Growing Fond of You, Mr Nian

“No way.” Nian Xi didn’t seem to believe it. “I don’t think that guy’s brain is working so well.”

“Some strange people whose brains work in odd ways can be especially gifted in certain areas.” Luosang had a quite deep understanding about that. She silently gave Nian Junting a glance. She was trying to tell Nian Xi that her brother was a strange man like that.

Nian Xi was enlightened. That did make sense.

…

Nian Xi arrived at the police station, changed into her uniform, then went out on patrol until eleven o’clock. When she returned, her colleagues, who were leaving the station, said to her jokingly, “Xi, your boyfriend is here to see you again.”

Nian Xi instantly got a lump in her throat. She took a few deep breaths, then walked into the station. Feng Ji Chuan was in her office, putting a bunch of white roses on her desk. As she came in, he raised his head and showed a smile on his chiseled face. “You’re back. Let’s have lunch together later.”

“I’m not going.” Nian Xi lowered her head, sat on a chair, and said, “You should go back.”

Ji Chuan grasped her wrist and said in a low voice, “Xi, I’m about to leave. I want to seize all the time we have now.”

Looking at Ji Chuan’s slim fingers on her wrist, Nian Xi’s heart was filled with sadness. Yeah, since you think that we should cherish all the time we have, why did you spend that night with Leng Shuangwei instead of me? she thought. Perhaps you do cherish being together, but it’s not as important as Shuangwei.

“Speaking of which…” Nian Xi clenched her teeth and raised her head to look straight at Ji Chuan’s handsome face. “Ji Chuan, do you remember what I said last time when I canceled our engagement? I said that we should both carefully think about if we should be together or not. I’ve thought about it really carefully. I think we’re probably a not good match for each other. This is it. Let’s be friends.”

Feng Ji Chuan paused briefly, then said, “Didn’t you say that because you were mad? Please stop this. Are you angry again because I didn’t come here last night when you asked me to? I was in the middle of something.”

“Yeah, you were in the middle of something. You were with Shuangwei, weren’t you? I know that.” Nian Xi nodded, trying very hard to stop her tears from streaming out of her eyes. “Last night, I was watching you when I called you.”

Feng Ji Chuang froze for a moment. An embarrassed look flashed across his face. “Shuangwei has been pursuing Junting these past few days. Yesterday, Xu Luosang went to Junting’s company and said some really mean things to her. She was sad, so she got drunk. She hasn’t been back in Xia City for long, so she doesn’t have other friends, and her parents have divorced. I couldn’t leave her alone. It’s really dangerous for a girl to get drunk alone out there.”

Nian Xi stood up and asked, “Did you have to lie to me about that?”

“Last time, you were unhappy about Shuangwei because of that maid of honor thing. I didn’t want you to be unhappy again, so I lied,” Feng Ji Chuan explained in a low voice. “There’s nothing going on between Shuangwei and me. She likes your brother.”

“Yeah, she likes my brother. But what if she liked you, and what if she pursued you? Would you remain unmoved?” Nian Xi couldn’t help but ask.

“Xi, you’re being unreasonable.” Ji Chuan frowned. “Shuangwei and I are just friends. How could she ever pursue me?”

“You wouldn’t be unmoved, because you always praised her when we were little. When you were injured, all the others knew about it, including Shuagnwei, but not me.” Nian Xi was full of sadness. “She was out there and drinking. You could have told me that. She’s my friend, and we grew up together. Don’t I care about her safety? Would I ever be so mean to her? Ji Chuan, you never know me. There is a problem between us, a big problem.”