The two were so close their faces were almost touching, and Xiang Yang's warm breath tickled Chen Jiaojiao's cheek.
Chen Jiaojiao's heart suddenly began to race.
Before she could lose her composure and reveal her girlish side, she pushed him away.
"Impressive, impressive. You've got some skills. I believe you, you're a wolfdog."
Closing the passenger door, Xiang Yang smoothly slid into the driver's seat and began to drive her home.
They had first met in Chen Jiaojiao's neighborhood, so she didn't need to give him the address.
Xiang Yang watched the road while steering the wheel with one hand.
A man driving seriously was truly handsome.
Especially one like him, a rising male model.
Chen Jiaojiao looked at his hands, veins bulging on the steering wheel, and suddenly realized she had underestimated him before.
A 20-year-old man was no longer a child.
She had treated him like a child for too long.
It wasn't until they entered the neighborhood that Xiang Yang asked which building she lived in, snapping her out of her daze.
After she told him the apartment number, Xiang Yang parked the car.
For some reason, the atmosphere between them suddenly turned peculiar once she realized he was no longer a boy.
When they weren't speaking, the air even grew awkward.
Unsure what Xiang Yang was thinking, he turned off the engine and neither got out nor made conversation.
They stared at each other in the car for a few seconds before Chen Jiaojiao reacted first.
"Alright, I'm here. I won't ask you in for a bit, you should go back."
She scrambled out of the car, looking somewhat flustered.
Xiang Yang followed her out, and they switched positions.
One went to the back seat for his cloak, the other to the passenger seat for his down jacket.
As they passed the front of the car, their arms accidentally brushed against each other.
Chen Jiaojiao felt as if she had been shocked, the spot that was touched burning hot.
Similarly, Xiang Yang felt that interacting with Chen Jiaojiao today was strange.
After she kissed him, everything about her seemed to have changed.
At this moment, the place she had touched felt heavy.
The sensation was so strong it was impossible to ignore, and he felt an urge to reach out and touch his arm...
Awkwardly, they each retrieved their clothes, closed the doors, and the car automatically locked.
Chen Jiaojiao waved quickly, "Then I'm going in. Be careful on your way, goodbye."
Xiang Yang suddenly felt reluctant to leave.
In other words, he didn't want to leave just like that.
He didn't know when they would meet again, or with what excuse.
With a surge of courage he couldn't explain, he called out to her before she could turn away.
"I'm a bit thirsty. If it's convenient, could I come to your place for a glass of water?"
Since he had already arrived at her door, it would be impolite not to let him in.
Even though his excuse was flimsy, Chen Jiaojiao agreed.
"It's convenient. Just a glass of water, come in."
Upon entering, they hung their coats on the hooks by the entrance, changed into slippers, and Chen Jiaojiao went to boil water for him.
Xiang Yang took off his shoes and rummaged through her shoe cabinet, finding only three pairs of women's slippers and no men's slippers.
It seemed she usually lived alone.
His heart suddenly felt a secret sweetness.
Barefoot, Xiang Yang walked into the house and surveyed the layout.
It was similar to a house where he had previously tutored.
The apartment was not small, and the location was good. To be able to afford this place, dress so elegantly every day, and drive a car worth three to four hundred thousand, it was clear she was wealthy.
After the sweetness, he felt a pang of inferiority.
An economically independent and mature woman was beyond his reach.
When the water was ready, Chen Jiaojiao walked over, seeing Xiang Yang standing there barefoot and lost in thought.
"I'm sorry, I don't usually have men over, so I don't have men's slippers. Just wear a pair of mine for now."
"No need, I'll leave after I drink the water."
"I rent this place, there's no underfloor heating. It gets quite cold if you stand barefoot for too long. If you don't want to wear women's slippers, you can sit on the sofa."
Hearing her say the place was rented, Xiang Yang's spirits, which had been sinking, immediately lifted.
"This place is rented?"
Chen Jiaojiao led him towards the sofa, "Yes. I rented the whole apartment myself. Did you think I bought it?"
"You think highly of me. Don't mind that I drive around everywhere, looking presentable. I'm actually drowning in debt."
She liked to speak her mind.
"It's all about appearances, for the clients to see."
"That's still very impressive."
Xiang Yang now sincerely felt that it was not easy for anyone to establish themselves in society.
Especially a woman.
Starting a business alone at such a young age showed more courage and ambition than most men. What was there to fear from a little debt?
Chen Jiaojiao smiled, not wanting to dwell on the topic, "I was just about to ask you, is your break starting soon? When are you going home?"
Mentioning this, Xiang Yang felt a sense of loss.
Xiang Wan had taken their grandmother away from Nan City. With only three days left until school broke for the holidays, everyone else was going home for the New Year, but he didn't even have a home.
She had promised to contact him after settling down in another city for three months, but Xiang Wan hadn't made contact yet.
He didn't know how he was going to spend the New Year.
"There's no one in my hometown. I'm not planning to go back. What about you?"
Chen Jiaojiao was somewhat surprised, "Where are your family members?"
Xiang Yang found it difficult to tell the truth, "They're all out of town. With the large crowds during the Spring Festival, I can't be bothered to go find them."
Chen Jiaojiao hadn't experienced the Spring Festival travel rush herself, but she had seen a lot of it on television and her phone, and she understood.
"Then spend it in Nan City. You can have a good time alone, just like me. I'm also spending the New Year alone this year."
"You're not with your family either? Aren't you from Nan City?"
"Do I sound like I'm from Nan City?"
"I can't tell." Xiang Yang praised her, "Your Mandarin is very good, without any accent."
Chen Jiaojiao said, "My hometown is Jincheng. There aren't many people left in my family, just me."
She hadn't expected that.
Such a bright and lively person, yet she was also alone.
Suddenly feeling a sense of kinship, as if she had found her tribe, Xiang Yang felt a bit happier.
"It's really fate. I didn't expect us both to be single."
He deliberately left the second half of the sentence unsaid, wanting to see if Chen Jiaojiao would pick up on it.
However, Chen Jiaojiao didn't respond.
To prevent him from feeling awkward or letting the conversation die, she changed the subject, even though she suspected he had a hidden meaning.
"How many more days until the break? Will you still be allowed to stay in the school dorms after the break?"
"Three days. We can't stay anymore."
Having saved up a little money recently, Xiang Yang had planned to stay in a hotel, but at this moment...
He deliberately said, "I can't sleep on the streets, so I've been considering renting a place these past couple of days."
"It's just that I've been too busy with work and haven't had the time. I don't know if real estate agents will still be working so close to the New Year."
His words clearly conveyed his loneliness and helplessness.
They were of similar age, both handsome and beautiful. If they felt compatible, they should be able to try developing a relationship at this point.
But Chen Jiaojiao wasn't in the mood.
Her emotional life had been too disastrous over the past year, and she wasn't ready to jump into another relationship.
Moreover, he was such a young man.
"I don't have much experience with renting, so I can't help you. I can only wish you good luck."