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Su Yi’s smile gradually faded, and a hint of self-doubt crept into her heart. “Is that so?” she asked.
She quickly added, “I’ve been so busy these past few days, I haven’t had time to deliberately avoid him.”
Xu Xiaoqin nodded half-heartedly, “Business is important, but so is the object. You’ve been working for 12 hours a day, and you’re looking exhausted. Go home and rest early. Tianhua and I can handle this.”
Zhang Tianhua chimed in, “Yeah, Su Yi, you go home first. I’ll send Xiaoqin back after we’re done.”
Seeing this, Su Yi went over the next day’s menu with them again.
Finally, she left the restaurant and headed towards the compound alone.
By the time she got back, it was completely dark.
The streetlights along the road had all come on.
As she walked, Su Yi couldn’t help but think about Xu Xiaoqin’s words.
These past two days, she hadn’t had much opportunity to spend time alone with Zhou Jinchuan.
Most of their interactions were at the store, in front of everyone else, so it was hard to say anything.
It seemed like she had truly neglected him because of her busy schedule.
Zhou Jinchuan had been busy with the army, taking care of the children, and still finding time to help out at the store.
Today, he even took a day off to convince Li Jianguo to come and help.
Not only that, he went to the town himself to get a sign made.
Thinking about all the things he had done for her, Su Yi felt even more guilty.
Because she knew that being busy was just an excuse.
Deep down, she wanted to use her busyness to forget the unpleasantness with Zhou Jinchuan from the last time.
It seemed like she was instinctively trying to escape the reality of marriage.
Thinking about this, Su Yi couldn’t help but sigh.
She thought she would never be a deserter, but when it came to love, she turned into a coward.
Perhaps it was because she cared too much, and she was afraid that their newly confirmed relationship wasn’t strong enough to withstand the scrutiny of Zhou’s family.
But since she chose to be with him, these problems would have to be faced sooner or later, it was just a matter of time.
Her actions were probably hurting Zhou Jinchuan silently.
Thinking about this, Su Yi quickened her pace, hoping to get back sooner.
If possible, she hoped he wasn’t asleep yet, so they could at least see each other alone, even if it was just to say goodnight.
Su Yi started to jog as she walked. Just as she turned onto the road leading to the compound, she suddenly saw a familiar figure in the distance.
Su Yi stopped and took a closer look. The figure was backlit, blurry, and only the outline could be seen.
But she recognized him immediately – it was Zhou Jinchuan.
She was just thinking about him, and the next second she saw him in person.
The melancholy in her heart instantly turned to sweet joy. Su Yi immediately started to jog towards him.
Zhou Jinchuan saw her coming back so quickly and hurried to meet her.
As soon as he reached her, Su Yi couldn’t help but ask with a smile in her eyes, “Why are you back?”
Zhou Jinchuan looked down at her and smiled, “It’s dark, and this road is too dark. I was afraid you’d be unsafe coming back alone, so I walked back after I sent them home. I thought I’d have to wait a while, but you’re back so soon?”
Su Yi didn’t explain further. She directly linked her arm with his and kissed him affectionately on the side of his face.
Zhou Jinchuan froze in his tracks, looking at her with surprise and shock.
He continued to stare until Su Yi felt a little embarrassed. “Why aren’t you moving?”
Zhou Jinchuan held her hand, “You seem different today.”
Su Yi pursed her lips and smiled, “You don’t like it?”
Zhou Jinchuan pretended to be calm, glanced around, and coughed lightly, “We should pay attention to our behavior when we’re outside.”
Upon hearing this, Su Yi snorted and immediately let go of his hand.
But in that second, Zhou Jinchuan grabbed her hand again, “But I just checked, there’s no one around here, so it doesn’t count as being outside.”
He then gently squeezed the hand in his palm, “Why are you so happy?”
Su Yi grinned, “The restaurant is finally done, of course I’m happy. And also because you came to pick me up, I’m especially happy. Because on the way here, I was wondering if I’d see you tonight, and then the next second, I saw you.”
Zhou Jinchuan’s heart blossomed, “You wanted to see me? You’re not mad at me anymore?”
Su Yi was taken aback for a moment, “Why would I be mad at you? I’ve been neglecting you because of the restaurant, I haven’t been mad at you at all.”
Su Yi blurted out her thoughts.
She realized it wasn’t as difficult as she thought.
Thinking back to Zhou Jinchuan’s care and consideration for her during this time, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion. She smiled at him, “Compared to you, I don’t seem like a very good partner!”
Zhou Jinchuan saw the slight redness around her eyes and felt a pang of heartache. He stopped and looked at her.
His heart felt a flutter, “Whether you’re qualified or not should be up to the person involved, right? In my eyes, you’re the best.”
He then sighed softly, “Seeing you so busy these days, you don’t even have time to drink water or eat properly. I’m even starting to regret letting you open the restaurant.”
He looked at her face, which had become thinner from all the work.
He couldn’t help but reach out and gently stroke her cheek. Then he lowered his head and quickly kissed her lips.
The warm moisture perfectly relieved the dryness of her lips, and Su Yi was feeling happy inside.
Then—
[What? That’s it?!]
[Just that? It was too fast!!]
[Waaah, I want more!!!]
Zhou Jinchuan was taken aback for a moment, then he lowered his head and saw that she was indeed looking unsatisfied.
He quickly looked around, making sure no one was around before lowering his head and kissing her again.
This time, they were both reluctant to let go.
Perhaps because they were outside, it made the kiss feel even more intense and exciting.
Until the sound of a car came from afar, Zhou Jinchuan finally straightened up, “We should go back.”
Su Yi nodded, then naturally slipped her hand into his coat pocket.
Zhou Jinchuan paused for a moment, then also reached in and took her hand.
They held hands until they reached the front door, then finally released each other.
When they reached the dormitory building, Su Yi asked, “Do you want to come up and sit for a bit? I have something to tell you.”
Originally, she had planned to tell him after she was done with everything.
But during their walk back, she suddenly felt like it was better to get things clear sooner.
And it didn’t seem that difficult to say it out loud.
Zhou Jinchuan saw her sudden seriousness and immediately understood that she was talking about marriage.
He thought that since she was so happy earlier, she must have agreed.
But then he thought again, the sweetness often hides a trap.
Could it be that she was giving him a sweet treat first to make him happy, and then reject him later?
Thinking about this, Zhou Jinchuan immediately took two steps back, “Didn’t you say you have to be busy tomorrow with the food tasting for everyone? Why don’t we talk about it after you’re done?”