Are You Allergic To Romance? - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Next Time I See You, I’ll Bring Flowers

The question stumped Xie Mianzhi. She felt that Jing Yuan lacked many things. Although the house seemed to have all the basic necessities, it felt like it was missing the most important part.

Perhaps it was too lonely and cold; it lacked warmth.

“I think…” Xie Mianzhi wanted to speak but didn’t know how to phrase it. She paused.

“When are you leaving?” Jing Yuan couldn’t help but ask, interrupting her thoughts. She wanted to know the exact time of Xie Mianzhi’s departure. Maybe it wasn’t now, but in the afternoon, or perhaps the evening. She didn’t know, but she really wanted to hear the answer ‘evening.’

That way, they could spend a few more hours together, maybe.

She wanted to see Xie Mianzhi for a little longer.

“Why, are you that eager to chase me away?” Xie Mianzhi deliberately showed a sad expression on her face and chuckled softly.

“No,” the urgency in Jing Yuan’s tone was only fully known to herself.

“I’m kidding. Probably in about an hour,” Xie Mianzhi shrugged. If Jing Yuan didn’t tell her what she wanted, she couldn’t continue to press her. She had to go to her room to change her clothes for the trip. Her assistant should already be on the way. “I’m going to change now. I hope I’ll hear what you want when I come out.”

“Mmm…”

“Don’t ‘mmm’ anymore, hurry and think,” Xie Mianzhi saw that Jing Yuan was still expressionless and had no choice but to head back inside.

However, her wrist was still being held by Jing Yuan. “So, you’re going to accompany me inside while I change?”

Jing Yuan was startled by Xie Mianzhi’s reminder and immediately released her hand, apologizing for the lapse in etiquette.

“I’m just teasing, so easy to fluster. Go think about it,” Xie Mianzhi smiled and walked toward the guest room.

Jing Yuan watched Xie Mianzhi enter the room and close the door.

The moment the door shut, the look in her eyes, directed at the door, was no longer concealed, instantly becoming hollow and lost.

She suddenly felt a difficulty in her throat and tugged at her collar. The suppressed emotion caused her body to react quickly. Jing Yuan rolled up her sleeve. The patterned markings on her arm began to extend down to her wrist. A wave of hunger and irritation swept over her.

If it were before, she would immediately submerge herself in the deep sea under such discomfort, letting her whole self relax in the depths.

However, for this next hour, she didn’t want to leave here.

She struggled to restrain her urge to hunt and suppress her wild nature.

When she heard the sound of the room door opening, she quickly pulled down her sleeves, turned her back, and tried her best to maintain a normal demeanor.

Xie Mianzhi, having fixed her makeup, was confused by Jing Yuan’s overly deliberate turning away and walked closer to check. “Jing Yuan?”

Jing Yuan lowered her hand, then turned around calmly to face Xie Mianzhi.

“What’s wrong? You look so pale?” Xie Mianzhi raised her hand, instinctively wanting to touch the slightly sweaty forehead of the other person out of concern, but Jing Yuan dodged her first.

Seeing this, Xie Mianzhi could only retract her hand awkwardly and give a forced smile.

“I’m fine, truly,” Jing Yuan didn’t want Xie Mianzhi to touch her. Her body temperature was even lower than before, unnaturally low for a human. She was afraid Xie Mianzhi would notice something amiss.

“Alright. I thought you were hiding here, secretly sad and crying because you didn’t want me to leave,” Xie Mianzhi joked, hooking her handbag gracefully over her arm.

Jing Yuan quietly looked at Miss Xie Mianzhi standing before her. The other person had changed out of her loungewear and put on an extremely luxurious, form-fitting satin dress with a black coat over it, just like when they first met.

A glance that lasts a thousand years.

Sad and crying?

Listening to Xie Mianzhi’s teasing, she could only clumsily open her mouth. Xie Mianzhi had indeed guessed her thoughts.

She was reluctant to let go of this last hour.

She didn’t even know why.

“You’re wearing high heels; can you drive?” Jing Yuan noticed Xie Mianzhi had changed into a pair of silver stiletto heels.

“My driving skills are excellent, and didn’t I tell you? Someone is coming to pick me up, so I don’t need to drive myself, of course,” Xie Mianzhi found Jing Yuan a little strange, forgetting things she had already said.

Jing Yuan nodded. She didn’t know what else to say to the other person.

Sometimes, the silence wasn’t intentional, but the more she cared, the less she knew what to say in the remaining time.

She wanted to make a good impression and leave a memorable image, but this only made her seem clumsy and uninteresting.

For example—

“Do you want to eat anything else?”

“I just had breakfast and fruit. My appetite isn’t that big.”

“Oh.” Jing Yuan felt she was better off keeping quiet.

Xie Mianzhi saw Jing Yuan become taciturn again. This person hadn’t figured out what she wanted yet, had she?

“Seriously, you don’t want anything?” Xie Mianzhi couldn’t help but ask. My God, she, a money tree, was useless in front of this person.

“Truly nothing.”

“Sigh, what am I going to do with you…” Xie Mianzhi checked the time, then took out her wallet and handed the other person all the cash her assistant had withdrawn previously, along with a gold card.

“Then take these. There’s about fifty thousand in backup funds on this stored-value card, redeemable at all Xie Sheng Department Stores. I remember there are several in Lientan City. You can spend it there,” Xie Mianzhi explained. She had to give Jing Yuan a benefit before leaving, besides the accommodation fee she owed.

Jing Yuan did not accept it. Instead, she put the items back into the other person’s leather bag.

Xie Mianzhi tried several times to open the bag and retrieve them, but the person in front of her firmly held it shut. Her grip was incredibly strong.

Seeing that she couldn’t repay the favor, she immediately felt annoyed.

“Are you an idiot?” she couldn’t help but mutter.

“I think I’m… not,” Jing Yuan denied the conclusion. If proven by facts, she had almost perfect scores in all her subjects.

Xie Mianzhi rolled her eyes and snapped, “Thank you for at least denying it.”

Forget it. She really couldn’t guess what this little fool could possibly want. Xie Mianzhi simply handed her business card to Jing Yuan. “This is my company address. If you ever want to come to Linxi, or if you’re looking for work, settling down, or anything else, you can look for me. I will help you. Of course, you can also keep thinking about what you need, and I can send someone to deliver it to you.”

Jing Yuan took Xie Mianzhi’s business card. She saw the hot-stamped gold lettering and said, “Okay.”

A rare acceptance, not bad.

“If you say ‘okay,’ I’ll take that as a promise. Don’t go without contacting me, or I’ll be sad.”

Xie Mianzhi spoke softly. She hoped Jing Yuan would definitely contact her.

Jing Yuan listened, raising her eyes to look at Xie Mianzhi. Her golden eyes were clouded with ripples. She tentatively asked, “Do you really want me to look for you?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Of course, I do! I, Xie Mianzhi, never play games with people. At the very least, what I’m saying to you is sincere,” Xie Mianzhi really wanted to smash the high-end leather bag in her hand over Jing Yuan’s head.

Jing Yuan felt slightly better hearing Xie Mianzhi’s firm response.

Just as they were talking,

In the distance, the roar of a car engine could be heard approaching.

Jing Yuan and Xie Mianzhi turned around simultaneously and saw two people getting out of the car in the distance, one a crew-cut man and one a short-haired woman.

Xie Mianzhi immediately checked the time. How had Rong Cheng and the others arrived so quickly?

Rong Cheng, the driver and assistant, saw Miss looking at them with confusion and immediately signaled that he and the others would wait outside the courtyard and wouldn’t disturb her conversation with the homeowner.

They’d been living in Misu Town to provide prompt, on-call service, but why didn’t Miss look pleased?

Could it be because of that homeowner…

The crew-cut man wearing sunglasses directed his gaze at the woman standing opposite Xie Mianzhi.

What a cold aura. She doesn’t look like the friendly type.

Why did Miss think this homeowner was kind and amiable?

“I didn’t expect their efficiency to be so high. It looks like I need to give them a raise,” Xie Mianzhi turned back and continued speaking to Jing Yuan. Fortunately, her subordinates had the sense to stand outside the courtyard and not interrupt them.

Jing Yuan quietly listened to Miss Xie’s voice. She knew the other party was leaving.

“Although I really hope you think of something you need or come to Linxi, given your personality…” Xie Mianzhi realized she had been doing most of the talking here, with Jing Yuan listening seriously and intently. It made her feel as if she were confessing to this taciturn person.

It was ridiculous.

But the thought that she was about to leave made her disregard the issue of ‘face.’ She might as well continue. “It’s possible we’ll meet again, or maybe we won’t. That depends on you, but I have to confess something.”

“What is it?” Jing Yuan immediately asked. Her heart felt as if it was about to stop from the sudden tension.

Xie Mianzhi took a deep breath and stated in an extremely serious tone: “The first time you cooked me instant noodles, I really did finish all of it. I even drank all the soup.”

Jing Yuan couldn’t help but laugh after hearing that.

Sure enough, this person laughed.

Xie Mianzhi was relieved to get the parting expression she wanted.

“Honestly, I think you look very beautiful when you smile. You should smile more often,” Xie Mianzhi suggested, adding, “Also, don’t stay up late anymore.”

“What?”

“The dark circles under your eyes are quite prominent,” Xie Mianzhi gestured around her eye area. She had wanted to mention it for a long time but hadn’t had the chance. Although Jing Yuan looked cool this way, it was a little too melancholy.

Jing Yuan really wanted to tell the other party that her ‘dark circles’ were actually natural, faint markings embedded in her skin.

But this was Xie Mianzhi’s instruction, so Jing Yuan nodded and said, “Okay.”

Seeing that the other party had no further words, she asked Xie Mianzhi to wait, then quickly retrieved a basket of packaged wine from the room and walked out.

“This is for you, plum wine,” Jing Yuan said shyly.

“The one Grandma Shen brewed?” Xie Mianzhi vaguely remembered.

“Mmm. I don’t know if you like it, but you can try it.” This plum wine had added wormwood and mint leaves, making it lighter and milder. It was a recipe she had given to Grandma Shen.

She hoped Xie Mianzhi would like it.

She just… wanted to give Xie Mianzhi something at the end, even though the other party lacked nothing.

Xie Mianzhi saw the expectant look in Jing Yuan’s eyes. She wanted her to accept it, so she didn’t refuse. “Alright, then thank you.”

Just as she reached out to take it, Jing Yuan proactively picked it up. “It’s a little heavy. I’ll help you take it to the car.”

“Okay.”

They walked out of the courtyard. Min Shu had already opened the car door for Xie Mianzhi.

Xie Mianzhi paused beside the car and didn’t immediately climb into the passenger seat. Instead, she looked at the person placing the wine in her trunk.

She struggled to suppress her own subtle emotions, silently observing Jing Yuan’s every move.

Rong Cheng, standing nearby, looked at his boss. He saw the entire expression on Xie Mianzhi’s face. That look was not a casual glance; it was the look someone gives a person they cherish and will miss.

Only when Jing Yuan turned around did Xie Mianzhi quickly withdraw her gaze, resuming her usual proud demeanor.

“You even gave me plum wine,” Xie Mianzhi leaned on the car door. How much she wished the Little Savior in front of her would state some kind of need.

“It’s nothing,” Jing Yuan replied quietly, looking at the other person with genuine eyes.

Xie Mianzhi looked at the fair, delicate face of the person before her. The other party even looked shy while giving her a gift. This person was truly guileless.

“You like flowers, right? I saw small flowers on your dining table,” without waiting for Jing Yuan’s reply, Xie Mianzhi immediately continued, “Then if we can meet again next time, I’ll bring a bouquet of flowers.”

Subconsciously, Xie Mianzhi’s heart hoped they would meet again.

But she wouldn’t say it outright.

Taking advantage of the moment when the person in front of her widened her eyes in surprise, Xie Mianzhi smiled a little shyly and sat down in the car, without explaining her sudden promise.

“If you think of anything you need, remember to tell me. Anytime at all.”

“Okay.”

These were the last two sentences Xie Mianzhi spoke to Jing Yuan.

**

All the way,

The car was very quiet.

Xie Mianzhi kept looking out the window. Rong Cheng looked through the rearview mirror, unsure what his boss was thinking.

However, Xie Mianzhi’s face didn’t look very bright; it carried a hint of melancholy, completely different from her usual sharpness and arrogance.

After a long while, Xie Mianzhi sighed, then took out a cigarette case. She had bought this cigarette case at that person’s shop and had accidentally cut her hand at the time.

The way the other person had suddenly picked her up like a little maniac and rushed her back to the residence was still vividly etched in her memory.

Xie Mianzhi stared at the gradually fading wound on her hand and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

This prompted the driver, Rong Cheng, to tentatively speak up.

“Boss.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you reluctant to leave that young lady?”