Chapter 18

Priced at 1200 rmb per inch, the 5A beef was sprinkled with a bit of peppered salt. The tuna filet was boneless; the fresh pink fish meat melted instantly in your mouth, and was savoury with a hint of sweetness. The Sakura shrimp body was fried in the tempura style, with the shrimp heads left to make the soup. Black caviar was sprinkled atop the steamed egg dish, with piping hot steam coming off of it, tantalizing and burning hot.

Xu Nian looked at Cheng Chen, who was sitting across from him.

His dear boss didn’t even dress so formally and ceremoniously when he went to big negotiation meetings.

A crimson red suit, leather shoes polished to a brilliant shine, just as bright as the hair wax smoothed over his hair.

At first, he’d thought that Cheng Chen would be satisfied after eating such an expensive meal, but the boss’s expression was getting uglier and uglier as the meal went on. At the end, when the dessert was brought out, his expression could be said to be all at once angry and pitiful.

“Where’s the present?” Cheng Chen asked, expression dark.

Xu Nian：“？？？”

Cheng Chen pointed at the cake in front of him. “Shouldn’t you put the surprise gift that you prepared inside the cake and then bring it out?!”

“…..should there be sparklers on top too?” Xu Nian asked.

Cheng Chen thought about it, then actually quite seriously replied, “That would be the best.”

Xu Nian：“……”

When it came time to pay the bill, Xu Nian’s heart was bleeding. He confirmed and reconfirmed the bill multiple times, and when he gave over the money he was veritably sighing in woe. He thought that he really must find an opportunity to discuss things with Cheng Chen, for example, in a week, he could pursue Cheng Chen on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, then on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays Cheng Chen would pursue him. Xu Nian didn’t have high demands, he was fine with just having his dating expenses compensated.

The boss might’ve thought that just one meal wasn’t enough for courtship, and that there must be some activity after the dinner.

Xu Nian couldn’t take it anymore, he wanted to save money. “How about we go for a walk?”

Cheng Chen was unwilling to give up. “Just walking?”

“You know, I have a song that I really like. Do you know how one of it’s lines go?”

“How does it go?” Cheng Chen asked.

Xu Nian off-pitchedly sang, “The youthful days of the past. Cars, horses and mail didn’t go fast. A lifetime is only enough to love a single person.”

Cheng Chen was very obviously moved, but he still used all his might to hide it. Unfortunately the leg under the table wasn’t as able to resist reacting.

Xu Nian was seriously very grateful that the boss didn’t like taking in celebrities from the entertainment circle, otherwise if everyone sang for him like this once, then the boss’s leg would definitely shake so hard that it would have gotten a fracture already.

Cheng Chen really did end up taking a stroll with Xu Nian.

B city had many artificial lakes, and as long as it wasn’t too cold, taking a stroll by the lake was quite a pleasant activity.

But Xu Nian forgot that it was already almost December.

The crimson red suit that Cheng Chen was dressed in was a three-piece formal suit. He didn’t even bring a coat, just like those new grooms from Dong Bei that had just come back from his wife’s house after doing New year’s greetings. He stood by the lakeside, in the wind, as if a brush of the brightest China red in the pitch black of night.

Xu Nian was so cold that he was trembling. He quietly said, “…….how about we go find a cafe instead?”

Cheng Chen snuffled. “I’m not cold.”

Xu Nian’s lips twitched, and knew that the boss’s habit of not saying what he actually felt had been activated again.

He looked around and discovered that there was a little stall selling fireworks. It seemed he thought of something, ran over to the stall, and bought a huge bunch of sparklers.

“Do you want to light them?” Xu Nian revealed his two little fangs as he smiled. He crouched down and raised his head to look up at his boss. “Back when we were eating didn’t you say that you wanted to see some?”

Cheng Chen frowned. “No I didn’t.”

Xu Nian smiled and said, “Okay okay, you didn’t.”

He lit many of the sparklers, then selected a few and stuffed them into Cheng Chen’s hands. And so one person was crouched down, and the other stood, while they both awkwardly held lit sparklers.

Xu Nian put his hand close to the bright circle of heat to warm it, and that golden firelight seemed about to burn his clear features.

Cheng Chen looked at him from above, then all of a sudden said, “I don’t like this type of childish thing.”

Xu Nian thought to himself, yeah right, but replied good-naturedly, “Of course, of course.”

Cheng Chen coldly said, “I don’t like taking walks either, it’s goddamn freezing.”

Xu Nian smiled while giving him a glance, and thought silently to himself, if you didn’t like it, then why didn’t you go find a warm place to stay then?

When Cheng Chen finished saying this last sentence he shut his mouth.

The two of them silently continued separately holding their lit sparklers.

After who knows how long, just as the sparklers were almost all used up.

Cheng Chen suddenly said, “I don’t like you at all.”

The last of the sparklers in front of Xu Nian had already burned to the tip. As if it were unwilling to be extinguished just yet, it burst out some last sparks like it was struggling with all its might in the end.

In the darkness the back of Xu Nian’s head was grabbed and forcefully raised.

Cheng Chen’s lips pressed against his.

His kiss was just like his heartbeat.

Clear.

And firm.

Rinrin: Happy first date! Happy first kiss!! And it was CC initiating it!