Chapter 213 He was wrong again
When Xu Chi arrived, Tu Yao, wrapped in a cotton coat and carrying a small bag, was standing by the natural lake outside the garden, looking like a pale yellow penguin.
Seeing him arrive, he quickly waved.
"Koike, over here!"
Even from several meters away, I could see her nose, which was red from the cold.
Are you cold?
Tu Yao shook her head: "It's not cold."
Xu Chi clearly didn't believe her and grabbed her hand directly. Sure enough, it was ice-cold.
He immediately pulled the thick scarf around her neck up, and then touched her pale face with his knuckles; unsurprisingly, it was cold.
Xu Chi's expression also turned cold.
Tu Yao quickly explained, "Xiao Chi, your home is a bit far, and the driver refuses to drive up from the foot of the mountain. I can't get him to come even if I offer more money."
"Later he said it would be fine if I added 500, but I can't accept 500."
Xu Chi: ...
Unlike the Cheng family's magnificent detached villa, the Xu family's residence is a garden-style house. The main building is built on a mountain of moderate altitude, with a winding mountain road leading directly from the foot of the mountain to the top.
The Xu family doesn't restrict the movement of vehicles, but those vehicles usually avoid this area.
This meant that after Tu Yao got out of the car, she had to walk all the way up from the foot of the mountain, huffing and puffing.
It had been getting warm, but then a cold wind blew, and it became chilly again.
"Where's Xu Bai? Didn't he give you a gift?"
Xu Chi's eyes darkened slightly. Didn't he run off to find someone first thing in the morning?
Even without Xu Bai, there's still Cheng Sangsang, so I feel comfortable letting her come alone.
"I refused their gifts."
Tu Yao smiled mysteriously.
"They're going to be very busy."
Xu Chi's expression did not improve. How busy could two people with similar intelligence possibly be? Even if they finally understood, they would still be making zero progress.
He took the person back directly.
The Filipino maid brought in a basin of hot water, preparing to help Tu Yao wash up. Xu Chi had already taken the towel, wet it, soaked it, wrung it out, and stuck it to her face.
The heat slowly brought Tu Yao's face to a normal temperature. She remained motionless, letting him wipe her face. After he finished wiping one side, she would obediently turn her head so he could wipe the other side.
Finally, she stretched out her hand: "Koike, you still have a hand."
Xu Chi didn't stop moving, his gaze fixed quietly on her.
From that initial phrase on the phone, "It's my turn to come to you," to her current state of complete dependence on him.
Today, Tu Xiaomao looks like she's covered in layers of powdered sugar.
...They seem to be too obedient.
To be precise, their obedience is exceptionally deceptive.
Before he could think further, he saw Tu Yao wrinkle her nose and blurt out, "Xiao Chi, you smell of alcohol. Are you sick?"
As he spoke, he casually took two steps forward, bringing himself to within two centimeters of him, and sniffed.
"But it doesn't smell like medicine."
She took another step back, looked him up and down, as if she had noticed something, and said, "Something's not right."
She grabbed his hand, pointed to several obvious marks on the back of his hand from the instruments, and tilted her head back to ask, "Xiao Chi, did you have a medical checkup?"
Why are you having a physical exam?
"These marks are double, Koike. Have you had many medical checkups?"
Xu Chi: ...
Xu Chi couldn't help but press his brow with his other free hand.
For a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh or feel helpless.
As expected, three days is enough time for Tu Xiaomao to notice something amiss and come to a conclusion independently.
Then she unexpectedly ran over to test him.
Seeing that he didn't answer for a long time, Tu Yao scratched her head, "...It's still a bit stiff, isn't it?"
The conversation didn't flow very naturally.
“But Xiaochi…” she gestured toward the basin of hot water, “it’s only fair to reciprocate.”
"We should reciprocate."
She obediently accepted Xiaochi's care, and Xiaochi should of course accept her concern in return.
Xu Chi couldn't help but chuckle, "Tu Xiaomao, is this how you apply the concept of 'reciprocity'?"
Tu Yao fell silent, dipped her hand back into the water, and after a while muttered softly, "...I rarely do things this roundaboutly."
Xu Chi's eyes darkened. Yes, Tu Xiaomao was always the most direct, saying whatever came to mind. She was patient, but preferred to communicate directly.
She dislikes having an invisible barrier between herself and her friends, even if that barrier is presented as being for her own good.
After a while, Xu Chi picked up a handkerchief, dried her hands again, and led her to the inner room where the temperature had become comfortable, where they sat down facing each other.
"...If we were to be more direct, how would Tu Xiaomao ask?"
Tu Yao blinked. "To be direct... that's very simple."
The room was quiet, and the temperature-controlled warm air had made her feel cozy.
She lowered her head and whispered, "I'll ask... Xiaochi, do you know something?"
"……Then what?"
"Then...do you think your improved health is related to me?"
Are you testing whether your body will revert to its original state after you distance yourself from me?
"If that's really the case..."
Tu Yao looked up. "Are you planning to never see me again?"
"Will we never be able to meet again?"
...
They were only half a meter apart, at eye level, and Xu Chi could almost completely capture every fleeting emotion in the girl's eyes.
Sadness, fear, anxiety...
These emotions, which he least wanted to see in Tu Yao, surged up layer by layer because of him.
Xu Chi felt it was absurd for a moment.
……how so.
In his twenty-three years, whether long or short, his parents, family, Hong Kong media, and the circles he belonged to labeled him as shrewd, intelligent, and perceptive...
These perfect, inhuman adjectives blended into his life and shaped him.
Everyone thought he was omnipotent.
However, in the past few months, he has often made mistakes and errors in matters related to Tu Xiaomao.
One day, he even became the source of Tu Xiaomao's sadness.
This time, it seems he was wrong again.
Without further hesitation, Xu Chi grabbed Tu Yao's hand.
"Come with me."
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