Chapter 60: Weren’t You Going to Give Me a Hug?

Lu Qingyue was taken aback, blinking in surprise, then suddenly stood up and poked her head out the window. The villa district was lush with foliage, and the streetlights cast shifting shadows, obscuring most of her view. Yet, guided by instinct, her eyes landed immediately on a black sedan parked by the side of the road. She rubbed her eyes, thinking it really did look like Cheng Xingye’s car. But it was too far away to be certain.

After a few seconds’ thought, she hurriedly changed clothes and raced downstairs, glancing around alertly in the foyer before darting into the kitchen to grab a bag of trash.

Xi Yu and Lu Jiachen were watching TV in the living room. Hearing movement from the kitchen, they turned around.

Lu Jiachen called out, “Where are you going?”

Lu Qingyue offered a casual excuse, “I’m taking out the trash! And I’ll pick up some fish balls at the convenience store!”

She had always loved to snack since she was little, so neither Lu Jiachen nor Xi Yu thought much of it. They simply made a sound of acknowledgment and turned back to the TV.

Lu Qingyue ran outside with the trash, tossing the bag into the roadside bin as she dashed down the steps, then darted toward the path leading out of the neighborhood.

The black coupe sat there in silence.

She took a few steps toward it, but suddenly hesitated.

Maybe she was mistaken? Would Cheng Xingye really come here for her at this hour?

Doubt flickered through her mind, yet her body instinctively carried her two more steps forward.

Just as she wondered if she might have mistaken someone else for him, the car’s driver-side door opened.

The moment those familiar long legs stepped out, Lu Qingyue recognized him at once. It wasn’t that she harbored any particular obsession with Cheng Xingye’s legs—rather, they were simply impossibly long. She was certain she’d never meet anyone else in her life with legs like his, and at that moment, a sudden thought seized her—

Before she died, she absolutely had to play with them at least once!

That was her secret thought, but outwardly, she kept a straight face, walking calmly in his direction as if she’d simply run into him by chance while taking out the trash.

From a distance, Cheng Xingye watched her approach. The anxiety that had plagued him all evening finally eased a little. He closed his car door and walked toward her.

Moonlight spilled behind him. Their shadows stretched long across the ground, quickly overlapping.

When she drew near, he noticed the overly tense look on her face. The girl was clearly both sulky and afraid he might scold her for not answering his calls. Her face was drawn tight, but her big round eyes betrayed a guilty conscience, darting everywhere.

She looked just like a cat who’d just stolen a fish.

Cheng Xingye found it amusing for reasons he couldn’t explain. When she pretended not to see him and was about to pass by, he reached out and loosely caught her wrist, pulling her gently in front of him.

“Didn’t see me?”

In the ambiguous play of light and shadow, his grip on her wrist was neither loose nor tight, but with enough force to keep her from slipping away right under his nose.

The cool spring night made the heat of his palm stand out, seeping through her skin, sending waves straight to her nervous system.

Lu Qingyue’s heart fluttered. Her acting skills kicked in at once, and she blinked in feigned surprise, asking, “What are you doing here?”

She had to look up to meet his eyes. Under the pale moonlight, her delicate face seemed to glow, long curled lashes casting fragile shadows, like a beautiful but breakable dream.

Cheng Xingye kept holding her wrist, choosing not to expose her clumsy performance. He simply gazed into her clear, luminous eyes and asked softly, “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

Lu Qingyue stiffened, thinking he really had come to settle scores.

She hadn’t even complained about being refused a hug, and now he had the nerve to ask about missed calls!

Feeling both sulky and stubborn, she pursed her lips and deliberately twisted the knife, asking in formal tones, “If I don’t want to answer, I won’t. Do you need something from me?”

She even used the formal address, deliberately placing him in the role of an elder.

Cheng Xingye felt a mix of exasperation and amusement, but there was nothing he could do with her.

He tightened his grip slightly, pulling her closer to him. The distance between them shrank in an instant—Lu Qingyue could feel the heat of his breath, hotter even than her own skin.

Uncomfortable, she tipped her head back, trying to create space, her ears turning red as she stubbornly held her ground. “What do you want?” she demanded, her composure barely holding.

That backward tilt made her lose her balance; she wobbled slightly. Cheng Xingye immediately reached out to steady her, wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her in. His posture nearly enveloped her completely.

The closeness between them far exceeded any socially acceptable boundary. Lu Qingyue immediately began to struggle...

A warm palm pressed gently against the back of her head.

The suddenness of it made her heart lurch. She froze, forgetting to resist.

Cheng Xingye looked down at her.

In the dim light, his features were softened, but the aura emanating from him only grew stronger.

His presence seeped into her every breath, like invisible threads slowly winding around her reason.

Like soothing a child, he lightly ruffled her hair, his voice dropping to a near-whisper as he asked, “Didn’t you want a hug?”

His warm breath circled her, making her ears burn. She tried to turn away, but his hand tightened just enough, holding her in place.

“Let big brother give you a hug, alright?” he murmured.

The cool scent of mint became more pronounced as he leaned in.

Lu Qingyue’s heart pounded so hard she thought it might leap right out of her throat, yet she kept her neck stiff and, despite his closeness, didn’t move. She retorted stubbornly, “Don’t you only let your girlfriend hug you?”

Cheng Xingye: “...”

He suddenly regretted digging himself such a deep hole.

Unfortunately, the little rascal in front of him was an expert at pushing her advantage.

She saw the faint annoyance flicker across his face, tilted her head defiantly, and imitated his tone from earlier that afternoon, “I have principles too, you know. I don’t hug anyone unless they’re my boyfriend. Otherwise, if I get married to someone else in the future, how would I explain this?”

At first, Cheng Xingye thought she was just being petulant, but when she finished speaking, his gaze swept over her with a subtle intensity. His voice was casual, almost indifferent, as he countered, “And who are you planning to marry?”

The moon slipped behind a thick cloud.

That corner of the world grew darker, and in the deserted night, every heartbeat seemed to beat a drum for their confrontation.

Lu Qingyue’s heart hammered, but she looked him dead in the eye, stubbornly huffing, “I don’t know! Who can say what the future holds?”

Who she married didn’t matter! After all, he was the one who refused her hug in the first place. Now, all she wanted was to drive him mad.

Yet the furious outburst she’d expected never came.

In the shadowy darkness, she heard Cheng Xingye let out a low, quiet laugh.

Before she could react, his tall figure enveloped her, pulling her entirely into his arms.

In the early spring night, he held his little troublemaker close, resting his chin on her shoulder, his voice half coaxing, half commanding, “Lu Diandian, it’s too late to say that now.”