I'll take you home

Taking a sip, it was cold with a hint of sweetness, and in the sweetness, there was a strange taste, like spicy but not quite.

It was Xia Xuehan's first time drinking a carbonated beverage, and she found it very novel. The taste was good, but it felt a little strange.

She secretly looked up at Chen Dong, and seeing him smiling at her, her face instantly flushed red again, like a startled fawn. She quickly lowered her head and continued drinking her beverage...

"Sister Rou, once you're done with the cleaning, hurry back. Looking at the weather, it might rain later."

Then he rubbed Xia Xuehan's head,

"Let's go, I'll take you back."

"Oh." Xia Xuehan thought Chen Dong meant he would see her to a car.

But when Xia Xuehan got into the taxi, Chen Dong didn't close the car door. Instead, he smoothly got in, even squeezing himself further inside.

"Move over a bit."

"Mm." Xia Xuehan didn't know what Chen Dong was going to do, but she always had an inexplicable trust in his words. She would subconsciously agree to whatever he asked her to do.

"Driver, to Longxing Street."

Longxing Street, a place where all sorts of characters roamed, a remote area. Of course, the housing prices and rents there were also the cheapest in Jinghai.

Chen Dong suddenly wanted to see what the place where the girl he liked lived was really like.

After all, in his previous life, he had never been to Longxing Street. By the time he learned about this place, it was from news reports about a massive demolition there.

It was hard to believe that in a developed city like Jinghai, full of skyscrapers, there were still such dilapidated buildings, and in large clusters, even by 2017.

"Boss, where are you going?"

The car had been driving for five minutes, and only then did Xia Xuehan realize that Chen Dong hadn't told the driver where he was going.

At first, she thought Chen Dong was going to run an errand and was just going along for the ride.

"Didn't I say? I'm taking you home."

Chen Dong pinched her delicate nose, and this intimate gesture immediately brought a blush to Xia Xuehan's cheeks, but her heart felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

"Also, from now on, call me Boss at the shop, and call me Dongzi Ge in other situations, got it?"

"Got it, Boss."

Chen Dong: ...

He couldn't resist reaching out and vigorously rubbing her head again, only letting go when her hair became messy.

Xia Xuehan's face was flushed, and her peach-blossom eyes seemed to be on the verge of tearing up.

"Dongzi Ge, if you rub me anymore, I'll become stupid."

"How could someone who got into Jinghai University be stupid? You're definitely a smart person."

Chen Dong listened to her soft, sweet voice, and that "Dongzi Ge," feeling a great sense of accomplishment.

"Oh, right, I haven't asked you yet, what was your score on the college entrance exam?"

"687 points."

"Pfft!" Chen Dong almost spat out a mouthful of old blood from '82.

"How much? 687?"

"Mm."

"Holy crap, that's so high." Chen Dong immediately cursed.

"Then why didn't you go to Huaqing University or Yanjing University in Yanjing? Your score is definitely enough."

"I don't want to be too far from my mom. If I went to Yanjing, no one would be with her."

Xia Xuehan lowered her head, holding the unfinished cola in her hand.

She's truly a filial treasure of a girl. If he took her to meet his mother, she would definitely be very happy, right?

At this moment, Chen Dong decided: no matter what, he had to win this girl over. A simple girl like her, if she met a scumbag, she would surely be deeply hurt.

To save her and protect her from those potential risks and hardships, Chen Dong felt he should do something.

Chen Dong extended his right hand and gently held her soft, tender hand.

Xia Xuehan froze instantly, her mind going blank. It wasn't that Chen Dong hadn't held her hand before, but those times were to lead her in a certain direction. And now—

They were sitting in the car, so close to each other!

Her heart began to pound wildly, and her breathing became a little hurried.

But she didn't resist. She had always been bad at refusing, especially when facing a man she had a good impression of.

Chen Dong, a big man who had only been in one relationship, was also very nervous, holding her hand without her consent...

His only reliance was that Chen Dong felt this simple girl, like a blank sheet of paper, had a good impression of him. He could sense it from the way she usually looked at him and spoke to him.

Just because he had only been in one relationship didn't mean he was completely insensitive to emotions.

Chen Dong clearly felt the beautiful woman beside him stiffen for a few seconds. In that instant, he almost backed out, considering whether to quickly let go and not push his luck too much.

But immediately, Xia Xuehan relaxed again.

Chen Dong let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed his bold action hadn't caused any displeasure.

As long as the first step was taken, the rest would be easier to handle.

He gently squeezed Xia Xuehan's soft hand, which was tender and delicate, feeling wonderful to the touch.

"Mm, I've lived with my mother since I was little. She's always been the one taking care of me."

From this simple sentence, Chen Dong keenly caught on—this girl came from a single-parent family. He wondered if her father had passed away early or divorced her mother?

But at this moment, Chen Dong naturally wouldn't ask such mood-dampening questions. He would find out naturally when their relationship progressed further.

"Then Auntie is a great mother. She must be very excellent to have raised you so well."

For the first time, a young man about her age praised her mother so directly in front of her, and implicitly praised herself as well. Xia Xuehan turned to look at Chen Dong's sincere eyes, and her inner softness was touched again.

"Mm, she's the best mom in the world." Xia Xuehan wore a warm smile, seemingly recalling some beautiful moments spent with her mother.

"Is Auntie home then? Should I buy something to go visit?" Chen Dong suddenly asked.

"Ah!" Xia Xuehan's face instantly turned crimson. She hadn't expected Chen Dong to think about meeting her parents so quickly. She felt like their relationship had only just begun.

"Haha, I'm just teasing you. It's so late, how could we visit elders at night? When I'm not so busy later, we can find a daytime to go."

"Mm." Xia Xuehan also breathed a sigh of relief. If Chen Dong had insisted on visiting her mother, Xia Xuehan truly wouldn't have known how to refuse.

But Chen Dong didn't give her that difficult problem, which clearly showed he was considerate of her feelings. The hand Chen Dong was holding gently turned over, holding Chen Dong's hand back.

From holding the back of her hand, it became fingers intertwined.

After doing this, Xia Xuehan no longer dared to look at Chen Dong, turning her head to look out the window on her right.

Streetlights cast their glow, with tall buildings everywhere, and cars coming and going.

From time to time, one could see relatively good cars like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, and occasionally the roar of sports cars could be heard from afar.

But Xia Xuehan didn't care about any of that. She only cared about quietly being with the person she liked...