After Jiang Li finished speaking, she lowered her head to feel for her phone in her pocket to pay, but there was nothing there. She came up empty-handed.
Oh no! She had been in such a rush when going out that she'd actually forgotten her phone.
She awkwardly stretched out her hand. Just as she was about to say, "I won't buy it," Lu Zhanji took out his phone and paid.
"Let me treat you."
Jiang Li thanked him. The warmth of the chestnuts seeped through the paper bag and was still a bit hot. She tightened her grip.
They were so warm.
"How can you peel chestnuts while walking? Go over there and sit to eat them," Lu Zhanji said, pointing to a bench just vacated by a young couple on the riverside.
Jiang Li nodded. The two quickened their steps and sat down on the bench nearby.
The moment she opened the paper bag, the aroma of the chestnuts, with a hint of char, wafted out and drifted straight into their noses on the wind.
Even Jiang Li's eyes curved a bit.
Taking advantage of the fact that there weren't many people around, she took off her mask and reached out to grab one. But it was so hot that she had to pull her hand back and blew on her fingers to cool them down.
Lu Zhanji saw the whole process and couldn't help laughing. "Come on, how old are you? You're just like a kid. Don't be in such a hurry. No one's going to grab them from you."
After being teased by him, Jiang Li felt even more uncomfortable. She nervously pinched her burned index finger, looking rather embarrassed for a moment. "I didn't expect them to be this hot."
"They'll be easier to peel when they've cooled down. There's no need to rush."
Lu Zhanji casually said, "People say 'you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry,' and you 'can't eat hot chestnuts in a hurry.' Don't always be so tense and anxious. Keep easy."
Jiang Li listened silently. It was a long time before she said, "Mr. Lu, has anyone ever said that you're like a philosopher?"
"I'm just talking about peeling chestnuts," Lu Zhanji said, smiling indifferently at her. "Do you usually treat life like this too?"
Jiang Li didn't answer.
After a while, she tentatively reached out again. After making sure they weren't as hot as before, she slowly started peeling the chestnuts to eat.
It was originally a peaceful and quiet scene. But halfway through, Lu Zhanji received a call from his agent, saying that he needed to go back to the hotel now.
"I may have to go back first. Do you want to come with me?" Lu Zhanji asked her.
Jiang Li hadn't finished eating her chestnuts. "If you have something to do, Mr. Lu, you can go back first."
She shook the paper bag in her hand, and the remaining chestnuts inside shook with it. "I'll eat for a while longer."
Actually, she just wanted to be alone for a while.
"Eat less. They'll make you gain weight," Lu Zhanji said with a soft laugh, waving his hand. "See you on the set tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
There were still a lot of chestnuts in the paper bag. She had only eaten a few. She casually placed the bag on her knees and quietly watched the river under the night sky.
The night wind blew, and the wrinkled water surface reflected the light, flickering on and off.
It wasn't particularly interesting, but she watched for a long time.
Her mind was completely blank. She didn't need to think about anything.
She really enjoyed this feeling.
It was only when she noticed someone approaching out of the corner of her eye that she slowly withdrew her gaze and turned to look at the man standing beside her.
The moment she saw his face, a four - character idiom flashed through Jiang Li's mind.
Like a shadow that never leaves.
Xiao Yanzhi was tall. When she looked up at him, she could only see his jawline. Under the night sky, his facial features were even more deeply chiseled.
He was very amiable today, wearing a loose dark - gray tracksuit. Without saying a word, he sat down on the other side of the bench, stretching out his long legs slightly in a lazy manner. He squinted slightly and saw the paper bag on her lap.
"Peel one for me," he said in a very casual tone.
Jiang Li: "..."
She didn't want to peel one for him and casually made an excuse. "It's not easy to peel chestnuts that have completely cooled down. It'll hurt your hands."
"Five thousand for one peeled chestnut."
Jiang Li smoothly reached into the paper bag.
Xiao Yanzhi: ...
Apart from the fact that she didn't want to peel chestnuts for Xiao Yanzhi, it was indeed difficult to peel chestnuts that had cooled down.
The thin skin inside the shell would tightly adhere to the chestnut meat after getting cold and damp. She could only be patient and scrape it off bit by bit with her fingernails.
Although it was troublesome, she was very patient.
Her slender, fair fingers gently fiddled with the chestnut. The light at night wasn't bright enough, so she could only peel it while looking by the dim light.
After she finished peeling, just as she was about to hand it to Xiao Yanzhi, unexpectedly, the man leaned over. His thin lips touched the back of her hand.
This was a signal for her to feed him.
Jiang Li closed her eyes. Thinking that she had already peeled it and was only one step away from the five - thousand - yuan reward, she fed the chestnut to his mouth. "Open your mouth."
Xiao Yanzhi's eyes swept across her face. Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and while putting the chestnut into his mouth, he took her index finger into his mouth.
Jiang Li paused for a moment and tried to pull her hand back, but the man didn't let go. Instead, he slowly and gently kissed her fingertip.
Again and again.
It sent shivers down her spine.
His movements were very elegant, more like a gentleman performing a kiss - the - hand ceremony on her.
After he finished kissing, he looked up at the woman's slightly blushing cheeks and softly laughed. "It's delicious. Peel another one."
There was no expression on Jiang Li's face, as if she wasn't affected by what had just happened. But her fingers that continued to peel the chestnuts were slightly trembling, revealing a bit of her flustered emotions.
Halfway through peeling, she suddenly realized that she had been led astray by his words.
This bastard was obviously here to tease her. Why was she still peeling?
Jiang Li frowned tightly. Without hesitation, she threw the chestnut in her hand back into the bag, then stuffed the bag into Xiao Yanzhi's arms and took off running.
What a pervert!
Seeing that she was about to escape, Xiao Yanzhi's eyes darkened. He immediately stood up, took a step forward, and grabbed her wrist with his big hand, pulling her to his side.
Not wanting any physical contact with him, Jiang Li struggled hard with her wrist. The man sensibly let go, but his gaze deepened a bit. "Are you really that unwilling to stay with me?"
She had just been chatting happily with Lu Zhanji for so long. Why couldn't it be the same with him?
Jiang Li remained silent.
Of course, she didn't want to.
But she didn't want to say a single word, not even a syllable, to Xiao Yanzhi. Seeing that he had let go of her, she turned around and walked away without looking back.
She quickened her pace, trying to shake off the person behind her.
Xiao Yanzhi was tall with long legs. He walked through the crowd unhurriedly, following behind her.
Jiang Li was determined and walked straight ahead. But she could always feel that lazy gaze behind her. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore. She stopped suddenly and turned around sharply. "Does Mr. Xiao have nothing better to do?"
Seeing that she had finally stopped "storming off," Xiao Yanzhi raised his eyebrows. "You can take a walk by the river. Why can't I? Is this river yours?"
Jiang Li: " ... Then why do you always follow me?"
"Otherwise, what do you think I'm here for a walk for?"
His rhetorical question had already shown his purpose. He had come specifically to follow her.