Early in the morning, when Jiang Xuning first woke up, she was still a little groggy. With her eyes closed, she rubbed herself against the blanket.
“It smells so good… Wait.”
This crisp cedar scent did not belong to her blanket.
“Awake?”
At the sound of his voice, Jiang Xuning turned her head. Calisto was sitting languidly in a dark-gray velvet sofa.
The top button of his white shirt was undone, revealing a small patch of cool, pale skin. His fingertips rested carelessly on the armrest.
Specks of light fell across his sharply defined jawline. Even the shadows cast by his lowered eyelids seemed to carry an air of nobility.
Jiang Xuning was stunned for a moment before remembering what had happened the night before. She had accidentally wandered in here, and afterward, it seemed she had gotten drunk.
Ahhhhhhh! She hadn’t done anything inappropriate after getting drunk, had she?
“How are you feeling? Is anything uncomfortable? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you drink.”
Calisto walked over and sat down beside the bed, his gentle voice filling the room.
Jiang Xuning’s mind was entirely occupied by what had happened the previous night. She did not realize how close the two of them were now.
“I was the one who wanted to drink. How could I blame you? I didn’t… I didn’t do anything inappropriate after I got drunk last night, did I?”
Please, please, let him say no. ⊙﹏⊙
“You didn’t do anything inappropriate… Though you did do a few cute things.”
Calisto looked at Jiang Xuning, clearly in a rather good mood.
Jiang Xuning, who had only just begun to relax, tensed up again. “What… what cute things?”
“You said you were a cute little cat, and then you asked me to do this.”
As he spoke, he reached out and lightly scratched beneath Jiang Xuning’s chin, his voice filled with amusement.
“Xue ke.”
Jiang Xuning’s face instantly turned bright red.
When people were embarrassed, they always wanted to run away. In truth, she simply could not withstand the amused look in Calisto’s eyes.
Jiang Xuning silently lifted the blanket and wrapped herself up in it, curling into a ball.
Looking at the little bundle on the bed, Calisto could not help but chuckle several times.
“It’s fine. Very cute.”
“Stop saying that. This is so embarrassing! T^T”
She really wanted to escape from here. Why had she drunk alcohol? Why had she drunk so much? o＞_＜o (It had actually only been three glasses.) Why was she so lacking in vigilance?
“All right, I won’t say anything else. I’ve already forgotten about it, starting now. Get up and wash up first. I’ll have someone bring breakfast.”
Calisto lightly patted the little bundle on the bed. Although teasing her was adorable, he still had to know when to stop.
“Thank you.” Jiang Xuning’s soft voice came from beneath the blanket.
“I’ll go out first. Everything has been prepared. I’ll wait for you outside.”
He had prepared a dark-green long dress. Once Jiang Xuning put it on, the belt cinched her waist until it was slender enough to encircle with one arm, making her figure look even more graceful.
The dark-green color made her complexion appear even fairer, and she looked like a beauty who had stepped out of a vintage oil painting.
Calisto’s breathing briefly caught. She was truly beautiful.
Moreover, every part of her beauty struck straight at his heart.
Although they had known each other for less than twenty-four hours, she attracted him every moment of the day.
If he had not already investigated her thoroughly, he really would have thought that Xuning was a little spy tailor-made by one of his rivals and sent to seduce him.
Jiang Xuning lifted the hem of her dress and spun around once before asking with a beaming smile,
“How is it? Does it look good?”
“It looks good. Extremely good.” Calisto’s voice was slightly hoarse.
“Thank you, Mr. Xie. You’ve been helping me ever since last night. And this dress—it’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever worn.”
Jiang Xuning’s favorable impression of this gentle and handsome gentleman deepened.
“Would you say we’re friends now?” Calisto asked gently.
“Of course. I’d be delighted to be friends with you.”
“Then don’t call me Mr. Xie anymore. May I call you Xuxu?”
Calisto took several steps forward, bringing the two of them even closer.
“Th-that’s fine. Then I’ll call you Achi.”
Hearing him call her Xuxu so suddenly, Jiang Xuning felt a little shy. But when she thought about it, it made sense. He had grown up in F Country, and foreigners were all a little more open.
Jiang Xuning decided to follow local customs. Besides, she had been quite willing to grow closer to Mr. Xie in the first place.
The naive Xiaojiaojiao had no idea that her single “Achi” had made a certain man feel extremely pleased.
“All right, Xuxu. Let’s go have breakfast.”
The two of them came to the dining table and ate while chatting.
Calisto was gentle and considerate, taking the initiative to bring up topics. The atmosphere at the table was pleasant and did not make Jiang Xuning feel awkward.
At least, that was how it seemed to Jiang Xuning.
Jiang Xuning-exclusive version.
“Then Xuxu’s paintings must be beautiful. I wonder whether I’ll have the honor of asking you to paint one for me someday.”
The two of them had started talking about Jiang Xuning’s major: fine art.
“Not at all. It’s really just a hobby. I’ve always been a rather lazy person, and painting is simply something I’m a little interested in.”
Jiang Xuning enjoyed this meal immensely. It was the happiest meal she had eaten since going abroad.
He was the first friend she had made after leaving the country, and the two of them talked about many things.
Jiang Xuning learned that he was of mixed heritage. His father was from F Country, and he had grown up there from a young age. His family was also in F Country, and they possessed tremendous influence.
She also learned his other name: Calisto Eisner.
“Thank you, Achi. I’ll head back first. I’ll treat you to a meal tomorrow.”
Although Calisto had deliberately drawn things out, breakfast eventually had to end.
Jiang Xuning was preparing to return to her own room, though the two of them had already exchanged contact information.
“All right. I’ll walk you back.”
“I’d like to spend a little more time with a beautiful lady. Could you grant my wish?”
Calisto gazed at Jiang Xuning with amusement in his eyes, making it impossible for her to refuse. This man was very good at taking advantage of his own strengths.
From then on, the two of them ate together almost every day. They also attended the gatherings aboard the cruise ship together, and the night before, they had watched fireworks together.
Jiang Xuning had thought the fireworks had been arranged by the cruise ship. In truth, Calisto had had someone bring them in.
A few days earlier, Jiang Xuning had casually mentioned that she had not watched fireworks in a long time. She might not even have remembered saying it herself, but Calisto remembered.
That was also how Jiang Xuning found out that this cruise ship actually belonged to Calisto.
No wonder he was the only person living on the entire top floor. No wonder she had not seen her Auntie since that night.
Calisto had been extremely happy throughout this month. For the first time in his twenty-seven years, he felt that he had drawn close to happiness.
As for Jiang Xuning, there was no way he could ever let her go.
“Achi! How is it? Do I look good?”
Jiang Xuning ran happily up to Calisto. Today, she was wearing a light-blue spaghetti-strap dress, looking like a fairy who had descended from the heavens.
His gaze deepened, and his fingertips tightened.
“You look good. Xuxu looks good in everything.”
She looked so good that he was almost unable to hold himself back—his Little Kitty.
“You said yesterday that you were going to take me somewhere fun. Where is it?”
Jiang Xuning tilted her head and gazed at him expectantly. She had been looking forward to it all night.
It was those eyes. They were always sparkling, seeming even more beautiful than the stars in the sky.
Every time she looked at him like that, he could not help wanting to place the entire world before her.
“Would you like to put on an outer layer? It might be a little cold there.”
Jiang Xuning’s fragrant shoulders and collarbones were completely exposed. He did not want anyone else to see them.
“Like this? All right, then wait for me a moment.”
His Little Kitty was still far too obedient. She was so easy to deceive.
After changing her clothes, Jiang Xuning came back to Calisto.
He naturally reached out and took Jiang Xuning’s hand.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you out to have some fun.”
Jiang Xuning looked at their clasped hands and felt a little shy, but she said nothing.
In truth, after spending this month together, she could also feel the changes between them. She thought this must be what people called the ambiguous stage. She had favorable feelings toward him as well.
How could she not fall for a man who was gentle and handsome, young and wealthy, good to her, and so compatible with her?
But they had only been together for a month. She still needed to learn more about him.
That was what Jiang Xuning thought. She did not know that, in Calisto’s world, he had already decided that she was the one.
His thoughts were: It doesn’t matter. My Little Kitty can play however she wants, and he would cooperate completely. But no matter what, the ending would not change. They were destined to be together.