Chapter 48: The Fourteen-Year-Old Girl

The neighbors were all waiting to eat her wedding candies. In front of her granddaughter, Granny Li was so embarrassed she didn’t dare lift her head. She hurried back into the small shop, hid inside, and continued working on her sewing.

The weather was a bit stifling. She pulled the rolling door halfway open, letting a breeze sweep through, and immediately felt she could breathe much more comfortably.

The clock on the wall pointed to nine thirty.

After washing her hair, the oily scent she’d picked up at An Chen’s house was finally gone, and now her nose was filled only with the fragrance of jasmine shampoo.

Sitting beneath the rolling door, she waited for the wind to dry her hair while applying cold cream to her face in the mirror.

The new fluorescent tube in the shop was much brighter than the incandescent bulb inside the house.

Looking at the person in the mirror, her features seemed more and more refined; just gazing at herself brought a sense of delight.

Suddenly she remembered she’d eaten the Liguo fruit she’d exchanged from the Fortune Base? This was serious—if she stayed here another year or two, she might actually grow into her original appearance as Li Tian’er and gradually lose herself in this world...

As her thoughts wandered, she heard the clattering of a bicycle approaching. It stopped by the shop entrance, the frame landing softly against the wall.

Since the sign for the local specialties shop went up, the business hours had been strictly from nine in the morning to seven at night—never any evening business.

So the visitor was definitely not a customer.

She put down the mirror and was about to peek outside when Chen Yu bent down and stepped in.

“Li Jixiang, could you come out for a moment?” Chen Yu said politely with a gentlemanly smile, then stepped back outside.

Had the sun risen in the west today? Just two days ago, Chen Yu had looked so downcast, but now he seemed like a different person. Had his parents been reinstated to their positions?

Li Jixiang walked out, full of suspicion. She worried Granny Li might overhear if they talked at the door, so she simply pulled the rolling door all the way down.

The streetlight by the national highway was dim, but even in such unforgiving light, Chen Yu’s face stood the test. His well-fitted white shirt accentuated his strong chest and abs, and the rolled-up sleeves revealed perfectly shaped arms.

She hadn’t noticed before, but now she realized that Chen Yu was naturally built in a way others could only achieve through fitness training.

Summer truly was the season to reveal handsome men and beautiful women!

“Jixiang, congratulations on getting into the county’s top high school! And happy birthday!!” Chen Yu produced a bouquet of flowers from behind his back.

“My birthday?” She tried to remember when Li Jixiang’s birthday was. As Li Tian’er, her birthday had always been an event for Port City’s socialites—a romantic, magnificent, extravagant affair she’d long grown tired of.

On her twenty-fourth birthday last year, she and Chen Hao’an had flown to a private island, indulging in a romantic, peaceful time with no interruptions.

Ah! Why was she thinking about Chen Hao’an again? That scoundrel deserved only the fires of hell.

The wildflowers, pale purple and white, were tied with a pink ribbon fashioned into a bow that hung down over Chen Yu’s chest. Seeing her hesitate to take the bouquet, he grabbed her hand and pressed the flowers into it.

“Don’t you remember your birthday? July twenty-eighth. When you were little, I always picked wildflowers for you on your birthday—there were sugar balls too...” Chen Yu rummaged in his bag and produced a packet of sugar balls shaped like flowers, pushing them into her hand as well.

So Li Jixiang’s birthday was also July twenty-eighth. It seemed the system didn’t just pick hosts at random...

“Oh, thank you! But I always celebrate my birthday by the lunar calendar.”

For Chen Yu to come late at night to celebrate her birthday—he clearly had an ulterior motive.

She immediately held the bouquet in front of her chest. She was wearing a white ruffled nightdress; her well-developed teenage figure made her chest curve out. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but just now she’d allowed Chen Yu quite a view.

“I always remember. After dinner, I came by but your shop was closed. I figured you’d come back and waited outside. You’ll be boarding at the county high school, right?”

“Of course. I have to.” Li Jixiang didn’t notice Chen Yu’s expression. She was thinking, I must be twenty-six today! Fourteen was a long time ago.

+1+1+1... Pink numbers danced before her eyes.

He really likes me!

Unbelievable, truly unbelievable—this can’t be happening! A leopard can’t change its spots. A weasel wishing the chicken a happy New Year—there’s always an ulterior motive. Chen Yu must have been eyeing Li Jixiang’s beauty since boyhood, waiting until she was fourteen to make his move.

Did he really think a young girl was so easy to fool? A few candies and a bunch of wildflowers, and he could win her heart (and body)?

How ludicrous!

“What are you smiling about?” Seeing the corners of her mouth lift unconsciously, Chen Yu asked curiously.

“I’m not smiling. I was just thinking, time flies, I’m already fourteen!”

“Yes, time really does fly!” Chen Yu’s gaze lingered, reluctant to leave her face; her silly smile struck him as utterly adorable.

Who was really being silly here?

Catching his look, she smiled slightly back. Lowering her head, she inhaled the flowers’ fragrance, eyes closed in a moment of bliss. “They smell wonderful!”

Her features were delicate and smooth, her almond eyes narrowed in delight, her lips full and rosy, her skin pale as porcelain...

Chen Yu was entranced.

“It’s getting late, you should go. Thank you for the flowers.” She opened her eyes to see him still in a daze, blinked playfully at him, and then turned smartly, pulling the rolling door closed behind her.

Five minutes later, the sound of a bicycle rolling away echoed outside.

A little longer than expected—a small-town youth, after all, had less experience. When she’d used this trick on Chen Hao’an, it had taken him all of three minutes to react, and the next day he’d pursued her even more fervently...

What’s wrong with me today, she thought, why do I keep recalling my days with Chen Hao’an? He wasn’t worth it, not in the slightest!

She spat quietly to herself, turned off the fluorescent shop light, and went to bed.

The next day, Chen Yu appeared around noon. He must have watched from the grove across the way for a while before coming over. Otherwise, it was too much of a coincidence—Granny Li and Blacksmith Han had just left for the county when he walked into the specialty shop.

Today was Sunday, Chen Yu’s day off.

“Welcome! What local specialties would you like to buy today?” She knew Chen Yu hadn’t come to shop, but she asked anyway, treating him just like any ordinary customer.

Last night, Chen Yu had seen hope for youth in her playful wink and smile—he’d been so excited he couldn’t sleep. He’d come early today, eager to strengthen their bond. Even if the school forbade romance, they could at least start as friends. He could wait for her to grow up, as long as she didn’t treat him as coldly as before.

But now...

Chen Yu couldn’t quite tell what was off about Li Jixiang. Her polite smile should have been welcoming, but her attitude made him feel as if she were keeping him at arm’s length.

Were fourteen-year-old girls really this complicated? He couldn’t figure her out.

Chen Yu’s face clouded with uncertainty.

“Haven’t decided yet?” Li Jixiang continued to smile. “Take your time. I’ll be in the back fetching some stock.”

When she returned from the kitchen, Chen Yu had already bagged some fruit. As he paid, his mouth twitched with reluctance—he clearly felt the pinch.

Only after Chen Yu’s figure disappeared did Li Jixiang notice a movie ticket tucked among the bills he’d handed her.