Xiao Qitang covered his chest as if he was wounded.
He had been completely sincere just now, yet he was labeled as "glib".
However, he quickly adjusted his mood.
"I don't have a car. Could you give me a ride home?" His eyes sparkled.
Isn't this usually what a girl would say?
Xiao Qitang then said pitifully,
"I rushed here right after getting off the plane. I'm so tired and sleepy now."
"Surely you can't bear to leave me like this. Even though I'm just your ex - boyfriend, I'm still a human being after all..." He rambled on.
Zhu Liuyue hooked the car keys with her little finger.
"Let's go."
"Ah? What? Oh, okay, okay, right away!" Xiao Qitang excitedly followed behind her.
The car sped all the way. Zhu Liuyue parked the car at the gate of the Xiao family. Xiao Qitang still lingered in the passenger seat and didn't want to leave.
"We're here."
Zhu Liuyue turned her head to look at him. Xiao Qitang closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. His long eyelashes fluttered slightly.
"Still not awake?" She leaned closer.
Her breath fanned across his face.
Xiao Qitang's eyelashes fluttered even more.
Zhu Liuyue got the idea to tease him. With a smile on her lips, she leaned even closer.
The two of them were very close, almost nose - to - nose.
"If you don't wake up, do you believe I'll..." Zhu Liuyue dragged out the last syllable.
Xiao Qitang seemed to be expecting something.
Even though his eyes were closed, there was a hint of joy in his expression.
Zhu Liuyue's slender fingers landed on his forehead and then she gave him a hard flick.
"Ah——!!!"
Xiao Qitang immediately opened his eyes in pain. He almost jumped out of his seat.
He covered his head.
"It hurts, it hurts."
Zhu Liuyue smiled and leaned back a bit, saying, "Still pretending to be asleep?"
Probably because of the pain, there were a few tears in Xiao Qitang's eyes. He accused her, "Liuyue, you're so cruel. I just wanted to spend more time with you."
Zhu Liuyue said, "Come on, go back and catch up on your sleep quickly."
Xiao Qitang rubbed his slightly red forehead again.
Reluctantly, he opened the car door.
He looked back at her every few steps.
"Then I'm leaving. I really am..."
"Okay."
Zhu Liuyue stepped on the gas pedal, reversed the car, and drove away, leaving Xiao Qitang with a cloud of exhaust.
...
The preliminary preparations were completed. Zhu Liuyue handed over her work to her colleagues in the department.
She was going to take a plane to the northwest today.
The clothes they had purchased earlier would be sent to the local area in advance.
The ticket check and the waiting process went smoothly.
It was not until she took her seat in first - class that Zhu Liuyue found that the person sitting next to her was Ye Yunjin.
One would never mistake the Ye twins.
Ye Yunjin always dressed in suits and ties. Even in his daily clothes, he preferred shirts and suits.
Ye Yunche, who was into racing cars, usually dressed in either all - black outfits with a splash of color or extremely colorful and trendy clothes that were almost over - the - top.
Zhu Liuyue was surprised. "Why are you here too?"
Ye Yunjin smiled.
He was always very calm in doing things. Today, there was even a hint of humor in his tone.
"This event is initiated by the Ye's Charity Foundation. As the host, I should participate. Don't worry, I'm just here to assist. The highest command is still in your hands, Lady Liuyue."
Lady Liuyue? How anime - like.
Zhu Liuyue silently averted her gaze and said, "I have no objections, but Aunt Ye didn't mention this to me before."
"Yes, I asked her not to. I wanted to give you a surprise." Ye Yunjin nodded with a smile.
Are you sure it's a surprise and not a shock?
Although Zhu Liuyue had no major issues with Ye Yunjin, she was still a bit annoyed that her fiancé had left her for Bai Shurou on their engagement day.
Even though they had cleared the air last time.
But it's not that easy to just let go of such anger.
Thankfully, Ye Yunjin wasn't as chatty as Xiao Qitang on the plane. He kept quiet.
The only problem was that when Zhu Liuyue closed her eyes to rest, the person beside her kept typing on the laptop keyboard. He was probably working.
Zhu Liuyue tried to hold it in at first, but she just couldn't fall asleep.
She frowned and finally couldn't help but ask the flight attendant for an earplug.
Ye Yunjin stopped what he was doing.
"Am I being too noisy? Sorry." Ye Yunjin closed his laptop.
"It's okay. I couldn't fall asleep anyway."
Zhu Liuyue took the earplug handed over by the flight attendant and happened to meet Ye Yunjin's eyes.
It would be a bit awkward not to say something at this moment.
She asked, "Are you that busy? You still have to handle company affairs on the plane."
Ye Yunjin nodded.
"The previous things went quite smoothly, but this time I'll be away for half a month, so I have some work to hand over to my subordinates."
"Got it."
The conversation seemed to have ended. But then Ye Yunjin started a new topic.
"I heard from Zhu Qi that you guys went to the market to buy clothes for kids a few days ago?"
"Yes, it was Zhao Xin's idea. She's quite thoughtful."
"Was Xiao Qitang there too?"
Zhu Liuyue scanned Ye Yunjin's handsome face.
"Are you checking up on me?"
Ye Yunjin said, "Just concerned and curious."
Zhu Liuyue asked, "Curious about what?"
Ye Yunjin said, "You're very friendly to your ex - boyfriend, but you seem to be a bit hostile towards me. I wonder if it's just my imagination."
Zhu Liuyue was straightforward.
"It's not your imagination! If you were left by your fiancé on your engagement day, you'd be annoyed too."
Ye Yunjin showed a bitter smile.
He had indeed handled that matter inappropriately.
"So what should I do to atone for my mistake?" He asked sincerely.
Zhu Liuyue thought for a moment.
She pointed at his lips.
Ye Yunjin was stunned at first, and then a faint blush appeared on his face.
The usually calm and experienced him actually showed a bit of boyish shyness at this moment. He stammered, "I, I'm not very good at it..."
Zhu Liuyue rolled her eyes.
"What are you thinking about? I mean, you can shut up now! I want to sleep."
Ye Yunjin's face was as colorful as a palette. It took him a while to return to normal.
He silently closed his mouth. Then he nodded heavily and silently made an OK gesture.
...
Ye Yunche didn't want to stay in the company at all. He wasn't interested in these things.
He sat in the office chair for a long time, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Finally, he got up and went to the general manager's office to find his elder brother.
But he found the office empty.
He grabbed the assistant and asked, "Where is my elder brother?"
The assistant replied, "Mr. Ye took a plane to the southwest this morning."
Ye Yunche was confused. "What's he going to the southwest for?"
The assistant said, "There's an event of the Ye's Charity Foundation in the southwest. Mr. Ye is going there in person to ensure the event goes smoothly."
Ye Yunche frowned and couldn't help but mutter,
"The foundation's affairs have always been managed by my mom. My elder brother has so many things to do. Why does he have to go all the way to the southwest?"
The assistant professionally reminded him,
"This charity event is a joint effort between the Ye and Zhu families. Miss Zhu has also gone to the southwest."
Ye Yunche raised his voice a bit.
"What? You mean Zhu Liuyue has also gone?"
