“Hah! How ridiculous! I’ve only known you for such a short time, yet you already know what kind of person I am? Do you even know what I like to eat or drink, or what my horoscope is, or when my birthday is? You don’t know any of that! So, how can you tell what kind of person I am? What are you basing your opinions on? I have the final say on what kind of person I am.”
Xiao Su drove quietly without interrupting her. On the other hand, Jiang Xiaobai was on an unstoppable rant. “Are you listening to me? Is your mother putting pressure on you? You had nothing to say this afternoon, so why are you looking for me tonight? Let me tell you; I don’t need you to take responsibility! Do you understand? Are you listening to me?! Xiao Su! You b*stard! I don’t want to go back! That’s your house; not mine! Stop the car!”
No matter how she screamed along the way, he acted as if he heard nothing. It continued until the car stopped below his house. Then, she angrily undid the seatbelt, opened the door, and left. However, she had taken no more than a few steps before Xiao Su caught up to her. He stopped her and said with a calm expression, “Let’s go up—unless you want to be surrounded by onlookers.”
Crossing her arms before her, she sneered, “Are you threatening me? Do you think I, Jiang Xiaobai, am afraid of onlookers? Let me tell you; I’m not scared of them! Do you want to bring out a loudspeaker? It doesn’t change anything; I can still make it clear to you right here!”
In the face of her current actions, he felt a headache coming on. She is so hard to deal with. Looking at her lips that had been flapping non-stop since getting into the car until now, he didn’t know what spurred him on. Then, he suddenly took several steps forward and closed in on her. She was still talking when she noticed that danger was approaching. Thus, she widened her eyes vigilantly. “W-What are you doing?” She reached her hands up in front of her to block him, but he caught her wrists, leaned over, and tilted his head to kiss her.
“Umph.” Jiang Xiaobai was in shock. When their lips touched, she felt a surge of electricity flowing between them, causing her limbs and her brain to go numb. Then, she gradually blanked out. Why did he kiss me suddenly? What does he mean by this? She snapped back to her senses and pushed him away angrily. However, he grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace, pressing her face against his warm chest.
“You’re right,” Xiao Su said; his voice sounded a little gruff. “Everything you mentioned just now, I don’t know any of it. But, I can start truly getting to know you from now on.”
She dazedly remained in his embrace as she tilted her head back. His warmth and his breath remained on her lips. Then, she realized that her heart was beating fiercely. What does he mean? Blinking, she subconsciously asked, “Get to know me from now on? Then, the woman you like…” If she could, she would never have mentioned this. She didn’t know when it began, but it started to bother her greatly.
“Give me some time.” He pursed his thin lips and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his gaze was determined. “Give me a little more time. But, I can assure you that I will never involve myself with another woman besides you. So, you can rest easy if you stay with me.”
No matter how he put it, he was still unable to let go of the woman in his heart. Well, asking him to get over a woman he had loved with all his heart in such a short period was an impossible task, to begin with. If he loved so deeply, yet could let go of his love easily, he would be nothing more than a fickle man with shallow emotions.
She bit on her lower lip and resentfully muttered, “Do you think that’s fair toward me? You have somebody else in your heart, but I don’t. If we start a relationship like this… even if I give you time, can you be sure that you will let go of your feelings? What if you can’t get over it for the rest of your life? Marriage is not a game. I can’t choose a path that will make me miserable all because of one night of lust. For me, spiritual compatibility is more important. The physical aspect doesn’t bother me. Please, let go of me.”
Xiao Su, who was hugging her, froze for a moment, then his hand gradually loosened slightly. Just as she thought he was going to let go, he tightened his arms around her again. “Won’t you give it a try?”
Give it a try? Can I? Jiang Xiaobai secretly asked herself in her heart. She honestly wanted to give it a go, but she couldn’t quite overcome the hurdle in her heart. I think I might have fallen for Xiao Su a little.
“If marriage is impossible, we can take a step back. Why don’t we try dating first?”
Dating? This excuse worked along with the principle of ‘one step backward, two steps forward’. Fortunately, in this situation, it was the perfect excuse. She found that she was very much against the idea of marriage. However, when he stepped back and suggested they started dating, she realized that she was not against this idea. Marriage is impossible, but if it’s dating… I’m not repulsed by the idea. Perhaps, we can actually give it a go.
He felt her loosening up. With that, he knew he had made the right move—she was starting to be convinced. “If it’s just dating, you can break it off at any time. If you think we are incompatible, you can leave. On the other hand, if you think we work well as a couple, we can consider taking the relationship to the next stage when the time is right.”
She lightly pushed back against him and pursed her lips. Then, she asked, “Can you promise me something?”
“What?”
“When I say stop, you will not try to hold me back. When I want to break off the relationship, you can’t coerce me into doing something or the other—like what you did today.”
He swiftly agreed, “Sure. However, you can’t willfully decide to break it off. I’m dating you with marriage in mind.”
Thus, she sullenly agreed, “Okay. As long as you don’t make any major deal breakers; I’ll give you two months. After two months, if you are still unable to work through your feelings, we’ll break up.”
For now, they had managed to put a label on their relationship. Before, while they were discussing this topic, Xiao Su had been proactive about it. However, now that things were settled, he became passive again as he stood there blankly. Then, Jiang Xiaobai noticed that his ears were red again. Even so, the expression on his face was taut. Based on his expression, it was hard to guess what he was feeling inside. However, one glance at his ears told her that he was feeling shy right now.
“Your ears are red again.” She looked at him mischievously.
When he heard those words, his gaze wavered slightly and his ears blushed harder. Seeing that, she couldn’t help but reach out her hands to touch it. Unfortunately, before she could touch it, he caught her wrists. Thus, she looked at him discontentedly. “Are we in a relationship now?”
He paused; the color in his ears darkened further. Then, he nodded. “Yes.”
“So why aren’t you letting go?” She pointed at his hand. “Is there something wrong with your girlfriend touching you a little?”
“Uh.” He was beyond embarrassed. However, when he saw her pouting her lips as if she was about to get angry, he let go of her hands.
Once her hands were free, Jiang Xiaobai immediately reached out and grabbed his ears. At that moment, Xiao Su’s facial features became indescribable. On the other hand, she was secretly ecstatic about it. Before this, you refused to let me touch your ears. Now, you’ve willingly served yourself up on a platter. Finally, I can touch them all I like!
