This was a passionate kiss.
Huo Chao sucked and bit Shu Jia Er’s fragile lips. She felt as if they might be torn apart and it hurt a little.
Her chest rose and fell, her heart pounding powerfully and quickly.
Her ears buzzed, like a weary traveler who had run for too long, with all other sounds fading away; all that remained were the intense panting—hers and Huo Chao’s, intertwined.
She didn’t know how long it lasted, but when Shu Jia Er finally felt she could catch her breath, she raised her hand to touch her lips. Hiss—was he a dog or something?
Using the back of her hand to wipe her mouth, she felt her heart racing and pretended to be fierce as she asked, “Brother, what do you mean?”
Huo Chao cleared his throat softly, his ears a bit red, not daring to meet Shu Jia Er’s gaze. “Just that.”
Shu Jia Er shot him a glare. “Speak clearly! What exactly do you mean?!”
There was no way she would accept vague answers!
“I don’t mean anything else.”
??? No other meaning? Was he just messing around now?
Just as Shu Jia Er was about to get angry, Huo Chao lowered his head, gave up struggling, licked his lips, and spoke candidly, “I mean that I like you.”
After kissing, what else could it mean besides liking?
Huo Chao propped his chin with one hand and cleared his throat again. “I’ve been pursuing you for so long. Can I get an answer? Will you accept?”
Shu Jia Er was completely stunned. He had been pursuing her for so long?
Really? She didn’t even know!
Oh, then she remembered. The reason she initially approached the male lead was, “You bring me fruit milk every day, so you must be pursuing me,” or something like that.
At that time, she had even told him to put in more effort, or he wouldn’t win her over.
Now he was just going along with it and admitting it?
Hmph, as if!
He had initially approached her by mistake, but in the end, it proved he didn’t make a mistake after all.
He had only been trying to repay her kindness! didn’t even mention that reason to her until now.
Shu Jia Er touched her face with the back of her hand, trying to cool down, but she still wore a fierce expression. “Oh, I refuse.”
Huo Chao was taken aback; he didn’t expect that answer. He was stunned for several seconds before asking, “Why?”
Shu Jia Er glared at him. “Is a princess so easy to win over?”
Huo Chao chuckled; that answer was definitely in Shu Jia Er’s unique style. After thinking for a moment, he replied, “I understand, Princess.”
Then he decided to pursue her a bit more, asking her every day. That should help him win over the Royal Highness, right?
After saying that, both of them fell silent, unsure of what to say next. The atmosphere turned a bit awkward and ambiguous.
After all, Huo Chao had just kissed Shu Jia Er; it was their first time, and it felt a bit awkward.
Shu Jia Er quickly regained her composure, not letting the earlier incident linger in her mind.
Before heading home, she visited the original Shu Er’s grandmother.
The original grandmother was buried in the local cemetery, and Shu Jia Er brought fresh flowers to place in front of the tombstone. She wasn’t quite sure what to say to the grandmother, as she had never met the old woman. However, without her, the original Shu Er’s life would have only become more difficult.
With a sigh, Shu Jia Er spoke softly in her heart, “Grandma, Xiao Shu Er is doing well now. You don’t need to worry.”
After visiting the original Shu Er’s grandmother, Shu Jia Er accompanied Huo Chao to see his mother.
If Huo Chao’s mother hadn’t been buried there, he would never have come to County B ten years ago. If he hadn’t come to County B, he wouldn’t have experienced the earthquake, and he wouldn’t have been rescued by anyone.
But without all those “what ifs,” their lives would have been completely different. Without the connection to the earthquake ten years ago, they might still be strangers, and if they had crossed paths, they wouldn’t have even exchanged a simple greeting.
At that moment, Shu Jia Er felt the intricacies of fate.
While Huo Chao spoke with his mother, Shu Jia Er stood off to the side.
She didn’t intentionally eavesdrop, but from the profile of Huo Chao, she could tell he was very sad at that moment. He lowered his head slightly, his bangs falling gently over his forehead as he gazed at the photo of the young woman on the gravestone. He didn’t shed any tears or even redden his eyes, but the suppressed longing was evident in his trembling hands.
His mother had been the kindest person to him in the entire Huo family, but unfortunately, she had passed away too early.
Shu Jia Er didn’t know what to say. Perhaps at that moment, any words would feel inadequate; only companionship could provide him with a bit of warmth.
On the high-speed train back, Shu Jia Er secretly slipped a large White Rabbit milk candy into Huo Chao’s hand. She had received it from the chubby son of the shopkeeper while buying local specialties earlier.
The little boy was only three years old, chubby and white, with a lingering milky scent on his body. When he saw her, he grinned widely and happily gave her his White Rabbit milk candy. Out of courtesy, Shu Jia Er accepted the small gift. She hadn’t eaten it herself and hadn’t expected that she would later use this candy, given to her by a little boy, to cheer up another big boy.
She wondered what that little boy would think if he knew. But given how adorable he was, he would probably be more than willing to share his candy with a big brother if he knew he was sad, right?
Huo Chao looked down at the milk candy in his hand, which still held a faint warmth.
Seeing that he wasn’t moving, Shu Jia Er leaned closer and softly said, “Brother, eat it. Have a piece of candy to warm your heart.”
Warm your heart with candy? What kind of nonsense is that?
Huo Chao found Shu Jia Er to be quite childish, but even so, he couldn’t help but slightly lift the corners of his mouth.
He unwrapped the candy and popped the White Rabbit milk candy into his mouth.
The rich milky flavor instantly spread throughout his mouth.
Even though Huo Chao wasn’t fond of overly sweet foods, at that moment, he seemed to understand why so many people liked eating milk candy.
Because eating candy was really sweet.
Once they arrived in Beijing, Shu Jia Er returned home with bags full of County B specialties, only to find an unexpected guest.
Shu Er.
She was sitting on the living room sofa, chatting with Liu Yan and Shu Qiang.
Shu’s father wasn’t home; he was probably still busy with work.
When Shu Jia Er walked in, she noticed Shu Er’s eyes were red, as if she had just been crying. Liu Yan wore a sympathetic expression, gently patting Shu Er’s back as if comforting her.
Upon seeing Shu Jia Er, Liu Yan reacted first, saying, “Ah, Xiao Er is back.”
Shu Jia Er replied coldly with a simple “Mm.”
She thought Shu Er was really thick-skinned; she had just returned to the Shu family, and now she was back at her own home to play the victim.
Shu Jia Er handed the local specialties to the housekeeper standing by and said to Liu Yan, “These are the specialties I brought from County B.”
Upon hearing “County B,” Shu Er’s eyelids twitched slightly.
What was she doing in County B? Did she go by herself or with someone else?
Liu Yan kindly invited, “Do you want to come sit?”
Shu Jia Er made her attitude clear, “No need. I’ll head to my room first.”
She had previously said that she didn’t like Shu Er and wouldn’t share the same space with her.
After climbing a few flights of stairs, Shu Jia Er turned to Aunt Zhang and said, “I haven’t had dinner yet. Aunt Zhang, could you bring me my meal later?”
Aunt Zhang glanced at Shu Jia Er and then at Liu Yan, nodding in agreement. “Understood, Miss.”
As soon as Shu Jia Er returned to her room, she reported to Huo Chao, [Xiao Er: Brother, the princess is very angry right now.]
Huo Chao replied quickly, [Brother: What happened?]
Shu Jia Er typed furiously on her screen, [Xiao Er: Can you believe how infuriating it is? Shu Er came back to my house so quickly to play the victim. She was crying and acting all wronged, as if someone owes her something.]
Huo Chao wasn’t used to speaking ill of others, especially not about girls, and it didn’t seem right for a guy to gossip behind a girl’s back.
However, since Shu Jia Er was upset, he felt he should say something to comfort her. Unsure of how to handle the situation, he replied, [Brother: Just ignore her.] After sending the message, he immediately sought advice from Zhao Zhifeng.
Zhao Zhifeng had ample experience dealing with girls and knew how to make them happy, so asking him for help was a safe bet.
When Huo Chao explained the situation to Zhao Zhifeng, he quickly grasped the context.
In general, boys like them don’t involve themselves in girls’ matters; the more they get involved, the more complicated things become. However, if they didn’t support their girlfriend, it would make them look less like a man.
Zhao Zhifeng thought it was tough to be a man sometimes. He wasn’t familiar with Shu Er, so he naturally sided with Shu Jia Er. Seeing how much Huo Chao liked Shu Jia Er, he believed that the two of them would eventually get together, and as their brothers, they would definitely support their own.
Zhao Zhifeng, although not entirely clear on everything, confidently analyzed the situation over the phone. “People like Shu Er are often referred to as ‘green tea and white lotus bitches’ by girls.”
Huo Chao sighed and closed his eyes in frustration. “What does ‘green tea bitch’ mean?”
“It means she’s a bitch, like a villain. Think of the wicked stepmother in ‘Snow White’—she looks nice but has a dark heart,” Zhao Zhifeng explained.
Huo Chao pinched the bridge of his nose. “Got it, continue.”
“She’s definitely unhappy with Xiao Shu Er. After all, she was used to a good life, and if it weren’t for Xiao Shu Er’s appearance, she would have stayed happy forever. Now, she’s suddenly fallen from heaven to hell.
Such a person won’t look for the reason within herself; she will only blame others. If she were capable of introspection, she wouldn’t be showing up at the Shu family to make things difficult for Xiao Shu Er.”
“What do you think I should do?” Huo Chao asked.
Zhao Zhifeng exclaimed, “You should definitely unconditionally support Xiao Shu Er!”
“I know that. What else?”
“Then you need to keep your distance from Shu Er; otherwise, Xiao Shu Er will get angry. You can’t show any signs of appreciation for someone she dislikes.”
Huo Chao felt a headache coming on. He was well aware of this; previously, when Shu Er had sent him a message, Shu Jia Er got upset and wanted to take it out on him. And that time he met with Shu Er, Shu Jia Er had taken it out on his nails.
“So what should I do when she gets angry?” He certainly couldn’t act like a girl and scold Shu Er; that would be too undignified.
Zhao Zhifeng replied as if it were obvious, “When you encounter a difficult situation, just kiss her. There’s nothing a kiss can’t solve, and if it still doesn’t work, then just give her two kisses.”
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