Buying a gift?
Upon hearing Shi Xi's words, Ji Ruwen's first reaction was that he should buy a gift for Qi Tingsong.
But he soon remembered that Qi Tingsong had left the manor, and Xu Youchu probably didn't know about it yet.
After hesitating for a second, Ji Ruwen was about to speak up when he realized that the person had already disappeared.
Ji Ruwen frowned and murmured softly:
"Are you in such a hurry?"
His mood suddenly became somewhat complicated, and he felt a vague sense of displeasure.
Come to think of it, Xu Youchu hasn't given him a gift yet.
...
Shi Xi was unaware of Ji Ruwen's feelings; he was simply thinking of picking out something to give to Gan Sui as a birthday present.
Although Gan Sui had previously brushed it off with a question, Shi Xi thought about it and decided that she should still give him a gift.
Perhaps because it was the weekend, the mall was quite lively.
A large crowd gathered outside a shop, looking at the items inside the glass display case.
Shi Xi walked over and found it was a glove shop.
Inside the display case is a marble sculpture of a hand—the palm faces the glass, and the long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles exude strength.
The hands, carved from white marble, are gloved with black three-finger gloves, revealing only the ring finger, little finger, and a small portion of the palm.
Under the cool-toned lighting from above, the extreme contrast between black and white becomes even more striking.
It's as perfect as a work of art displayed in a museum, yet it inexplicably exudes a blush-inducing, slightly risqué charm.
I can't resist wanting to put something on those beautiful fingers...
There were many people taking pictures with their phones nearby, and some little girls were excitedly whispering to each other, though it was unclear what they were saying.
Shi Xi looked at the porcelain-white hand in front of her.
"..." These gloves are a bit strange.
Thinking that Gan Sui used a whip, Shi Xi hesitated for a moment... but still went into the shop.
Rejecting the odd style recommended by the shop assistant, Shi Xi chose thin black leather gloves.
"Mr. Xu, is this a gift? We not only deliver to your door, but we also include a greeting card," the shop assistant said.
"Yes," Shi Xi said, "It's a friend's birthday."
The shop assistant smiled and handed Shi Xi a greeting card and a ballpoint pen.
Shi Xi took it, but after thinking for a while, she still didn't know what to write.
Gan Sui is now the head of the Gan family, so he should have received many gifts on his birthday. He probably just casually put the gloves in the storage room and wouldn't care about the greeting card.
With that in mind, Shi Xi wrote on the greeting card—
【Happy birthday!】
A blessing that couldn't be simpler.
After writing the greeting card, Shi Xi handed it to the shop assistant, paid for it, and said she wanted to deliver it. The shop assistant asked, "Okay, where would you like it delivered to?"
Shi Xi: "..." I forgot, he still doesn't know where Gan Sui's home is.
"I'll ask him later."
"Oh, okay, okay."
Shi Xi left her contact information and left the mall.
...
Ning Zhimao listened absentmindedly to his father and Qi Tingsong's father exchanging polite words.
He glanced down at his phone and found there were still no messages.
It's been so long, why hasn't Xu Youchu added him as a friend yet?
Is your phone broken?
Just as he was about to go to the repair shop to fix his phone, he noticed someone coming down from upstairs out of the corner of his eye.
Ning Zhimao looked at Qi Tingsong in surprise, not expecting that the other party was at home.
Then I couldn't help but wonder, now that Qi Tingsong is back, is Xu Youchu here too?
Ning Zhimao's eyes lit up, but he didn't see Xu Youchu.
"Where is Xu Youchu?" he couldn't help but ask.
Qi Tingsong then noticed Ning Zhimao. He turned his head to look at the other man, a hint of coldness in his eyes: "Do you need something from my wife?"
“My love…” Ning Zhimou muttered to himself, all the joy in his heart vanished, while Qi Tingsong remained silent, seemingly waiting for his reply.
"It's nothing." After a while, Ning Zhimou suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and breathed a sigh of relief. "I was just asking casually."
...
After Ning Zhimao and his father left, Qi Tingsong's father, with his long legs slightly crossed, slowly took a sip of tea and then asked:
"Xu Youchu, is that the person you've been protecting all along?"
Ever since he became Qin Budu's apprentice, many people have tried to cause trouble for Xu Youchu, both openly and secretly, but Qi Tingsong has secretly stopped them all.
Qi's father had naturally heard the rumors about him and knew that Xu Youchu was pursuing Qi Tingsong.
However, he didn't pay any attention to it.
Or perhaps, he simply didn't care about many things to begin with.
"Father."
Qi Tingsong took out a book, looked at his father, his expression unchanged, but his tone held a hint of pleading:
"I'd like you to help me improve it."
Father Qi glanced down at the book cover—"Peach Blossom Curse."
Qi Tingsong was silent for a while before slowly saying, "Xiji, as long as he falls in love with me, the Peach Blossom Curse will automatically dissipate."
As he spoke, he looked towards a room on the second floor, which had once been more than just a room; it had been a prison.
He didn't initially intend to use this method, after all, the situation was different, and Xu Youchu didn't have anyone he liked.
Qi Tingsong's original plan was to slowly boil the frog in water, gradually guiding Xu Youchu to give his true feelings and make her fall in love with him.
But it wasn't until the moment he heard Xu Youchu and Gan Sui's conversation that he realized what was happening.
He thought—
Perhaps he was wrong from the very beginning.
Xu Youchu was just as rumored, charming and passionate yet ruthless... But given the previous incidents involving Qiu Cijing and Hu Mo, Qi Tingsong still left some room for maneuver.
Looking at Qi Tingsong, Qi's father showed no surprise, but simply smiled and said:
"Can."
"Thank you, Father," Qi Tingsong said.
"You're welcome," said Qi's father, looking at Qi Tingsong.
He helped Qi Tingsong not because he was his son, but because they were essentially the same kind of people—
If you like someone, you'll do anything to get them.
He was like that, and so was Qi Tingsong.
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