The first time was when he saw her mouth.
The second time was when he saw her legs.
The third time was in the office last time.
Today, it was even more absurdâ¦
âThree times and youâre out,â but this was already the fourth time recently.
Too close together!
And too strange!
Because all four times happened with the same woman.
This had never happened before.
Although he always prided himself on being flirtatious, Chu Xiuhuang admitted that he had never felt this way about any woman before.
He looked at the photo, his eyebrows furrowed.
He wanted to regain control of his mind, but he found he couldn t.
*
While someone was questioning himself in the hospital, the bonfire party at the
Phoenix Mountain Hot Springs was also beginning.
Because it was outdoors, and the clubâs halfway up a hill, there were no
buildings to block the wind.
The cold wind blew, making the air freezing. Not even the children and their parents, fully bundled up against the harsh cold, could ward it off.
Su Wanwan was also dressed in a thick down jacket, wearing a woolen hat and scarf. Only her eyes and nose were exposed, butâ¦
It was really so damn cold!
Within a short while, she felt her face was about to freeze solid.
If it werenât for accompanying Ziyang to watch his little girlfriend s performance, she really wanted to run back to the room, soak in the warm bath, and watch a wonderful American action movie!
Su Wanwan withdrew her hands into her down jacket sleeves and stuffed them into her pockets. She looked like a bear, but she was still shivering.
In contrast, Huo Jingshen, wearing only a long black coat, stood straight in the
cold wind, relaxed as if he wasnât cold at all.
Su Wanwan glanced at him.
Glanced at him.
After a while, she looked at him again.
Finally, Huo Jingshen turned his head and looked at her, âWhatâs wrong?â
Su Wanwan asked, âArenât you cold?â
Huo Jingshen raised his eyebrows, then stretched out his hand to start undoing
the buttons of his coat.
Su Wanwan was even more admiring.
Holy moly!
Not only was he not cold, but he was also unbuttoning his coat.
She considered herself to have a good physique, but she didnât expectâ¦
The next second, Huo Jingshen opened his coat and pulled her into his arms, wrapping her completely in his warmth.
Su Wanwan: ââ¦â
As her head rested on his warm chest, she could hear his steady heartbeat and
his deep mature voice, âIs it warmer now?â
Su Wanwan nodded with a smile.
The bonfire in the distance had already been lit, and the Christmas tree next to
it began to shimmer and twinkle under the light.
Amid the flickering lights, she couldnât help but looked up.
The manâs face changed between light and shadow in the flickering light, and because he was so tall, she had to lift her chin very high to clearly see his deep and three-dimensional eyes.
âMerry, Christmas!â someone suddenly shouted.
In the dark night sky, colorful fireworks suddenly exploded, one burst following another, crackling with a variety of colors, as if cracking in the bottom of her heart.
A stir in Su Wanwanâ s heart.
Huo Jingshenâs handsome brow also furrowed instantly.
Squinting again, he saw that Su Wanwan had buried her face back into his chest.
Not far away, a white figure silently stood, watching the scene for a long time before finally turning and leaving.
*
*
An hour later, due to the extreme cold and concerns about the little one catching a cold, the gift distribution ended, and the bonfire party was wrapped up ahead of schedule.
Just as Su Wanwan was following the crowd into the club, someone suddenly
tugged at her arm.
She turned around and was surprised to see Bai Ruwei.
Bai was in a white down jacket with long hair draping over her shoulders. She wore no makeup, looking pure and beautiful.
âWanwan, can I talk to you for a moment?â Bai Ruwei asked, then turned to Huo Jingshen standing next to her, âMr. Huo, I only need to talk with Wanwan for five minutes, is that okay?â
Huo Jingshen raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
The two found a corner to sit down in the sofa area on the first floor.
âWhat do you want to talk about?â
âWanwan, I really didnât steal anything,â Bai Ruwei said earnestly.
âI believe you.â
âDo you really believe me?â Bai Ruweiâs eyes welled up with tears, âWanwan, youâre the only one who believes me. But I swear to you, I didnât steal anything.
I didnât.â
With that, she started to cry again.
Su Wanwan said honestly, âMaybe itâs just an intuition, but I believe you didnât
steal anything.â
People who steal, like the maid Jiang that Mo Weiyi had previously, usually have a mentality of seeking petty gain. They are not like Bai Ruwei, who works hard every day to earn her living expenses.
Moreover, she had heard from two girls before that they all came together. If so, who would be stupid enough to steal from their companions and place it in their own bag?
âActually, they just wanted to frame me, make Zhexi dislike me and break up with me because Xia Jiani has always liked Zhexi.â
âAre you really with Zhexi?â
Bai Ruwei nodded, âI met Zhexi while working at the club. I accidentally spilled a drink on him. Any other man would have slapped me without a second thought, but he didnât. Later, every time he came, he would ask me to accompany him for drinks. Only after we got together did I realize he was Mr. Huoâs younger brother.â
After saying this, she looked at Su Wanwan, âWanwan, youâre not angry with
me, are you?â
âWhat do you mean?â
Bai Ruwei bit her lip, âI never intended to compete with you for anything. I had no idea that Zhexi was the third son of the Huo family. I just simply liked him. I didnât mean to hide anything from youâ¦â
âWhat exactly do you like about him?â
Su Wanwan blurted out.
She didnât think Huo Zhexi was a decent man at all.
With an outstanding elder brother like Huo Jingshen, and an honest and upright soldier brother like Huo Nuanyang, she found it strange how the Huo family could produce such an irresponsible third son.
Very soon he would be twenty-four but he still wasted his days away. He used to be good friends with Xing Yuyun, and they even shared a woman.
Moreover, it was obvious from what happened at noon today, Huo Zhexi didnât really care about Bai Ruwei. Perhaps he just saw her as an optional companion.
Of course, these thoughts were kept to herself. Bai Ruwei said, âThereâs no reason for love. Once you fall in love, you just do, I canât control my feelings.
Alright then.
Su Wanwan truly didnât know what to say anymore.
âWanwan.â Bai Ruwei spoke again, âSo, can you help me?
â Help you with what?â
âZhexi went home this afternoon, and no matter how I explain, he wonât listen. Can you help me explain to him? I truly didnât take Xia Jianiâs necklace. I havenât even seen the necklace, and I went to the restroom at that time. When I came back, they claimed to have found the necklace in my bag. It was clearly a deliberate setup to frame me!â
âHave you told Zhexi these things?â
âHe doesnât believe me.â
Su Wanwan helplessly said, âI canât meddle in your relationship matters. Plus, Zhexi doesnât really like me.â
She and Huo Zhexi never got along. Besides, misappropriating a necklace is a coupleâs issue, why should an outsider get involved? And she wasnât even there. Su Wanwan understood Bai Ruweiâs predicament but persuading others to believe by word of mouth alone seemed a bit forced, given she was just an outsider.
âAlright.â
Bai Ruwei gave a bitter smile.
Just as Su Wanwan was about to leave, Bai Ruweiâs voice rang out again, âIâll never forget what happened today, those two set me up for theft and intentionally embarrassed me. I wonât let them off!
Su Wanwan was startled. âWhat are you going to do?
Bai Ruwei glanced around then whispered, âThat Li Yu, sheâs a student from our schoolâs Chinese department.
She often messes around with men outside, especially at the club where I work.
Iâve seen her messing around with men in the bathroom. As long as I catch her red-handed next time, I can completely ruin her reputation!
As for that Xia Jiani, Li Yu is particularly nice to her. I heard her father is a high-ranking military officer, and both her grandparents are influential figures. For such families, the thing they fear most is scandal. As long as Iâ¦â