53)
Huo Tinglan's words, calling her a "priceless treasure," left Qiao He restless. That night, as she closed the shop and drove home, she almost rear-ended a car and nearly ran a red light at an intersection. Qiao He pulled her little Bao Lai over to the side of the road, taking several deep breaths to calm herself before continuing on.
As soon as the engine started again, her mind began replaying Huo Tinglan's words on loop—"The apple of Cheng Liujiang's eye, the little princess of the Qiao family, the young boss of Ruyi Xuan..."
Frustrated, she couldn't help but smack the steering wheel, accidentally hitting the horn, which blared sharply and startled her.
Distracted, she made it back to Maple Leaf Alley. As she stepped into the main hall, she froze in her tracks.
Sitting on the living room sofa, steeping tea as if waiting for someone, was Cheng Jingchuan.
They stood and sat in silence, locked in a standoff.
Cheng Jingchuan continued pouring hot water over the teacups at a leisurely pace, but his dark, deep gaze was fixed on Qiao He.
Under his stare, Qiao He wasn't afraid—if anything, she felt a little annoyed. She straightened up, ready to demand, "You owe me an apology for yesterday," and regain a bit of dignity, when a neighbor outside shouted, "Bohe, your car door's unlocked!"
The magic shattered. All her bravado deflated instantly, and she ran outside, cheeks burning, to lock the car.
Behind her, she heard a soft chuckle.
After locking the door, she looked up to see a small figure crouched under a large tree at the alley's entrance. It was none other than Maple Leaf Alley's "tough guy" No. 1, Zou Xiaodao.
Qiao He fished around in her pocket, found a pack of cookies, and tossed it over to Zou Xiaodao. "Finished your homework?"
With the cookie wrapper between his teeth, Zou Xiaodao mumbled, "No."
The boy had a naturally hoarse voice that sounded gloomy, as if he were always a little unhappy.
And, of course, there wasn't much for him to be happy about. The ordinary things other kids had, he didn't; the things most kids never dreamed of, he didn't dare even imagine...
Qiao He walked over and crouched in front of Zou Xiaodao. "Where are you stuck? I'll help you, okay?"
Zou Xiaodao's eyes lingered on her face for a second before he snorted. "Today's homework is an advanced math problem. You probably don't know how to do it."
Qiao He: ???
This little rascal, what was that supposed to mean? Who's he looking down on?
Annoyed, Qiao He insisted Zou Xiaodao take out his homework and show her.
Hanging from a tree branch above, his bag held a wrinkled notebook, from which he pulled a hand-copied math problem.
The problem wasn't long; Qiao He skimmed through it and then—
She realized she didn't understand it.
Her nerves twitched, and she squinted, reading it over carefully again.
Pipe A, pipe B, pipe C, filling, draining, draining, filling...
This time, she understood the question, but she still couldn't solve it.
Now her teeth hurt even more...
Zou Xiaodao watched her quietly, with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
YOU ARE READING
Sending you a little peach heart.
Romance[Story is not mine. I am just translating it] From being an idol's superfan to suddenly becoming his girlfriend-just thinking about it is thrilling! Xiao Yu sculptor Qiao He became captivated by Huo Tinglan, a special guest on Antique Street. With h...
