Chapter 14

Every time Su Xiaomi returned from Songcheng to Ying city, she would carry large bags and packages. And when she went back to Songcheng from Ying city, it was… even more large bags and packages. There was no helping it—her parents were always worried that she wouldn’t have enough to eat or wear in Songcheng, so they practically wanted to pack up the entire fridge at home for her to take with her.

This time, as usual, Su Xiaomi hitched a ride with Brother He and covered the gas money for the round trip, as they had agreed upon earlier.

Originally, Su Xiaomi had planned to have Brother He wait in the city center while she took a taxi to meet up with them.

But now, faced with the mountain of bags and packages, she sheepishly said to Brother He over the phone, “If it’s not too much trouble, could you come pick me up at my neighborhood? Um… I have a bit too much stuff…”

Brother He readily agreed over the phone.

But when he arrived, he realized that “a bit too much” was a massive understatement.

It was way more than he had expected.

Fortunately, as a guy, he didn’t have much luggage himself, and Jiang Yi was even more low-maintenance—he had brought just one bag when they came, and he was leaving with just one bag.

So, even though Su Xiaomi’s luggage left the two men dumbfounded, they managed to fit everything into the trunk.

It was just a very tight squeeze!

After loading the luggage, Su Xiaomi wiped the sweat off her brow and turned her attention to a more pressing matter: why was Jiang Yi still driving back with them this time?

After all, someone like Jiang Yi, a rich young master, should be traveling by private jet or at least first class, right? It felt oddly out of place for him to keep choosing the same mode of transportation as ordinary folks like them.

Moreover, Su Xiaomi had noticed during their last trip that Jiang Yi wasn’t very comfortable in this car.

His legs were too long, and whether he was sitting in the driver’s seat or the back seat, those long legs had nowhere to go.

Sometimes, Su Xiaomi felt suffocated just watching him.

And it wasn’t like Jiang Yi couldn’t afford a first-class ticket.

Jiang Yi’s explanation for this was, “Brother He would be too tired driving the whole way alone. It’s easier if someone can take turns with him.”

Brother He, sitting beside him, nodded earnestly and added, “That’s right, that’s right. Thank goodness for Boss Jiang this time. Otherwise, I’d be completely drained like last time…”

The reasoning was solid, and Su Xiaomi couldn’t think of any reason to argue.

So, just like on the way back, the three of them set off together.

The only difference was that this time, they were driving at night.

This time, Su Xiaomi didn’t fall asleep as soon as she got in the car.

After all, it wasn’t even 8 PM yet, and she usually didn’t go to bed until after midnight.

It was way too early for her to even pretend to be asleep.

Besides, perhaps because she had been spending more time with Jiang Yi recently, Su Xiaomi realized that she wasn’t as resistant to being around him as she had been at first.

Actually, it wasn’t that she had been resistant before—just scared.

She was afraid that Jiang Yi would discover her little secret of having had a crush on him, and even more afraid that he would suddenly remember the “incident” where she had once kissed him.

But now that Jiang Yi knew they were from the same hometown and still hadn’t recalled that they had been high school classmates, it was clear that he had completely forgotten about her.

With that thought, Su Xiaomi gradually relaxed.

As long as her secret wasn’t exposed, she was quite happy to spend time with Jiang Yi.

After all, Jiang Yi was so good-looking.

Even if they did nothing, just looking at him a few times would brighten her mood.

Everyone had eaten dinner before setting off, so they drove until midnight before stopping at a rest area to take a break.

Brother He, who had a good appetite, specifically went to buy a cup of instant noodles for a late-night snack.

Su Xiaomi initially said she wouldn’t eat, but the aroma of the noodles eventually got to her, and she couldn’t resist buying a cup herself.

After tearing open the packaging and adding the seasoning, she was about to get up to fetch hot water when a long, pale hand reached over and took the cup from her.

Su Xiaomi looked up in surprise to see Jiang Yi holding her cup of noodles in one hand and a pure black thermos in the other.

Without any expression, he said, “I’m going to get water anyway. I’ll do it for you.”

Before Su Xiaomi could respond, he turned and walked away.

It wasn’t until he was several steps away that she belatedly called out, “Thank you!”

After Jiang Yi left, Su Xiaomi turned to Brother He with a proud and delighted tone, “I think Boss Jiang is really nice. He even helps a small employee like me get hot water.”

Brother He’s mouth twitched.

“Please remove the ‘us’ from that sentence. He didn’t help me get water. That’s your exclusive perk.”

Exclusive perk… Su Xiaomi felt even more pleased.

Brother He recalled how, on their last trip back, Su Xiaomi had fallen asleep on Jiang Yi’s shoulder.

At the time, Jiang Yi had looked like he wanted to throw her out of the car, but he hadn’t moved an inch the entire time.

And when they reached the service area, when Brother He had suggested waking Su Xiaomi up, Jiang Yi had said it was fine and let her keep sleeping.

Now, seeing Jiang Yi voluntarily helping Su Xiaomi with her noodles, Brother He narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to Su Xiaomi, speaking in a serious tone, “Xiaomi, Brother He wants to ask you something. As colleagues, you have to answer me honestly.”

Seeing how serious he was, Su Xiaomi thought it must be something important, so she replied straightforwardly, “Sure, ask away. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Brother He: “Does you have some kind of dirt on Boss Jiang?”

Su Xiaomi: “…No, why would you think that? Wouldn’t a normal person think that maybe Boss Jiang has a thing for me?”

Brother He looked her up and down.

“That’s impossible.”

Su Xiaomi felt like she had been hit hard.

“…Why not?”

“Because Boss Jiang isn’t into women. He said it himself. Hey, I’m only telling you this, so don’t go spreading it around. Before you joined the company, there was this client—gorgeous, stunning, and loaded. She pursued Boss Jiang so openly that everyone knew about it. She even chased him to the company parking lot once. I heard Boss Jiang tell her with my own ears that he has zero interest in women.”

For some reason, after hearing Brother He’s words, a sentence popped into Su Xiaomi’s mind: “Knowing that you don’t like me isn’t because you really don’t like me, but because you’re not into women, makes me feel better.”

When Jiang Yi returned after fetching the hot water, he noticed that the way Su Xiaomi was looking at him had changed.

It was hard to describe—there was a hint of sympathy, a touch of pity, but mostly, it was a kind of helpless confusion.

Her gaze was so complicated that it left Jiang Yi baffled.

Jiang Yi: “You…”

Su Xiaomi: “You…”

They both spoke at the same time.

Jiang Yi paused, set the cup of noodles in front of Su Xiaomi, and said, “You go first.”

Su Xiaomi: “I won’t discriminate against you.”

Jiang Yi: “???”

Since Jiang Yi didn’t eat any noodles and only drank some water, before leaving the rest area, Su Xiaomi made a trip to the convenience store.

She stood in front of the shelves filled with snacks for a long time, eventually buying bread, mineral water, and Red Bull.

At the checkout, she also grabbed a handful of lollipops.

She remembered that Jiang Yi used to love lollipops, especially the orange-flavored ones.

But back then, Jiang Yi had been sixteen or seventeen.

Now, at twenty-six, was he still the same Jiang Yi who loved orange lollipops?

After paying, Su Xiaomi walked out of the store and saw Jiang Yi still waiting for her at the entrance.

She stood on the steps for a moment, admiring his tall figure, before walking over to him.

Hearing her footsteps, Jiang Yi turned and glanced at her, then calmly held out his hand.

“Give me the bag.”

Su Xiaomi shook her head.

“No need, it’s not heavy. I can carry it.”

Jiang Yi didn’t insist.

The two of them walked silently back to Brother He’s car, one after the other.

Su Xiaomi followed behind Jiang Yi, unconsciously mimicking his movements.

If Jiang Yi stepped forward with his left foot, she did the same.

If Jiang Yi stepped on the center of a tile, she followed suit.

This secret joy of following behind the boy she had once liked, tracing his steps, made the night and the breeze feel inexplicably gentle.

After getting in the car, Su Xiaomi handed the Red Bull to Brother He in the front seat, then passed the bread and water to Jiang Yi.

Finally, she pulled out the handful of lollipops and casually asked the two men in the car, “Boss Jiang, Brother He, do you want a lollipop?”

Brother He waved his hand.

“You keep those childish things for yourself.”

Jiang Yi, sitting to Su Xiaomi’s right, glanced at the lollipops lying in her palm.

After a moment of hesitation, he reached out and picked an orange-flavored one.

His cool fingers brushed against her palm, fleeting and light.

Su Xiaomi withdrew her hand and picked out an orange lollipop for herself.

She peeled off the wrapper and glanced at Jiang Yi out of the corner of her eye, noticing that he had already popped the lollipop into his mouth.

Despite his usual dignified and aloof demeanor, there was something almost childlike about the way he was enjoying the lollipop.

His cheeks were slightly puffed out, making him look a little silly, but still handsome.

The car was filled with the scent of oranges.

Su Xiaomi suddenly thought that if she were to kiss Jiang Yi now, the kiss would probably taste like oranges too—a little sour, but mostly sweet, just like the way she had felt when she had a crush on him.