Are You Allergic To Romance? - Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Beg Me to Kiss You
“Cough—cough cough—”
The first thing to break the awkward silence was Jing Yuan’s choking cough from the milk. She saw the two people beside her looking at her simultaneously and felt a sudden sense of impropriety. She could only wipe her mouth with a tissue, then stood up, planning to do… do something to appear busy.
Perhaps it was something the homeowner should be replenishing, like squeezing another cup of blueberry milk for Xie Mianzhi, or washing some lychees.
In short, she felt she needed to escape this scene of being mistaken for a couple.
“I’ll go get you another one,” Jing Yuan said, using the excuse to leave and head inside the house.
“Hey, I haven’t finished mine,” Xie Mianzhi looked at the blueberry milk that was still half full in her hand, but before she could finish, Jing Yuan had hurried inside.
She had no choice but to gulp down several mouthfuls, meeting Grandma Shen’s expectant gaze that was waiting for their reply. Xie Mianzhi felt a little shy herself and had to use the cup to cool her flushed cheeks. She asked, “Grandma Shen, were you just joking when you said ‘lovers’?”
“How could this be a joke?” Grandma Shen moved closer to Xie Mianzhi with the air of an experienced elder. She thought she had already figured out half the truth. She quickly put on her reading glasses, which hung on a cord around her neck, and looked at Miss Xie very seriously. “Grandma is not rigid in her thinking. Who says lovers have to be a man and a woman? Isn’t it enough for two people who love each other to live together?”
Xie Mianzhi listened to Grandma Shen’s tone and instantly felt that this old woman was quite fashionable. Her mind was open, and she spoke plainly. She was rather endearing.
“Then why do you think Jing Yuan and I are lovers?” Xie Mianzhi tilted her head and asked in a low voice. She wasn’t in a hurry to deny it; instead, she wanted to hear Grandma Shen’s surprising view.
“To be honest, I’ve never seen anyone else at Jing Yuan’s house for so long. Jing Yuan has lived here for a while, and it’s always been just her. Since you’re not her sister, and she seems very attentive to you, the most important thing is that you have a destined connection! Grandma is a good judge of people.”
Grandma Shen pushed up her reading glasses and closely examined Xie Mianzhi’s face. Old people liked to read faces. Although Miss Xie looked a little fierce, she inexplicably felt that this girl and Jing Yuan were a perfect match.
Fierce and reserved, a match made in heaven.
So, in Grandma Shen’s eyes, she, Xie Mianzhi, and the Little Savior actually had the look of wives?
Xie Mianzhi listened to the misunderstanding and didn’t feel offended at all; she just found it very amusing. It was the first time in her life that someone had said she was in a romantic relationship with another woman.
What should she say?
Xie Mianzhi didn’t know how to explain what she was feeling inside.
“Well, Grandma, you’ve misjudged this time. Jing Yuan and I are not what you think. Uh… I’m just temporarily staying at her house. Jing Yuan helped me on the road and provided accommodation. We should be considered friends,” Xie Mianzhi kindly explained to the old woman.
“Ah, really?” Grandma Shen listened and took off her reading glasses, feeling a little embarrassed about her confident assertion earlier. However, she truly felt that this Miss Xie and Jing Yuan were meant to be.
“Friends are good too. Jing Yuan is a really excellent child. Don’t let her quiet demeanor fool you; she’s very dependable. She clearly hates to part with Golden Bean and Yuan Bao, even though she talks about sending them away. Look how well-fed and round they are! A sharp tongue but a soft heart, and she’s highly educated.”
“Grandma Shen, are you trying to host a tea party?” Jing Yuan came out holding the freshly squeezed blueberry milk, timely interrupting Grandma Shen’s endless praise of her in front of Xie Mianzhi.
It felt so awkward, and why were these two people talking so much now? They had just met!
“See, she’s shy again. She’s very shy,” Grandma Shen immediately covered her mouth, quietly explaining the homeowner’s tsundere personality to Xie Mianzhi.
Jing Yuan could hear their quiet whispers but didn’t point it out. Instead, she handed the milk cup to Miss Xie, who was watching the scene. “For you.”
“Thank you,” Xie Mianzhi took it with a smile, scrutinizing Jing Yuan’s face.
Jing Yuan felt a little uncomfortable under Xie Mianzhi’s gaze. “Is there something on my face?”
“No, just looking.” Xie Mianzhi took a sip of milk. She certainly wasn’t going to admit she was considering the compatibility of this beautiful face with her own—the so-called ‘wives look’. “Wow, are those lychees!”
Xie Mianzhi looked down and saw a plate of very fresh, bright red lychees on the table, which pleasantly surprised her.
Jing Yuan had just washed and brought them out.
She didn’t remember Jing Yuan having any lychees at home.
“These lychees are so fresh and juicy. I just brought them. It’s hard for lychees to grow well here,” Grandma Shen said. She had carefully selected these few mature lychee bunches.
Xie Mianzhi couldn’t resist picking one up. “They look delicious.”
“Eh, so you like eating lychees. I was wondering why Jing Yuan suddenly asked me to bring them over today. She even mentioned it on the phone—” Grandma Shen was about to continue her rambling but was interrupted by a cough from Jing Yuan.
“Do you need more milk?” Jing Yuan timely used the question about adding milk to stop the other party from revealing more.
Grandma Shen looked at Miss Jing’s deliberately covered face and decided not to expose her, hmm, seeing the crack of shyness beneath Jing Yuan’s calm exterior.
“No, no need. I’ll drink some warm water. I’ll get it myself, I’ll get it myself,” Grandma Shen walked to the side, pouring water into a glass bottle, leaving the two young people alone to talk.
Because she could tell that Miss Xie Mianzhi seemed to have something to ask Jing Yuan.
Sure enough, after Grandma Shen left the table, Xie Mianzhi curiously asked Jing Yuan, “What was Grandma Shen about to say about you? On the phone with her…?” Xie Mianzhi narrowed her eyes, staring at the cold-faced Jing Yuan. She could tell the other party had deliberately cut off the conversation.
Jing Yuan pursed her lips and shook her head: “I don’t know.”
“A little secret?” Xie Mianzhi cupped her chin, smiling as she continued to ask. She was extremely curious about what Grandma Shen had been about to say about little Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan just picked up her cup and drank the milk, signaling to Xie Mianzhi that the sandwiches were getting cold.
“So petty; I’m not even allowed to hear it,” Xie Mianzhi peeled a lychee and put a kernel in her mouth. The lychee was quite delicious and tasted even sweeter than the ones she had bought from those high-end fruit shops.
“Are these all homegrown by Grandma Shen?” Xie Mianzhi held the crystal-clear lychee in her hand, examining it closely.
“She has a small orchard where she grows some fruit,” Jing Yuan explained. She glanced over and saw Xie Mianzhi peeling the lychees happily. She knew the other party liked lychees and thought that asking Grandma Shen to bring some was the right thing to do.
Xie Mianzhi had liked lychee-flavored lollipops before.
She really does like lychees.
Is it because of the character ‘Zhi’ in her name? Jing Yuan thought to herself, indulging in her own dry humor.
Just as Jing Yuan’s mind wandered, a few kernels of lychee flesh appeared in front of her.
“You try some too, or I’ll eat the whole plate,” Xie Mianzhi pushed the lychees toward Jing Yuan, gesturing for her to try them as well.
“No need, you eat them,” Jing Yuan politely declined the offer. She wasn’t particularly fond of these fruits. Besides, there weren’t many lychees, and she felt Xie Mianzhi was perfectly capable of eating them all, perhaps even wanting more.
After all, the other party had said she didn’t want to finish the instant noodles but ended up drinking all the soup.
“This is the first time I’ve ever peeled fruit for someone. My hands are already sore. Aren’t you going to give your Older Sister any face?” Xie Mianzhi pushed the plate of peeled lychee flesh back toward Jing Yuan, tapping the edge of the plate with her fingertip, urging Jing Yuan to give her face and try one.
She should know that usually, others waited on her.
Jing Yuan glanced at her, paused for a few seconds, and then picked up a lychee kernel and put it in her mouth.
“Does the one I peeled taste good?” Xie Mianzhi rested her chin on her hand, smiling as she looked at the little Miss Jing Savior, whose table manners were impeccable.
Jing Yuan frowned. She felt trapped by Xie Mianzhi’s question, but she could only answer honestly: “It tastes good.”
Was this guy hesitating earlier because she was afraid I poisoned it?
Xie Mianzhi thought, then decisively took the plate from in front of Jing Yuan. She took in Jing Yuan’s puzzled little expression completely.
Then, she walked to the side and handed it to Grandma Shen, teasingly saying, “Grandma Shen, the Jing Yuan you think has the look of a wife is actually very stingy.”
“Why do you say that? I think Jing Yuan is quite generous,” Grandma Shen laughed and thanked her, but she was already full. She had just been standing there, watching Miss Xie Mianzhi tease Jing Yuan. The way the two young people bickered was very interesting.
“Look, I peeled them for her, but she was so stingy she didn’t even say ‘thank you.’ Her expression was as if she thought I was poisoning her,” Xie Mianzhi said subtly. She didn’t lower her voice; she was deliberately letting the other person hear. She had nothing better to do and wanted to see what other reaction Jing Yuan, the ‘wooden block,’ would have.
Jing Yuan wasn’t deaf; of course, she heard their conversation, and her expression was shattering.
She couldn’t help but turn around and look at the scapegoating Xie Mianzhi. She didn’t know who had specifically asked Grandma Shen to bring those lychees over.
And what was a “wives look”? Did it mean her and Xie Mianzhi’s appearances matched well?
Jing Yuan hadn’t intended to argue with the other party, but when she met Xie Mianzhi’s bright and dazzling eyes, that look of arrogant self-importance—although it perfectly matched the other party’s status—still…
Jing Yuan decisively stood up and walked, step by step, toward Xie Mianzhi, who was standing by the courtyard pillar.
Xie Mianzhi initially looked composed with her eyebrows raised, but as she watched Jing Yuan walk closer, she suddenly felt that something was a little wrong.
She hadn’t expected Jing Yuan to be “provoked” into walking towards her. Was this person truly angry? But this stance… was she going to…
“Jing Yuan! I was actually—”
Xie Mianzhi was about to explain that she was joking, but the black-haired woman suddenly leaned in close to her, face-to-face. There was only a fingertip’s distance between them, causing Xie Mianzhi to stumble back until her back pressed against the cold stone pillar.
Jing Yuan’s golden eyes were glaring at her, sharp as an eagle’s, making her heart pound.
What was Jing Yuan going to do?
Xie Mianzhi frantically blinked, forced to look away.
Jing Yuan took in Xie Mianzhi’s nervous little expression, deliberately paused for a few seconds, and then spoke:
“Thank you for peeling seven kernels for me. I ate one, and now there is only one left. Thank you for eating the remaining five for me. Thank you, so much, Miss Xie Mianzhi.”
She thanked Xie Mianzhi with extreme politeness, her gaze burning into the other party.
Xie Mianzhi stared in shock at the ‘stingy’ homeowner who even remembered the exact count of the kernels. This was a bad girl who was needling her!
Jing Yuan has turned bad!
It turns out this person is a vengeful, petty, bad wooden block!
Xie Mianzhi could only grit her teeth and force out a fake smile, saying irritably, “You’re. Welcome.”
“Do you want to hear more? I can say ‘thank you’ many more times, Xie Mianzhi,” Jing Yuan continued to ask in a serious tone, her eyes intently fixed on Miss Xie, who was rarely showing a vulnerable side.
‘Xie Mianzhi’ …
Why did Jing Yuan have to call her by her full name right now?
It caught her completely off guard.
And what was wrong with her? When she heard the other party suddenly lower her pleasant voice and call her name, a strange surge of excitement and shyness welled up inside her. The current atmosphere even made her feel a sense of anticipation—anticipating Jing Yuan doing something to her.
Doing something adult.
Like a hot, passionate kiss.
Xie Mianzhi realized her thoughts were straying and that she was about to concoct more strange and twisted ideas. Her brain’s air-raid siren began blaring!
“N-No need! You ungrateful wretch!!” Xie Mianzhi exclaimed, her face flushed crimson. She angrily shoved the entire tray into the other party’s hands, then fled into the house as if running for her life. She needed to wash her face with cold water and calm down.
It must be because she had watched the ‘Animal World’ spring season episode in a daze the night before that she was having such weird thoughts. Damn it, calm down now!!
Jing Yuan held the tray, utterly bewildered. She had just been unable to resist arguing with Xie Mianzhi a little and found her frustrated reaction amusing.
But she had maintained a sense of proportion; she had only said two sentences. Why was Xie Mianzhi reacting so strongly…?
Jing Yuan turned her gaze to Grandma Shen, who had been an invisible fixture at the small courtyard table.
“?” Jing Yuan swallowed, her expression completely lost.
Grandma Shen snapped out of her spectacle-watching. She could only see through the situation with the two young people but chose not to reveal it. “You need to keep a little distance, child.” You were too close to Miss Xie.
“I admit my words were a bit excessive,” Jing Yuan tried to analyze her actions.
“Ha ha ha, that’s not the main reason, actually. And bickering is a kind of little romance between lovers. Grandma is an expert,” Grandma Shen said, picking up her teacup, comforting Jing Yuan with great understanding.
“Grandma Shen, we are not a couple. We are just ordinary… friends,” Jing Yuan explained helplessly. She and Xie Mianzhi were friends, right?
Grandma Shen just smiled and continued to sip her tea.
Well, these two young people are quite oblivious to each other.
“Alright, so what are you doing now?” Grandma Shen asked, looking at Jing Yuan, who was diligently peeling all the lychees and arranging them in a plate, meticulously adding blueberries to create a smiling face.
Jing Yuan carefully placed the fruit pieces into the shape of a smiling person and explained, “For Xie Mianzhi.”
“Ah?”
“She might be angry,” Jing Yuan said, then smiled shyly. “I need to go coax her.”
…
What do you think is the best way for Jing Yuan to “coax” Xie Mianzhi?