Chapter 124: We... step by step, let's take it slowly

Shen Li was a bit puzzled. Why did hair ropes have to be worn on a boyfriend's hand? "What... can this be used for?"

The old grandmother smiled and explained: "It's very popular now. Buying hair ropes for boyfriends to wear, so other little girls will know he has a girlfriend. This way, no one will come to harass your boyfriend."

So that's it.

Shen Li raised her head and looked at Xie Qin. "Do you want one?"

Xie Qin met her gaze, his eyebrows raised slightly, looking at her with a smile, his voice slowly slowing down his tone: "Do you not know if your boyfriend will often be 'harassed'?"

He even deliberately emphasized the tone of the two words "harassed."

Shen Li stared at his eyes, thought for a while, then let go of the hand he was holding tightly, lowered her head, and took out her wallet. "How much money? I want one."

Old grandmother: "Ten yuan."

"Here you go." Shen Li took out cash, exactly ten yuan.

The old grandmother smiled and took it: "Alright, all of these are ten yuan, little girl, pick whatever you like."

Finally, she chose a red one. This color fit his personality very well—passionate and flamboyant.

Shen Li chose it and put it on his left wrist, praising from her heart: "Looks good."

"Only sissies wear this kind of thing." Xie Qin glanced at it lightly. The first second, his tone sounded a bit disgusted, but the next second, he changed his words: "However, since it's a gift from my partner, sissy is sissy."

Shen Li stared and asked him: "Do you like it?"

If he didn't like it, it didn't matter if he took it off.

Shen Li didn't want to force him either.

She only heard a chuckle in his voice: "It's alright."

Seeing that he liked it, Shen Li also happily curled her lips.

She found that wearing it on his hand was inexplicably suitable. Most importantly, it wasn't "sissy" at all. Xie Qin's fingers were slender, his knuckles distinct, and his cold white skin set off the hair rope, which instead had a kind of extremely aggressive sexiness.

After walking for a while, the two prepared to go back to the classroom for class.

On the way back.

Shen Li told him: "I plan to go back to Su Shi this weekend to see my grandmother, so I won't be able to be with you."

Xie Qin's home was in Di Du, but Shen Li found that he seemed to have always stayed in Wuchuan and didn't go back much.

Before the National Day holiday, Shen Li knew they would take Shen Zhaozhao to her grandmother's house, so during that time, even if she didn't participate in the mathematics competition tutoring, she planned to avoid going back. Now it was the weekend, and she thought about having more time to accompany her grandmother.

Xie Qin asked her: "What time do you plan to leave?"

"I'll leave after class on Friday afternoon."

He responded faintly: "Yeah."

Tomorrow happened to be Friday. Xie Qin took his phone out of his pocket.

"Did you buy the ticket?"

"Not yet. I plan to go to the high-speed rail station to buy it; it will be more convenient."

Xie Qin raised an eyebrow, looked at her, and less than half a minute later, the phone showed a prompt for waiting for the ticket to be issued: "I bought it. The ticket is for 6:30 PM tomorrow afternoon. I'll drive you there; we'll make it in time."

"Okay, thank you." After a while, she asked him again: "How much money? I'll transfer it to you."

Xie Qin laughed and looked at her: "Do you have to be so clear with me? Do you still remember the matter of asking you to split the bill last time? I just wanted to find an opportunity to talk to you."

Shen Li didn't take the matter from last time too much to heart either, and she didn't feel there was anything wrong with it.

"I just feel that even if we are dating now, it's better to calculate some things clearly."

Several times when they went out to eat, Xie Qin spent too much money. Sometimes she would buy, although Xie Qin wouldn't fight to pay the bill, she always felt that he was always the one who paid more.

She also wanted to pay more for him, so that she wouldn't have too much burden in her heart.

"Are you stupid?" Xie Qin looked down at her, the smile in his eyes couldn't be hidden, his fingers rubbing her fingertips gently as he held her hand. "Dating isn't calculated so clearly. The gifts I buy you, the meals I treat you to—it's not to calculate money with you, but because I want to be good to you."

"When others are good to you, you accept it with peace of mind. In the future, no matter what I give you, how much I give you, I don't need you to pay it back. Do you understand?"

Shen Li raised her eyes and bumped into his serious eyes. She didn't not understand his intentions; she was just used to not owing others, even the person she liked.

She was afraid he would be angry, so she still nodded obediently: "Yeah."

When they were almost at school, Xie Qin somehow pulled the topic back to studying.

He asked faintly: "According to your previous grades, if you hadn't been sick, which university could you have gone to?"

Shen Li half-lowered her eyes, lowering her gaze. "Qingbei."

Xie Qin looked at her and suddenly laughed, saying: "Di Du? You're so amazing?" This tone was like praising a child.

Xie Qin just thought she was saying it on purpose to make him happy, so he didn't take it too seriously.

Shen Li: "Yeah."

This was the destination she was supposed to reach.

"You really don't set low requirements for yourself."

Shen Li: "..."

Xie Qin: "Forget it, dating for a while longer, playing for a while, it's not impossible."

"We... step by step, let's take it slowly."

There was one more class on Friday afternoon. Xie Qin dragged her to skip class.

Sitting in the car, Xie Qin fastened the seatbelt for the person sitting in the passenger seat.

Shen Li looked at him: "Didn't you say... you would wait until class was over to send me?"

Xie Qin fastened the seatbelt, and unexpectedly kissed her lips. "Leaving in the afternoon, arriving at eight or nine in the evening—it's too late, I'm worried."

It took at least two and a half hours to get to Su Shi, usually three hours. Leaving at six, arriving at her grandmother's house after nine—it was indeed a bit late.

"After going back this time, don't come back without saying a word like last time!"

"Remember to call your partner!"

"I'll come to pick you up."

"Did you hear me?"

Xie Qin drove and glanced at her.

Shen Li nodded: "Yeah. I will tell you."

To reassure him, she explained again: "I already know the way; I won't get lost this time."

Xie Qin looked at the road ahead, driving seriously, and laughed in a low voice: "You also know that you're worrying?"

"How did our parents agree to let you go on a long trip alone?"

"Aren't they afraid you'll get lost!"

Shen Li gripped the seatbelt, her emotions sinking slightly, looking out the car window. She didn't show it on her face, just told him: "They... are too busy, they don't have much time to manage me."

Their thoughts were never on her.

When the car drove to the high-speed rail station, there were forty-five minutes left, just in time.

Thinking that she would not see her for two or three days, Xie Qin felt uncomfortable all over. He looked over and saw Shen Li leaning on the car seat, still sleeping, eyes closed, breathing shallowly. Xie Qin's look at her became more and more wrong. The beast locked in his heart seemed ready to break through the cage at any time and eat her up.

That was the Xie Qin that Shen Li had never seen.

The sleeping Shen Li subconsciously felt something.

When she slowly opened her eyes.

She met his pitch-black, deep eyes. He turned his head, leaning very close to her.

Shen Li's eyes were filled with the confusion of not having woken up yet.