A small candy

Chapter 43 Is This a Proposal?

Jian Ling retracted her hands and feet, and shrank her body towards the side of the bed, trying to retreat back to her own territory. However, the man beside her kept interfering with her thoughts and actions with the warmth of his lips, tongue and palms.

She tilted her neck high, breathing in and out, like a proud and beautiful white swan, floating in the warm water. Sweat dripped onto her eyelids, and her eyelashes fluttered. She slowly opened her eyes, her vision hazy, as if covered by a layer of mist. Frowning, she called his name, "Cheng Zhixu..."

"Hmm?" Cheng Zhixu responded, his voice vague and filled with heat.

I didn't know what to call him for, I just wanted to call him. The temperature in the room was rising, and Jian Ling was burning hot, not feeling a bit of cold anymore.

"Cheng Zhixu." Jian Ling felt extremely helpless. She wanted to cry but couldn't.

"Ah."

"Cheng Zhixu..."

"I'm here."

Cheng Zhixu responded patiently. He hadn't thought of making her his so soon. He had considered everything carefully, knowing that Ye Guizhou wouldn't be easy to deal with. Given his temper, he knew he might resort to violence later.

Considering Jian Ling's importance to the Jian family and the Ye family, it is even more difficult to say to her parents and elders.

However, all the obstacles and considerations were no match for the right time and place. He admitted defeat. Some things just couldn't go according to plan. Otherwise, why is there a saying that "plans cannot keep up with changes"?
In the quiet room, the hollowed-out little golden pig pendant on Jian Linghaobai's wrist kept jingling for a long time...

It felt like charcoal fire crackling in the air. Jian Ling was so hot and thirsty that she whimpered and said she wanted water. Cheng Zhixu raised his head, sweat dripping down his face from his temples, his forehead was damp, and his eyes were red. His eyes were deep and intoxicated, as if he had drunk several bottles of wine.

Finally, the clouds and rain stopped. Jian Ling was so tired that she couldn't even lift a finger. She was too shy to face Cheng Zhixu, so she simply turned her face away and buried her head in the pillow. Her exposed ears and neck were red and sweaty.

After a long time, she still didn't dare to look at Cheng Zhixu's face, just like the first time she kissed him, she felt embarrassed when she saw him.

Cheng Zhixu looked at her blushing ears and couldn't help but let out a muffled laugh. Thinking of his concerns at that moment, his smile gradually faded and turned into a low sigh.

There was a hint of regret in her sigh. It was a little too fast. Compared to others, she was still young.

But he has no regrets.

Once you determine that this is the person, sooner or later, it will be her and there is no way to escape.

Jian Ling was originally lost in her thoughts, her mind a mess, but she keenly grasped the subtle emotion he revealed. She slowly lifted her face from the pillow, looked at him shamefully and frankly, and whispered, "You sighed...are you regretting it?"

Cheng Zhixu had a satisfied smile on his lips. He pinched her cheeks, then couldn't resist the urge to touch her messy hair. His fingers brushed the hair away from her face. His voice was low and deep: "What are you talking about? I just thought of something - I'm worried about how to explain it to your uncle."

His good brother asked him to help take care of his niece, and he ended up taking care of her... in bed.

Thinking of this, Cheng Zhixu held his forehead and sighed that his behavior was indeed not gentlemanly.

Jian Ling was stunned. It seemed like she had never thought about this question before. She had fallen in love with Cheng Zhixu and had always regarded him as the object of pursuit, not paying much attention to his relationship with Ye Guizhou.

In addition to wanting to understand him at the beginning, she used Ye Guizhou to find out a lot of his privacy, both openly and secretly.

"Don't mind that." Jian Ling said, "My uncle has a good personality and won't make things difficult for you."

"No." Cheng Zhixu rubbed his brow, feeling a bit amused and helpless. "You have to call your uncle uncle, that's what I care about most. Ye Guizhou is my friend, a peer. Jian Ling, I feel lower in generation than you, so depressed."

Jian Ling was immediately tickled by the joke. Imagining Cheng Zhixu's aggrieved look when he called Ye Guizhou "uncle," she couldn't stop laughing, holding her stomach.

Cheng Zhixu reached out, touched her slender wrist, pulled her over, clasped her in his arms, kissed the top of her head, and whispered, "Is it so funny?"

The man's voice was slightly deep, and with a smile on his face, it was incredibly pleasant to hear. Jian Ling buried herself in his arms and whispered softly, "They say if you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, you follow the dog. I can follow your generation and call Ye Guizhou brother."

Cheng Zhixu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, his chest trembling. Jian Ling, pressed against his body, could clearly feel the tremors.

"Would you like some water?" Cheng Zhixu asked.

"drink."

Cheng Zhixu lifted the quilt and quickly tucked it in to prevent the wind from blowing in and catching her cold. He bent down to pick up the pajamas that had fallen to the side of the bed, picked up the collar and shook off the dust, then turned his back to her to get dressed.

In the dim light, Jian Ling caught a glimpse of several scratches on his back. Thinking about how they came about, she felt embarrassed and buried her face in her hands again.

The sound of slippers rubbing against the floor came to his ears. Cheng Zhixu walked to the table, took out a cup and poured a glass of warm water. He returned to the bed, held up her head with his palm, and let her drink half a glass of water from his hand.

He casually placed the cup of water on the bedside table and asked her in a low voice, "Are you still cold?"

Jian Ling: “…”

She asked even though she knew the answer. She was sweating so much.

Jian Ling's arms poked out from under the covers. There were several red marks near her shoulders, which stood out against her fair skin. She groped for her clothes and tugged them back under the covers. "I want to take a shower."

Cheng Zhixu held the corner of the quilt to prevent her from moving, frowned and said, "Don't toss and turn, it's easy to catch a cold..." He leaned close to her ear and said something, then stood up again, went to the bathroom, and brought a basin of hot water to her.

After everything was tidied up, the two of them lay down in the quilt hugging each other.

Cheng Zhixu took something out from under the pillow, put it around her neck, fumbled with his fingers to fasten the interface, and put his lips on her forehead without saying a word.

A cool touch brushed across her collarbone. Jian Ling moved her hand and reached over to find a thin necklace around her neck, with a ring hanging from the bottom. She pinched the ring and looked down. It turned out to be a ring.

She was stunned and looked sideways at Cheng Zhixu: "Is this a ring? Are you proposing to me?"

Cheng Zhixu wrapped her hand in his palm, along with the ring, and curled his lips: "How can I propose so carelessly?
"Then this is..." Jian Ling suddenly didn't understand.

"Well, you can use it as a New Year's gift." Cheng Zhixu said, "I don't know what to get you. I'm afraid you won't want to wear a ring, so this is the only way."

Jian Ling licked her lips: "Why shouldn't I wear it?"

Cheng Zhixu chuckled, his tone tinged with resentment: "Didn't someone lock me up in the cold palace?"

"Okay, I'll find time to let you out of the cold palace when I get back." Jian Ling smiled and threw herself into his arms, her arms around his neck. "Cheng Zhixu, I like you so much."

Cheng Zhixu uttered a soft "tsk." Although he was very pleased with her throwing herself into his arms and bold confession, in this situation, he could only bear the pain and warn: "Be honest."

After this incident, Jian Ling was not completely clueless. She immediately calmed down, her hands and feet were very well behaved, and she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

-

When it was almost dawn, Cheng Zhixu woke up first. He was woken by the heat. It felt like there was a stove next to him, burning his skin so much that it hurt.

His mind cleared up instantly, and he reached out to touch Jian Ling's forehead. Her temperature was hot, and his brows knitted together. He had witnessed her last fever, so within a second, his brain sounded the alarm.

Cheng Zhixu immediately called the owner of the B&B and paid him to prepare antipyretics and cold medicine as quickly as possible.

Half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. Cheng Zhixu went to open the door, took the medicine that the boss had sent him early in the morning, and expressed his deep gratitude.

Cheng Zhixu returned to the room, poured a cup of hot water, and woke up the person sleeping soundly on the bed.

Jian Ling's brain was fuming, her mind in a trance. Even when she was called, she had little sense of consciousness. Like a puppet, she did whatever she was told. When someone told her to open her mouth, she did, and Cheng Zhixu fed her a capsule, followed by a sip of water. Jian Ling had trouble taking medicine even when she was normal, let alone when she was halfway awake. She vomited out the two capsules as soon as they slid down her throat.

Cheng Zhixu sighed, his brows twisted into the shape of the Chinese character "川". He had no choice but to wake the woman up completely first and feed her the medicine again. After some effort, she finally swallowed the medicine.

During this process, Cheng Zhixu broke out in sweat on his back. He sat on the edge of the bed with his legs open, looking at Jian Ling's flushed face. He reached out to hook her hair behind her ear, wiped the corner of her lips with his fingertips, and wiped away the water droplets on it.

He was still worried even after she took the medicine, so he sat for a while and then stood up to go to the bathroom. He wrung out a handkerchief and put it on her forehead, intending to use physical cooling methods.

The last time she had a fever, she went straight to the hospital to get an IV drip. According to her, she had caught colds so many times since she was a child that she had developed antibodies to common cold medicines, and IV drips were the only way to be effective.

Cheng Zhixu leaned half of his body against the head of the bed with one leg on the edge, touching her face every five minutes. She finally understood why Ye Guizhou called her a "little troublemaker."

"We've only been together for a few months, and this is the second time I've been sick." Cheng Zhixu muttered to himself, with a hint of guilt in his tone.

He bent his legs, rested his elbows on his knees, and pressed the second joint of his index finger against his forehead. He didn't know whether she caught a cold last night in her room with a broken heater, or if she caught a cold while they were doing it.

For a full seven hours, Cheng Zhixu was busy, always paying attention to Jian Ling's condition, intending to take her to the hospital if anything went wrong.

Fortunately, Jian Ling took the medicine and had a long sleep. When she woke up, her temperature was measured and it was within a controllable range.

Cheng Zhixu's heart finally settled down, his tense back slowly bent, and he lay on his side beside her. She had just woken up, still dazed, and raised the back of her hand to rest on her sore eyelids: "What's wrong with me?"

Cheng Zhixu asked gently, "Do you feel better?"

"It still hurts a little."

"..." Realizing what she was saying, Cheng Zhixu's throat rolled, and the words he was about to say were stuck. After a while, he stroked the tip of his nose and chuckled softly, "I'm asking if your cold is getting better?"

Jian Ling cried out "Ah" and was suddenly too embarrassed to speak. She bit the soft flesh inside her lips with her teeth and closed her eyes pretending to sleep.

Cheng Zhixu knew she was shy, so he didn't ask any further questions. He hugged her, patted the back of her hand, and said softly, "You almost scared me to death."

Bright sunlight streamed in through the side window, casting slanting strips of light onto the bed. This was the first sunny day in Zurich since the days of snowfall. The sky was a clear, almost translucent blue, beautiful beyond words.

The sun shone on the snow, refracting countless tiny rays of light. The wind was so strong that it rattled the windows. Icicles dripped from the eaves, and in the sunlight, they looked like mermaid tears, clearly visible. Also visible were the tiny hairs on the girl's face and her blood-red earlobes.

-

Due to Jian Ling's sudden illness, all subsequent schedules had to be postponed, and the date of returning home was also postponed by one day.

The two of them stayed in the room, as if they were secluded from the world. Except when the B&B owner delivered food, Cheng Zhixu went out to carry the tray. They never stepped out of the room at other times.

Jian Ling took her medicine and leaned against Cheng Zhixu's chest, playing Happy Candy Crush. The sound effects from her phone were crisp and cheerful, and they kept coming out. Whenever she encountered a level she couldn't pass and didn't want to spend money on props, she would throw her phone to Cheng Zhixu and ask him for help.

Cheng Zhixu was helpless, but did not refuse. He took the phone and helped her pass the customs.

While he was playing games, Jian Ling looked around and unexpectedly saw the box on the bedside table. Her face flushed and she quickly looked away, her voice turning into the hoarse sob she usually used when she was sick: "Cheng Zhixu."

"explain."

"Have you been planning this for a long time?" Jian Ling pulled the blanket on her body and stroked the soft fur with her fingers. She guessed in her heart that he must have planned it before coming to Switzerland, so he was so well prepared and even had the tools to commit the crime.

Cheng Zhixu was so focused on overcoming the difficulties in Candy Crush that he was distracted by her question and didn't understand what she meant. "What do you mean by long-planned?"

"What do you think?" Jian Ling shook his arm.

Cheng Zhixu paused for a moment, glancing at her flushed face. Following her erratic gaze, he glanced at the bedside table and immediately understood. His expression was so frank that there wasn't a trace of guilt. He freed his hand and touched her forehead, only feeling relieved when he was sure the fever had subsided. "Don't blame me. It was a momentary impulse, not premeditated."

"Then how come you happen to have..."

"What's the matter?" Cheng Zhixu smiled mischievously.

Jian Ling clicked her tongue twice, finding it difficult to talk to him. She grabbed the half-used box of condoms on the table and stuffed it into his arms, saying stiffly, "This!"

Cheng Zhixu glanced down, still looking sincere: "It wasn't me, the B&B owner prepared it and kept it in the drawer. You should have it in your room too, didn't you notice it?"

Jian Ling was silent. She really didn't notice because she had never opened the drawer of the bedside table.

Cheng Zhixu passed the test successfully. He put the phone back into her hand, leaned back, rested his head on his arm, and looked at her leisurely: "Any questions?"

Jian Ling scratched his brow and said vaguely, "No more."

-

The New Year’s Day holiday is pitifully short. Even if you take an extra day off, you still have to go back home in a blink of an eye.

The two of them bought a lot of things abroad, mainly Jian Ling's things, so Cheng Zhixu called Minglang in advance to pick them up at the airport and went straight back to the apartment.

Cheng Zhixu simply packed his suitcase. Seeing that it was getting late, he washed his hands and went to the kitchen to cook, leaving Jian Ling to stay in the living room.

He was afraid of her. Her illness almost scared him to death. He had already made up his mind. When she was completely recovered, he would supervise her to exercise to strengthen her immunity. Solving the problem from the root was the most important thing.

The sound of cooking coming from the kitchen was reassuring and comfortable. Jian Ling, the useless person, was sitting on the sofa watching TV when she received a call from Ye Xianxin.

"Have you gotten off the plane?" asked my mother worriedly.

"Yeah, I arrived an hour ago." Jian Ling picked up the remote control, turned off the TV, leaned against the back of the sofa with one hand hugging her knees, and curled up into a small ball.

"You got off the plane an hour ago? Where are you now? Why haven't you gone home yet?" Ye Xianxin could tell something was wrong with her voice. "Why is your voice hoarse?"

"I'm back to the apartment." Jian Ling's throat felt uncomfortable, so she cleared it and spoke in a lower voice. "My throat... I caught a cold in Switzerland. I'm fine now, so don't worry about me, Mom."

"You caught a cold and you told me not to worry about you?" Ye Xianxin's voice suddenly rose several degrees. "Go home now. I asked Auntie to make you some soup."

Jian Ling pursed her lips. On one side was her mother's concern, and on the other was her boyfriend's loving dinner. It was so difficult to decide. She knocked her forehead on her knees and said weakly, "Mom, it's too late. It's not safe to take a taxi. Don't worry, I had a good dinner. Besides, I have to go to work tomorrow morning, so it's not convenient to stay at home. I've already taken an extra day off. It would be a bit unreasonable to be late for work tomorrow."

Ye Xianxin was silent for a long time, and finally agreed with her.

Ye Guizhou and Jian Zumao were sitting at the Jian family's dining table. They chatted about business for a while. When they saw Ye Xianxin approaching, Ye Guizhou asked, "Has she arrived yet?"

"This child is getting more and more willful as she grows older. She hasn't even come home. She went back to the apartment." Ye Xianxin sat next to her husband, put down her phone, and complained with a mother's worry and concern. "Guizhou, after dinner, please bring her the soup Auntie made. She was sick abroad, and from the sound of it, she hasn't recovered yet. Maybe she doesn't want me to worry, so she doesn't tell the truth."

Ye Guizhou and his wife Shu Yangyang were newlyweds. Some time ago, he put aside his work in China and took a vacation to go to the UK to accompany his wife and spend a honeymoon there. He didn't pay much attention to Jian Ling's movements.

After careful calculation, he realized that he hadn't seen her for a long time, so he agreed.

"Okay, I'll go see her after dinner."

　Cheng Zhixu: Let me make a deal, uncle, could you please not come over?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)