courtyard, the branches of the four-season osmanthus tree have already stretched out of the courtyard wall.
On a lush, leafy branch, a large, fat orange cat was perched among the green leaves, its chubby paws gripping the branch tightly. Unable to descend, it emitted low meows.
Under the osmanthus tree, an elderly man with graying temples strained to look up at the girl in floral beach shorts perched on the tree trunk.
The girl had thin arms and legs, and seemed a little unsure of herself.
"Girl, be careful."
Xinmian hugged the tree trunk with one hand and rubbed her nose with the other, a little hesitant to look down. She could only bite the bullet and answer, "Grandma Chen, don't worry, I will definitely bring the cat down safely."
The unfamiliar voice, coupled with the trembling as it climbed the tree, made the orange cat even more frightened. It stared warily at Xinmian, as if preparing to chase this "uninvited guest" down.
Xinmian smiled at it, revealing her dimples, and her already gentle voice became even softer.
"Fat Orange, is your name Fat Orange?"
"Given this name, you must be a boy, right?"
She approached the orange cat discreetly and spoke softly to distract it.
"Did you know that if your name is this, I can also call you Your Majesty?"
"I can also call you Emperor Father."
Almost there, almost there we'll be able to catch it.
"If you're a boy, you should be braver."
"Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person."
A sea breeze blew, rustling the surrounding branches and leaves. The girl's wide beach shorts swayed, and sunlight fell on her calves, which were tightly wrapped around the tree trunk.
Xinmian climbed the tree without even knowing her own limitations, let alone trying to catch a fat orange cat.
She clung tightly to the tree trunk with one hand, and with the other hand, she swiftly reached out and grabbed Fat Orange.
"Meow!!!"
Fat Orange was suddenly grabbed by the back of the neck, let out a slightly pitiful howl, and kicked its limbs wildly.
It was too heavy, and Xinmian was afraid that she and the cat would fall together, so she quickly reassured her, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."
“I’m here to take you down,” she pointed to the ground. “Look, it’s so high, you can’t get down by yourself, I’ll help you.”
The bright sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting cool shadows in the courtyard.
Besides this four-season osmanthus tree, there is also a lychee tree and a wampee tree in the yard, both of which are laden with fruit at this time of year.
The fruit swayed, dazzling Xinmian. She noticed that the chubby orange seemed less resistant to her, so she carefully tucked it into her bosom, continuing to soothe it while searching for a way to get down from the tree.
"Don't worry, I'm a good person, I don't eat kittens."
As soon as he finished speaking, a very low, cold laugh came from under the lychee tree.
"It's not a kitten."
"It's Old Cat."
The male voice was lazy and slow, with a drawn-out tone at the end, as if it were teasing, yet also carrying a hint of coldness.
Following the sound, Xinmian realized that Grandma Chen was no longer in the yard.
In the large shade beneath the lychee tree stood a tall and slender figure.
The young man, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and cargo pants, leaned against a tree trunk and casually looked up.
He has striking features and a cool, aloof expression, yet when he looks at people, there's a hint of aggression hidden in his dark eyes.
The intense gaze lingered for a few seconds on her ill-fitting oversized T-shirt and floral beach shorts before shifting away.
His expression was indifferent.
Xin Mian suddenly realized that the clothes she was wearing might be his.
She subconsciously shrank her feet, but with each movement, the waistband of her pants loosened a little.
The men's beach shorts were too big for her; even with drawstrings, they barely hung around her waist.
Once the fat orange is caught, it will inevitably have to be taken down from the tree.
But... dressed like that, the way you climb down the tree must look awful.
Doesn't she have any pride?
It's hard to say whether it was fear of the height to climb down the tree or an inexplicable surge of "love of beauty," but at that moment, "image concerns" took over.
Xinmian lay sprawled on the tree trunk, motionless.
The man under the tree spoke first, but he wasn't addressing her.
"Fat Orange".
He called out.
Upon hearing the sound, the chubby orange cat, which had been nestled obediently in Xin Mian's arms, suddenly straightened up and peeked out.
After glancing at her, it decisively raised one paw—
A slap landed directly on her face.
Orange cat paw pads aren't very soft; they feel firm and springy when you pat them.
It happened so fast that Xinmian didn't even have time to react.
She lowered her head in disbelief.
"Meow..."
The culprit, Fatty Orange, licked his paws that had just committed the "crime," raised his head, and looked smug.
[I took this picture because I like you.]
[Do people understand?]
Unfortunately, Xinmian didn't understand.
She pressed her palm against its head and deliberately gave it a hard tug, saying, "Fat orange, you're 'ungrateful'."
The chubby orange was restrained and wriggled restlessly in her palm, causing her body to sway from side to side.
The sound of cicadas chirping filled the air, coming from an unknown direction, yet she could sense that they were very close to her.
Xinmian is afraid of insects, all kinds of insects.
Cicadas are one of them.
She was completely frozen in place, as if she had been struck by lightning, and dared not move.
The chubby orange cat was obediently pressed into her arms, its fluffy face pressed down like a persimmon.
But she was completely unaware.
"If you don't loosen your grip, it's going to get flattened."
The man's cold, slightly sarcastic voice rang out again from under the tree. Xin Mian was startled and quickly looked down into her arms.
The movement was too big, and the leg that was originally clinging to the tree trunk suddenly lost its grip, as if it had stepped into thin air and was hanging in mid-air.
The sunlight was intense, and the girl's slender, straight legs were so white they were dazzling, directly catching Chi Yu's eye.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, and when he looked up again, Xin Mian was already clinging tightly to the tree.
It looked more like a frightened kitten curled up obediently than the chubby orange cat in her arms.
The instant their eyes met, he clearly saw the panic that she hadn't yet concealed.
Despite being scared, it still climbed the tree to catch the cat.
Xinmian's ears turned red, and just as she was about to speak, Grandma Chen came out of the house.
"Chi Yu, you brat!" she said, slapping the man's arm. "Trying to bully a young girl, huh!?"
The man called Chi Yu straightened up, his ambiguous gaze finally shifting from her to Grandma Chen.
"Grandma, aren't you going to explain this?"
"Explain what?"
Grandma Chen immediately understood what he meant, "Didn't you always refuse to wear these pants because you thought they were ugly?"
"It came in handy today."
As she finished speaking, Grandma Chen looked up at Xin Mian, who was still clinging to the tree.
Xin Mian gave her an awkward smile, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Grandma Chen understood immediately, then turned around and slapped her grandson again, saying, "Bring Fatty Orange inside first, and he'll come out later to help with the luggage."
Chi Yu walked to the osmanthus tree with one hand in his pocket.
As they got closer, Xin Mian noticed a faint old scar on his left eyebrow, which stood there horizontally. His thick, dark, and sharp eyebrows made him look somewhat fierce and wild.
Moreover, he is very tall, extremely tall.
Just now, when she was climbing the tree, she had to step on the stone benches and then the trunk to get up. But now he was standing on the cement ground, and he simply stretched out his arm and picked up the fat orange from her hand.
You don't even need to stand on tiptoe.
The young man's exceptionally handsome features suddenly appeared before her; his cold, sharp features were highlighted by the sunlight, revealing a strikingly defined profile.
It made those dark eyes appear even more unfathomable.
The arm that reached out to grab Fatty Orange was strong and powerful, with clearly defined muscles on its forearm, and veins extending all the way to the back of its tanned hand, with prominent blue veins.
With a simple lift of his long, well-defined fingers, the chubby orange cat struggled in vain and was carried away.
"Meow!"
[Hey! What are you doing?!]
[Let me go!]
[What I want is a sweet, soft hug!]
No one paid any attention to Fat Orange's protests.
As Xinmian watched him approach, she instinctively leaned back, then realized she was still in the tree and quickly hugged him tightly.
Then...
I heard him let out a low laugh from his throat.
"They persisted for quite a long time."
It's unclear whether that sound was directed at her or at Fatty Orange.
Grandma Chen didn't hear anything, she only saw Chi Yu lift the fat orange down, pat the fat orange's little paws twice, and tell Chi Yu to quickly carry it into the house.
"Meow~"
The chubby orange cat meowed a few times with a hint of resentment, then flapped its four legs and was pulled inside.
Only after Chi Yu's figure disappeared through the door did Grandma Chen turn around and look at Xin Mian with loving eyes.
"Good child, come down quickly."
Xinmian knew that she was helping her out of a predicament, so she whispered "Thank you, Grandma," and then tiptoed down from the osmanthus tree.
A white oversized T-shirt and patterned men's beach shorts—a very ordinary combination—looked somewhat comical on her because they were too big.
The girl had slender arms and legs, and her exposed skin was so white it almost glowed in the sunlight. She had beads of sweat on her forehead and her face was slightly flushed from climbing the tree to "catch" the cat.
"Mianmian," Grandma Chen handed her a tissue, "You don't mind me calling you that, do you?"
Xin Mian shook her head, smiled, and her two dimples appeared. "I don't mind."
"Grandma, you can call me whatever you want."
"There's only one copy of this rental agreement, and we've both signed it. If you want to keep a spare, I'll have Chi Yu make a copy for you tomorrow and bring it back."
Xinmian thought for a moment, "It's okay, Grandma, I'll find a copy shop myself. I can take a stroll around this area tomorrow."
"That's okay too."
Grandma Chen didn't insist any further, and said with a smile, "I hope Chi Yu didn't scare you just now?"
"No."
"This brat has a smug look on his face, but he's not a bad person."
As she spoke, she helped Xinmian carry the bag she had brought into the living room on the first floor. "Come on in, it's too hot outside."
“You’re going to stay here for a year. I’m an old woman and there are some things I don’t know how to do. If you encounter any problems, you can go directly to him and he will solve them for you.”
"If he's rude to you, just come to me and I'll take care of that brat."
“Okay,” Xin Mian said, holding her backpack in one hand. Worried that Grandma Chen couldn’t carry the bag, she reached out to help, but Grandma Chen chuckled and brushed her hand away. “I can still carry this.”
In addition, she had a white suitcase, which stood alone under the osmanthus tree in the yard.
"Chi Yu".
Grandma Chen called upstairs, and Chi Yu came down the stairs with one hand in his pocket. Fat Orange walked in front of him, its tail held high, like a king inspecting his territory.
The man stood upright, but his posture was relaxed and lazy.
He glanced down at the fat orange cat, then flicked its tail with his foot. The fat orange cat bristled and immediately darted away.
[who? ! ]
[Who dares to plot against me?!]
Xinmian was amused by it, and her lips pursed, revealing two cute little dimples.
But the next second, she looked up and met Chi Yu's nonchalant, dark gaze.
She froze, her ears turning red as she looked away.
The man looked away, and without needing Grandma Chen to say anything more, he walked out of the living room and brought in her suitcase.
"Let's go upstairs."
Grandma Chen stood up and said cheerfully, "Let's take the things upstairs first."
"good."
Xinmian obediently responded, and the three of them and the cat went upstairs together.
The staircase wound its way up, and the door to the second-floor room was no longer tightly closed; it was wide open, angled diagonally towards the stairwell, making it hard for her not to notice.
From this angle, you can vaguely see the foot of the king-size bed.
The room is decorated in gray, black, and white tones, completely different from the style of the third floor, and is clearly a man's room.
Chi Yu's room.
A note from the author:
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New story is here! [Sprinkling flowers]
A sweet little story about everyday life in a seaside town [hugs]
The novel next door, "Springtime Falls [Light Entertainment Circle]," is now complete. Those who enjoy completed stories can check it out! [hugs]
My upcoming novel, "Waking Up in the Rain," is a sweet story about amnesia. Please add it to your favorites! [hugs]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
