Chapter 31 A Love Token Given Away by Fire
Xinmian ate the meal with trepidation.
Chi Yu sat opposite her, looking quite natural. She could only take a sip of soup, silently lower her head, and change the subject to praise his cooking skills.
Never mind, let's start showering them with compliments first.
As expected, Chen Xiulian's attention was diverted, and she began to comment on Chi Yu's cooking skills, ultimately concluding that there was still room for improvement.
Finally, he turned to Xinmian and said, "Mianmian, don't you think so?"
Xin Mian was suddenly called out, so she could only laugh it off and say, "Grandma is right."
As soon as she finished speaking, her toe was suddenly nudged under the table, startling her so much that the vegetables on her chopsticks fell into her bowl.
Chen Xiulian asked, "What's wrong?"
Xin Mian shook her head frantically, "...I'm fine."
Chi Yu sat opposite her, abandoning his brief display of domesticity in the kitchen, his expression as lazy and aloof as ever.
Noticing her looking over, he slightly lifted his eyelids, a fleeting smile passing through his eyes.
Then he continued eating, his movements as natural as if he hadn't been the one who had kicked her under the table just moments before.
Xin Mian silently puffed out her cheeks, telling herself to forget it and not bother arguing with him.
——
After finishing her meal, Xinmian went upstairs to take a shower.
The balcony door to the third-floor room was still the same as before, not yet repaired. Night wind blew in through the crack, lifting a corner of the curtains beside it.
Xin Mian came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, tilting her head to dry her hair, her gaze unconsciously following the swaying curtains.
She thought for a moment, then turned and went downstairs.
Chi Yu had just finished showering; his dark hair was wet and hung over his forehead, and his tall body sank into the sofa in the living room.
Hearing her footsteps, he lazily glanced at her.
As he looked at her, she looked at him too.
During this time, he had been sleeping on the sofa on the second floor. With a height of nearly 1.9 meters, broad shoulders and long legs, he must have felt that sleeping on the sofa was a very uncomfortable thing.
Xin Mian met his gaze and asked, "Chi Yu, how long is the wait for the glass door repairman?"
It's been about half a month since the typhoon ended.
Chi Yu tilted his head, as if recalling something, and then told her very seriously, "It probably won't be that soon."
He silently curled his lips slightly. "What? Are you in a hurry to get back to the third floor?"
Xinmian: ......
Of course.
Otherwise, what's the point if she always sleeps in his room and he always sleeps on the sofa?
As if understanding her meaning from her eyes, Chi Yu's lips curved into a wider smile, and she said in a drawn-out tone, "Oh."
"You don't want me to sleep on the sofa?"
Xin Mian's ears turned red, and she retorted softly, "I just think if you keep sleeping like this, you'll break the sofa sooner or later."
He suddenly stood up and walked towards her step by step. "Actually, there is another way so that I don't have to sleep on the sofa."
His gaze was so direct and intense that Xin Mian almost reflexively understood what he was going to say next.
Before he could completely trap her against the wall, she seized the opportunity to slip under his arm.
The girl had just finished showering, and her faint fragrance wafted past him.
Chi Yu's Adam's apple bobbed as he stared intently at her. "Xin Xiaomian, you've learned your lesson."
Xin Mian coughed lightly, opened the drawing tube next to the table, took out a drawing, rolled it up, and handed it to him.
"...That...the thank-you gift you mentioned before."
She finished drawing.
I actually finished drawing it a while ago, but I've been struggling with whether or not to give it away.
But if she doesn't give it to him, and he finds out one day, it will seem as if she's keeping the painting as a keepsake.
When Chi Yu took the drawing paper, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and tried to open it immediately.
But Xinmian stopped her, saying, "...there's no rush to open it right now."
At least, let's wait until she leaves before we see.
After saying that, she lowered her head and tried to slip away from him.
But Chi Yu wouldn't give her a chance to "escape." With a swift movement, he stretched out his long arm and swept her up in his arms around the waist.
"So guilty? What's drawn inside?"
In a dizzying moment, Xin Mian was already shoved into the sofa.
The sofa sank deep, and the man's strong arms braced against the backrest, trapping her in this small space.
The warm, molten aura enveloped her, its powerful presence not allowing her to escape even a fraction of an inch.
Xin Mian's ears immediately turned red. Seeing that Chi Yu was about to open it directly, she hurriedly grabbed his hand, "You can look at it later..."
Chi Yu stared at her, a smile flashing in his eyes. He easily "controlled" her with one hand, and the hand holding the painting trembled.
The drawing paper was unfolded, and on it was drawn Chi Yu.
Chi Yu without a shirt on.
Xinmian let out a soft "woof," buried her face in her palms, feeling ashamed to face anyone, and began to regret her actions.
I regret giving him this painting.
If I had known, I would have kept this one for myself. If I had just looked at it secretly, he probably wouldn't have noticed.
It's all because the "nude model" had such a strong impact on her the day she was painting.
The mature and robust body of an adult male was so clearly displayed in front of her, and as a normal person with normal aesthetic sense, it was hard for her not to notice it.
Having seen it so many times, she can now imagine the texture of his muscles even with her eyes closed.
This painting accurately reflects her understanding of Chi Yu's body.
Straight, broad shoulders, sharp collarbones, strong pectoral muscles, well-defined abdominal muscles, serratus anterior, and a prominent blue vein near the V-line that winds its way down.
A body bursting with sexual tension.
When she finished painting, Xin Mian was too embarrassed to stare at it for too long. She would glance at it every now and then and then feel that the fact that the painting was not undressed was too eye-catching.
So, without consulting anyone, they added a men's necklace around his neck, a necklace drawn out of thin air.
The purpose is to prevent viewers from focusing all their attention on that damn beautiful body.
I don't know who this is reminding.
Chi Yu stared at the necklace for several seconds, then smiled meaningfully, "Xin Xiaomian, what is this?"
"...It's nothing, just a decoration."
“Oh,” he replied, his tone drawn out and sullen, as if he hadn’t heard her at all, “the necklace is a token of our love.”
"No!" Xin Mian looked up abruptly and met his eyes. Her momentum weakened considerably. She muttered softly, "It's just a decoration drawn on the paper."
Moreover, what kind of necklace is a token of love that doesn't actually exist?
But Chi Yu didn't care about any of that.
So what if there's no physical example? He can just make one himself based on this design, right?
The important thing is that it was a gift from Xinmian.
He was in a good mood, his dark eyes filled with a deep smile, and even the way he was restraining her was much more relaxed under this joyful mood.
Chi Yu is not a very outgoing person, but his joy at this moment is obvious.
Even the old scar on her brow seemed to have softened and become much more gentle.
Xinmian's heart felt as if it had been struck by something, suddenly becoming numb and weak.
Unable to bear his blatant gaze, she seized the opportunity when he wasn't looking, mustered her strength, pushed him away, and dashed back to her room, slamming the door shut behind her.
The door slammed shut so loudly that the chubby orange cat on the first floor meowed and quickly scurried back to its little den.
——
While Xin Mian was starting to take art classes at kindergarten, Qin Shengtian also found a job.
It was the cake shop where the two met while queuing up. It was called "Luck," and Qin Shengtian's job was as a baker.
I just started the job and immediately received a large order because the fishing season on Wangshui Island is about to begin.
This year, during the fishing season, the Wangshui Island government will hold a fishing festival, which will include a beach music festival, a food festival, and more.
The organizers of the beach music festival ordered bread and cakes from Luck in advance, so the store has been very busy these days.
Qin Shengtian originally planned to work more so that she could take a day off to accompany Xinmian to the beach music festival. However, she didn't expect that the store manager would call her the night before, leaving her with no choice but to continue working as a corporate slave.
After hanging up the phone, she quickly sent a WeChat message to Xinmian to apologize.
【Mianmian, I'm sorry, I can't go to the music festival with you tomorrow】
Xin Mian had just finished showering and was curled up in bed reading Korean comics when she received a message. She replied, "What's up?"
Qin Shengtian looked very sad, saying, "I have to work overtime tomorrow [crying.gif]"
Xin Mian expressed her understanding, saying, "It's okay, work is the priority."
Qin Shengtian, [Let's go eat something delicious after I get my overtime pay!]
It was also accompanied by a meme of a stick figure eating mushrooms and then collapsing.
Xin Mian was amused, [Hahahaha]
Okay, I'll wait for you to treat me.
Unable to accompany Xin Mian, Qin Shengtian reminded her, "Remember to buy hangover candy before you go!"
When you arrive, go straight to Brother Chi's stall; don't drink any alcohol offered by strangers.
【OK】
The beach music festival will be held in Clearwater Bay, and there will also be many temporary open-air stalls along the coastal road.
Almost every well-known bar on Wangshui Island sets up shop here, including Lin Jiachi's "Jian".
......
The next evening, Xinmian picked up a small backpack and prepared to go out.
Hearing the noise, Chen Xiulian came out of her room. "Mianmian, are you going to the music festival?"
She nodded. "Yes, Grandma."
"Wait a minute, Grandma will call Ayu and ask him to come with you."
The fishing festival is a major event on Wangshui Island, and Chen Xiulian naturally knew that there would be other activities in the next few days.
But the music festival was crowded, and she was worried about Xinmian, so she wanted Chi Yu to go with her.
"That brat, I don't know what he's been up to these past few days... I haven't seen him anywhere!"
Xin Mian's brow twitched, and she waved her hands repeatedly in refusal, "No need, Grandma, I can go by myself."
"I'll just sit at Brother Chi's stall for a while and won't go over to the stage to join the fun."
The music festival invited many bands and singers, attracting even more tourists.
The organizers designated an area for selling tickets. Xinmian wasn't particularly interested in the bands and singers, so she didn't think about buying a ticket to join them. She just wanted to find a place to sit and soak up the atmosphere.
Hearing her say that, Chen Xiulian felt relieved. "Alright then, be careful with the crowd. Call Ayu if anything happens."
Xinmian nodded obediently, "I understand, Grandma."
As she walked out of Dongpu Lane, she remembered Qin Shengtian's instructions from yesterday and went to a convenience store to buy hangover candy.
At this time of day, almost everyone is gathered on Clearwater Bay Beach, and there are hardly any people in the convenience stores.
After Xinmian took the hangover candy and mineral water, she also took two boxes of different flavored chewing gum. When she put everything on the cashier's counter, she realized that the person in front of her had bought a bunch of colorful little boxes.
The first two rows on the small shelf next to it were almost empty.
Xin Mian's expression was exactly the same as the shop assistant's; her eyes widened in surprise.
so much...
When will we need it?
The man seemed to notice their gaze, and after urging them a few times, he hurriedly packed his things and left.
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Ahhhhh, I overestimated myself. I'll definitely write about that in the next chapter [crying emoji]]
[Eye roll] A token of love... a token of love in one's mind, everyone come and laugh at him! [Laughing][Laughing][Laughing]
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