My Youth Began With Him (Web Novel)
chapter-111

"Don't move. Just let me hug you for a bit." Qin Chu's voice was soft. Not knowing what to do, Huo Mian stood still.

"Qin Chu, did something happen?" She felt like something was wrong.

Someone as cold and arrogant as him would never act out like this.

"Nothing, I'm just a little tired and wanted to hug you."

Huo Mian wore a cute set of loose yellow pajamas that were covered in a Spongebob pattern.

Her hair was pulled up loosely, looking a little puffy and messy.

On the other hand, Qin Chu wore a dark purple dress shirt with expensive diamond cufflinks.

He stood behind her and hugged her quietly, greedily inhaling in her unique scent.

Immediately, his agitated heart felt calm.

The world was better with Huo Mian by his side.

"Mian, you will be by my side like this forever, right?" he suddenly asked.

Huo Mian opened her mouth but didn't know how to answer.

Should she answer 'yes'? Well, that would be a lie. Growing old with Qin Chu was not something that had ever crossed her mind.

There were too many external factors and psychological burdens between them.

Uncle Jing's death alone would have caused her never to be able to settle down with Qin Chu peacefully.

What if she straight-up answered 'no'? She didn't have the heart to do it. At this moment in time, Qin Chu seemed fragile.

So, she replied with silence.

After a while, Qin Chu let Huo Mian go slowly and sat down on the couch.

He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. The expression in his eyes was too difficult to understand.

To Qin Chu, Liu Siying and her father were nothing more than strangers, so he didn't need to be polite.

But there was one thing that Liu Siying said that stung his heart.

She asked him if it mattered that the person he liked didn't like him back.

This was the one thing Qin Chu cared about the most. He knew without a doubt that the Huo Mian from seven years ago loved him.

But who was to say that things were still the same seven years later?

Seven years can change many things, even if Huo Mian never dated Ning Zhiyuan.

That didn't mean that she was still in love with Qin Chu. After all, it was him that brought the misfortunes onto her family.

He couldn't possibly seek revenge on his parents, even though they were the ones who hurt Huo Mian.

It was definitely not a good feeling when you are able to be with the woman you love every day, but couldn't confirm if she feels the same way.

He felt almost like an insecure child who was always frightened by the thought of abandonment.

Huo Mian reheated the leftovers in the kitchen and brought them to the table.

Qin Chu looked much more energetic after a cigarette. He changed into a white shirt.

"I just whipped up something randomly, try them. I'm not very good at cooking." Huo Mian pointed to the dishes without much confidence.

Qin Chu sat down quietly and took a bite of bok choy.

Stir-fried bok choy, cucumbers and egg, dry-fried yellow croaker, and a ]seafood soup.

Most of the dishes were vegetarian since Huo Mian didn't like eating meat. She wondered if the food would suit Qin Chu's appetite.

Huo Mian sat on the side and watched him eat, and for the first time, she felt comfortable with him.

The way Qin Chu ate was very graceful, and when he lowered his head, you could see his long lashes.

Huo Mian sat there with her chin on her hands and watched this man eat. She was overly concentrated as if she were watching a TV drama.

She almost forgot how pathetic her stare was.

"You like what you're seeing?" Qin Chu asked suddenly without looking at Huo Mian.

Snapping back to reality, Huo Mian awkwardly coughed and got up immediately.

"Um… you can leave everything here once you're done. I will come and clean it up, I'm going upstairs to take a shower now."

Huo Mian then ran up the stairs.

An hour later, she came down after her shower and noticed that the dining table was already cleared.

The dishes and bowls had been thoroughly washed as well.

Huo Mian was happy. Unlike other chauvinistic men, Qin Chu didn't think chores were solely a woman's responsibility.

In fact, Qin Chu simply didn't want Huo Mian to be bogged down by miscellaneous chores.

At this time, Qin Chu was already in the study, organizing company data.

Huo Mian went back upstairs as she walked around and realized there were no other chores to be done.

- Late at night -

Qin Chu opened the bedroom door to see Huo Mian deep asleep.

Gently, he walked up to the bed and rolled onto it, held her, and laid down beside her.

Through the moonlight that shined through the window, he stared at her delicate and pretty face.

"You like what you're seeing?" She suddenly opened her eyes and asked him with a sweet smile on her face.

Qin Chu was startled. He didn't think that Huo Mian would wake up, or rather, he didn't expect her not to be asleep.