Free Web NovelChapter 1021: Chapter 1: Love at First Sword: Our First Meeting—So This Is What He Looks Like, and He’s Really Good-Looking!
Nie Xiaoxing is seven, Gu Yan is twelve.
"Xiaoxing, this pretty lady is mom’s good friend, her surname is Yuan, you should call her Aunt Yuan."
Nie Xiaoxing’s mother, Fu Ruyi, smilingly holds Nie Xiaoxing’s hand and points to Yuan Xihuo.
Nie Xiaoxing gazes at Yuan Xihuo with her pair of clear, black glass-like eyes, "Aunt Yuan."
"Xiaoxing is so pretty." Yuan Xihuo looks somewhat fatigued, her overall spirit is not good, yet her eyes towards Nie Xiaoxing are kind and friendly. Although she doesn’t show much enthusiasm towards Nie Xiaoxing, Nie Xiaoxing has a good impression of this aunt she’s meeting for the first time.
At that time, Nie Xiaoxing was neither thin nor chubby, just right.
Wearing a beautiful white dress, red sandals, long hair, two thin braids hung behind her ears.
With fair skin, big eyes, and a cherry-like small mouth, she is quite a little beauty.
"Come here, Xiaoxing."
Fu Ruyi stands up, pulling Nie Xiaoxing straight to the side of Yuan Xihuo.
Nie Xiaoxing opens her big, lively eyes, curiously staring at the boy who is hiding most of his body behind Yuan Xihuo.
Fu Ruyi bends slightly, looking friendly at the boy, speaking gently, "Xiao Yan, would you like Aunt Fu to introduce you to a sister?"
Yuan Xihuo’s eyelashes flutter down, she gently pulls Gu Yan from behind her, touches his short hair softly, and says gently, "Xiao Yan, don’t you love playing with pretty little sisters? Look, how pretty Xiaoxing is. She can play with you from now on, okay?"
Gu Yan keeps his head down, once pulled out by Yuan Xihuo, he keeps shrinking back into her arms, with most of his face pressed against Yuan Xihuo’s chest, only using half an eye to secretly look at Nie Xiaoxing.
Nie Xiaoxing clutches her small hands, looking somewhat puzzled at Gu Yan.
Why does he seem so afraid of them?
Are they scary?
"Xiao Yan, don’t be like this, okay?" Yuan Xihuo holds Gu Yan, gently stroking his face while persuading, "Can you say hi to Xiaoxing?"
Gu Yan hides the other half of his eye in Yuan Xihuo’s arms.
Not only that, Nie Xiaoxing notices Gu Yan’s body trembling.
Nie Xiaoxing is startled, staring blankly at Gu Yan. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Yuan Xihuo holds Gu Yan tighter, not forcing him further, only looking at Fu Ruyi and Nie Xiaoxing with slightly reddened eyes, "Ruyi, don’t mind it, Xiao Yan... he wasn’t like this before."
"Why are you telling me this? I wouldn’t mind. You and Xiao Yan sit down, Xiaoxing and I will go to the garden and pick some fresh strawberries for you and Xiao Yan."
...
Fu Ruyi and her husband have leased a piece of farmland, employing people for wholesale organic vegetables and fresh fruits.
In the field behind the house, Fu Ruyi picks strawberries into a basket, sighing, "Xiao Yan’s father just recently passed away unexpectedly, Xiao Yan was greatly affected, and since then he became ill. Aunt Yuan says it’s called autism. Poor thing."
Sitting on the ground picking strawberries, Nie Xiaoxing hears, and her delicate face pinches in concern, gazing at Fu Ruyi, "What is autism?"
Perhaps Nie Xiaoxing spoke too softly for Fu Ruyi to hear, or simply because she didn’t notice, Fu Ruyi doesn’t reply to Nie Xiaoxing, instead, placing the last strawberry into the basket, she leads Nie Xiaoxing back, reminding, "Aunt Yuan brought Xiao Yan here to lighten his mood. Be good, okay?"
Nie Xiaoxing lowers her lashes, tilting her little face, sweetly smiling at Fu Ruyi, "Okay."
Fu Ruyi bends down to kiss Xiaoxing’s head, leading her quickly towards the house.
...
Back in the house.
Fu Ruyi goes to the kitchen to wash strawberries, while Nie Xiaoxing sits on the couch, big eyes thoughtfully watching Gu Yan who hides in Yuan Xihuo’s arms upon their return.
Yuan Xihuo, feeling emotionally crushed lately, looks at Nie Xiaoxing, intending to say something, but at the moment of speaking, she finds herself powerless.
Fu Ruyi finishes washing the strawberries and brings them to the coffee table before Yuan Xihuo and Gu Yan, glancing at Yuan Xihuo, she smiles at Gu Yan, "Xiao Yan, eat some strawberries."
Gu Yan naturally doesn’t respond to Fu Ruyi.
Fu Ruyi didn’t expect Gu Yan to pay attention to her anyway, after speaking, she moves to sit beside Yuan Xihuo, intimately linking arms like school days, whispering words of comfort to her.
Nie Xiaoxing doesn’t listen carefully to the conversation between Fu Ruyi and Yuan Xihuo, her big eyes only focus on Gu Yan.
Gu Yan wears a simple white T-shirt and deep blue shorts, although he’s sitting now, Nie Xiaoxing knows he’s much taller than her.
From the side, Nie Xiaoxing can only see his excessively long black eyelashes, his clean, transparent profile, and slightly pursed lips...
Nie Xiaoxing blinks and sees Yuan Xihuo holding Gu Yan’s shoulder, lowering her head to whisper in his ear.
Gu Yan then slowly comes out from her arms, head deeply buried in his chest.
Nie Xiaoxing notices him coming out of Yuan Xihuo’s arms, his mouth slightly pouting as if unhappy.
Yuan Xihuo sighed, patted Gu Yan’s head, cupped his face, kissed his forehead, and then stood up to leave the living room with Fu Ruyi.
Nie Xiaoxing turned around to watch Fu Ruyi lead Yuan Xihuo into her bedroom and close the door.
Nie Xiaoxing’s lively eyes rolled around in their sockets, then she turned back to stare at Gu Yan for a while. Suddenly, she got down from the sofa and confidently walked over to Gu Yan. Bai Jie’s small hand picked up a big, red strawberry, looked at Gu Yan, and crisply asked, "Do you want to eat a strawberry?"
Gu Yan hung his head, silently shifted his butt, and created some distance between himself and Nie Xiaoxing.
Nie Xiaoxing saw this, but she didn’t follow him. Instead, she turned around, sat back on the sofa, and twirled the strawberry in her small hand. Nie Xiangsi tilted her head again to look at Gu Yan, "Every day, many people come to our house to buy strawberries. But actually, many families around here grow strawberries too. Do you want to know why they only come to our house to buy them?"
Gu Yan lowered his chin, as if he hadn’t heard Nie Xiaoxing speaking at all.
Nie Xiaoxing didn’t mind, tilting her head, "Because our strawberries are especially sweet and juicy."
Saying that, Nie Xiaoxing stuffed the whole strawberry into her mouth.
Her mouth being too small, and the strawberry too big, she could only barely fit half of it. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
"Mmm... so sweet, so sweet..."
Nie Xiaoxing mumbled indistinctly.
Gu Yan’s mouth twitched slightly, "..."
Nie Xiaoxing ate one and then grabbed another, feeding herself while sighing in appreciation.
And it wasn’t the kind of exaggerated performance, but a heartfelt appreciation, as if eating the strawberries from their home gave her immense satisfaction.
"I ate seven in one go and still want more. They’re so delicious," Nie Xiaoxing said, not caring if anyone was listening. She continued her own monologue, closing her eyes in delight as she talked, all while sneaking glances at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan pursed his lips, and his eyes involuntarily glanced at the fruit plate on the coffee table that held the strawberries.
Nie Xiaoxing saw this, pursed her lips, and giggled, then got down from the sofa, hands behind her back, saying, "I’m going outside to play for a while. I’ll come back later to eat more."
With that, Nie Xiaoxing turned and walked briskly toward the door, hands still behind her back.
Once outside, Nie Xiaoxing’s petite figure quickly shifted to the side of the door, crouching at the edge to watch Gu Yan.
About three minutes passed, and Gu Yan hadn’t moved.
Nie Xiaoxing’s delicate fingers hooked onto the door frame, her big eyes showing some anxiety.
Suddenly.
Gu Yan moved a little.
Nie Xiaoxing held her breath nervously, fearing he might turn around, and quickly retracted her head, hiding outside the door.
About two minutes later, Nie Xiaoxing carefully turned around, slowly poking her head back out to look at Gu Yan.
When her eyes met Gu Yan, Nie Xiaoxing froze.
Her large, beautiful eyes widened, and she drew two sharp breaths.
Because.
Gu Yan was now turning his head, staring intently at her.
His delicate features were as pretty as a girl’s, his thin lips pressed together.
The gaze directed at her seemed to hold countless shining stars...
Nie Xiaoxing’s face flushed, her heart racing from a standstill to a rapid gallop.
It turned out, turned out, this is what he looks like...
So... so handsome!
Just then.
Yuan Xihuo and Fu Ruyi opened the room door and walked over.
Seeing Nie Xiaoxing standing at the doorway, both of them were momentarily stunned.
Nie Xiaoxing took a deep breath, standing nervously, yet her eyes uncontrollably drifted towards Gu Yan again.
Only to find Gu Yan had once again lowered his head, looking quiet and alone as if he had never looked up at her at all.
Nie Xiaoxing stared at Gu Yan’s profile, completely out of control, a sigh escaping from her small mouth, "Sigh..."
Yuan Xihuo and Fu Ruyi, "..." This child, why is she sighing for no reason?!
Nie Xiaoxing also realized belatedly, her face reddening like the large strawberries on the fruit plate, she pursed her small mouth, turned lightly, and ran outside.
Yuan Xihuo and Fu Ruyi, noticing this, exchanged bewildered but amused smiles.
