Belated Romance (Mu Tongrui)

With her face stuck to the man’s broad back, Jiahe shook her head.

It was not some harassment at the workplace.

The rotation of her head against his body put Xinghe’s mind at ease.

He curtly questioned, “Why are you holding me then?”

Jiahe looked up to the sky and drew a deep breath before mustering the courage to say, “You drove from the city all the way here on New Year’s Eve. Was it so you could share a few words and leave? That’s a waste of your gasoline…”

Waste of gasoline?

The comment tickled XInghe’s funny bones. What was going on in that mind of hers?

Was the subject of the matter about gasoline or him?

Still, he could not bear to pull away from her when her lean arms were wrapped around his waist.

Faced with his silence, Jiahe said, “You caught me off guard when you asked if I wanted to be with you. I… I need time to think about it.”

Xinghe pursed his lips and let go of her hand before entering the car.

Jiahe stood in a daze outside the car. As the car window rolled down, Xinghe stared solemnly at her and said, “You better give it a proper thought, and the clock starts now. Consider if I am someone you want to date.”

She nodded absent-mindedly, and Xinghe reversed out of the narrow road. Noticing that the girl stood frozen there, he drove over and cried, “Jiahe.”

“Huh?”

“I’m telling you right now that I never wanted to be your life coach. You either have me in or out of your life. Get it?”

Jiahe was tempted to snap back that he was already participating in her life as a life coach.

Still, judging by the unfriendly and grimacing look on Xinghe’s face, now was not the time or place to make the comment.

she was not silly. Jiahe did not consider Xinghe as a man to go out with before. Now that Xinghe made clear that

“Got it,” Jiahe replied.

finding her answer less than enthusiastic. “I didn’t

shouted at the top of her lungs, “Got

tone down a little because it occurred to her that her parents might have heard her upstairs. Jiahe put

Xinghe curled his lips.

cruised out of the neighborhood as Jiahe waved him away from her spot. She

Xinghe could see the girl watching him leave, and his frown

on the coat as the

window and looked at Jiahe as the latter leaned against the door and popped her head through the window. She said, “I forgot to tell you… Um… Happy New

my place. The least I can do is wish him a

Xinghe the reason for his presence at Qinghe

“Happy New

seen such a sly, gentle… and adorable side to

She was spellbound.

be rooted to the ground

clutched her chest. “Oh…

a question to think about? Jiahe

jacket close to her, Jiahe made her way back. Her cold fingers grazed her puckered

was pounding in her

parents asked where she had been, and she had no idea what excuse she

warm bed, Jiahe held her phone and wondered whether she should give Xinghe her

seem like

was a dreamboat.

fine with the heartthrob kissing and holding her without her consent, but the flirting also gave her butterflies

person in the groin if he were ugly and only slightly

right. Jiahe was a

the sheets to whine, “I’m such a loser… He got me

her mind now was to

a notification of