Song Fengwan felt her scalp tingle from Qiao Xiyanâs gaze. She gripped her chopsticks tightly and ate a piece of sweet and sour lotus root for more than a minute.
âCousin, donât look at me like that. I just want to help Big Sister Tang vent her anger...â Song Fengwan muttered. Her voice was muffled and became lower and lower.
âI watched you grow up. Iâve always thought that youâre a well-behaved, sensible, and upright child...â Qiao Xiyan fiddled with his lighter.
âHavenât I always been well-behaved?â she said. Qiao Xiyanâs expression was too strange. It was as if he didnât know her.
âYour base is crooked...â
Song Fengwanâs face slowly flushed red. She would feel embarrassed no matter what if her biological cousin said that she was bad inside.
âBut itâs not completely bad yet...â Qiao Xiyan lowered his head and ate.
âHmm?â
âYou know how to blush, and you still feel embarrassed and ashamed.â
Song Fengwan clenched her chopsticks tightly. If he wasnât her cousin, she really wanted to kick him.
When are you going to find me a sister-in-law like this? Iâm so worried. Is he still going to be a lonely old man after I get married and have children with Third Brother? That would be too tragic. âYouâre not going to class these days, are you?â Qiao Xiyan suddenly changed the topic.
âYes, the art school uniformly applied for leave.â
âIn that case, stay in the hotel and take care of her. Itâs not convenient for me to stay with her.â
âHer?â Song Fengwan put down her chopsticks and looked at him seriously. âCousin, the two of you have been together for so long. Big Sister Tang keeps calling you senior brother. Even if you donât call her name, you can call her junior sister. Her? What kind of address is this?â
Qiao Xiyan didnât say anything.
âNo wonder Big Sister Tang would rather go to the museum to take pictures with someone else than be with you. Youâre too disrespectful to her. If it were me, I wouldnât even want to play with you.
âYouâre already so familiar with each other. Is there a need to be so distant?!â
Qiao Xiyan glanced at her. âIf you donât want to eat, go back to your dorm to pack.â
âIâm not full yet.â Song Fengwan was really hungry after a busy day. Youâre so angry from embarrassment that you donât want to let me eat?
***
When Qiao Xiyan returned to his room, Tang Jingci was still lying on the bed. But her eyelashes were fluttering, and she was obviously not asleep. âSince youâre awake, get up and eat.â
Tang Jingci didnât dare to open her eyes at all. She didnât know how to pretend to be blind. As long as she opened her eyes, she would definitely look timid, so she just kept them closed tightly. âIs the light dazzling?â Qiao Xiyan saw that her eyelashes kept flickering, and she seemed very uncomfortable. Tang Jingciâs eyes could see, but things were blurry. Perhaps the light source was swaying, making her feel uncomfortable. âYes.â At this moment, she could only agree to whatever Qiao Xiyan said.
Qiao Xiyan looked around and found his sunglasses in his luggage. As soon as he reached his hand over, Tang Jingci was so frightened that she retreated and pressed her back against the head of the bed.
âDonât be afraid. Itâs just sunglasses.â Qiao Xiyan knew that she definitely felt insecure at a time like this. His tone was very gentle when he spoke to her.
She could feel the sunglasses on her face. His fingers slid gently across the sides of her face, pushing aside a bit of hair caught between them.
âEat. Have some soup first. I brought you a straw.â Qiao Xiyan passed the soup bowl over and held her hand to grab the straw.
At this moment, Tang Jingciâs eyes were completely open. She could clearly see that the person in front of her was very close to her, and his hand was wrapping around hers...
It was broad and warm.
Her heart was pounding so hard that it was about to squeeze out of her throat.
âI still think itâs inconvenient...â Qiao Xiyan looked at her in a daze. âShould I feed you?â
â...â Tang Jingci really couldnât see before. Now, she didnât dare to move at all. She wanted to tell him that she could see, but her throat seemed to be blocked by something, and she didnât know how to say it.
Qiao Xiyan was already used to her behavior. He grabbed a spoon and fed her soup. When the soup spoon reached her mouth, Tang Jingci could only open her mouth obediently...
âYour face is still very red. Are you sure you donât have a fever?â Qiao Xiyan had smoked while waiting for the food. When he spoke now, there was a faint tobacco smell, refreshing and smokily pungent.
âNo...â
âBut when you talk, your breath... itâs very hot.â
Tang Jingci was sitting on the bed and twisting the blanket with both hands, suddenly not knowing what to say.
âYou...â Qiao Xiyan saw that she had her head lowered and thought that she couldnât see. She must have been forcing a smile during the day. Now that she felt uncomfortable, his tone became even gentler.
After all, sheâs younger than me and also a girl, so I have to be more tolerant.