Chapter 31
Put Them in My Pocket
After dinner, Old Madam Xu had to return to the hospital. She did not allow anyone to send her off. Before getting into the car, she called out to Qi Shenbai. Everyone else was sent away, including Xu Jiaojiao.
The parents and Xu Zhengyang returned to the house first. Xu Jiaojiao was a little worried, so she waited in the courtyard. Around the Mid-Autumn Festival, the osmanthus flowers were blooming. The evening breeze gently blew, filling the courtyard with their sweet fragrance.
Qi Shenbai sat in the back seat with the car window half lowered. When he looked up, he could see Xu Jiaojiao standing in the courtyard.
Xu Jiaojiao looked up at the osmanthus flowers. When she saw that the flowers were blooming so nicely, she could not help but pick a few. She thought that they would smell good when she put them in the room later. She could also make them into dried flowers, bookmarks, or pick more to make osmanthus wine.
The evening breeze blew, and the osmanthus flowers scattered, falling onto Xu Jiaojiao’s body. Qi Shenbai had gotten out of the car at some point in time and was standing at the door, his black eyes watching this scene without moving. The moonlight fell on Xu Jiaojiao’s cute and delicate face, and her bright smile was like a small sun that could melt all the cold, illuminating all the darkness.
The surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that Qi Shenbai could clearly hear his own heartbeat. It sounded like the beating of a drum.
Xu Jiaojiao belatedly realized that someone was looking at her. As soon as she turned her head, she saw Qi Shenbai standing not far away. She stood up with a smile and walked to him with a hand full of osmanthus flowers. “Qi Shenbai, these flowers smell so good.”
Qi Shenbai’s gaze landed on the osmanthus in her palm, but it returned to her dimples a second later. His voice softened as he said, “Yes, it smells very good.”
Qi Shenbai’s usually deep eyes were now filled with delight. When Xu Jiaojiao saw the smile on his face, she was stunned. “You… you smiled?” Although Qi Shenbai would occasionally smile, it was very faint. This seemed to be the first time she had seen him smile so brightly. It was a real smile.
Qi Shenbai did not deny it. “You don’t like it?”
Xu Jiaojiao hurriedly shook her head. “No, no. You look good when you smile.” After a pause, she pursed her lips and added in a low voice, “You look really, really good.”
The smile on Qi Shenbai’s face widened. “Are you staying here tonight, or are you going back with me?”
Xu Jiaojiao thought for a moment. “Let’s go back. I still have class tomorrow, and I didn’t bring my drawing board.”
“Alright, then let’s go home.”
Xu Jiaojiao nodded. She did not notice that Qi Shenbai was saying that they were going home, not that they were going back.
“What about these osmanthus flowers?” Xu Jiaojiao raised her arm. “I want to bring them back and turn them into dried flowers.”
Qi Shenbai thought for a few seconds and opened his suit pocket. “You can put them here.”
Xu Jiaojiao blinked. “I don’t think so. Your suit is very expensive. I’d better go in and get…” Before she could finish speaking, Qi Shenbai had already grabbed her wrist and placed her hand above his suit pocket. “It’s okay. Put them in.”
Xu Jiaojiao looked up and met his deep eyes. Her heart trembled for some reason as she slowly placed the osmanthus she was holding into his suit pocket.
After that, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.
At this moment, in an unlit room on the second floor of the villa, a tall figure stood by the window. When he saw the scene in the courtyard, the corners of his mouth curled into a meaningful smile.
…
When they returned to Qingshui Villa, Xu Jiaojiao suddenly remembered and asked, “What did Grandma say to you?”
Qi Shenbai’s eyes darkened for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal. Instead of answering Xu Jiaojiao’s question, he said, “Grandmother dotes on you a lot.”
Xu Jiaojiao raised her chin proudly. “Of course. I’ve been by Grandma’s side since I was young. Of course, she loves me the most.”
Qi Shenbai looked at her bright smile and felt his heart soften. “Alright, rest early now.”
Xu Jiaojiao nodded and said goodnight before returning to her room. It was only then that she realized that Qi Shenbai had yet to answer her question! However, she decided to forget about it. She assumed that her grandmother was just worried and had reminded him to take care of her.
After taking a shower, Xu Jiaojiao lay on the big soft bed and sighed comfortably. After closing her eyes for a few seconds, she suddenly thought of something. She rolled over and got up.
She picked up her phone to look up the gifts Qi Shenbai had brought to her house that night. The more she saw, the more her heart ached. The things he had brought were so expensive! They cost half of all her meager savings!
However, no matter how much her heart ached, she still had to spend this money. Xu Jiaojiao opened WeChat and directly transferred the money to Qi Shenbai. After sending it, Xu Jiaojiao turned to look at her WeChat Moments. Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and many people had posted photos of their reunion dinner on their WeChat Moments. Su Luo had also posted something, so she casually liked her friend’s post.