Xia Xiaolan just smiled.
“Are you on holiday?”
“Why did you open the door without asking who it was? What if it had been someone dangerous?”
At the guesthouse of Kang Wei’s work unit, there weren’t likely to be many dangerous people around. Xia Xiaolan couldn’t explain it, but she just had a feeling that the person knocking was Zhou Cheng.
“I knew it was you. It couldn’t have been someone dangerous.”
Zhou Cheng closed the door without arguing with Xia Xiaolan. Whatever she said was fine by him – they had so little time together anyway, why waste it on arguments? Being harmoniously together was better than anything else.
“Were you studying?”
Xia Xiaolan’s textbook lay sprawled on the desk, with the small lamp still lit.
She closed the book and rubbed her eyes. “Now that you’re here, of course, I won’t study. I’ve been waiting for you to show me around Beijing.”
Xia Xiaolan had been to Beijing before.
In her previous life, she had made countless business trips here.
But sightseeing for work versus being shown around by one’s boyfriend created entirely different expectations.
The two had shared their “first kiss” in an enclosed space that day, and with hormones running high in spaces without proper ventilation, plus the guesthouse having no entertainment facilities, they naturally needed to go out for a walk.
As they walked, Xia Xiaolan chatted, mentioning that Shao Guangrong had also come to see her uncle about renovation work.
“Since you haven’t seen him in a while, I suggested we all have dinner together tonight. We should thank him for what happened at the Shangdu Police Station anyway.”
Indeed, they should thank him.
While Zhou Cheng naturally wanted to spend time alone with Xia Xiaolan, he wasn’t any worse than her at handling such social obligations.
Even the best relationships needed maintenance, and though Shao Guangrong had a big mouth, he was very loyal.
“Where did he say we’d eat?”
“At six o’clock, at the Beijing Hotel. You’ll be able to make it back to your work unit, right?”
Zhou Cheng nodded, “There’s plenty of time, don’t worry.”
Choosing the Beijing Hotel showed how generous Shao Guangrong was being. He was probably trying to make amends for his earlier slip of the tongue, though Zhou Cheng hadn’t mentioned this to Xia Xiaolan. Zhou Cheng didn’t mind Shao Guangrong’s loose lips; he didn’t feel that Xia Xiaolan’s existence needed to be kept secret from others.
He was constantly amazed by Xia Xiaolan’s excellence and felt proud. He wanted to shout it to the whole world through a megaphone, telling everyone that Xia Xiaolan was his girlfriend. If there was a stamp that could mark someone as belonging to him, Zhou Cheng would buy it no matter the cost.
What had upset him was Zhou Yi revealing the news to their family elders prematurely, which differed from Zhou Cheng’s plan to properly introduce Xia Xiaolan to his family. Once Zhou Yi spoke up, Guan Hui’e formed a negative impression of Xia Xiaolan before even meeting her – how could Zhou Cheng tell Xia Xiaolan about this?
That small-time purchasing agent named Zhu Fang had also liked Xiaolan, but because his mother was difficult to deal with and had opposed too early, Zhu Fang never even got the chance to pursue Xia Xiaolan.
Zhou Cheng was happy when others made such foolish mistakes.
But when it came to himself, he was nervous.
When his mother Guan Hui’e spoke up about how “dating casually is fine, but marriage is different,” she had angered his future wife – where could he go to chase after her if she left?
Especially now, with Xia Xiaolan about to take her college entrance exams, affecting her mood would be terrible.
Zhou Cheng planned to bring her home after she got into university. He knew how excellent his future wife was, but others didn’t, so some prestigious credentials would help prove it. Besides, if Xia Xiaolan got into a Beijing university, she’d be studying there for four years, making it much harder for her to leave him even if she wanted to.
Zhou Cheng squeezed Xia Xiaolan’s hand gently:
“Comrade Xiaolan, you kissed me that day, so you must take responsibility.”
Responsibility again!
Speaking of that kiss, though it had been as light as a dragonfly touching water, it still made her heart race and her face flush.
Xia Xiaolan felt her cheeks burning and didn’t want to discuss the matter of “responsibility” with Zhou Cheng. Their roles had reversed – at first sight he had seemed quite rebellious and roguish, who knew he’d turn out to be so clingy in romance?
Zhou Cheng took Xia Xiaolan on a tour around Beijing.
They visited Tiananmen Square and went to the ice skating rink. Zhou Cheng was an excellent skater, but Xia Xiaolan couldn’t skate. Zhou Cheng, eager to teach, said he would show her how. Once Xia Xiaolan got onto the ice-wearing skates, she quickly understood his ulterior motives.
She could even ski, yet supposedly couldn’t ice skate!
Ice skating tests one’s balance. Smart people don’t necessarily have good physical coordination, and even those with good coordination need to fall a few times to learn. Xia Xiaolan hadn’t fallen though – every time she was about to, Zhou Cheng would quickly catch her in his arms.
It looked like she was deliberately throwing herself at him. In such a public place, this skating lesson was becoming quite scandalous.
Xia Xiaolan glared at him, but Zhou Cheng wasn’t the least bit ashamed:
“I promise, I’ll teach properly now! Oh, I mean, I was teaching properly before too. My Xiaolan is so smart, she’ll learn quickly for sure.”
Despite the cold weather, Xia Xiaolan had worked up a sweat.
Her breathless state made her appear even more alluring.
She lightly swatted at Zhou Cheng, who caught her hand, and finally began teaching her to skate properly.
“Put one foot forward first, right, lower your center of gravity…”
Zhou Cheng supported and protected her, unwilling to let Xia Xiaolan fall even once. Each time she glided, he was more nervous than she was, but true to his word, he began teaching seriously.
One taught, one learned.
Soon Xia Xiaolan mastered the technique.
After skating a distance on her own without Zhou Cheng’s support, she knew she had acquired a new skill.
She was so happy that she hugged Zhou Cheng spontaneously and rose on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
When Zhou Cheng recovered from his surprise, he took control and they shared their second kiss.
This wasn’t at his work unit.
Nor was it anywhere else.
It was at the ice skating rink, which along with movie theaters and parks, was considered one of the three holy sites for young couples dating. Young couples were everywhere, and Zhou Cheng followed his heart’s desire and kissed her.
Well, a kiss is just a kiss.
He held Xia Xiaolan’s waist, and after their lips parted, they both panted for a while before their breathing steadied. Xia Xiaolan buried her face in Zhou Cheng’s chest: “I can’t face anyone now…”
So many people around must have seen them!
What made Xia Xiaolan shy wasn’t the kiss itself, but that she had lost her self-control in public.
Was this love?
Like a hurricane, it had completely swept away all of Xia Xiaolan’s previous experience – a single kiss could lift her into the air!
Zhou Cheng wrapped his coat around Xia Xiaolan, knowing she was embarrassed. He comforted her like a child, “Alright, alright, we’ll stop practicing. It’s past five now, let’s go to the restaurant for dinner.”
Nobody around was mocking them at all.
The men were all envying Zhou Cheng, while the women were busier – feeling jealous while also keeping a tight watch on their men to prevent them from looking at Xia Xiaolan.
Shameless!
In a corner, two young women were watching with their jaws nearly dropping.
“That’s Zhou Cheng, isn’t it?”
It had to be Zhou Cheng – with such a handsome face, how could they mistake him?
Zhou Cheng was with a beautiful young woman, teaching her to skate, and even kissing at the ice rink – if Young Miss Tong found out, she’d probably go crazy!