Chapter 1045: An Accidental Encounter with an Old Friend

The two of them "tossed and turned" for an entire afternoon.

By the time Cai Xiaotang woke up from her nap, most of her energy had finally returned, and it was already dusk.

Golden sunlight slanted in from outside the window, as if draping the entire room in a layer of gold.

"Mmm..."

She rubbed her waist and sat up from the bed, looking with annoyance at the person who had long since gotten up and was sitting leisurely on the sofa.

"Awake?"

Li Xiao put down his phone, raised an eyebrow at her in a good mood, with an expression that clearly said he was "full" and very satisfied.

Cai Xiaotang immediately rolled her eyes at him.

This beast!!!

It was clearly agreed that they were here for a vacation, so why did it feel like he was the only one enjoying it?

She was practically here to "undergo a tribulation," wasn't she?

Isn't it said that the older a man gets, the more "that aspect" will be beyond his control?

Yet this person, when he starts acting like a "scoundrel," doesn't look like a thirty-year-old old man at all!!!

"Gurgle..."

Just as Cai Xiaotang was constantly complaining in her heart, her stomach suddenly let out a loud growl.

The sound was so loud that even Li Xiao, sitting on the opposite sofa, heard it clearly.

He was stunned for a moment, then immediately laughed without giving her any face.

"You still have the nerve to laugh! It's all your fault!!"

Cai Xiaotang grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it directly at him, her cheeks puffed up in anger, successfully turning into a little pufferfish once again.

Li Xiao caught the flying "weapon" with ease, hurried over to coax her, and said, "Alright~ it's all my fault. So, do you want to rest a little longer, and I'll order something in to eat, or shall we go out for a stroll?"

"Of course we're going out! What good food is there in the hotel?"

Cai Xiaotang answered without even thinking.

Li Xiao immediately reached out eagerly: "Then let me carry you to wash up..."

"You'd better stay away!"

Cai Xiaotang swatted his hand away and quickly ducked into the bathroom by herself.

Soon, she was finished getting ready.

Cai Xiaotang applied some light makeup, wore the most ordinary shorts and T-shirt, and dragged Li Xiao out the door.

The two of them were in a small seaside town; once night fell, there would be a local market selling many local specialty snacks that couldn't be found in big hotels.

Once they reached the market, Cai Xiaotang felt like she had arrived in heaven.

She had been starving for a long time; as soon as she arrived, she headed straight for a nearby seafood stall.

Li Xiao followed with a face full of doting, listening to her skillfully tell the boss what she wanted to eat, his heart feeling completely at peace.

It seemed he hadn't enjoyed such a carefree life where he didn't have to worry about anything for a long time.

It seemed that ever since he met her, everything had changed.

In just a short month, those past days felt like something from a previous life.

But he would not forget the brothers who had fallen for that cause.

"Li Xiao? What are you thinking about?"

Cai Xiaotang's voice suddenly rang out, abruptly pulling Li Xiao back to his senses.

He came to, only to see her holding a scallop, already offering it to his lips, showing no sign of the "deep hatred" she had for him when she first woke up.

Li Xiao couldn't help but let a smile spread in his eyes.

Some people, although they appear fierce and aggressive on the surface.

Yet, during this time, she has taken care of him in almost everything.

Dragging him out to play everywhere, finding ways to talk and make him happy every day, and even when she got something delicious, he was the first one she thought of.

For a little glutton who is no less of a foodie than that little glutton named Tiantian back home, this was truly rare.

Thinking this, Li Xiao took the opportunity to open his mouth and take it.

Seeing him eat it, Cai Xiaotang smiled with satisfaction, then lowered her head to finish her own.

"You only bought two? Weren't you just shouting that you were very hungry?"

Li Xiao couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair.

"There's plenty of delicious food, I have to save some room in my stomach!"

Cai Xiaotang finished a huge scallop in one bite, saying this as a matter of course while pulling him to continue walking forward.

Hearing this, Li Xiao couldn't help but chuckle, his gaze subconsciously scanning around to see what else she might like to eat.

But when he passed a certain spot, he suddenly paused for a moment.

A look of disbelief flashed quickly through his eyes, and his footsteps came to a sudden halt.

"What's wrong? Did you see something delicious?"

Thinking he had discovered something, Cai Xiaotang also stopped and asked curiously.

Li Xiao shook his head, his gaze still fixed straight ahead, looking as if he couldn't snap out of it.

He rarely showed such an expression.

Seeing this, Cai Xiaotang couldn't help but be even more confused, and she also turned her head to look forward, following his gaze.

But on both sides of the road, apart from the vendors setting up stalls, there were only tourists gathered together.

Besides the locals, there seemed to be a few Chinese people like them who were here for travel; other than that, there was nothing special.

What exactly was Li Xiao looking at?

Cai Xiaotang couldn't help but reach out her hand and wave it in front of him, just about to ask—"Look at that couple in front."

Li Xiao spoke first, however, and the somewhat dazed expression he originally had turned profound in an instant, making it impossible for anyone to tell what he was thinking.

Cai Xiaotang looked over again upon hearing this.

Only then did she see that among the few Chinese couples in front, two were young people, and the remaining pair were a couple who looked slightly older.

The woman had a gentle and quiet appearance, while the man beside her, who was a head taller than her, looked to have sharper features, his whole person exuding an air of composure, and he was holding a chubby little girl in his arms who was incredibly cute.

The couple seemed to be teasing the little girl, and they were holding snacks they had just bought in their hands.

From the way the family of three was dressed, one could tell that their family circumstances were quite well-off, and they exuded an atmosphere of harmony and peace that made one feel a bit envious just looking at them.

"What... is wrong with them?"

Cai Xiaotang stared for a while, but still didn't understand why Li Xiao had suddenly become lost in thought.

Li Xiao, however, suddenly let out a long sigh.

After a long while—he finally spoke slowly to explain: "Do you remember that friend I told you about once..."

"A friend?"

Cai Xiaotang was startled upon hearing this.

After a two-second pause, she suddenly widened her eyes, finally realizing something.

"You mean, he is that person from back then..."

Thinking of the past that Li Xiao had only mentioned to her once, Cai Xiaotang's heart gave a sudden jolt, and she turned her head to look over again.

The couple had already continued walking forward, holding hands.

The little girl resting on the man's shoulder, however, looked toward the back.

Seeming to sense Cai Xiaotang's gaze, the pink and tender little dumpling suddenly flashed a sweet smile in Cai Xiaotang's direction, which was enough to make one's heart nearly melt along with it.

Cai Xiaotang felt a complex mix of emotions, and was even inexplicably moved.

This...

Isn't this too much of a coincidence?