“What?” Su Niansheng asked, seeing his incredulous expression. “Not welcome? Then I’ll leave.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she made to pull her hand away.
Unexpectedly, the next second, the boy tightly grasped her wrist and forcefully pulled her into his embrace.
“Ouch~”
Su Niansheng bumped her head against his chest muscles and couldn’t help but cry out.
So hard!
It seemed her previous judgment of his muscles was mistaken. Although they felt nice to the touch, they were much harder than hers.
“Really? Sheng Sheng.”
Shen Junxi lowered his gaze, a wicked curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
Beneath those thick, dark lashes, his eyes brimmed with a joy and sweetness so intense it nearly overwhelmed Su Niansheng.
Looking up at him, she couldn’t help but freeze.
Why was he so happy?
He had transformed in an instant from a gloomy, crazed puppy into a happy one.
Could it be because…
She suddenly remembered that before the soccer match, he had tentatively asked if she wanted to see the list of participants from the finance department. So this guy, from start to finish, had never believed she had stopped pursuing Shi Yubai. That’s why he had been so furious upon hearing the rumors!
“Well, well, Shen Xiaoxi, you never believed me at all, did you?”
She curled her fingers and swiftly tapped a few punishing knocks on his forehead. Afraid he might retaliate, she immediately covered her face tightly after finishing.
Hehe, sneak attack successful!
Ever since entering puberty, his height had grown uncontrollably, like bamboo shoots after rain, and it continued until now, almost reaching an incredible 190 centimeters.
She had never been able to knock him like this again. Today, taking advantage of his distraction, she finally succeeded, repaying him all at once!
But what she couldn’t see was that the boy had no intention of retaliating. Instead, after being knocked, he smiled even more brightly, his eyes overflowing with adoration so thick it seemed about to drip out. “From now on, I’ll only believe Sheng Sheng.”
“Young Master, this is the last box…”
The butler, carrying Lego inside, saw this scene.
The young master was sitting on the floor, tightly holding Miss Niansheng in his arms. His tall nose lightly pressed against her full forehead, his lowered eyes filled with intense joy and possessiveness. He was even murmuring ‘Sheng Sheng’ affectionately, as if he might lose control and kiss her the next second.
Meanwhile, Miss Niansheng shyly covered her face, as if afraid he might do something to her.
Startled, the butler dropped the package in his hands with a loud thud.
Snapping back to his senses, he immediately bent down to pick it up, apologizing repeatedly, “Sorry, sorry, Young Master, Miss, my apologies for the interruption. I didn’t see anything!”
This sound also brought Shen Junxi back to reality. Noticing his overly intrusive actions, he immediately withdrew his hands.
What had he seen?
Curious, Su Niansheng removed her hands from her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the boy’s dazed expression, seemingly not intending to hold her ‘knocks’ against her. Afraid he might change his mind, she turned to run.
“Since you like Lego so much, I won’t keep you company. I’ll go first… Hey~”
Before she could finish her sentence, the boy grabbed her hand. “Wait.”
“What?”
“You haven’t played a song for me yet.”
“Aren’t you busy building Lego?”
“I’ve changed my mind now.” Shen Junxi tossed aside the building blocks in his hand, his eyes sparkling. “This really is boring. Your little Hawaiian guitar sounds much better.”
“…Fickle man.”
Late at night, the figures of the young man and woman disappeared from the villa, slipping into the dark, silent back mountain.
Seeing the situation, the butler quietly dismissed the servants. “Don’t disturb them,” he said, smiling to himself.
The madam had been worried that the young master and Miss Niansheng might not end up together smoothly, but from what he could see, the two youngsters had already started dating, hadn’t they?
It was so sweet it made his blood sugar spike!
Night fell.
A deep blue mist spread across the sky, illuminated by countless twinkling, playful stars, casting a brilliant and dazzling glow over the entire land.
The two ran from the rustling forest, through the chirping fields, across the vast green lawn, and finally arrived at Clear Lake.
Su Niansheng saw a cold, round moon reflected on the lake’s surface, shimmering like scattered silver with each ripple, as if the Milky Way had poured down—a breathtaking sight!
“This is too beautiful!” she couldn’t help but exclaim. Seeing the boy walk to the shore and untie the wooden boat’s anchor, she immediately understood. “Shen Xiaoxi, are you going to listen to music here?”
“A gentle evening breeze, the fragrance of flowers everywhere, boating under the moonlight, with a beauty playing the zither beside you—you really know how to enjoy yourself!”
“Learned it from you.”
Shen Junxi wrapped the rope around his wrist and glanced at her.
Su Niansheng instantly recalled her childhood “great achievements”!
That year, when she was four, the Shen family had just acquired property in Imperial Garden No. 1. She and her brother came to play with Shen Junxi and discovered such a beautiful lake nearby!
They wanted to go down and play, but at the time, Clear Lake hadn’t been commercially developed. Due to some writers’ articles, it was shrouded in a mysterious and dangerous veil, and the servants wouldn’t allow them to get close.
So she secretly used a small bamboo raft abandoned by fishermen and a few small branches from the shore to board the boat and start rowing, naturally bringing Shen Junxi along.
That afternoon, the entire Shen and Su families mobilized everyone to search for them, crying their hearts out in despair.
Finally, they found them sleeping soundly on the small, rickety bamboo raft on the lake.
Of course, both she and Shen Junxi faced quite severe consequences afterward.
“Who are you implying? Back then, you still followed me onto the boat without hesitation. No one forced you—or were you unwilling?”
“Willing.”
A faint smile played on Shen Junxi’s lips. After adjusting the bow of the boat, he performed a ceremonious princess-invitation bow toward her. “Then, fair lady, would you now grace my boat?”
Su Niansheng lifted her chin slightly, pretending to hesitate. After a few seconds, she elegantly extended her hand, embodying the demeanor of a pampered little princess. “I suppose I can reluctantly agree.”
“My honor.”
Shen Junxi took her hand with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, effortlessly helping her onto the boat.
Like a magician, Su Niansheng pulled a harmonica from her pocket. “Don’t think I’ll perform for you alone—let’s play a duet!”
“Alright.”
Shen Junxi took the harmonica and tested it.
Every hole was imbued with the sweet fragrance of the girl. As he played, the scent wafted into his nostrils with the breeze, stirring his heart.
“I really like it.”
“Of course, I know you well. What should we play?”
Their eyes met under the night sky, and they spoke in unison: “Childhood.”
“Great!”
Su Niansheng picked up her ukulele. Her dark, silky hair cascaded over her neck, swaying in the wind along with the hem of her floral dress, revealing her stunningly beautiful eyes and brows.
“By the pond, on the banyan tree, cicadas are chirping, calling for summer…”
As she sang, she strummed the strings. Bathed in the moonlight, her exquisite figure resembled a goddess, leaving Shen Junxi utterly captivated.
As if she were no longer plucking the strings of the zither, but the strings of his heart—with her radiant smile, her enchanting voice, and the intriguing mystery she carried…
So much, so very much.
So much that even Qingqin Lake could not contain it, nearly overflowing from his heart.
If anyone were to see him now, they would notice that the look in his eyes, filled with his beloved Girl, shone even brighter than the moon in the sky.