Growing Fond of You, Mr Nian

He shook his head quickly. He could accept her other requests but not that one.

Nian Xi didn’t answer. She wanted to know what that boy was thinking.

“I’m talking about… the kiss,” she said weakly.

“Oh, I get it. You should have made it clear,” Jiang Yuning said in a low voice, glancing at her. His delicate lip corners curved slightly in a smile. His eyes radiated pleasantness.

Seeing that look of his, Nian Xi didn’t have the heart to say another a word.

She started the car again. Jiang Yuning glanced at the area where the car was parked.

That place was so nice. They only parked the car there so Nian Xi could withdraw some cash, but in that place, he was kissed by her and she was willing to take responsibility for that.

He was feeling happy.

On the way, something else crossed Jiang Yuning’s mind. “Earlier, I felt I didn’t have a good reason to attend the party, but now I suddenly feel confident,” he said with a laugh.

“Why did you insist on going to the party with me then?” The corners of Nian Xi’s mouth twitched slightly.

“Because I’m jealous,” said Jiang Yuning in a weak voice. “I was afraid Feng Ji Chuan might steal you away from me.”

He seemed to genuinely care a lot about her. Hearing his words gave Nian Xi a warm feeling inside.

It turned out he was not some silly boy who knew nothing else but stepping back and giving up. He knew how to fight for what he wanted.

She liked being a queen, but sometimes she liked being a princess.

…

After arriving at the parking lot of the restaurant, Nian Xi prepared the red envelope, then got out of the car. Jiang Yuning followed along next to her.

“Xi, are we together now?” he asked.

Nian Xi turned and peered into his confused eyes, unsure what to say.

“Didn’t I just say I’d be responsible for you now?”

Does he want me to ask him to be with me?

Enough! She would feel even more embarrassed if this discussion continued.

“Being responsible can have many different meanings.” Jiang Yuning scratched the back of his head and said, “For example, in TV dramas when a man says that to a woman, it means he probably wants to marry her. So what about us? Are we together, or are we getting married?”

“What kind of TV dramas are you watching?”

“The kind where the main male character gets drunk and sleeps with a female and in the morning says to her, ‘I’ll be responsible for you.'” Jiang Yuning answered the question honestly.

“I didn’t know you watched such cliched TV dramas.” Nian Xi was surprised. She recalled him fixing his eyes on the TV all the time when he was waiting for her at the police station. Was he watching TV?

“Occasionally,” said Jiang Yuning. “So… Are we? Getting married?”

“No!” Nian Xi almost laughed.

He was pretending to be weak and innocent, wasn’t he?

“I only kissed you. How can we get married because of a kiss? It’s not as if I’ve done something else with you.” Nian Xi poked his chest with her finger and said, “What you’re doing now is like bargaining for stolen goods.”

“Alright. So we’re not getting married. But why are you yelling at me?” Jiang Yuning complained, “I didn’t take the initiative to kiss you. I wanted to do that countless times, but I never let myself.”

“Alright. I lack self-control, okay?” Nian Xi felt like crying. “Also, don’t you hate talking? You’re talking a lot now. Isn’t your jaw tired?”

“Talking to other people is exhausting, but talking to you is like a sweet burden,” said Jiang Yuning smiling.

Nian Xi let that one go. Does he not like talking? He’s pretty good at it.

“Let’s go upstairs. Dinner’s almost ready,” she said. Sigh.

…