198 Pei Zhi, Lin Jiao, Forever
Friday evening.
Lin Jiao did not need to hide her relationship anymore. She went to the parking lot with the other colleagues and got into Pei Zhiâs car.
She adjusted her seat. âBecause of you, two colleagues added me on WeChat today.â
âWhy didnât you refuse?â
âThey use work as an excuse. I canât refuse.â
Ever since they were seen interacting intimately on Tuesday, many colleagues swarmed over to add her on Wechat.
âDoes it bother you?â Pei Zhi leaned over and put on his seatbelt.
âNot really.â She took a bottle of juice out of the glove compartment. âThey donât talk to me often.â
âIf anyone harrasses you, tell me. Iâll get Qu Shao to handle it.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âHow do you plan to handle it?â
âIt depends.â Pei Zhi stepped on the accelerator and left Sheng Hengâs parking lot. âIf itâs not too serious, Iâll just warn them.â
âWhat if itâs serious?â
âFire.â He glanced at the GPS and drove towards the road on the right. âSheng Heng doesnât need employees who canât behave themselves.â
Lin Jiao chuckled. âDonât worry. Theyâre nice people.â
âI hope so.â Pei Zhi lit a cigarette while waiting for the traffic light. âJiaojiao, are you hungry?â
âIâm not hungry.â
âThen letâs eat when we get to Changning?â
Lin Jiao tightened the bottle cap. âAlright.â She played a relaxing song and leaned against the back of the seat to take a nap.
The afterglow of the sunset faded on the way, and the sound of the music accompanied them to Changning.
The old street in the ancient town was unique. On both sides of the street, there were lush trees. LED lights hung between the trees, and together with the light from the street lamps, they decorated the not-so-wide road.
As they walked along the stone road, many vendors selling accessories and snacks on both sides shouted to attract tourists in different ways.
Lin Jiao stopped in front of a takoyaki stall.
She looked at the octopus balls and her stomach let out a soft growl. âBoss, how many are there in one serving?â
âSix.â
âThen I want two servings.â
âPlease wait a moment.â The boss placed the octopus balls in a paper box and spread it with bonito flakes and salad dressing. âTwenty in total.â
Pei Zhi paid for it with his phone.
He took one serving from Lin Jiao and put one octopus ball into his mouth with a bamboo fork.
Their overly outstanding appearance attracted the attention of many tourists. Occasionally, they would hear people say that they were a good match.
Lin Jiao was so focused on eating that she did not notice the gazes of others. Before long, she stopped at a stall.
âPei Zhi, I want to eat this.â She pointed at the squid skewers on the griddle, her eyes bright and her mouth watering.
âHow many skewers do you want?â
âTen skewers. Five for each of us.â
Pei Zhi picked ten skewers of squid and handed them to the boss. While asking for the price, he did not forget to ask the boss to put less chili.
Receiving the gaze of the hungry cat beside him, he whispered into her ear, âYou still have three days of your period. You canât eat too spicy food.â
Lin Jiao pursed her lips. âAlright.â
Pei Zhi held the squid skewers in the lunch box and fed the hungry cat.
They bought cold noodles and fried potatoes. They sat at the wooden table behind the skewers stall and ate slowly.
âWhich do you think is the best?â Lin Jiao wiped the red oil from her lips and took a few sips of milk tea.
âSquid skewers. How about you?â
âThe same.â She chewed on the pearls. âShall we buy a few more skewers when we go back?â
âSure.â Pei Zhiâs gaze landed on her lips and he couldnât help but peck it. âThere is oil.â
âWhy are you kissing me when thereâs oil?â
âIâm helping you wipe it clean.â
Lin Jiao glared at him. âLiar.â She threw away the empty milk teacup and walked forward alone.
However, before she could take two steps, he placed his warm palm on the back of her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers.
She suppressed the smile on her face and leaned closer to his arm. Accompanied by the evening breeze, they walked to the end of the street.
At the end of the street was a river. In the empty space on the bank, two or three tourists were gathered and studying the Sky Lantern.
âJiaojiao.â Pei Zhi held her hand and led her to the stall. âHow many lanterns do you want?â
âOne. I want to release it with you.â
âAlright.â He took a pen from the stall owner and handed it to her. âWrite your wish.â
Lin Jiao opened the packaging of the Sky Lantern and carefully unfolded it before placing it on the chair.
She wrote a line of words that put Pei Zhi almost immediately on cloud nine.
âPei Zhi, Lin Jiao, forever.â
...
âLetâs go over there.â She returned the pen to the stall owner and walked to the right with the Sky Lantern.
He took out the lighter from his pocket and lit the candle to let it burn for a while. âJiaojiao, hold the top with both hands.â
Lin Jiao did as she was told. âCan I release it now?â
Pei Zhi saw the faint candlelight reflected in the depths of her eyes. He hugged her waist from behind and kissed her face.
âYes.â He gestured for Lin Jiao to let go.
The gradually rising Sky Lantern carried their wish and took off from the ground.
They watched as the lantern flew higher into the sky, embellishing the dark night with a warm light.
Lin Jiao, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was driven to the hotel booked by Pei Zhi with a bag of squid skewers.
After checking in at the front desk, they took a room card to the top and found the room they would be staying in.
With a beep, Pei Zhi inserted the room card into the slot and pressed the light switch.
He closed the door and stood in front of the sofa to take off his black coat. He sat down with Lin Jiao. âIs the squid cold?â
...
âNot yet.â
âThen eat first before taking a shower.â
Lin Jiao picked up the first squid skewer and leaned into his arms to look around at the furnishings in the suite.
At this moment, she realized that there was only one bedroom in the suite. âPei Zhi, why didnât you book a two-bedroom room?â
âDonât you want to sleep in the same room as me?â
âWeâre not a coupleâ¦â
Pei Zhi interrupted, âBut weâre more than a couple.â He rested his chin on her shoulder. âDonât worry, I wonât do anything to you.â