Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

Chapter 323 - 229. My heart belongs to only you (This chapter comes with a bonus photo of the author in female cosplay)_2

In a moment of distraction, Xia Xiaoxiao had been left behind by Xu Qingfan by three or four meters.

After catching up with a quick trot, she asked him, "What are we doing?"

"Don’t know, haven’t you been leading the way?" Xu Qingfan countered.

Xia Xiaoxiao: ...

"Then I want bubble tea, you go line up and buy it for me!" Without a stinky dog tag hand warmer, a cup of hot bubble tea should suffice to warm her hands.

Xu Qingfan nodded and obediently queued up, and Xia Xiaoxiao didn’t find a place to sit and rest either, she obediently stood by his side.

Most of the pairs lined up in front were couples. Xu Qingfan suddenly wondered, how different was strolling and drinking bubble tea with Xia Xiaoxiao from those couples in front?

There was indeed a difference. It was so cold that those couples were holding hands while he had to keep his hands in his pockets, not even wanting to play with his phone.

Suddenly, Xia Xiaoxiao slipped her right hand into his pocket.

Xu Qingfan turned around, surprised, and before he could speak, the girl jumped in saying, "My hand’s cold!"

Xia Xiaoxiao’s face was expressionless, as if she was truly just warming her hand—don’t think too much about it!

But actually, her heart was a mess, and if Xu Qingfan even glanced at her a bit more, her guilty eyes would dart away.

Xu Qingfan smiled and reached out his other free hand to help her put on the hood of her down jacket, "That’s what you get for being vain!"

"It wasn’t that cold, what’s it to me if my hands are cold!" Xia Xiaoxiao guiltily turned her head away, not letting him see her facial expression.

"Pfft, that’s so you."

Xia Xiaoxiao clenched her hand into a fist, although it was inside Xu Qingfan’s pocket, she kept a clear separation from his hand.

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan covered her hand with his large one and began slowly prying her fingers open, finally holding her hand tightly.

All the while, Xia Xiaoxiao was too nervous to breathe, until her hand was held by his. Throughout, there was no communication between the two.

After a while, seeing Xu Qingfan had no reaction, Xia Xiaoxiao sneakily turned her head to look at him, only to find him playing with his phone!

Not only was he playing with his phone, but the chat displayed was with Lin Wanning!

[Brother Qing Fan, what are you doing tonight?]

[Returned to Li City, wandering Gualv Square with Xia Xiaoxiao. What about you, Wanning?]

[I’m chatting with Brother Qing Fan ah, Gualv Square must be lively tonight huh, wish I had gone back too!]

[It’s Valentine’s Day plus New Year’s, indeed quite crowded, when you’re back, I’ll take you and Yiyi to the park for bumper cars.]

[Hmm!]

After sneaking a peek at the recent messages, Xia Xiaoxiao’s face secretly broke into a smile.

[It’s not that I’m spending Valentine’s Day with him, just bored at home alone!]

"What would you like to drink?" They had unconsciously reached the front of the line, Xu Qingfan nudged the somewhat dazed Xia Xiaoxiao and asked.

"Ah... Oh... I want the tasty grilled milk with coconut jelly."

"A cup of red bean bubble tea, a cup of grilled milk with coconut jelly, both medium-sized and hot." After Xu Qingfan ordered, he casually found a table and sat down with Xia Xiaoxiao.

Since the girl’s hand was still in his pocket, they could only sit close together.

Across from them, a teenage couple was disgustingly feeding each other in public—half a fry for you, half for me, a kiss to follow.

Entering the 2010s, young couples on the streets had visibly become bolder, the reserved romance of the past seemed like history.

Xu Qingfan turned his head to one side, annoyed, wishing people would be more mindful of the public decorum!

Xia Xiaoxiao also despised such behavior, scrunching up her nose in disgust.

If Xu Qingfan dared to feed her fries like that, she’d definitely punch him in the face without hesitation, she thought.

[No, why am I even thinking about this stinky dog!]

Luckily, it wasn’t long before their order number was called, and they hurriedly left.

"Enjoy your meal, as today is Valentine’s Day, every couple gets a free rose. Thank you and please come again," the cashier said with a smile as he handed over the bubble tea and rose.

Xu Qingfan wanted to say they weren’t a couple but the cashier already had the items in his face.

All he could do was accept them and nudged his head towards Xia Xiaoxiao, suggesting they talk somewhere less crowded.

"Geez, no wonder everyone had flowers in their hands, they were given out for free." Xu Qingfan handed the rose and bubble tea to Xia Xiaoxiao.

The girl glared at him. What was supposed to be a happy moment receiving flowers somehow wasn’t as delightful coming from his mouth.

"You don’t want the flowers?" Xu Qingfan asked when Xia Xiaoxiao only took the milk tea.

"Keep them to soak your feet when you get home!"

"After soaking my feet, should I dry them out and make you some flower cakes?"

"Pfft! Xu Qingfan, are you disgusting or what?" Imagining that, Xia Xiaoxiao suddenly spat out all the milk tea she had in her mouth.

"Geez, you trying to kill me with a spray of salty soda!" Xu Qingfan dodged quickly but his sleeve still got splashed with a lot of milk tea.

"It’d be good if it did kill you. And making flower cakes for me, why don’t you just drop dead!" The angrier the girl thought about it, the fiercer she bared her cute fangs at him.

Xu Qingfan admitted he was charmed by her cuteness. He reached out and pinched her cheek, saying, "Trying to act cute like Wanning, huh? Look in the mirror first."

The expression of wanting to stab someone was unmistakable, such as now with Xia Xiaoxiao.

"Ouch~ Stinky Xia Xiaoxiao, why did you step on me!"

"Let your Wanning massage it for you!" After saying that, Xia Xiaoxiao stormed off in a huff.

Xu Qingfan limped as he chased after the girl who walked ahead angrily, smiling playfully, "What’s the matter, can’t you take a joke? When did you become so stingy?"

Xia Xiaoxiao:???

[Search your conscience and listen, is that human speech at all!]

"Hey, hey, why the hurry now?"

"Hey, why are you running!"

Their chase was quite like the antelope and leopard on the East African grasslands – whenever he was about to catch Xia Xiaoxiao, she would deftly turn and dodge him – agility, it was all about agility!

Initially, Xia Xiaoxiao had run away just to avoid dealing with him, but over time, the meaning of this act subtly changed – it was all about not getting caught by that stinky dog!

"Loser, I’m wearing high heels and you still can’t catch me!" Xia Xiaoxiao taunted from behind a tree trunk, having shaken Xu Qingfan off by five or six meters.

"I mean, why are you running? If I wasn’t worried about you falling I would have caught you earlier!" Xu Qingfan wasn’t lying; ever since puberty he had improved a lot physically, just faking ineptness so she could cool down.

Thinking herself clever but actually being quite gullible, Xia Xiaoxiao was that easy to placate.

"Yeah right, number one boaster!" After drinking another sip of milk tea, she continued to run without looking at the path.

"Watch out for the steps behind you!"

"Ah~"

Unfortunately, Xu Qingfan’s warning was too late. He hurried over to help up the fallen girl, "Where did you fall? Are you alright?"

Xia Xiaoxiao had expected the stinky dog to blame her first, but instead, she heard words of concern.

Seeing his worried expression, the girl’s heart was deeply touched for a moment as she stared blankly into Xu Qingfan’s eyes, forgetting to speak.

"Hey, did you get dazed from the fall?" Xu Qingfan asked while lifting her palm to check for injuries – just a scrape, nothing serious.

"My knee hurts a bit," Xia Xiaoxiao finally snapped back to reality and said.

Xu Qingfan knelt down and lifted her skirt slightly to check – the right knee of her bare legs appeared darkened, and in the dim light, it was hard to tell if it was dirt or blood-stained.

"Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you?" Xu Qingfan stood up and asked.

Xia Xiaoxiao first nodded, then immediately shook her head, "It..it hurts a bit."

"Here." Xu Qingfan handed her his milk tea and the roses.

"Oh." Xia Xiaoxiao looked at the spilled milk tea on the ground, and took the milk tea and roses obediently.

"Come on up!" Xu Qingfan turned his back to her and crouched down.

"Oh!"

In the bustling square, the young man carried the girl against the crowd. Beneath the play of light and shadow, their shadows overlapped.

Xia Xiaoxiao clasped Xu Qingfan’s neck with crossed arms, holding the rose in her left hand and the milk tea in the right.

She occasionally tilted her head to the left to stealthily sip his milk tea, and after finishing, she leaned right to admire the flower.

"Stop squirming!"

"Oh."

Xia Xiaoxiao remembered what she had seen on her phone yesterday – a bunch of roses means – you are the only one in my heart.

[As if you’re the only one in my heart, shameless... hmpf!]