Two days before Chi Yan's birthday, the Chi family set off for a villa to escape the summer heat.
Shen Tangning listened to the laughter and conversation of Chi's parents coming from inside the carriage, and felt quite emotional.
She was born and raised in Yanjing and rarely had the opportunity to leave. The last time she left the capital was in her previous life when she was banished to a manor by Shen Xiwei and Chi Jingyu. Her state of mind was completely different from now.
She rarely experienced such liveliness, even at home.
"What are you thinking about?" Chi Yan's casual voice came from the side. "You don't seem very happy."
He had been watching her for a long time and found it strange that she wasn't very interested. Why wasn't she happy to be out having fun?
Shen Tangning's eyebrows curved into a smile: "Was the villa fun?"
Chi Yan pondered for a moment: "There are mountains and water, and lots of flowers and grass. You should like it, right?"
His eyes flickered slightly, and he raised his chin with a somewhat triumphant air. "It doesn't matter if you don't like it. Let's go out and have some fun. Young Master Chi will take you out to catch fish and shrimp. You've probably never tried that before, have you?"
With the back of her hand pressed against her chin, Shen Tangning widened her eyes in surprise, exclaiming, "Second Young Master has this skill too?"
His ears flushed red without his noticing, and he said demurely, "What's so special about that? Look at you, so naive. I know a lot more than that!"
She couldn't help but chuckle slightly and joked, "Then I'll be waiting to see."
——
It was already afternoon when they arrived at the villa, and the group rested for a while.
Shen Tangning wandered around and quite liked the layout of the house. It was very quiet and elegant, and the lush vegetation added a coolness, making it a good place to escape the summer heat.
"I've been looking for you all this time, and here you are, hiding away in peace and quiet!"
Chi Yan walked over from the other end of the corridor and saw what he was holding. She was a little surprised. "Are you really going to go fishing in the river?"
He was holding a fishing net in one hand and a wooden bucket in the other, looking ready to go.
He raised an eyebrow: "Otherwise what? You think I'm joking?" With a hint of smirk in his eyes, Chi Yan lowered his voice, "There's a stream nearby. I came here a few years ago, and there were so many little fish and shrimp in it! Come on, come on, I can't wait to go!"
Shen Tangning followed behind him, her tone hesitant: "I understand the reasoning, but why do we have to sneak around like thieves?"
Chi Yan gestured for her to be quiet, then looked around warily: "If my mother finds out I took you to the river to catch fish, she'll break my legs!"
Shen Tangning: "..."
She had no intention of going down.
When we arrived at the stream that Chi Yan had mentioned, we could hear the babbling of the water even before we got close.
Unidentified wildflowers bloomed in profusion by the roadside, and the stream reflected dazzling light in the sunlight. Shen Tangning held a silk fan above her head, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.
"This place is really beautiful."
With a "splash," she looked up in surprise to see Chi Yan had already taken off his clothes and plunged into the stream, waving vigorously at her: "Come on in and play! The water's so refreshing!"
His hair was pulled up high, his eyebrows and eyes exuded a wild and unrestrained charm, his strong upper body was exposed, and his shoulder and neck lines were smooth. Shen Tangning was stunned for a moment, and her cheeks suddenly turned red: "Put your clothes on!"
In broad daylight, under the clear sky, he actually took off his shirt!
This is simply... utterly absurd!
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