“Umph—” Yan felt her vision going black as her lips were stolen by Han Qing. Unable to tell left from right in her dazed state, she subconsciously grabbed him by the collar with her hands while her entire body leaned against his limply.
An unknown amount of time passed before Han Qing released her. During their kiss, his hand had shifted from her lower jaw to the side of her face. Then, it turned into him holding her face in his hands as he kissed her tentatively. After that, the kiss deepened. When he released her, he traced his thumb from the sides of her soft face to the corner of her lips, then rubbed the sides of her lips lightly.
Ah! Her face flushed bright red. That kiss was way too passionate! Her gaze moved about wildly; she didn’t dare to look at him.
“Are you hungry now?”
She frantically nodded her head in response. “Yes!”
“Then, shall I bring you out to eat?”
“No, there’s no need…” She shook her head. “I need to go back to the shop. Can I take a rain check on that?” In truth, she wanted to go back so that she could continue folding her paper cranes. The gift she was preparing for him could not be delayed. If it dragged on for any longer, she was not going to finish it on time!
Not expecting the young lady to turn him down, he pinched her nose a little helplessly. “You don’t even have time for a meal?”
She felt awkward. While she was wondering how she ought to answer him, he gave a helpless sigh. “Then, let’s eat together on another day. Why don’t I send you back?”
“It’s okay, I’ll go back on my own! I’ll be very quick!” Afterward, she released herself from his embrace and waved at him after running some distance away. “Go back to work! I’ll be fine going back on my own!”
The young lady stood waving at him from afar. Looking at her energetic appearance, the corners of Han Qing’s mouth unwittingly lifted. Then, he raised his hand and waved back at her. “Take care.”
“Okay!” After receiving his approval, she went into the elevator feeling relieved.
Yan was just getting out of the elevator after reaching the bottom floor when she ran into Xu Yanwan. Xu Yanwan was standing in front of the elevator in a daze. Her eyes were blank and she looked like she didn’t know where to go—so much so that she did not even notice Yan as she exited the elevator. On the other hand, Yan had noticed her. Due to the rapport they built up at the hospital, she took the initiative to greet her.
Xu Yanwan came back to her senses when she heard a voice. Then, she became a little lost and confused at the sight of Yan’s bright smiling face. However, that feeling only lasted for a brief moment. Then, the pupils of her eyes shrank suddenly as she stared at Yan in disbelief. At the moment, Yan’s current appearance was stunningly beautiful; her lips were rosy while her gaze was warm and gentle. While I was dazedly taking the elevator for God knows how many times, they were upstairs kissing…
Then, Xu Yanwan felt wave after wave of dull pain stabbing her heart like a rain of arrows. It only took a split second for all the blood in her face to drain away. She also lost her balance and nearly fell headlong toward the floor.
“Huh?” When Yan stepped out of the elevator, she had seen Xu Yanwan looking like she was in a daze, thinking about something. Now, her face paled suddenly and her body fell forward. Thus, Yan subconsciously brought her hands up to support her. “Are you okay? Your complexion is terrible. Are you feeling unwell again?”
Then, she helped Xu Yanwan to a chair by the side and sat her down. Xu Yanwan rested for quite a long while before collecting herself. After that, she forced out a faltering smile in Yan’s direction. Her smile looked worse than a crying expression. “Thank you. You’ve helped me again.”
Yan felt embarrassed listening to her words. She didn’t know why, but every time they met, she would end up coincidentally giving Xu Yanwan a hand. “It’s nothing. Your body is too weak. Why don’t you take a few days off to rest?”
“I’m fine.” Xu Yanwan shook her head, then emotionlessly continued, “I was just slightly anemic; it’s not a big deal.”
Yan looked at the time, then realized that she had slept through the afternoon. To think she had slept the entire afternoon away. She had to rush back to finish up her project as soon as possible. However, she couldn’t bring herself to leave Xu Yanwan alone while she looked like that. Thus, she asked, “It’s not long until you get off work, right? Do you want me to send you home?”
Xu Yanwan shook her head, then looked at her and said, “I think I wasn’t feeling well just now because I’m hungry. If you want to send me home, why don’t I treat you to a meal instead?”
“Huh?” Yan tilted her head to the side. I guess I won’t be able to get out of eating a meal today, huh? It was Han Qing before, and now it’s Xu Yanwan.
“Before this, you constantly visited me in the hospital and delivered food to me. I am very grateful for that. Besides, you’ve helped me out twice now. I want to treat you to a meal as thanks, but I don’t know if you’re willing to accept. Oh, right. I’m a little strapped for cash currently. So, I can only treat you to a normal meal. I’m afraid I can’t afford a big spread for the time being.”
Since the other party had already put it that way, she felt that it would be bad if she refused the offer. Besides, she really could not help but worry if she left Xu Yanwan alone. Thus, she agreed, “Sure, it’s no problem. I can eat anything. Why don’t I treat you to a meal instead?”
“No, I should be treating you since you’ve helped me out so much.”
Yan studied the other party’s determined gaze and decided that she would not be able to win against her. Thus, she nodded. “Okay then. Something simple will be enough.” Since learning about Xu Yanwan’s background from Han Qing, Yan assumed that her current financial situation should be rather tight. Even so, she was adamant about treating Yan to a meal, indicating that her ego was large. Therefore, Yan decided to eat something at a roadside stall. She wanted to help Xu Yanwan save some money, hoping that she could live a life without stress.
Xu Yanwan was dumbstruck when she heard Yan suggesting that they ate some barbeque at a roadside stall. Then, she glanced sideways at the girl smiling in front of her. “Are you trying to help me save money? Don’t worry; I have enough to treat you to a meal. So, you don’t need to help me save money.”
“But…”
“If you won’t even accept this, then it will be too insincere of me to even bother treating you to this meal.”
In the end, they went into a restaurant. While Yan was studying the menu, Xu Yanwan reminded her lightly, “Order whatever you want; you don’t need to hold back for my sake.”
Although the other party said so, Yan considerately ordered two dishes, then handed the menu to Xu Yanwan. “I’m done ordering. What about you?”
Xu Yanwan took the menu, glanced over it, and casually ordered two dishes. Then, she ordered a few more. Yan opened her mouth to speak, but decided to say nothing instead. Forget it; she is trying to show her sincerity. I can’t keep rejecting it.
After ordering, Xu Yanwan looked at Yan’s red lips and suppressed the pain in her heart. “By the way, you seem to visit Han Qing at the office every day.”
“Yeah.” Yan nodded. “He’s too busy with work and tends to neglect his health. So, when I have the time, I will bring some soup for him.”
“I see.” Xu Yanwan nodded understandingly. “He is very serious when it comes to work. Once he focuses on it, he will even forget to eat. He sure is blessed to have a caring girlfriend like you.” After that, she stared at Yan as she continued, “I noticed that your complexion isn’t as good as the last time I met you. You have very dark circles under your eyes. Is something the matter?”
