Why are you always thinking about dating me?

"Should I take a taxi back? It seems like it's quite close to my home."

"Let's go back then." Lin An grabbed her hand. Her hand was slightly cold, but after being held by a warm hand, she held onto that warmth tightly.

The city nights are always like this, noisy and bustling, but in reality, many people walk alone.

Just like Lin An and Xiao Chacha, the two of them were walking on the side of the road. Xiao Chacha watched their shadows swaying and seemed to be a little cold. Fortunately, he gave her his coat.

"Are you cold?"

"Fortunately."

"Should I return your coat to you?" Xiao Chacha asked.

“Then pay it back.” Lin An answered without hesitation.

Xiao Chacha was taken aback, then looked at Lin An, "Aren't you going to refuse?"

"What? You asked yourself, hey, alright, alright, put it on, don't catch a cold." Lin An's voice was very gentle. It was actually quite late now, and there weren't many pedestrians on the street. Xiao Chacha's steps were a little unsteady, after all, she had drunk quite a lot of alcohol.

But she could still give directions. Lin An and she walked all the way to her building. Lin An then took her home. Once home, Xiao Chacha immediately turned on the heater and then went over to hug Lin An.

"It's cold," she said.

"It's not like you'll warm it up just by hugging it for a while."

"Shall we watch a movie for a while?" she asked. Lin An didn't mind, so Xiao Chacha led Lin An to the sofa, leaned against him, randomly picked a movie, and then curled up on the sofa, her tender white feet sinking into the soft sofa, her hands hugging her calves, and she seemed to have a faint fragrance about her.

The heating gradually warmed up the living room, and Lin An no longer felt cold. He leaned back on the sofa. In fact, he had no interest in watching the scenes on the screen. Instead, he was more interested in Xiao Chacha beside him.

"Speaking of which, why do you live alone?"

“My mom often travels to other places, and besides, she feels comfortable with me living alone, or rather, she thinks I can live completely independently and take care of myself, so she simply bought me a house and let me stay here by myself.”

"You don't seem very happy," Lin An asked tentatively, looking at her expression as she said this.

"Yeah, after all... my mom gives me too much freedom. Sometimes I feel quite lonely, but I can't show my vulnerable side to her. So, living alone is quite nice. I have a lot of freedom. I can just hire someone to clean regularly. I can play games and order takeout for food."

Xiao Chacha was rambling on and on. Although Lin An thought it was her comforting him, because this girl clearly didn't seem like someone who could tolerate loneliness, Lin An said half-jokingly, "I bet you rarely came home before eight or nine o'clock before."

He was just guessing casually. Xiao Chacha was shocked, turned her head, and stared wide-eyed. "How did you know?"

"Huh? Isn't that easy to guess? If you go home and see an empty house with no one waiting for you, what difference does it make whether you go home or not? If you really go home, you'll just be all alone."

“…You guessed pretty right,” Xiao Chacha replied softly.

“So it’s not good to separate from your parents when you’re too young, especially for someone like you who doesn’t have any friends. Being alone for a long time can easily lead to all sorts of crazy thoughts.” As Lin An said this, he gently put his arm around Xiao Chacha’s shoulder.

"I always feel like you're insulting me by saying you have no friends."

"What? It's just an adjective. This movie is pretty boring, sigh."

"So you're just itching to do something fun?"

"Do you really want to see me looking at you with such a pleading expression?" Lin An suddenly thought of this and asked, "Would that make you feel a great sense of accomplishment?"

"Yeah, yeah... It can't be that I'm the one who takes the initiative every time, right? Otherwise it just seems so unfair, doesn't it, Lin An?" Xiao Chacha looked completely innocent and naive, hugging her knees as if forming an absolute defense.

"If you put it that way, it does seem so."

So Lin An hugged her, slowly breaking down her defenses and melting her into a lump of mud.

....................................

Xiao Chacha changed into her favorite sundress, glanced at the ticking clock on the wall. It was one o'clock in the morning. She seemed a little sleepy, but Lin An probably looked more sleepy.

"How about we stay tonight? You look like you're dying of sleep."

"It's because I'm tired. Who told you to be so lazy?" Lin An lay on the sofa contemplating life. Xiao Chacha smiled a little shyly, stood prettily in front of him, and leaned forward slightly.

"Then it's my turn next time."

She wore a black halter dress, her slender collarbones had beautiful buds, and her small breasts were just the right size, fair and tender, and seemed to tremble gently when she leaned forward.

"So, why don't you stay? Wash up and sleep with me."

"Wait a minute, let me make a phone call to report this."

"Do you dare to turn on speakerphone?" Xiao Chacha's expression was sly, yet slightly provocative.

Lin An called Xu Qinghuan, and the call was answered within seconds. "Hello, Miss Xu Qinghuan?"

"You've been sleeping for a long time. If you have something to say, just say it. I'm sleepy." Xu Qinghuan sounded like she hadn't woken up yet.

"I drank a bit too much and I'm sleepy, so I won't be coming back tonight."

"Tsk, you might as well just die out there." Although that's what she said, Xu Qinghuan's tone was more teasing. "Alright, alright, I know, goodnight."

"Good night."

Lin An hung up the phone, then tilted his head and looked at Xiao Chacha.

"I still feel that something's not right between you and Xu Qinghuan."

"Ning, just keep guessing. I'm going to wash up." Lin An walked towards her bathroom, and Xiao Chacha muttered behind him, "Just use mine for the toothbrush, and the white towel."

"it is good."

"I'll buy you a pair of slippers next time. You can wear mine for now. I'm going to lie down on the bed."

She placed her slippers in front of him and quickly ran back to her room. When Lin An returned after washing up, Xiao Chacha was curled up under the covers, listening to music on her phone with headphones on.

Then she moved to the left, and Lin An lay down next to her.

"I really enjoy sleeping with you. Come here, let your big sister hug you."

"He's only a year older than me."

"That's still my older sister, hehehe." Xiao Chacha looked very happy, in short, very happy. Then she and Lin An huddled under the covers. She turned off the light and looked at his face in the dim light from the window.

Do you want to listen to some music?

"want."

Then Xiao Chacha gave him an earphone, hugged him tightly, and even went so far as to put her legs on his body. She closed her eyes contentedly. The night was long, but she wasn't alone tonight, so she wanted to have a good dream.

Lin An closed his eyes in peace. When he stopped worrying about so many things, the tangled lines seemed to unravel on their own. It turned out that the lines had never existed; they were just things he had been confused by thinking about this and that.

Xu Qinghuan, Xu Qinghuan...you must have foreseen this day, right?

I'll wait for you. I think... I understand a little bit now.

Chapter Four: A Chance Encounter

Su Yuejin woke up in the morning because she was cold.

It turns out that late autumn has already turned cold without her realizing it after a cold snap. She had opened the window last night. Today is October 6th, the second to last day of the holiday. She woke up groggily, glanced at the time, and it was already ten o'clock.

She casually took off her thin silk slip dress, still wondering what to wear today. However, most of her clothes seemed to be early autumn and spring wear, with few winter clothes. Because it was a bit cold, she wore a pure white rabbit sweatshirt and a pair of loose jeans. Miss Su Yuejin decided to go out to buy clothes.

After all, online shopping takes quite a long time, and you have to try it on after you buy it to see if it suits you. Going to a physical store is much more convenient, but you still have to wash your hair before going out. Su Yuejin was really torn.

In the end, she decided to wash her hair, blow-dry it, put on a pair of canvas shoes, and went out. Xiao Chacha had already returned her car. The car wasn't very expensive; it was quite cheap. Anyway, it was just for getting around, and Su Yuejin didn't drive it often. She preferred walking.

After parking the car at a shopping mall, Su Yuejin opened the door and got out. There weren't as many people in the mall today, after all, the National Day holiday rush was over, and not everyone gets a seven-day holiday.

She walked in the early autumn weather, first stopping at a small shop in the mall for a bowl of oden, and then went to look at clothes. Compared to trendy brands and Japanese style, she still preferred skirts, since it was late autumn and she could wear thicker tights. She also quite liked hoodies. Hoodies are a type of clothing that looks great on some people and just looks weird on others. Su Yuejin belonged to the former.

Miss Su Yuejin, who loves pairing hoodies with skirts, bought two more hoodies, one white and one light gray, as well as a baseball cap and a small earring. She also saw a pair of couple necklaces and stood at the counter looking at them for a long time. The enthusiastic salesperson talked to her for a long time, because the salesperson could see that the necklace around her neck was quite valuable.

However, Su Yuejin ultimately did not buy it.

She knew it was pointless to buy it; Lin An wouldn't wear it with her, so it was just wishful thinking. But for some reason, when she saw the necklace, an image of her and him wearing it and holding hands while shopping flashed into her mind, so she stood there for a long time.

When she finally came to her senses, she realized it was just wishful thinking. After rubbing her face, Su Yuejin picked up the two bags of clothes she had bought and continued to wander aimlessly in the mall, intending to look at scarves next.

However, as she stepped into the corridor on the third floor, she suddenly saw a back view that seemed strangely familiar.

Or rather, it's the backs of two people.

....................................

Xiao Chacha was wearing a black Harajuku-style hoodie with a large graffiti logo on the back and a girl with an orgasmic face on the front. She wore a purple plaid skirt, half of which was covered by the hoodie, leaving the other half exposed. Black over-the-knee socks tightly hugged her calves, and her long, flowing hair swayed with her slightly bouncy steps.

The person standing next to her was wearing a blue denim jacket, tall and thin, carrying two bags in one hand, while the girl next to him was holding his other hand tightly.

"Hey, I said... let's slow down, please, I'm so tired."

A familiar voice reached Su Yuejin's ears. She hadn't misheard; the girl's voice followed, "A man can't say no! Come on, come on, let me buy you another dress. I'll buy you clothes later, okay?"

"No, I can buy it myself, I don't need it."

He and she continued walking forward, while Su Yuejin stood still. In that instant, she found herself suddenly unable to move or speak. She wanted to say something, or go up and ask something. Perhaps it was some kind of misunderstanding? How could Xiao Chacha have really won over Lin An?

But she couldn't speak.

So the two people in sight slowly walked away, without looking back.

..............................

Lin An was woken up by Xiao Chacha at eight o'clock in the morning. Xiao Chacha usually likes to stay in bed, but she planned to buy autumn clothes today, so she dragged Lin An out of bed early to be his advisor and help him with the chores.

When it comes to ordering people around, Miss Xiao Chacha is more than a pro. But Lin An has a soft temper, and since he had nothing else to do, he went along with it. After having breakfast together, they headed to the mall. Xiao Chacha seemed to have plenty of energy for shopping. Today, she was dressed quite warmly, and even made Lin An put on over-the-knee socks for her before leaving the house.

The process was like a restless child, occasionally rubbing against him with its toes, like a naughty cat testing the edge of getting a beating time and time again.

Lin An couldn't help but give her a beating. This girl was just asking for trouble and liked to cause trouble. She would yell and scream when she was beaten, but she would behave for a long time after being beaten once.

The two of them had been shopping all morning, and Lin An was a little hungry. So they left their purchases at the store for a while and then went to eat pickled fish in the mall. They ordered a big pot, but Xiao Chacha only ate a small bowl before rubbing her stomach and saying she was full.

Indeed, that's how lazy people are; how can they get hungry if they don't exercise?

Lin An ate a small portion himself. Since Xiao Chacha paid the bill, he didn't mind. He was quite frugal most of the time. After lunch, Xiao Chacha went with him to a jewelry store. She wanted to buy two headbands and a few small earrings.

Lin An bought two pretty little hair ties.

"Why did you buy this?" Xiao Chacha asked suspiciously.

"Huh? One for Su Yuejin, one for my sister, is there a problem?"

"Could you buy me one?"

Don't you have hands?

"It has a different meaning," Xiao Chacha said, clinging to his arm. "Please, Lin An~"

"No, your whining is disgusting. Buy it yourself, it makes no difference." Lin An refused decisively. He rarely bought gifts for girls. Gifts, you know, sometimes depend on the person.

For girls who receive tons of gifts every day, it's useless to give them more gifts because they don't need them at all. Giving them more gifts is just a waste of money. Stop doing stupid things and be good to yourself.