Chapter 935: Xiao Chong Extra Story 25
"Wanwan, what are you doing?"
When Xiao Chong suddenly appeared at the kitchen door, he really gave Lin Wanwan a fright.
It was summer, and there was no air conditioner at Lin Wanwan’s place. During the day the front and back doors were left wide open for ventilation, with only the courtyard gate closed, which of course couldn’t keep Xiao Chong out.
"You... how do you walk without making a sound!" Lin Wanwan glared at him.
Xiao Chong blinked his peach blossom eyes innocently. "Really? I scared you? Sorry."
Lin Wanwan huffed, turned back around, and tried to hurriedly clean everything up.
But she didn’t have time to hide it at all; he’d seen everything already, so she simply stopped trying to cover it up.
"Wanwan, are you making chocolate?"
"Yeah." Lin Wanwan griped, "The method they explain online sounds so easy. I get it in my head, but my hands don’t. It tastes bad when I make it."
"Why’d you suddenly think of making chocolate?" The corners of Xiao Chong’s lips lifted slightly. "Planning to give it to someone?"
No need to ask—obviously it was for him. Xiao Chong was very confident about that.
Lin Wanwan lowered her eyes and dumped the already molded chocolates from the tray into a box in a fluster, pretending to be casual. "Just making some for fun."
They tasted so bad she was too embarrassed to say they were for him.
"Really?" Xiao Chong laughed. "Let me try one, see if it’s good or not."
Lin Wanwan hurriedly snatched the box away. "It’s not good, don’t eat it. Way worse than the ones you buy."
But Xiao Chong’s arms were long; he had already pinched a little bunny-shaped chocolate between his index and middle fingers and popped it into his mouth to taste. He smiled and said, "Not bad. Thanks, Wanwan."
Lin Wanwan’s face flushed. "What are you thanking me for, I totally didn’t make them especially for you."
Xiao Chong let out a meaningful "Ohhh." "So you did make them especially for me."
Lin Wanwan: "..."
Why does he have to be so sharp!
Xiao Chong laughed. "Let’s go, it’s really hot in here. Come to my place, I’ve got better equipment. We can study it and make some together."
"Oh." Lin Wanwan nodded. "Okay then."
In past summers, Lin Wanwan liked to go to the library to mooch off the air conditioning. Now she had a new option—Xiao Chong’s place.
As a foodie, Xiao Chong was also better at making things to eat than Lin Wanwan. With his help, the chocolates did turn out much prettier than the ones she’d made before.
"Wanwan, open up. Try it." Xiao Chong picked one up and held it to her lips.
Lin Wanwan leaned her body back a little, then finally opened her mouth and bit down on the chocolate.
"How is it? Smooth and silky?" Xiao Chong asked her.
All she could smell at the tip of her nose was the cool woody scent lingering on Xiao Chong’s fingers; she didn’t feel the existence of the chocolate at all. Feeling guilty, she said, "Oh... it’s okay, I guess."
Xiao Chong tilted his head to glance at her, the corners of his mouth like they’d grown wings, his smile refusing to settle down.
"I’ll try one too."
He said that, but didn’t move, just looked at Lin Wanwan.
Lin Wanwan looked up at him in confusion. "Why aren’t you eating?"
Xiao Chong raised an eyebrow. "I just fed you. Shouldn’t you return the favor?"
"Boom——"
Lin Wanwan’s face exploded red. She’d already felt it was too intimate just now and had been pretending to act casual. Now that Xiao Chong put it like that, she was even more flustered. "No way!"
She yanked a tissue out, wiping her hands as she walked out of the kitchen. If she stayed any longer with Xiao Chong, her heartbeat would be impossible to hide.
Xiao Chong watched her walk out all shy and awkward, eyes crinkled with a smile, and started on the final clean-up work.
Ah, his girl was still a modern person who’d grown up entirely in this era—more restrained than him, a proper Great Tang man.
But that was exactly why he liked teasing this shy and adorable version of her.
*
In the tearoom on the second floor of Buzhou Studio, Lu Shouyue reached out and shook hands with Xiao Chong. "Chu Kuang? I’ve heard so much about you."
"Yes, President Lu, likewise."
After a few polite exchanges, they each took their seats. Lu Shouyue brewed tea while Xiao Chong waited with a faint smile.
"I didn’t expect you to be this young. Truly, heroes emerge in their youth." Lu Shouyue poured a cup of tea for Xiao Chong and asked with a smile, "Still in high school?"
Xiao Chong took a sip of tea and replied, "Second year."
"Do you have any requests for this exhibition? Feel free to bring them up. We’ll do our best to accommodate whatever we can." As Lu Shouyue spoke, the assistant beside him politely handed the exhibition proposal over to Xiao Chong.
"Mm, I’ll take a look first." Xiao Chong took the proposal and flipped through it casually.
Strictly speaking, something like this shouldn’t have required Lu Shouyue to come in person.
But Chu Kuang was too unconventional. The first time Lu Shouyue saw his signing contract from his special assistant, with a guardian’s signature on it, he’d been stunned.
He had always appreciated Chu Kuang’s paintings, feeling they carried a certain charm reminiscent of the breathtakingly brilliant Prime Minister of the Great Tang, Xiao Chong.
