The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

Qiao Xinxin's heart skipped a beat, and she abruptly looked up.

Lu Baizhou was standing straight outside the window, quietly watching her through the glass.

He wasn't wearing his military uniform today, but rather a light gray jacket with the collar of his white shirt neatly turned up. His hair seemed shorter and more energetic than it had been the day before, making him look clean, sharp, and exuding a commanding presence.

"Brother Lu? What brings you here?" Qiao Xinxin asked in surprise, her almond-shaped eyes widening slightly.

Lu Baizhou did not answer immediately.

He first glanced around warily, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small bag tightly wrapped in coarse oil paper.

Then, he took out a bottle of dark brown liquid in a glass jar from the other pocket.

He gently placed the two items on the windowsill of the management office and pushed them in front of Qiao Xinxin.

"What are these?" Qiao Xinxin stared at the two things with some curiosity.

The oil paper package was small, and the opening was neatly tied with thin hemp rope; the glass bottle was filled with a dark brown, viscous liquid, and through the glass, one could vaguely see red dates and goji berries floating inside.

Lu Baizhou cleared his throat, his gaze drifting somewhat hesitantly to the side, and said in a low voice:

"Chocolate, and a bottle of tonic made with red dates and goji berries."

He paused, then explained:

"It's the change of seasons right now, and the weather is fluctuating between hot and cold. You sit in the management office for several hours every night, and it's drafty here, so it's easy to catch a cold. Drinking some of this will warm you up; it's better than just drinking plain water."

Qiao Xinxin stared blankly at the chocolates on the windowsill and the steaming bottle of tonic. The emotions she had managed to suppress surged up again like a tidal wave.

Last night, she made a tough decision in bed to become a celibate "single aristocrat" and rejected both men.

But now, this man is standing right in front of her.

He didn't say any flowery sweet words; he just silently observed her, and when the temperature dropped, he would bring her a bottle of red date and goji berry water to warm her up, as well as a bag of rare chocolates.

Faced with a man who takes thoughtfulness to the extreme, Qiao Xinxin found that she simply couldn't bring herself to refuse him.

She took a deep breath, reached for the bag of chocolates, and smiled with a mixture of helplessness and sweetness:

"Brother Lu, I feel so bad about this. You always find ways to bring me things, and I haven't even had a chance to return the favor with my empty hands."

No need to return the gift.

Lu Baizhou looked at her with an extremely serious expression:

"I was just worried that you'd be cold and hungry all by yourself here. Bringing you some food and drinks was just a convenient thing to do."

At this point, as if remembering something, he frowned and added a word of caution:

"Also, although it feels warm during the day these days, there's a big temperature difference between day and night, and it gets chilly when you get home from get off work in the evening. Remember to bring a thick coat when you go out in the future, don't think you can wear less just because it's hot during the day, understand?"

Listening to his nagging, which sounded like that of an old cadre, with a slightly commanding tone but also deep concern, Qiao Xinxin felt a warm feeling welling up in her chest, so hot that her eyes even felt a little hot.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't think of the right words for a long time.

Finally, she could only lower her head and whisper a reply:

"Okay, I'll be careful."

"Um."

Seeing that she had taken his words to heart, Lu Baizhou's tense jawline relaxed. He nodded, said nothing more, and strode into the men's bathhouse.

Qiao Xinxin sat alone in the management office.

She clutched the bag of chocolates wrapped in oil paper tightly in her hand, and only after watching Lu Baizhou's tall and upright figure disappear behind the curtain at the entrance of the bathhouse did she let out a long sigh of relief.

It’s over.

Now she was even more conflicted!

The escape route she had painstakingly prepared for herself yesterday—a "no one will agree" scenario—was completely blocked by Lu Baizhou's simple words and a bottle of water today.

When he placed the things on the windowsill, his matter-of-fact, even domineering manner was like a heavy hammer blow, directly shattering the defenses in her heart.

She even sadly felt that if she were to actually reject this man one day, it would probably be the cruelest and most insincere decision she had ever made in her life.

"Well, let's just take it one step at a time."

Qiao Xinxin patted her face, trying to clear her head.

As the bathhouse gradually filled up, a steady stream of people lined up to buy and have their tickets checked. She had to put aside her distracting thoughts and focus intently on her task of collecting tickets.

The work continued until almost 9:30 PM, when the last group of soldiers who had finished showering finally left, and the noisy bathhouse, which had been bustling all night, finally quieted down.

Qiao Xinxin rubbed her slightly sore shoulders and began tidying up the table.

Her gaze fell on the bottle of tonic that had gone a little cold on the windowsill. She couldn't help but pick it up, unscrew the cap, and smell it.

In an instant, a rich, mellow sweet aroma of red dates and goji berries, mixed with a faint hint of warm yellow wine, wafted into the air. Just smelling this aroma, one could almost imagine how comforting it would be to drink it.

"Forget it, I'm not going to think about it anymore. The more I think about it, the more confused I get."

Qiao Xinxin pursed her lips, carefully put the supplements and chocolates into her canvas bag, and zipped it up.

When it comes to matters of the heart, you can't rush things. Since you can't figure things out right now, just put it aside for now.

On the way back, the night wind was indeed as Lu Baizhou had said, carrying a bone-chilling cold.

Qiao Xinxin wrapped her coat tighter around herself and walked under the dim streetlights. Looking at her elongated shadow, she suddenly felt a little relieved.

The struggle was still there, but she had temporarily packed it away and put it in a corner.

Since you can't figure out matters of the heart right now, it's better to focus on living your life well and making more money.

Speaking of which, it seems like her family's little restaurant hasn't had any new dishes for a while.

When it first opened, its novelty and her forward-thinking business ideas did attract many customers. Later, it retained repeat customers by offering braised dishes and hot drinks.

But after a while, customers got tired of the same few dishes on the menu. In this day and age, if you want to grow and succeed in business, you really have to come up with some new ideas.

"Tomorrow, I'll go to the market and see what fresh ingredients they have, so I can come up with a new dish!"

Qiao Xinxin clenched her little fists and cheered herself up. Her originally heavy mood was instantly filled with her desire for food and money.