After a long while, Ling Momo gently moved her head, breaking the stiffness and startling Li Qingshen. He blinked, slowly withdrew his hand, and still fixated on Ling Momo’s eyes, his tone was gentle as if coaxing a child, "Come with me to a place, and I will tell you when we return."
Curious, Ling Momo asked, "What place?"
Li Qingshen lazily smiled, "You’ll know when we get there."
Having said that, he turned around and walked ahead.
Ling Momo quickly got up from the ground, ran a few steps, and caught up with Li Qingshen.
It was Momo’s first time in America, and she looked around everywhere. Li Qingshen found her curiosity especially amusing, so he slowed down and leisurely accompanied her as she strolled.
Finally, they reached the end of the road where an American man approached, handed Li Qingshen a car key. Li Qingshen took it, thanked him, then opened the car door and let Ling Momo get in. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
Li Qingshen drove Ling Momo a long distance to a place called Bronx City. As they neared the area, the car slowed down, and Li Qingshen made several turns before finally stopping in front of a villa.
Li Qingshen unfastened Ling Momo’s seatbelt and said lightly, "We’re here, get out of the car."
He got out first, went around the car, and opened the door for Ling Momo.
Li Qingshen led Ling Momo into the villa, which seemed very old and somewhat dilapidated.
As they reached the villa’s entrance, someone immediately opened the door to greet them with fluent English, "Welcome." Then, they ushered Li Qingshen and Ling Momo into the villa, directly upstairs to a terrace made entirely of wood, which was adorned with various potted plants Ling Momo couldn’t name, blooming with flowers of all colors. The walls too were covered with many small flower pots, creating a particularly tranquil atmosphere.
There were two chairs, and the person greeting them gestured for Ling Momo to sit.
Immediately after, the person rattled off a long passage in English to Li Qingshen. They spoke too quickly for Ling Momo to catch much, barely grasping a few words without understanding their meaning, when Li Qingshen elegantly smiled and said, "Thank you."
Then the person left with a smile, and only then did Li Qingshen sit down, his gaze lingering on Ling Momo’s eyes as he spoke calmly, "Just wait a moment."
Ling Momo nodded, took a look around the surroundings—nothing special caught her eye, deepening her suspicion about why Qingshen had brought her to such an old and rundown villa.
Li Qingshen handed something to Ling Momo.
Ling Momo thought they were going to eat here, but as she looked down, she realized it was the menu of Hagen Dazs ice cream, a brand she was all too familiar with.
"Which one do you want?" Li Qingshen smiled faintly, pointing at the ice cream menu, his voice could definitely be described as gentle.
It was quite hot outside, and being outside made Ling Momo flip through the menu and choose two items, after which Li Qingshen nodded to someone nearby and spoke a stream of English. That person took the menu and left.
Frowning, Ling Momo asked, "Teacher, is this the place you brought me to?"
Li Qingshen nodded and remained silent.
Ling Momo looked around for a while, then turned her gaze around, continuing to make conversation, "Teacher, is this a Hagen Dazs store as well? It doesn’t look like the ones in our country at all, and there’s not even a Hagen Dazs sign."