Spring Night Kiss.

Song Qingjia booked a spa treatment for herself at the resort.

There was a shuttle bus, but she didn't want to take it and walked over slowly.

As I passed through the bamboo forest, a group of people came from the opposite direction. They were quite impressive, and I guessed they were some high-ranking and important guests.

A group of seven or eight people surrounded the man in the center, some carrying briefcases, others whispering amongst themselves.

He wore a dark gray overcoat, walked with composure, and had a calm expression. He slightly tilted his head and occasionally nodded when people around him spoke.

The passing staff automatically stood against the wall.

Song Qingjia did the same, moving aside.

The man walked past her, then suddenly paused and glanced at her.

Song Qingjia looked back and forced what she thought was a bright smile.

What a coincidence! Cheng Yizhen said on the phone this morning, "Your brother happens to be in Suzhou," and then we ran into each other this afternoon.

She had no intention of calling for help. She looked away from him, brushed past him, and continued walking towards the spa, her pace unchanged.

Nie Yuhuai stood still for half a second, then continued forward surrounded by his entourage.

After the spa treatment, Song Qingjia felt much more relaxed.

She pushed open the door and saw a young man in a dark jacket standing there. She recognized him; he was Nie Yuhuai's assistant.

Song Qingjia raised an eyebrow as the newcomer stepped forward, speaking respectfully.

"Miss Song, Mr. Nie is waiting for you."

"Is Mr. Nie's big project all settled? This time it's worth hundreds of millions again?" She walked out, her tone casual.

Her assistant followed half a step to her side and answered cautiously, "Sir has postponed all his schedules for today."

"You pushed it? Because of me? I can't afford to pay for that."

"Miss Song is joking," the assistant said without changing her expression.

Song Qingjia didn't bother to make things difficult for him: "Lead the way."

The assistant led the person to the tea room at the deepest part of the resort, which was built by the water and had floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides.

Nie Yuhuai sat in the main seat, holding the fairness cup in his hand, and was serving tea. His movements were unhurried and fluid.

Song Qingjia sat down cross-legged opposite him without saying a word.

Nie Yuhuai looked up at her and pushed a celadon cup in front of her. The tea was clear and yellow, with a refreshing aroma.

She picked it up, took a sip, and said, "You have quite the leisure and refined taste."

"The tea is good." Nie Yuhuai poured himself a cup, picked it up, but didn't drink it. He looked at her and asked, "Why haven't you gone home to visit your family since you've returned to China?"

Song Qingjia scoffed: "That's your house, not mine."

A hint of helplessness flashed in Nie Yuhuai's eyes, but he didn't say anything more, and just lowered his head to take a sip of tea.

"She sent you? To be her intermediary?"

"Aunt Cheng cares about you a lot."

"Aunt Cheng...you're being quite polite to her." Song Qingjia shifted her posture, sitting rather awkwardly.

She could never learn the manners of those rich young ladies and noblewomen, so she was very puzzled by Cheng Yizhen's insistence on marrying her into a wealthy family.

She thought that no family would like someone like her.

"What does she care about me? How can she extract the last bit of value from me?" she said again.

Nie Yuhuai was rarely speechless, and he sighed.

The girl was very different from the one he remembered. He still remembered how she was fifteen or sixteen years old, with her hair in a ponytail, waiting for him to come home from school, her eyes crinkling as she called him "brother".

It feels like yesterday.

Now, sitting across from him, his eyebrows and eyes are still the same, but his eyes are as cold as snow, and his whole body is full of thorns.

"You've changed a lot," he said.

People change.

Song Qingjia took another sip of tea, the aroma spreading in her mouth, and her mood wasn't so bad. She didn't have much of a problem with Nie Yuhuai; she just didn't want to have too much contact with him.

"Nie Yuhuai." She put down her teacup and suddenly asked, "Honestly, don't you hate her?"

Nie Yuhuai raised his eyelids.

"You've ruined your happy family and taken over their place."

Her tone wasn't exactly sharp; she was genuinely curious. Because in her view, Cheng Yi was truly immoral, having interfered in someone else's marriage and destroyed their family.

She had never asked Nie Yuhuai about this before, but today, she just wanted to ask.

Nie Yuhuai paused, his gaze as deep as a still pool.

"I don't hate," he said.

As expected, Song Qingjia felt unsatisfied. She finished her tea, slammed the celadon cup down on the tea table with considerable force, making a loud "bang."

"Some things aren't what you think," Nie Yuhuai said.

"Oh," Song Qingjia replied casually.

Nie Yuhuai couldn't do anything with her; she wouldn't like to hear it if he talked about it too much, so he changed the subject: "I heard you went to the Vortex racing team?"

"They're quite well-informed."

"Hengyuan's sponsorship for Vortex will be in place next month."

Song Qingjia finally reacted, looked up, stared at him for a few seconds, and sneered: "Nie Yuhuai, have you lost your mind? Wasting this money. Do you even know who the car fleet owner is? The Shen family, Shen Yan Hui. Do you think they'd be short of your tens of millions?"

Nie Yuhuai took a leisurely sip of tea: "Consider this my sponsorship for you, your older brother."

"Then why don't you just transfer the money to my card?"

"Okay, I'll have someone arrange it."

Song Qingjia was taken aback and said irritably, "Stop it. I know your Nie family is rich now."

Nie Yuhuai smiled and poured her another cup of tea: "Want to have dinner together tonight?"

Without even thinking, Song Qingjia said, "I won't eat."

"You have plans?"

"Yes." She stood up, patted the hem of her clothes, "Didn't she tell you? I have a boyfriend now, so naturally I have to have dinner with him tonight."

She picked up her bag and continued, "Alright, you've met them, you can explain to your family now. I won't play along anymore, do as you please."

When you're done, turn around and leave.

Nie Yuhuai remained seated, his gaze fixed on the direction she had left in. After a long while, he lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions within them.

-

Emerging from the teahouse, Song Qingjia stood under the eaves, sunlight falling on her shoulders.

She took out her phone, opened Xu Zhouye's chat window, typed a few words, and sent it.

Song Qingjia: [Fake boyfriend, when are you going to make up for the rest of those kisses?]

Within seconds of sending the message, the other person replied: 【Missing me?】

Song Qingjia stared at the line of text for two seconds, her lips twitched slightly, and her fingers tapped on the screen: "[I just feel uneasy taking advance payments without doing anything.]"

The message indicating that someone was typing flashed for a moment.

Wait.

Song Qingjia sat down on a stone chair next to the bamboo grove.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, falling on the back of her hand, flickering in and out.

Not long after, footsteps came from behind, unhurriedly stepping on the bluestone path.

She didn't move, waiting for the person to walk around to her.

Xu Zhouye stopped in front of her, his hands in his pockets, tilting his head to look at her. The wisps of hair on his forehead were a little messy from the wind, and he had that usual roguish smile on his lips.

Song Qingjia looked up at him for a few seconds.

Suddenly, he reached out and said, "Hug me."

Xu Zhouye's eyebrows twitched slightly. He leaned down, put one arm around her waist, and supported her legs with the other, lifting her up from the stone chair.

Song Qingjia naturally reached out and hooked her arm around his neck. The two faced each other, their noses no more than a fist's width apart.

"So eager?" His voice was somewhat deep.

Song Qingjia didn't speak, but leaned in to kiss the corner of his lips, only to have him turn his head away.

"What do you mean?" she asked, squinting.

Xu Zhouye weighed the person in his hand and walked back the way he came.

"Why do I feel like you're completely treating me like a tool? You can summon me and dismiss me at will, kiss me when you want, and kick me when you want?" He looked at the road, then glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eye.

Song Qingjia felt a little guilty that he had guessed her thoughts.

Xu Zhouye noticed the fleeting look in his eyes. He chuckled, tossed the man up, and hoisted him onto his shoulder.

Song Qingjia: "?"

This man must be incredibly audacious!

They weren't afraid she would abscond with the money.