Chapter 43: Chapter 39 Coaxing Chapter 43: Chapter 39 Coaxing Usually, when Ji Shuang brought fruits or other snacks to Qi Xingzhou, he would take them and then turn to close the door, tucking himself back into his room like a self-contained little turtle.
But today was different. Ji Shuang watched as Qi Xingzhou took the fruit plate from Jiang Ning’s hands and just stood there blankly at the door, showing no signs of wanting to retreat to his room.
Ji Shuang’s earlier worries vanished in an instant!
It seemed that Qi Chen’s guess from yesterday was right: their silly son really did treat Jiang Ning differently from everyone else!
The more Ji Shuang thought about it, the more excited she got. Seeing that her silly son hadn’t noticed her, she stepped back a few paces and took out her phone to snap a photo of the two.
Ji Shuang didn’t look for the perfect angle to shoot, but the pair’s outstanding looks were extremely photogenic, especially Qi Xingzhou’s delicate profile and the serious way he looked down at Jiang Ning, which surprisingly conveyed an impression of deep, focused affection.
Ji Shuang’s heart skipped a beat, and she shared the photo in the Qi Family’s “Loving Family” chat group.
The “Loving Family” group had four members: Ji Shuang, Qi Jingshan, Qi Chen, and Qi Xingzhou, who had never uttered a word in the group.
After sending out the photo, Ji Shuang’s phone vibrated slightly, indicating that the two fathers in the group had probably replied.
She glanced at her silly son and Jiang Ning, pondering that she didn’t seem to be of much use here, unable to help and even a bit in the way.
Clutching her phone, Ji Shuang gave Jiang Ning an encouraging look, then tiptoed back downstairs.
She wasn’t worried about any trouble—none could be steadier than her silly son’s emotions.
With Ji Shuang watching from beside them, Jiang Ning indeed felt awkward, for no matter how easygoing Ji Shuang was, she was still an elder.
Being watched by an elder while interacting with her son felt somewhat strange, didn’t it?
Once Ji Shuang’s figure disappeared at the stairwell, Jiang Ning’s gaze towards Qi Xingzhou became much more frank and bold than before.
Qi Xingzhou gave off the vibe of a little rabbit, with eyes that were exceptionally clear.
Jiang Ning thought for a moment, then took the initiative to greet him, “Do you still remember me? My name is Jiang Ning. We were together that day in the hotel when the elevator broke down.”
Qi Xingzhou held the fruit plate tightly and nodded slightly.
After Jiang Ning stared openly at him, he seemed too shy to look back at her, lowering his eyes and avoiding her gaze. This innocent and harmless air contrasted starkly with his tall frame.
It was unexpectedly endearing.
He nodded so slightly that she might have missed it had she not been watching him the whole time.
Ji Shuang had said that Qi Xingzhou didn’t like interacting with strangers and was not keen on socializing. Jiang Ning had thought she might not get any response when speaking to him. It seemed now that the young master was not as introverted as she had imagined.
The last time in the elevator, when Jiang Ning deliberately chatted with Qi Xingzhou to distract him, he hadn’t spoken, and she couldn’t be sure whether his silence was just a reluctance to speak or something else…
Now, seeing Qi Xingzhou nod and react to what she was saying, Jiang Ning raised her eyes and smiled, “I heard you’ve been going to the hotel every day these past few days. What are you doing there? Sitting for hours on end, aren’t you tired?”
Her eyes sparkled brightly, the teasing tone clear at the bottom of them.
Qi Xingzhou stood still like a large ostrich in front of Jiang Ning, his body quivering. His originally blemish-free fair face flushed with a faint touch of rouge.
His skin was already fair, so even a slight change would be particularly noticeable.
Jiang Ning hadn’t expected him to be shy, and in just this short period of time, he had already switched through several different emotions.
Jiang Ning felt that, apart from being simple and a bit mute, he didn’t seem to be different from the norm at all, looking quite standard, like the naive and foolish son of a landlord’s family.
For someone as good-looking and as simple-minded as him, Jiang Ning rarely had much patience, but knowing the reason Ji Shuang had asked her to come to the Qi Family’s place, she even injected a hint of tenderness and cajolery into her tone when she spoke, “Don’t go to hotels anymore. Do you know what a hotel is? It’s a place where people eat and stay overnight when it’s inconvenient to return home while traveling. Who would go to a hotel every day for no reason? Is there any hotel as comfortable as one’s own home, right?”
Knowing that Qi Xingzhou wouldn’t reply, Jiang Ning didn’t mind, she looked around and the compliments came readily, “Look how well decorated your home is, spacious and bright, with fully furnished rooms, and there’s even a small garden downstairs, the environment is countless times better than a hotel’s. Why would you bother going to a hotel every day?”
Qi Xingzhou pricked up his ears, never before had he listened to someone speak so earnestly.
When he first heard Jiang Ning’s words, he frowned slightly, but as he listened to her praise the Qi Family Villa, he seemed to puff up with pride, and his handsome brows relaxed with pleasure.
After Jiang Ning finished speaking, he said, “Not stay at hotels, stay at home.”
The young man’s voice was raw with a hint of hoarseness from not speaking for a long time.
Jiang Ning hadn’t reacted at first, but when she did realize he had spoken, she looked at him in slight surprise, “So you can speak after all…”
Hearing Jiang Ning say this, Qi Xingzhou pursed his lips tightly and reverted to his previous silent, clamshell demeanor.
He then extended his hand to open the door a bit more, and stepped aside, his clear gaze devoid of emotion resting on Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning watched him, puzzled, as he simply stood there, head down, making eye contact with her.
Jiang Ning had a hunch about what he was implying, was Qi Xingzhou inviting her into his room?
But just as she was talking with Ji Shuang downstairs a moment ago, Ji Shuang mentioned that Qi Xingzhou was extremely protective of his private space, to the extent that even Ji Shuang and Qi Jingshan, father and son, had never entered his room.
Jiang Ning tentatively took a step forward.
Qi Xingzhou showed no reaction, nor any hint of rejection.
Jiang Ning took another step forward, now she was standing in the doorway, one more step and she’d cross into his room.
Seeing her petite figure so close, Qi Xingzhou’s breath caught, then he stepped back, turning aside completely.
Jiang Ning knew she had guessed correctly, Qi Xingzhou really did want her to come in.
To her surprise, Qi Xingzhou’s room was very large, easily six to seventy square meters, four to five times larger than an average room, probably because the entire wall on the left side of the second floor of the Qi Family Villa was knocked through to specially create a big room for Qi Xingzhou.
The decor of the room was in a minimalist and cool grey and white tone, and the furnishings seemed to be professionally designed, looking especially pleasing to the eye, with everything one might need for a home office.
However, since this was Qi Xingzhou’s room and they were not very familiar with each other, Jiang Ning didn’t look around much.
Seeing that she had no intention of entering the room and soon diverted her gaze away, Qi Xingzhou hung his head low, his expression slightly downcast.
Of course, at that moment he still did not understand the sour and bitter feeling in his chest was disappointment and hurt. He just kept his head down in silence, looking extremely easy to bully, as if anyone could trample over him, which didn’t match his tall stature at all.