Chapter 46: Don’t Hold a Grudge

After finishing the ice cream cone, Jiang Mingzhi became curious about the large item that Guan Jinxu was holding, wondering what kind of souvenir it was.

When Guan Jinxu pulled out the model of an aircraft carrier, she was completely speechless.

Guan Jinxu was truly an unrefined, naturally clueless straight man.

Jiang Mingzhi smiled and took the model. “Thank you, I really like it.”

She quickly changed the subject to avoid talking more about the aircraft carrier. “How old is Keli?”

“Three and a half years.”

It was around 4 or 5 PM, the sweltering heat of summer, the young man and the dog, with the golden sunset behind them, their shadows stretching long.

The little dog was happily running and jumping. Jiang Mingzhi held the leash, walking leisurely, while Guan Jinxu walked beside her.

He thought, this moment was worth capturing, so he pulled out his phone. “Let me take a picture of you and Keli.”

“Sure.”

Jiang Mingzhi squatted down, combing Keli’s fur, and tried to get her to look at the camera.

Her black hair shimmered softly in the sunlight, looking silky, almost more touchable than the dog.

Half of her face was bathed in gentle light, her smile pure, and the corners of her eyes curved, sparkling with tiny bits of light.

“Keli, I’m happy to meet you.”

The silly dog, tongue out, was happily wagging its tail. Guan Jinxu suddenly felt envious of the dog.

She had never said anything like that to him.

Though the sunset was beautiful, it would eventually fade. When only a sliver of the sun remained at the horizon, Jiang Mingzhi and Guan Jinxu made plans for their next tennis match and said their goodbyes at the park entrance.

Keli seemed reluctant to part with Jiang Mingzhi. Even though the leash was being pulled by Guan Jinxu, the dog kept trying to get closer to her.

Jiang Mingzhi couldn’t help but laugh. She hadn’t realized she was such a dog lover. Why hadn’t she noticed this before?

Guan Jinxu, with one hand in his pocket, helplessly tugged at the leash. “Keli, let’s go home now, Keli.”

Keli ignored him.

“Squeak squeak, Keli, look, what’s this?”

Guan Jinxu took a small packet of snacks out of his pocket, and only then did Keli turn her head to look at him.

Between delicious snacks and a beautiful lady, Keli hesitated for a moment, but in the end, the snacks won. Guan Jinxu lured the dog away.

Jiang Mingzhi carried the aircraft carrier model back home, and Qiu Tang glanced at it twice. “What did you buy that’s so big?”

“An aircraft carrier.”

Jiang Mingzhi opened the packaging, and Qiu Tang was startled by the large model that still needed assembly.

“Why did you buy this?”

Jiang Mingzhi explained casually, “It was a gift from a friend.”

The model was 1.16 meters long and scaled to the size of a real aircraft carrier.

Qiu Tang was stunned. What kind of friend would give an aircraft carrier as a gift? Even his daughter wouldn’t be interested in something like this.

Did Jiang Mingzhi have a new hobby?

“Where are you going to put it?”

Jiang Mingzhi replied, “I’ll put it in the living room on the second floor.”

After all, there was space there.

“Alright,” Qiu Tang said as he scrolled on his phone. Then he suddenly looked up and said to Jiang Mingzhi, “Next week is Pei Jinyang’s birthday, don’t forget to get him a gift.”

Jiang Mingzhi furrowed her brows. “Isn’t he at his mom’s place?”

Qiu Tang replied, “Your Uncle Pei said he’ll come before the birthday party.”

Jiang Mingzhi felt disappointed. “Okay, fine.”

She had hoped her peaceful time could last a bit longer.

Good times always pass quickly. The day before Pei Jinyang’s arrival, Jiang Mingzhi had arranged to play tennis with Guan Jinxu and also planned to buy a gift for Pei Jinyang.

She wore a professional-looking tennis outfit, with a skirt that exposed her fair, long legs to the air.

Even though Guan Jinxu had seen her in a skirt before, he couldn’t help but be distracted by her straight legs.

Guan Jinxu was good at tennis, and the sound of the tennis ball hitting the racket filled the air.

During the break, Jiang Mingzhi wiped the sweat from her forehead and neck with a towel, her eyes casually glancing at Guan Jinxu’s lean arms.

Because he was sweating so much, he rolled his short sleeves up to his shoulders, revealing his toned, muscular arms.

Guan Jinxu tilted his head back, drinking half a bottle of electrolyte water, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

Jiang Mingzhi shifted her gaze to his arm. “Do you work out?”

“No, I don’t specifically train,” Guan Jinxu replied.

Jiang Mingzhi said, “But your muscle definition is really nice.”

If he casually trained a bit, he’d have a perfect figure with a slim waist and broad shoulders.

“I do a lot of exercise,” Guan Jinxu replied.

Besides regular ball sports, he also goes rock climbing, archery, and horse riding whenever he has time.

Jiang Mingzhi became excited. “Rock climbing, outdoors? I’d love to try it.”

“Mm, if you’re free, we can go together. I’ll take you.”

Jiang Mingzhi reached out and poked his arm muscle. “Then why are you still so skinny?”

You could tell that his skin had more noticeable layers, perhaps from the summer sun, as the exposed skin had gotten a bit tan.

But he was still quite slim, showing just how naturally lean he was.

He was so slim it was almost enviable.

Guan Jinxu pursed his lips. “It’s natural.”

Jiang Mingzhi teased, “Your future kids would be so happy if they looked like you.”

She said this without thinking, and she herself didn’t know why she continued the conversation like that.

She stood up, picked up her tennis racket, and asked, “Shall we continue?”

——

After exhausting themselves on the tennis court, Jiang Mingzhi returned home.

As she passed by the living room on the second floor, Pei Jinyang was there, looking at the aircraft carrier model.

Seeing her come in, he pointed at the model and asked, “Is this yours?”

Jiang Mingzhi replied, “Why, is there a problem?”

Pei Jinyang was about to mock her for buying such a useless thing to put in her house but suddenly remembered something, and his expression quickly changed. He pressed his lips flat and asked, “Did Guan Jinxu give this to you?”

Jiang Mingzhi didn’t expect him to know so much about Guan Jinxu, to the point of guessing this. However, she had no intention of playing a friendly question-and-answer game with him.

“None of your business.”

Pei Jinyang straightened up, his gaze turning sharp and dangerous. “You better watch your tone.”

“Why should I?” Jiang Mingzhi was acting like she was teasing a pufferfish. The more upset he got, the more she enjoyed provoking him.

Pei Jinyang stared at her for a long time. Jiang Mingzhi almost thought he was going to hit her, but to her surprise, he only sighed lightly.

“Can you stop holding grudges so much?”

There was a hint of pleading in his voice, and Jiang Mingzhi was startled. She stepped back half a step and sized him up.

Could it be that he was triggered by something from his mom’s side?

Why had he suddenly become so friendly and meek?

In her impression, he only acted like this when he was trying to appease her when she was angry.

Before she could think more about it, Pei Jinyang shifted back to his usual lazy and indifferent attitude. “There’s a party at Jinhe tomorrow for my birthday. Don’t forget to come.”

He brushed past her, and Jiang Mingzhi turned her head to look at him.

She couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Tomorrow was Pei Jinyang’s birthday party, and Uncle Pei was making it quite a big deal. She had no reason not to go.

For the sake of her good relationship with Qiu Tang, Jiang Mingzhi decided to dress up a bit.

Pei Jinyang had been waiting on the first floor and was getting a little impatient, as Sun Shiyao had been texting him repeatedly in their group chat, asking if he had arrived yet.

“Dad, can we go first?”

Pei Zhaohua replied, “No, the whole family has to be together.”

“……”

Jiang Mingzhi arrived a bit late.

She wore a flowy floral skirt, light-colored and delicate, with detailed workmanship and a luxurious feel.

Descending the spiral staircase, she looked like an elegant and proud little princess.

Pei Jinyang’s anger disappeared in an instant.

A beautiful woman was worth the wait—provided that the beautiful woman didn’t start talking to him.

Once she opened her mouth, that sweet and gentle image would vanish.