Chapter 209

She felt her clothes were a little wet... Sensing Xia Yan's silence, she also looked down. Her pure white short-sleeved shirt was completely soaked; if it weren't for its good absorbency, her pants would probably have been ruined too. The girl's lips twitched; she seemed to have forgotten the pain from bumping into Xia Yan. "Pay me back my clothes," Hua Xin said to Xia Yan in a harsh tone, her eyes still glistening with tears from the pain, giving her a pitiful and aggrieved appearance. But now it wasn't just the pain, but also the heartache of seeing her cherished clothes ruined, undoubtedly adding insult to injury for her already impoverished family. While logically it wasn't solely Xia Yan's fault—after all, they bumped into each other, and both should share some responsibility—why was Xia Yan completely unharmed while she was soaked in the stain?! And completely drenched, how could she possibly wash it clean?! Xia Yan quickly and gently comforted her, without a hint of complaint: "I'll definitely pay for it, don't cry..." "Who's crying!" "It's from the pain! It's a natural reaction!?" The girl looked at her ruined clothes with obvious heartache, her voice involuntarily turning Red Temperature. A piece of clothing wasn't exactly important, since she now had the financial means to buy another one, and it wasn't as difficult as before. The most crucial thing was... she was at Xia Yan's house, and had no other clothes to change into! "Why don't you wear my clothes for now?" "It's almost eleven o'clock... all the clothing stores are closed..." Xia Yan said somewhat awkwardly, after all, it was New Year's Eve, how could any shops still be open? "..." "Then can you go find me one?" "I'm almost marinated." The girl said quietly, the smell of vinegar wafting into her nose. If she wanted to use it to dip dumplings, it would definitely be useless; she couldn't possibly eat New Year's Eve dinner in just a down jacket, could she? "I'm going right now, wait for me, wait for me." Xia Yan quickly placed the bowl he was carrying into the sink, then rushed into his room to browse the cabinets. Honestly, most of his clothes were workout vests and shirts, and given their different body types, there really weren't any clothes that would suit her... A shirt would probably have sleeves that were way too long. A short-sleeved shirt? Xia Yan looked at a black short-sleeved shirt in his hand. It seemed like there was nothing else he could wear besides short sleeves, and the collar was quite high, so it wouldn't... cough cough, anyway, it wouldn't be in a rather inappropriate situation. This one will do. After a slight hesitation, Xia Yan took the short-sleeved shirt and left the room, but the girl had already disappeared around the corner of the kitchen. Then, a brief sound of running water came from the bathroom, making Xia Yan immediately perk up his ears. Alert. jpg. This development feels so much like something out of a doujinshi! Swallowing hard, Xia Yan suddenly felt that all the food he had prepared was useless; just listening to the sound of water made him want to eat three large bowls of rice... "Xia Yan!" "Where are my clothes!" A slightly muffled voice came from the bathroom next to the guest room, revealing a hint of embarrassment and annoyance. "Coming." "A black short-sleeved shirt, my own clothes, I don't know if they'll fit..." Xia Yan pretended to be serious and walked to the bathroom door, knocking. After a short while, a very small crack opened in the door, and a slightly damp, pale finger emerged. "Don't look!" "Just give it to me..." Hua Xin said in a seemingly calm tone, but her face behind the door was already flushed pink. She was only covered by a bra, and there was nothing else to cover her body. And it wasn't just a phone or the internet separating them; they were now only separated by a door. Would he suddenly have a fit of lust and just open the door and... uh, it seemed that Xia Yan had restrained himself during the drugging misunderstanding before; he probably wouldn't do that this time. Xia Yan's Gentleman's Power had already conquered the high ground of his mind, banishing the yellow waste. He simply placed the short-sleeved shirt in the girl's hand as usual, watching the door close again with a smile in his eyes. What should he say? This feeling was as if they had been together for a long time, living together. He heard another rustling sound coming from the bathroom and turned to walk towards the kitchen. The dumplings would probably be cooked in a minute or two, and then they could prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner. Hiding in the bathroom, Hua Xin put on her clothes and looked at herself in the mirror, unsure of what to say. Xia Yan was clearly much more robust and muscular than her... Even a short-sleeved shirt wouldn't fit her so well, making it seem like she was wearing a dress... The girl in the mirror was wearing an oversized black short-sleeved shirt, the loose size slightly concealing her obviously bulging chest, unlike the see-through white short-sleeved shirt she wore before. It was called a short-sleeved shirt, but the sleeve reached her forearm. In short... It was a bit like a mischievous girlfriend sneaking clothes from her boyfriend. Since everything was black, the outfit actually looked fairly harmonious. Although it was a little uncomfortable, it was better than nothing. Hua Xin picked up a bit of the collar and brought it close to her nose to smell it. A faint, lavender-like scent filled her senses; there was no body odor. It seemed Xia Yan was quite clean... She suddenly remembered her former self; before becoming a girl, she mostly washed her clothes monthly. She would never smile again. After a brief mental compliment to Xia Yan, the girl turned to look at the hopelessly ruined sweet and sour short-sleeved shirt in the trash can, and silently mourned. "Seven years of service." "I won't forget you." 159. That unsociable boy and girl. The two were busy from eight in the morning until eleven at night. They only hastily ate some snacks; their appetites and bellies were all reserved for tonight's main event! That is, the New Year's Eve dinner that had been prepared for so long! The Spring Festival Gala was playing in the living room, though neither of them were really paying attention, each looking at their own phones. But using the Spring Festival Gala as a way to create atmosphere was a tradition, after all. Compared to Xia Yan, who was leisurely eating dumplings, Hua Xin ate more heartily, taking a bite of each dish before moving on to a dumpling. The girl hadn't forgotten her bet with Xia Yan, but she was more confident in her luck than in winning by quantity. Eating more wasn't as useful as having good luck! (It wasn't because the other dishes were particularly delicious.) They chatted occasionally while simultaneously checking their phones. As it was New Year's Eve, greetings and polite replies were naturally plentiful. But compared to the past, after deleting a large number of people he hadn't interacted with much of due to his own "social" philosophy, Xia Yan's messages were less frequent, and he didn't seem to put in as much effort to maintain his "warm and kind" persona. All of this was because of Hua Xin's change. Xia Yan swiped her phone and saw a photo Xia Fen had sent. It was a picture of her and her grandfather, and Xia Fen looked very happy.