When Will My Childhood Sweetheart Marry Me?-Chapter 117: Not Even Holding Hands?

Fortunately, Chen Jin had a natural talent for enlivening the atmosphere, so except for one person’s sour face, the dinner was relatively harmonious overall.

By the time it was almost over, Jiang Shuyao excused herself to the restroom, and Chen Jin eagerly volunteered to pay for the meal, snatching up his wallet and rushing to the counter to settle the bill after grabbing the last bite with his chopsticks.

Only Pei Yan and Lu Chen remained at the table.

Throughout the meal, the two of them had almost no interaction, and even when Chen Jin led the toast, there was no sign that either of them intended to engage with the other.

By this time, there were hardly any customers left in the hot pot restaurant.

The vintage walls were adorned with red lacquer murals, and Pei Yan stared at the lifelike vulture beside the lantern, slightly squinting his eyes as he leaned against the chair’s back, looking tired and cool under the light.

On the other side of the hot pot, Lu Chen sat relatively more upright.

He caressed the teacup in his hand and slowly lifted his eyes to look at the person opposite him.

In a mild tone, he said, "You’ve changed quite a bit recently."

This was the first statement of the evening, initiated by Lu Chen.

Compared to Lu Captain, face-saving efforts like these were virtually impossible for Boss Pei.

Pei Yan snorted softly in response to the vague look in the other person’s eyes, "In this matter, your dad’s expression is much more splendid than yours."

When Principal Lu heard from Qin Ming that Pei Yan was actively trying to win the academic excellence award, he excitedly called Assistant Jiang.

He praised Chairman Pei for his excellent guidance, and how fortunate Yunzhong was.

The biggest drawback of private schools was always their dependence on flattering those in power.

Principal Lu didn’t get to where he was today without his eloquent mouth.

The sarcasm in Pei Yan’s words was particularly clear, and Lu Chen, as astute as he was, couldn’t fail to notice.

He knew exactly what kind of man his father was.

Despite this, he did not consider himself inferior to anyone.

Lu Chen smiled imperceptibly, symbolically raised his cup, and said, "It’s good for a prodigal to return. Let me offer my early congratulations on your successful admission to the Capital."

The atmosphere abruptly shifted.

Pei Yan’s slender eyes suddenly filled with a cold glint, his sharp gaze piercing straight towards the person across from him.

At the counter, Chen Jin walked back after settling the bill.

The curtain by the restroom stirred slightly, and the lovely figure of the girl emerged from the drinks area and approached their table.

The night was no longer young, Lu Chen picked up the jacket from the back of his chair, draped it over his arm, and stood up from his seat.

He made a gesture from a distance to Jiang Shuyao, indicating that he was leaving first. Without waiting for her response, he smiled, put on his jacket, and departed.

"Are you still eating? If not, we can go too."

The girl’s gaze on Pei Yan was soft and calm.

Deliberately ignoring the frost on the young man’s face, Jiang Shuyao picked up the coat that had fallen on the floor and draped it over his shoulders.

Chen Jin, on the other hand, wanted to linger as the third wheel a bit longer, but couldn’t stand Boss Pei’s piercing gaze.

Feeling that the situation was grim, he promptly fled the scene at ten times his usual speed without a second thought.

Before stepping out of the hot pot restaurant, Chen Jin even opened WeChat to kindly remind the other two in the group chat.

[Be on Boss Pei’s good side tonight, and be careful not to provoke him.]

After sending the message, he quickly made his escape.

Jiang Shuyao noticed Pei Yan’s discontent and guessed that the issue must have arisen from the cilantro incident.

Once they got into the taxi, she turned her head and took the initiative to explain to him, "There was once when we had a group dinner with hot pot. I mentioned that I don’t eat cilantro, and all the group members know about it."

After listening to her explanation, Pei Yan replied lazily, "Hmm, I’m not that petty."

"..."

It wasn’t about the cilantro?

Jiang Shuyao stared at him, dumbfounded, wanting to know what he would say next.

However, there was no follow-up.

Pei Yan was a bit sleepy, stretched his long arm over to rest it behind the furry rim of the girl’s down jacket hood, closed his eyes, and started to rest.

And yet he claims he’s not petty.

Jiang Shuyao pouted and then leaned back in silence.

In the dimness, at an angle she couldn’t see, the boy’s lips quietly lifted into a tender, indulgent smile.

It was the first time she cared about him.

The feeling was sweeter than honey.

Pei Yan’s cool fingers slid casually into the ends of the girl’s hair; he liked touching her hair, which always left behind a faint fragrance that was pleasant to smell.

Just like her, she moved his heart in every way.

She still felt like playing with her hair, so it seemed he wasn’t really angry.

Jiang Shuyao silently speculated, if it wasn’t about the coriander, then what could it be?

Could it be during the brief moment she went to the restroom, he and Lu Chen...

Her thoughts were cut off when Pei Yan suddenly told the driver to stop here.

She was confused as he pulled her out of the car, and the cold night wind blew directly in her face, making her shiver.

After Pei Yan put the hood of her down jacket on her, he wrapped her small hands with his palms and led her slowly towards the Yasong Residence.

"I’m not your girlfriend yet," Jiang Shuyao protested in a soft voice with a blush.

He stopped in his tracks, tilted his head, and looked at her with a look that was both teasing and amused, "Can’t even hold hands?"

The girl shook her head firmly, "No."

"Hmm, no," Pei Yan nodded to himself and continued walking.

However, that large hand showed no intention of letting go, as if the nod had been done by someone else.

His palm was a bit rough from playing basketball and riding motorcycles all year round, and just as Jiang Shuyao moved her fingers slightly, he gripped her hand tightly.

"Ouch."

That short, petulant cry nearly cost Pei Yan his life.

He subconsciously eased his grip, and as he spoke, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and his breath turned into a white mist, "Sorry, I thought you were going to pull away."

The bastard rarely spoke to her in such a humble tone, and Jiang Shuyao couldn’t help but lower her head and laugh a little, but her mouth remained defiant.

"You still hold on even after I clearly said no, that’s obviously coercion."

Pei Yan paused in his step, completely amused by the girl’s coy attitude.

He stood under the street lamp, restored to his usual laziness, with a mischievous smile on his lips, "If I wanted to force you, I’d have done it long ago. Why would I wait till now?"

Listen to that masterful tone.

Jiang Shuyao knew that even if they officially got together in the future, she would still be completely dominated by this guy.

Dating someone dominant and irritable gave her a feeling as if she was walking on the edge of the apocalypse every day.

She could almost imagine how ’exciting’ her love life would be after college.

The entrance to the complex was within reach, and Jiang Shuyao reminded him, "Hurry up and let go, don’t let the gatekeeper see."

Pei Yan was unconcerned, "So what if he sees, what’s there to be afraid of?"

"!"

This wasn’t a joke.

Jiang Shuyao couldn’t let him have his way and hurriedly tried to pull her hand back, "The gatekeeper is familiar with Old Jiang, and he knows both of us. What if one day, one day..."

He magically produced two masks and hung one on her face in an instant.

The girl was left speechless, blinking in astonishment.

So easy?

Pei Yan patted her little head, "Let’s go, let your brother lead you in with dignity."

"..."

She suspected this guy had planned it all along, cunning to a maddening degree.

However, the next moment, as they walked boldly into the complex, the guard room was initially quiet, and Jiang Shuyao thought there was no one there and let out a sigh of relief.

She had only relaxed halfway when the gatekeeper’s loud voice suddenly rang out behind them.

"Yaoyao, the motion sensor light under unit two is broken. Use your phone to light the way when you go up the stairs, don’t trip."

Both of them: "..."