Chapter 3 The Princess and the Dragon
Chapter 3 The Princess and the Dragon
After another round of drinking, Yan Zhen looked around with satisfaction after eating and drinking his fill, and then he found that Chen Huaixu was gone.
She reached out and nudged Yan Zhao, then asked, "Where's Chen Huaixu?"
"I don't know." Yan Zhao casually threw out a card. "He must have drunk too much and went back to his room."
Yan Zhen felt a little restless. Thinking of his sudden strange mood today, she inexplicably felt a little worried. When she realized what was going on, she was even shocked.
Why would she worry about Chen Huaixu?
It must be that Chen Huaixu drank the bottle of wine for her tonight. After all, she is a person with a conscience, so it is understandable that she wants to care about him.
Thinking of this, she quickly convinced herself, got up and went to find Lu Jingxuan, asking him to give her another room card for Chen Huaixu's room.
"Wait a moment, I'll call the manager." Lu Jingxuan was drunk. He fumbled with his fingers for a long time before finding the manager's phone number. After dialing the number, he handed it to Yan Zhen.
She had a brief conversation, returned the phone to Lu Jingxuan, and went to the manager to get the room card.
Go check on him and make sure he's not drunk to death.
After Yan Zhen found the room, he tried knocking twice. No one answered, so he swiped his card and entered.
She was holding a glass of honey water, which she had just asked the manager for. Even if Chen Huaixu asked her why she suddenly broke in, she had a reason to say that she was concerned about him and was afraid that he would die suddenly in the room after drinking too much.
It was a perfect excuse and it also showed that she was kind and beautiful. Yan Zhen was very satisfied with the idea.
The room was pitch black and silent. The light from the corridor poured in from behind her, illuminating the entranceway.
She saw the cell phone on it and thought that Chen Huaixu must have placed it there after returning to the room.
Yan Zhen turned on the light, closed the door, found a pair of slippers from the cabinet and put them on, then walked in very lightly.
Lu Jingxuan arranged luxury suites for everyone, and the structures of the rooms were similar, so she walked to the living room with familiarity. Sure enough, she saw Chen Huaixu leaning on the sofa, with his head slightly tilted back, his arms raised, and the back of his hands across his eyes, as if he was asleep.
Yan Zhen put down the honey water, walked over, patted him and asked, "Is he dead?"
He was motionless, only his chest rose and fell gently, and his breathing was slow and long.
She sat down beside him, and the atmosphere was rare and peaceful, a reassuring one, as if such moments had been rare since they had known each other.
Yan Zhen suddenly remembered something and leaned over to look at his lips.
The wound had long since healed, leaving no trace of a scar, but she still remembered the spot. She reached out and gently poked it, whispering the caring words she had expressed a week earlier: "Does it hurt?"
Then she immediately snorted, "You deserve the pain. You'll bite me again next time."
He didn't respond.
Yan Zhen felt that it was rare to see Chen Huaixu so willing to be manipulated, so she pinched his cheek, tickled his waist, and then played with his fingers. After a while, she suddenly thought of something and stood up to walk around the room. When she came back, she was holding a fountain pen in her hand.
She sat down next to him again and took his hand away from his eyes.
The living room was bathed in warm light, illuminating his cheeks. His closed eyelids obscured his deep-set eyes, and the dim light cast a small shadow on his tall nose.
Yan Zhen looked at her for a while and felt that even if Chen Huaixu went bankrupt in the future, he could probably still live a comfortable life by selling his body.
She took off the cap of the pen, put the tip of the pen close to his cheek, and gestured in the air, as if thinking about where to start.
Faced with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Yan Zhen decided to perform some "artistic creation" on his face, and then take a picture of it with her mobile phone to use as leverage to control him.
Chen Huaixu should attach great importance to face. If she takes the ugly photo, shouldn't he submit to her obediently?
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, and her movements became bolder. She felt it was inconvenient to do it on his right side, so she simply stretched out her legs and knelt on both sides of him, straightened her waist, and looked down at him from top to bottom face to face.
"Since you drank for me tonight, I can try to make your painting less ugly."
As she spoke, she lowered her head and moved closer to him, supporting his cheek with one hand and holding a pen with the other, the tip of the pen ready to touch the bewitching mole under the corner of his eye.
The two of them were so close that even the mingling of their breathing could be clearly heard in the quiet space. Soft strands of hair fell down, a few strands landing on his cheeks, gently brushing against her movements as if tickling him.
Yan Zhen held her breath unconsciously, lowered her wrist, and was about to put pen to paper when she noticed his eyelashes fluttering, catching her off guard.
Her hand trembled and she almost dropped the pen in fright, but the man grabbed her wrist in time.
She met a deep gaze.
Chen Huaixu opened his eyes.
Caught in the act of doing something bad, Yan Zhen was unusually flustered and said, "I... I was worried you might have drunk too much, so I came to check on you."
The two of them were in a very ambiguous position at the moment. Chen Huaixu was reclining on the sofa, while she was straddling his lap, cupping his face. Just looking at their movements, they looked as intimate as lovers.
Chen Huaixu grabbed her waist with his other hand and exerted a little force, and she was pulled down and sat down, and her whole body was held in his arms.
"Well... then why were you riding on me? And touching me?"
"I didn't!" Yan Zhen retorted, "I am... I am..."
She couldn't think of an excuse, so she just gave up, pushed him away with all her strength, jumped off the sofa and was about to run away. Unexpectedly, as soon as her toes touched the carpet, the person behind her put his arm around her waist and dragged her back.
The world was spinning, and when Yan Zhen came to her senses, she was forced to lie on the sofa.
She tried to struggle to get up, but Chen Huaixu was faster. He leaned over and pressed down on her, grabbing her wrists and pulling them behind her back, leaving her completely unable to move.
"Chen Huaixu!" She was a little exasperated, "Let me go!"
"Yan Zhen, didn't I tell you that if you mess with me again, I'll do even more extreme things?"
"What did I do to you?"
"You were holding the pen just now, what were you planning to do?"
She was speechless, having no courage to retort. She could only try to turn her head, but it was difficult to do so in this position. She couldn't see his face, and she became more and more uneasy, but her body was suppressed and she couldn't resist at all.
She was just wondering what Chen Huaixu was doing when something hard and cold pressed against her waist and poked her twice.
"you……"
Before she could finish her words, the slender thing moved up along her waist little by little, like peeling candy coating, revealing her fair and soft waist.
The plastic shell of the fountain pen was hard and cold, but he didn't use much force, just rubbed it lightly against the warm skin, as if teasing or provoking.
Yan Zhen was very ticklish, especially around her waist. She couldn't stand it and her voice was shaking: "Itchy..."
Chen Huaixu, this black-hearted guy! He was definitely taking revenge on her on purpose!
She took a few breaths and was about to scold him when she found that he suddenly stopped.
The next second, she heard a dull sound and turned her head to see the black pen cap fall onto the carpet.
Why did he open the pen cap?
Yan Zhen had a bad feeling.
Soon, something thinner and colder pressed against her exposed lower back. She quickly realized it was the tip of a pen, so she gritted her teeth and said, "Chen Huaixu! Don't scribble on me—"
The words stopped abruptly, and a cool touch came on the skin. The blunt tip of the pen drew across it with force, causing a wave of uncomfortable and numb itching.
Yan Zhen had seen Chen Huaixu's calligraphy before.
His slender fingers with distinct joints held the pen, and with a slight movement of his wrist, he wrote the characters calmly and elegantly, ending the strokes neatly and cleanly, just like him.
But she never thought that one day the place where he wrote would become her skin.
She felt embarrassed and angry, but she was so itchy that even her curses became weak.
After Chen Huaixu finished writing on her lower back, he studied it for a moment, threw away his pen, and released the hand that was restraining her. Yan Zhen's hands ached from being restrained, and her waist was numb, but she didn't want to rest and immediately tried to get up, but he pressed her shoulders and pushed her back down.
After her last bit of strength was exhausted, she said dissatisfiedly: "I've finished writing, what on earth do you want to do?"
"Let's play a game." He finally spoke slowly, his eyes falling on her white and soft waist. "Guess what I just wrote. If you guess right, I'll let you go. If you guess wrong... I'll do to you whatever you wanted to do to me just now."
Yan Zhen almost doubted her own ears and said, "Why?! I won't play!"
Chen Huaixu asked back, "You have no confidence in yourself and are afraid of losing?"
Yan Zhen was always susceptible to provocation, which always worked. Unwilling to accept the outcome, she gritted her teeth and said, "Who's afraid of losing? Let's play!"
"Okay then, a friendly reminder, three words."
She buried her head in the sofa and panted. After thinking for a long time, she said very reluctantly: "I am a pig?"
She had always been willing to assume the worst of Chen Huaixu. This malicious person must have written all this nonsense to humiliate her, hoping to belittle her through her own words.
Under normal circumstances, she would definitely not be fooled, but now that she was at a disadvantage, she put her dignity aside. A gentleman's revenge is never too late.
"Huh?" He was surprised for a moment, then quickly reacted, with a hint of laughter in his voice, "There's no need to scold yourself like that."
"I don't want to play anymore!" Yan Zhen lost both his wife and his troops, and was a little frustrated, "You did it on purpose!"
There was obvious dissatisfaction in her tone. Chen Huaixu lowered his head and looked at her, saying, "How did I do that on purpose?"
"How could you guess that? With the few hints you have, it's impossible."
"How do you know it's impossible?" He let go of her and suddenly stood up. "Do you want to try?"
"Try what?" Seeing that he was no longer pressing her down, Yan Zhen quickly curled up to the side and looked at Chen Huaixu with suspicion, wondering what he was planning.
He picked up the pen from the carpet, turned around and handed it to her, then neatly removed his shirt, revealing a muscular upper body. Although Yan Zhen knew he was always working out, she had never imagined that beneath that elegant suit lay such a sturdy figure, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and well-defined abdominal muscles. He was even more muscular than the "male bodhisattvas" her best friend Ying Shu had shared with her.
Chen Huaixu sat on the sofa with his back to her and said, "You write and I guess. No hints needed. If you guess wrong, I'll let you go. If I guess right... you have to willingly admit defeat."
Yan Zhen bit her lip and said, "Why should I agree to you? Can't I leave here without playing games? What right do you have to stop me from leaving?"
"Okay." He turned his head slightly and lowered his eyes, but didn't look at her. "If you don't want to stay here, you can leave now."
His tone was calm, so calm that Yan Zhen felt a little unusual. She suddenly remembered the scene when she pushed the door open and saw him leaning on the sofa alone. She felt an inexplicable sense of loneliness.
It seemed that as long as she turned and left, he would be left alone in the dark.
She hesitated for a long moment, clutching her coat tightly with her fingertips. Finally, she made up her mind and said, "Write it! I don't think you'll cry until you're in the coffin. I'm going to make you admit defeat wholeheartedly."
She moved closer to his back, leaned over, and began writing on his waist as if to fight back. Unexpectedly, he was not ticklish at all, and was very calm. Her movements did not provoke the slightest reaction from him.
After she finished writing, Chen Huaixu asked, "Is it finished?"
"Hmm." She didn't believe he could guess, and snorted, "I'm more merciful than you. I only wrote two—"
"Yan Zhen." He spoke softly.
She panicked and said stubbornly, "What do you want me to do?"
"You wrote your name, Yan Zhen." He turned around, "Did I guess right?"
"Are you guessing this?" Yan Zhen refused to believe the result.
The reason why she chose her own name was because she couldn't think of what to write for a moment. The character "蓁" happened to have complex strokes, and it would be even more difficult to guess if written on the skin.
I didn't expect that he would guess it right at once.
Chen Huaixu turned around and said, "You shouldn't write this."
He wasn't 100% sure, as he might not have guessed any other characters she had written. However, he knew the strokes of "Yan Zhen" better than anyone else.
"How about it?" Chen Huaixu said, "Are you giving up?"
Yan Zhen was a little unconvinced and pursed her lips in silence. Seeing Chen Huaixu suddenly stand up, she was so scared that she pulled her clothes closer and asked, "What are you going to do?"
Chen Huaixu grabbed her wrist, half-knelt on his knees, and enveloped her with his whole body. His eyes were heavy, and there was an inexplicable sense of oppression.
Unlike what happened in the car today, he lowered his eyes and stared at her with a more serious expression. His broad and strong body completely blocked the light above his head, leaving her eyes covered with darkness.
The man's body heat continued to flow in, and her wrist was clamped, making her unable to move. For the first time, Yan Zhen felt the disparity in strength between men and women, as well as the strong and aggressive aura emanating from him, so she shouted, "I give up, I give up!"
"Are you scared?" His breath brushed against the tip of her nose.
Yan Zhen bit her lip and said nothing.
Chen Huaixu loosened his grip, stepped back, and said calmly, "I'll teach you a lesson: don't just casually enter a man's room at night. If you do it again, I won't be so easy on you."
He stood up, put on his clothes, buttoned them, and stood beside the sofa. He glanced down at her who was still in a daze and said, "Why don't you go back? Do you want to stay here tonight?"
Yan Zhen came back to his senses, stumbled off the sofa, and quickly fled to the door, still trembling in his voice and sternly saying: "Just wait for me!"
There was a loud bang on the door, followed by silence.
Chen Huaixu looked in the direction she left for a while, picked up the pen from the ground, reached out and touched his lower back, his solemn expression slowly softened, and he smiled, "Little fool."
The next morning, Yan Zhen stood in front of the mirror and cursed Chen Huaixu in her heart for the hundredth time.
She turned her back and looked at her waist in the mirror. The handwriting he wrote yesterday had been washed off, but she began to regret it again when she thought about it.
He actually wrote his own name! How could she not have thought of such a simple answer?
Thinking of this, she picked up the wet towel and rubbed the place where he wrote his name last night a few more times. Her fair skin was soon ravaged with bright red marks.
But the more she wiped, the deeper the words seemed to be imprinted in her heart. The physical contact and blushing scenes from last night replayed in her mind over and over again, making her feel hot even behind her ears.
She threw the towel aside vigorously and said, "I hate it."
After finishing her tidying up, Yan Zhen went out and went straight upstairs to the restaurant for breakfast. She was holding a plate and saw Lu Jingxuan sitting there alone from a distance, so she walked over and sat down opposite him.
"It's quite early today." Lu Jingxuan took a sip of coffee. "Did you have fun last night?"
Lu Jingxuan didn't know what had happened between Yan Zhen and Chen Huaixu. He simply asked her if she was satisfied with the trip, but this question felt like stepping on her tail. Yan Zhen forked a piece of fruit with force, the metal fork making a crisp sound on the porcelain plate: "It's terrible."
"Ah?" Lu Jingxuan straightened up after hearing that. "What's wrong with you? This is my fault as the host. Is it because the hotel's service is not up to par?"
"Not really—"
Before he finished speaking, the chair beside him was pulled out and Chen Huaixu sat down calmly.
Lu Jingxuan looked at Chen Huaixu and said dissatisfiedly, "You were the most cunning last night. You ran away so early, and I couldn't even get you to drink."
As soon as Chen Huaixu sat down, Yan Zhen suddenly stood up, picked up her plate, walked to another empty table and sat down, obviously not wanting to pay attention to him.
Lu Jingxuan looked at Yan Zhen, then at Chen Huaixu, and said, "Have you upset our ancestor again? She was so kind to visit you last night."
Chen Huaixu raised his head and glanced at Yan Zhen, then said slowly, "Maybe I'm just too mean, repaying kindness with hatred."
The sound of Yan Zhen poking the plate became louder. Lu Jingxuan looked at the two people as if they were playing a game of charades, completely confused.
A few minutes later, Chen Huaixu stood up and walked aside to answer the phone. Yan Zhao then slowly came over and saw Yan Zhen sitting alone. He reached out and patted her shoulder and asked, "Why don't you come over and sit over there?"
"I don't want to go." He said in a hard tone.
Yan Zhao glanced at Chen Huaixu's back as he was making a phone call not far away, smiled knowingly, said nothing, and sat down next to Lu Jingxuan.
"You said they were really strange." Lu Jingxuan tutted and lowered his voice to Yan Zhao, "I can't figure out their relationship at all. You could say they don't get along, but last night Chen Huaixu tried to stop your sister from drinking, and she even ran to see him worriedly. But this morning, it seems they've entered a 'war' phase again."
Yan Zhao stirred his coffee and said, "It's all fine for them to just enjoy themselves. If you can't figure it out, don't bother trying to figure it out. It'll only burden your limited brain."
Lu Jingxuan kicked him and said, "Go to hell."
After lunch, everyone packed up and prepared to go back. Yan Zhen had been avoiding Chen Huaixu all morning, but she had to meet him when she said goodbye.
Yan Zhao exchanged a few pleasantries with him, picked up Yan Zhen's small suitcase and walked to the back of the car. Yan Zhen didn't want to be alone with him, so without saying a word, she walked around him and opened the passenger door.
Chen Huaixu turned around and put his hand on the car door before she could open it, preventing her from opening it. From behind, it was as if he was holding her in his arms.
Yan Zhen didn't expect him to be so brazen. She immediately glanced behind the car in panic, fearing that Yan Zhao would notice. She pried his hands apart and whispered, "What are you doing? Let me get in the car!"
He looked down at her and said, "You left something with me."
"What is that?" She subconsciously touched her coat pocket and then remembered that she was not wearing this dress when she went to his room last night.
Chen Huaixu answered irrelevantly: "Are you going back to school tomorrow? Wait for me in the evening and I'll pick you up after get off work."
She stretched out her hand and said, "Give it to me now."
“I can’t give it to you now.”
There was a loud thud of the trunk closing.
Chen Huaixu hummed, urging her to answer. Yan Zhen was afraid that Yan Zhao would find out, so she wanted to send him away first, so she said perfunctorily: "Okay, okay, I get it, you go quickly."
He let go of his hand and took a step back. Yan Zhao happened to come around from behind the car. Yan Zhen quickly got in, fastened his seat belt, and calmed down for a while. Then he looked out the window and found Chen Huaixu still standing there.
She rolled down the car window a little, revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes, which were threatening, suggesting: Why don't you leave?
He seemed to be waiting for her to roll down the window. His dark eyes instantly caught her gaze. He pulled his hand out of his trouser pocket and waved gently to her, as if saying goodbye.
He spoke softly but clearly. Although Yan Zhen couldn't hear him, she could tell from his lip movements.
What he said was: "See you tomorrow." x|
"Who wants to see you tomorrow!" Yan Zhen closed the car window, a little annoyed, "I should have said I didn't want that thing just now."
"What do you not want anymore?" Yan Zhao asked her, turning his head.
"It's okay." She coughed twice. "Please drive quickly. I have an appointment with Ying Shu to go shopping this afternoon."
All the troubles can be solved by shopping.
This is Ying Shu's philosophy of life.
At this moment, she was dragging Yan Zhen around luxury stores, swiping her card whenever she saw something she liked. In a short while, they had bought a bunch of things. Even Yan Zhen couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What's wrong with you today?"
"I'm unhappy, I need to vent." Ying Shu flipped his hair and complained to her like he was pouring out his bitterness. "My dad is really pissing me off. He told me yesterday that he thinks I'm such a spendthrift and I'll never get married. He can't support me forever, so he wants me to be more frugal. He also said he's already looking for a partner for me and asked me to make an appointment to meet them. Is he that anxious? I'm only 25!"
Ying Shu's father was born in a poor family. He was laid off from a factory in his early years. Later, he seized the opportunity, caught up with the wave of development, and made a fortune in business. As a result, Ying Shu often joked that he was different from Yan Zhen and was a "second-generation nouveau riche."
"He was used to suffering in his youth, so he always uses the old-fashioned ideas to constrain me," Ying Shu grumbled. "Sometimes I really can't communicate with him."
As the two chatted, they walked into a jewelry store. A well-trained salesperson immediately came over and gave them a standard smile: "Good afternoon, ladies."
The counter window was filled with a dazzling array of diamond jewelry. The two people looked around aimlessly and their eyes were quickly attracted by the diamond necklace worn by the model in the glass cabinet in the center.
"You two have excellent taste. This is our new spring collection." The salesperson led them closer. "This full-diamond necklace uses a brand-new cutting technique. The design concept is inspired by the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite, a symbol of love."
"This one is beautiful," Ying Shu exclaimed, "and the meaning is very romantic."
"Yes, and this one is a limited edition worldwide. We don't have it in stock in our store. If you want it, you'll need to pre-order it." The salesperson smiled. "This one is very popular. I don't know if you've heard of Mr. Chen from Hexia. He also ordered one here two weeks ago."
Preface by Chen Huai?
Yan Zhen was stunned, thinking of his figure standing outside the car before leaving at noon.
Ying Shu glanced at the price offered by the shopping guide and said, "He's really generous."
Yan Zhen couldn't help but become curious.
Chen Huaixu definitely didn't buy it to wear himself, so he had to give it to someone else. Who did he want to give it to?
Is there anyone like him who would want to give a necklace to?
Yan Zhen began to sympathize with the girl she had never met.
The next day, when Yan Zhen came out of the school office building, it was almost five in the afternoon. She turned around and hurried towards the auditorium.
Ningchuan University is a top-ranked institution of higher learning in China with a long history. This year, it's about to celebrate its centennial. Each college has prepared a program, and the School of Economics and Management is no exception. Because one of the students is the president of the drama club, they took the lead in planning a play and asked Yan Zhen to play a role in it.
She didn't want to agree at first, after all, she couldn't act and was too lazy to memorize lines and rehearse. However, she couldn't resist the president's constant nagging, and even took the initiative to revise the script for her. So she played the core but very "vase" role in the drama - the princess abducted by the dragon.
Today was the day for rehearsal for all the staff, but her supervisor happened to ask her to revise her paper, so she had to run back and forth. She had been busy from morning till now and hadn't even eaten a bite of food.
The auditorium was bustling with people, and the drama was being performed on the stage in full swing. Yan Zhen went backstage, changed into her costume, and walked out, holding up her skirt.
She was in a hurry and accidentally bumped into someone at the corner. She let out a soft "Ouch" and stumbled back a step. The other person quickly reached out and held her arm.
She raised her head and looked at the other person, saying, "Thank you, I left too hastily, I'm sorry."
The tall boy was wearing a similar costume from the play, and he was the prince in the play.
He looked at Yan Zhen and realized that he was still holding her arm, so he quickly pulled it back, his face slowly reddening as he said, "Hello, Senior Sister."
The president of the drama club took great pains to prepare for this performance and carefully selected the leading role. She also carefully selected the male lead - a sophomore boy with a very princely temperament.
The two of them were in awkward silence until Yan Zhen was the first to break the silence: "Shall we go out first? It should be our turn soon."
"good."
The president was wearing glasses, and his eyes lit up the moment he saw Yan Zhen. He rushed over and exclaimed, "My destined princess! Even if you don't have many lines or roles, just standing there makes you the soul of this play!"
Yan Zhen: “…”
As the sky grew darker, Chen Huaixu glanced at the time and got up to get off work.
Mo Cheng knocked on the door and came in, saying, "Boss, Secretary Li from Mingshi just called me and said he wants to treat you to dinner tonight."
"Next time." Chen Huaixu didn't even raise his head. "Apologize to Mr. Li and me on his behalf. Say that I'll treat him next time he's free."
Mo Cheng didn't expect to be rejected. He was a little stunned and said, "Ah? But you don't have any other business plans tonight?"
During his time with Chen Huaixu, he'd fully grasped his boss's fanatical work ethic. He barely cared about personal time and would attend business dinners like these as long as there wasn't a work-related conflict. Sometimes, even Mo Cheng wondered if he'd become a workaholic.
But this time he actually refused for the first time.
"I have a date tonight." Chen Huaixu took out his car keys from his pocket and walked towards the door. He then turned around to glance at Mo Cheng, who was still standing there in a daze. "I'm leaving, and you're not leaving get off work yet? He Xia doesn't encourage meaningless overtime."
"It's almost time to get off work!" Mo Cheng reacted immediately, and his heart was in turmoil.
The boss is going on a date?! Did he hear that right?!
Chen Huaixu drove to Ningchuan University.
Yan Zhen had messaged him early in the morning, saying she had a rehearsal tonight and wouldn't be able to reply in time, so she asked him to go to the auditorium and wait for her. After parking the car, he locked it and walked slowly towards the door.
There was silence outside the auditorium. He tried turning the doorknob and pushed the heavy door open a crack.
Because it was a rehearsal, only a small area in front of the stage was packed in the vast auditorium. The back row where he sat was completely empty and silent, with not even the overhead lights on.
He leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on the bright and lively stage.
He spotted Yan Zhen almost immediately. She sat on a high platform, dressed in a gorgeous gown, her long, dark hair cascading over her shoulders, accentuating her fair face. Her bright, watery eyes were captivating, her red lips slightly pursed, her cheeks a faint rosy red, appearing incredibly vibrant in the concentrated beam of light.
It's so beautiful that you can't take your eyes off it.
The other people on the stage were following their plot, and she seemed a little bored, sitting there in a daze. Then her eyes swept across the audience and stopped at him.
Yan Zhen also saw him.
She looked away for a moment, then thought of something, and while no one was paying attention to her, she looked at him again and stuck out her tongue playfully.
The original intention was to be funny, but she made it extra cute.
He couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips.
"Sorry, this is an internal rehearsal, classmate, you——"
A clear female voice sounded and Chen Huaixu turned his head.
The girl was startled when she saw him and said, "Uh...are you...a teacher?"
Although he is young and good-looking, his temperament is too mature and he doesn't look like a student at all.
"No, it's the actor's family." He nodded at her politely, "Then I'll go out and wait."
"No need! Since you're a family member, you can just wait here. It's windy outside and a bit cold." The girl hurriedly called out to him, "Our rehearsal is almost over. Just wait a moment. There will be no more plot after the princess is rescued."
He had previously looked at the scene layout and guessed the subject matter and plot. After hearing what the girl said, he instantly confirmed that Yan Zhen was playing the role of the princess.
He looked around again and saw a boy on the stage in gorgeous costume struggling with the human form of the evil dragon, making a final effort to rescue the princess.
It's another beautiful story of a princess and a prince.
He suddenly remembered what Yan Zhao said a few years ago.
"My sister," Yan Zhao pressed the game controller, "My sister's biggest dream since she was a child was to be a princess. Her favorite type is a gentle prince, like Liang Yu. Oh, you don't know him, he's a little younger than us and a photographer."
As he spoke, he raised his eyebrows and smiled at Chen Huaixu, "What do you think? Do you want to give up when you encounter difficulties? After all, I see that your expressionless face is not at all like a gentle prince."
Chen Huaixu glanced at the stage. The play had already come to an end. The princess played by Yan Zhen was finally rescued by the prince. The two looked at each other and slowly took each other's hands.
He turned and walked out of the auditorium, then stopped at the door. Loud applause for the curtain call came from the half-open door.
In the evening, the cold wind blew the new branches into disarray, making a rustling sound.
Unfortunately, he was never a prince, but a dragon who secretly watched the princess and tried his best to capture her and bring her back to his territory. He piled all his treasures at her feet, hoping that she would stay by his side forever.
The princess is the dragon's most desired and precious treasure.
After the rehearsal, Yan Zhen declined the invitation to dinner and walked out of the door where Chen Huaixu had just stopped.
Sure enough, he was standing at the door, looking at the street light not far away, wondering what he was thinking.
Yan Zhen patted his shoulder, and when he turned around, she stretched out her hand and said, "Give it to me."
Chen Huaixu lowered his head to look at the palm of her hand, then raised his head to look at her and raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Hurry up, we're having dinner tonight and they're all waiting for me." Yan Zhen lied calmly, "Give me what I left behind, I'm leaving."
He paused for a rare moment and said, "Dinner party?"
Seeing that his expression was a little gloomy, Yan Zhen felt a sense of accomplishment in teasing him successfully, so she tried her best to suppress the corners of her lips that were about to rise, and continued to urge him expressionlessly: "Yes, don't waste my time, I-"
It happened that other people were walking out of another door in groups. Someone saw Yan Zhen from a distance and called out, "Senior sister, we're leaving first. We'll get together again next time when we're free. Bye."
Yan Zhen's lie was ruthlessly exposed before it lasted even a minute.
"Oh, so you were lying to me." Chen Huaixu bent his knuckles and tapped her palm lightly.
Yan Zhen snorted and said, "So what if I lied to you?"
"Of course it's nothing." He withdrew his hand and put it in the pocket of his windbreaker. "It's just that I hold a grudge."
Chen Huaixu was always sinister, and it was unpredictable when he would retaliate. This sentence was like a blatant threat. Yan Zhen really hated his tone and couldn't help asking, "What do you want to do today?"
"I'll treat you to dinner and then a movie."
"Ah?" She almost suspected that she had misheard, so she reached out and touched his forehead, "Are you okay?"
"Of course not," Chen Huaixu said slowly, "I just feel that the relationship between us is too tense, and it's time to ease it up."
He spoke in a very convincing manner, but Yan Zhen felt that there was little sincerity in his tone.
She asked doubtfully, "Are you serious?"
Chen Huaixu said calmly, "Of course."
Yan Zhen stood there, hesitant. Chen Huaixu's sudden demeanor made him look suspicious, but his expression was also very confusing, making her unsure for a moment.
Seeing that she was wavering, Chen Huaixu gestured sideways, breaking her last bit of hesitation and said, "Aren't you cold standing here in the wind? Get in the car first."
Although she was always feeling uneasy, Chen Huaixu behaved unexpectedly gently tonight, which gradually let Yan Zhen let down his guard.
The two took the elevator to the top floor of the mall, and Chen Huaixu went to the front desk to pick up the tickets. Yan Zhen looked down and asked, "Did you pick up the wrong ticket? Why is it a couple's package?"
Chen Huaixu said calmly: "Discount."
Yan Zhen was shocked and said, "Chen Huaixu, are you going bankrupt? You even want to save this little money?"
"Doesn't it look the same no matter which seat you sit in?"
She took out her cell phone and said generously, "If you're short of money, just tell me and I'll buy the movie tickets."
She opened the ticket purchasing app, but couldn't find any ticket information for this show, and couldn't help but exclaimed "Huh".
Chen Huaixu reached out to cover her phone screen, blocking her view and said, "Ticket checking, we'll go in first."
The lights in the theater were dim. It was Yan Zhen's first time sitting in a couple's seat, and she couldn't help but look around curiously.
They were seated at the very back center of the theater, on a love sofa. There were other sofas around them, spaced a certain distance apart, presumably to ensure couples' privacy.
The pre-show commercials were playing on the screen. She waited for a moment, glanced at the time, and said, "It starts in a minute. Why is there no one in this room?"
It's just the two of them, which is creepy.
"Maybe it's because it's a Monday night show and there aren't many people watching the movie." The air-conditioning was on in the theater. Chen Huaixu took off his coat and put it aside, then took Yan Zhen's coat and put it together. "The cinema is selling couples' tickets so cheaply for promotion."
Yan Zhen bit her straw, looked sideways at him, and said, "You've done such thorough research. You're so calculating, aren't you really going to go bankrupt?"
"This is basic market common sense."
She choked, fearing that the topic would enter his area of expertise. In order to avoid humiliating herself, she decided not to continue discussing this issue with him.
Soon, the surrounding lights went out, the big screen lit up, and the movie began to play.
Yan Zhen had only cared about the seats before and hadn't paid attention to the content of the movie. Only then did she realize that what she was watching today was actually a romance movie.
The story tells the story of two childhood sweethearts who experienced separation during war, but always had each other in their hearts, and finally reunited in a foreign country.
She was always serious when watching movies, staring at the screen intently, and soon she was completely absorbed in it. She reached to the side to touch the popcorn, but accidentally touched his fingers.
She quickly retracted it and said, "I didn't notice."
"It's okay." Chen Huaixu forgave her very considerately.
Yan Zhen suddenly remembered that she had just asked Chen Huaixu to buy two buckets, one for each person, but he only bought one.
Is he really in financial trouble? He's being so stingy today.
The plot of the movie continued to advance, and soon it was time for the protagonists to say goodbye. Yan Zhen's emotions were affected by the sad music, and she murmured, "Hurry up and tell me."
"Hmm?" Chen Huaixu beside him didn't hear clearly.
She leaned her head over and explained in a low voice in his ear: "I'm just complaining. They obviously like each other, but they haven't been making things clear. It seems a bit anxious."
"Because we have a God's perspective, we know that they actually have a mutual understanding and will definitely be together in the end. But for them, it is understandable that they dare not speak up when they don't know how much they mean to each other."
"But if you don't ask, how can you know what the other person is thinking?"
"What if the other party refuses?"
"Reject..." Yan Zhen thought simply, "If you reject, then just find another one."
Chen Huaixu smiled softly and said, "It's not that easy. For example, if you like eating shrimp, and I tell you now that you are no longer allowed to eat shrimp and have to eat fish instead, can you give up your love for shrimp and transfer this feeling to fish?"
"Can emotions be the same as liking food? What flavors we eat is a physiological reaction, determined by our body, and not something we can control."
"Isn't love a physiological reaction?" He continued, "When you like someone, your heart beats faster, and you unconsciously want to see her, hug her, and kiss her. No matter how hard you try to convince yourself, your body won't lie."
Yan Zhen felt convinced by him and said, "It seems... that's the case. But there are people around me who have had several relationships, which means finding another one isn't that difficult."
"It depends on the individual. Everyone has a different attitude towards relationships. For some people, the proportion of 'like' in a relationship is not important, or even two points of like are enough to start a new relationship. But for others, apart from the person they are determined to be with, no one else matters."
Yan Zhen nodded thoughtfully and asked, "Which one are you?"
The atmosphere suddenly froze at this moment. Just when she was about to doubt whether she had said something wrong, Chen Huaixu slowly spoke: "You seem to be very interested in my love life?"
"Isn't it okay to gossip a little?" She turned her head away. "I won't ask."
His tone was harsh, and it was obvious that he was starting to lose his temper.
Chen Huaixu raised the corners of his lips slightly and said, "Come closer and I'll tell you the answer."
Yan Zhen didn't want to pay attention to him at first, but she couldn't resist her curiosity, so she slowly moved over and leaned close to his ear and said, "Go ahead."
The difference between a couple's chair and an ordinary chair is that there is no armrest blocking the distance between the two people. Her shoulder touches his, and their drooping fingers touch each other, making the distance a little ambiguous.
But she was completely unaware.
Should I say she is stupid, or that she has no defense against him at all?
Chen Huaixu tucked her hair behind her ears and whispered in her ear with a soft smile: "Secret, secret."
Yan Zhen was so angry that she said, "Chen Huaixu, you——"
She threw him onto the sofa, grabbed a coat beside her and covered his face with it, then punched him in the chest until she felt relieved. Chen Huaixu let her do whatever she wanted, only extending his hand to hold her waist loosely to prevent her from falling.
The phone suddenly vibrated.
Yan Zhen came back to his senses, turned around to pick up the phone beside him, and answered it in a grouchy tone: "Hello?"
"What are you doing? Why are you so angry?"
"Killing people." She answered without thinking.
However, after quickly realizing who was on the other end of the line, her attitude changed drastically: "Brother?"
"Looks like I was unlucky on this call and stumbled upon the crime scene?" Yan Zhao jokingly said, "So, do you need me to dispose of the body for you?"
Yan Zhen: “…”
Your statement is even scarier than mine.
"Okay, stop making trouble. You're staying at school today? Why haven't you gone home yet? And you didn't even say hello to Aunt Cui."
Yan Zhen then remembered that she had to report. She wasn't good at lying, so she hesitated for a while before saying, "I have a rehearsal for the school anniversary today. I'm having dinner with everyone and will be leaving soon."
After hearing this, Chen Huaixu took off his coat and raised his eyebrows slightly, as if dissatisfied. Yan Zhen was afraid that he would speak, so she quickly reached out to cover his mouth.
Yan Zhao listened to the rustling noises coming from her side, slowly raised the corners of his lips, and said, "Do you want me to ask Uncle Li to pick you up?"
"No, I have a classmate who drove here and can take me home later." Yan Zhen quickly refused, "Brother, you should rest first, don't worry about me."
"Oh, okay." Yan Zhao leaned back on the sofa, slowly crossed his legs, and said meaningfully, "It's already late. Ask your classmate to drive carefully."
"Okay, I will. Goodbye, brother."
Yan Zhen hung up the phone perfunctorily. Chen Huaixu asked, "When did I become your classmate?"
"Then I can't just say I'm going out to watch a movie with you, right?"
"What's the problem?"
She felt a little guilty when he looked at her, and muttered, "Of course there are problems, there are a lot of problems."
After the emotions above dissipated, Yan Zhen found that he was still in a state of being overwhelmed by himself, so he quickly stepped aside awkwardly and coughed twice.
Chen Huaixu slowly sat up and raised his head to gesture for her to look at the back row.
"What?" She turned around and saw nothing.
"Have you forgotten that there are surveillance cameras in the cinema?"
Yan Zhen was stunned. Didn't that mean everything that just happened was recorded?
She said stubbornly, "Then I should have hit you a few more times."
Chen Huaixu found her reaction a little cute, so he stopped teasing her and said, "I was kidding. I booked the whole place tonight, and they turned off the surveillance."
After the movie ended, the two walked out of the theater, and Yan Zhen finally realized the scam that had happened tonight.
Private the whole place? Didn't he say that the Monday night show was empty, so he bought a couple's package?
Her attention was completely focused on this, and she didn't notice her feet at all. She stumbled forward and bumped into Chen Huaixu's back. He turned around and supported her, asking, "What's wrong?"
She frowned and said, "My heel seems to have gotten stuck on the step."
So Chen Huaixu squatted down, asked her to hold her shoulders to steady her body, then lowered his head and lifted her feet to check the situation.
"The heel of my shoe is broken. It's easy to sprain my ankle when I walk like this. Let's go buy a new pair while the mall is still open."
He stood up, put his arm around her, letting her center of gravity lean on him, then took out his cell phone to make a call.
Yan Zhen held his arm and asked, "Who are you calling at this hour?"
"Mall Manager. Please go sit in the VIP lounge for a while and wait for me there. I'll buy it for you."
Chen Huaixu carried her to the VIP lounge and went to the mall himself.
Yan Zhen leaned on the sofa bored, swinging her legs and playing with her phone.
Fortunately, Chen Huaixu was quick and came in with a bag in a short while. He closed the door, locked it with a click, walked to the sofa, and opened the bag.
"I bought a brand you really like. I didn't know what style you like, so I picked a pair based on my taste." He took out the new shoes, "If you don't like them, I'll buy you another one."
Yan Zhen leaned over to take a look and said, "It's pretty good. You have good taste. And you even know my shoe size."
As she spoke, she stretched out her foot and swung it in front of him.
Chen Huaixu raised his head and glanced at her.
"Help me change." Yan Zhen bit her lip and said coquettishly, "I'm so tired, I don't want to change my shoes by myself."
She pretended to be pitiful, with spring tears in her eyes, alluring and charming.
Although he knew that she was trying to tease him on purpose, Chen Huaixu looked at her for a while before kneeling down.
Yan Zhen raised the corners of his lips with some pride.
She leaned on the sofa, while Chen Huaixu half-knelt on the ground to change her shoes.
He held her ankles, took off her shoes, and then gently held her white and tender feet in the palm of his hand.
Yan Zhen propped herself up on the sofa with both hands, looking down at him. Seeing him kneeling before her in a suit and tie, serving her, Yan Zhen felt extremely satisfied and said, "It would be great if you could always be so obedient. I wouldn't hate you if you didn't go against me."
She has been spoiled since she was a child and has become spoiled. Everything has to go according to her wishes. Everyone around her coaxes and praises her, but Chen Huaixu is the only one who doesn't buy her account. He always likes to argue with her, which makes her very angry every time.
She just didn't understand. All of Yan Zhao's friends were very kind to her and treated her like a younger sister, so why was Chen Huaixu different?
That's why Yan Zhen hates him.
He always has a way of making the dignified mask that he has worked so hard to maintain shatter and show his truest self in front of him.
She hated the feeling of being out of control.
Chen Huaixu lowered his head, his black hair gleaming softly under the bright lights of the lounge. She felt a prank coming on, so she pulled her foot out of his grasp, met his gaze after he raised his head, and gently stepped on his shoulder.
Perhaps it was because of the day's rehearsal. Although Yan Zhen didn't have many scenes, she had already developed a bit of a acting addiction. At this moment, she imitated the tone of a princess in a play, pretending to be superior and asking, "Since your performance today was quite satisfactory, I'll give you a chance."
She stepped lightly on his shoulder with her toes and said, "Would you like to be my mistress? This is the highest honor."
Chen Huaixu looked at her without saying anything.
Yan Zhen suddenly felt bored and withdrew her foot with a lack of interest, saying, "I was just teasing you. It's so boring. You won't even act with me."
Just as she was about to pull her ankle back, he grabbed her calf. Yan Zhen was startled, and then she heard Chen Huaixu slowly enunciate the words: "Skirt, under, minister?"
He looked up into her eyes and asked, "Are you sure?"
She just said it casually, but her heart was uneasy when she saw his heavy eyes. She didn't know what he had misinterpreted, so she hurriedly pulled her legs back and stepped into her shoes: "I told you I was just teasing you. It's getting late, I have to go back."
How come this person can't take a joke?
After coming out of the mall, the flashing neon signs painted the night sky with a hazy color, and the two people walked side by side on the side of the road.
Yan Zhen asked, "Can you tell the truth now? You tricked me out today, had dinner, and watched a movie. What on earth were you planning?"
Seeing Chen Huaixu remained silent, she speculated, "Could it be that you have something you want to ask my brother for, so you're starting with me?"
Chen Huaixu asked back: "If there's nothing wrong, can't I ask you out?"
Yan Zhen snorted softly, "Of course I can, but it's strange that the target is you. I feel like a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken—with ulterior motives."
Chen Huaixu replied: "Then just assume that I have other intentions."
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