Chapter 16

The big Alaskan dog was left in Li Ze's care.

Before flying to R Country, William found a chance to speak with Owen in private. "Cousin, what kind of person do you think Xin Chun is?"

Owen asked, "Why are you asking?"

"I just mean... is it possible that someone's outward appearance differs from what they're like inside? Xin Chun might be hiding something from you. You don't know, and maybe you don't understand him as well as you think."

Owen's dark green eyes fixed on William, making his back break out in sweat.

His expression did not change as he replied flatly, "Mm."

Mm?

What did "mm" mean??

William was surprised, but Owen said nothing else and simply turned away.

On the plane, Xin Chun sat beside Owen. He yawned, his eyes heavy with sleepiness.

Owen rubbed his head and asked softly, "Sleepy?"

"Mm, I want to sleep for a while."

Owen said, "Go to sleep. I'll wake you when we're almost there."

Xin Chun nodded and closed his eyes, but before long, someone on the plane started arguing. The person shouting loudly happened to be a foreigner.

"I want him to apologize to me! Apologize, do you understand?!"

Xin Chun groggily opened his eyes. "What apology?"

Owen's fingers paused, then he stroked Xin Chun's cheek and tucked his little blanket around him. "It's nothing. Go back to sleep, good boy."

The flight attendant quickly calmed the disruptive passenger, and the cabin fell quiet again.

Xin Chun gave a vague response and went back to sleep, only waking shortly before the plane landed.

Chapter 16

After getting off the plane, they headed straight to the hotel, then rushed from meeting to meeting to sign contracts. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and the project was finalized.

Next came pure sightseeing and fun.

Before heading out to ski, they still had plenty of time to wander around nearby and experience the different customs of R Country.

Luckily, there was an event being held on the streets that day, and the atmosphere was lively.

"I'm going off with my darling," Ivy said. "We'll get in touch later."

Holding Annie's hand, she was clearly going to enjoy some time alone with her.

After they left, William asked, "Where are we going?"

Owen glanced at him, clearly finding him an obstruction.

Xin Chun lowered his head to flip through the event booklet being handed out on the street. "There's a cosplay event here, a food street, and seaside cycling a little farther away. They all sound pretty interesting. Why don't we try them all?"

Owen said, "Sure."

William had no objections either.

"Alright, then let's go." Xin Chun made the decision.

Only after arriving did he realize that there were really, truly so many people! It was not quite packed shoulder to shoulder, but it was getting close.

Owen wrapped an arm around Xin Chun and guided him forward, with William following behind.

Owen had a commanding presence. On top of being tall with long legs, broad shoulders, and a sturdy build, he looked hard to approach whenever he was not smiling. No one around them dared squeeze too close, so he was able to lead Xin Chun through without much trouble.

As for William, he was squeezed so badly that his sunglasses were nearly knocked off. When he finally reached a less crowded spot and looked up, he saw Xin Chun straightening Owen's sleeves and collar.

William looked down at himself. Shouldn't he have been the one who needed tidying up?

Xin Chun smoothed out the wrinkles and gave a sweet smile. "Want some ice cream, Owen? I'll go buy some."

"My cousin doesn't like sweets." William finally found an opening. "You don't understand my cousin at all."

Xin Chun and Owen turned to look at him at the same time. Then Xin Chun's brows drooped, and he said dejectedly, "But I want Owen to eat it with me..."

"Go buy it. I'll eat it." Owen placed a hand on Xin Chun's head and rubbed it.

"Mm." Only then did Xin Chun's face brighten as he turned to buy ice cream.

Owen glanced at William, his expression indifferent. "William, do you want to go back home?"

When Xin Chun returned holding two ice cream cones, he saw William standing obediently off to the side. He walked over and held one out to him. "Here."

William was startled. "For me?"

Had he gotten it wrong? Weren't those two ice cream cones supposed to be one each for Xin Chun and Owen?

"Take it." Xin Chun shoved one of the ice creams directly into William's hand. "Owen and I can share one. He doesn't like sweets, so he can just have a taste with me. There are still lots of snacks to try later, so we should save room."

With that, Xin Chun returned to Owen's side and held up the ice cream with a smile. "You take the first bite, Owen."

A smile rippled through Owen's dark green eyes. He lowered his head and took a bite, the sweet flavor melting across his tongue.

"How is it?" Xin Chun asked.

"Good."

Xin Chun took a bite too, then looked up with sparkling eyes. "Mm-hm, it really is good. I picked a great flavor."

Owen smiled and used his thumb to wipe away a little creamy ice cream residue from the corner of Xin Chun's mouth. The gesture was natural, and his expression gentle, utterly unlike how he had looked when speaking to William alone earlier.

William stood there holding his ice cream. "..."

Were they really not together?

Were they really not dating??

And Xin Chun was still hesitating?

Maybe he never should have come along...

William glanced at the ice cream in his hand, viciously took a huge bite, and froze his teeth to the roots.

He thought it would only happen once, but he had been too optimistic.

After finishing his ice cream, Xin Chun handed his camera to William. "Please, little cousin, take some pictures of Owen and me. Couple photos of the two of us."

"Why should I?" William protested.

He wanted to have fun too, alright?

"But Owen and I both have photo albums," Xin Chun said. "We just want to take a few more pictures to keep. If William doesn't want to help, then we'll have to ask strangers."

Owen said, "He'll take them."

William thought, I'll do it. I'll take pictures for you two, alright?

While they were eating ice cream, William had discovered that he was truly unnecessary. After the ice cream, he became a heartless photo-taking machine.