Chapter 90: Holding Hands

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Holding Hands

She reached out, intending to feel for Lin Zhengran’s heartbeat, but he quickly grabbed her hand.

"You just held a chicken cutlet with that hand. You’ll get grease all over me."

Han Wenwen met Lin Zhengran’s gaze. The Little Fox’s delicate hand curled in his grasp. Lin Zhengran loosened his grip, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, her fingers deliberately lingered against his palm, slowly sliding up to intertwine with his.

As she did this, she spoke slowly, one word at a time:

"Zhengran, you never let me listen to your heartbeat. Is it because you’re afraid I’ll discover that your heart races for me, too?"

Her lips brushed against Lin Zhengran’s ear.

"I know that deep down, Zhengran, being in a relationship isn’t the most important thing to you. You have your own goals.

But always striving is tiring, isn’t it? You don’t have to wait until you’ve reached your final goal to start enjoying life... There’s nothing wrong with rewarding yourself along the way, right?" She glanced at her hand, now holding Lin Zhengran’s.

"For instance, a girl’s hand is soft. There’s no harm in holding it for a little while. And maybe... it will give you even more motivation in the future?"

They lowered their intertwined hands. The Little Fox waited, her heart tense, until Lin Zhengran let out a long sigh. "You really do talk a lot. It’s so noisy I can’t even make sense of what you’re saying."

Only then did their hands slowly grip each other’s.

A faint smile played on Han Wenwen’s lips.

"Is that so? And what’s wrong with talking a lot? Girls are always like this with people they like. They only get quiet when they’re with people they don’t like."

She said playfully, "In any case, I’m going to stick by your side from now on, Zhengran. I’m fully prepared to be your private secretary. I wouldn’t even mind if you decided to get a little handsy with me."

She continued, daydreaming about the future, "And once my livestreaming account gets popular, I can even earn some money and be your personal little piggy bank, just in case of an emergency."

Their eyes met, and Han Wenwen suddenly grew shy. "I don’t think I’m full yet... How about we switch hands for holding? I’m not used to eating with my left hand—I’ll for sure drip grease on myself."

Lin Zhengran pulled out his phone and glanced at the time. "It’s almost time for evening rehearsal. Finish up and head back soon. If you keep being this mushy with me, who knows how long we’ll be here."

Han Wenwen pursed her lips and looked down at their clasped hands, pouting. "What’s the rush? It’s not like I have anything to rehearse tonight. You’re the one who has to go with..." The Little Fox suddenly remembered Jiang Qian and shot him an irritated glare.

With no transition whatsoever.

"Then I’m definitely not going to hurry! You just want me to finish fast so you can go practice piano with some other girl, don’t you? Zhengran, you’re perfect in every way, except you’re too much of a flirt."

Lin Zhengran popped another snack into his mouth. On this particular matter, at least, he’d never lied to the three of them.

"Isn’t it normal for people to have flaws?"

"Such a shameless flirt." She released Lin Zhengran’s hand from her right, switching to hold it with her left. Her right hand was now free to pick up the chicken cutlet again, and she began to tear into it with large bites.

The taste of the food made the Little Fox’s current feeling of happiness even more nuanced.

"But let me make one thing clear, Zhengran. Even if I become your secretary, I will not help you chase any girls besides Qingqing and Lili. And for the record, I’ll always be against it."

Lin Zhengran said, "Have I ever said I was chasing anyone? I don’t have the energy for that."

Han Wenwen put on an angry face, finishing one piece of chicken and immediately grabbing another to chew on. "You have this many without even trying! If you actually went out and actively chased girls, it’d be a catastrophe! If you get that many, are you going to be able to hug them all at once?!"

"Can we stop with the useless chatter? Finish eating so we can go back."

As she nibbled on the fried chicken, Han Wenwen suddenly remembered what they’d been discussing. "Oh, right! Zhengran, you still haven’t told me if you’re going to stay over at my place next month."

Lin Zhengran said, "Let me think... If your apartment has a second comforter, I’ll come."

"Really?! Of course I have one!" She bit her lip. "And even if I didn’t, I could just go to the mall this week and buy one! So it’s a deal, then. That week next month, you’ll go shopping with me, and then you’ll stay the night at my place. You’re not allowed to leave."

"Actually, speaking of that, I have something to say to you. That night you were sick, I was exhausted taking care of you. Next time you’re asleep, can you try to stay still? Kicking off the covers is one thing, but your hands were never still either. I couldn’t sleep at all."

"I did?" She looked a little embarrassed. "Nonsense! I’m a very still sleeper."

"A still sleeper? Are you sure you even look human when you wake up in the morning? Do you buy that yourself?"

The Little Fox huffed. "What’s so strange about not looking human? Aren’t you always saying I’m a fox, Zhengran? This is just how foxes are. You wouldn’t understand."

"Hah."