Chapter Fifty-Four: Foolishness and Conditions

Cheng Jiu thought Xin Gan would refuse, and was about to help her decline, when she suddenly said, "Alright." Then, Xin Gan turned her head to him, asking, "Are you free later?"

Cheng Jiu answered, "Yes."

"Good."

Father Cheng and Chief Meng exchanged a pleased glance and smiled knowingly; it was clear they both thought the two were getting along well.

Father Cheng hurried to send them off: "No time like the present, you two go ahead. Xin Gan, you can stop by the hospital to have your face checked. Chief Meng and I will sit a while longer."

Cheng Jiu nodded, and Xin Gan rose as well, bowing slightly. "Uncle Cheng, Uncle Meng, please continue eating. We'll head out now."

"Go on, enjoy yourselves, but don't come back too late," Father Cheng instructed.

Father Cheng and Chief Meng watched their departing figures, sharing another smile. Chief Meng chuckled, "Young people are the best. They remind me of when my wife and I were dating. We were so shy in front of others, but at home, once the door was closed, we couldn't get enough of each other. Ah, those days."

Father Cheng teased, "Isn't that so? We've all been there. But these two, I really hope they settle things soon and get it done."

"Then you need to hurry them along. I can't wait to drink their wedding wine."

…

Cheng Jiu went to get the car. Under the scorching sun, he didn’t let Xin Gan come along, telling her to wait in the shade by the canteen entrance until he drove up.

He’d considered her skin allergy; the sun was fierce at midday, and her delicate skin couldn't bear much exposure.

Yet, Xin Gan had just agreed to go out with him so readily—he suspected she must have something she wanted to discuss privately. Otherwise, from what he’d recently learned about her, she’d be eager to break off the engagement on the spot, not agree to spend time with him in front of their elders.

Chief Meng had mentioned a few tourist spots, but Cheng Jiu hadn’t been to any of them and felt uncertain. As he walked to get the car, he used the opportunity to look up what was interesting about each place. He knew the area well enough not to need navigation, but not the attractions themselves.

Unfortunately, the signal was poor; the page kept loading with no result, no matter how long he waited.

While Xin Gan waited, she adjusted her hat and jacket. She dared not use sunscreen, as it would only exacerbate her condition.

"Miss Xin."

Suddenly, she heard someone call her. She turned to see Jiang Tang approaching.

Jiang Tang wore a smile, dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt and dark blue jeans, her face partly hidden behind sunglasses. As she walked up, she said, "What happened to your face, Miss Xin? Sunburned?"

Xin Gan didn’t care to interact, but replied politely, "No, it’s an allergy."

"No wonder, it looks quite serious. The sun will only get stronger soon—standing here might worsen your allergy."

Xin Gan gave no answer, tugging at the cord around her neck.

Jiang Tang showed no intention of leaving, lingering at the canteen entrance, chatting with her. Before long, Cheng Jiu drove up.

From a distance, he saw Jiang Tang and Xin Gan together and frowned, but didn’t react otherwise. Once parked, he got out of the car.

Jiang Tang greeted him familiarly, "Cheng Jiu, heading out?"

"Yes, just going out for a bit."

Xin Gan remained silent. With Jiang Tang present, she felt awkward speaking to Cheng Jiu, especially as Jiang Tang’s casual greeting made her seem close to him, while Xin Gan was an outsider, a third wheel.

Jiang Tang asked, "Are you going out with Miss Xin? Where are you headed?"

Cheng Jiu didn’t look at Xin Gan, nor did he answer.

"So you can’t tell me where you’re going? Are things between us so bad now, Cheng Jiu?" Jiang Tang feigned a smile, hands behind her back, even standing on tiptoe.

Xin Gan’s gaze drifted away. In the distance, mountains rose high, piercing the clouds. The area was surrounded by scenic peaks and, of course, drenched in sunlight.

Cheng Jiu withdrew his gaze, about to speak, when Xin Gan suddenly said, "Why don’t you two talk? I’ll wait in the car."

Cheng Jiu nodded, letting her go.

She climbed into the car. Cheng Jiu looked at Jiang Tang and said calmly, "Jiang Tang, don’t play these little games."

His tone was measured, but carried a warning.

He continued, "I have a bad temper. There’s no need for you to waste your efforts on me—it’s not worth it."

Jiang Tang was rejected again. Forcing a smile, she said, "So I can’t even talk to you anymore?"

Cheng Jiu frowned.

"My father saved your life, Cheng Jiu. For his sake, can't you be a little less cruel? Don't reject me so completely. Give me some time, will you?"

Clenching his fist, Cheng Jiu replied, "Whatever the case, one thing has nothing to do with another. Just don’t waste your feelings on me."

Jiang Tang apologized, "Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just concerned when I saw Xin Gan’s face, that’s all. I didn’t say anything inappropriate. I know where the boundaries are. Cheng Jiu, if we can’t be lovers, let’s just be colleagues. That’s how I’ll think of it from now on."

He gave her no clear answer. He wasn’t inexperienced in relationships, nor was he naïve about the schemes women might play—he simply didn’t care to get involved. Jiang Tang was a special case; her father had once saved him, and that was a debt he would always owe and eventually repay.

Besides, Jiang Tang was an only child. No matter what, he couldn’t let anything happen to her because of him.

For some things, Cheng Jiu couldn’t just cut her off completely. He wasn’t heartless; a debt is a debt, and must be repaid.

Xin Gan sat in the back seat, unsure how long she waited before Cheng Jiu finally returned. She didn’t ask what he’d said to Jiang Tang, sitting quietly.

Cheng Jiu drove her to the hospital first. On the way, he didn’t initiate conversation. After half an hour, he finally spoke, "The month you first arrived, when I asked Jiang Tang to take care of you for a while—what did she say to you?"

He brought it up at last. Xin Gan answered honestly, "She did. She told me about your relationship."

"There is no relationship," Cheng Jiu clarified immediately, his tone unhurried. "I don’t know exactly what she told you, but I can guess it wasn’t anything good. Xin Gan, there’s nothing between us. Don’t let it bother you."

Xin Gan thought he was being uncharacteristically earnest.

He waited for her reply, then pressed, "Why aren’t you saying anything?"

With a serious expression, Xin Gan said, "Even if there was something between you, it’s none of my business."

Again, she was distancing their relationship.

Cheng Jiu frowned, his lips curling slightly as he stared at her in the rearview mirror. His gaze was calm but intense, and he said deliberately, "Aren’t you afraid…"

He left the sentence unfinished, glancing away as he noticed a car parked up ahead with someone waving at the roadside—a young woman draped in a bright red shawl, its ends fluttering in the wind.

Apparently, a tourist’s car had broken down.

Cheng Jiu pulled over. "Wait here, don’t get out. I’ll check on them." He got out to see what was wrong.

Xin Gan watched as he conversed with the car’s owner. She couldn’t hear them, but her eyes were drawn to Cheng Jiu, unable to look away for several minutes.

She was curious—what kind of person was he really?

At heart, he seemed a good man. But sometimes he behaved like a rascal, especially when teasing her, which made him infuriating. She did resent him, but not in a malicious sense—she simply couldn’t forgive him for going back on his word.

Otherwise, she would have gone home long ago and not suffered through her skin allergy.

Soon, Cheng Jiu returned, and as he passed by, Xin Gan averted her gaze, not wanting him to catch her staring.

He opened the trunk and took out a spare can of gasoline, handing it to the owner of the broken-down car.

The woman thanked him profusely and tried to get his phone number so she could pay him back.

Cheng Jiu replied, "Do you have cash? I’ll take cash."

The woman said, "Sorry, we don’t have any—"

The man with her, the car owner, immediately looked displeased, pulled out his wallet, and handed over some bills. "We do have cash. Here, please take it. Thank you so much. Good thing you had spare fuel, or we’d be camping here overnight."

The woman pouted unhappily, "Why did you have to expose me? I just wanted his WeChat, what’s wrong with that?"

The man glared at her, but didn’t scold her, instead apologizing to Cheng Jiu with a humble bow.

The woman sidled up to him, close enough to touch, and said, "Handsome, it must be fate to meet you here and be saved by you. Can I have your contact info?"

Cheng Jiu replied, "No need. You’ve paid for the gas, so let’s leave it at that. I’ll be on my way."

The woman whined, still trying to follow, but the man grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Could you be a little more reserved? If you were, would you even be with me? Useless—promised me a trip, but forgot everything, didn’t even check the fuel, left me baking in the sun for half an hour. If I get sunburned, what then?"

The man, evidently mild-mannered, didn’t dare talk back, only murmured apologies.

Xin Gan could guess what had happened. Cheng Jiu pocketed the cash, got back in the car, buckled up, and started the engine, driving off.

As they passed, the woman was still waving at him.

Xin Gan pressed her lips together.

They rode in silence, neither speaking.

At the hospital, Xin Gan went to the dermatology department, just as she had in the previous hospital. She was prescribed ointment and advised to wear a hat, avoid the sun, and maintain a bland diet and proper routine for gradual recovery.

She understood all this, but her face still refused to heal.

Unable to help herself, she opened the front camera on her phone and took a few photos. Seeing the result, she felt she looked so terrible she couldn’t bear to look at herself.

Cheng Jiu returned from paying the bill, seeing her holding up her phone. He approached.

Hearing his steps, Xin Gan quickly put her phone away. "Are we heading back after picking up the medicine?"

Cheng Jiu asked, "Do you want to do something else?"

"Could we get something to eat? I’m a bit hungry," Xin Gan said. After a pause, she added, "I left in such a hurry earlier, I didn’t eat enough."

Cheng Jiu smiled silently. "Beef noodles?"

"Can we try something else?"

He nodded, walking beside her out of the hospital. "What would you like?"

"Lamb flatbread stew. I’d like to try it."

Cheng Jiu remembered she couldn’t have dairy and was about to suggest something else, but thought better of it.

Beiyu was home to many local specialties, many of which even Cheng Jiu hadn’t tried. He’d always been focused on work, spending his free time drilling with the team. Pleasure and leisure weren’t priorities for him. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to enjoy himself—growing up in the Cheng family, he’d seen and done it all. But as he got older, such things mattered less.

Xin Gan didn’t seem like someone who’d go out for fun either—she was too well-behaved, quiet and gentle, her voice always soft and sweet. Only when truly displeased did she raise her voice or frown, showing her feelings openly.

Sometimes, Cheng Jiu thought she was a child—except she wasn’t easily coaxed, unlike his previous girlfriends.

If it had been a few years earlier, he never would have liked someone like her.

But perhaps, with age, even his tastes had changed.

It was their first time sitting alone at a table. She ordered lamb flatbread stew without any chili. He got his mildly spicy. Overhead, the fan creaked, and outside people bustled by in the midday sun, the light growing ever harsher, glinting off the polished floor.

The broth was rich, the meat tender and fragrant, the bowl bigger than Xin Gan’s face, the spoon equally large. She took a sip and looked up to see Cheng Jiu watching her without touching his own food.

Her cheeks flushed. "Why are you staring at me? Eat your food."

Cheng Jiu grinned, leaning back in his chair with a lazy, rakish air. "Xin Gan, tell me, why did you ask me out?"

She paused, caught off guard, poking at her food. "How did you know?"

"You can’t wait to get away from me. I had to coax and trick you to keep you around. Why would you suddenly ask me out?"

"I do have something to discuss, but there hasn’t been an opportunity," she admitted. "Does what we agreed still stand? We play along, but not for real."

Cheng Jiu’s interest was piqued. "Aren’t you afraid that, after pretending, we might not be able to stop?"

His implication was obvious.

Xin Gan wasn’t experienced but tried to act as though she was, sitting up straighter. "You wouldn’t."

"No guarantees."

She gripped her fingers nervously, chin tilting up. "You have to promise—otherwise I can’t cooperate with you."

"I can’t promise." Cheng Jiu was shameless. "Xin Gan, you underestimate your effect on me."

She fell silent, steam still rising from the bowl. By now the heat was oppressive, sweat beading on her brow, though she wasn’t sure if it was from the soup.

Suddenly, Cheng Jiu reached for a napkin and wiped her sweat. She didn’t flinch, her mind still on his words.

His smile faded a little. "I’m not joking, Xin Gan. You’re single, I’m single—we’re a good match."

She bristled at his trap, insisting, "We’re not."

"How so? Height? Family? Personality? Looks?" He was, after all, a young master raised in a wealthy family. Though years of hard work had changed his appearance and character, the innate sense of superiority remained, especially now as he was half-confessing.

Xin Gan’s mind went blank; none of his examples were problems.

"Is it age?"

No reply.

"So it is age," he concluded.

She still didn’t speak, which he took as acquiescence.

"What’s wrong with me being older? I know how to care for you, to spoil you, as long as you don’t cross my bottom line. You can be willful, throw tantrums—as long as it’s within my power, I’ll put you first. Doesn’t that tempt you?"

Xin Gan remained silent.

Cheng Jiu narrowed his eyes. "Gone mute or gone deaf?"

Her expression flickered, finally showing some reaction. She replied seriously, "I’m trying to figure out how to change your mind."

He asked, "So, is there someone else in your heart?"

Her lashes trembled as she looked down, suddenly parched but with no water at hand. She got up to leave. He let her go. When she returned, she brought back two bottles of water, opened one and took a few sips before answering slowly, "I can’t change your mind—I give up."

Cheng Jiu laughed again. "So?"

"I have one condition."

"Let’s hear it."

"I don’t want to register for marriage yet."

"Then what kind of marriage is this?"

"Not now. Maybe later."

"You’re letting me drive without a license?"

He asked this with a straight face. Though Xin Gan lacked experience, she caught on at once—he was making a lewd joke. Even so, she was flustered. Luckily, her face was already red from her allergy, so no one could tell.

She glanced around, checking if anyone was watching, half-annoyed, half-exasperated. "Can’t you be serious and not joke about this?"

Cheng Jiu fell silent for a moment, watching her.

She sat with her head half-bowed. Even with her face red and swollen, it didn’t detract from her looks. He couldn’t think of another word—she was pleasing to the eye, he liked her, his gaze drawn to her again and again.

Of course, when it comes to flirting, any normal man in front of the woman he likes sheds his inhibitions. He felt no shame in saying such things, but probably only with her.

"If anyone else said this to me, I’d call the police," Xin Gan stated, and she meant it.

Cheng Jiu licked his teeth, gazing at her with another smile. "Little wildcat—no match for me, yet you still bare your claws."