136. Is it sweet?

The "Sea Flower" hotel in downtown Qiancheng is a well-known five-star chain in the country, and Chen Ruowen had stayed there several times before. However, this particular location was far inferior to those in other cities; there wasn't even a computer in the room.

Chen Ruowen had booked a presidential suite for herself on the eighteenth floor, while the two boys, in the spirit of frugality, shared a standard room on the twelfth floor. Consequently, after checking their exam scores, Chen Ruowen was in a foul mood. She had gone to great lengths to travel to Qiancheng to accompany him as he checked his results, only for this guy to return to his room to hang out with another boy the moment he was done.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She threw on a long coat and stormed down to the twelfth floor with such intensity that several strangers in the elevator were left staring, completely missing their own floor.

"I can't believe I'm staying in such a nice hotel! There’s even a fridge and a safe in the room!" Ma Yunan was crouched by the metal cabinet next to the TV, excitedly shoving his messenger bag into the safe, his ear pressed against the door as he turned the combination lock with practiced flair. "But Brother Yan, you came straight back to the room with me after checking your scores—won Sister Wen be upset?" Ma Yunan winked at Bai Jinyan.

Bai Jinyan was staring at his phone, seemingly lost in thought.

"Brother Yan?"

Ma Yunan called out again, and Bai Jinyan snapped back to reality. Just as he was about to speak, a knock echoed at the door.

"Bai Jinyan! Open up!"

Ma Yunan winked again. "Speak of the devil."

Bai Jinyan opened the door, his expression changing the moment he saw who it was. He pulled her into his arms and closed the door behind them, blocking the view from inside. Chen Ruowen was stunned by the sudden tug, only to hear Bai Jinyan’s exasperated voice above her head.

"How could you come out dressed like this?!"

Dressed like this? Chen Ruowen looked herself over, puzzled. There was nothing wrong with it—a champagne-colored silk robe with a navy blue wide-sleeved coat layered over it. The contrast was striking and looked quite stylish.

Just then, the door to the neighboring room opened. A young man stepped out and caught sight of Chen Ruowen. Seeing her delicate profile beneath her soft, long hair and her lazy, alluring air, he couldn't help but swallow hard, his eyes fixed on her.

Bai Jinyan’s brow furrowed immediately. He pulled Chen Ruowen by the waist, turning her to face the wall, and blocked the view with his arm. He even leaned his head in to obscure the other half of her face, whispering angrily into her ear, "You are not allowed to go out in your pajamas!"

Chen Ruowen’s pent-up rage and desire to pick a fight were suddenly extinguished. "I’m wearing a coat over it..."

"That’s still not allowed!"

"We're in a hotel..."

"All the more reason!"

The young man next door finally walked away with a look of regret, casting one last lingering, vengeful glare at Bai Jinyan as he turned the corner.

"Brother Yan, do you two want to..." Ma Yunan started to ask if they wanted to come in, but after being hit with an instant dose of public displays of affection, he hissed and covered his eyes, retreating back into the room. "I didn't see anything! I didn't see a thing!"

Bai Jinyan’s face flushed. "I..."

Before he could continue, a hand reached out from the room behind him, blindly groping in the hallway. "I’m just here to close the door. You two carry on, carry on, don't mind me. Wait, where's the door?"

"Hotel doors open inward," Chen Ruowen helpfully reminded him, her mood suddenly much improved.

"Oh, oh, oh! Sorry, sorry!" Ma Yunan retracted his hand and slammed the door shut.

Bai Jinyan let out a sigh of relief and was about to finish his sentence when the door cracked open again, and Ma Yunan’s voice drifted out. "Brother Yan, go for it! Win over Sister Wen!"

Chen Ruowen burst into laughter. Bai Jinyan’s face darkened, and he grabbed Chen Ruowen, striding toward the elevator. "We’ll finish this in your room."

The presidential suite had a small living room. Bai Jinyan sat on the sofa, looking slightly awkward. Chen Ruowen, still in her robe and coat, busied herself for a moment before returning with a plate. "It’s a fruit platter the hotel sent up. I was bored and couldn't finish it alone, so you can keep me company!"

Bai Jinyan leaned forward and took the grape she offered from her fingers. His lips brushed against her soft skin, a sensation that reminded him of their last encounter—one that had been even more heart-fluttering. He felt that this grape was perhaps too sweet.

"How is it, little lab rat?"

Bai Jinyan nodded. "Very sweet."

Chen Ruowen immediately picked another one and popped it into her own mouth. "That’s good. I was worried the grapes weren't ripe this season..." Her face immediately scrunched up, and she quickly grabbed a tissue to spit the grape out. "Bai Jinyan, you lied to me! It’s sour!"

"The one before was sweet."

Chen Ruowen looked at him suspiciously, picked two similar-looking grapes from the platter, compared them, and fed him one. "Is it sweet?"

"Sweet."

Chen Ruowen skeptically swallowed the other one. "Bai Jinyan, you’re lying to me again!"

"The one just now was truly sweet."

Chen Ruowen didn't believe it and fed him the entire plate of grapes, and he claimed every single one was sweet. "That makes no sense. Out of a whole plate, only the two I ate were sour? Am I really that unlucky?"

Chen Ruowen stared at the final grape in her hand, thought for a moment, and then fed it to Bai Jinyan. "Is it sweet?"

Bai Jinyan took a gentle bite, the small, exquisite grape splitting in two, its fresh juice instantly filling their senses. It was still so sweet...

"Sweet..." Bai Jinyan nodded, but the word was stuck in his throat.

As he nodded, Chen Ruowen, who had been watching him closely, suddenly moved. She wrapped one arm around his neck and leaned in with a clear objective, deftly stealing the half-grape from his mouth.

Bai Jinyan’s world turned upside down. He held his breath, his heart hammering like a drum.

Chen Ruowen pulled back after a few seconds, feigning composure as she explained, "I just wanted to test if it was actually sweet."

Bai Jinyan suppressed a smile. "And what was the result of your experiment?"

Chen Ruowen nodded with great seriousness. "Not bad. Much sweeter than the two I had."

Bai Jinyan placed the plate she had been holding onto the coffee table, his gaze flickering. "It’s a pity that was the last one. You didn't get to eat the ones before it."

That sounded... strangely ambiguous.

Chen Ruowen tried not to overthink it, and her free hand reached up to hook around Bai Jinyan’s neck.

"Bai Jinyan."

"Yes?"

"You can answer that question now."

"What question?"

"The one from the graduation party—the one you couldn't answer, so you chose 'dare' instead."

Chen Ruowen looked up, meeting his eyes, and the corners of her mouth curved upward in a bright, defiant expression. "Your first kiss—I’m the one who took it. From now on, whatever happened before doesn't count."