Before Ah Cai could say anything, Ji Chi added, "Tell me the truth. If you don't like it or feel averse to it, I won't force you."
Even now, Ah Cai's mind was still in a bit of a daze.
When he kissed her just a moment ago, she felt like her heart was going to leap out of her throat.
She didn't dislike it, nor was she repulsed by it.
She never knew that being kissed by someone could bring such a flutter of excitement and fluster.
She bit her lower lip and leaned her flushed little face against the man's lean shoulder. In a muffled voice, she said, "Have you kissed a lot of girls? You seem really good at it."
Ji Chi let out a low cough.
Truth be told, his first kiss was indeed not with her.
But he could tell that he had just taken her first kiss.
"Since I met you, the first girl I've kissed is you." Before Ah Cai could respond, Ji Chi added, "If my condition down there can recover, the first woman in my life will also be you."
Ah Cai instantly turned beet red. She balled her small hand into a fist and lightly pounded his chest. "Who asked you to say all that!"
Ji Chi's large hand caught Ah Cai's hand. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "So, do you agree or not?"
Ah Cai lowered her long eyelashes and nodded shyly. "I... I agree."
She was a simple girl; if she liked someone, she liked them, and if she didn't, she didn't.
When Ji Chi kissed her just now, her heart almost jumped out of her chest.
She figured she did like him.
Perhaps she had liked him for a long time; otherwise, she wouldn't have paid so much attention to everything about him.
It was just that he was too outstanding and excellent, so she hadn't dared to entertain those kinds of thoughts.
Seeing Ah Cai agree, a delighted smile appeared on Ji Chi's handsome face. He pulled a necklace from his pants pocket and clasped it around Ah Cai's neck. "From now on, you are Ji Chi's girlfriend."
Ah Cai looked at the necklace and frowned slightly. "You gave me a watch a while ago, why are you giving me a necklace now?"
"This time, it's a token of our love."
Ji Chi stretched out his long arms and pulled Ah Cai tightly into his embrace.
Ah Cai leaned against his chest, breathing in his unique scent, her heart swelling with sweetness and a fluttering sensation.
She never dreamed that she would actually become Ji Chi's girlfriend!
...
Because they were both busy with work, Ah Cai returned to Gangcheng that afternoon.
Sheng Xia came to pick Ah Cai up.
Seeing Sheng Xia, Ah Cai felt a bit guilty.
But she was never one to lie. Now that she and Ji Chi had made their relationship official, she couldn't bring herself to hide it from Sheng Xia.
When Sheng Xia dropped Ah Cai off at the entrance of the clinic, Ah Cai confessed her relationship with Ji Chi.
After speaking, she didn't dare to look at Sheng Xia.
Her heart was in a state of utter panic.
She had a premonition that once Sheng Xia knew, she would definitely ignore her.
Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Sheng Xia looked at Ah Cai with angry humiliation. "Ah Cai, seeing me act like a clown crushing on Ji Chi, you must have been secretly laughing at me!"
Ah Cai's long eyelashes fluttered. She reached out, wanting to hold Sheng Xia's hand, but before she could even touch her fingertips, Sheng Xia shook her off.
Sheng Xia closed her eyes, looking like she didn't want to speak another word to Ah Cai. "Our friendship ends here. Please get out of the car!"
Ah Cai's heart contracted uncontrollably. "Xia Xia, I'm sorry. I didn't expect Ji Chi to confess his feelings so suddenly. I swear, before he confessed, I never even thought about being his girlfriend!"
"Stop talking. I don't want to see you anymore! Anyway, you have a boyfriend now, losing a friend like me won't matter to you."
Ah Cai got out of the car with red eyes.
Almost the second she closed the door, Sheng Xia sped off in the car.
Ah Cai drafted a very long apology message to Sheng Xia, only to find that she had been blocked.
After Ah Cai returned indoors, she cried for a long time.
She never expected that right after gaining a sweet romance, she would fall out with her best friend.
Ji Chi was busy until past ten o'clock when he sent Ah Cai a video call.
Ah Cai originally hadn't wanted to answer, but her finger accidentally hit the wrong button.
Seeing Ah Cai's red-rimmed eyes in the video, Ji Chi frowned. "What's wrong? Did someone bully you?"
Ah Cai puffed out her cheeks. "I told Xia Xia about our relationship. She got angry and is ignoring me now."
Ji Chi's frown deepened. He knew that Ah Cai was making a living alone in Gangcheng, and making a true friend was not easy for her.
If she didn't care about the other person so much, she wouldn't have cried until her eyes were red and swollen.
"It's my fault. I didn't think things through."
Ah Cai shook her head. "It has nothing to do with you."
Ji Chi patiently comforted Ah Cai until her mood improved.
Soothed by Ji Chi's comforting voice, Ah Cai slowly drifted off to sleep.
She didn't even know when the video call was disconnected.
In her groggy state of sleep, she heard a knock on the door.
Ah Cai assumed it was someone coming to see her for medical help in the middle of the night. She rubbed her eyes and opened the door.
Seeing the man standing outside the door, Ah Cai's eyes widened in shock.
The man, dressed in a black T-shirt, looked travel-worn, but the peach-blossom eyes looking at her were filled with tenderness.
"Ji Chi, why are you back?" Was she dreaming?
Ji Chi took a step forward and pulled Ah Cai tightly into his arms. "My girl cried tonight, so I had to rush back overnight to comfort her in person."
Ah Cai's nose suddenly stung with emotion.
She realized that he was really good at swooning her.
Ah Cai lifted her head from his chest. "Are you hungry? I'll go make you something to eat."
"I'm not hungry." He carried her into the room.
"Then I'll pour you a glass of water."
Ji Chi didn't let go of her. He rested his chin on the top of her head and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm only staying here for ten minutes. I have other things to attend to later."
Ah Cai balled her small hand into a fist and gently thumped his chest. "If you're that busy, you didn't need to make a special trip here."
"I needed to see you with my own eyes to feel at ease." Ji Chi lowered his head and kissed her lips. "Don't worry, your boyfriend is young and his body can handle it."
Of those ten minutes, almost two-thirds were spent with him kissing her passionately.
By the time he left, Ah Cai's lips were swollen.
The next day.
While Ah Cai was busy at the clinic, Sheng Xia came over.
Seeing Sheng Xia, Ah Cai's eyes sparkled as if hiding little stars. "Xia Xia!"
Sheng Xia gave Ah Cai a playful glare. "Last night, Ji Chi stood at my door for hours. When he saw me come out this morning, he gave me a full set of his autographs and personally apologized to me, asking me to forgive you, you little crybaby."
Ah Cai was stunned.
When he said he had things to attend to last night, was it specifically to go apologize to Xia Xia?
How could he be so wonderful?
Sheng Xia looked at the dazed Ah Cai and reached out to hug her. "I regretted it as soon as I got home last night. I shouldn't have said such harsh things to you. My feelings for Ji Chi are just like a fan's love for an idol, not romantic love. Why shouldn't I let you be with him? Ah Cai, the one who should be saying sorry is me."
Ah Cai shook her head. "No, I was at fault too."
Sheng Xia patted Ah Cai's back. "Alright, let's stop apologizing to each other. We'll still be best friends from now on, okay?"
Ah Cai smiled through her tears and nodded. "Okay."
...
Ji Chi was currently in the rising phase of his career. After he and Ah Cai started dating, they did not make their relationship public.
The two of them carried on a secret relationship, and before they knew it, three years had passed.
Ji Chi had already left his boy band to go solo. With his sharp business acumen, he not only stood at the very pinnacle of the entertainment industry now, but he had also founded his own entertainment agency and become a boss himself.
Over these three years, Ah Cai had been relentlessly researching a cure for his private medical condition. Finally, heaven rewarded her dedication, and she successfully developed the medicine.
After taking the medication for a month, Ji Chi gradually began to feel sensation return.
He invited Ah Cai to a hotel.
"My girl, do you want to see the results of your research?" Even though they had been dating for three years, he still occasionally acted completely improper and roguishly charming in front of her.
Ah Cai shot him a bashful glare. "No way."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the man embraced her from behind, his thin lips hovering right by her ear. "Do you really not want to, or are you just playing hard to get?"
Ah Cai shrank her neck back slightly. "You're so annoying."
Ji Chi gently turned her small face toward him and captured her lips in a kiss.
Ah Cai was in a hazy daze for everything that followed.
It wasn't until it was all over that she finally snapped back to reality.
He had truly recovered.
And his recovery was exceptionally good, to say the least.
Ji Chi pulled her into his embrace and took a ring out from the drawer.
"Ni Cai, marry me!"
Ah Cai's long eyelashes fluttered. "You must be crazy. If you get married, you'll lose all your fans."
Ji Chi took Ah Cai's hand and slipped the ring onto her slender finger.
"If I kept my girl hidden in the shadows forever just because I was afraid of losing fans, what kind of man would I be? All my hard work over these past few years was so I would have the standing to introduce my girl to the world, openly and proudly."
"With you by my side, I fear nothing."
Hearing Ji Chi's words, tears instantly streamed down Ah Cai's face.
She hugged his lean waist in return and nodded, deeply moved. "I want to marry you, and I want to go public too."
No matter what they might encounter in the future, their hearts would remain firmly pressed together.
To hold one's hand, and grow old together.
Their very own happiness had officially set sail!
[The End]
