Dong Xin Yan secretly took a deep breath, then looked up at the clothes in Gu Ningyi’s hands. Her big, distinct black and white eyes blinked as she summoned the acting skills she had honed over the years, smiling calmly and composedly as she said, "No, it’s just... the clothes are the same color. I happened to be missing an overcoat in this color, so... I bought one as well. I didn’t expect that I’d accidentally put it in the same bag, sorry about that."
While speaking, Dong Xin Yan suddenly stepped forward, leaned over, grabbed the girl’s coat, and pulled it directly from Gu Ningyi’s hand. Then, instinctively, she hid the coat behind her, not wanting Gu Ningyi to see it anymore. Content originally comes from novｅlfire.net
Gu Ningyi was caught off guard when the coat was snatched away by Dong Xin Yan. He was momentarily stunned and looked at Dong Xin Yan. Although there was a smile on her face, that smile carried a hint of stiffness and unnaturalness. Even when he looked at her, her eyes flickered, unable to meet his gaze.
For the first time, Dong Xin Yan lied in front of him. He didn’t feel angry at all; instead, a thread of sweetness slowly spread through his heart.
A woman gifting a man a couple’s outfit, what does that mean? It’s impossible for him not to understand.
Even if she hasn’t fallen for him yet, at least it’s... a sign of affection, a sign that things could develop further.
And her rapid denial only confirmed further that the truth is concealed, perhaps due to shyness, which is why she doesn’t dare to admit it?
He initially thought that Dong Xin Yan was still in love with Ziyang, so even after realizing his own feelings, he didn’t dare to act recklessly and could only proceed cautiously.
Unexpectedly... she has a slight affection for him too.
Gu Ningyi’s lips curled up involuntarily, a trace of a smile appeared in his dark eyes, and his whole being was enveloped in warm sunlight, radiating a breeze of spring warmth.
Today, Secretary Lin asked him which date he would bring to the company’s year-end party, and he hoped it would be Dong Xin Yan. He wanted her to accompany him to the party.
However, he didn’t know how to bring it up to her and was quite nervous that she might refuse him.
But now, he thought he should be able to ask her.
Gu Ningyi smiled, carefully folded the coat, put it back in the bag, then looked up and fixed his gaze on her. His thin lips parted gently, his voice low and soft, "Dong... Xin Yan."
He habitually called her full name, but halfway through, he paused and corrected himself by calling her just Xinyan. For some reason, when he said those two words, he could feel a trace of sweetness on the tip of his tongue.
Dong Xin Yan was still immersed in awkwardness and annoyance, not noticing the change in Gu Ningyi’s emotions or the shift in his words, and she responded unconsciously with a "hmm."
"Are you free on Christmas?"
It was clearly a simple sentence, but for some reason, when he said it, it didn’t come out smoothly. His palms even started to develop a thin layer of sweat, and his heart couldn’t stop trembling.
Still lost in her thoughts, Dong Xin Yan responded again with "hmm."
Gu Ningyi’s dark eyes narrowed slightly, feeling his heart pounding fiercely against his chest, he swallowed hard and, with a slight tremor in his voice, continued, "On Christmas, my company has a year-end party. I’d like to... invite you to be my date."