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This lazy sentence, with a hint of indulgence, made Tang You’s already slightly flushed face feel as if it had been scorched by the sun, burning from the base of her ears to her cheeks, turning as red as a ripe peach.
“Mhm.” She felt a slight sweetness in her heart, lowered her head obediently, and said, “Okay.”
“Then let’s go.” Zhou Qinyao straddled the motorcycle, started the engine, and said to the girl behind him, “Hop on.”
Tang You quickly followed, “…Okay.”
She climbed onto the back, placing her feet on the footrests. Being her first time on a motorcycle, the girl didn’t know where to put her hands and anxiously searched for something to hold onto.
Zhou Qinyao, half-squinting, noticed her flustered movements in the rearview mirror, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Without a word, he lowered the visor on his helmet, pulled up the kickstand, and just as the bike started moving, he naturally took Tang You’s hands and placed them around his waist.
“Hold on tight,” the man’s deep voice said.
Tang You: “…”
Before she could react, the wind was already whistling past her ears.
Tang You’s hands instinctively wrapped around Zhou Qinyao’s waist. The speed made her too afraid to move, and even though there was a jacket between them, she could still feel the heat and thudding of his heartbeat beneath her fingertips.
The rhythm matched her own heartbeat, making it impossible for her to stay calm.
The last time she sat behind him on a bicycle, she was still carefully holding onto the hem of his shirt.
But today, she was holding his waist.
Their relationship seemed to be heating up quickly, but as Tang You rested her head slightly against the man’s broad back, she could only see his cold, black helmet, just like him. Sometimes, she vaguely felt—
He was hiding something.
Something she couldn’t quite figure out.
Beihu Park wasn’t far from Huaishu Alley; it only took ten minutes by car.
When Tang You and Zhou Qinyao arrived, Cheng Xuan and Wei Kai had already spread out the picnic mat, which was covered with the food and drinks they had brought.
Seeing Tang You arrive, Cheng Xuan thanked Zhou Qinyao and then pulled her over.
“How was it? Was riding with Yao Ge as thrilling as expected?”
It was Tang You’s first time on a motorcycle, and her heart was still racing.
She stole a glance at Zhou Qinyao, who had parked the bike and walked off to the side, then nodded and whispered to Cheng Xuan, “Yes… it was quite thrilling.”
Something like this would be unthinkable around Fang Lai.
In her eyes, a well-bred daughter should be well-educated, graceful, play elegant instruments, and associate with refined people.
Not hanging out with people like Cheng Xuan and Zhou Qinyao, riding motorcycles, drinking beer, and eating barbecue—everything was against her rules.
A total of over ten people had come on this autumn outing. Some were playing cards on the grass, others were gaming together, each in their own world of fun.
Cheng Xuan wasn’t idle either. She had brought a barbecue grill and was taking frozen food out of a cooler, piece by piece.
Song Xiaoyang and a few kids were clamoring for chicken wings, so Wei Kai started grilling for them.
Zhou Qinyao didn’t seem interested in food or drink. He sat beside them, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and placed it between his fingers.
Then, he reached out to the barbecue grill for a light, lit the cigarette, and took a deep drag.
Tang You watched him secretly.
There was a certain aura about this man that always seemed out of place in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. But Tang You couldn’t quite pinpoint what that feeling was.
Wu Zhiyu had mentioned before that no one knew where Zhou Qinyao came from. Everything about him was unknown, like a bottomless deep pool—mysterious, yet dangerous.
Wei Kai grilled a chicken wing for Song Xiaoyang, who was overjoyed and twirled around beside Zhou Qinyao with the wing in hand. For once, a faint, warm smile appeared in Zhou Qinyao’s usually emotionless eyes.
It was at this moment that he seemed to sense something and suddenly shifted his gaze.
Tang You, who had been secretly watching him and lost in her own thoughts, was caught off guard when their eyes met. It felt as if her chest had exploded, and she quickly lowered her head, pretending to chat with Cheng Xuan in a fluster.
Zhou Qinyao withdrew his gaze, a subtle smile tugging at his lips.
Just then, Song Xiaoyang ran over to Cheng Xuan with a kite in hand. “Sister Xuan, come with me, kite.”
Although he didn’t speak clearly, Cheng Xuan understood. She took a sip of her drink, rolled up her sleeves, and took the kite. “Alright, Sister Xuan will fly it with you.”
Wei Kai teased from the side, “Xiaoyang, keep an eye out. The eighteen kites your Sister Xuan lost last year are still floating around somewhere.”
“Come on, if you’re so good, you try.” Cheng Xuan, annoyed, smacked Wei Kai on the back with the kite before dragging Song Xiaoyang off to a wide-open area.
“Damn, who would want someone that fierce?” Wei Kai muttered as he shoved a grilled sausage into his mouth. Then he turned as if seeking agreement and asked Zhou Qinyao, “I bet you don’t like girls like Cheng Xuan, right?”
Zhou Qinyao’s eyes flickered slightly as he lightly exhaled a puff of smoke, “None of your business.”
But Wei Kai seemed really interested in the topic and pressed on, “So, what type do you like?”
Their casual conversation made Tang You, who was pretending to grill corn beside them, feel her heart pounding.
She felt inexplicably nervous, yet she also anticipated hearing Zhou Qinyao’s answer.
However, the man casually flicked the ash from his cigarette and said, “I like someone like your mom.”
“…”
Wei Kai looked shocked, then furrowed his brows in serious contemplation.
“Should I go ask my mom if she’s interested in finding someone new?”
“You’d make a great stepdad.”
Zhou Qinyao looked at Wei Kai.
It was as if he’d just tasted something vile. After a few seconds, he pointed off into the distance, “Can you go away for a few minutes?”
“Sure thing, Dad,” Wei Kai wiped his mouth. “Just holler when you want me back.”
“…”
With that, Wei Kai went over to where Cheng Xuan and Song Xiaoyang were playing, leaving only Tang You and Zhou Qinyao in front of the grill.
They sat facing each other—one smoking, the other grilling corn, each minding their own business.
Tang You never looked up, pretending to be very busy and focused on helping everyone with the barbecue.
“Hey.” Zhou Qinyao suddenly called out to her.
Tang You looked up, confused. “Huh?”
The man lightly tilted his chin. “It’s burning.”
Tang You blinked in surprise, then quickly glanced down.
Only then did she realize that because she had been distracted, one side of the corn she was grilling had turned completely black.
She awkwardly flipped the corn over and, feeling embarrassed, brushed her hair back. “Thanks.”
“What were you thinking about?” Zhou Qinyao asked.
“…Nothing.”
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