If you're not going to marry me, why are you flirting? If you dare run away, I'll sever yo

As the fountain show ended, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving the once-crowded stone steps empty.

Qi Nan raised his hand to check the time; it was almost midnight.

My shoulders are a little sore.

Since he didn't know how much longer Xia Ningqi would sleep, he gently shook her.

Hopefully, this little devil doesn't have a bad temper when he wakes up...

While Qi Nan was praying for himself, Xia Ningqi slowly opened her eyes.

next second.

She straightened up and sat upright, a noticeable red mark on her cheek from pressing down on Qi Nan's shoulder for too long.

"Is the performance over?"

"Yes, it ended half an hour ago."

"Then why did you only wake me up now?"

Qi Nan shrugged, "I'm afraid you'll be grumpy in the morning and try to kill me."

"Neuropathy."

Xia Ningqi straightened her hair and took off the coat covering her.

"your?"

"Yes, I was worried you'd catch a cold."

Although she already knew, Xia Ningqi still pretended to be reserved, saying, "I don't need it, you can wear it yourself."

"Aren't you cold?"

"Won't."

As soon as she finished speaking, a gust of cold wind blew by, causing Xia Ningqi to hug her arms tightly.

Qi Nan teased, "Miss, you don't seem like someone who can withstand the cold."

"I..."

Xia Ningqi's brain raced, but she couldn't come up with a single excuse.

Qi Nan stood up.

He threw his coat into her arms.

"Wear it. I've already said I'm a gentleman."

"How narcissistic..."

Xia Ningqi didn't mince words. Since he wanted to show off, she would just keep to herself.

on the way back.

The two didn't exchange many words until they arrived at the apartment, where the hands of their watches were just set at midnight.

"Happy New Year."

Qi Nan took out his key and opened the door halfway. Hearing Xia Ningqi's emotionless voice, he replied without much thought, "Yeah, Happy New Year."

After receiving a reply, Xia Ningqi went inside.

As expected, there was still no power.

However, she wasn't too surprised, since similar situations had happened many times before.

Moreover, she had taken precautions against this situation by buying a nightlight in advance and keeping it in the cabinet after fully charging it, just so that she could deal with the current situation one day.

When I turned it on, the bedside lamp was dimly lit.

Xia Ningqi slumped onto the bed, her fluffy coat still hanging down.

I forgot to take it off and return it to him...

As Xia Ningqi thought about it, she took off her coat, then hesitated for two seconds before covering her face with it.

Her ears burned.

I could smell a faint trace of sandalwood on it.

However, it wasn't long before she stopped this behavior, which seemed somewhat abnormal to outsiders.

It's like the regret after doing something wrong.

Xia Ningqi shook her head desperately.

"No, no, am I crazy? Why does this smell so good..."

After tossing her coat aside, she buried her face in her pillow, feeling ashamed of her actions.

...

Qi Nan took a shower in the dark. Fortunately, the hot water had been heated in advance, so he didn't have to take a cold shower in the dead of winter.

As soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, drowsiness overwhelmed him. He fiddled around for a bit and then collapsed onto the bed.

When I opened my eyes again, it was the next morning.

"Crack!"

He sneezed, probably because the wind was too strong last night, so he caught a cold when he woke up this morning.

My luck is a bit off...

Qi Nan bent down, opened his phone, and saw a message from Jiang Qin asking him to come home for dumplings.

During this period of fear and anxiety, he rarely contacted his family, but now that things seem relatively safe, he should be able to go back and have a meal with them.

Without much thought, he simply replied with "okay".

They must have been quite concerned about their own safety, and returning to the house this time was a way for them to let the house know they were safe.

Qi Nan put on his clothes, opened the door, and went to the corridor.

Since it was Xiao Hei who came to pick him up, Qi Nan only needed to wait.

"The weather is nice today."

The sky was cloudless, and the sun felt warm on my skin.

Qi Nan first stretched and then expanded his chest to warm up his body slightly.

The black cat was perched on the railing.

Since he had nothing better to do, Qi Nan fed it some dried fish and even started giving it some long-winded instructions.

"Hakimi should act like Hakimi, not just lie around like a salted fish all day. You need to learn to go out and find your own food, instead of waiting for me to feed you every day. You won't starve while I'm around, but what if I get killed one day? Will you be able to survive on your own?"

"Remember, this world is a vast, dark forest; you must always maintain your wild side, you can't stay in a greenhouse every day..."

...

Just as he was getting into the swing of things, a discordant voice came from beside him: "Hmph, this is the first time I've ever seen someone try to reason with a cat."

"Xia Ningqi?"

Qi Nan's face flushed red. "You heard everything?"

"Yes, I came out two minutes ago. I heard every single word of what you just said."

"Why...why were you eavesdropping?"

Xia Ningqi waved her hand, "I didn't eavesdrop. You were just too engrossed in your own story. Anyone who isn't deaf could hear you."

"Couldn't you at least say something to remind me? What normal person would stand behind me and listen to me talking to myself for so long? I really don't know how bored you are."

"I'm really sorry, I'm just that bored. Besides, any normal person would be curious if they opened the door and saw an idiot chanting to a cat. That's human nature."

Speechless.

Qi Nan didn't want to continue with that embarrassing topic.

"Why are you up so early?"

"go home."

It seems she's like me...

"And you? You didn't just go out this morning just to reason with the cat, did you?"

"I...I'm going out to a restaurant to get some dumplings, since today's the first of the month..."

"Aren't you going home?"

Qi Nan feigned pitifulness, "I'm not going back. I'm cutting ties with them."

Just as he finished speaking, Xiao Hei parked the car outside the apartment. "Boss, I've come to take you back to your house."

Qi Nan's face stiffened.

It's only number one, does my luck really have to be this bad?

"Heh, you quite like lying to me."

Xia Ningqi's face was expressionless, but it sent a chill down Qi Nan's spine. He quickly tried to cover it up, saying, "I'm not lying to you. My family runs a restaurant chain, so when I go home, we eat out."

You can't expect ivory to come out of a dog's mouth...

Xia Ningqi lowered her eyes, thought carefully for a moment, and said, "You...you're not allowed to say anything bad about me to your parents when you go back."

"what?"

It was a strange request, but Qi Nan agreed nonetheless. "Okay, I'll only say good things about you, not bad things."

...