Ji Xiao snorted coldly, “Stop. Apologize.”
The old woman’s face turned pale. She turned around with a pained expression, her wrinkles like crumpled burlap sacks piled together. “I… I’m sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have slandered someone so casually.”
“Get lost!” Ji Xiao’s voice was like ice.
The old woman scrambled away in terror.
Soon, only Ji Xiao and Su Nuannuan remained under the tree.
Ji Xiao curled his fingers and tapped her forehead in frustration. “You’re so fierce with me. Why do you turn into a mute quail when you see outsiders?”
“Ouch.” Su Nuannuan winced in pain, covering her forehead as she glared at Ji Xiao. She stretched out her hand, palm up. “Don’t argue with fools; don’t fight with villains over right and wrong. Where’s the money?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get it.” Ji Xiao took a thick stack of money from his pocket and stuffed it into her hand.
The highest denomination of currency in circulation now was ten yuan. A thousand yuan felt like a solid brick—heavy and substantial.
Su Nuannuan calmly tucked the money into her pants pocket. “Consider this thousand yuan my salary for working as a nanny in the Ji family. My parents were martyrs, so there should be a pension after their deaths. I’m an adult now. When do you plan to return the pension to me?”
Before leaving, she intended to take everything that rightfully belonged to the original owner.
Back when the Ji family adopted her, her parents’ pension naturally ended up in Mother Ji’s hands. Given Mother Ji’s miserly nature, having such a large sum of money taken from her by her own son would surely hurt more than having her heart carved out.
Killing someone outright would be boring. Since they didn’t want Ji Chuan to know, she’d play with them slowly.
Only by taking away what they cared about most could she make them suffer for a lifetime.
Ji Xiao laughed in exasperation. “Fine, I’ll help you get the pension. What else do you want? Say it all at once.”
The thousand yuan had almost emptied his savings. This little thing might be small, but her courage was huge. Tucking so much money casually into her pocket without fear of being robbed—she was still young and didn’t understand anything. He’d have to keep a closer eye on her in the future.
Su Nuannuan thought seriously for a moment. “National ration coupons, grain coupons, industrial coupons—I want them all. And my household registration booklet.”
Since she’d decided to cut ties with the Ji family, she needed to pave the way for herself. Money and coupons were both essential. But before leaving, she had to absorb enough Luck Points from him to ensure she could survive safely.
Ji Xiao pressed his knuckles against his forehead, restraining himself. “Fine, I’ll give you everything. But gathering the coupons will take time.”
“Four days. I’ll give you four days. If I don’t see everything in four days, Mrs. Ji’s actions will spread all over Haishi.” Su Nuannuan’s gaze was calm, her tone light and indifferent.
A summer breeze blew past, rustling the poplar leaves. A fallen leaf drifted down and landed on her shoulder.
Su Nuannuan picked up the leaf, holding it up to the sunlight to see its veins clearly.
The sunlight bathed her face, outlining her delicate features. Her eyelashes were dark and long, curling upward, and her full red lips curved slightly, giving her an indescribable radiance.
Ji Xiao stared blankly, remembering the kiss in the car. His throat felt dry, and a wave of heat spread through his body.
“Let’s go.” Her voice was soft yet cool.
Ji Xiao snapped back to reality, his eyes darting away. He turned his head and coughed dryly before hurriedly striding past her.
He must have been overthinking it. How could Su Nuannuan be the woman from that night?
If it really had been Su Nuannuan who’d been with him that night, why would she give up the chance to marry him?
In the car, Su Nuannuan deliberately didn’t fasten her seatbelt, closing her eyes and leaning back against the seat with steady breathing, as if she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Ji Xiao helplessly leaned over and pulled the seatbelt from her side.
Suddenly, a warm, moist sensation touched his lips. The person who had just closed her eyes in slumber was now wide awake, her clear gaze fixed intently on him.
Su Nuannuan pursed her lips, looking innocent. “This time it’s not my fault—you were the one who leaned in.”
She struck first.
[Ding! Acquired 100 Luck Points. Current Luck Points accumulated: 700.]
Ji Xiao’s back stiffened. He lowered his head and forcefully inserted the seatbelt into the buckle: …
Su Nuannuan sat up straight, her burning gaze falling on his lips. “You kissed me, so I have to kiss you back to make it even.”
Without waiting for him to react, her slender arms wrapped around his neck as she tilted her head up and pressed her red lips against his.
As her fragrant, soft lips touched his, Ji Xiao’s eyes darkened, his gaze complex as he stared at the small face so close to his.
A voice in his heart screamed, Push her away. This is wrong.
The person he was supposed to marry was the woman he had been intimate with last night, not the thin and unattractive Su Nuannuan before him.
Yet his arms felt as if they were filled with lead, unable to lift at all.
The pleasant scent of gardenia from the woman enveloped him like vines. Ji Xiao’s breathing grew heavy as he stiffly endured the clumsy pressure of the girl’s lips against his.
For two lifetimes, Su Nuannuan’s only experience was from last night.
Seeing him dazed and lost in thought, Su Nuannuan seized the opportunity to kiss him five more times in a row. Listening to the steadily increasing Luck Points in her ears, her mood brightened, and a faint trace of a smile flickered in her calm eyes.
Just as she was about to kiss him again, her arm was forcefully grabbed, and her body was pushed away by Ji Xiao.
The tips of his ears were flushed red, his voice hoarse and tinged with thinly veiled anger. “Enough, Su Nuannuan. Do you have no shame at all? You’re a woman—how can you act like this toward a man?”
Su Nuannuan raised her hand and casually wiped her lips with the back of it. “Weren’t you the one who started it? Don’t worry, I won’t hold you responsible. In four days, once I get what I want, we’ll be even.”
Ji Xiao’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
For some reason, hearing her say she wouldn’t hold him responsible stirred a surge of irritation within him.
“Casually getting entangled with a man—are you really that promiscuous? Su Nuannuan, I thought you had changed, but it turns out you’re still the same as before, shameless.”
His venomous words struck her like poisoned arrows.
Su Nuannuan shifted her body, settling into a more comfortable position as she lazily leaned back against the seat. Her clear, captivating eyes fell on the red marks on his neck.
“Not as impressive as Regiment Commander Ji, whose peach blossoms outshine the spring breeze. Next time you sneak a bite, remember to wipe your mouth clean.”
“What do you know?” The air around Ji Xiao turned icy cold.
Su Nuannuan propped her head up with one hand, gazing boredly out the car window at the era-evoking architecture. “If you want to know, just look in the mirror. You’ll figure it all out.”
Ji Xiao glanced into the rearview mirror. The bite mark on his neck was swollen and red.
It was left from last night.
Embarrassment and shame flushed his bronzed, handsome face.
Pressing his thin lips together, he re-fastened his collar button to cover the bite mark. “Don’t overthink it. It’s just a mosquito bite.”
His usually steady hands fumbled as he drove, shifting gears three times before finally getting it right.
Su Nuannuan closed her eyes, her fingers clenching tightly as a storm of emotions raged within her.
[System, who exactly were the two men last night?]
She remembered biting one of them on the neck in her panic. Could that person have been Ji Xiao?
Silence filled her mind. The System seemed to have vanished, offering no response.
[System? Stop playing dead. Get out here!]
After a long moment, a line of text appeared on the light screen.
【No spoilers!】
Su Nuannuan was both amused and exasperated.
The speeding car came to an abrupt halt. The inertia threw her forward, only to be yanked back by the seatbelt, sending a sharp pain through her newly developed chest.
Su Nuannuan gasped, frowning as she rubbed her chest.
“Get out,” Ji Xiao reminded her coldly.
Only then did Su Nuannuan realize they were now in an alley, flanked by old, single-story houses.
Outside the courtyard gate to the right stood a tall, straight figure.
Seeing them, the man walked over against the light.
His features were deep and distinct, with a prominent, straight nose and thin lips curved in a faint smile. An air of refined restraint surrounded him.