NABC 64 2 produced less
64 2 produced less
"Thump. Thump." Su Tong heard her own heart pounding like a drum.
This development was completely beyond anything she could have imagined.
The sudden kiss startled Su Tong, instantly dispelling any anger or resentment she had felt. Her heart skipped a beat, stopping abruptly before pounding wildly. Since leaving home and ending her youth, she had grown accustomed to a life lived in a predictable and uneventful manner, within her control. This kiss almost filled her with panic, as if something was undergoing an irreversible change, or as if an unknown seed was sprouting uncontrollably.
The cool, soft touch was fleeting; it was a pure, innocent kiss, so pure it was almost imperceptible. Before the shocked Su Tong could react, Xie Chengjing had already released her.
Beneath his tanned skin, Su Tong was surprised to find a barely perceptible blush on Xie Chengjing's face. She had witnessed so many vivid expressions from Xie Chengjing that day, so unlike the cold and aloof second young master of the Xie family she knew.
There were countless ways to show he didn't care about Su Tong's current appearance, but Xie Chengjing chose this method—he kissed her directly. However, upon reflection, he realized that being close to someone he cared about and liked was only natural, so he didn't dwell on it. Thus, aside from a slight blush on his face, he didn't resemble a man who had just kissed a woman he liked. His gaze remained focused and serious, and his words expressing his feelings for his beloved were straightforward and simple: "I don't mind, and I do care about you. Or rather, I like you."
His words, spoken so directly and without any embellishment, were so simple that they almost instantly made Su Tong's heart, which had barely calmed down, start pounding again, completely out of control.
Yes, Xie Chengjing was a very serious and rigid person, so serious about everything that he seemed almost devoid of romance and charm. But at times like this, his seriousness and focus made every word he spoke sound like a vow that would never be broken, holding an irresistible allure for the women who heard him. Su Tong looked deeply into his eyes, trying to find even a hint of perfunctoriness or falsehood, but she couldn't find any. She knew how proud Xie Chengjing was at heart, so proud that he disdained any pretense or lie.
Su Tong was never an arrogant person, but she had never belittled herself to anyone either. As a girl and a woman, she was quite good-looking, had a likable personality, and possessed some special skills and knowledge, so she certainly had the qualities to attract the opposite sex. This was the first time in her life that a man had told her he liked her like this, and she felt—what have I done to deserve this?
Xie Chengjing maintained his stiff expression. Even though he felt sorry for Su Tong and was shy because of the close contact, it was hard to tell. However, he felt that liking someone was not something to be ashamed of. The fate between people is always unpredictable. One wait might lead to missing each other. He was not reluctant to express his feelings and believed that their relationship would blossom.
He looked directly at Su Tong, and what he said was anything but pleasant: "I'm not a talkative person, and I'm not very good at speaking, but there are some things I have to say. Everyone has a love of beauty. The ancients knew that yearning for beautiful things is a universal human trait. Except for people with special innate tastes, most people don't like things that look ugly. I know you are very beautiful and pleasing to the eye, and your temperament is very comfortable. I'm just an ordinary person, and I do like your appearance, but it's not just your face that I like. When you look like this now, I won't have a distorted aesthetic sense and think it's beautiful and moving, but it won't make me indifferent to you either."
His eyes were deep black, reflecting Su Tong's now ugly and almost terrifying face. "If you think of me like that, you are not only insulting yourself, but also insulting me."
People's hearts are always soft, easily moved, and easily left with marks. Xie Chengjing's words almost directly touched the deepest part of Su Tong's heart. Su Tong looked at his resolute face, her gaze involuntarily lingering on his lips for a moment, and then her heart skipped a beat, as if that cool and soft touch was still lingering on her lips. So she immediately looked away, nodded, and said sincerely, "Thank you, I understand."
Su Tong found herself getting used to Xie Chengjing's care and attention, and deep down she was afraid of losing it. For most people, Xie Chengjing's status was too high, and he seemed almost omnipotent, which made her unconsciously place herself in a position much lower than him, which is why she was so anxious and insecure, almost unlike her former self.
Xie Chengjing meant to let her know that his care and affection for her weren't superficial and wouldn't disappear easily, hoping to ease her anxiety. Everyone's affection deserves to be cherished and carefully nurtured, and to be loved by someone as outstanding as Xie Chengjing is an honor and a stroke of luck. Su Tong should be grateful and seriously consider whether she feels the same way and whether she can accept his feelings, but she shouldn't treat it as a heavy burden. After all, the human heart is the most unpredictable thing in the world. Even if she loses Xie Chengjing's affection in the future, life will still go on, albeit in a more miserable and desolate way. The worst that could happen is that he might even hate her, and then there will be no more "future."
However, if one wallows in self-pity now simply because of the possibility of future misfortune, it would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Thinking about it this way, Su Tong realized that she was just an ordinary person and it was only natural for her to feel uneasy. She became more open-minded. Since some things were beyond her control, it was futile to worry about them. She might as well let nature take its course. She said, "You are right. I shouldn't have thought that way. It underestimates you and myself."
After saying that, she felt that the atmosphere between the two of them was too ambiguous. Xie Chengjing's gaze, which was fixed on her face, did not show any obvious affection. At most, it was just a little gentler than before. It was not as passionate or affectionate as any of Su Tong's previous suitors. However, it made her flustered and her heart was not calm at all. This feeling made her feel more insecure than before. She quickly said, "You said you don't know how to talk. I think you are actually very good at talking. You just don't like to talk usually. When you really want to talk, you can be very eloquent."
Xie Chengjing was taken aback for a moment, then surprisingly accepted it calmly: "Of course."
Now it was Su Tong's turn to be stunned. She didn't expect Xie Chengjing to admit it. Sure enough, the Second Young Master Xie was quite proud. He probably felt that as long as he put in his best effort, there was nothing he couldn't do.
Then Xie Chengjing persistently asked the same question again, "Does your face hurt like this?"
He kept using "like this" to describe the grotesque state of Su Tong's face. Su Tong touched her face, the bumpy bumps felt a bit strange. She wanted to give a perfunctory answer, but under Xie Chengjing's piercing gaze, she finally answered honestly: "I didn't feel anything at first, then it burned a little, and at its worst it was both painful and itchy, but after that period passed, I didn't feel anything anymore."
"She should feel some pain," Xie Chengjing said coldly.
"Huh?" Su Tong didn't understand. Just a moment ago, he was showing concern for her, which was not in line with the Second Young Master's usual warm and gentle style. Suddenly, he was acting like he was coldly watching her pain.
Xie Chengjing said to himself, "I'm very angry."
His eyes were serious, his tone was cold, but his words were surprisingly warm: "I'm protecting you like this, yet you haven't taken any precautions to protect yourself, letting yourself get like this without me even noticing. How can you learn your lesson if you don't feel the pain?"
Su Tong almost blushed. Why was the Second Young Master suddenly so eloquent today? She secretly glanced at him several times but couldn't find anything different about him. She could only accept his advice and said, "It was indeed my oversight in this matter. I'm usually very careful, but I got a little too emotional after filming the scene before Li Roujia died. I thought Lin Shanshan wouldn't harm me, so I didn't think much of it. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
Xie Chengjing nodded, his expressionless face clearly saying: Good to know. He continued, "I already had people investigate on the way here, and they should be able to find out soon."
"Knock knock." Someone knocked on the door, and it was Wang Lu's familiar voice: "Second Young Master, I've brought the food over."
"Come in," Xie Chengjing responded, then called to Su Tong, "No matter what, you've had a long day, let's eat something first."
Then Wang Lu came in carrying a large suitcase. He was inevitably surprised when he saw Su Tong, but he immediately smiled at her naturally and resumed his businesslike expressionless demeanor.
Xie Chengjing pointed to the door on the left: "Go to the living room to eat."
This ward was booked by Wang Hai, and it's much better than the one Su Tong booked herself in the city. It's basically a fully equipped suite, with a well-sterilized master bedroom for the patient, two bedrooms for accompanying family members, a living room for eating and resting, a living room for receiving visitors, and even a rather spacious balcony with several vibrant potted plants.
Aside from her skin becoming uneven and, at first glance, enough to stop a child's night crying, Su Tong seemed to be fine. It appeared that whoever did this only wanted to disfigure her, which was understandable; for most women with exceptional beauty, having their appearance completely ruined was almost worse than death. However, since she had no other problems, she didn't need to stay in bed anymore and went to the living room with Wang Lu and Xie Chengjing for a meal.
To be honest, Su Tong was really hungry. As soon as Wang Lu took out the tableware, she was in a state of eager anticipation. She originally thought that the food was taken out from a restaurant or a private kitchen. While helping to serve the rice, she watched Wang Lu take out the dishes one by one, but she was surprised to find that although the dishes did not look terrible, they were really not attractive at all. They just looked like they could be eaten.
She raised an eyebrow at Wang Lu, her eyes conveying: Did you do this?
Wang Lu, who had just been serious and upright, almost instantly revealed a smug look. He excitedly gestured towards Xie Chengjing and said, "It wasn't me, it was made by our second young master himself."
Wow! Xie Chengjing made this? He doesn't look like someone who can cook at all.
However, Wang Lu nodded with absolute certainty and certainty when faced with Su Tong's questioning gaze.
Su Tong had originally wanted to invite Wang Hai in to eat with them, but now that she knew Xie Chengjing had made all of this, she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
Thinking about how Xie Chengjing seemed to have confessed to her today, and now that the Second Young Master had personally prepared the meal, Su Tong truly felt overwhelmed with gratitude! What was it like to feel so suddenly overwhelmed with kindness and unable to repay it? Thinking back to that fleeting kiss, everything felt so unreal. She felt like she wasn't herself, and Xie Chengjing wasn't like his usual self either. But when she stole a glance at Xie Chengjing, she saw him still coldly holding his chopsticks, ready to dig in, and she felt indifferent. So be it.
Looking at these dishes, which are just average in appearance and aroma, they seem to have been given the halo of "Made by the Second Young Master," instantly making them seem high-end.
Author's note: Thank you Q for the landmine.
Regarding everyone's questions, first of all, I want to thank all the girls who left comments. You are my biggest motivation for writing, because you not only support my official works but also keep an eye on my writing. You all sincerely hope that I can write better, but I really have tried my best. Sometimes I really want to write something amazing, but skill level doesn't increase like weight, ╮(╯▽╰)╭. I've been too busy lately, and writing this part of the plot took almost twice as long as the other parts, and it turned out like this, not even passable. I'm really sorry, but this is how the plot is in my mind. Sometimes in relationships, what you think rationally is one thing, and what you actually feel emotionally is another. 166 Reading Network