"you……"
Ni Jingxi felt that she was really starting to have a tendency towards domestic violence. How come she never noticed that this person had such a childish side before?
Next time, she'll definitely record this side of him and let everyone see what kind of person this seemingly aloof business tycoon really is in private.
Just as Ni Jingxi was about to take a deep breath, Huo Shenyan stopped laughing.
He turned his head again, this time with a serious look in his eyes: "This is the first time I've picked you up downstairs at your company."
Previously, to avoid suspicion, even when Huo Shenyan drove Ni Jingxi to work, he would stop the car across the street.
Come to think of it, this was truly the first time he had openly and legitimately asked his driver to bring the car downstairs to wait for her.
Ni Jingxi was taken aback; she hadn't expected such an unexpected answer.
She reached out and gently hugged his neck: "I'm sorry."
"Yes, I've been wronged," Huo Shenyan said calmly.
"..."
Ni Jingxi felt she couldn't refute that statement; she suddenly realized how terrible she really was.
*
To Ni Jingxi's surprise, the car didn't go straight home. Instead, it took her to a shopping mall, not one of those filled with luxury brands like Hang Lung or IFC, but one that Ni Jingxi used to frequent.
Previously, when Huo Shenyan was away on business, Ni Jingxi would occasionally be called out by Hua Zheng to go shopping on weekends.
Both of them were young people who had just entered society. Ni Jingxi was so good at working part-time in college and had various scholarships that even though she was covering the cost of her grandmother's nursing home, she still managed to save tens of thousands of yuan.
Hua Zheng, on the other hand, was a spendthrift; her salary was never enough to cover her expenses, and her parents paid for her rent every month.
Fortunately, she was an only child in her family, and her parents felt sorry for her.
Therefore, just like young girls these days, she spends her entire monthly salary on food, drinks, and clothes.
"Why did you decide to come here?" Ni Jingxi asked with a smile after following him into the mall.
Huo Shenyan turned to look at her: "Don't you like it here?"
He had heard about this square from Ni Jingxi several times, and he assumed that she particularly liked to visit it.
As for Ni Jingxi, she was also completely bewildered. This plaza was indeed quite nice, especially the restaurants on the seventh and eighth floors. Whether it was a weekend or a weekday, there was always a queue in front of each one.
Ni Jingxi laughed, not denying it, but asking the same question again: "Then why would you want to come here?"
"I'd like to go on a date with you," Huo Shenyan said casually.
You don't have to worry about what others think; you can just walk around in the crowd as you please, having a perfectly legitimate date.
Ni Jingxi didn't say anything, but she reached out and took his arm.
Let them have a date that's natural and comfortable for them.
Instead of taking the elevator, the two took the mall's escalators, going up floor by floor.
Before they even reached the upstairs, Huo Shenyan asked, "Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
Ni Jingxi smiled but remained silent until they reached the seventh floor. The mall was oval-shaped, so once they went upstairs, they could clearly see the situation in front of many shops from left to right.
At this time, almost every bench in front of the store was full of people, either leisurely playing on their phones or chatting.
Huo Shenyan rarely goes shopping like this and has almost never seen such a scene, because he doesn't waste too much time on things like eating, and besides, Tang Mian is there to make reservations for him at any restaurant he wants to go to in advance.
Therefore, he had never tried queuing for an hour just to eat a meal before.
"Do we all have to queue?" Huo Shenyan realized then that things weren't as he had thought.
Ni Jingxi suppressed a laugh and nodded.
Everyone has to queue.
Ni Jingxi comforted him, saying, "It's okay, we can get a number first and then go shopping. That will save time and we won't be bored while waiting."
So in the end they chose a small hot pot restaurant, the kind where each person gets their own individual hot pot.
When she took the number from the waiter, she took out her phone and scanned the QR code on it. Huo Shenyan glanced down at it and asked, "Is this a queue reminder app?"
Ni Jingxi nodded, looking at him with amusement, and said, "Have you never used it before?"
Huo Shenyan looked at the mockery on her face and said calmly, "I have Tang Mian."
"..."
Ni Jingxi was completely shocked by this behavior of openly mentioning another man in front of his wife.
They absolutely need to be educated.
However, Ni Jingxi suppressed her emotions and decided to discuss it at home. So she dragged Huo Shenyan shopping, and there happened to be an arcade on the seventh floor with a whole row of claw machines lined up against the wall, filled with all sorts of plush toys.
Ni Jingxi wasn't really interested in these things, but Huo Shenyan pulled her to stop.
"Want one?" Huo Shenyan slightly raised his chin towards the claw machine.
Ni Jingxi glanced at the young couples over there and chuckled softly, "Are you going to let me try my luck at the claw machine?"
Huo Shenyan nodded.
Ni Jingxi saw that he rarely had such leisure time, and besides, she had never actually played these games before, because she didn't know how and always felt that investing money would be a waste.
No boy has ever tried to win her a plush toy.
Because her first love was Huo Shenyan, she had never associated Huo Shenyan with this kind of claw machine before, because it just didn't seem like a good match.
Especially now, he was wearing a camel-colored overcoat over a three-piece suit, exuding a formal yet dignified air. From the moment he entered the mall, he didn't seem like a shopper, but rather someone inspecting the mall.
"Is this okay?" Huo Shenyan finally stopped in front of a machine that only had one doll.
This doll is a full 1.5 meters tall, so big that it takes a person to hug it.
This is a scissor claw machine. It's not the kind where you grab a plush toy with a scissor, but instead you cut the string with scissors and let the plush toy fall down.
Ni Jingxi felt that the larger the doll, the more difficult it would be. Huo Shenyan, on the other hand, was clearly someone who had never played with such a doll before.
She whispered, "How about we change to another one?"
"Why?" Huo Shenyan asked her.
Ni Jingxi: "The bigger the doll, the more difficult it is. You don't need to challenge yourself with something this hard for your first time. Why don't we go to that machine?"
Ni Jingxi pointed to a claw machine next to her, which was full of small dolls.
Before they could reach a decision, another couple arrived. The girl, arm in arm with the boy, said, "I want this big doll."
"They're playing right now. I'll cut your hair again when they're done playing," the boy said gently.
The girl said worriedly, "They won't cut this doll up, will they?"
The boy said confidently, "No, these claw machines are really difficult; most people can't cut them. I'll show you how later."
Of course, the guy was just showing off in front of his girlfriend.
But Ni Jingxi sneered when she heard this. "Not just anyone can cut this? Is her Huo Shenyan just anyone?"
Ni Jingxi's temper flared up instantly, and her competitive spirit reached its peak.
Ni Jingxi made the decision: "Honey, just cut this for me."
Huo Shenyan looked at her tightly pursed lips and felt a sudden pang of anger in his heart. Her competitive nature was just too cute.
The next second, Ni Jingxi tossed the coin in.
Huo Shenyan slowly controlled the machine, while Ni Jingxi kept her eyes glued to it. The couple next to them also stopped chatting and started watching intently.
Just as the scissors were getting closer and closer, the girl behind her said again, "I have a feeling he's about to cut it?"
"Impossible, definitely not..." Before the boy could finish the last word, the wire inside the machine snapped.
Huo Shenyan cut it off.
Even Ni Jingxi jumped up and hugged his waist, exclaiming in disbelief, "You really cut it!"
When the staff handed the doll to Huo Shenyan, he turned around and handed it to Ni Jingxi.
But after he went outside, he saw the huge doll, which almost blocked his view, and asked, "How about I carry it for you?"
Ni Jingxi shook her head behind the doll: "No need."
Then she turned her head and looked at him seriously, saying, "This is your medal of honor."
Huo Shenyan looked at her with amusement.
Until Ni Jingxi said very calmly, "Because it proves that my husband is the best at cutting up dolls in this mall."
That tone sounds so proud.
Author's Note:
Lord Ni and Brother Shenyan, did you two eat cute beans tonight?
And Lord Ni, please don't forget that Brother Shenyan showed off his affection for Tang Mian right in front of you...
Chapter 44
"Have you ever played a claw machine before?" Ni Jingxi asked, still looking curious as she sat in the hot pot restaurant.
This is a small hot pot restaurant. Huo Shenyan doesn't really like the big hot pots, so Ni Jingxi always chooses these small hot pots to accommodate him.
Huo Shenyan had already taken off his coat and placed it on the chair. The waiter then brought a dust cover and covered the coat with it.
Huo Shenyan: "No."
Ni Jingxi had guessed he wouldn't know how to play this, but she was also amazed by his skill. These claw machine games are particularly difficult because the plush toys are so large. Often, even when the scissors are aimed at the line, they still can't cut it.
Many people try to cut a doll dozens of times without success.
This was Huo Shenyan's first time, and he got it right on the first try.
Ni Jingxi stared at his fingers, which were resting on the table, from his full, rounded nails to the slightly protruding knuckles on the back of his hand.
Such beautiful hands, do they have some kind of buff?
Ni Jingxi couldn't help but press, "So how exactly did you manage to cut it?"