While talking, Song Baiyan felt an itch in his throat.
It was a sign of his craving for cigarettes.
He pushed open the car door, planning to smoke half a cigarette before anyone arrived, but just as he stood beside the sedan, a slim figure came running from afar.
Song Baiyan, still holding the car door, shifted his gaze over.
Tang Li used her card to open the door access system.
In mid-April, with the temperature gradually rising and the weather being unusual these past few days, she wore just a sleeveless T-shirt and capri jeans under a cardigan, donned a pair of garden shoes, and hurried out like that.
Seeing the sedan by the road and Song Baiyan standing there, Tang Li couldn’t help but smile and ran straight towards him.
On the tree-lined path, the man wore only a shirt, yet his mature charm made her feel affectionate.
Song Baiyan watched the girl running joyfully toward him. For the first time in his thirty-two years of life, he encountered such fervent emotions. Almost at the same time, as Tang Li approached, he opened his arms to greet her arrival, and then the girl threw herself into his arms.
Tang Li hugged him tightly, her cheek pressed against his neck, feeling nothing but contentment.
Song Baiyan held her back, letting her cling to him, and then gently patted her back, his words filled with indulgence she could sense: "Showing off , what if a passing student sees?"
"I’m not afraid," Tang Li curled her lips, "Just let them know that you are mine, and no one else can covet you."
Song Baiyan couldn’t help but smile.
After a while, Tang Li reluctantly let go.
"Why are you at my school again?"
Tang Li clasped her hands behind her back, kicked the roadside stones with her garden shoes, and said with her head down, "You can come, but it’s too distracting for you, and it’s not safe."
After saying this, she raised her eyes to look at him again.
Song Baiyan’s eyes twinkled with amusement: "Afraid that I might encounter some mishap?"
Tang Li raised her hand and covered the man’s mouth: "Better not talk about such things; sometimes, superstitions turn peculiarly true."
This gesture reminded Song Baiyan of a scene from many years ago.
He took down Tang Li’s hand, holding it, his gaze becoming even more tender, teasingly he asked, "Did a boy really confess to you today?"
Tang Li nodded slightly.
After hesitating, she spoke the truth: "It was Fu Si."
Yet Song Baiyan just laughed, seemingly not upset: "What did you say to him?"
"I said..." Tang Li looked at him, speaking unhurriedly, "I like his uncle, I only want to date his uncle, and in the future, I want his uncle to be my groom."
"Is that really what you said?"
Eventually, Tang Li succumbed under his gaze and said the truth: "I just told him I already have someone I love, we’re together, and I only see him as a younger brother, then he ran off."
After speaking, she asked again: "Did you come to school specifically to see me?"
Song Baiyan said, "An occasional inspection is necessary."
Tang Li pursed her lips: "Are you that worried about me?"
Above her head, the man’s gentle sigh was heard: "Whether I’m worried or not, being here and seeing you eases my mind."
Tang Li, feeling as if she had fallen into a honey pot, looked up again: "Then should I also go to Tan Palace often to ease my mind?"
"Do you want to come to Tan Palace?" Song Baiyan’s gaze on her face was warm.
Tang Li didn’t answer the question, her hands fidgeting with the man’s shirt, and suddenly she said, "It’s been a long time since we last kissed."