Qi Xingzhou held Jiang Ning in his arms with steady steps, quickly making his way.
Jiang Ning had wanted to get down and walk by herself, but Qi Xingzhou, who was usually so compliant to her, was unusually stubborn now. His strong arms held her firmly and did not let go.
Seeing that he was full of energy, Jiang Ning simply let him have his way.
Qi Xingzhou carried her from the beach to where they had parked their car.
When Jiang Ning took out her keys to drive, she suddenly discovered that her phone had gotten wet.
She looked up at Qi Xingzhou with the realization coming to her late, "It seems like... we won’t be able to have our seafood feast."
Not to mention that the phone was waterlogged and unusable, both of them were drenched and covered in sand, not looking their best.
Qi Xingzhou, hearing that they couldn’t have the seafood feast, showed no particular reaction on his face.
He wasn’t greedy for food, except for enjoying being with Jiang Ning, he had almost no other likes, pitiful in how few interests he had.
"Let’s go, get in the car first," Jiang Ning decided definitively.
Neither of them looked presentable now, and Jiang Ning planned to go back for a shower. They could eat something other than a seafood feast for dinner. It was just a pity that the original plans had been disrupted by unforeseen circumstances.
Jiang Ning drove back the way they came.
Qi Xingzhou sat quietly in the passenger seat.
Jiang Ning glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Initially, Qi Xingzhou wasn’t wet, but since he had picked her up, his clothes had gotten a bit damp.
Jiang Ning suggested amiably, "How about I take you home so you can take a shower, and then I’ll go home to shower myself? Once I’m done, I’ll pick you up and we can go out for dinner?"
As soon as Jiang Ning mentioned taking him home, Qi Xingzhou, who had been quiet until then, reacted as if a command had been triggered in a robot, his expression instantly becoming alert and resistant.
The usually unassuming Qi Xingzhou had now intuitively learned the difference between likes and dislikes.
His most most most favorite thing: Jiang Ning taking him out to play.
His most most most disliked thing: Jiang Ning sending him back home.
Qi Xingzhou leaned back in the seat, trying to make his body appear smaller, hands gripping the seatbelt, every fiber of his being, down to each strand of hair, expressed his opposition to the idea of Jiang Ning sending him home. He shook his head, "I’m not going back."
The same person who wasn’t at all upset about missing the seafood feast earlier now cunningly reminded her, "Seafood feast."
A touch of confusion appeared in Jiang Ning’s eyes; she hadn’t seen any indication on Qi Xingzhou’s face that he was so keen on the seafood feast before.
"We can go for the seafood feast for dinner, but I’m completely drenched right now, I need to shower, and you’re not going back?"
Hearing Jiang Ning’s words, his proud scientific mind began calculating shrewdly.
If Jiang Ning had originally planned to return home after dinner, and now she was thinking of sending him home before picking him up again for dinner, wouldn’t that mean losing a chunk of time he could be spending with Jiang Ning?
A shower could wait, but time spent with Jiang Ning could not be postponed.
Qi Xingzhou resisted with all his might, "I won’t shower."
A person who normally had slight obsessions with cleanliness and loved being clean, now, for the sake of sticking close to Jiang Ning, did not mind turning into a mess.
Since he didn’t mind being damp and uncomfortable, Jiang Ning nodded, "Okay then, let’s head to my place. Where I live now is very close to your home, I’ll take you there to familiarize you with the route so you can come and visit in the future."