Chapter 17 Strolling ≠ Dating? The motorcycle sped into the busiest commercial district of the small town, and Zhang Jiu Yu gradually slowed down. I also loosened my grip slightly, my cheeks burning hot.

  Finally freed from the back seat, his legs were numb and trembling non-stop, heart rate was still fast, panting heavily, but his mind was very clear. Just now he was scared to death, but now he's excited, it seems that speeding on a motorcycle is much more effective than getting drunk, one word: cool!

  He took off the black helmet, his face was covered in sweat, with sparkling water droplets on his eyelashes, a few strands of hair stuck to his forehead, slightly panting, pulling open his collar, constantly pumping air into it; his face was flushed red, no wonder after having his head stuck inside for so long.

  "Your motorcycle skills are great!" The mood was relaxed and it felt like communicating with him wasn't a problem.

  His face was pale, he frowned and glanced at me, then turned around and walked towards the street. This place is too far from home, my pockets are empty, thinking of taking a taxi to escape is not realistic, can only follow him with a hard head. Although it's still a silent journey, the atmosphere feels much better, I don't know if it's because of the good mood after speeding or being influenced by the lively atmosphere of the street.

  "Hey! Where are we going?" I jogged to catch up with his pace, then walked alongside him in big strides.

  "Tonight is preparation for Saturday, you're coming to my place that day." He didn't even glance at me, his voice still flat.

  "Your home? Isn't it Qingquan Community? Do you still want me to meet your parents?" Big brother! Our relationship isn't that good yet, is it? I looked up at his poker face and asked incredulously.

  "What nonsense." A cold voice, without even a glance in my direction.

  The streets on a summer night, neon lights flashing, the mall is brightly lit, and the sidewalks are crowded with people.

  What's going on now? A man and a woman walking together... On a date? No no no! I overthought it!

  I patted my empty stomach and slowed down my pace, doesn't this guy need to eat at all?

  He casually walked into a women's clothing store that caught his eye, I stood at the door, slightly opening my mouth, dazed and motionless, thinking if it would be better for me to just slip away. Da Wenli took a few steps before realizing I wasn't following him, then turned back around with an arrogant expression.

  "Find her a suitable dress." He was pulled in by him, then handed over to the waiter, and sat down on the black sofa, flipping through magazines.

  "Wait a minute!" I pushed aside the waiter and rushed in front of him, "What do you mean by this?"

  "Dress properly, don't lose face for me." A lazy voice, head hung low without even lifting his face.

  Afraid of losing face, don't bother me! Funny, it's not like I'm willing to. I stood there with my hands on my hips glaring at him, he slightly waved his hand, and the sweet smiling beauty sister came over to take me to try on clothes.

  I lived to be sixteen without paying much attention to dressing up, and the feeling of adding a bunch of messy things to my body was very awkward. Wearing formal clothes felt like being strangled. I finally managed to put on a pure white sleeveless puffy skirt, with a hem that looked like it had been splashed with ink, black polka dots all over, and a black butterfly-shaped belt tied around my waist. Standing in front of the mirror, no matter how I looked at myself, I felt uncomfortable.

  "That's it." He gave me a faint glance, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

  Get up, swipe card, grab bag, walk away, the action is smooth. When leaving, the beautiful sister's voice was sweet and said: Welcome to come again next time!

  Then he dragged me into a women's shoe store, still handing me over to the salesperson and hiding on the sofa. This time it was a pair of gold high-heeled shoes that were at least 10 cm thick, and if I wasn't careful when walking, I would definitely fall. The main thing is, I've never worn this before, and I don't even know how to tie that snake-like golden shoelace!

  One family after another walked past the high-end stores, gold-plated small handbags, black diamond-encrusted hair clips, platinum necklaces... it's really a big deal! They're all famous brands that make my eyes dizzy. Although my family lives a pretty good life, we've never bought so many luxury goods at once! And when he swiped his card, his eyelids didn't even flicker. Is being a big shot really that profitable?

  Holding big and small paper bags, panting and following behind, feeling like a servant, specially accompanying him to go shopping and carry things for him. Isn't it just going to your home, temporarily taking the place of your girlfriend, and meeting your parents? Do you have to make such a big deal out of it? It's as if we're going to meet a foreign president or something.

  "Hey! Are you a man or not? You're making me, a girl, carry so many things!" Frowning and staring at his back, panting heavily, "And you're walking so fast, how can I keep up?"

  "Come here." He stopped in his tracks, turned around, raised the corner of his mouth, made a gesture with one hand as if to receive something, and waited for me on the spot.

  I thought he would storm back, scold me, or even punch me, but instead he smiled and offered to help me with some of the load. This was completely unexpected. Which nerve of his is not normal? When did he become so considerate of me? My hands were aching badly, I had already prepared myself to take a few slaps from him in exchange for a lighter load.

  Since you're so polite, I won't be polite either! So I rushed to his side, smiling and preparing to hand over a part of what was in my arms. Unexpectedly, he directly put the bag in his hands on top of mine, then gave a sly smile, whistled, and turned around to continue walking.

  This demon! I knew it from the start that I shouldn't have trusted him! It's so heavy... My stomach is also very hungry...

  I saw him walking towards a small, retro-style restaurant and my eyes lit up immediately. I quickly followed behind him, but first things first, I needed to fill up on food to get some energy before continuing to tail him.

  The restaurant was filled with the thick aroma of food, and I took a deep breath, but my stomach growled even more. There were not many customers here, it was quiet and elegant, with wooden hollow windows, ancient-style carved lanterns, dark brown wooden tables, and a fine layout, making for a beautiful environment.

  I followed him to sit down on the wooden chair by the window. The streetlights outside the window were colorful, occasionally there would be passing couples, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, chatting and laughing intimately.

  I rested my chin on my hand, sneaking a glance at him out of the corner of my eye. He was staring outside, a warm smile spreading across his face... Warm? I tilted my head, gazing blankly at him. The expression in his eyes was just like that night at the dance - pure and warm, without any impurities. As he looked away, under the streetlight, a young mother was comforting her little boy who had fallen to the ground. The child lay on the ground, mouth open wide, wailing loudly. The mother's eyes were filled with love and concern, carefully lifting up the child, gently patting his back as she hugged him into her arms...

  I didn't expect to see such a gentle gaze again, it turns out he also has a soft spot! He should be the type of person who loves his family, only revealing his true nature when seeing a scene full of motherly love. His relationship with his mom must be very good, and his dad... right, his dad abandoned them, just like Ji Dong's dad... Men who abandon their wives and children to pursue new loves are the most despicable! I really want to know what he was like in the past, if this tragedy hadn't happened, he should have been a warm and sunny person...

  "What's wrong?" A cold voice, an indifferent expression, and a slightly furrowed brow.

  I was lost in thought watching him, unaware that he too had been staring at me, the warmth in his eyes having turned into a cold gaze.

  "No, nothing!" I quickly turned away, facing the window.

  He stood up from his seat, leaning forward, a long arm stretching across the table, hot and humid fingers gently grasping my chin, turning my face to face him. A thread of evil charm in his eyes, the corners of his mouth raised, his face close to me only ten or so centimeters away.

  I took a deep breath, my breathing was very uncomfortable, but I didn't dare to let it out. My heart beat rapidly accelerated. I turned my head, wanting to get rid of his hand, but he grasped my face even more tightly. His hand was so big, as if one palm could cover my entire face. My lips rubbed against the base of his index finger, and a flame suddenly rose in my chest.

  "Do you like me?" The enchanting low voice, I see my flustered face in his dark and shiny eyes.

  He raised the corner of his mouth, looking at me with great interest. I lowered my eyelids and didn't look at that devilishly charming face. In my heart, I thought of a lot of words to refute him, but my mouth couldn't say anything.

  He let out a snicker from his nose, then released me and returned to his original position with his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed on me. My eyeballs rolled around frantically, unable to find a suitable focal point, so I hastily lowered my head deeply, using the top of my head to face him.

  "Why don't we just pretend and make it real." A light sentence, yet it sounded like an order.

  I suddenly lifted my head, stared at him with wide eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to speak calmly: "I don't like you, we're just making a deal. When you need me, I can cooperate, but you have to protect the people who are important to me."

  "I thought I only agreed to deal with Li Xiaoyan." He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled ring after ring of white smoke.

  "Yes, and you can't go harass my friends and family!" I stepped forward, closer to him, firmly.

  "It depends on your performance." He rested his elbow on the table, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of smoke in my direction, choking me and making me cover my nose and mouth, bending over to cough violently. I heard his triumphant laughter in my ear.

  My stomach had been empty for a while, and then the waiters started bringing in dishes one after another. The various dishes were colorful and fragrant, with vegetable carvings on the edge of the oval plates, making people very hungry. I picked up my chopsticks and immediately took action. I was so hungry that I didn't care about being a lady or not, besides, I wasn't a lady to begin with.

  Zhang Jiu Yu's expression was bland, his movements slow as he ate, not like a starving ghost who had just been reborn. He still looked like a young master, usually telling me to be more low-key, but now even eating had to be done with finesse, it was really miserable.

  When they were having a great time eating, one of them picked up a small white vegetable with his chopsticks and suspended it in mid-air, unable to pick it up. It turned out that the other person's chopstick was pressing down on it from below, and the two began fighting over the vegetable.

  "It was I who picked it up first, you see it's already been picked halfway! You let go!" I pointed at the suspended vegetable leaves.

  "Do you know what this is called?" he said nonchalantly, raising the corner of his mouth in a sly smile as he looked at me. "Indirect kiss... but I suppose you wouldn't mind either, it's not your first time."

  A simple sentence scared me to quickly let go of my chopsticks and take a look around the table, only to find that almost everything had been swept away. If I were to follow his logic, wouldn't it mean that every dish on the table already had... saliva from two people in each one?

  It's just a guy and a girl sitting together eating, like they're on a date or something... what crap! This can only be considered as him treating me, the mover, to a meal, there's no other meaning to it at all! Yeah, that's right!

  "If you don't leave now, I'll abandon you here." He threw down a cold sentence and strode out the door. After eating my fill, I felt refreshed and energetic, shouldering big bags and small packages, rushing out, stuffing them into the bottom of the black motorcycle, pulling on his clothes to sit up easily, and then continuing to shamelessly hug him tightly like a lifesaving straw.