Endless Fall

102 Can You Like Me a Little More?

“There’s something wrong with your nose.” Lin Jiao refused to admit that she was jealous and didn’t allow him to mention it.

Looking at that sulky face, Pei Zhi chuckled.

He asked, “Do you remember what day we were officially together?”

“August 12th. Have you forgotten?”

“No. I just want to reminisce.”

Seeing that he was immersed in his memories, Lin Jiao remembered how sweet they were at that time. “Even if you didn’t tell me your feelings, I would have done so sooner or later.”

Pei Zhi looked into her eyes.

Sometimes, he could not tell if her memories were mixed up or if she was really in love with him.

He pressed his forehead against hers, his voice like a cello being played by the moonlight. “Jiaojiao, can you like me a little more?”

He did not expect her to like him as much as he liked her.

He only hoped that she would not leave him easily.

“Of course.” Lin Jiao acutely sensed his uneasiness and tightened her grip on him.

She lifted her chin to kiss his eyelashes. “I’ll like you more every day than the day before.”

“What if you can’t?”

“Impossible!”

Pei Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Are you that sure?” He looked at her face under the sun and occasionally touched it with his fingertips.

Tickled by his caressing, Lin Jiao tilted her head. “Unless you flirt with someone behind my back, I can definitely do it.”

“Who can I flirt with?”

“Those women.”

Pei Zhi lifted her up on his knees and moved his palm down from the back of her head. “I don’t want any other women.”

“What if they pester you?”

“They can’t. I won’t give anyone a chance.”

The words “I won’t give anyone a chance” won Lin Jiao’s heart more than all the sweet nothings.

She smiled in satisfaction and returned to the Fang family villa with him.

“Jiaojiao, try this.” Fang Liu heard their voices and brought out the freshly baked cake.

While handing Lin Jiao a spoon, she did not forget to give one to Fang Yanwen.

Unfortunately, Fang Yanwen did not appreciate it at all.

“I’m very full. Forget it.” Perhaps it was because she was in a bad mood, but she didn’t even want to look at the cake.

Fang Liu caught the frustration in her eyes.

“Yanwen, what’s wrong with you today?” Ever since she came downstairs, she seemed to have changed into a different person and become strange.

Fang Yanwen found an excuse. “I’m on period.”

“Do you feel uncomfortable?”

“Not really.”

Afraid that she would feel uncomfortable later, Fang Liu stood up and said, “I’ll go make you a cup of brown sugar ginger tea.”

“Okay,” Fang Yanwen replied casually.

She opened Lin Jiao’s Moments again and asked in confusion, “Sister Jiao, why are your moments hidden?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I want to see your photo.”

Lin Jiao fed Pei Zhi a spoonful of cake and said calmly, “I rarely take selfies.”

“What about him?”

“Very little, too.”

“Then do you have photos with you two in it?” Fang Yanwen’s gaze stopped on his face.

“Yeah.”

“Send me a few?” She had already thought of what software to use to separate them from the photos.

“I’m afraid I can’t.” Lin Jiao pursed her lips and said in a low voice, “The photos we took are too personal to share.”

Fang Yanwen understood what she meant.

She dug her nails into her palms, disgust growing in her heart. “Are you living together?”

“Is that strange?”

“It doesn’t seem right to live together before marriage.”

“It’s not up to you to judge if it’s good or not.” Pei Zhi looked at her coldly.

A strong pressure came at Fang Yanwen. The moment she met his eyes, she felt a chill run down her spine.

She couldn’t figure out why his attitude could switch so quickly and utterly between her and Lin Jiao, but he didn’t seem to give her a chance to continue exploring him anymore.

“What are you talking about?” Lin Hongyuan walked to the living room in a pair of dark blue pajamas after taking a nap.

“We were talking about why you haven’t woken up yet.”

“Did I sleep long?”

Lin Jiao pushed the cake and teacup to him without even looking at Fang Yanwen. “It’s been almost two hours.”

“I’ll get sleepy easily when I drink.”

Lin Hongyuan played with the Bodhi bracelet.

When he fully woke up, he called Lin Jiao to take a walk in the courtyard. “Jiaojiao, how has your grandfather been recently?”

“Pretty good.”

“Is he still objecting to coming back to the city?”

“I didn’t ask about that.” Lin Jiao sat on the swing with him and swayed forth and back.

She turned to look at him. “Do you miss him?”

“Yes.” Lin Hongyuan lowered his voice. If one did not listen carefully, they would not be able to hear him.

He lowered his head and lit a cigarette. He looked at the flowers, his eyes sad, and said like a child, “I want to give him a birthday party.”

“It’s still far from December.”

“Not really. Two months will pass in a flash.”

Lin Jiao could tell what he was thinking.

She asked softly, “Do you want me to help you with that?”

Lin Hongyuan was silent for a long time. The white smoke coming out of his mouth covered his expression.

He sighed and said, “Your grandfather is getting old. I’m afraid if I lose this chance, I might never get it again.”

“You…”

“What?”

“I’m fine.” Lin Jiao swallowed the words in her throat.

She held his hand and said, “I’ll try my best to get you to meet him before December.”

“Are you confident?”

“Don’t you have faith in me?”

“I do.” He was just not confident that the old man would come.

Seeing that the worry on his face was still there, Lin Jiao pulled the swing rope and swung it forward.

When Lin Hongyuan, who suddenly lost gravity, heard the creaking sound, he stopped letting his mind wander about.

“Oh no.” Smelling something burning, he quickly patted the sparks off his pajamas. “My clothes are burnt.”

“I’m not the one who asked you to smoke.”

“Stop it now!”

“Don’t you know you can stop it by placing your foot on the ground?”

Lin Hongyuan was speechless.

Hearing the commotion outside the door, Fang Liu quickly went out to take a look and brought the father and daughter back to the living room with a smile.

The harmonious atmosphere lasted until evening.

The sound of bidding farewell was blown away by the wind. The black Mercedes parked outside the villa also drove off to the Red Maple Forest before nightfall.

Lin Jiao walked into his house again.

She collapsed on the sofa and looked at Pei Zhi, who was standing beside the central air conditioner. “Uncle, does your father want me to go and see him in the old mansion?”

“Yes, he said it before November.”

“Do you know what it’s about?”

Pei Zhi repeated what his father said to him at that time.

He turned up the AC in the room and slowly loosened the tie around his neck. “When do you plan to go back with me?”

“Next week.” Lin Jiao kicked away her slippers.

She hugged the pillow and thought of Lin Kanglu’s relationship with Pei Zhen. Her eyes lit up. “Your father should know a lot.”

“After all, they used to be comrades for fifteen years.” Pei Zhi threw the tie aside and poured her a glass of juice.

He walked to her side and ru