Chapter 45

Thinking about finding a place to take shelter from the rain, she saw the big tree at the end of the neighborhood wall. The leaves were so dense that light rain like today wouldn’t fully penetrate them, keeping the ground under the tree dry.

“Let’s go under that tree!” [Note: This is written for the sake of the plot. Never take shelter under a tree during a thunderstorm.]

Zhou Qizhen looked at the shelter she pointed to and remained silent for a few seconds, but he still followed her to the tree.

Standing on the dry ground, Zhou Qizhen closed the umbrella in his hand, his eyes burning as he glanced at Lu Xiaoqiao, who was only looking at the ground.

He felt like a young boy in love for the first time.

Since that day when he spoke his mind, he seemed to fall into endless waiting. Every day, he ate without taste, and he couldn’t sleep at night. He, who used to be focused and efficient at work, became slow and absent-minded because of his worries.

He was afraid of Lu Xiaoqiao’s rejection. If she really didn’t agree, what would he do? Would he truly let go, or would he pester her until she agreed?

Zhou Qizhen pondered for a long time, his voice tinged with caution as he whispered, “I didn’t want to pressure you, but I can’t wait any longer. During my business trip, I was so afraid that you would suddenly message me saying we weren’t suitable.”

“I don’t know what you’re afraid of. Logically, I should be the one afraid. After all, I’m so much older than you. If we were together, I would always worry that you would suddenly dislike me for being old.”

“And you mentioned that we’re not a good match. There’s no need to worry about that. You’re already very outstanding. If you had been born into a family like mine, you might have been even more successful than me. So, if a relationship requires both people to have similar backgrounds or be equally matched, then I don’t think I’m worthy of you either.”

Since meeting Zhou Qizhen, Lu Xiaoqiao had never heard him speak so much in one breath, especially words expressing his feelings for her.

It was impossible to say she wasn’t touched by his words.

He was so outstanding, and to put her at ease, he lowered himself and belittled himself while praising her. How could she not be moved by such a man?

There was one thing she really wanted to know.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.”

Lu Xiaoqiao casually put her hands in the pockets of her jacket. Inside, her fingers nervously tugged at the fabric, hidden from his sight, to relieve her tension.

“When… when did you start having these feelings for me?”

Zhou Qizhen was taken aback by her question, but he quickly recovered and said, “I don’t know myself, but it was definitely earlier than you think.”

He couldn’t tell her yet about their connection from when she was a child. Even if his feelings for her as a man developed after she became an adult, he was afraid she wouldn’t believe him and would think he was a pervert.

She didn’t understand how much earlier he meant. Did he fall in love at first sight?

But back then, he was clearly an ice-cold face towards her. How could he have shown any abnormal feelings?

Lu Xiaoqiao continued, “Then what do you like about me?”

After all, she herself couldn’t think of anything about herself that would make a big shot like him like her, besides the fact that they were both human. If we’re talking about beauty, there were countless women prettier than her.

“Everything!” Zhou Qizhen said seriously.

Lu Xiaoqiao: “…”

Lu Xiaoqiao’s speechless expression made Zhou Qizhen’s heart suddenly tighten.

He quickly explained, “I’m telling the truth. Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare to come under the tree with you.”

Lu Xiaoqiao was a little confused. “Huh?”

Seeing her dazed look, Zhou Qizhen smiled. “We’ll get struck by lightning.”

Lu Xiaoqiao: “…”

Understanding his meaning, Lu Xiaoqiao’s cheeks instantly turned crimson, and she felt like she was about to burn up. Her hands were making all sorts of small movements in her pocket.

“I’m sorry! I forgot about that. It was raining on and off, and there wasn’t any thunder, so I forgot about safety.”

“It’s okay, the rain has stopped. It’s not important anymore. You just need to think about what I said.”

“Give me a chance, okay?”

Meeting his deep, expectant eyes, her face flushed hot, and she quickly looked away.

“How about we start as friends first?”

Zhou Qizhen was surprised by her answer.

“Aren’t we friends now? Besides, I don’t want to be friends, I want to be a boyfriend.”

“Or, give me a trial period?”

Lu Xiaoqiao looked up at him again, her bright eyes blinking under her long eyelashes.

“What trial period?”

“It’s a three-month trial period. It’s up to you whether to continue or not. If you really don’t like me, then I will quit. But you don’t even give me a chance now, I will not be reconciled.” If

Zhou Qizhen had a little money, she would have agreed. She never thought in her life that one day she would fly up to the tree and become a phoenix. 🅆𝓦𝙬.𝙫𝙊🄳🆃𝙬1.🄲𝘾

But facing the tight questioning of the man in front of her, her calm heart seemed to have a little splash.

If she agreed to give it a try, what if she was deeply trapped in it for a long time and couldn’t get out and got hurt in the end? But he threw out the bait of a trial period for love, which was really cunning.

“Then…what if I feel that we are not suitable for each other in less than three months? For example, can I want to break up in one week?”

Zhou Qizhen: “…”

“I…I’m not so bad that you can’t stand it in a week!”

Lu Xiaoqiao smiled awkwardly: “I didn’t say you were bad, I just said that.”

“So, are you willing to give me a chance?”

Lu Xiaoqiao raised her head slightly.

The expectation and love in the man’s eyes were like a burning bonfire, which could not be hidden.

She was also a vulgar person, and she also wanted to have beautiful things and people. Such a good man, even if one day he became a thing of the past, it would be a gain to have him!

After thinking it through, the last trace of hesitation flashed in her eyes and finally turned into determination.

After a long time, Lu Xiaoqiao nodded gently, with a shy tone, and whispered softly: “Well, let’s look around first!”

Zhou Qizhen finally heard the consent he wanted to hear.

The heart that had been hanging for many days finally fell, like the frozen snow mountain finally saw the sun and melted.

The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but rise, and a smile overflowed from his eyes, and his handsome and cold face softened completely.

“Xiao Qiao, thank you for giving me a chance.”

Lu Xiaoqiao was a little shy and pretended to look away: “There is a probation period, it depends on your performance.”

Zhou Qizhen couldn’t help laughing: “Well, I’ll listen to you in the future.”

“I’ll ask the driver to drive the car over, let’s go for dinner, do you have anything you want to eat?”

While asking her, she took out her mobile phone to call the driver.

Lu Xiaoqiao originally wanted to stop him, but when she thought about it, the two had just confirmed their relationship, and it was normal to go out for dinner. If she refused now, it would make people think too much.

“I can do anything. Are you hungry now? Otherwise, eat something near my house!”

Zhou Qizhen glanced around to see if there was a place to eat.

“You are familiar with this place, you can recommend it!”

Lu Xiaoqiao thought for a while and said, “There is a night market a little further ahead, and there are a lot of delicious food, but…”

Lu Xiaoqiao felt that he might not be used to eating at roadside stalls, and regretted inviting him to eat near her house.

“Xiaoqiao, I can do it. When you are with me, I will try my best to cater to your preferences in the future. Don’t change any habits because of me. Your happiness is the most important thing.”

I didn’t expect that he, who was usually so cold, would be quite considerate of others’ feelings.

Lu Xiaoqiao was happy in her heart, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, and she whispered “hmm” as a reply.