Are You Allergic To Romance? - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Do You Want to Hit on Her?

The voice of the person in front of her was highly recognizable.

Arrogant, bright, and bold, even deliberately marked by an upward lilt at the end of the words.

“You…”

Jing Yuan stammered out one word. She was utterly surprised why Miss Xie Mianzhi would be here, suddenly appearing before her.

Shouldn’t the other party have already left? How could she…

Xie Mianzhi tilted her head. Her long, wavy hair fell down, swaying romantically with her mood. Standing under the store’s awning, she casually closed her umbrella.

Looking at the clearly astonished expression of the little savior, she asked with an amusing counter-question: “What, you don’t recognize me so soon?”

“No.” Jing Yuan blinked, immediately denying it.

Xie Mianzhi smoothed her hair, thinking that this person did indeed answer her in such a dazed manner. She looked down and saw that her shoe buckle was a little loose. She habitually handed the umbrella to the person next to her.

Jing Yuan was momentarily stunned, then took it from her. As Xie Mianzhi bent down, Jing Yuan subtly stepped in front of her.

After Xie Mianzhi finished fixing her shoe buckle, she realized she had naturally handed the umbrella to Jing Yuan. She smiled, took it back into her hand, and looked at Jing Yuan: “Don’t you get off work at nine-thirty?”

Jing Yuan nodded woodenly. To be honest, she was still a little slow to react to Xie Mianzhi’s presence here.

“Mm, so ten more minutes. I’ll wait for you.” Xie Mianzhi glanced at her wristwatch, then looked at the other party’s fair face. She wondered if Jing Yuan was stunned by her sudden arrival. She looked so unapproachable, yet her reactions were quite cute.

Give her something, she takes it.

Ask her something, she answers it.

“You’ll wait for me?” Jing Yuan was puzzled.

“Mm, wait for you so we can leave together.” Xie Mianzhi answered the rare question the other party threw out, turned, and walked into the store to check out the merchandise sold there.

Little Jing Yuan’s workplace.

She hadn’t expected the store to be quite large.

Seeing the arrival of this Miss Xie, and after confirming that the other party didn’t seem to be joking, Jing Yuan could only calm herself down and follow her into the store. Heaven knew her heart was pounding when she ran into Miss Xie under the awning, and not just from shock.

She was even a little unexpectedly excited, though she didn’t know why she was excited.

Heart thumping.

She watched Xie Mianzhi seemingly observe the store environment and could only politely ask: “Do you need anything?”

She thought Xie Mianzhi needed to buy something.

“It’s alright, I’m just looking around. You go about your business or get ready.”

Xie Mianzhi smiled lightly and waved her hand, indicating that Jing Yuan shouldn’t mind her. A few more minutes. Since there were no other customers on this rainy day, she should hurry to the locker room and change her clothes, little darling Jing Yuan.

Jing Yuan had no choice but to leave Xie Mianzhi in the store and walk to the employee lounge to change out of her work uniform.

Taking advantage of little Jing Yuan’s absence, Xie Mianzhi’s expression changed from the affectionate and friendly look she had just moments ago. She now gave the other store clerk a cold, half-smile.

This young man, who looked quite decent, was likely the type of guy young girls liked.

She had seen him reaching out to put his hand on Jing Yuan’s shoulder earlier. If she wasn’t mistaken, this person must like Jing Yuan.

Hmm… so the little savior is quite popular.

A little displeased.

Xie Mianzhi’s unconcealed gaze made Xu Xin a little flustered. After all, it was his first time being so overtly stared at by such a beautiful woman.

And one who looked very expensive.

Xie Mianzhi picked up the lychee-flavored lollipop nearby, then selected a box of relatively high-end slim cigarettes and walked to the counter, handing them to the man as a signal to check out.

Xu Xin gave her a professional smile, picked up her items, and began to scan them.

“Hello, that’s 128 yuan in total.”

Xie Mianzhi took out her wallet to pay. As the other party took the money, she suddenly asked, “Do you want to hit on her?”

“Eh?” Xu Xin almost dropped the money when he heard the woman in front of him ask such a direct question.

Xie Mianzhi raised an eyebrow, staring at him.

Xu Xin felt a chill under her gaze. She seemed to be smiling at him, but he felt a sense of… hostility.

Is this woman Jing Yuan’s friend? They seem to know each other, but Jing Yuan never mentioned her during her time working here. Are they just ordinary friends?

To be honest, Xu Xin had never seen a surprised expression on Jing Yuan’s face, but at the door earlier, when she saw this woman, her expression was genuinely astonished, and now she was even obediently following the other party’s command to change her uniform.

Thinking of this, he felt slightly annoyed. He felt like his plan to escort her home tonight had been cut short.

“Guest, staring at me like that is a bit…” Xu Xin scratched his head, his expression awkward as he responded to the woman’s question.

“What, so you don’t dare to admit it?” Xie Mianzhi laughed and asked again after paying the money.

Xu Xin was at a loss, questioned by this woman who was sexy but difficult to deal with. He could only say that he didn’t understand: “I, I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

Xie Mianzhi’s eyes darkened when she heard the evasive answer, and she was about to speak again.

But she turned her head and found that Jing Yuan had finished changing and came out of the lounge.

She always wears black despite being young, and her expression is still so reserved. Fortunately, this child is only superficially unapproachable.

Jing Yuan saw Xie Mianzhi turn her head to look at her, walked over to her side, and looked at the items she was checking out.

Cigarettes and a lollipop.

That lollipop was the flavor she had handed to the other party last time, and it was also what she saw today that reminded her of the other party.

“You like this flavor,” Jing Yuan couldn’t help but murmur.

Xie Mianzhi immediately switched to a gentle expression, put away the cigarette box, unwrapped the candy, and put it in her mouth. “Mm, I told you before, I quite like this flavor.”

Jing Yuan listened, feeling that the other party genuinely liked it. She wondered if she should buy some more to give her? But, in what capacity? The owner of the house where she stayed overnight…?

“If you like it, I’ll buy some more…”

“Sure,” Xie Mianzhi agreed before Jing Yuan could finish speaking.

Jing Yuan didn’t expect the other party to agree without hesitation. She was surprised at first, then turned and walked towards the back storeroom.

“Hey? Where are you going?” Xie Mianzhi was quick to grab her, wondering if Jing Yuan hadn’t realized she was joking and was now angry.

Jing Yuan was held by Xie Mianzhi and answered honestly: “I’m going to the storeroom.”

“Storeroom?” Xie Mianzhi was confused.

“The storeroom has unopened boxes of candy. I’ll give them to you,” Jing Yuan said.

Xie Mianzhi laughed when she heard that. This person was actually preparing to give her a whole box of lollipops?

Truly adorable.

“Can employees give things away for free?”

“No, I can buy them for you,” Jing Yuan answered very honestly.

“Aiya, no need then. Eating too much sugar makes you fat. Or is it that your store can’t sell them and that’s why you’re giving them to me?” Xie Mianzhi waved her hand, indicating that a taste was enough for her.

Jing Yuan glanced at Xie Mianzhi. The other party had a great figure, and was even quite… she immediately brought her gaze back to a normal direction. “These are all new items, they aren’t not selling.”

“I was joking~”

“I know.”

Jing Yuan, of course, knew that Xie Mianzhi had seen the prominent ‘New Item’ label on the shelf, but she still explained seriously.

“Has anyone ever told you that being so serious is cute?” Xie Mianzhi walked to the side, shook her umbrella, moved closer to little Jing Yuan, and asked this little savior who was very stubborn about certain things.

‘Cute’

Jing Yuan leaned back due to the sudden proximity. She frowned, her ear tips red, and didn’t utter a sound.

This Miss Xie always says surprising things, even though they haven’t known each other for long.

Xie Mianzhi lowered her eyes and glanced at the male clerk who was still staring at them from the side.

She didn’t want that guy to hear their conversation, so she checked the time. It was exactly nine-thirty.

“So, can we go home now? I think the rain is getting heavier,” she asked with a smile.

Jing Yuan listened to Xie Mianzhi’s words, hesitated for a moment, and finally got into the car with the other party.

As she got into the car, Xie Mianzhi looked up at the young man in the store. His expression of unwillingness was palpable.

So, she responded to his grim face with the roar of the engine starting up.

…

The bold white sports car drove on the road in the rainy night.

The excellent sealing of the luxury car made the surroundings very quiet, even with the wind and rain outside.

Xie Mianzhi wasn’t driving fast, only about sixty miles per hour. She could feel the person in the passenger seat looking at her.

“Just say whatever you have to say,” Xie Mianzhi said, playing a song to put on some music.

When reminded by the other party, Jing Yuan immediately looked away. She actually didn’t know where to start; she had many questions.

“Why I suddenly came to your store to pick you up and take you home?” Xie Mianzhi probably guessed what Jing Yuan was thinking and asked the question for her.

Jing Yuan turned her head and looked at the other party again, nodding. “I thought you had already left.”

“Yes, I was planning to leave. My assistant came over to help me deal with some miscellaneous things, but I was thinking…” Xie Mianzhi said, slowly stopping the car under a street lamp.

She turned off the engine. Without the power of the engine, the car seemed quieter, as the song had just finished.

Xie Mianzhi turned her head, staring intently at Jing Yuan, the woman who made her feel something… well, maybe ‘feel something’ wasn’t accurate.

Okay, she couldn’t find the right word to describe it.

It was just… wanting to see her again, wanting to see her one more time, perhaps that was it.

“I was thinking I couldn’t just leave without saying goodbye properly. Although I’m not a person who is very focused on manners, you are my benefactor, after all. I should thank you in person, not just leave some gifts and walk away,” Xie Mianzhi said, using some habitual gestures as she spoke.

Jing Yuan listened silently. For some reason, her heart softened a lot when she heard Xie Mianzhi’s explanation.

To be honest, she didn’t care if the other party was mannerly toward her. She could fully understand that Xie Mianzhi would leave; it was an inevitability that should have happened.

However, when she saw Xie Mianzhi appear at the store entrance, she was inexplicably delighted for a long time.

Even she couldn’t explain it herself.

“Driving you home is also a way to repay your kindness. I wouldn’t want the good-hearted little savior to walk home in the rain.” And I certainly don’t want someone else to drive you.

Xie Mianzhi spoke in a light tone. Of course, she didn’t say the last sentence aloud.

Jing Yuan was a little helpless. Was ‘little savior’ referring to her?

She wasn’t that kind.

“I understand,” Jing Yuan listened quietly, then responded gently to Xie Mianzhi. But she looked at the time. It was already late at night. Was Miss Xie planning to drop her off and then leave, or did she have other plans? “So what happens now? Are you planning to…”

“How about staying one more night? Driving back and forth is tiring. I have money now, enough to stay another night. May I stay one more night?”