Shi Jin nodded: "Of course."

"That's right." Zhong Sisi's eyes lit up: "Can I ask about your schedule for the next two days?"

As if she was afraid that Shi Jin would misunderstand her, she scratched her chin and explained, "I came here on a whim this time, and I didn't do any research. I looked up some attractions in the car this morning, but I was so dizzy looking that I didn't find anything fun."

Shi Jin paused: "...a sudden idea?"

"Yes." Zhong Sisi nodded and pointed upstairs: "You and my cousin are roommates. You should know that he has been forced by his family to go on blind dates, right?"

"My aunt finally stopped going on blind dates for him a while ago, but I don't know what went wrong with my uncle-in-law, he started arranging blind dates for him again."

"Yes." Zhong Sisi raised her chin towards the girls under the tree: "Those young ladies are the blind dates arranged by my uncle-in-law for my cousin."

That's why she had the audacity to bring a few young ladies to join them temporarily, without even having time to look for travel guides.

But she wouldn't be so foolish as to bring people here to bring bad luck to her cousin.

She did bring the person here at the request of her brother-in-law, so it wouldn't be excessive for her to take the person away at the request of her cousin, right?

Zhong Sisi thought for a moment and said, "I plan to take my people and act separately from my cousin tomorrow, so as not to offend either side."

"Then your cousin..." Shi Jin pursed his lips: "...Why did you come here?"

Zhong Sisi held her cheek and said, "Come and see Aunt Chen. She comes here to stay for a while every year at this time."

"Oh, you probably don't know." She glanced at Shi Jin and said, "Aunt Chen was my aunt's former nanny. She was from City B. She raised my cousin. Later, she retired and came back here."

"Hey, we've strayed off topic. Let's get back to the topic." Zhong Sisi shook her head. "So, Teacher Shi, what are your plans for the next two days? I want to take this as a reference."

Shi Jin shook his head: "There is no specific arrangement. Apart from the group barbecue this afternoon, the next two days are free activities."

"But..." He frowned slightly: "I have heard Shi Yi mention scenic spots. The one closer to here is Qiulu Mountain, and the other one is the underground river which is farther away."

"Qiu Lu Mountain, underground river." Zhong Sisi muttered: "I probably can't go to Qiu Lu Mountain. It seems that my cousin and his friends are going to Qiu Lu Mountain tomorrow..."

Then let’s go for the underground river!

Do it when you think of it.

Zhong Sisi stood up immediately: "Teacher Shi, please take your time eating. I will go back and look for some tips first."

After saying that, she ran upstairs in a hurry.

Shi Jin curled the corners of his lips and lowered his head to turn over the skewers of meat on the grill.

Chen Yuan, who was standing aside, saw Zhong Sisi walking away, his eyes lit up: "Mr. Shi."

She sat down on the chair next to Shi Jin, smiling: "Mr. Shi, let me introduce myself. My name is Chen Yuan."

The woman came a little closer, and the sweet smell of perfume lingered around his nose.

Shi Jin stood up straight and unnoticeably distanced himself from the two of them: "Hello, Miss Chen."

Chen Yuan looked at him with a smile, and the more she looked at his face, the more satisfied she became: "Why call me Miss Chen? Just call me Yuanyuan."

Shi Jin took a bottle of water from the table beside him, his eyelashes drooping: "Miss Chen is joking."

Chen Yuan didn't care about his alienation: "Mr. Shi, are you here for tourism as well?"

She glanced at the crowd near another grill from a distance and said, "You don't look like locals."

Shi Jin's eyebrows moved slightly: "Miss Chen seems to be very familiar with City B?"

"Yes." Chen Yuan patted the dust on his bag and said, "I grew up here with my mother until I was eight years old."

"I see that you are quite familiar with Xu Qian, so you should know the Chen family, right?"

She smiled nonchalantly, not caring at all about what she had said: "I am the illegitimate daughter of the Chen family."

Shi Jin paused for a moment while holding the water bottle: "You..."

"Why? I just said it casually." Chen Yuan suddenly smiled, his eyebrows bent, his eyes full of cunning smiles: "You don't really believe it, do you?"

Shi Jin was silent.

Is this really just a casual remark?

not necessarily.

Chen Yuan shrugged his nose and followed the aroma to the oven: "Mr. Shi, your skewers are cooked."

The skewers of meat on the grill emit an enticing aroma, and the raw pink skin turns golden under the smoke of charcoal fire. The combination of chili and cumin makes the aroma fragrant.

Shi Jin found a plate to put the skewers of meat on and handed it to Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan was not polite: "Thank you."

She finished the skewer in a few bites, took out a tissue to wipe her mouth, and started to touch up her makeup with lipstick: "I just heard you chatting with Zhong Sisi."

The lipstick was slightly smeared outside the border, and Chen Yuan carefully wiped the excess lipstick with a tissue: "Yu Ci is not interested in me, and I am not interested in him, so I will go to the underground river with Zhong Sisi tomorrow."

"Qiulu Mountain is quite interesting." Chen Yuan looked at his lips in the mirror and said, "Mr. Shi, you can go and have a look tomorrow."

Shi Jin pursed her lips slightly.

Why did Chen Yuan tell him this?

With doubts, he asked: "What does Miss Chen mean by telling me this..."

"It's nothing." Chen Yuan smiled and put the small mirror in his hand back into his bag: "I just said it casually."

She curled her lips and said, "I'm tired of talking about bags and cosmetics all day long. Just think of me as being bored."

"By the way, in return for the skewer of meat you just gave me, I'll give you another piece of news."

Chen Yuan stood up with his small handbag in hand. "There is an ancient village called Qingliuzhai 30 kilometers away from here. Although transportation is inconvenient, the customs there are unique. If Mr. Shi has time, you can take a few days to stay there for a while."

She smiled and pointed her finger in the direction of her temple: "Maybe Mr. Shi can find different inspiration there."

"Yuanyuan! Come here quickly!"

“Here it comes!”

Chen Yuan responded from a distance, trotting over with her small handbag, looking like a lively and proud young lady again.

Shi Jin frowned and looked at her back with her skirt fluttering, his eyes slightly gloomy.

What is Chen Yuan’s purpose?

Qiulu Mountain...Qingliuzhai...

——

This impromptu barbecue ended at eight o'clock in the evening.

Shi Jin helped clean up the garbage and the oven in the yard, and then followed the people from the publishing house back to the next door.

The little fox walked in front with Tangyuan and Qiaoqiao. The three girls chattered all the way, as cheerful as three energetic little sparrows.

Big Cat and Instant Noodles fell behind. Both of them were heavy smokers. They had been holding back for the entire afternoon and now they finally got the chance to smoke a cigarette. They felt so comfortable that even their steps slowed down.

Shi Yi followed Shi Jin and asked curiously, "Why didn't you come to have a barbecue with us this afternoon?"

Shi Jin pursed her lips slightly: "I'm fine too."

He is used to being alone, and overly lively occasions make him uncomfortable.

Shi Yi also knew his temper, but as a friend, he couldn't help but say a few more words: "You should also adapt to it. You can't stay alone for the rest of your life, right?"

Shi Jin lowered his eyelids: "Why not?"

Shi Yi choked and said, "It's not that I can't, it's just that it's so boring to be alone all the time."

"Won't."

Shi Yi didn't hear clearly: "What did you say?"

Shi Jin raised his eyelids slightly, his light amber eyes showing a light emotion: "It won't be boring."

Pursing his lips, he said, "I'm fine."

"It's good to be alone, but wouldn't it be more lively with more people?" Shi Yi responded casually: "Like you lived alone before and now share a house with roommates, which one do you think is happier?"

......Which is more enjoyable, living alone or sharing a house with roommates?

Shi Jin couldn't answer.

Shi Yi didn't mean to force him to answer. He bent down and picked up a mineral water bottle on the ground: "One person has his own advantages, and two people have their own advantages. They are different."

"I'm not forcing you, I just think you can open up a little bit sometimes, at least you can express your emotions occasionally." Shi Yi said and then laughed: "Do you know that you fell asleep in the car today, what did the little fox tell me about you?"

"What did she say?"

Shi Yi threw the mineral water bottle he picked up into the trash can and laughed: "She said you looked like an ice cube, your face was cold, and you were cold too."

Shi Jin was slightly stunned.

After a while, he lowered his eyes slightly, and his tone was tinged with hesitation: "Am I... very cold?"

"Yes." Shi Yi responded readily, and added: "But it's not indifference, it's coldness."

"I've been friends with you for so many years, so I kind of know you."

In front of us is the main entrance to the villa. A few girls who had walked in first have already stepped into the yard, laughing.

Shi Yi stopped and nodded to the big cat and instant noodles who were passing by them. He looked at their backs as they walked away and then spoke: "Before you, I had a boy. He was not very old, and seemed to have just reached adulthood. He had a baby face and a sweet mouth. He would call everyone brother or sister when he met them. He always looked like a warm and enthusiastic little sun. People in the publishing house liked him very much."

"After spending more time with him, I realized that his enthusiasm was just superficial. How do you put it in today's popular terms? Hot on the outside, cold on the inside? Yes, that's the word."

"He looks enthusiastic, but the emotion behind his eyes is actually cold. Among all the options that affect his interests, he can always quickly put aside all emotional factors and choose the one that is most beneficial to him. You can never get anything from him except sweet words."

Shi Yi kicked the stone under his feet and said: "I taught him for about three years, but when he left, I was the last one in the entire publishing house to know about it."

Shi Jin frowned slightly: "You..."

Shi Yi kicked the stone under his feet into the flower bed and looked up at him: "But you are the opposite of him. You look cold and indifferent, but you are actually warm-hearted."

"You will devote your enthusiasm, time, and mother Wang to those you accept."

At this point, Shi Yi patted his chest arrogantly: "Of course there's me too."

Shi Jin was amused by his actions and curled up the corners of his mouth: "Yeah, you are right."

Shi Yi also laughed, but after laughing, he spoke: "Shi Jin, it's not that you are not used to it."

"You are afraid."

You are afraid that someone will walk into your world and then leave without mercy.

Just like your parents who turned and left you back then.

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