Summer Green Apples

Ji Xiwen was very satisfied with her answer.

He was neither arrogant nor humble, but poised and generous, meticulous in his attention to detail, and logically rigorous.

So she raised her head with remarkable composure.

Chi Suizheng stared at her blankly, and after noticing her gaze, he took a step back.

As if angered by her, his jaw muscles clenched for a moment, then he suddenly smiled, his voice very soft, "What did you just say?"

Ji Xiwen had planned everything perfectly, but she never expected him to react this way.

He was stunned for a moment, then said, "I said, I didn't mean to..."

Chi Sui remained expressionless: "The last sentence."

"We saw each other at the bubble tea shop at noon..."

"Further onwards."

"Uh... don't worry, I didn't see what your girlfriend looked like..." Ji Xiwen said tentatively, glanced at him, and seeing that he didn't react, she boldly added, "I swear, I absolutely won't..."

"That person is my mother," Chi Sui said casually.

Ji Xiwen suddenly fell silent.

She shut her mouth and stared blankly at Chi Sui.

The boy seemed to be driven mad with anger, staring at her coldly.

Ji Xiwen had never been so embarrassed in her life. Her cheeks burned bright red, and her ears were also covered with a thin layer of heat.

I closed my eyes, wishing I could faint on the spot.

She can't play dead right now.

Ji Xiwen opened her eyes again.

The boy opposite her was still staring at her with an unfriendly expression.

Ji Xiwen said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, your mother looks so young."

Chi Sui: "...Do you think this will make me forgive you?"

"cannot."

Ji Xi heard this and hung his head in dejection.

What should I do if I offend the eldest son of the host family after staying for a week?

My life is so hard.

She held up the cream puff in her hand and offered it to Chi Sui, "This is for you."

Chi lowered his eyes; inside the plastic bag was a box of plump little cream puffs.

He was taken aback. "Why are you giving me this?"

Ji Xiwen looked up and said, "You seem to really like sweets."

Chi Sui's Adam's apple bobbed very slightly.

His gaze shifted from the cream puff to Ji Xiwen's face.

Just then, a breeze blew by, lifting a strand of hair from her forehead. A hint of shyness flickered in her dark, watery eyes. "I mean, why did you send me this?"

"Because I'm staying here, I'm bothering you quite a bit. Thank you for letting me do my homework in the study yesterday." Ji Xiwen paused for a moment. "As for Uncle Chi, I haven't had much contact with him, so I don't know what he likes yet."

Based on her brief time with Chi Kai last night, Chi Kai is a typical businessman, a successful man who appears refined and gentle, but actually has a very strong desire for control.

Ji Xiwen really didn't know what to give as a gift, and she couldn't afford anything too expensive.

Chi then lowered his eyes again.

Ji Xiwen shook her hand, revealing slender, porcelain-white fingers hooked around the plastic bag, with neatly trimmed nails.

He took it as if possessed.

Seeing that he had taken it, Ji Xiwen breathed a sigh of relief.

Chi Sui suddenly snorted again, "This is to thank me for letting you go to the study yesterday. So you misunderstood that my mother is my daughter..."

He paused, skipping over the word, and asked, "What about this matter?"

Ji Xiwen: "…………"

A man who holds a grudge.

She lowered her head, patted her pocket, opened the stationery store bag, and then her eyes lit up.

There were also lollipops given to us by the boss.

She had just eaten one on the bus, and there was one left.

She took out a lollipop and handed it to Chi Sui, saying, "Here you go."

Chi stared at the lollipop in her hand; it cost five cents each at the roadside convenience store.

"Ji Xiwen." His tone was indifferent, perhaps amused by his amusement, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "In your eyes, am I that easy to dismiss?"

Ji Xiwen's smile was even more pathetic than that forced smile meme. "So what do you want?"

Chi tore open the lollipop wrapper, pinched the stick, stuffed the candy into his mouth, and mumbled, "Haven't decided yet, I'll owe you one."

The more you owe, the bigger the debt becomes.

Ji Xiwen said tactfully, "Why don't you think about it again?"

Chi Sui ignored her, simply opened his lips, took out the lollipop, and glanced down at it.

Ji Xiwen was taken aback and asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"

"This tastes awful, what is this?" Chi Sui frowned.

Ji Xiwen glanced at it.

green.

"It's apple flavored, I guess," she guessed.

Chi Sui: "..."

What bad luck.

What an unlucky day.

He stared at Ji Xiwen with a sour face for a couple of seconds.

Ji Xiwen was completely unaware of what had happened. She just glanced at the lollipop in his hand and stammered, "The stationery store owner gave it to me. I don't know if it's expired. Do you think there's something wrong with it? I just ate an orange one on the bus, and it was really delicious."

Chi Sui: "..."

He raised his hand and scratched his hair, his face expressionless.

He was talking about the east, while Ji Xiwen was thinking about the west.

Yet she had such an innocent-looking face, gazing at him with a completely guileless expression.

Chi Sui was furious but couldn't vent his anger.

They came to collect debts.

He came to a conclusion.

This cheap younger sister came to collect a debt.

The two walked towards the small villa. Chi Sui had long legs and could take a step with ease, while Ji Xi could only manage two steps with a heavy thud.

She was a little out of breath from walking, but couldn't resist her curiosity. "Your mother looks so young, she seems to be about my age."

"……Um."

Chi responded casually.

"Could you ask her for an autograph for me?" Ji Xiwen asked cautiously.

Chi Sui finally stopped walking.

He was chewing on a lollipop stick. "Are you a fan of hers?"

"No, it's my grandma." Ji Xiwen smiled shyly. "But I saw her in a TV series before, she's really beautiful."

Colorful clouds dot the horizon, and a half-circle orange sunset hangs on the horizon. Sunlight penetrates the clouds, and the light seems to be dyed half yellow and half pink.

The white villa turned yellow and pink.

Ji Xiwen's fair earlobes and cheeks turned half yellow and half pink.

Her earlobes were tinged with a faint blush from embarrassment.

Sunshine, blue sky, the refreshing breeze of a midsummer dusk, and the girl's long, black hair fluttering in the wind, her earlobes tinged with a faint red, all intertwined in Chi Sui's eyes to create a picture scroll of perfect harmony.

Chi Sui remained silent for too long.

After a while, Ji Xi looked at him with a hint of doubt, "Why aren't you saying anything? If it's troublesome, then forget it."

"……trouble."

Chi Sui was a beat slow.

Ji Xiwen felt a little regretful, but not too much. She nodded, "It's alright, no need to bother."

The cream puff in his hand was quite heavy. Chi Sui seemed to have a change of heart. He awkwardly scratched his hair with his free hand and explained, "You're going to be late. I just had a fight with her."

"oh oh."

Ji Xiwen recalled the few words the two had just exchanged. Their tones were quite calm, unlike back in her hometown where they would shout at each other to see who could yell the loudest.

The mother and son were clearly respectable people, but their words were quite hostile.