"No, I just feel like you've been acting a bit strange lately. Has something happened?"
Deflecting and changing the subject was a skill she had now mastered.
Qin Yuchuan's large hand naturally slipped into Feng Qingyi's fuzzy coat pocket, grasping her hand that was tucked inside.
Feeling the sudden chill, he asked, "Why are your hands so cold?"
"Will you warm them up for me then?"
Feng Qingyi looked him over. He was only wearing a dark-colored robe, which looked quite thin.
"No way, who told you to wear so little in the dead of winter? You deserve to be cold!"
Qin Yuchuan chuckled softly, "Is Qingqing worried about me?"
Feng Qingyi was dazzled by his smile. "I am not. Why are you suddenly calling me Qingqing?"
"Don't you think 'Qingqing' sounds more intimate?"
Everyone else called her Qingyi. He wanted to be more affectionate, though he felt "wife" would be even better, but it wasn't quite appropriate yet.
She didn't feel the intimacy, just found it strange. But it was just a nickname, so she let him have his way.
"It's alright, I suppose."
"It's about time Qingqing changed how she addresses me too."
Though he quite liked her calling him by his full name, he also wanted to have a special nickname.
"What do you want me to call you? Yuchuan, Yuyu, Chuanchuan, or something else?"
Qin Yuchuan wasn't satisfied with any of Feng Qingyi's suggestions. "Call me A'Yu."
"A'Yu?" It didn't sound particularly good to her.
Qin Yuchuan: "Say it again."
"I'm not a dog that you can just tell to speak on command. Don't I have any dignity?"
The two leisurely strolled through the bamboo grove, with the wind occasionally blowing past.
Qin Yuchuan used his body to shield Feng Qingyi from the wind, though it wasn't very effective.
However, Feng Qingyi still appreciated his gesture.
She even contributed her fluffy scarf to Qin Yuchuan.
"Qingqing, I'm not cold."
Feng Qingyi had already risen on her tiptoes to wrap the scarf around Qin Yuchuan's neck. "I have a hat, so I'll bestow the scarf upon you!"
"Qingqing, does this count as my gift?" Qin Yuchuan asked.
Feng Qingyi turned to the side, "If you want it, then consider it yours."
Hearing these somewhat perfunctory words, Qin Yuchuan became unhappy.
"Qingqing, you prepared gifts for all of them, so where's mine?"
Feng Qingyi suddenly remembered how he had asked her earlier if she had forgotten something, even asking several times.
Even when they were chatting a couple of days ago, he had hinted at it subtly. She had been quite puzzled at the time.
So this is what he had been waiting for!
"Didn't you used to say you didn't want me to spend money on you? You've changed!"
"Mm, but they all have gifts."
"You've been in a bad mood these past few days because of this?"
So the key point was that everyone else had a gift, but he didn't!
His mature and steady image had completely crumbled in front of her.
Qin Yuchuan: "You said they were people close to me, so that's why you prepared gifts for them."
"But they all have gifts, and I don't. Do you think that makes me happy?"
Feng Qingyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How could he be so childish and petty?
But this side of him made her feel like the distance between them had shortened a bit.
All along, even after being with him, she often felt that he was out of reach.
She always felt like she was in a dream, and everything would disappear when she woke up.
Perhaps because of this, when interacting with him, she would deliberately maintain a certain distance.
But now, she felt that perhaps they could become closer.
Feng Qingyi hugged him, "A'Yu, don't be upset. How could I forget to prepare a gift for you?"
"It's just that I left your birthday gift slash New Year's gift in the Capital City, but I swear it wasn't on purpose."
"I was a bit excited about the holiday and accidentally..."
Being embraced by his beloved girl and hearing her explanation, he suddenly had some other thoughts.
His right hand gently lifted her chin, his deep eyes now full of tenderness.
Feng Qingyi, being gazed at with such eyes, felt flustered. She quickly loosened her arms around him and averted her gaze.
At that moment, Qin Yuchuan suddenly leaned down and kissed her warm lips.
Her lips were exceptionally soft and moist, and a faint fragrance wafted from her.
Qin Yuchuan felt that his long-maintained self-control was about to slip away.
At this moment, Feng Qingyi's face turned bright red, her heart racing.
She even forgot to push him away, allowing him to linger on her lips.
She still remembered how last time, when she had merely kissed his cheek, he had told her that girls should be reserved. Now he had taken the initiative to kiss her!
All that talk about self-discipline and being a gentleman was just her own assumption.
As the kiss ended, Qin Yuchuan looked at the girl before him, who was lowering her head shyly.
"Qingqing, since you forgot my gift, let this serve as a substitute."
Feng Qingyi, head lowered, stepped on his foot. "I don't want to talk to you. I'm going home for dinner!"
Watching Feng Qingyi run away like a rabbit, Qin Yuchuan touched his own lips, his eyes and brows full of joy.
Feng Qingyi ran for a while, the cold wind finally dissipating some of the heat from her face.
But the scene from earlier kept replaying in her mind – his doting gaze, and that kiss that was both gentle and domineering.
It wasn't until she got home that Feng Qingyi felt she had returned to normal.
"Sister Qingyi, where did you just go? Why does your face look so red?" asked the neighbor's young boy.
Feng Qingyi tried to act calm, "I went for a walk. It's just the cold. I'll warm up soon."
"Oh, I see! But Sister Qingyi, where's your white fluffy scarf? It's gone."
Wasn't this kid always playing video games?
How did he become so observant?
"I put the scarf in my room. It wasn't very comfortable to wear."
The little boy nodded in agreement, "I think wearing a scarf is uncomfortable too. My mom insists on making me wear one, but she won't listen when I tell her I don't like it."
"...Your game is about to start. Good luck!"
After placating the little boy, Feng Qingyi heard her phone ring in her pocket.
She guessed it was probably from a certain someone, though she didn't really want to deal with him right now.
But he was probably asking if she had gotten home safely, so she reluctantly decided to reply, to avoid making him worry.
[Yuchuan: Are you home?]
[Qingyi: Mm.]
[Yuchuan: I was too impulsive earlier. Is Qingqing angry?]
[Qingyi: What if I say I am?]
[Yuchuan: Then I'll offer myself to Qingqing as an apology. How does that sound?]
[Qingyi: ...I don't want that!]
Qin Yuchuan had never imagined that those vulgar folk stories would actually prove useful. It seemed he had misjudged Yan Yang.
Her current state could only be described as adorably flustered—a mix of embarrassment and mild anger that was utterly charming.
Yan Yang had originally come to report something to Qin Yuchuan, but upon seeing him with a snow-white scarf wrapped around his neck, smiling so contentedly, he suddenly lost his nerve.
This version of Qin Yuchuan truly startled Yan Yang. He rubbed his eyes, and after confirming he wasn't seeing things, hastily retreated.
