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"Be a little more romantic."
It wasn't exactly a sweet talk, but Ning Yuxuan's heart rate suddenly quickened.
She pursed her lips and turned her face away from him: "You make it sound so nice, but it's just because Aunt Zheng happens to like me a lot, so you can get away with marrying me."
Xie Zhiyan: "It's not just that she likes you."
Ning Yuxuan stopped in her tracks.
In the silent air, she could hear her heart pounding wildly.
Ning Yuxuan murmured, "...I hate people who only say half of what they mean."
A soft chuckle came from beside her.
“It’s not just her who likes you.” Xie Zhiyan’s voice was slightly hoarse. “I like her too.”
...
In an instant, all the blood rushed to her cheeks.
It's just a simple "I like you," but I've heard it from others countless times since I was a child.
Ning Yuxuan felt her face burning hot, but fortunately it was already dark, so the man probably couldn't see the change in her expression.
Two seconds later, Ning Yuxuan suddenly quickened her pace, almost running towards the brightly lit supermarket ahead.
She didn't look at Xie Zhiyan's reaction behind her; she only listened to the footsteps and realized that the man had been following her.
She hurried to the supermarket entrance, turned around, and sure enough, Xie Zhiyan was right behind her.
Seeing her turn around, Xie Zhiyan calmly looked back at her.
It's as if it's saying: Why are you running so fast?
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
She decisively turned her head, walked up the steps, and entered the supermarket.
The small supermarket in the villa area is usually not very crowded; the owner is usually the woman who runs the shop.
About two months ago, I heard that the boss's wife had fallen and was resting at home for a while.
During this time, the shop was run by the owner's son. He didn't greet regular customers and was just busy playing on his phone.
The last time Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan came, it was the proprietress's son who was handling the cash register.
Today, however, the proprietress was personally at the shop, presumably because her injury has finally healed quite well.
The proprietress's surname is Zhong, she is in her fifties, and has been running the shop in the villa area for more than ten years.
She knew all the regular customers in the villa area. When Ning Yuxuan came to the supermarket, she would usually chat with her for a few minutes and call her Aunt Zhong.
Upon seeing Ning Yuxuan enter, the proprietress greeted her with a smile: "Isn't this Yuxuan? You're in such a hurry, your face is all red. Don't worry, I still have an hour before closing time."
Upon hearing this, Ning Yuxuan instinctively covered her cheeks, the heat spreading to her palms.
Although she couldn't see the man's expression behind her, she felt that he was definitely mocking her.
Ning Yuxuan said to the proprietress, "No, it's just that the weather is too stuffy and hot."
The proprietress, unsuspecting, said, "That's perfect. I have the air conditioning on in my shop. Stay a while and cool off."
Ning Yuxuan replied, "Yes, ma'am, are you feeling better?"
"It's all better now." The proprietress smiled kindly. "It was just a slight bump, nothing serious at all. My daughter insisted that I stay at home and rest for a while before letting me go out this week."
Ning Yuxuan: "You should rest more."
The proprietress smiled and nodded: "Okay, go ahead and buy what you want. If you can't find anything, just tell me."
Ning Yuxuan: "I'll go get some ice cream and drinks. Aunt Zhong, you go ahead with your work."
Before leaving home, she glanced at the refrigerator and saw that, apart from orange juice, the rest of the juice was almost gone.
Ning Yuxuan went straight to the cold drink section to restock.
Xie Zhiyan walked at a leisurely pace, following right behind her.
Ning Yuxuan took a bottle of tomato juice and a bottle of soda.
When she turned around, Xie Zhiyan was standing next to her with a shopping basket in his hand.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at him silently and put the two bottles of drinks into the basket he was holding.
Xie Zhiyan calmly asked, "Why don't you buy the same brand of tomato juice as before? It's over there."
The man slightly raised his chin and looked at the brand that Ning Yuxuan often drank on the shelf.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at him: "I'm not buying it, I want to try something new."
Xie Zhiyan: "Okay."
Ning Yuxuan picked and chose again, putting two other drinks and a bottle of milk into her shopping basket.
After buying these items, Ning Yuxuan glanced at the man.
The freezer that holds the ice cream is not far from the beverage counter, on the road they came from.
However, the aisles between the shelves in the small supermarket are narrow, and if two people meet face to face, they have to stagger by half a body to pass each other.
Ning Yuxuan raised her chin, gesturing for Xie Zhiyan to make way, as she wanted to go first.
Xie Zhiyan raised an eyebrow slightly and turned his body to the side.
Ning Yuxuan brushed past the man's shoulder as she walked past, when she suddenly felt some resistance at the hem of her skirt.
Looking down, I saw the hem of the dress hanging on the shopping basket.
In the height of summer in the northern city, the air remained sultry even at night. She went out wearing a light red dress.
The skirt was new, made of gauze, and reached her calves.
Ning Yuxuan tried to pull it, but couldn't budge it; instead, it made the fabric wrap even tighter.
She dared not move again, caught in a dilemma.
I wanted to just grit my teeth and forcefully pull the hem of the skirt over, but I was also a little reluctant for fear of ruining it.
The dress wasn't expensive, costing less than four figures.
But before I could even wear the brand new dress twice, the fabric of the tulle got a hole that couldn't be repaired, so the whole dress was ruined.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at Xie Zhiyan.
The man slowly turned around and asked, "Need any help?"
Ning Yuxuan glared at him: Now you know to ask?
Perhaps sensing the dissatisfaction in her eyes, Xie Zhiyan's lips curled up slightly.
He leaned down slightly.
Fortunately, he didn't wait for her to say "need" before taking action, otherwise Ning Yuxuan probably would have gotten angry with him.
Ning Yuxuan observed Xie Zhiyan's actions.
Xie Zhiyan moved slowly and deliberately, his fingers moving to the place where the hem of her skirt was tangled, helping her separate the fabric hanging on the shopping basket from the basket.
Ning Yuxuan finally saw clearly that the fabric was caught on the metal screws securing the shopping basket handle. It needed to be carefully aligned at the right angle to remove it, which explained why she couldn't pull it off when she tried.
Xie Zhiyan wasn't the type to take advantage of others. When he said he was untying the skirt, his fingers only touched the part of the skirt that was caught.
However, no matter how proper his movements were, he couldn't avoid having other parts of the skirt's fabric pulled and moved.
The hem of her skirt moved back and forth on Ning Yuxuan's calves, making her feel a little itchy.
Ning Yuxuan forced herself to remain still.
Finally, after ten agonizing seconds, her skirt was successfully "rescued".
Xie Zhiyan put his hand down: "That's enough."
Ning Yuxuan's lips moved twice, and she uttered the words "thank you".
She turned and continued toward the freezer.
This time, she held the hem of her skirt with both hands as she walked to prevent it from getting caught on anything, whether it was a shopping basket or a shelf.
The ice cream in the freezer was the same old stuff. She picked out a few according to her own taste and threw them all into the shopping basket Xie Zhiyan was carrying.
After getting the ice cream, she thought for a moment and said to Xie Zhiyan, "I'd like to buy some more snacks to keep at home."
Xie Zhiyan nodded slightly: "Should I go first this time, or will you go first?"
The man's voice was indifferent, seemingly without any other meaning, but Ning Yuxuan always felt that she could see a hint of mocking amusement in his eyes.
He was definitely reminding her of the time when she insisted on walking ahead of him, causing her skirt to get caught.
Ning Yuxuan learned her lesson this time: "You go first."
Xie Zhiyan followed his instructions and walked ahead to another row of snack shelves.
I originally came to the supermarket only to buy juice and ice cream; buying snacks was unplanned.
Ning Yuxuan looked around the shelves, searching for any food she wanted to try.
My gaze swept around and finally settled on the shrimp crackers on the top layer.
Ning Yuxuan is not short. She estimated that she could reach the bag of shrimp chips if she stood on tiptoe.
However, after the incident where her skirt got stuck, she hesitated, smoothed the hem of her skirt, and looked at Xie Zhiyan.
If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have worn this dress.
This time, Xie Zhiyan didn't ask her if she needed help. Instead, he asked gently, "Which one do you want?"
Ning Yuxuan: "The shrimp crackers on top, in orange packaging, one pack is enough."
Xie Zhiyan, taking advantage of his height, easily reached out and helped her take it down.
"Is there anything else you want?" he asked again.
Ning Yuxuan simply stopped doing it herself and instead directed Xie Zhiyan to get her two more snacks.
Several large bottles of juice, five or six ice creams, plus three bags of puffed snacks—the shopping basket was almost completely full.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at her "spoils of war" and was satisfied.
"Let's go," Ning Yuxuan said to Xie Zhiyan. "Let's go pay the bill."
Seeing the man looking at her, she subconsciously straightened her skirt and added, "You go first."
Once bitten by a snake, twice shy.
A hint of a smile flashed across Xie Zhiyan's eyes as he walked ahead.
When they arrived at the checkout counter, Xie Zhiyan helped take the items out of the shopping basket.
The proprietress waved her hand warmly: "No need, no need, I can do it."
As she spoke, she deftly took out the items and scanned their barcodes, while chatting with Ning Yuxuan: "Yuxuan, is this your boyfriend?"
Ning Yuxuan frowned slightly, instinctively feeling that what she said sounded a bit strange.
Before she could figure it out, Xie Zhiyan had already answered for her: "Yes, that's me."
The residential density in the villa area is not high, so it's rare to see people coming to the supermarket at this time.
The proprietress, always busy, chatted happily with Ning Yuxuan while scanning the QR code: "You've been praising your boyfriend to me all this time, saying he's tall and has great features, describing him as the best in the world. After all this talk, I've finally met him in person today, and he really is a handsome man, even taller and more dashing than I imagined."
Ning Yuxuan finally realized what was wrong.
She had mentioned her boyfriend to the boss before, but at that time her "boyfriend" was someone else.
The proprietress is very friendly and can chat with regular customers in the villa area.
At that time, under the control of the plot, Ning Yuxuan was wholeheartedly in love with Gu Yunhao. She couldn't wait to praise her boyfriend to any stranger. When talking about Gu Yunhao with the landlady, she naturally did not hold back her praise.
They kept praising him, saying things like "tall and handsome."
The proprietress probably doesn't pay much attention to variety shows or trending topics on Weibo, and she probably doesn't know that her breakup with Gu Yunhao has caused such a stir online.
The proprietress still remembered that she and the boyfriend she had mentioned before were all lovey-dovey.
After all, she always seemed to be "in love" with Gu Yunhao when she talked about him, and she was also very proud. She never mentioned any of the bad things Gu Yunhao did for her, and all she talked about were their loving stories.
Anyone who heard this would think the two were a perfect couple, no wonder the landlady didn't expect them to break up suddenly after two months.
Ning Yuxuan couldn't directly tell the landlady that she had a new boyfriend and that it wasn't the same one as before.
She chimed in, "Yes, I definitely have good taste in boyfriends."
The proprietress smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Of course! Our Yuxuan is the prettiest girl around here, how could her boyfriend be anything less than perfect?"
As she spoke, the shop owner didn't stop what she was doing, scanning everything in the shopping basket with the barcode scanner: "Do you want a large shopping bag or two medium ones? A large one is 50 cents, and a medium one is 30 cents."
Ning Yuxuan: "Two medium sizes, I guess."
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the topic of her boyfriend was finally over.
Otherwise, what if the landlady asked her next question: "What's your boyfriend's name again? Is his surname Gu?"
That scene was truly awkward.
The proprietress said "Okay," turned around, grabbed two bags, and quickly stuffed the goods into them.
I packed one bag and pushed it forward.
Xie Zhiyan took it and held it in his hand.
As the proprietress packed another bag, she glanced up at Xie Zhiyan.
Her tone was full of admiration: "Boys look better when they're tall, don't you think, Yu Xuan? My son is 1.75 meters tall, but he doesn't look as upright and handsome as your boyfriend. I remember you said, Yu Xuan, that your boyfriend is 1.83 meters tall?"
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
Gu Yunhao is 1.83 meters tall.
It's all because the words "183" are too easy to pronounce, plus she used to be too talkative and would even mention Gu Yunhao's exact height when praising him to others.
The proprietress has an exceptionally good memory. Perhaps supermarket owners are all unusually sensitive to numbers. Ning Yuxuan casually mentioned a number a few months ago, and the proprietress still remembers it clearly.
Luckily, Xie Zhiyan was a few centimeters taller than Gu Yunhao. If he were less than 1.8 meters tall, wouldn't the landlady say, "Young man, you don't look 1.83 meters tall. Did you lie about your height?"
Just imagining that scene, Ning Yuxuan found herself inexplicably wanting to laugh.
She held back, glancing silently at Xie Zhiyan: hoping he hadn't thought too much about it and just assumed she had misjudged his height.
However, Xie Zhiyan gave her a meaningful look.
Ning Yuxuan felt that the man had probably sensed something was wrong.
She thought to herself, "Why don't I formally introduce him to the landlady? This is my boyfriend, his surname is Xie, and we've only been together for a month."
Although it was somewhat abrupt, it was good to avoid misunderstandings and prevent future troubles.
Xie Zhiyan spoke first, answering the proprietress, "I am 186 centimeters tall."
The proprietress nodded: "186 cm? I must have misremembered. Well, being tall is a better match for a tall and beautiful woman like our Yuxuan, don't you think?"
Xie Zhiyan smiled and nodded: "Yes."
Ning Yuxuan thought to herself, "These are words Xie Zhiyan likes to hear. He accepts the boss lady's praise so readily."
The proprietress packed the puffed snacks into another bag: "This bag is lighter, Yuxuan, you can carry this one."
Just as Ning Yuxuan was about to step forward, Xie Zhiyan had already taken it from her.
"I'll take care of it."
The proprietress cast an approving glance at Xie Zhiyan: "You're a really good young man, tall and kind."
Xie Zhiyan smiled and said, "My surname is Xie, Xie Zhiyan. You can just call me Xiao Xie."
The proprietress was clearly taken aback.
She has always had a good memory; even at sixty, she can still match every item in the store with its price.
She remembered clearly that this girl had talked to her about her boyfriend several times before. Her boyfriend's surname should be Gu.
The names don't seem to match either.
Of course, no matter how strange the landlady was, she wouldn't be so tactless as to ask that question outright.
"Okay, Xiao Xie." The landlady smiled warmly. "You live around here?"
Xie Zhiyan: "I don't live nearby. I'm here to visit Yu Xuanxuan's house today and am accompanying her to buy some things."
The proprietress said, "Then come with Yuxuan next time! Auntie will definitely remember your name next time."
Xie Zhiyan: "Definitely."
After paying, Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan walked out of the supermarket together.
When we arrived, it was still slightly bright, but now it's completely dark.
Xie Zhiyan was carrying two bags from the supermarket.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at the man.
I was feeling awkward because of his sudden "confession" remark, but after that little incident, my previously uncontrollable emotions have lessened considerably.
Now Ning Yuxuan wanted to know even more whether Xie Zhiyan had realized that the "boyfriend" the landlady was referring to wasn't him.
She fidgeted with her fingers, unable to figure out how to bring it up.
If Xie Zhiyan didn't notice anything amiss, wouldn't it be an admission of guilt if she went to ask?
Just then, Xie Zhiyan turned his head and looked over.
Ning Yuxuan's heart skipped a beat: "What?"
Xie Zhiyan spoke casually, "You and that proprietress must have talked about your boyfriend quite a bit before?"
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
She knew it; someone as perceptive as Xie Zhiyan couldn't possibly fail to notice that the proprietress had mistaken someone for someone else.
Ning Yuxuan cleared her throat, feeling slightly guilty: "As you can see, the proprietress is very warm and friendly, and she can chat with anyone. When I buy things, I naturally chat with her about my love life and boyfriends."
Xie Zhiyan's eyes were deep: "He's tall and has handsome features, hmm?"
Ning Yuxuan remained silent for a moment.
Objectively speaking, these two sentences were not just a result of her being blinded by love at the time.
Gu Yunhao is over 1.8 meters tall and is indeed good-looking; otherwise, he wouldn't be the male lead in the novel.
Ning Yuxuan said softly, "What I said wasn't entirely wrong; it was an objective description..."
As she spoke, she realized something was wrong.
Why is Xie Zhiyan jealous?
They are legally married, but publicly they are boyfriend and girlfriend.
She also realized that he had feelings for her.
But apart from Xie Zhiyan's ambiguous "I like you" twenty minutes ago, he hadn't formally confessed to her or asked her "would you like to be his girlfriend?"
What are they now?
Did their fake relationship turn into a real one, and they ended up as boyfriend and girlfriend without even realizing it?
Ning Yuxuan felt she had been cheated.
The more Ning Yuxuan thought about it, the more she realized it made sense. She retorted confidently, "When you said you wanted to marry me, didn't you already know about my past relationships? Why are you bringing up the past now?"
When she called him, his first question was why she didn't ask Gu Yunhao for help.
Ning Yuxuan didn't want to explain anything to Xie Zhiyan: she only liked Gu Yunhao because she was controlled by the plot.
It's not a matter of whether he believes it or not.
No matter what, it was part of her life experience. Even if there was a plot involved, she genuinely invested in that relationship.
She doesn't want to deny her past.
Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan looked at each other quietly.
The man's gaze was deep, and the emotions in his eyes were obscure and unpredictable.
Even though she had convinced herself that she wasn't in the wrong, Ning Yuxuan still felt inexplicably guilty under her gaze.
They've already registered their marriage, so it's understandable that he feels uncomfortable when she mentions her ex-boyfriend.
Ning Yuxuan bit her lip: "At worst, I won't mention it again..."
Xie Zhiyan's gaze lingered on the small indentation on her lower lip that had been bitten.
The next moment, he leaned over and enveloped her with his cold aura.
Just as the man's lips were about to cover hers, Ning Yuxuan suddenly took a step back.
Xie Zhiyan: "..."
In the quiet night, Ning Yuxuan could hear the man's heavy breathing.
And then there was her own breathing, chaotic and disordered.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at the two bags that Xie Zhiyan had placed on the roadside bench, which contained the things they had bought at the supermarket.
She lowered her eyes slightly: "Let's go back first. The ice cream will melt soon, and the juice needs to be put in the refrigerator quickly. And... and my mom is waiting for us."
Xie Zhiyan looked at her silently, as if trying to see right through her.
After a moment, Xie Zhiyan hummed in agreement: "Okay, let's go back first."
Ning Yuxuan nodded.
The journey, which should have taken only a few minutes, seemed longer than any other time before.
They finally arrived home, and Ning Fei came downstairs to greet them.
Xie Zhiyan's expression remained normal, and Ning Fei didn't notice anything unusual. She only felt that her daughter seemed to be less talkative.
I just finished recording a two-day program today. When I got home this afternoon, my daughter fell asleep leaning against me. Maybe she was tired.
Ning Fei didn't think much of it and, together with her daughter, sorted the things they bought and put them into the refrigerator's crisper and freezer compartments.
"Zhiyan, you should go home early too. You've had a hard day," Ning Fei said. "Xuanxuan, see them off."
Ning Yuxuan hummed in agreement.
I dropped Xie Zhiyan off at his doorstep, but we haven't gone to the garage yet.
Xie Zhiyan said, "If you're tired, let's stop here. I can go by myself."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
She didn't speak, and remained silent for a long time before suddenly tapping her forehead with her finger.
Xie Zhiyan was slightly taken aback.
His eyes and brows immediately lit up with a smile. He took a step closer and pressed his lips to the spot where her fingertips touched.
Compared to the previous times, there was less probing and more tenderness.
After Xie Zhiyan stepped back a little, Ning Yuxuan said softly, "Actually... it's not that I don't want you to kiss other places."
The man's gaze darkened slightly, and his eyes seemed to be filled with a dark hue.
Ning Yuxuan looked up and, in the light from the doorway, saw her own reflection in the man's deep black eyes.
“I just feel,” she heard herself say, “that we should officially confirm our relationship before taking the next step. Not the relationship we make public, but… just between the two of us.”
Ning Yuxuan was unsure if she had clearly expressed her intentions.
However, seeing Xie Zhiyan's expression, she felt that he must have understood what she meant.
Xie Zhiyan spoke in a deep voice: "Xuanxuan..."
Before the man could finish speaking, Ning Yuxuan reached out and lightly pressed her fingertips to his lips.
Just like Xie Zhiyan did to her before.
Seeing the man pause slightly and look surprised on his face, Ning Yuxuan's eyes revealed a hint of triumphant joy.
“Not now.” Ning Yuxuan winked mischievously. “It needs to be more formal, more romantic. In short, it can’t be so casual.”
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