After the two “flies” were driven away, the restaurant instantly became much quieter.
After personally supervising the security guards as they threw the two out, Manager Xu hurried back and apologized repeatedly to Jiang Che and Su Qinghe. He even offered to waive their bill.
Jiang Che was not the kind of unreasonable rich young master. One thing was one thing. He shook his head and refused, saying it was not their fault, and even praised their handling of the situation for being efficient and professional.
Once Manager Xu was sent off, Jiang Che turned to look at the dazed Su Qinghe beside him and reached out to ruffle her soft hair again.
“Did that scare you?”
Su Qinghe’s face flushed slightly from the head pat. She pressed her lips together and shook her head.
After hesitating for a moment, she softly called out, “Jiang Che…”
“Hm?”
“Thank you…”
“There you go again.” Jiang Che sighed helplessly and lightly flicked her forehead. “Hurry up and eat. If the food gets cold, it’ll taste fishy.”
“Okay~”
A faint smile appeared on Su Qinghe’s delicate face.
Watching her obediently eat, Jiang Che felt more and more that liking Lin Wanwan back then had been the height of blindness.
He shook his head, pushing those messy thoughts aside, and focused once again on feeding Su Qinghe.
After finishing the meal, Jiang Che took her hand and led her out of the restaurant.
The wind at the end of autumn and start of winter was still cold. Su Qinghe shrank her neck from the chill and instinctively leaned a little closer to him.
“Cold?” Jiang Che noticed her movement.
“A little…”
Even though she was wearing the down jacket Jiang Che had just bought for her, her body was naturally sensitive to cold, and even a slight breeze made it worse.
Jiang Che thought for two seconds, then tentatively released her wrist and instead held her small hand.
Her hand was cold, soft like tender tofu.
The moment his larger hand wrapped around hers, her entire body stiffened.
Jiang Che also felt a little uncertain. He did not know whether the affection Su Qinghe showed him came from gratitude or genuine liking.
His thumb lightly brushed across the back of her hand, ready to let go at any moment so she would not feel uncomfortable.
But Su Qinghe was already stunned. All sounds faded away, leaving only the warmth of his hand holding hers.
Holding hands…
Was this really holding hands?
She could barely walk properly anymore, moving forward mechanically as Jiang Che led her.
Heat rose rapidly across her cheeks, spreading all the way to her ears. Even the small patch of skin visible above her scarf turned a soft pink.
Should she pull away?
Logically, ordinary friends would not walk hand in hand like this. It was too intimate, too much.
But… Jiang Che’s hand was so warm.
That warmth carried a strange kind of magic, making her cling to it, sink into it, unable to let go.
Her small hand trembled slightly in his palm. Then, slowly and cautiously, she turned her hand and gently hooked her fingers around his.
She was testing too. Her slender fingers gradually tightened, intertwining fully with his.
Forget it.
Even if Jiang Che only saw her as a sister or a friend, even if this was all her own wishful thinking…
As long as he did not let go, she wanted to keep holding on.
For a lifetime.
Even if it meant being shameless, stealing this brief warmth, she was willing.
Jiang Che felt her hand stiffen at first, but instead of pulling away, it softly returned his grip.
He slowed his steps slightly and glanced down at the girl beside him.
Su Qinghe had buried most of her face into the collar of her down jacket, only her flushed ears visible.
Seeing her reaction, there was nothing he did not understand.
He had guessed right.
If she did not like him, would she let him hold her like this?
With her conservative and insecure nature, if it had been someone she did not like, she would have already screamed and shaken him off.
But Jiang Che was not entirely happy either. He felt a bit conflicted, unsure whether what he was doing now made him a scumbag.
After all, he had only just stopped liking Lin Wanwan. If he turned around and got together with Su Qinghe now, even he felt that would make him a proper scumbag.
It would be irresponsible to himself, and even more so to her feelings.
But he also could not keep things ambiguous with her forever. If he could not give her a proper relationship in the end, then that would be even worse.
After thinking it through, Jiang Che decided he needed to find time to talk to her properly about this.
There were really only two outcomes.
Either he fell for Su Qinghe and made her his girlfriend, or he told her not to like him and kept his distance from then on.
If he had to choose, he naturally wanted the first option. Who would not want such a beautiful and gentle girlfriend?
Jiang Che sighed quietly and put those thoughts aside. He turned to Su Qinghe and gently squeezed her soft fingers.
“Still cold?”
“N-No… not anymore.”
Her voice was muffled inside her collar, soft and sweet.
“Hm. Your hands are this cold and you still say you’re not.”
Instead of letting go, he held her hand even tighter and slipped it into his coat pocket.
“Keep it warm. Don’t let it freeze.”
Su Qinghe felt her hand enter a warmer, enclosed space. Her body was drawn even closer to Jiang Che, and with every breath, she was filled with his scent.
A faint laundry fragrance, mixed with a hint of tobacco and the natural scent of a young man.
Just smelling it made her legs feel weak and her heart race uncontrollably.
This… this was too much…
Was this really something ordinary friends would do?
Or was Sister Bai right? Did Jiang Che actually like her too?
Once that thought appeared, it took root and spread wildly, impossible to suppress.
The two of them walked hand in hand to the roadside.
Jiang Che used his other hand to call a ride.
While waiting, neither of them spoke, yet the atmosphere between them was even more thick and intimate than before.
Su Qinghe kept her hand inside Jiang Che’s pocket, and he showed no intention of letting go.
Only when the car arrived did he have to take his hand out, open the door, and guide her inside.