Are You Allergic To Romance? - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Her Waist is Very Firm

Someone had to break the silence first, and the woman standing before her clearly wasn’t going to.

“Uh… hello. I’m new here and don’t know anyone. My car—” Xie Mianzhi turned her head to look at her damn sports car, twitched her mouth, and continued:

“As you can see, it broke down, and my phone is dead. Could you give me a ride to the Jìsōng Hotel in town? I’ll pay you double the fee.”

Xie Mianzhi forced herself to state her request.

If the woman didn’t agree, she really would have to spend the night here.

The only response she received was endless silence.

Can this person not speak? Or does she have a hearing impairment?

Ah, this complicated things.

Xie Mianzhi swore under her breath. She sighed, quickly put her high heels back on, and walked closer to the dark-haired woman. Taking a deep breath, she raised both hands and used clumsy gestures to repeat her request: “Hello, my car broke down. I’m asking if you could possibly take me to the Jìsōng Hotel. Of course, I will pay you a high price.”

Just as Xie Mianzhi was observing the woman’s expressionless face and thinking she still didn’t understand, the woman suddenly spoke.

“Buy duck, I’ll take you.”

Four cold, indifferent words.

So, this person could hear after all. She wasn’t mute.

She had just performed a foolish gesture dance for nothing.

So, buy a duck, she’ll take me? What did that mean?

“Are you saying if I buy those ducks behind you, you’ll take me to the hotel?” Xie Mianzhi tried to decipher the succinct reply.

Jing Yuan nodded.

Not only was she annoyed by Little Jindou, but she figured the woman in front of her seemed well-off. Jindou and Yuanbao wouldn’t be neglected if they were raised as pets by her, and she could finally be rid of them.

Yes. She shouldn’t need any companionship here.

Xie Mianzhi found the woman’s nodding reply amusing. This was the first time anyone had asked her to buy ducks as a condition—not money, fame, or status, but simply buying ducks. She knew her family had never had pets since she was a child. It wasn’t that she didn’t want them.

It was that she wasn’t good at raising them. She always ended up overfeeding them into round balls. Last month, someone offered her a young Ashara cat, which she politely declined. It would be a crime to let such an elegant cat get fat as a sphere.

However, since this was the condition today, she had to agree. She could just have Aunt Tao raise them later.

“Fine, I’ll buy them.” Xie Mianzhi agreed readily.

Jing Yuan looked at her and counter-questioned: “Aren’t you going to ask the price?”

“No matter the cost, I can afford to buy these two little darlings,” Xie Mianzhi stated her financial capability. All she wanted now was a place to rest quickly.

Jing Yuan frowned, then remained silent, as she hadn’t decided on a price for Jindou and Yuanbao. It would be fine to let the woman pay at the hotel later.

The important thing was that she treats Jindou and Yuanbao well.

And so, the small electric scooter carried two beautiful women.

Jing Yuan sat in the front, and Xie Mianzhi sat in the back.

The biting night wind made Xie Mianzhi shiver. Gradually, the scooter slowed down, and the wind became less fierce.

Xie Mianzhi felt a little better. This was her first time sitting on a stranger’s vehicle, or more precisely, a small, pink electric scooter.

She felt a little ridiculous.

She was reminded that she had fled here late at night because of some upsetting family matters. Not only did her car break down halfway, but her phone also died. Her dearest grandmother must be furious and surely sending people to look for her.

Or maybe she was just leaving her alone, which was what Xie Mianzhi preferred.

Still, a stranded heiress in the countryside being rescued by a stranger, riding a small scooter in the cold night, and being asked to buy two ducks.

It was quite dramatic, and Xie Mianzhi couldn’t help but laugh a little.

Jing Yuan, who was riding the scooter, heard the laughter from behind her. She was momentarily puzzled but kept her focus on the road.

Xie Mianzhi couldn’t help but be curious about the woman in front of her. She was so brave, riding alone on this road so late. Did she live nearby?

The woman looked to be in her early twenties, surely younger than herself.

If it weren’t for needing a shortcut, she wouldn’t have driven her sports coupe down this back road. Clearly, you couldn’t fully trust the GPS.

“I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Xie Mianzhi. What’s yours?” Xie Mianzhi slightly turned her head, asking for the name of the person in front amidst the mountain night wind.

After a long while, the person in front still didn’t reply. Xie Mianzhi thought the woman was unwilling to say, and she felt a bit bored.

This person has such a cold personality.

She felt the night wind grow several degrees colder and shivered.

However, the scooter suddenly stopped. Jing Yuan got off, bent down, took the ducks out of the pet carrier, patted Yuanbao’s head, and silently handed it to the puzzled Xie Mianzhi.

“What are you…?”

“Yuanbao is more docile. You won’t be cold if you hold it.” Jing Yuan motioned for Xie Mianzhi to hold Yuanbao.

Xie Mianzhi didn’t have time to think. A large, fat duck was shoved into her arms. It was the one with the gray tuft, and it gently pecked the back of her hand.

She held Yuanbao stiffly, frowning. She had never held an animal like this before. “This… I don’t need this. I don’t know how to hold it.”

For the first time in her life, someone had given her a duck for warmth.

In the most peculiar and simple way.

“I just washed them. They’re clean,” Jing Yuan added, concerned that the woman might be worried about hygiene.

“That’s not what I meant,” Xie Mianzhi didn’t know how to refuse. She was never good with small animals. In the end, she had to accept. “…Alright then.”

Yuanbao in her arms nudged her with its head at the right moment, finding a comfortable position and snuggling quietly in Xie Mianzhi’s embrace.

Its large wings were fluffy and felt very comfortable.

“It really is warmer. Thank you,” Xie Mianzhi looked at Jing Yuan, offering a genuine smile.

That smile made Jing Yuan momentarily stunned.

She felt like she had seen that smile somewhere.

Jing Yuan recalled: it was probably that “lady” who was preoccupied with applying makeup on her car window that afternoon.

Jing Yuan quickly matched the person in front of her with the woman by the car window a while ago, a sense of odd helplessness rising in her heart.

Seeing no reaction from the other woman, Xie Mianzhi climbed back onto the scooter, holding the large duck named Yuanbao nervously and rigidly, maintaining a very ladylike posture.

“My name is Jing Yuan.”

The dark-haired woman got back on the scooter and turned her head to look at Miss Xie, who was holding Yuanbao. Xie Mianzhi’s wide eyes met hers directly.

The woman’s eyes sparkled, hiding flecks of stars within them.

Jing Yuan was momentarily distracted, unsure what else to say, so she simply uttered a soft “Mhm,” concluding her self-introduction, and continued riding.

Xie Mianzhi was a little bewildered by the self-introduction. She stared at Jing Yuan’s back, five words echoing in her mind—

‘My name is Jing Yuan, mhm.’

How can someone introduce themselves so shyly? Xie Mianzhi laughed internally.

“Jing Yuan.”

“…Mhm?”

Jing Yuan didn’t expect the woman to suddenly call her name. This made her so nervous that she failed to steady the handlebars, almost causing an accident.

“Ah—!” Xie Mianzhi cried out, instinctively reaching out and tightly grabbing the other woman’s waist. “What just happened?”

“There was a pebble,” Jing Yuan quickly explained, allowing no room for doubt.

“That was close…” Xie Mianzhi sighed in relief. The entire scooter had tilted heavily, but strangely, it stabilized itself. She was also lucky she grabbed the woman’s waist and didn’t fall off.

Her gaze shifted to where her hands were gripped. At this moment, her hands were still tightly clenched.

This person’s waist is quite firm…

For some reason, this tactile sensation made Xie Mianzhi blush. She quickly pursed her lips and retracted her hands.

“W-well, ride slowly then. Safety first.” After saying that, she frantically rubbed Yuanbao’s small head, trying to cool down her hands.