Chapter 012

Meng Li didn’t think much of the fact that she had canceled her plans, nor did she expect to see Ji Chen again anytime soon.

Beijing was so vast; how could they possibly run into each other every day?

However, just twenty minutes later, Meng Li found herself standing in front of this person, someone she thought she would never encounter again, in a small food store.

The man was standing by the counter, his figure made particularly upright by the tailored wool coat he wore.

When Meng Li spotted Ji Chen, she hadn’t yet entered the store but was already at the door with Grandma Cheng. The moment she saw him, she stopped in her tracks, and as soon as Ji Chen noticed her, she quickly turned around and ran.

After running a few steps, she stopped, turned back to Grandma Cheng, and said, “Grandma, I have something to take care of. You can shop around for a while.”

Without waiting for Grandma Cheng to respond, she quickly turned and ran off again.

Grandma Cheng and Tang Yuan’er hadn’t reacted yet when a young man in a wool coat swiftly passed between them, heading straight for Meng Li. The two of them, one ahead and the other behind, both young and light on their feet, ran as fast as the wind.

As Meng Li ran frantically, she couldn’t help but think to herself how unlucky she was. She had canceled on Ji Chen, yet somehow, just by going out for a stroll, she had ended up running into him.

It felt like she was cursed, always crossing paths with him, as if her body were magnetized to him.

Ji Chen, on the other hand, was only focused on one thing—catching up to her and making her pay.

He had waited for her in the park for half the day, even skipped lunch, and here she was, casually shopping in the streets!

The two of them were locked in a relentless chase—one desperately running, the other relentlessly pursuing.

They dashed through several long streets and alleys, finally ending up in a maze of narrow lanes.

Meng Li, with her head down and heart racing, just focused on running, hoping to lose Ji Chen in the process.

The more Meng Li tried to shake him off, the tighter Ji Chen seemed to cling to her.

Neither of them knew how long they had been running, nor how many alleys they had passed through.

Exhausted and out of breath, Meng Li finally found herself at the end of a dead-end alley. Her legs were weak, and she could hardly catch her breath as she bent over, clutching her knees.

Ji Chen, trailing behind, slowed down and eventually caught up. He grabbed her shoulder with one swift motion.

Meng Li still had enough energy to push against him, but she couldn’t break free. Her body gave way, and she stumbled back, her back hitting the wall.

In that moment, Ji Chen, with the momentum, pressed forward, pinning her against the stone wall, making it impossible for her to move.

In truth, even without Ji Chen holding her, Meng Li was too exhausted to move.

Ji Chen, equally drained, could hardly catch his breath. He gasped and muttered, “How come you’re so spineless now?”

Meng Li struggled to breathe, her voice weak as she replied, “Got a problem with it?”

Ji Chen, still panting heavily, found it hard to speak, “I waited for you in the park for half a day, then chased you for half a day. How could I not have a problem?”

Meng Li took a few deep breaths and, still out of breath, shot back, “You chose to wait and chase… that was all on you.”

Ji Chen, utterly exhausted, was too tired to be angry. He stared at Meng Li, feeling like she deserved a good smack, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Still catching his breath, he suddenly caught a faint, pleasant fragrance from her, and instinctively leaned closer to her, sniffing the air near her nose.

The scent became clearer, and Ji Chen couldn’t help but sound a little disgusted, “What the hell, you’re a grown man—what did you put on yourself?”

Meng Li tried to push him off but was too weak to do so. “Why do you care what I put on?”

Trapped against the wall by Ji Chen’s hand on her shoulder, Meng Li felt incredibly uncomfortable.

Ji Chen hadn’t treated her as a woman, but the truth was, she was a woman.

Ji Chen took a moment to catch his breath before speaking again. He lowered his gaze at Meng Li, and since they were so close, they could both clearly hear each other’s quick, ragged breaths. Of course, it was from the running, not for any other reason.

The two of them fell into a brief silence, and the atmosphere grew subtly strange and awkward.

With his head lowered, Ji Chen’s nose picked up the faint scent of milk. He noticed the faint blush creeping up the back of Meng Li’s ears, the delicate, soft earlobes visible beneath her hat, her long, dark eyelashes, and then her lips, which were still catching their breath… For a moment, he found himself momentarily distracted.

After a moment, Ji Chen snapped back to reality, quickly letting go of Meng Li as if she were a hot potato.

Damn it, he wondered if he had truly lost his mind.

…

Both Ji Chen and Meng Li were feeling awkward.

Meng Li lifted her hand and tugged at the hat on her head, trying to cover her ears entirely.

The back of her ears felt warm, and the heat seemed to spread to her face. She could feel it, too.

To ease the awkwardness that had unexpectedly arisen, Meng Li adjusted her hat and then spoke up, trying to break the silence. “Since we’ve already run into each other, let’s just clear the air. Last time, I got into a fight and got seriously hurt. My family didn’t take care of me properly, and I barely stayed in the hospital. I can’t fight anymore, so I’m not looking to make enemies or get into trouble with anyone…”

Ji Chen just watched her silently, waiting for her to finish.

Meng Li cleared her throat, glanced at Ji Chen’s eyes, and cautiously continued, “Since we ran into each other at the Shichahai ice rink last time, you’ve let me off the hook a few times, and for that, I thank you.”

“If you really wanted to beat me, you would have already thrown me to the ground and beaten me a hundred times. Since you’re not so eager to hurt me, why don’t we just let go of the past? All the grudges and scores, we’ll just forget them. From now on, we can coexist peacefully. I’ll make sure my people don’t cause trouble on your turf, and I won’t touch your people again. How does that sound?”

Ji Chen crossed his arms over his chest, his tall figure looming over Meng Li as he lowered his head to look at her. “Why should I trust you?”

When you were swinging that steel wire lock at my head, you didn’t talk like this!

Meng Li, backed up against the stone wall, felt trapped, her small frame making her seem even more vulnerable.

Being short meant she had no choice but to be pinned down!

In an effort to reach a resolution, Meng Li raised her eyes to meet Ji Chen’s gaze, took a deep breath, and said, “Am I not being sincere enough? I can’t beat you right now. How about you just hit me once, get it off your chest, and then we can talk?”

Ji Chen had indeed invited her to Chaoyang Park with the intention of beating her.

But now, seeing her like this, he found himself unable to follow through. For some reason, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was as if he was completely unable to go through with it.

He had never been this indecisive before—this was just bad luck!

Staring into Meng Li’s eyes, Ji Chen found himself caught between agreeing and refusing.

After thinking for a moment, Ji Chen reached out his hand toward Meng Li. “Forget about hitting you. If you have anything on you, just hand it over.”

He had always been the one losing to her before, but now he needed to take something back.

Meng Li quickly started patting herself down. She hadn’t brought much with her, and after checking all her pockets, she pulled out a piece of fruit candy wrapped in green plastic. It was something Grandma Cheng had given her earlier, but she hadn’t eaten it yet.

Holding the candy in her palm, she extended her hand toward Ji Chen, placing it in his. “That’s all I have.”

Ji Chen looked at the fruit candy in his hand, speechless.

After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat and asked, “No money? Not even any food or ration coupons?”

Meng Li shook her head. “I really don’t have anything.”

Ji Chen could tell she wasn’t lying, so he put the candy in the pocket of his wool coat, then withdrew his hand.

At this point, he didn’t feel like saying anything more and turned to leave.

Confused by his sudden silence, Meng Li called out to his retreating figure after he had taken a few steps, “Did you agree?”

Without turning around, Ji Chen waved his hand in the air dismissively, “No.”

Meng Li: “…”

He took her candy and still didn’t agree?

In frustration, Meng Li bent down, picked up a small stone, and tossed it in Ji Chen’s direction.

She wasn’t aiming to hit him—she just threw it absentmindedly.

The small stone, tossed carelessly, hit Ji Chen right on the back of his head with a sharp “thud” before bouncing onto the ground.

Surprised by the unexpected attack, Ji Chen immediately stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, looking at Meng Li with a confused expression.

Meng Li quickly avoided his gaze, looking up at the sky instead, not daring to meet his eyes.

Then, without saying a word, she turned around and buried her face against the wall…

“…”