Chapter 90: Holding Hands |
She reached out, wanting to check Lin Zhengran’s heartbeat, but he quickly grabbed her hand.
"You just held a chicken cutlet with this hand—you'll get oil all over me."
Han Wenwen locked eyes with him. Her delicate little fox-like hand curled slightly in his grasp. Lin Zhengran let go, but she didn't pull back. Instead, her fingers lingered against his palm, slowly climbing up to his hand, intertwining their fingers together.
As she did this, she spoke deliberately, word by word:
"Zhengran-gege, are you afraid to let me hear your heartbeat because you don't want me to find out that your heart races when you're with me?"
She leaned in, pressing her lips lightly against his ear.
"I know that for you, dating isn’t the most important thing. You have your own goals. But working hard all the time is exhausting, you know? There's no rule that says you can only enjoy yourself after you reach the end. It’s okay to reward yourself along the way… isn’t it?"
She looked at their clasped hands.
"For example, a girl’s hand is really soft. Holding hands like this doesn’t hurt anyone. And who knows? Maybe it'll even motivate you more, Zhengran-gege."
"You always talk so much. So noisy. I don’t even know what you’re saying half the time."
And yet, despite his words, their hands remained firmly linked.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Han Wenwen’s lips.
"Is that so? And what’s wrong with talking a lot? When a girl is with someone she likes, she naturally talks more. It’s only when she’s with someone she doesn’t care about that she stays silent."
She teased playfully, "Either way, I’ll always stick by Zhengran-gege’s side. I’m totally ready to be your personal secretary! And if you ever get handsy with me, I won’t even mind."
Looking ahead, she mused, "Oh! And when I get my streaming account going, I can even make some money as a little backup fund for Zhengran-gege, just in case—"
Their eyes met, and all of a sudden, Han Wenwen grew shy.
"Actually… I still feel kinda hungry. Maybe I should switch hands with you? If I keep using my left hand to eat, I really might get oil all over myself."
Lin Zhengran glanced at his phone.
"It's almost time for evening practice. Finish eating and let's head back. If you keep clinging to me like this, who knows when we'll actually leave?"
Han Wenwen pouted, holding onto his hand as she whined, "What’s the rush? I don’t even have anything to rehearse tonight. It's only you who needs to practice with—"
She suddenly remembered Jiang Qian and instantly glared at him.
With no transition whatsoever, she snapped, "You know what? I won’t hurry up! Why should I rush my meal just so you can go practice piano with some other girl? Zhengran-gege is great at everything, except for being way too much of a flirt!"
Lin Zhengran picked up another snack, chewing casually as he answered, "People have flaws. It’s normal."
She scoffed. "Oh, so now you're justifying being a player?"
She released his right hand—only to grab his left instead—while she resumed devouring her chicken cutlet with the right.
The taste of the food, combined with their lingering touch, made the little fox’s sense of happiness even more profound.
"But just so we’re clear, Zhengran-gege," she added between bites, "even if I do become your secretary, I refuse to help you chase after other girls. Aside from Xiaoqingqing and Lily, I will always oppose your harem plans."
Lin Zhengran raised a brow. "Did I ever say I was chasing anyone? I don’t even have time for that."
Han Wenwen huffed, aggressively taking another bite of food. "You're not even trying, and you already have so many girls around you. If you actually put in effort, it’d be a disaster! You think you can handle that many?!"
"Can you stop talking nonsense? Just finish eating so we can go."
She suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right! Zhengran-gege, you still haven’t told me if you’ll stay at my place next month."
Lin Zhengran thought for a moment. "If your apartment has an extra blanket, I’ll stay."
"Really?! Of course, I have one!" She bit her lip, eyes shining. "And if I didn’t, I’d just go buy one this week! Then it’s settled—next month, you’ll go shopping with me, and at night, you’re staying over. No backing out!"
"But speaking of that… I have something to say too." Lin Zhengran glanced at her. "Last time when you were sick, taking care of you was exhausting. Next time, can you sleep a little more peacefully? Kicking the blanket is one thing, but your hands were all over the place—I barely got any sleep."
"Did I?" She looked embarrassed. "Lies! I sleep just fine."
"Oh, really? Then explain why you wake up looking like a mess every morning. Do you actually believe you sleep neatly?"
The little fox huffed, "So what? You always say I’m a fox, right? Well, foxes sleep like that. What can you do about it?"
"You’re impossible."