The hotpot restaurant was full of noise and smoke.

Xu Yuanfei seemed to be unable to hear anything in the outside world at all. Her heart was full of him, and her palpitating heart seemed to be out of control, beating violently and fiercely.

The two of them remained in the same position.

He protected and confined her while she stood in his shadow, making her look even smaller.

Jing Hanchuan’s back was against the light, and his entire face was in the dark. It was a little blurry, but the darkness seemed to be a perfect match for this man, and it could infinitely magnify some sense of danger.

At this moment, people passed by from time to time. Some people even brushed past Jing Hanchuan’s clothes. Xu Yuanfei saw a few people swarming over and thought that they would bump into him.

Her hands suddenly grabbed his coat at his waist tightly and pulled him an inch closer to her.

The distance between the two of them was very close.

Even his steady and strong heartbeat was close to her ear, hitting her eardrums and chest.

“Are you worried about me?” His voice was hoarse and full of joy.

“I’m worried someone will bump into you.” Xu Yuanfei had complicated feelings at this moment. All kinds of emotions were surging into her heart, as if a hundred claws were scratching it. She didn’t know how to face him, and her heart trembled as she spoke.

She even thought that Jing Hanchuan would be angry after her identity was exposed and that they might break up.

The two of them had just established their relationship, so everything was very fragile. They really couldn’t tolerate the slightest bit of wind and rain.

“Your hand…” Jing Hanchuan chuckled. “Why is it so hot?”

Xu Yuanfei’s fingers were still on his waist. Although it was winter, the heating in the room was sufficient, so no one was wearing much. Through the thin fabric, her hands felt moist and hot…

It was so hot that his waist felt a little numb.

“Can we talk somewhere else?” His low and mellow voice had a lingering end.

Even if she knew that there was a bottomless abyss in front of her, Xu Yuanfei would probably jump down willingly. “Mm.”

This wasn’t a good place to talk.

…

Just as Xu Yuanfei nodded, someone gently held her fingers and pulled her through the other side to the third floor. The hotpot restaurant had a total of three floors, and the third floor was full of private rooms. As the voices disappeared, her heart started pounding again.

Her breathing was chaotic.

“My brother is still downstairs.” Xu Yuanfei was worried that she would arouse suspicion if she left for too long.

“Just a few words. I want to be alone with you for a while.”

She had a lot of meat on her hands, so Jing Hanchuan always subconsciously wanted to knead them.

It made her blush even more.

“Stop pinching me.”

Xu Yuanfei had inherited her hands from her grandmother. They were meaty, and she couldn’t do anything about it.

Jing Hanchuan smiled and held her hand as they continued upstairs. “I remember you didn’t look like this.”

“Do you still remember me when I was a child?”

Xu Yuanfei had actually seen him many times. He was handsome, tall, and had a distant aura. He was different from ordinary people and always stood alone.

Moreover, her mother liked Jing Hanchuan a lot. She always said that he was good-looking and outstanding, making Xu Yuanfei subconsciously want to look for him every time.

She kept sneaking glances at him.

It had actually become a habit.

But the only time he spoke to her was when he had smashed her head.

“You were a little dark when you were young.”

Just now, Xu Yuanfei was still hoping that he would say something romantic. After all, when thinking about childhood memories, it would definitely be a little romantic. Who knew that he would say this?

The shyness in her heart instantly dissipated. She bit her lip, feeling a little annoyed.

“I was in the countryside at the time. My grandpa’s backyard is full of mountains and rivers. I played outside crazily in the summer, so I got tanned.” How could a half-grown child know how to protect her skin from the sun? “I was a little wild when I was young.”

In the countryside, they were all let loose. They went out to pick wildflowers or went to the river to fish for tadpoles. They didn’t even wear hats and ran around in shorts and a T-shirt without any sunscreen. It would be abnormal if they didn’t get tanned.

“Hmm.” He smiled.

Xu Yuanfei was a little annoyed. She didn’t expect the impression she gave him to be…

A little dark girl?

On the way to the private room, there were very few people. There was only the sound of their footsteps, and the clamor outside seemed to be isolated.

“Sir, Miss, this way, please.” The waiter led the two of them to a four-person private room. The space wasn’t big, but the soundproofing was good, so it was very quiet.

The waiter handed them the menu and left.

Jing Hanchuan picked up the teapot and poured her a cup of barley tea. The sound of tea flowing slowly…

When the teacup was full, he said in a low voice, “But when you were young…

“You were still very beautiful.

“I looked carefully.

“And you were very strong…”

Xu Yuanfei’s heart skipped a beat. Then a certain someone said something that was enough to make her soul leave her body.

“I thought you were very special and liked you a lot.”

It felt as if an electric current was flowing gently through her back and arms, making her feel numb all over…

The blood in her entire body started screaming, making her face flush red.

If the Jing family members were at the side, they would definitely be flustered. Why did Sixth Master suddenly change his mind?

Wasn’t this too titillating?

These sweet nothings made her almost have a heart attack.

It was against the rules.

Jing Hanchuan poured himself a cup of tea and lowered his head to take a sip.

Actually, he had an extremely vague impression of everyone when he was a child. It was just that he had grown up with Fu Chen and the others, so he couldn’t remember many things about others. But if they were likable, he would definitely remember them.

After all, his father was such a person. No matter how many pleasant words he said to please her, his mother would still smile from ear to ear.

He had been influenced by them since he was a child, so he had always known how to say sweet nothings.

“How about some hotpot?” Jing Hanchuan suddenly asked.

“You want to order something to eat?” Xu Yuanfei thought that the two of them were just here to talk.

“I haven’t eaten yet.” His tone was very calm, but there was always a hint of grievance. “You said that you were taking the train back from the countryside, so I went to the train station to wait for you until it was dark. Then I came to find you. I’m a little hungry now.”

Xu Yuanfei felt a little guilty toward him. When she heard that he had waited for her, her heart felt sweet and bitter. “Okay, let’s eat.”

“Are you accompanying me?” His tone was very calm, making her heart palpitate.

Yes!

At this moment, even if Jing Hanchuan instigated her to tell him her Alipay password or bank card password, she wouldn’t hesitate.

“I’ll eat with you.” How could Xu Yuanfei still remember that she had a younger brother downstairs?

“What do you like to eat?” Jing Hanchuan pushed the tablet to her. “You didn’t eat much tonight, did you?”

Xu Yuanfei scanned the menu casually. “When did you arrive?”

“A while ago.”

“When you didn’t reply to my message, I thought you were angry,” Xu Yuanfei muttered softly. “Who knew you would come look for me directly?”

“Are you angry that I investigated you without permission?”

The Jing family had the resources and methods. But unless it was a special situation, they really wouldn’t casually investigate a person’s family background. If someone found out about this, anyone would inevitably feel uncomfortable.

“No.”

Xu Yuanfei originally wanted to find time to confess to him, but she couldn’t find a suitable opportunity. She was worried that Jing Hanchuan would think that he had been deceived.

“I just wanted to see you.” Jing Hanchuan successfully made her blush again. “I missed you.”

The tea in Xu Yuanfei’s cup was already slightly cold, but her palm was very hot.

What’s with this man tonight? He’s unbelievably smooth.

How can he be so flirtatious like this?

She really wanted to tear her heart out for him.

“I wanted to be honest with you before, but I didn’t say anything because I was afraid you would be angry. I’ve been quite nervous.” Xu Yuanfei bit her lip. “If you had known that I was a member of the Xu family, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have even started.”

There was a barrier between the two families, so they would pay slightly more attention to avoiding each other. Often, places with the Jing family wouldn’t have the Xu family.

Fu Sinian’s marriage broke this situation.

After all, both families had to give Old Master Fu face.

Jing Hanchuan’s fingers tapped the table lightly. “Can I assume that you deliberately approached me?”

Xu Yuanfei’s pupils trembled slightly.

She felt him seem to get closer.

“Xu Yuanfei…”

“Huh?” She could feel her throat trembling.

“Did you like me long ago?”

Xu Yuanfei picked up the cup and took a sip of the slightly cold tea.

Cold water rolled into her throat, but her heart was still warm.

***

At this moment, Xu Yao and his group had ordered some mutton slices and two pitchers of beer. They were drinking heartily and didn’t notice how long Xu Yuanfei had disappeared.

At this moment, the Jing family members were still sitting at Jing Hanchuan’s table and counting the time with their heads lowered.

The two of them had already disappeared for more than half an hour.

His sister had been missing for so long, yet Xu Yao still had the mood to eat here. He was really large-hearted.

If Xu Yuanfei was kidnapped, he would hold half the responsibility.