Jingxia Rose

Chapter 227 [Irresistible Sweetness 026]

Although Shu Tang felt a little awkward during the meal, she ate quite well because Xiao Guxing was there, and she was even a little full because of the cake.

After the cake was cut, the old lady was helped back to her seat. The children at the table were getting restless after finishing their cake, and as the adults accompanied them to leave the table, Shu Tang also got up and told the old lady that she needed to go to the restroom.

Sitting opposite her was Xiao Guxing's mother, who looked like a capable and beautiful woman.

This was the second time she had met his mother. His mother was the kind of person who was meticulous, serious, and very strict. Shu Tang, who was used to being lazy, felt quite pressured.

They were all too afraid to make eye contact with her.

Just now I could use the excuse of eating to bury myself in my work.

"Do you know where the restroom is? How about I have Gu Xing take you there? He's been here several times already, so he's pretty familiar with the area," Grandma Xiao asked.

"It's alright, I can go by myself, thank you Grandma Xiao." Shu Tang felt that having him accompany her to the restroom was just as awkward as sitting at the Xiao family's table, so she quickly waved her hand and refused.

She didn't dare look at Xiao Guxing, and got up in a low voice. She had only taken two steps when she heard Xiao Guxing say, "It's this way. Go straight, turn at the end of the corridor, and it's on your right."

"Okay," Shu Tang replied, turned a corner, and quickened her pace.

She lingered in the restroom for a while, not intending to return to the dining table, and decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood to digest her food.

She had just reached the sycamore trees beside the artificial lake when her mother called, saying that Xiaoxiao was sleepy and a little fussy, and that she was about to go back, asking where she was.

Shu Tang paused for a moment, then said slowly, "I'm here in the sycamore grove by the artificial lake."

"The sycamore grove?" Shu's mother asked, "What were you doing there?"

"What else can we do? Take a walk and enjoy the scenery."

"You'd better turn back now, your dad and I are waiting for you."

"It takes at least ten minutes to walk there from here."

It's really not close. There are two sightseeing vehicles in the front yard of the manor, but there are so many guests today that they've all been driven away by someone.

She thought that she had eaten too much and wanted to walk to help with digestion.

Asking her to rush there now would be a real challenge for her, given her poor stamina; she gets out of breath after just a few steps, which could be fatal.

"Tell me what you've got..." Shu's mother didn't know what to say to her.

Xiao Xiao was making a big fuss again because her older brother was a doting father, and the whole family spoiled Xiao Xiao just like they used to dote on Shu Tang.

Besides being polite and courteous, two-year-old Xiaoxiao is quite spoiled, prone to tantrums, and loves to act cute.

The tricks that Xiaoxiao is using now are all things that Shutang used to do before.

But the bond between grandparents and grandchildren is undeniable.

When Shu's mother heard Xiaoxiao cry, she felt particularly distressed. Apart from Shu Tang, who could comfort her at such times, no one else could quite manage it.

Just as Shu Tang was about to turn back, a warm and familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, "Auntie, Xiao Xiao is making a big fuss, why don't you take her home first?"

"I'll go find Shu Tang later and take her home."

Upon hearing this, Shu's mother hesitated, "This is too much trouble for you. She already troubled you a lot in Moscow. I can't accept it..."

"It's no trouble, we'll be going back to the city anyway."

"Okay, then I'll trouble you. Come over to our house whenever you're free." Shu's mother said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Tangtang, did you hear me? I'll take you home later. Xiaoxiao is making a big fuss, so we've taken her back first."

Shu Tang was stunned for a moment, a strange feeling lingering in her heart.

It can't be explained clearly.

She said "Oh," hung up the phone, turned around, opened her camera, took a picture of the sycamore grove, and then strolled leisurely along the path.

It must be because it rained last night. Today is a cloudy day with a humid atmosphere and a faint scent of earth and grass.

It smells quite nice.

After walking for about ten more minutes, she felt a little tired and rested on a bench for a while. Xiao Guxing then called her via WeChat voice message.

Shu Tang stared at the phone for a moment, then answered it.

Where are we?

"Hmm... I don't know," Shu Tang said. "Anyway, I walked straight along the sycamore grove. Now I'm tired, so I'm sitting on a bench."

"I'm coming now, wait for me."

He spoke those last two words in a low voice, his gentle tone carrying a hint of sexiness, flowing into my ear and melting my heart.

She replied hesitantly, "Oh... okay."

After hanging up the phone, his chat page was blank, with only this call record remaining.

After she changed her phone, all her previous chat history with him was gone.

She felt that she was actually quite calm, but she would always be provoked by him in some inexplicable situations.

That's so unfair.

A bittersweet feeling welled up in my heart.

She belatedly realized, oh, so this is what it feels like to love someone you can't have.

He must have been very sad when he found out that Ji Xian had a boyfriend, right?

After a moment of melancholy, she got up and started walking back. She didn't know how long she had walked, but a figure appeared in the distance from the sycamore grove. As it drew closer, its outline gradually became clearer.

She stopped in her tracks, stood still, and quietly watched him run towards her.

They were originally a hundred steps apart, but she painstakingly shortened the distance between them to 90 steps. The last 10 steps were the distance she no longer wanted to go.

One-sided affection will only turn you into a bitter, resentful woman in the end.

She, Shu Tang, shouldn't have become like this, nor should she have become someone she herself despises.

At this moment, Xiao Guxing seemed to be trying his best to shorten the distance of the last 10 steps.

However, this thought vanished in an instant, like smoke in the wind.

"Did you walk here?" Shu Tang asked casually as he approached.

"The car was parked outside the sycamore grove, and we couldn't drive in, so we had to leave." "The scenery here is nice," Shu Tang said.

“That’s good.” Xiao Guxing walked side by side with her.

"When did you come back?"

"Arrived on Friday afternoon."

Shu Tang nodded and asked, "Are you very familiar with this manor?"

Xiao Guxing said, "I came here on Saturday and yesterday, and took the sightseeing bus around. I'm not very familiar with the area."

"oh oh."

After Shu Tang finished speaking, the two fell silent again, the silence even more awkward than it had been after she confessed her feelings in Moscow.

This feeling of being neither too close nor too far is like a constant, agonizing struggle.

It's quite uncomfortable.

Shu Tang raised her hand and scratched her neck. "Have all the guests left?"

"Some have left, but some haven't left yet."

"Then you don't need to help see the guests off?"

“It’s alright, my dad, uncle, older brother, and cousin are here.” Xiao Guxing said, “Most of the people who came today are from the medical field, and I’m not very familiar with them, so it doesn’t matter whether I send them over there or not.”

Upon hearing this, Shu Tang glanced at him subconsciously.

Although his tone was no different from usual, she inexplicably sensed something was off.

It wasn't exactly strange, but I could sense a hint of sadness.

"That's great, it lets me take a break." Her voice was light, and she raised her eyebrows. "If it were me, I'd be overjoyed."

Xiao Guxing glanced at her bright and cheerful appearance and smiled, "Yes, I just came here to slack off."

Hearing the laughter in his words, Shu Tang couldn't help but turn her head to look at him again. Unexpectedly, she met his deep and warm eyes, and seemed to catch a trace of affection in them that she felt was familiar.

Oh, I remembered it.

The day after she moved into his house in Moscow, she saw him on the phone, and his expression was somewhat similar to the deep affection she felt at that moment.

Looking back now, the person who called him that day was most likely Ji Xuan.

Her mood had just turned gloomy when a few drops of water suddenly fell on her face. She stared blankly at her face, then raised her hand to touch it. "Why is there water..."

As soon as she spoke, more and more water fell on her face. She looked up blankly at the gray sky, where fine rain fell like silver threads.

"Are you stupid?" Xiao Guxing gently patted her head. "Run quickly, the rain will get worse if it gets heavier."

"what."

Shu Tang realized what was happening and quickly started kicking her legs. "Why did it suddenly start raining?!"

As Xiao Guxing unbuttoned his suit jacket, he said, "The weather forecast says it will rain this afternoon."

As the saying goes, "One autumn rain brings a chill," and it has been raining in Beijing these past few days, with temperatures dropping sharply.

"This, this, this..."

Shu Tang shielded her head with her hand and quickened her pace.

She's not someone who checks the weather forecast much.

I should have taken a look.

The weather was slightly cool, and the manor was surrounded by mountains on three sides, so the temperature was even lower than in the city center. The rain hit her hands and face, causing not only pain but also a bone-chilling cold that invaded her normally warm blood.

Suddenly, the rain stopped, and a shadow fell over us.

She was startled, and as she slowed her pace, a familiar, gentle male voice, accompanied by the sound of pattering rain, flowed into her ears.

"It's raining heavily in the mountains, run!"

He held his coat up with both hands, with half of his shoulder against her back, partly because the coat wasn't wide enough, and partly to prevent her from falling.

Shu Tang's athletic ability is really weak; after running for only a few minutes, she could barely keep up.

The suit jacket was already soaked through.

It's like it's raining heavily on top of the coat, and drizzling inside.

"I...I can't run anymore..."

Seeing her panting, Xiao Guxing smiled and shook his head, "You lack exercise, you should practice more often."

"Practice hair..."

Before she could even finish speaking, Xiao Guxing had already grabbed her wrist and started running faster.

Shu Tang let out an "Ah," indicating that none of the steps were voluntary.

It perfectly illustrates what it means for someone to run ahead while her exhausted soul struggles to catch up.

The plots in novels and TV series are all lies.

In this situation, who can think about romance!

It's not romantic at all.

Fortunately, she had the foresight to walk back and forth for a while before he arrived. When she was almost out of the sycamore grove, she saw the car parked not far away.

Xiao Guxing shoved her into the passenger seat and then quickly walked around the driver's seat on the front of the car.

Both of them were basically soaked. Shu Tang couldn't help but shrink back, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Xiao Guxing turned on the heater and, while reversing the car, made a phone call to have two sets of clothes prepared.

The rain caught Shu Tang completely off guard.

She's lived for 25 years, when has she ever been caught in the rain?
Oh, so this year's bad luck isn't over yet!
It took her more than ten minutes to walk over, but it only took her a few minutes to drive there.

"A room has been prepared upstairs. Go up and take a hot shower and change your clothes so you don't catch a cold." Xiao Guxing pulled the stiff-moving Shu Tang into the elevator.