73: Closer

The mahjong room is usually the liveliest place in a residential community.

Some play mahjong, some play Speed, and some play Hu Zun.

Chen Yaqin hadn't been to the mahjong room for many days, simply because she couldn't stand the sarcastic whispers.

After such a thing happened, she not only felt stifled herself, but also embarrassed in public.

For those like her who are elderly and retired, the most common topic of conversation is, of course, their children.

Whose son is successful, whose daughter married well... things like that.

When Chen Yaqin walked in, it was bustling inside, with all sorts of conversations, and some cursing because of bad luck.

But, upon seeing Chen Yaqin, many surprised glances were cast her way.

"Oh, Yaqin is here."

The mahjong room proprietress, a woman in her fifties, was the first to react. She stood up and greeted her, "Come sit here. I won't join in; if I play any longer, I'll have to pay out of pocket..."

"Alright."

Chen Yaqin responded with full vigor. She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and the bracelet on her wrist looked conspicuous.

"Oh, Yaqin, did you get a new bracelet?"

The proprietress was surprised, her gaze falling on her bracelet.

"How could I afford a new bracelet? Someone gave it to me."

Chen Yaqin replied casually, as she began to draw cards, without any hint of being deliberate.

"Someone gave it to her?"

The proprietress didn't believe her and said, "This is ice-jadeite; it must be at least six figures, right?"

Upon hearing of a six-figure bracelet, the eyes of everyone around immediately fell on the bracelet on Chen Yaqin's wrist.

There were many who recognized its value, exclaiming, "The floating flowers, the green is so pure! It must be more than one hundred thousand."

"Around there, just over one hundred twenty thousand."

Chen Yaqin said, seemingly nonchalantly, as she played a card: "Fa Cai (Prosperity)."

Hiss!

Who living in this old community would spend over one hundred thousand to buy a bracelet?

For a moment, many gazes were filled with doubt and surprise.

Her family was clearly a laughingstock; how could this be... Then she heard the proprietress say, "Yaqin, did your daughter get a boyfriend?"

Although they were all watching the drama unfold, it was undeniable that Tang Xinyi was beautiful and attractive.

She was educated and had a good job; she had no trouble finding a husband.

Even if they were laughing, they were laughing at her family's poor judgment.

"Young people's affairs, how can it be up to me to manage?"

Chen Yaqin didn't answer directly, but to these people, it was an implicit affirmation.

It was truly impossible not to be convinced.

Just a few days ago, they were the subject of their after-dinner conversations; now, they had become objects of their envy.

In the past, the older generation always used to say, 'Can being pretty feed you?', but now, it really can.

Chen Yaqin took in the changes on their faces, and her mood immediately became incredibly pleasant.

"Quick, draw a card!"

...It was still quite hot on a summer afternoon.

After walking a few steps, Xu Zimo saw the sweat on Tang Xinyi's forehead and suggested they find a drink shop to sit down.

At this time, truly taking a walk outside would be asking for trouble.

Tang Xinyi readily agreed.

So the two got into the car. Xu Zimo drove very slowly, finally stopping in front of a coffee shop.

The interior design was quite nice, and because it was Monday, there weren't many people, making it quiet.

After ordering, Tang Xinyi looked up and saw Xu Zimo, who was sitting opposite her, looking at her. She immediately lowered her head.

She was shy.

That charming and adorable look made Xu Zimo truly eager.

The money spent today was worth it.

Based on his understanding of Tang Xinyi's family, he knew that Chen Yaqin was quite pragmatic, and as long as this relationship was handled well, future matters would be much smoother.

It was possible that she would often invite him to her home for dinner.

This way, the opportunities to interact with Tang Xinyi would naturally increase.

"What's wrong? Am I that scary?" Xu Zimo spoke.

"No, no."

Tang Xinyi quickly denied it, but then she saw the smile in his eyes, and she immediately pursed her lips, saying nothing more.

She was naturally a quiet person.

If it were before, if someone teased her, she would immediately walk away.

But today, she didn't know why, not only was she not annoyed, but an unusual feeling arose in her heart.

Especially when Xu Zimo looked at her like that, her heart would inexplicably beat faster.

This was a feeling she had never experienced during the few years she was with Wang Qiang.

In fact, her attitude towards Wang Qiang couldn't even be called liking; perhaps it was because of his persistence, and she was... moved?

It was precisely because of this that she even refused Wang Qiang's offer to hold hands.

If not for what happened later, perhaps she would have continued to live her life in such a daze.

"You don't even look at me; doesn't that mean I'm unsightly?" Xu Zimo continued to advance by retreating.

At first glance, this sentence seemed innocuous, just self-deprecating, but in reality, it was very skillful.

If the woman didn't care about you, it wouldn't have any effect, of course.

But if the woman cared about you, she would naturally meet your gaze, and eye contact, in fact, would bring the two people closer.

Eye contact is also the easiest way to create an ambiguous atmosphere.

"I..."

Tang Xinyi finally gathered her courage, cast aside the shyness in her heart, and looked up at the man in front of her.

Xu Zimo's eyes were full of tenderness and a smile. Tang Xinyi only looked at him once, but she felt her cheeks flush and her heart pound like a drum. She frantically averted her gaze, but accidentally knocked over the coffee cup on the table.

"Oh dear!"

She exclaimed, fumbling to clean up.

Xu Zimo was quick-witted, swiftly pulling out tissues, and while helping her wipe the coffee stain from the table, he asked, "Did you get burned?"

His fingers accidentally touched Tang Xinyi's hand, and at that moment, Tang Xinyi felt a current spread throughout her body.

She recoiled as if shocked, both shy and embarrassed, her head bowed so low she wished she could bury it in the table: "I... I'm sorry."

Xu Zimo looked at her adorable appearance and couldn't help but laugh: "It's alright, it's alright, it's just coffee. Don't be nervous."

His voice was very gentle, which slowly calmed Tang Xinyi's heart. She secretly looked up at Xu Zimo, and seeing his gentle expression, her nervousness gradually dissipated.

Their gazes met again, and a subtle, different kind of emotion seemed to quietly spread in the air.

Although the subsequent conversation was mostly question and answer, it was clear that the invisible distance between them had significantly shortened.

Unconsciously, the sky gradually darkened.

"I need to go home."

Tang Xinyi might not have even noticed it herself, but there was a subtle, almost imperceptible sense of loss in her tone.

"I'll take you."

Xu Zimo was not overly eager.

Initially, he thought Tang Xinyi was a very aloof girl, but now... it seemed that wasn't the case at all.

He dropped her off at the entrance of her apartment building and didn't go upstairs.

At this moment, it really wasn't good to face Tang Xinyi's parents again.

What if they returned the gifts?

He needed to let things settle.