"......What are we talking about?" Shen Jianxi shifted backward stealthily on the sofa, ensuring the distance between them was safe before daring to speak again, "There's a generation gap every three years. Count how many gaps there are between us. What common ground do we have?"
Shen Xingzhi:?
He was so amused he actually laughed. Waving a hand towards the young lady on the sofa who was tilting her chin up, he said, "Come on, say that again."
Shen Jianxi swallowed, enduring Shen Xingzhi's increasingly dangerous gaze. Suddenly, she leaned forward, hooked her arms around his neck, and slowly tilted her head to his ear. "Don't be angry. Even though you're old, I don't mind!" Sudan Novel Network
As soon as she finished speaking, she was suddenly lifted into the air. After a dizzying spin, Shen Jianxi found herself pinned to the sofa by Shen Xingzhi.
Shen Xingzhi looked down at her from above. "Don't change the subject. You haven't explained today's events clearly."
"It's just... I came alone..." Her voice grew quieter under his gaze, until it was inaudible.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you. You, you, you, you, stop looking at me and I'll tell you."
Seeing that the young lady was finally no longer being stubborn, Shen Xingzhi let her go. He sat on the other end of the sofa, arms crossed, waiting for her explanation.
Shen Jianxi sat up, tidied her disheveled hair, and coughed heavily. "The root of this matter is ultimately that you don't love me enough."
77: ...What a way to shift the blame.
Shen Xingzhi glanced at her sideways, saying nothing.
His inaction clearly emboldened the person opposite him. The young lady's voice gained a bit more confidence, and her expression gradually became indignant.
"See, if you loved me, why wouldn't you believe me? And question me!"
Shen Xingzhi, hearing her accusation, pointed at himself in disbelief. "Me? Questioning you?"
"Yes! It was you!" The young lady grew angrier as she spoke, as if this were the undeniable truth. Her expression became increasingly wronged.
Shen Xingzhi sighed helplessly, trying to defend himself. "I just said we should talk, I didn't mean to question you."
"You did question me! Your eyes changed for 0.001 seconds and became very fierce when you said that."
"Me!???"
He now understood what it meant to be unable to defend oneself. This matter should have been one where she was in the wrong, but now it had become his fault.
"It's my fault, I was fierce to you, I apologize." To prevent the young lady from making any more baseless accusations, Shen Xingzhi apologized first. He softened his voice and coaxed, "So now can I specifically hear your..."
Shen Xingzhi struggled with the choice of words. He was afraid of using the wrong term and being caught again, so he racked his brains.
"...pleasant words spoken in your melodious voice?"
"Pfft!" Shen Jianxi couldn't help but laugh. Although she quickly stifled it, Shen Xingzhi, who had been watching her intently, saw it clearly.
He smiled helplessly, his initial imposing manner already mostly gone. "I admit I was jealous. I like you, so I want to understand every aspect of you, your family, your friends, and I hope you won't hide anything from me."
Shen Jianxi knew that given Shen Xingzhi's personality, saying something like an apology was rare, even though his possessiveness was still very strong.
Everything that had just happened was just to distract him, to give him an emotional outlet. This way, when she actually started to explain, Shen Xingzhi's emotions would be calmer.
Only now did Shen Jianxi prepare to state her well-thought-out reason.
"Actually, I was indeed out on a date today." As she spoke, she subtly glanced up. Seeing Shen Xingzhi's normal expression, she continued, "But I only agreed to go out so I could refuse him!"
Once the topic was broached, the rest was easy to make up... or rather, to explain.
"My mom has a good friend whose son is around my age, so our families thought about us getting engaged or something. Today, my mom insisted I go out with him."
"Wait." Shen Xingzhi suddenly interrupted, frowning. Ji Zhaoyun was the same age as him, so he wouldn't have called the young lady "little brother," would he?
He suddenly felt that some things might not be as he thought. "Then what about Ji Zhaoyun?"
"Ji Zhaoyun? Who is that?" Shen Jianxi looked blank, her tone filled with confusion. "Is he your friend?"
Shen Xingzhi realized he had indeed been mistaken. He coughed to cover his embarrassment. "Yes, he's my friend. Please continue."
"Oh." She nodded and continued, "But neither of us had any interest in that. We originally planned to pretend to agree and then go our separate ways once we met. Who knew that auntie and my mom would secretly follow us."
Speaking of which, Shen Jianxi gritted her teeth, looking genuinely angry. "We had no choice. We played two games, and then took advantage of the lunch rush at the restaurant to shake off my mom and them."
"The reason you saw me at that restaurant was because I hid inside to avoid my mom."
After finishing, she cautiously looked at Shen Xingzhi and then hooked his finger with hers. "It was wrong of me not to tell you I was going out with another guy today. Don't be angry anymore. Next time, I will definitely, definitely, definitely tell you."
"Okay?"
Her娇娇 voice had a hint of tears. Before she could say more, tears began to fall.
Shen Xingzhi quickly pulled her into his arms to comfort her. "I'm not angry, just a little jealous." He took out a tissue, intending to gently dab away the tears on her face, but she blocked his hand.
"What's wrong?" His voice was so gentle it could drown anyone.
"My makeup, I, I'm wearing makeup. Don't smudge it."
Despite crying so hard she could barely speak, she still remembered not to ruin her makeup. Shen Xingzhi chuckled softly, then burst into laughter.
He cupped the young lady's face and lightly kissed her lips, then quickly pulled away.
"You're so cute."
77: "Beep! Affection points +7. Current Shen Xingzhi affection points: 65."
Shen Jianxi had stopped crying some time ago. Tears should be used sparingly, otherwise, they become annoying.
She looked at the lipstick smudge on Shen Xingzhi's lips and suddenly leaned in, pressing her lips against his.
Their eyes met. Shen Xingzhi was stunned by her sudden action and didn't know how to react.
Under his gaze, the young lady's face turned crimson. She closed her eyes and shyly nibbled on his lower lip. Shen Xingzhi suddenly came back to his senses and took the lead.
They kissed passionately, the temperature in the air rising. Shen Jianxi was pressed down by him at some point, and she even felt some changes.
At the height of their passion, Shen Xingzhi suddenly pulled away, breathing heavily as he looked at the flushed girl lying on the sofa. He stood up. "I'm going to take a shower."
Without waiting for Shen Jianxi to say anything, he went back to the room, leaving her alone in the empty living room.
"Xixi." 77 suddenly spoke softly.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Is Shen Xingzhi... impotent?"
"..." Shen Jianxi was so shocked she almost choked. She couldn't fathom how 77 could say such a thing. "77, you've become bad."
"How so? I..."
"How can you sleep?! At this stage, can you sleep? How can you sleep? I find it utterly baffling..."
The phone on the table suddenly rang, startling both the person and the system who were talking.
77 patted its startled little heart and couldn't help but complain, "Are you a demon? I don't remember your mission including preparing for postgraduate exams. Listening to this ringtone, I haven't seen you sleep any less."
"...Shut up, thank you."
The call was from Luo Yuqi. Shen Jianxi hadn't expected it. She glanced at Shen Xingzhi's closed bedroom door, pressed the answer button, and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello? What's up?"
"Is Sister going to participate in the show tomorrow?" Luo Yuqi asked on the phone.
"Yes, why?" Shen Jianxi frowned, not understanding his intention.
"It's nothing, just wanted to let you know. I'll go with you tomorrow. Uncle Shen has already agreed."
Shen Jianxi: ???
Luo Yuqi looked at the information he had people investigate on his computer. He could indeed see the change in Shen Jianxi's personality. So, he planned to stay by her side and observe her personally.
Shen Jianxi quickly realized why he was doing this. Before Luo Yuqi could speak again, she said joyfully, "Great! If you come, I'll know someone on this show!"
Luo Yuqi noticed the loophole in her words and seized it to probe, "Why wouldn't Sister know anyone? Isn't there a teammate?"
After speaking, he listened carefully to the reaction on the other end. As expected, he heard Shen Jianxi's breathing falter for a moment, and then he heard her flustered explanation.
"Uh... I mean, even though there's a teammate, but, but..."
Just as she was racking her brain for an excuse, Luo Yuqi suddenly said understandingly, "It must be because the teammate isn't as familiar as I am."
"Yes, yes, yes!" As soon as he offered a way out, she quickly took it.
Her reaction had already told Luo Yuqi something. He smiled silently. "Then Sister, you must be busy. I won't disturb you."
"Okay, bye-bye, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
After hanging up, Shen Jianxi's expression was impassive, devoid of the panic she had just shown.
...
Shen Xingzhi soon came out.
"Let's go."
Shen Jianxi, who was playing on her phone, looked up when she heard his voice. Shen Xingzhi was wearing a loose t-shirt and shorts, and a long, mysterious black bag was slung over his back.
"What are you... going to do?" she asked hesitantly. The black bag looked very heavy, but she didn't know what it was for.
Shen Xingzhi smiled mysteriously. "I'm taking you to cultivate your character."
Shen Jianxi: ???
Before she could ask further, Shen Xingzhi pulled her to change her shoes and go out, not forgetting to grab the two sun-protective shirts they had just bought from the sofa.
...
They chatted and laughed on the way. However, every time Shen Jianxi asked about the destination, Shen Xingzhi would deflect. After many times, Shen Jianxi stopped asking. After all, if he had any malicious intentions, 77 would speak up.
It was with this laid-back mindset that Shen Jianxi was utterly bewildered upon seeing their destination.
She never expected Shen Xingzhi to bring her to a huge lake, nor did she expect that the black bag contained all sorts of fishing gear.
Looking at the man enthusiastically fiddling with a fishing rod, Shen Jianxi walked over with a dark expression. "This is what you call cultivating your character?"
"That's right!" Shen Xingzhi nodded. "Fishing not only cultivates your character, but the fish you catch can also be eaten."
"......" Shen Jianxi felt her temple veins throbbing. She glanced at the sun, which was impossible to look at directly. "Fishing outdoors in the hottest part of summer?"
"Are you okay?"
Just standing outside the car for a moment, she was already unbearable hot and just wanted to return to an air-conditioned room.
"I thought about it. We can't really play properly in the city. Staying in an air-conditioned room all day is bad for your health and very stuffy, so I thought of fishing."
Shen Jianxi: ...No, she wasn't stuffy, and her health was fine.
"...But it's very sunny, and I'll get tanned." She wasn't giving up and wanted to struggle further. "As celebrities, we should extra protect every inch of our skin."
As soon as she finished speaking. A sun-protective shirt was stuffed into her arms. Then, as if by magic, Shen Xingzhi took out an umbrella from the car's trunk.
He opened the umbrella and fixed it on the ground, set up chairs and a small table under it, and took out cold drinks and fruit from the car's refrigerator, placing them on the table.
After finishing, Shen Xingzhi made an inviting gesture towards Shen Jianxi.
Shen Jianxi: ...
She truly hadn't expected Shen Xingzhi's car to be so well-equipped!
Helplessly, Shen Jianxi could only put on the sun-protective shirt and walk towards him. Pouting, she picked up a fishing rod from the ground. Shen Xingzhi had already baited it. She forcefully cast it into the lake, sat down with her back to him, not even looking at Shen Xingzhi.
It started as just a show of defiance, but it changed once she caught the first fish. Shen Jianxi found it enjoyable.
Her movements became more skilled, and she started baiting the hook herself. Seeing her spirited appearance, Shen Xingzhi said from the side, "Isn't it interesting? We should do this again next time..."
"Shh! Don't talk!" Shen Jianxi's eyes were fixed on the fishing float, and she warned him without turning her head, "You'll scare my fish away."
Shen Xingzhi: ???
Wait, he had originally come fishing to have some rare time alone with her, and fishing was just a backdrop. Now, he had become the backdrop?
Shen Xingzhi suddenly regretted bringing the young lady fishing. For the entire afternoon, they exchanged fewer than ten sentences.
The person beside him exuded an aura of deep resentment, which Shen Jianxi naturally sensed. A flicker of amusement crossed her eyes, but she showed no reaction.
That's right, she was doing it on purpose. Who told Shen Xingzhi to come fishing at the hottest time of the day? Heaven knows she was almost dying of heat sitting here all afternoon!