Chapter 1800: Winter Sun, His Irresistible Smile

The incident with the hair flying towards Duan Yiyang had already made Qi Zhiyi feel very awkward, and her best friend just added fuel to the fire at this moment:

"Zhiyi, I didn’t expect your hair to like my brother so much. Although you didn’t add each other on WeChat before, it’s still a special kind of fate."

Qi Zhiyi wished she could cover her friend’s mouth—what kind of fate could she and Duan Yiyang possibly have!

Even knowing her felt like bad luck.

At this moment, Duan Yinuo’s boyfriend, sitting beside her, asked softly, "Why did they want to add each other on WeChat, and why didn’t they agree?"

"Didn’t I already tell you? Did you forget?" Duan Yinuo frowned.

The man suddenly seemed to remember, "I remember now. You wanted to introduce her to your brother as a girlfriend, but your brother didn’t agree."

"What’s with your memory?"

"If it’s not related to you, I’m not that interested."

In Qi Zhiyi’s mind, the WeChat friend request wasn’t a big deal, but when brought up, it inevitably made her feel uncomfortable. That awkwardness hadn’t passed yet, when the couple across from her showered her with sweetness.

**

Later, Duan Yinuo lent her a hair tie, temporarily resolving the static hair issue.

Qi Zhiyi wasn’t one to speak much, so she quietly listened as someone at the table eloquently spoke, mostly about flaunting their affection.

Throughout the meal, Qi Zhiyi intentionally avoided contact with Duan Yiyang, given they were not familiar, while Duan Yiyang, other than helping pour her water and serving her food, was gentlemanly and polite the entire time.

Towards the end of the meal, Qi Zhiyi used the excuse of going to the restroom to leave the room and headed to the cashier to settle the bill.

She never liked owing people anything, even if the WeChat friend request wasn’t accepted, there was no need for them to treat her.

"Which private room are you from?" The cashier didn’t recognize her.

"The one at the end of the hallway."

"That room..." The cashier glanced at a colleague beside them.

"How much is it?" Qi Zhiyi had already taken out her phone and opened WeChat. "How should I pay, should I scan you, or you scan me?"

"Miss, um..." The cashier seemed a bit troubled.

Qi Zhiyi frowned, wondering why a cashier would look troubled when someone actively wants to pay. She was about to ask if someone else had already settled the bill...

Suddenly, without any warning, a hand extended from behind, offering a phone with a payment code, "Scan mine."

This was a rural restaurant with a large hall, set with a dozen tables for dining. It was already a bit noisy, and Qi Zhiyi hadn’t noticed someone approaching. The voice sounded familiar, and she turned instinctively.

The cashier’s area wasn’t very large, and with his arms extended holding the phone ready to pay, as she turned...

The position between the two seemed as if he had enclosed her between his body and the cashier’s counter.

Trapping her beneath him.

Qi Zhiyi’s breath paused, instinctively leaning back, but being pressed against the cash register, there was no room for retreat. She dared not move recklessly and could only purse her lips tightly.

"I promised I’d treat."

Presumably, they’d never been this close before. So close that his breath brushed across her forehead, that faint warmth was clearly perceptible.

To Qi Zhiyi, the person across was unfamiliar, inevitably making her tense and uneasy all over.

At this moment, a low chuckle came from above her head. Qi Zhiyi had no idea what he was laughing about.

She instinctively looked up and discovered many fine baby hairs at her hairline attracted towards Duan Yiyang, while he seemed delightfully amused.

Just as Duan Yinuo mentioned, her brother wasn’t typically exciting, seeming somewhat mature, yet today dressed in a white sweater with slightly limp hair and clear, warm eyes making him remarkably attractive.

Especially now, while he smiled at her...

Irresistibly alluring!

No matter how ordinary a girl Qi Zhiyi was, a person of such charming grace standing so close, with him smiling like this, was unsettling her heartbeat inevitably.

Her heart suddenly became uncontrollably chaotic, strongly thumping.

Around her, diners’ voices faded, leaving Qi Zhiyi aware only of her echoing heartbeat like morning bells striking drums, fiercely pounding against her ribs, seemingly ready to burst out of her chest.

She raised her hand to tuck the chaotic baby hairs at her temples behind her ears.

Like the Qi siblings, she didn’t inherit her parents’ straight hair genes, but had a lot of hair, naturally curly by birth, making it appear even more impressive, often needing thinning at the salon, though her baby hairs around her temples were also abundant.

Just as she tucked her hair behind her ears, the hairs flew out...

That feeling, was like:

Rushing towards him heedlessly.

At this moment, Duan Yiyang suddenly reached over, eyes directed at her forehead, and she instinctively leaned back:

"Don’t move."

As Qi Zhiyi whispered those two words, her breath caught, and she dared not move. His fingers glided through her soft hair, their tips seemingly brushing against her skin...

The warmth of his fingertips contrasted with her face, which was already flushed from their closeness.

She even felt Duan Yiyang’s fingertips were slightly cool, while he thought...

Her face was very hot.

He couldn’t describe that heat — like a high fever — which seemed to scorch his fingertips.

Like winter sunlight, warming the heart.

"Hair stuck to your face." Duan Yiyang retracted his hand.

"Thank you." Qi Zhiyi said, quickly retreating to the side to put some distance between them, both cashiers almost always watching the two. To alleviate the tension, heat, and awkwardness inside her, Qi Zhiyi deliberately picked up a mint candy from the cashier’s counter, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.

The mint soothed her throat, refreshing and cooling.

As if it could truly relieve the sudden heat rising in her heart.

"All set." The cashier smiled at Duan Yiyang.

This was a farmhouse restaurant owned by the Duan Family; the room was a regular spot for the Duan siblings, who didn’t need to pay since it was their family’s restaurant. Hence, when Qi Zhiyi tried to pay, the cashier naturally felt awkward.

"Let’s go back." Duan Yiyang put away his phone, signaling her it was time to leave, so they walked one after the other towards the room.

...

Qi Zhiyi ate her candy while her fingers played with the candy wrapper, making a rustling sound.

"Do you like candy?" Duan Yiyang glanced at her, slightly behind his side, wondering why she always walked behind him. He slowed his pace to walk beside her.

Qi Zhiyi replied quietly, enjoying sweets usually makes one happy, probably everyone likes it.

The farmhouse restaurant was small; it took less than a minute to walk from the cashier to the room. When they arrived, Duan Yinuo was already discussing with her boyfriend where to play next.

"Zhiyi, Gu Yuan and I are going to an escape room. Are you coming?" Duan Yinuo smiled at her.

"I’ll pass; last time, I nearly died of fright." Qi Zhiyi, not particularly timid, hesitated as some escape rooms these days added a lot of horror elements, truly quite scary.

Most importantly, they were a couple together, and she’d be a third wheel, which wasn’t appropriate!

"Come on." Duan Yinuo urged, moving over to sit next to Qi Zhiyi, "How about it? Just accompany me; Gu Yuan isn’t afraid at all. Being with him is boring, but I still want to go play; just accompany me, hm?"

Her best friend, who knew how to act coy, kept cozying up to her; Qi Zhiyi could only slide back, almost bumping into Duan Yiyang.

"You just go with your boyfriend; I won’t be the third wheel." Qi Zhiyi laughed.

"You’re not a third wheel; my brother is going too. You went to the bathroom earlier, and we all agreed, so come with us, okay?"

Qi Zhiyi, unable to resist her soft pleas, nodded in agreement.

**

After eating, when leaving the restaurant, Duan Yinuo and her boyfriend were in one car, making Qi Zhiyi hesitant to hitch a ride, finding herself placed in Duan Yiyang’s car instead.

She thought at the time that because there had been books and miscellaneous items in the back seat, they had just been cleaned out by Duan Yiyang, and she intended to go to the back seat when Duan Yiyang opened the front passenger door for her.

In a gentlemanly manner, he thoughtfully told her, "Get in."

"..."

Qi Zhiyi could only awkwardly take the front passenger seat.

Once in the car, Qi Zhiyi quickly learned from previous experience and fastened her seatbelt, while Duan Yiyang opened a compartment to retrieve a small tin box and handed it to her. She recognized the brand immediately — it was candy.

"This..." Qi Zhiyi didn’t understand the intention.

"For you, because you like candy, right?"

Since the candy wasn’t anything valuable, it wouldn’t be suitable to refuse repeatedly, so she thanked him and accepted it. The car closely followed the one in front, heading towards the downtown area.

"The escape room is newly opened, rumored to be a horror-themed one. How brave are you?" Duan Yiyang asked, seemingly casually.

"I’m okay." Even if Qi Zhiyi was frightened, she would never show anything to him.

"Everything inside is fake, nothing to be afraid of." Duan Yiyang said.

"I know."

Arriving at the escape room door, seeing the decoration hinted at what it might look like inside. It clearly stated some groups shouldn’t enter — like those with high blood pressure or heart disease — which helped to set the overall atmosphere.

There weren’t many people at this time, and Duan Yinuo had already booked tickets online, so there was no need to wait; they prepared to go in as a group.

Qi Zhiyi hurriedly opened the metal box, tore the wrapper, and popped a candy into her mouth to calm herself.

It wasn’t her first escape room, even horror-themed ones she’d been in, thinking it wouldn’t be too frightening — little did she know she’d be scared out of her wits soon after entering...!

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