camping
After a while, Liu Xirou smiled and said, "Thank you for your hospitality today, Auntie. I have something to do, so I'll head back now."
Wu Huan's smile froze, and she quickly grabbed her arm. "No, Auntie actually has a lot more to tell you."
She shook Liu Xirou's hand, "Auntie is going to the US in a few days, you won't stay and chat with Auntie for a while, will you?"
Liu Xirou smiled and said, "Then I'll stay a little longer."
Wu Huan was about to give Long Chen a meaningful look when Long Chen stood up and said, "I'm going upstairs first."
Wu Huan glared at him with exasperation, then turned to Liu Xirou and smiled, "Let's go upstairs and sit in my room."
"Little Yan, let's go." Wu Huan touched Wen Yan's face, smiling playfully, "Your skin is so smooth."
Wen Yan: "..." I feel like I'm being teased.
The room was filled with vases, all filled with lilies, a beautiful interplay of pure white and tender green.
Wu Huan took a picture book out of the bookcase, put it in Liu Xirou's hand, and said, "These are all photos of Achen when he was a child."
The first picture is of Long Chen at birth; his little face was all wrinkled.
The second picture is a full moon photo of Long Chen, whose face is much rounder and fairer.
...
From kindergarten to high school, Long Chen's expression in photos was always the same: cold, pursed lips, and a pair of dark, black eyes staring directly at the camera, giving off a chilling feeling.
Liu Xirou gently stroked the photo, her eyes softening, and a smile appeared on her face.
But soon, the expression that revealed genuine emotion disappeared, and Liu Xirou's eyes remained melancholy.
Wu Huan said earnestly, "I can feel that Achen has truly fallen in love with you. If you also still like Achen, I hope you two won't miss each other."
“I know that Achen’s father’s arrogant personality has caused your family a lot of trouble.” Wu Huan held Liu Xirou’s hand. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t help you before. I’ve come back to China for this matter.”
Wu Huan: "I will absolutely not allow Long Lingtian to interfere in your affairs again."
Su Jibai looked at Long Chen, who looked annoyed, and said, "Can't you two sit down and have a proper talk?"
Long Chen rested his head on his hands, propped one leg up, and stared blankly into the air. “She doesn’t want to talk to me. I don’t know what she’s thinking, and I don’t know what I can say to her.”
Su Jibai sat down next to him. "If you two don't talk, how will you know what she's thinking?"
Long Chen sighed softly and asked, "What do you think of me? If I weren't the young master of the Long family, if you were her, would you choose me or Ji Huaixuan?"
When he learned that Liu Xirou had hurt him to frame Long Lingtian, his first feeling was heartache, followed by self-loathing for his own uselessness and powerlessness, which allowed Liu Xirou to resort to such an extreme method to gain Ji Huaixuan's help.
When he saw Liu Xirou and Ji Huaixuan sitting together and chatting for a long time, Long Chen felt inferior for the first time in his life. Compared with Ji Huaixuan, who had taken over the Ji family company, he was good for nothing except being the young master of the Long family.
Faced with his pointless whining, Su Jibai chuckled, "If you weren't the young master of the Long family, you could still be a gigolo."
"roll!"
Su Jibai: "Are you planning to break up with Liu Xirou and let them be together?"
“I…” Long Chen’s head was throbbing with pain just thinking about it. “I don’t know what to do.”
As the saying goes, an outsider's perspective is clear. Su Jibai recounted Ji Huaixuan's strange behavior one by one: "When Liu Xirou almost fell off her horse, he called us away. The cruise ship party sank, and the captain was Ji Huaixuan's former employee."
"Your father should also have some credit for Liu Xirou being able to find him."
Long Chen's expression was solemn, as if a layer of haze had been shrouded between his brows.
It was getting late, and the school had a curfew, so Liu Xirou should head back.
Wu Huan: "I'll have the driver take you back."
Wen Yan smiled and said, "No need, Aunt Wu. My driver is already outside the gate. My brother is urging me to go back. I can drop Xi Rou off on my way back home."
As Liu Xirou opened the door and stepped outside, she could see Long Chen across from her, his arms crossed over the railing. He looked at her with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
Seeing this scene, Wen Yan raised an eyebrow and slowed down her steps.
Wu Huan blinked her two big, dark eyes, took a few steps forward, saw her son, and said happily, "Since A-Chen is free, let A-Chen take you home."
Liu Xirou's smile faded, and she glanced at Long Chen with a calm and indifferent gaze. "Let Ayan take me back. We want to talk for a while longer."
Wen Yan wiped her sweat and followed Liu Xirou downstairs.
Long Chen's eyes shifted from hope to dejection as he returned to his room with a look of melancholy.
Su Jibai: "Aren't we going to continue?"
Long Chen shook his head: "Let's forget about it."
Now it was Su Jibai's turn to sigh, "You dared to chase after me at the banquet before, why don't you dare now?"
Long Chen: "Back then I was sure she liked me, but now... I'm not so sure."
After watching the two leave, Wu Huan stormed into the study without knocking, slamming her hand on the desk. "You're not allowed to cause trouble between those two anymore."
Long Lingtian seemed to have anticipated this scene, and he took off his glasses and smiled calmly, "I haven't interfered in their affairs for a long time."
Wu Huan sneered repeatedly, "When you say 'a long time,' you mean a week?"
Long Lingtian remained calm and composed. "You know, time is money, and we businessmen regard money as..."
"Shut up!" Wu Huan glared at him. "I don't want to hear your nonsense anymore. In short, you're not allowed to interfere in their affairs anymore. Achen is not a tool for you to abuse your power, and Xirou shouldn't be hurt by you!"
"They are all innocent; they belong to us!"
Wu Huan left, and Long Lingtian muttered to himself, "Heh...it's mine?"
As night falls, the stars twinkle, and the dazzling neon lights outside the window stretch out like a long, winding dragon, creating a dreamlike scene.
Wen Yan thought that Liu Xirou had come to her senses after being persuaded by Wu Huan, but she was surprised to find that she was still indifferent to Long Chen.
It would be really difficult to reconcile them within three days. Was I really going to lose the bet and agree to Lin Pianyue's request for the first thing...?
The thought of their ambiguous smiles made Wen Yan feel uneasy. She absolutely couldn't lose; she had to find a way to make them talk things out.
With a "ding," the system appeared like a ghost: "New mission: Help the male and female leads reconcile. Mission points: 15."
Wen Yan said irritably, "Could you be any slower in issuing tasks? I've been working on this task for days already!"
The system chuckled and said, "The system is currently upgrading. Once the upgrade is complete, the host will be able to experience the brand new system, including plot options, dialogue responses, and pain immunity."
The alarm bells rang loudly. "Pain immunity? Will the next mission be dangerous?"
System: "Ahem, due to the out-of-control plot development, the psychology of each character has become more or less distorted. Please be prepared."
Wen Yan realized she had been too naive; how could she have thought this was an easy task to complete?
When he got home, Wenjia and Wenling were sitting in the living room. When Wenling saw him come back, she frowned and said, "Xiaoyan, you're coming home later and later these days. From now on, you have to be home before nine o'clock."
Wen Jia agreed, saying, "Yes, it's too dangerous at night. All sorts of drunkards, gamblers, and thugs like to come out at night. Go home early after school and don't wander around outside."
Wen Yan defended herself: "I didn't go to some remote wilderness. I just went to the mall and visited a friend. It's not as exaggerated as you make it out to be."
Soon, Wen Yan contradicted herself.
He gripped the phone in his hand and laughed loudly, "Does Long Chen really think so?"
Su Jibai's gentle voice came from the phone, "Mm."
The arrogant and cool Long Aotian actually feels inferior? If Wen Yan weren't absent, she would have loved to laugh at him—you've finally met your match!
After laughing, Wen Yan calmed down and said, "Since these two still like each other, we should create an opportunity for them to be alone, preferably one that they can't run away from, so that they won't stop talking."
A news alert suddenly popped up on my phone: the Monocerotid meteor shower will occur on December 18th.
Wen Yan's eyes lit up. "Isn't that tomorrow?!"
He had a sudden inspiration: if he tricked the male and female protagonists into going up the mountain to watch the meteor shower, he wouldn't have to worry about them running away!
The next morning, Wen Yan rushed to Liu Xirou's dormitory and called her, "Xirou, there's a meteor shower tonight! Let's go up the mountain to watch it!"
Liu Xirou asked in confusion, "Meteor Shower?"
Wenyan said, "Yes, you haven't been watching the news in a long time, have you? We can pitch tents and camp on the mountain, have a barbecue at night, watch the meteor shower in the middle of the night, and relax."
Liu Xirou asked cautiously, "Is it just you and me?"
Wenyan: "Uh... there's also my driver, but he stays in the RV and isn't with us."
"Okay," Liu Xirou agreed. "Then shall we meet tonight?"
Wen Yan smiled and said, "I'm downstairs in your dorm now. Pack your things first, and we'll go to the mall to buy tents, sleeping bags, and stuff later."
Liu Xirou: "Okay, I'll come down as soon as I'm done tidying up."
After buying my things, I went up the mountain in the afternoon. The open ground was covered with short, withered grass, which made a crisp sound when stepped on.
Wen Yan and Liu Xirou found a flat, open space and prepared to set up camp there.
The driver unloaded the belongings and helped them set up the tent.
As the sun sets and dusk falls, the outline of the mountains gradually blurs, and the occasional chirping of birds comes from the nearby woods, while a chilly wind gathers from all directions.
After finally finishing everything, the two lay down on folding chairs to rest, and Wenyan looked around aimlessly with binoculars in hand.
He said excitedly, "This is my first time seeing a meteor shower. I've only ever seen them on the news before."
A gentle look appeared in Liu Xirou's eyes. "I've only seen it once. The last time was when my parents took me camping when I was in elementary school."
"We waited for a long, long time but didn't see the meteor shower. We were so tired that we fell asleep. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I found it was bright outside. I opened the tent and saw a sky full of meteors. It felt like a dream."
Hearing this, Wen Yan became even more excited. "Then I'll have to have a cup of coffee tonight to perk myself up. I can't miss it!"
She pulled a coffee out of a bag full of food, looked up, and saw two handsome men.
Su Jibai smiled slightly: "What a coincidence, are you here to see the meteor shower too?"
Wen Yan feigned surprise, "Why are you all here too?"
Liu Xirou quietly turned her gaze and, as expected, saw Long Chen. She gently shook her head.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
