When the exchange event ended, Jian Xi let Nie Xiujin go on stage to receive the organizational awards.
As for the first four of the five gold medals, Ye Ze had already given them to him when he was talking to He Qingchen.
The final one, of course, ultimately belonged to He Qingchen as well.
Ye Ze even teased Jian Xi with a remark, "I didn't expect that the reward you worked so hard for would end up in He Qingchen's pocket."
But Jian Xi didn't take it seriously at all, "After we get married, everything will be mine. What's He Qingchen's will also be mine!"
He Qingchen chimed in from the side, "Xixi is right, what's hers is still hers, and what's mine is also hers."
These damn lovebirds, no need for dinner now, I'm already full!
Tang Xingyou and Nie Xiujin went to get their luggage, as they were leaving for B City after dinner, so they needed to put their luggage in the car first. That way, they wouldn't have to come back to the hotel later.
He Qingchen had booked the Jinxiangju in City H, which was also a very famous five-star hotel in City H.
Jian Xi linked arms with Tang Xingyou as they got out of the car, walking in the front.
The hotel manager led them to a private room and presented the menu. Jian Xi didn't need to worry about it, as He Qingchen would order whatever she liked to eat.
Ye Ze handed the menu to Tang Xingyou, allowing her to order her favorites first.
Tang Xingyou didn't stand on ceremony, taking the menu and selecting two dishes. Then she handed the menu back to Ye Ze with a smile and a thank you.
Ever since Jian Xi talked about Ye Ze's personality, it seemed like Tang Xingyou wasn't as afraid of him anymore. Instead, she seemed rather curious and wanted to explore his 'different sides'!
However, she just thought about it to herself. She wasn't that close to him yet, so she didn't dare go any further.
When Ye Ze took the menu from her hand, his fingertips felt a warm sensation. He gripped the menu a little tighter, and for some reason, he suddenly felt the skin around his waist heating up as his ears turned red.
Even so, his expression remained impassive as he casually pointed to two dishes.
He took a sip of water to calm that strange feeling, but he still instinctively glanced at Tang Xingyou's hand.
There was nothing special about it, so why did he react so strongly?
Last night too, when the wine spilled on him and felt icy cold, that clumsy girl rubbed her hands over it a couple of times, and his whole body shivered, feeling hot and itchy. So he quickly brushed her helping hand aside and walked away in a panic.
Tang Xingyou and Jian Xi were chatting happily, laughing merrily. Tang Xingyou's face was rosy and plump, with a bit of a baby face, which made Ye Ze want to pinch it.
Realizing this, Ye Ze was stunned. What was he thinking?
"Master Ye, Master Ye?"
Ye Ze looked at Tang Xingyou, who had called him, "What is it?"
"Could you please pass me the hot water? Thank you."
"Ah, sure, here you go." He passed her the hot water in front of him, thinking to himself, no wonder her hands were so warm if she drinks hot water even in the sweltering summer.
After the meal, Nie Xiujin and Tang Xingyou left, and He Qingchen had arranged a driver to take them to the airport.
After seeing them off at the hotel entrance, Jian Xi and the others took a car back to He's Hotel.
Since Ye Ze had already met Jian Xi, he naturally wasn't in a hurry to return to B City. He went to take care of Xuan Xue Society matters, as there was still a lot of follow-up work to be done after the exchange event.
Besides, did he really want to be a third wheel between the lovebirds?
If he did that, He Qingchen would probably make him eat a year's worth of lovey-dovey in just a few days, and he didn't want to deal with that boredom.
His junior sister had predicted that his true love would appear when he turned twenty-seven, which was this year. So after his true love appeared, he would definitely feed back all the lovey-dovey he had to endure these past few days!
Jian Xi: Heh, with your personality, you can only think about it in your heart. Would you actually show off your affection in public?
On the top floor of the hotel, the highly perceptive He Qingchen had noticed Ye Ze's strange reaction at Jinxiangju today.
Based on his observations, Ye Ze's reaction was quite unusual, so he mentioned it to Jian Xi.
As soon as she finished showering, Jian Xi eagerly compared Ye Ze's and Tang Xingyou's birth charts.
Oh my, just as He Qingchen had guessed, Tang Xingyou was indeed her second senior brother's true love!
This delighted Jian Xi. Tang Xingyou becoming her sister-in-law would be perfect!
However, she naturally wouldn't tell Ye Ze about this. It was enough for her and He Qingchen to know. Fate would unfold naturally, and celestial mechanics shouldn't be revealed.
That night, He Qingchen brought out a suitcase for her. Since he had come in a hurry yesterday, he had someone deliver the things he bought for Jian Xi later.
"This contains the things I bought for you. You're going to the beach tomorrow, right? Everything you'll need is in here."
Jian Xi opened it and glanced inside. Swimsuits, sunglasses, sunscreen, quick-drying clothes for changing, sun hats, protective gear, medicated oils, and so on - he had prepared everything meticulously.
She stored all these items in her bracelet, and after cuddling for a while, they went to sleep, needing to rest up for tomorrow's beach fun.
The beach cottage had already been booked, but Jian Xi was too lazy to go today, so they planned to leave early in the morning.
The next day, when He Qingchen brought Jian Xi to the beach, she was both excited and thrilled, her heart as turbulent as the waves crashing against the distant rocks.
Since they arrived early, there weren't many people on the beach yet. Jian Xi didn't change into her swimsuit first but couldn't control herself and ran ahead to take a look.
Growing up in the mountains, she had only seen the ocean a few times in movies. But that couldn't compare to the real experience.
After taking a look, she fussed about, making He Qingchen take her back to the cottage they had booked so she could change into her swimsuit. She wanted to swim in the ocean!
Seeing her excitement, He Qingchen's mood was equally great, and he took her back to the cottage.
Jian Xi went into the bedroom to change into her swimsuit, while he sat on the sofa, playing with a bottle of sunscreen, waiting for her to come out so he could apply it to her.
The bedroom door clicked open, and Jian Xi emerged, her hands behind her back, still tugging at two thin straps. "Gege, help me tie this. I can't do it myself."
He Qingchen frowned and walked behind her. The two thin straps in her hands were tied in a butterfly knot below her shoulder blades.
The swimsuit had an open-back design. He ran his fingers over it, signaling that he had finished tying it.
Jian Xi turned around and twirled in front of He Qingchen. "How does it look? Is it pretty?"
The light purple swimsuit had thin straps that wrapped around her back and tied at the nape of her neck.
The waist was cinched with a large blue butterfly knot, and her long, black hair was tied up in a youthful, energetic ponytail.
