"Yeah," Xu Nianhua had roughly calculated the time and casually replied, "I should be staying in Taozhuang for one night tomorrow. I hear the scenery there is quite nice."
"Is something the matter?" Xu Nianhua asked as he looked at him.
Pei Yicheng was silent, his eyes downcast.
Xu Nianhua asked, "By the way, how is that design of yours going for Tianhua Department Store?"
"It’s going smoothly, already in the final stages of revision. Next week, I can submit the bid," Pei Yicheng replied, his lips continuously curling upwards as he listened to her caring words.
The two chatted sporadically until ten at night when, yawning, Xu Nianhua looked at his wristwatch and realized that Pei Yining had been upstairs since after his shower and had not come down.
After getting acclimated on the first day, the second day went even smoother. In the evening, at Taozhuang, Xu Nianhua was very surprised when he encountered Pei Yicheng.
"What are you doing here?" Xu Nianhua exclaimed as he looked at Pei Yicheng.
Pei Yicheng greeted Professor Fei and Jiang Wanru with a smile.
He knew Professor Fei, and he had also met Jiang Wanru before.
"Are you Pei Guozhong’s son?" Jiang Wanru sized up Pei Yicheng, tall and handsome. Standing next to Xu Nianhua, they looked a perfect match, a truly handsome couple.
"Yes, hello Auntie Jiang," Pei Yicheng greeted. "It’s quite a coincidence to run into you here."
Jiang Wanru surveyed Pei Yicheng and Nianhua with profound meaning before saying, "I heard your leg had healed, but I hadn’t seen you yet. Good, good, it’s great that your leg is better. Such a handsome young man shouldn’t be stuck in a wheelchair."
"Auntie Jiang is right, and I need to thank Nianhua. If it weren’t for Nianhua encouraging me, I might not have been able to stand again," Pei Yicheng said, his gaze on Xu Nianhua filled with deep affection. To any discerning eye, the love between them was clear, as if the air around them was filled with pink bubbles.
"Xu, is he your boyfriend?" Lillian asked, looking admiringly at Pei Yicheng with direct questioning.
Xu Nianhua answered straightforwardly. She didn’t want her boyfriend eyed by others. Lillian’s gaze was purely admiring, but Ruth’s seemed different. She wanted to nip any potential interest in the bud, not giving it a chance to grow.
In the evening, Jiang Wanru invited Pei Yicheng to dinner. Throughout the meal, he was very considerate of Xu Nianhua, impressing Lillian, who quietly told Xu Nianhua she too would like to find someone like Pei Yicheng.
Xu Nianhua and Lillian spoke quietly after dinner, whispering to each other as Lillian led Xu Nianhua on a walk, claiming to be the guide. To Xu Nianhua, Lillian seemed more like a friend, while Fang Yuan accompanied Ruth.
"I also wanted to ask you, how is Karl?"
Lillian said this first in French, then repeated it in English, knowing Xu Nianhua was learning French. Lillian intentionally taught Xu Nianhua while also wanting to learn Mandarin with her.
"I really like my boyfriend," Xu Nianhua replied, first in French, then in Chinese.
Just as the words left her mouth, she saw Lillian winking at her. Following her gaze, Xu Nianhua turned and saw Pei Yicheng’s tall figure standing there. Remembering what she had just said, her face turned red, and before she could speak, Lillian had already given her space with Pei Yicheng.
"I also really like my girlfriend," Pei Yicheng repeated her words, speaking earnestly, word by word.