Chapter 94: I Like You

Chapter 94: I Like You

Ye Xiaoxiao and Lu Hanchuan left the Hao family.

Once they were outside, Ye Xiaoxiao said, "Hey, you can let go of me now."

Holding hands is pretty intimate, but Lu Hanchuan did it so naturally that Ye Xiaoxiao felt it shouldn’t be a big deal.

"Let’s head to my place," Lu Hanchuan released her hand.

This had been agreed upon earlier; Lu Hanchuan would help her deal with the Hao and Xu families, and she would help him deal with his family in return.

But Ye Xiaoxiao couldn’t help feeling a little nervous.

She’d never done anything like this before.

"Relax, my parents aren’t home, probably just my grandparents are there."

Lu Hanchuan hadn’t given them a heads-up; otherwise, his parents would’ve come back just for this.

But Lu Hanchuan knew that he was still kind of faking the boyfriend thing, and he’d wait until he felt more confident before telling others.

"I’m fine."

Ye Xiaoxiao took a deep breath.

Lu Hanchuan glanced at her and let out a soft laugh.

As they walked home, he couldn’t help asking, "Did you see Xu Jianwen at school?"

Ye Xiaoxiao nodded, "Yeah, we just talked for a bit."

Lu Hanchuan: "If he gives you any trouble, just let me know."

Ye Xiaoxiao smiled, "No way. He’s got too much pride for that. I rejected him once, and he won’t come looking for me again."

Lu Hanchuan: "You never know, but he’s about to graduate soon, and he’s getting assigned to an internship, so he won’t be at school for much longer."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "You sure know a lot about Xu Jianwen."

Lu Hanchuan didn’t lie and said directly, "Of course, I looked into him."

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you’ll never lose.

Lu Hanchuan brought Ye Xiaoxiao home, and as they got to the door, they could hear voices in the yard.

Lu Guofeng was sitting in the yard, and Cheng Yan was painting him.

Grandma Lu muttered as she painted, "I told you not to move—look, it’s not coming out right."

Lu Guofeng stood up, "Forget it, forget it, don’t bother me anymore. Go find something else to use as a reference."

Grandma Lu glared at him unhappily, "I don’t even care to paint you."

Their conversation was like that of two old children.

Lu Hanchuan: "Grandpa, Grandma, I’m back."

Lu Guofeng: "You’re back? Big deal..."

Right after he finished speaking, he saw Ye Xiaoxiao beside Lu Hanchuan.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Hi, Grandpa and Grandma."

Cheng Yan looked up, stopped painting, set the brush aside, and hurried over.

"You must be Xiao Xiao, welcome home." Grandma Lu walked over and took Ye Xiaoxiao’s hand, examining her, "You’re such a beautiful young girl, like a fairy from a painting."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Thank you, Grandma, for the compliment."

Grandma Lu pulled her into the house, "Let’s head inside and chat."

Totally forgetting about her own grandson.

Lu Guofeng patted his grandson’s shoulder from behind, "Why didn’t you let us know before bringing someone home, you rascal? Your grandma and I didn’t prepare anything."

Lu Hanchuan didn’t mind his grandfather’s scolding, "It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing."

Lu Guofeng told the maid, Xiao Chen, to pick up some groceries and whip up a few more dishes.

In the living room, Ye Xiaoxiao was already deep in conversation with Grandma Lu.

Cheng Yan was cheerful in her youth, and she’s still quite the talker, even in her old age.

Ye Xiaoxiao also had a way with words, which really made the old lady happy.

"How is school? Is schoolwork tough? Are there any difficulties in life?"

The more Grandma Lu looked at Ye Xiaoxiao, the more she liked her.

"Make sure to jot down our home number. Don’t hesitate to call Grandma if you need anything. Xiao Chuan’s in the army, so he’s not always able to pick up the phone."

Ye Xiaoxiao thanked Grandma Lu for her kindness, and her graciousness only made the old lady like her more.

Even though Lu Guofeng didn’t say much, he was pretty pleased with Ye Xiaoxiao.

Not bad... my grandson’s got good taste.

Takes after me.

After having dinner with the two elders, Ye Xiaoxiao and Lu Hanchuan got ready to head out.

Before leaving, Grandma Lu slipped Ye Xiaoxiao a red envelope.

"Xiao Xiao, Grandma didn’t have time to prepare anything else today. This red envelope is from Grandma’s heart."

Ye Xiaoxiao was momentarily speechless.

This must be the treatment for a granddaughter-in-law.

She looked at Lu Hanchuan, suddenly feeling that their previous agreement might have been a bad idea.

If the two elders found out everything was fake, how heartbroken they would be.

Lu Hanchuan walked over, took the red envelope, and put it in Ye Xiaoxiao’s hand, "Thank you, Grandma. I’ll take Xiao Xiao back to school now. We’ll come back another day."

Cheng Yan reminded, "Drive safe, take care."

After leaving the Lu family, Ye Xiaoxiao handed the red envelope back to Lu Hanchuan.

Lu Hanchuan didn't take it, "Keep it, it's grandma's way of showing her love."

Ye Xiaoxiao looked at Lu Hanchuan, feeling troubled.

Lu Hanchuan stopped walking, "What's wrong?"

Ye Xiaoxiao looked up, "Although you just helped me deal with the Hao family, saying this now might seem like I'm ungrateful, but I still have to say it."

Lu Hanchuan was calm, "Go ahead, you can say whatever you want."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I think your grandparents genuinely care about you. If you're not ready to find a girlfriend, maybe you should have a serious talk with them."

Seeing the elderly couple reminded Ye Xiaoxiao of her own grandparents. Lying to the elderly was really stressful.

Lu Hanchuan led Ye Xiaoxiao to a quieter pavilion in the courtyard.

"Tell me, what made you change your mind?"

Ye Xiaoxiao covered her face, "Your grandparents treated me like a future granddaughter-in-law, and I feel guilty."

Lu Hanchuan pulled her hands down and looked into her eyes, "What are you feeling guilty about?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I'm not your girlfriend, we're just pretending. When we go our separate ways, your grandparents will be heartbroken."

She looked at the red envelope in her hand, "I even accepted money from your family!"

Lu Hanchuan chuckled.

"Don't stress so much, you could be."

Ye Xiaoxiao's eyes showed confusion, "What could I be?"

Lu Hanchuan: "You could be my girlfriend."

"What... what did you just say!"

"You could be my girlfriend." Lu Hanchuan repeated firmly, "Xiao Xiao, you don't think I'm a flaky person, do you? If I didn't like you, do you think I'd go out of my way like this!"

Ye Xiaoxiao was stunned, "Lu Hanchuan, are you serious? You..."

Are you out of your mind?

Seriously, who pursues a girl like this!

Lu Hanchuan: "Completely serious."

Ye Xiaoxiao didn't know what to say. Lu Hanchuan had been acting strange since they first met. She wasn't sure if he liked the person she used to be or who she is now.

"When did you start liking me? What is it about me that you like?"

Ye Xiaoxiao took a step back, pressing for answers.

She looked ready to bolt if Lu Hanchuan's answer wasn't what she wanted to hear.

Lu Hanchuan didn't press forward but explained seriously, "The first time I saw you in Songlin Town, at the market, it was chaotic, but in the crowd, I spotted you right away.

I'm certain about my feelings, Xiao Xiao, I like you."

I like you.

Those four words made the air around them feel electric.

Under his intense gaze, Ye Xiaoxiao felt the urge to turn and run.