Are You Allergic To Romance? - Chapter 33
Chapter 33: I’m Going to Kiss You
When Xie Mianzhi, the most arrogant and picky second Miss of the Xie family, unconsciously patted the head of the woman putting on her shoes.
Everyone present, including Jing Yuan herself, was stunned.
When she felt an abnormal fluctuation above her head, Jing Yuan’s initial instinct was to dodge, and the markings on her neck were already starting to show, intending to eliminate the ‘physical threat.’
But all she felt was the gentle presence of Miss Xie Mianzhi, so in her moment of confusion, that warm hand brazenly rested on the top of her head again, stroking her hair, and did so several times.
Although being touched by Xie Mianzhi was quite comfortable, it was honestly a bit embarrassing.
She didn’t understand what the other party was doing.
“Um…” Jing Yuan tentatively spoke.
“Hmm~? Oh!!” Xie Mianzhi was still internally sighing over how nice Jing Yuan’s head was to pet, but when she heard Jing Yuan’s soft prompt, she realized how absurd her behavior was.
She was going crazy. How could she just act on whatever she was thinking?
Xie Mianzhi immediately withdrew her hand, her expression highly conflicted as she explained, “Jing Yuan, about that, I, I thought you had some fuzz on your hair and wanted to help you brush it off.”
What a clumsy excuse.
Rong Cheng and the store manager watched the once-unapproachable Miss Xie declare this, her entire ear turning red. They could tell Xie Mianzhi simply wanted to pat the girl’s head; the explanation was so weak.
Jing Yuan, whose head had been patted, stood up. Her expression was calm, not annoyed, suggesting she hadn’t minded Xie Mianzhi’s little gesture.
Only Jing Yuan knew the internal trembling she felt when Xie Mianzhi touched her just now.
“It’s okay.” Jing Yuan stood up, graciously accepting Xie Mianzhi’s poor excuse. She glanced at the tips of the other’s red ears, then casually touched her own hair, and quietly asked in return, “Then, are there still any bits of fuzz?”
Rong Cheng thought his Miss’s flawed explanation was already ridiculous, but he never expected someone to cooperate with the performance—no, to be so pure and simple.
Rong Cheng stared wide-eyed at this little innocent from Minsong Town. He somewhat understood why his haughty Miss cared so much about this woman.
In his Miss’s eyes, Jing Yuan was a pure, transparent little white rabbit.
There was no one else in her life who was so defenseless towards her, which is why she treated her so specially.
Xie Mianzhi didn’t expect the little savior to take her seriously. Her poor acting skills had received the highest praise from Jing Yuan.
“No, no, I must have been mistaken.” Xie Mianzhi suppressed the urge to smile and quietly informed Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan nodded and said, “That’s good.”
Watching this series of small actions from Jing Yuan, Xie Mianzhi sighed inwardly again, Long time no see, but why is Jing Yuan becoming more and more appealing? She’s so obedient.
A person like this, she thought, would probably count the money for her even if she sold them out.
Xie Mianzhi smiled, ignoring the peering glances from the surrounding crowd, because she felt she could control any situation well.
Besides, she only cared about one person right now, so she looked at her new shoe and proactively asked the obedient Jing Yuan, “Does it look good?”
Jing Yuan didn’t expect Miss Xie to ask her. She paused, then instinctively replied, “It looks good.”
Miss Xie Mianzhi looks good in any shoe.
While she would find compliments from others mundane, even annoying and self-serving, when it came from Jing Yuan, it made her genuinely happy.
She knew Jing Yuan was praising her sincerely.
“Alright, I’ll take this one. I’ll leave the rest to you.” Xie Mianzhi took a few steps. Having received Jing Yuan’s approval, her mood soared.
After receiving the command, Rong Cheng collected his boss’s other shoe and arranged for the manager to leave with him. After all, Miss was gently ushering them away.
“Boss, please let me know if you need anything. I’ll go with the manager to the shop to get the packaging bags.” Rong Cheng said respectfully.
“Mhm, once everything is arranged, you can go back.” Xie Mianzhi smiled and waved the two “third wheels” away. Go quickly!
Rong Cheng could only motion to the dazed manager to leave with him. To be honest, he never expected to run into Miss Jing Yuan from Minsong Town right in the mall. She was quiet yet meticulous, and she even voluntarily knelt down to put on shoes for his extremely demanding boss, and then got affectionately patted on the head by the boss… various signs suggested:
‘Something is happening.’
However, looking at Jing Yuan, she was simply being helpful out of pure goodwill. But looking at his boss, tsk tsk tsk, she seemed to have a thing for this little innocent, based on his years of observation.
Therefore,
The eldest Miss was likely experiencing unrequited love.
Unrequited love…
Rong Cheng summarized this somewhat tragic outcome and couldn’t help but feel nervous for his boss. She had never been in a relationship, and now she was falling for a woman right out of the gate.
Did the boss even know how to woo a girl?
Should he find a counselor to help, like Miss Xin Su?
And what about that young master of the Lu family? The boss had many suitors.
The most terrifying thing was that the boss hadn’t even realized the reason her heart was pounding; she was still weakly referring to her as ‘benefactor, benefactor.’
Rong Cheng rubbed his forehead, quickly urging the manager to pack the other shoe for his Miss, just in case of any unpredictable needs during this first date.
…
The Walk to the Car
Could this be their first date?
Perhaps…
Xie Mianzhi walked along, her heart racing like a runaway deer.
Although the person beside her was here to deliver a necklace, she felt she should welcome her with the highest level of hospitality as the host.
So, following the procedure of a first date, should they go shopping first or eat first?
Or should she ask Jing Yuan?
…
At this moment, the heiress of the Xie Group was facing the most challenging situation of her life. She could handle anything else with ease, but truthfully, she had never initiated a genuine date with anyone.
So, she had no idea what the normal steps and rituals of a date were.
“Now you—” Xie Mianzhi began.
“The necklace first—” Jing Yuan began.
They spoke almost simultaneously. Since Rong Cheng and the manager left, they had just been looking at each other. Thankfully, the flow of customers in the mall wasn’t heavy right now, or they would look too conspicuous just standing there foolishly.
After a long silence, they spoke and interrupted each other.
Xie Mianzhi couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
Jing Yuan saw the other woman laugh so unrestrainedly, even muffling it into a little snort like a piglet, and she was also amused, letting out a small laugh. She originally thought things would be awkward after Miss Xie Mianzhi’s assistant left, as she wasn’t much of a talker.
However, the situation wasn’t as bad as she thought.
Miss Xie’s laughter was very infectious.
“Sorry, I couldn’t contain my laughter.” Xie Mianzhi coughed, straightened up, and tried her best to maintain her elegant, ladylike demeanor.
“It’s okay. Hearing it the second time isn’t as scary.” Jing Yuan said with a light smile, easing the tension. She had heard the laughter before—at the seaside house, at night, in the courtyard. Back then, it sounded like a goose’s honk.
That’s why Gold Bean and Yuan Bao liked her so much.
Xie Mianzhi heard this and thought, Jing Yuan actually dares to laugh at me.
She immediately put on airs and glared at Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan could only concede and change the subject, “What were you going to say? You go first.”
“No, you’re the guest. I’m the host, so you first.” Xie Mianzhi was still thinking about their next activity, so she let little Jing Yuan speak first.
Jing Yuan then said, “I was going to ask if you want the necklace now.”
She took the black bag from her shoulder, ready to hand the precious necklace inside to its rightful owner.
Xie Mianzhi immediately grabbed Jing Yuan’s wrist, stopping her.
So cold.
Jing Yuan’s body temperature was still so low.
She really wanted to rub her hands to warm her up.
Noticing Jing Yuan’s innocent, bewildered ‘puppy’ eyes looking at her, Xie Mianzhi slowly let go of her wrist and gently explained, “We’re in the mall now. It’s not a good idea to take the necklace out. What if someone tries to grab it? I’m not in a hurry. Just give it to me later.”
“Mhm, okay.” Jing Yuan felt Xie Mianzhi’s point made perfect sense, so she put her backpack away again.
She stood still obediently, not saying anything else.
Xie Mianzhi looked at Jing Yuan standing straight beside her and found it very amusing. She knew that as long as she didn’t speak, the person in front of her would probably remain silent and compliant. Such a closed mouth for someone so young.
It was now 11:20 AM.
Instead of shopping first, she should take the little savior to lunch. It was lunchtime.
“Let me think, driving from Minsong Town to here, even with a fast car, should take about two hours,” Xie Mianzhi mused, looking at Jing Yuan with her chin propped up.
Jing Yuan blinked, not understanding Xie Mianzhi’s underlying meaning.
“So, after traveling all this way, you must be hungry. It’s already noon. I know a good restaurant. Let’s go eat first.” Xie Mianzhi extended the invitation to Jing Yuan. Heaven knows she had cleared all her plans today just to be a good host.
Before this, no one had ever received the honor of her personal service.
Jing Yuan was stunned. Eating with Xie Mianzhi was actually not part of her plan today. Her original intention was to use the necklace delivery as an excuse to see Xie Mianzhi—just a quick look, or two, to satisfy her longing.
As for anything else, to be honest, she hadn’t dared to think about it.
“You’re not going to refuse me, are you?” Xie Mianzhi frowned slightly, purposely asking this way.
“I…”
“You’re hungry, and I’m hungry too. So let’s go have a good meal now. Those younger than me should graciously accept being treated.” (Of course, the treat is only from me.)
Xie Mianzhi gave Jing Yuan no chance to refuse. She spoke quickly, smiled as she finished the sentence, and watched Jing Yuan blush and lower her head.
Damn it, little Jing Yuan is so cute.
Xie Mianzhi really wanted to reach out and pinch her again.
No, she had to resist. As the elder, she needed to maintain the authority and seriousness of a senior.
Xie Mianzhi coughed dryly. Taking advantage of the other person being speechless, she quickly motioned for her to follow. Her car was parked in the garage.
She needed to get into the car to cool down and calm herself.
…
In the Parking Garage
Perhaps because it was in the exclusive parking garage, there weren’t many people around, only a few luxury cars parked inside.
They walked one after the other.
Xie Mianzhi glanced at Jing Yuan following behind her. The blush on her overly pale face was very noticeable.
Was she still feeling shy?
Jing Yuan’s cheeks were obviously still slightly red.
The younger one should just listen to the older sister. Being treated is normal. What’s there to be shy about? Should I say something to ease the atmosphere?
Xie Mianzhi pondered inwardly.
“Xie Mianzhi… Miss,” Jing Yuan finally spoke up.
However, that title made Xie Mianzhi frown. Why was she using such a distant title again?
“You got the name wrong.” Xie Mianzhi stopped, pointed at the other’s mouth, and reminded her again. She didn’t like Jing Yuan using such an alienated form of address.
“Xie Mianzhi,” Jing Yuan blinked and said it again. She remembered the other person had asked her to call her by name directly, but after being apart for so long, she had gotten nervous and used the formal title.
“Mhm, what do you want to say?” Xie Mianzhi was finally satisfied. She put her hands behind her back, her expression more relaxed, and slowed her pace to walk alongside Jing Yuan, signaling her to continue.
“Actually, I’m not that much younger than you. You don’t have to refer to me as ‘the younger one.’ That title doesn’t suit me,” Jing Yuan looked at Xie Mianzhi and spoke slowly.
Xie Mianzhi immediately knew the other person was just uncomfortable being treated. “As long as your ID says you’re a day younger than me, you’re ‘the younger one.’ Besides, you’re actually a few years younger than me, and I didn’t mean anything bad by referring to your age.”
“I know.” Jing Yuan responded seriously.
It was as if everything Xie Mianzhi said was right in her mind.
“You know, and you’re still specifically stressing the point to me?” Xie Mianzhi deliberately questioned.
Jing Yuan looked up at Xie Mianzhi and explained with a sincere tone, “What I mean is, I can treat you too.”
Xie Mianzhi stopped and looked at this little savior with the same expression one uses to look at a rare Pokémon. Why was this person so kind?
She sought no repayment, took her home, gave her food and drink, sewed her clothes, traveled a long distance to deliver a necklace, and now even wanted to treat her to a meal in return…
A modern-day Snail Maiden?
Besides, how could she let a young person working part-time at a convenience store spend money?
Did Jing Yuan still think she was the homeless woman with only five hundred yuan?
She should have bought Jing Yuan some clothes and a bag at the mall earlier.
“Jing Yuan, perhaps you haven’t carefully looked into my family background. Although I mentioned it before, you probably still don’t have a concept. Look, that car is mine. It’s a globally limited edition, better than the two previous ones. I’ll drive this car to take you to dinner.” Xie Mianzhi pressed the car key as she spoke.
The red sports car, as if following its owner’s unyielding spirit, had its two doors fly up like wings, welcoming the owner and her exclusive little innocent passenger.
Jing Yuan opened her mouth. She wanted to say something, but she had no chance to interject.
Seeing that the little savior still looked confused, Xie Mianzhi immediately continued, “You specifically came to Linxi City to find me and return my lost necklace, so it’s not too much for me, as the host and a person with a grateful heart, to treat you to dinner, is it? Any normal person would do this. You absolutely don’t need to feel awkward or think about saving money for me. I hope you don’t feel any burden.”
Xie Mianzhi was practically screaming internally, Drain my wallet, I’m filthy rich.
She had finally transformed from a Scrooge who haggled over tips to someone who genuinely wanted to treat a person, but the little one wasn’t giving her face.
“Alright, then I’ll treat you next time.”
After a long pause, the little savior finally managed to utter this sentence.
Seeing the other person was so stubborn, Xie Mianzhi didn’t press the issue.
“Fine, I’ll treat this time, and you’ll treat next time. Don’t refuse me again.” Xie Mianzhi put on her sunglasses, opened the car door, and motioned for her to get into the luxury car.
“Thank you, I can…” Jing Yuan felt a bit awkward. Being intensely stared at by Xie Mianzhi, she could only stiffly get into the car and sit in the passenger seat.
Xie Mianzhi felt like this was the first time in her life she had been so attentive and willing to serve someone. “I don’t even know what’s wrong with me.”
“What?” Jing Yuan looked at her, confused.
Xie Mianzhi’s expression was helpless, “I just felt that if I didn’t open the car door, I was afraid you’d run away, you stubborn thing.”
Stubborn thing?
Jing Yuan frowned slightly. She just wanted to treat the other person to a meal, and she was actually capable of spending money on Xie Mianzhi.
However, she seemed to be underestimated by Xie Mianzhi.
Should she tell Miss Xie that she was actually somewhat well-off…?
But, Jing Yuan looked down at her arm, which was fully covered by her sleeve. Hidden beneath the clothing were the unstable markings that had been appearing recently. Perhaps Xie Mianzhi was only politely thanking her for returning the necklace. Her background was not enough to offset the terror her true identity brought.
To ordinary humans, she was likely a terrifying existence.
It was normal for her to be difficult to accept.
“Starved silly?”
Suddenly, a question laced with laughter came from beside her ear.
Jing Yuan immediately snapped back to reality, staring blankly at the approaching Xie Mianzhi.
Xie Mianzhi originally wanted to start the car, but seeing the person in the passenger seat still spaced out and not buckling her seatbelt, she teased her. Unexpectedly, the other person looked at her again with those innocent, puppy-like eyes. She really wanted to tease her a little more.
Xie Mianzhi took off her sunglasses, leaned closer to Jing Yuan, and looked at her fully, her voice rising at the end: “You’re staring at me like that, do you want me to kiss you?”