Cma 52

The movie had just ended, and Lin Tiao still hadn’t recovered from Jiang Yan’s last remark.

She couldn’t understand how someone who had been a staunch believer in Plato’s ideas just a moment ago could suddenly start acting so bold and flirtatious.

The movie ended at five, and Lin Tiao followed Jiang Yan back to the internet cafe. On the way, she asked the question that had been on her mind. “Did something happen to you today?”

The vehicle sped along the road, with green pine trees flashing past, covered in a layer of white snow, the green and white contrasting beautifully.

Inside the car, Jiang Yan pinched her slender fingers, his tone suggestive. “Do you think the ‘stimulus’ I received today wasn’t enough?”

Lin Tiao: “…”

Lin Tiao: “…”

Lin Tiao: “Oh.”

Jiang Yan smiled, lowering his head to play with her hand.

The girl’s hands were extremely beautiful, slender and white, with clearly defined fingers. The nails were neatly trimmed, and even the nail beds were rounded and delicate, with a crescent white at the base. Her hands were soft to the touch, and the back of her hands were fair and smooth, with little flesh.

He played with her hand for a while, then raised his eyes to look at her, his gentle gaze filled with amusement. “What do you want to eat tonight?”

Lin Tiao had eaten too much at lunch, so she wasn’t very hungry at the moment. Her eyes swept over a supermarket outside the window, and a thought suddenly crossed her mind. “Can you cook?”

“I can.” He had been living alone since middle school, and he took care of everything by himself. Cooking was a basic necessity.

“Can I order anything I want?”

He glanced at her and nodded. “Sure.”

Lin Tiao’s eyes sparkled as she smiled, her voice soft and light. “Abalone porridge, steamed hairy crabs, garlic vermicelli prawns, curry dishes…”

After rattling off a long list of classic dishes, she frowned slightly and then leaned closer, deliberately asking, “Would these be too much for you?”

Jiang Yan stared at her, motionless. After a long pause, he slowly responded, “Not too much.”

Lin Tiao was delighted. Before she could speak, she heard his slow voice, “If I change my girlfriend, it wouldn’t be too much.”

“…”

Why?

What did I do wrong?

Wasn’t it you who told me I could order anything?

Jiang Yan snickered, then suddenly raised his hand and placed the hat behind her head on top of her. He tightened his grip on the brim. “Order again.”

Lin Tiao grasped his hand lightly, revealing half of her face. Her chin brushed against his palm as she obediently said, “How about a simple dish—stir-fried potatoes with green peppers?”

Jiang Yan glanced at her small movements and chuckled.

There was a lifestyle supermarket near the internet cafe, and their taxi stopped on the street.

The supermarket was decorated with bright lights, and everywhere you looked, there was a sea of red. People were everywhere, and children were running around in the center.

Jiang Yan grabbed a shopping cart at the entrance.

Inside the supermarket, it was crowded. The atmosphere of the New Year filled every corner. Jiang Yan pushed the cart with one hand, while holding Lin Tiao’s hand with the other.

They passed through the deli section and arrived at the vegetable area.

“What do you want to eat?” He asked again.

Lin Tiao leaned against a nearby shelf, her gaze sweeping over the lush greenery of the fresh vegetables. For some reason, she felt a little amused. She looked up at him. “Are you trying to hint at something?”

Jiang Yan looked down and picked up a bundle of vegetables, placing it into the cart. Seemingly not understanding her, he frowned and asked, “Hmm?”

The supermarket lights were bright and dazzling, casting a colorful halo around his head, flashing brightly.

Faced with his good looks, Lin Tiao couldn’t help but mutter, “Nothing. Let’s go. I want to eat meat.”

Before they could walk further, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. Her forehead bumped against his chin.

“…”

People were walking by, and Lin Tiao hurriedly pushed him away, taking a step back to maintain some distance. She widened her eyes in disbelief, “In public, can you be a little more discreet?”

Jiang Yan slightly lifted his eyelids, looked away, and continued picking vegetables. His tone was casual and cool. “You don’t have much confidence in me, do you?”

Lin Tiao didn’t quite understand. “What?”

He glanced at her again, dropped the vegetables into the cart, and reminded her kindly, “Green.”

"..."

Lin Tiao quickly reacted, stepping closer to him and linking her arm through his, speaking softly, "I was just joking earlier."

She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze.

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

Jiang Yan shifted his gaze, lowering his eyes, his thick eyelashes casting a shadow at the corner of his eyes. "If I were to do something, you wouldn't have the chance to know."

"..."

"But I'm not that kind of person, Lin Tiao." He raised his head, meeting her gaze, and there was light in his amber eyes, as well as a tenderness he couldn’t conceal. "You’re the first girl I’ve liked, and I won’t like anyone else in the future, so you’d better be prepared."

Lin Tiao blinked slowly, her mind going blank. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on his hand, her voice dry. "What kind of preparation?"

He looked at her, suddenly smiling. His brows were deep, and his eyes shimmered with faint light.

"Prepare to be with me forever."

The two of them spent over half an hour picking items. On their way to the checkout, Lin Tiao chatted with him while scanning the shelves, thinking about what else she needed to buy.

As they neared the cashier, her attention was caught by a shelf in the corner. Not wanting Jiang Yan to notice, she purposely let him go ahead. "Ah, I just remembered there’s something I forgot to buy. You go ahead and pay; I’ll grab it and meet you there."

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's something important." Lin Tiao pushed him lightly, not giving a specific answer. "Just go pay, I’ll be right there."

"Alright." He ruffled her head with his hand. "Hurry up."

"I know!"

Lin Tiao stood there, waiting for him to walk away before sneaking over to the shelf she had noticed earlier. She didn’t spend much time picking, just grabbed a few items quickly.

At the checkout, Jiang Yan stood waiting, turning around to spot her sneaky figure.

"What did you grab?" he asked.

Lin Tiao hid the items behind her back, smiling brightly at him. "Nothing. You stay here in line. I’ll go over to the other counter."

With that, she took a step to a far corner of the store, standing behind a different cashier.

Jiang Yan: "..."

The supermarket was packed, and with so many people, even the line took a long time.

Lin Tiao bought only a few things, so she was done first. Holding her bag, she waited outside the supermarket. Once she saw him, she walked over. "Let me carry one of your bags."

"No need." Jiang Yan shifted the two bags into one hand, freeing the other to hold hers, asking casually, "What did you buy?"

"A New Year’s gift for you." Lin Tiao draped the bag over her arm, slipping her hands into her pockets, nudging him with her elbow. "Guess what it is?"

Jiang Yan made a few random guesses, all of which were wrong.

He shook his head. "I can’t guess."

They walked to the alley’s entrance, where the streetlamp had been repaired, the dim yellow bulb replaced with a bright white incandescent light.

Lin Tiao let go of his hand, pulled out the bag, and proudly presented its contents with a smile, "A collection of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy."

"..."

A few seconds passed. Jiang Yan rubbed his brow, a small curve forming at the corner of his lips as he softly muttered, "I thought it was..."

His voice was too soft for Lin Tiao to catch clearly, so she curiously asked, "What did you think it was?"

"Nothing."

"..." The more he acted this way, the more Lin Tiao felt he was hinting at something. She grabbed his wrist, refusing to let go, and insisted, "No, you need to explain. It’s too uncomfortable when you only say half of it."

Jiang Yan lowered his eyes, meeting her confused gaze. He awkwardly licked his lips and admitted, "When you were sneaking around in the supermarket, I thought you were buying... xx."

He deliberately made the last two words sound light. Although Lin Tiao could hear, she still didn’t understand, furrowing her brows. "What?"

"Condom." He repeated.

"..."

Lin Tiao’s face flushed red, her expression full of disbelief. "I’m only sixteen! How could you think that about me?"

"..."

The two of them spent another ten minutes in the street before returning to the internet cafe.

During the New Year’s period, the cafe was closed. Guan Che and the other staff had gone home, leaving only Jiang Yan behind.

When they entered, the usually bustling lobby was empty. The dark screens in front of the computers were silent, and the chairs sat neatly by the desks.

It felt strangely lonely.

Jiang Yan seemed used to it. Carrying the things, he went into the small living room. Lin Tiao hesitated for a moment before following.

He had already taken off his down jacket and was putting an apron over his sweater.

Hearing her approach, Jiang Yan turned around to look at her, his eyes full of smiles. "Come here, help me tie this."

Lin Tiao responded obediently and walked over.

The apron was a pull-over style with ties on either side at the waist. As Lin Tiao pulled the strings, she thought of something Hu Hanghang had said that morning, asking softly, "Why don’t you go home for the New Year?"

Because she was pulling the strings, they were very close, and Lin Tiao could feel his body stiffen for a moment.

There was a brief silence.

Jiang Yan lowered his head slightly, his gaze focused on a spot on the floor. His voice was low, "I don’t want to go back. That’s not really my home."

His home had been broken up long ago.

Lin Tiao’s hands paused for a second. "So you’ve always been living alone?"

"Not always." Jiang Yan said. "Just these last few years."

Lin Tiao didn’t say anything, quickly tying a knot and then wrapping her arms around him from behind. Her cheek pressed against his soft sweater, and her voice was soft and gentle. "Jiang Yan."

"Mm?"

"I wish I had met you earlier."

Jiang Yan smiled faintly, placing his palm over her hand, then turning to pull her into an embrace. "It’s fine that we met now."

Lin Tiao hooked her arms around his waist, lifting her eyes to look at him. Suddenly, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his chin, then quickly pulled away, resting her forehead on his chest as a bold thought crossed her mind.

"How about you come to my house for New Year this year?"

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