"It was delicious! How did you know I like things a little sweeter? Princess Chichi, have you been studying my tastes? I never knew you liked me so much!"
Lin Chao Ci wiped his mouth before giving his verdict on the laba porridge.
Rather than dwell on the taste, Lin Chao Ci smoothly steered the conversation elsewhere and started flirting again.
"You big meanie, always teasing me! You're awful! Just you wait!"
Seeing the teasing smile on Lin Chao Ci's face, Qin Chichi raised her little fists in bashful annoyance and lightly thumped his shoulder a few times.
She called it punishment, but it looked more like a girlfriend acting coy with her boyfriend.
Lin Chao Ci thoroughly enjoyed it.
Looking back on his previous life, he had spent all his time working, pouring his heart and soul into his official career. He had never felt this relaxed and carefree.
It was the weekend, and after breakfast, the two had nothing to do, so they decided to go out.
A zoo had just opened in Haikou City that year, and supposedly it housed quite a few animals.
Zoos were still a rarity in those days, and most people had only read about some of those animals in books.
Qin Chichi had visited zoos abroad, but she had never been to the one in Haikou City.
Since they had nothing else planned, they headed to the zoo together.
The morning they spent looking at animals was not wasted effort on Lin Chao Ci's part. He made a major breakthrough: he could now put his arms around Qin Chichi in public. She did not refuse, accepting his embrace with a blush.
Now that he could hug her whenever he wanted, surely being able to kiss her whenever he wanted was not far off.
Tired from their outing, they left the zoo and found the nearest star-rated restaurant.
They ordered a few dishes at random and began eating.
When you were with someone you liked, everything seemed delicious.
The phone in Lin Chao Ci's pocket chimed. He glanced at it and saw a message from Liu Shuang'er: "Boohoo~ Chao Ci, I was so excited when I saw your reply last night that I didn't fall asleep until three or four. I woke up late today. You won't blame me, will you...?"
In her upscale residential complex, Liu Shuang'er opened her eyes groggily. She felt blissfully rested, because she had dreamed that Lin Chao Ci had agreed to date her.
When she got up and checked the time on her phone, she froze as though she had turned to stone. Unable to believe it, she rubbed her eyes and checked again.
"Ah! It's past eleven! Oh no, I haven't replied in so long. Will Chao Ci think I'm playing hard to get and deliberately ignoring him...?"
Liu Shuang'er was terribly nervous, afraid that her failure to reply would put Lin Chao Ci off.
Regardless of gender, when people truly loved someone, they constantly worried about how that person saw them, afraid of leaving a bad impression.
After much deliberation, Liu Shuang'er composed a message and nervously pressed send.
To her surprise, mere seconds after she sent it, Lin Chao Ci replied: "It's fine. Your health comes first. Just reply when you have time, and make sure you get enough rest!"
Reading the message, Liu Shuang'er felt warmth fill her heart. Was Chao Ci concerned about her health?
"Boohoo~ Chao Ci is so perfect! Apart from not liking me very much, he's absolutely flawless. I bother him every day, and he still cares about my health! I can't help it. I love him even more now..."
Ever since he had rescued her in that alley, the image of Lin Chao Ci bathed in light had been etched deep into Liu Shuang'er's heart.
His looks had sparked her interest, his character had won her heart, and his talent had drawn her in.
No matter how she looked at him, Lin Chao Ci was perfect.
"Thank you for caring, big brother Chao Ci. Shuang'er will take good care of herself..."
The two exchanged a few more messages.
Lin Chao Ci brought the conversation to a close himself. Otherwise, they could have kept chatting all day.
Mainly, it was because he had noticed that ever since Qin Chichi finished eating, she had been watching him with an unreadable smile.
For some reason, Lin Chao Ci felt a little panicked. Despite having already lived one life and been reborn, he was so nervous that sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Let me guess which girl you were chatting with! That aloof campus beauty at your university probably wouldn't send you so many messages on her own. If I'm right, it must be that freshman girl!"
Qin Chichi's gaze was sharp as a blade, with none of her usual innocent softness. Her eyes seemed capable of seeing straight into Lin Chao Ci's heart.
Only then did Lin Chao Ci remember that Qin Chichi was a top student who had scored over six hundred on her college entrance exam and taught herself psychology, economics... She was not the innocent little bunny everyone imagined.
"Ahem... You really did guess right!"
Since she had already seen through him, Lin Chao Ci scratched his head awkwardly, smiled, and admitted it.
He had no intention of hiding it. After all, the truth would come out sooner or later as they spent more time together.
Whether it came out sooner or later made no difference.
"Hmph... You jerk. You've already got me, and you're still eyeing someone else. Let go, you lecher, and stay away from me. Go find your precious Shuang'er. Don't bother keeping me company..."
This time, Qin Chichi was genuinely upset. Pouting angrily, she pulled her hand straight out of Lin Chao Ci's grasp.
She turned her head aside, unwilling to speak to Lin Chao Ci anymore. Tears welled in her eyes, making her look heartbreakingly lovely.
The main reason was that Lin Chao Ci had not even bothered to offer a placating excuse. If he had casually claimed he was replying to someone else, Qin Chichi would have pretended nothing had happened, even if she knew the truth.
Yet this time, Lin Chao Ci had not even bothered to invent an excuse. He had admitted outright that he was chatting with Liu Shuang'er on his phone while on a date with her.
How was Qin Chichi supposed to bear that? Even if she wanted to pretend nothing had happened, her pride would not allow it.
Although Qin Chichi had long expected that a man as outstanding as Lin Chao Ci would have more than one woman in his life,
this had come far too soon.
Lin Chao Ci was taken aback by the sight. He had not expected Qin Chichi to react so strongly.
When his own wife was upset, of course it was his job to soothe her.
Lin Chao Ci glanced around and noticed that a guest at the next table had a bouquet of flowers, apparently intended as a gift.
Lin Chao Ci rose from his seat and hurried over to the guest at the neighboring table, asking with a smile, "Hello, sir. I accidentally upset my girlfriend. Would you be willing to sell me that bouquet? If not, could I buy just one flower?"
Naturally, he needed to be polite when asking for a favor. Lin Chao Ci wore a broad smile. If he had had any cigarettes on him, he would have offered the man one as well.
"Don't worry about it. It's just a bouquet, hardly worth much. Here, take it!"
The guest at the next table glanced at Lin Chao Ci, then at Qin Chichi, who had turned away and was silently crying. With a faint, understanding smile, he gave Lin Chao Ci the flowers.
The man was warm and generous. There was none of the showing off, humiliation, or bullying people might have expected.
Wealthy people were generally well educated. Even those with poor manners were excellent at keeping up appearances. They rarely hurled insults and usually wore smiles.
"Thanks for the flowers. I'll go cheer up my girlfriend now! See you..."
Judging by the man's clothes, Lin Chao Ci did not think he was short of money, so he abandoned the idea of paying him directly. Instead, he planned to settle the bill for the man's table later as thanks for the flowers.
Before you continue