Their hands touched as they passed something. The moment their skins made contact, they quickly pulled away.
It was just an inadvertent move, but Jiang Li felt her heart pounding. She quickly turned her back, not wanting him to see her slightly flushed earlobes.
The image of that big hand with distinct knuckles flashed through her mind, and for no reason, some imaginable pictures came to her.
On certain nights.
She felt that not only her earlobes but also her face were burning.
The kitchen was spacious, but she still felt a bit cramped. With an extra person there, even breathing seemed difficult.
"You don't need to help here. You can go out and wait," Jiang Li said uneasily, not wanting him to stay any longer.
Xiao Yanzhi nodded, but instead of leaving the kitchen, he quietly stood behind her.
Jiang Li turned on the faucet and rinsed the plate with cold water, along with her hand to cool it down.
She took a deep breath, trying to dispel the heat in her chest. She turned around with the plate in her hand and unexpectedly bumped into a chest.
Reacting instinctively, she let go of the plate, and it almost fell to the ground.
"Be careful."
The man moved quickly. He caught the plate in mid - air with his left hand, lifted it from her side, and gently placed it on the counter beside. With his right hand, he supported her shoulder.
She was passively pressed into his arms.
Her whole face was buried in his chest, and she could clearly hear the beating of his heart in his chest.
Each beat was steady.
Taking the opportunity, his palm pressed on her back, preventing her from easily breaking free. She could only barely maintain this position.
He lowered his head, and his chin rested on her shoulder.
The feeling of holding her completely in his arms made him feel extremely fulfilled and gave him a sense of real security.
At this moment, she only belonged to him.
He said, "I had a dream about you a few days ago."
Jiang Li looked up at him from his arms. "What kind of dream?"
Looking down from a high angle, she was so small in his arms, truly like a delicate bird.
He paused for a moment and continued, "It was a really bad dream. So bad that I don't even want to mention it."
It was not just that he didn't want to, but he even dared not say it out.
He was afraid that it might come true.
Jiang Li was a bit uncomfortable being so close to him. She pushed his chest with her palm. "Let me go..."
"What, are you afraid of being discovered by the people outside?"
"No... the faucet is still on."
Xiao Yanzhi raised his eyebrows. Looking at her blushing cheeks, he couldn't help but want to kiss her. "Since you two aren't together yet, I still have a chance."
Saying that, he was about to look for her lips.
Facing her misty eyes, it was hard for him to maintain any so - called gentlemanly etiquette, let alone talk about any so - called reason.
The kitchen door was cracked open. Someone peeked inside and then silently closed it.
Sheng Jingxi leaned against the door panel and thought to himself: Judging from how lovey - dovey these two are, when will we be able to eat this hot pot?
---
When Jiang Li came out of the kitchen, her face was flushed and her eyes were moist. Under Sheng Jingxi's winking, she felt like she wanted to find a hole in the ground to hide in.
She was sure that he must have eavesdropped!
The hot pot was already set up, and all kinds of vegetables and meats for the hot pot were ready. Jiang Li also made a few home - cooked dishes and put them all on the dining table.
Jiang Li was very considerate and prepared a split hot pot base so that whether people liked spicy food or not, they could all be taken care of.
The hot pot base soon boiled, and they put the vegetables and meats into the pot, waiting to start eating.
Considering that they might find the food too spicy, Jiang Li carefully took two cups and poured milk for them to relieve the spiciness.
Xiao Yanzhi took the cup with both hands. "Thank you."
"Don't pour any for me," Sheng Jingxi waved his hand. "I don't drink milk."
Jiang Li asked him, "Are you also allergic to milk?"
Sheng Jingxi shook his head. "It's my mom who is allergic to milk. Over time, I don't like it either. I always think it has a strange taste."
The topic turned to Sheng Jingxi's mother, and Jiang Li suddenly became interested. "What kind of person is your mother? Is it okay to talk about her?"
She was very curious about Li Muzi, whom she had never met.
Sheng Jingxi took a sip of orange juice and said indifferently, "There's nothing wrong with talking about it. But I don't remember very clearly. I can only say what comes to mind."
At this time, Xiao Yanzhi looked up at Sheng Jingxi.
In terms of narration, Sheng Jingxi and Jiang Li had a highly consistent habit.
They both liked to ramble on and talk about whatever came to their minds.
"She was a stage actress. I remember she often wore a stage costume, and the makeup on her face was as thick as when you act in a play - let me say first, she was prettier than you."
Jiang Li was speechless. "… I know. You've said that many times."
She had no intention of comparing her beauty with Li Muzi, but Sheng Jingxi still kept bringing it up.
Even though he had seen countless women, in his mind, the most beautiful one was his mother.
She was always gentle, as delicate as water. After the performance, she would hug him and ask him who the most beautiful woman in the world was.
He would also act coquettishly in his mother's arms, put his arms around her neck, and say that she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
Although the answer was always the same, she would always smile happily.
She once gave him a birthday present, a toy remote - control racing car. He was overjoyed and played with the remote control for an entire afternoon until the batteries in the remote control ran out. Then she took his hand and went to the store to buy a whole box of batteries.
Passing by a store selling goldfish, he begged her to buy him a few small goldfish. But within a week, all the goldfish died. She cried a lot. Finally, his father coaxed her well and ordered him not to raise small animals anymore.
It wasn't for any other reason. It was just that the lifespan of small animals was always shorter than that of humans, and their death would make his mother sad.
When he first came into contact with the term "dream", he happily told her that his dream was to become a racing driver. She proudly lifted him high in the air and said with a smile that he would surely be the best racing driver in the world in the future.
Although it was a childhood memory, when he mentioned it, the picture in his mind was so clear.
The food in the pot was already cooked. Jiang Li picked up a piece of beef and put it in her bowl, quietly listening to Sheng Jingxi's story.
The hot pot base was boiling and steaming, and the room was filled with warmth.
After Sheng Jingxi finished speaking, he felt inexplicably depressed. He glanced at Xiao Yanzhi. "Dude, do you want to have a few drinks?"
Xiao Yanzhi nodded. "I'm always ready."
As a man, he couldn't fail to notice the trace of loneliness on Sheng Jingxi.
Jiang Li said, "There's no alcohol at home."
"Then I'll go out and buy some," Sheng Jingxi felt a bit stuffy in his chest and thought it would be good to go out and get some fresh air. "You guys keep eating. I'll go out to buy some alcohol."