Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Mother Qin was in a good mood when she saw He Fang’s hand in her lap in a quiet and ladylike manner. “You young people chat. It’s time for me to buy groceries. He Fang, you’ll be staying for lunch, right?”
“Please don’t trouble yourself, auntie. I’ll leave after sitting for a bit.” He Fang hastily waved her hands.
“Do you two have anything on later?” Mother Qin looked at Qin Guanglin and asked.
“Huh?” Qin Guanglin was still thinking about how to steer the conversation back on the right track. He instinctively said, “Nothing much.”
“In that case, stay for lunch. You’re Lin’s friend. Please don’t be a stranger. It’s decided, then.” Mother Qin turned around and went to get her grocery basket.
When He Fang finished the glass of water in front of her, Mother Qin had just gone out with her basket in hand.
“Let’s go look at your studio.” Smiling, He Fang stood up and looked at Qin Guanglin.
“Over here.” Qin Guanglin stood up and casually glanced at his watch. It was not even eleven yet. What lunch?
“It has an artistic air.” He Fang walked in and looked all around. There were pieces of draft paper and brushes everywhere. The only area considered clean was the small area in front of the drawing board.
“Uh…” Qin Guanglin scratched his head. But He Fang’s movements did not cease. She bent down at the waist and tidied up the discarded drafts on the ground.
“Eh. I’ll clear it on my own when I’m free,” he said hastily. How could he be so shameless as to let someone else tidy the place up for him?
“Change the garbage bag.” She seemed so well-versed in her movements that it did not take her long to clear up one area. She had neatly categorized the discarded drafts, plain paper, and garbage used to experiment with colors. The crushed balls of paper had also been smoothed out and pressed at the bottom.
After some time, He Fang stood up and looked around again. “Whew… It looks so much more pleasing now.”
“Thank you.” Qin Guanglin had to admit that it was indeed much better than anything he could have done.
“Consider it my thanks for lunch.” He Fang walked out of the studio. “Which one is your room? Let me guess…”
“Eh?” Qin Guanglin’s eyes widened. Was she going to help him clean up his bedroom, too?
“This one, right?” He Fang squinted her eyes slightly and placed her hand on the door handle to one of the rooms. She turned her head to glance at Qin Guanglin before pushing the door open and entering.
Qin Guanglin followed her in a hurry. That was indeed his room. He definitely could not let her clean it up again.
A girl was running to her man’s house just to help him tidy up his bedroom. Was that even appropriate?!
He Fang went into the room. Contrary to what he had expected, she merely stood there and gazed around at the interior of the room. She then drew in a deep breath.
Was there a weird smell in the room? Qin Guanglin’s heart seized up. He quietly breathed in deeply. There was no smell at all. He opened the windows every day to ventilate his room.
“I’m tired,” He Fang said. She then bit her bottom lip lightly and turned to Qin Guanglin.
Without waiting for Qin Guanglin to respond, she took two steps forward and conveniently sprawled onto the bed.
“In that case, take a break.” Qin Guanglin touched his nose, feeling a little at a loss.
Lying on the bed, He Fang tilted her head gently before moving sideways to make some space. She then stretched her arm out and patted the bed. “Come here.”
“Why?” Qin Guanglin refused to go over.
“I will not eat you.” She rolled her eyes. “Look at your dark eye circles. Lie down for a bit.”
Qin Guanglin thought about it and realized she was right. It was his room and his bed. Why should he be afraid?
Moving slowly, he lay on the bed as well. He saw He Fang’s face the moment he turned his head.
He Fang closed her eyes and breathed in. Then, she opened her eyes again. “We’re sleeping on the same bed.”
“What?!” Qin Guanglin immediately sat up. “Don’t spout nonsense. Aren’t we just resting for a bit?”
“Why are you so flustered? This is your house, your room.” He Fang smiled slightly. “I won’t tease you anymore. Come here.”
Qin Guanglin refused. He kneeled at the end of the bed and looked at He Fang for a long time. After that, he said with hesitation, “Last night… Uh…”
“Oh, right.” He Fang’s eyes widened slightly. “You confessed to me the night before. I haven’t accepted it yet.”
“Yes, precisely… Hold on, when did I confess to you?” Qin Guanglin nearly fell into her trap and retorted a little angrily.
“You confessed to me in front of our dormitory and even kissed me after that.” After she had spoken so softly, He Fang buried her face in the blanket and kicked her feet twice.
For a moment, Qin Guanglin’s mind went blank. Did he misremember what had taken place the night before? Was he the one who had confessed?
He regained his bearings the next moment. How could he possibly remember such a thing wrongly?!
“You…” Qin Guanglin had only said one word when his rich relationship history kicked in at this moment. He had a Eureka moment and changed his words to say, “Fine then. Do you accept my confession?”
“You already kissed me…” He Fang looked down and mumbled.
“So…” He hesitated for a moment. “Are we dating now?”
He Fang looked up and pondered over it. Then, she looked at him, a hint of a smile appearing at her lip corners. “No. You have to confess again.”
Qin Guanglin kneeled at the end of the bed, turned his head, and looked at her. He no longer felt as troubled as before. “Sure.”
He adjusted his body squarely, looked at He Fang solemnly, and said, “I like you, He Fang. Let’s date.”
“Dong!”
The sound came from the couch in the living room. Both of them turned to look. When they went inside the room earlier, they did not close the door.
In the living room, Mother Qin had her grocery basket on one arm. Her other hand was massaging her leg as she shouted to herself, “Oh no. I’m old now. It’s not just my ears that can’t hear properly. My eyes can’t see well too. I keep bumping into things.”
Qin Guanglin’s face immediately turned red. He quickly got off the bed and closed the door. He then looked at He Fang.
He Fang lay on the bed with her hands covering her face, but her fingers were parted to reveal one of her eyes. She turned her head and peered at him. “I’m done for. Your mother heard you confess to me. If I disagree, I won’t be able to eat the lunch she prepared.”
“You did it on purpose.” He was a little frustrated.
He had always been a relatively normal man. Why did he even allow her to trick him?
“No. I didn’t know Auntie was back.”
“You did it deliberately!”
He Fang got up from the bed and slowly walked towards him.
“What are you trying to do?” For some reason, Qin Guanglin felt a little nervous.
“I want to go out.” He Fang stood in front of him and smiled while looking at him. “What did you think I was trying to do?”
“Oh.” Qin Guanglin stepped aside and opened the door. He was not planning to go out now.
“Well then, I’m going out,” He Fang said as she stood at the door.
Qin Guanglin felt that the way she was smiling carried some ill intentions. He was just about to speak when He Fang leaned over, stood on her tiptoes gently, and pecked his cheek.
His eyes widened immediately, but He Fang had already gone out.
“Auntie, let me help you.”
“No need, no need. Go rest up with Lin.”
“It’s alright. I often cook at home.”
“You know how to cook at such a young age? What a great young lady. Where’s your house?”
“He City. It’s not far from Luo City.”
“So you’re from He City. No wonder. Girls from He City are all skillful with their hands… Oh, let me do this. There’s blood everywhere. It’s too messy.”
“It’s no problem. Just wash it a bit.”
Qin Guanglin listened to the conversation outside. He stood on the spot and touched his face, feeling a little gloomy. Dating someone shouldn’t be like this, right? He was older than her by two whole years. Why did it feel as if an older woman was teasing a younger man?
He looked in the direction of the kitchen despondently before closing his door and collapsing onto the bed. He thought about what had gone wrong specifically.
Oh, why did this blanket smell a little fragrant?