Holding Hands

People were coming and going at the school gate, and there were many onlookers, but most of them were male. Because they usually felt a little awkward and shy when staring at super pretty girls on the street, they could pretend to be very interested in watching the show, and openly glance around, looking at the fairy-like girls from Balala the Fairies and the energetic, long-legged high school girls. It was a real treat for the eyes.

There was also a woman whose collar was ripped open; she was somewhat attractive, and her disheveled appearance was to some people's liking.

"Hurry up and go in. Blocking the school gate is not a good look." The security guard knew Liu Chang'a Nuan and knew they were there to practice.

Zhao Chenchen and Ma Yilin also came.

Liu Chang'an went inside first, naturally ignoring Nong Xinrui.

"We're leaving now." An Nuan was much more polite than Liu Chang'an, not forgetting to greet Zhu Juntang. "You should also leave first; getting involved with these people is quite troublesome."

Zhu Juntang nodded calmly, then unconsciously tiptoed, determined to wear ten-centimeter heels next time.

The group went inside, and Zhao Chenchen and Ma Yilin later An Nuan what had happened.

An Nuan told the truth.

"You need to keep a close eye on Liu Chang'an," Zhao Chenchen said with certainty. "Those girls who dress childishly all like to act cute, and boys fall for that. Besides, they're actually quite cunning."

Ma Yilin lowered her voice as well, "So rich, and so beautiful, and she can even act cute. She's probably a master at being coquettish and charming in private."

"You're overthinking it. Liu Chang'an hasn't even confessed to me yet. I can't control these things." An Nuan was thinking about eating spicy hot pot. She ate a bite of pickled cabbage, then two slices of potato, a handful of broccoli, and then drank some water.

"Well... Liu Chang'an doesn't seem to be the kind of person who's particularly good at sweet talk or flattery," Ma Yilin said, offering her analysis.

An Nuan was secretly quite pleased with herself. After all, in her eyes, Liu Chang'an was like a collection of love letters, with poems that made one's heart flutter at the slightest glance.

But it's good that he has this image in front of other girls, because many girls like someone who is eloquent and humorous. If they think Liu Chang'an isn't good at that, they might find it difficult to develop a liking for him in the first place.

"But we feel that he treats you very differently." Zhao Chenchen and Ma Yilin had also gossiped about An Nuan and Liu Chang'an in private. At first, they thought the two of them were a couple, but after practicing together every day, they noticed some differences from a real couple. Zhao Chenchen continued, "There is definitely physical contact between them during training, but apart from you, if he touches our arms or anything, he moves away very quickly, as if he's disgusted if anyone else touches him."

"No way, he probably didn't mean that. He definitely didn't mean it to be disdainful; he was just afraid you'd misunderstand." Although An Nuan was quite happy about this somewhat negative impression, she still wanted to clarify things for Liu Chang'an.

"Anyway, that's the feeling, isn't it? We girls are the same way. If it's not someone we're close to, we'll quickly avoid physical contact." Ma Yilin mainly offered positive encouragement.

An Nuan felt somewhat ashamed, realizing she had even suspected Ma Yilin had feelings for Liu Chang'an.

Ma Yilin and Zhao Chenchen went to change clothes, but An Nuan did not follow immediately.

"Were you three talking badly about me behind my back just now?" Liu Chang'an looked at An Nuan with concern.

An Nuan didn't believe him at all; he was the kind of person who didn't care what others said about him behind his back.

"Yes, we say you're dashing and charming, a womanizer, known as the 'Sowing Prince' who leaves his seed wherever he goes." An Nuan snorted. Last time she met Zhu Juntang, she was fooled by him, but now that this girl has appeared again, An Nuan decided she couldn't let him fool her so easily.

Liu Chang'an simply smiled at An Nuan.

An Nuan blushed at his laughter. The man was grinning, clearly holding back a dirty joke; he'd either tell it later or let her figure it out herself.

"You scoundrel! You lewd man! You pervert!" An Nuan scolded angrily. Liu Chang'an's smile made it clear that since he was a ruthless man who would leave his seed unsaid, then given his relationship with An Nuan was bound to be the one to be impregnated.

"I'm ignoring you." An Nuan stomped her foot, feeling like a complete failure. She had come to confront him, but he hadn't said a word, and she was the one who felt embarrassed.

"I'm buying a new phone today. I probably won't be able to find my old screensaver pictures anymore. I really liked them," Liu Chang'an suddenly remarked.

An Nuan tilted her head to look at Liu Chang'an and reached out to tug at his sleeve.

"What?"

An Nuan didn't say anything and jogged to the locker room. She wanted to finish training quickly; she couldn't wait to go buy a phone with Liu Chang'an.

After training ended at noon, An Nuan didn't go to eat as usual. Instead, she dragged Liu Chang'an to the pedestrian street to find some mobile phone brand stores.

"Why don't we go to Sapphire Blue Street?" Liu Chang'an asked.

"Are you a middle-aged or elderly man? Who still buys phones there these days..." An Nuan shook her head. The Sapphire Blue Street that Liu Chang'an mentioned was the busiest telecommunications market in Junsha more than ten or twenty years ago. Back then, people came and went every day to pick up goods. People from the counties and cities under the jurisdiction of South Hunan would squat on the side of the street, holding a small sign and shouting in their heavy accents, "Are you selling phones? Do you have any phones for sale?"

With the advent of online shopping, this place naturally declined, and people struggled to make a living. Liu Chang'an, of course, kept up with the times, but since he was going to a physical store to buy a mobile phone today, he thought of Sapphire Blue Street from his memories.

Liu Chang'an wasn't a phone addict; for him, a smooth-running phone was enough, and it just needed to have a few commonly used apps installed. An Nuan, on the other hand, paid special attention to the front-facing camera, because she would definitely be using Liu Chang'an's phone for selfies in the future. Relying solely on beauty apps wouldn't be enough; the camera also needed to be powerful.

Liu Chang'an wanted to buy the black one, An Nuan thought the white one looked better, so they went with the white one.

Liu Chang'an felt that it didn't matter if the phone had a chin, as it was more convenient to hold, so An Nuan chose one with a higher screen-to-body ratio.

Liu Chang'an thought wireless charging was fine, An Nuan thought it was convenient.

"Many couples come to buy phones, and they often end up arguing. So, whether you have common ground or similar tastes isn't important; the key is for one person to compromise with the other." The salesperson quickly closed a deal, saving a lot of rambling explanations. Of course, they also had to say nice things, and as a girl myself, I have a stronger liking for guys who can compromise with their girlfriends.

"Because we're not a couple, we can't argue." An Nuan didn't even wear a watch today; this blockhead just can't seem to grasp that.

"I'm better at arguing than you, I don't care to argue with you," Liu Chang'an said.

An Nuan really wanted to kick him.

After the bill was issued, An Nuan took it and went straight to pay, while Liu Chang'an looked at her with suspicion.

The two people walked out of the store.

"You gave me a cheongsam, and my mom said it must be a very expensive gift. I can't sew, I can't knit, and I don't know what kind of games boys like, like video games or sneakers..." An Nuan blushed slightly. "Anyway, this is all I can give you for now! This isn't really a return gift... What kind of return gift you get for the cheongsam you made is up to you!"

"I see." Liu Chang'an looked up at the sky. The summer afternoon sun, though scorching, had a touch of bright spring, making people restless, like spring insects.

Liu Chang'an didn't say much. He simply took apart the phone, didn't bother to get a replacement SIM card, connected to the nearby Wi-Fi, installed an app, and then said to An Nuan, "Send me the photo of you in the cheongsam from that day."

An Nuan's heart pounded with nervousness, and she stammered, her face flushed, "Is it mine or my mom's?"

"If you don't mind, send it to your mom."

An Nuan bit her lip. Liu Chang'an was so annoying! Then she obediently sent over her photo.

Liu Chang'an set a wallpaper and screensaver for his phone, then casually put it away.

An Nuan picked up her phone again, looked at it, and murmured something, her face flushed with a rosy blush, like the color of a double-petaled lotus blooming in a pond, gradually turning pink and red from the inside out.

"Here, let me hold your hand." An Nuan returned the phone to Liu Chang'an and placed her hand in Liu Chang'an palm.

Liu Chang'an grasped it.

There's one more chapter, a bonus chapter with 4500 words. Everyone, get up and read it. Various Requests!