CH 6.1

Chapter 6 – Part 1 out of 2

Jiang Tao changed her attire and received a call from Fang Rui. “Ahh!” Fang Rui screamed, causing Jiang Tao to move the phone away from her ear. After Fang Rui finished shrieking, Jiang Tao inquired in a hushed tone while closing the bedroom door, “Did you see him?”

“Yes, he nearly scared me to death. You owe me for the mental damage,” Fang Rui replied.

“You insisted on seeing him,” Jiang Tao retorted.

“I’m honestly very nervous right now. I’m worried about you. I feel like he’s not here to take you out on a date but to abduct you,” Fang Rui confessed.

Jiang Tao softened her heart and whispered to Cao An, “He appears intimidating, but he’s actually quite courteous.”

“Regardless of his appearance, how dare you see him again?” Fang Rui exclaimed.

Jiang Tao smiled wryly.

“Speaking of which, there are still twenty minutes until eleven o’clock. He arrived so early, which means that his satisfaction with you is as strong as my curiosity about him,” Fang Rui remarked.

Jiang Tao glanced at the white clock on the wall. The long second hand was moving like her heartbeat. She was already nervous before seeing Cao An.

“I’m going out now. Should I wait a few more minutes?” Jiang Tao needed the encouragement of a good friend at this moment.

“Don’t. I’m afraid he’ll get out of the car and bump into me, delaying your date. He’ll bury me later,” Fang Rui warned.

Jiang Tao said helplessly, “Stop making such jokes.”

It seemed like Fang Rui didn’t respect Cao An enough.

“Hey, do you have a crush on him? You’re thinking about him like this and blaming me, your close friend of ten years,” Fang Rui teased.

“You’re talking nonsense again.”

“Okay, I’m serious. He stopped for about five minutes. Did he contact you?” Fang Rui inquired.

Jiang Tao checked her phone to make sure there were no new messages.

“If he sends a message at eleven o’clock saying that he’ll arrive, then he’s indeed a gentleman,” Fang Rui commented.

“Would you like to come to my house? I told my grandmother that I want to go shopping with you,” Jiang Tao suggested.

“Don’t bother. I’ll find a place to calm down, and you’ll be kidnapped obediently. Get ready,” Fang Rui joked before ending the call with a few gloating laughs.

Sitting by the bedside, Jiang Tao opened the WeChat chat with Cao An. He hadn’t sent a message yet, and she went out twenty minutes early to “wait.” Would Cao An misunderstand and think that she was looking forward to this dinner? Jiang Tao went to look in the mirror.

The previous time they met, she had adorned herself with light makeup, whereas today, she had forgone even that. Hoping to downplay her allure, I presented my unadorned side. She was attired in a pair of jeans and a red sports-style down jacket, waiting restlessly and fretfully. A few seconds past eleven o’clock, Cao An finally sent a message: “I’m here.”

Jiang Tao replied, “Okay, I’ll be out in a moment.”

Grandma was watching TV in the living room, and when she saw her outfit, she asked curiously, “You used to dress up beautifully when you went shopping. Why are you so plain today?”

Jiang Tao stretched out her arms and replied, “Where is the plainness? This down jacket is especially trendy this year.”

Grandma retorted, “I see other girls wearing spring clothes.”

Jiang Tao explained, “I’m afraid of the cold.”

On the side of the road outside the east gate of Heping Community, Cao An had been sitting in the car. Leaning on the back of the chair, he turned his gaze to the entrance of the community.

Young women came out one after another, some well-dressed and some with bare faces.

A figure in a red down jacket appeared in the field of vision, with a simple ponytail, looked around, and then walked towards him.

A faint smile appeared in Cao An’s long and narrow eyes.

The previous time they met, she was dressed like a fashionable urban white-collar worker, but today she looked more like a student who is still studying in college, or a freshman.

Cao An didn’t get out of the car, she only opened the passenger door.

The spring is cold, and the cold wind blows in. A soft-spoken little nurse inquired, “Excuse me, have you been waiting for a long time?”

Cao An replied, “Not long ago, the air conditioner was turned on in the car, or do you prefer to have the windows open?”

Today’s journey was also about thirty minutes. Jiang Tao glanced at the dark gray sweater on him and shook her head, “Turn on the air conditioner.”

Then, she took off her down jacket.

Cao An took it and put it on the back seat.

Jiang Tao lowered her head and put on her seat belt. The little nurse looked innocent, and her figure was not particularly proud, but with the seat belt on, the curve of her chest became more apparent.

Cao An averted his gaze, and grasped the steering wheel, “There may be individuals in the community with whom you are acquainted. I was apprehensive that they might misconstrue the situation, so I refrained from disembarking and waited for you.” Jiang Tao understood that his misapprehension had caused her acquaintances to misconstrue that she had encountered trouble.

How many suspicions and apprehensive stares had he received to develop this consciousness of not wanting to inconvenience others? Jiang Tao dared not meet Cao An’s eyes directly, but his courteous demeanour made it difficult for her not to feel favourably towards him. She turned her head slightly towards him and smiled, “It’s alright, perhaps they may misunderstand at first glance, but they will understand after some explanation.” Cao An glanced over and stated, “Since you don’t object, I will disembark and wait for you next time.”

Jiang Tao: … Why did he mention the next time? However, faced with Cao An’s chest and listening to his polite inquiry, Nurse Xiao Tao, who had previously encouraged her, could not bring herself to pour cold water on him with a foolish attitude.

“Alright, alright.” Cao An started the car. Jiang Tao numbly leaned back on the chair, gazed out of the window with annoyance in her eyes, and unconsciously bit her lips.

The plan had been quite sound, why did it get disrupted right after the meeting up? If it were not for Cao An sitting next to her, Jiang Tao truly wanted to slap her forehead.

A WeChat message appeared, Fang Rui: “Have you gotten in the car?”

Jiang Tao sent a crying emoji.

Fang Rui: “Oh, what happened? Are you scared to tears?”

Jiang Tao explained the situation in a complicated mood.

Fang Rui: “You’re done for, you’ve encountered a master, and you’ve unknowingly dug a big hole, waiting for you to foolishly jump in.”

Jiang Tao: “I really didn’t anticipate this.”

Fang Rui: “You’re too soft-hearted.”

Jiang Tao: “He’s so courteous, I can’t help but reciprocate, right?”

Fang Rui: “So you’re a typical pushover.”

Jiang Tao secretly glanced at Cao An’s hand holding the steering wheel. The sleeves of his sweater were rolled up, revealing a robust forearm, almost as thick as her ankle. People who are courteous should not be too difficult to handle! Jiang Tao believed that she could not handle this kind of person.

“Are you conversing with a friend?”

Cao An glanced at her, “Is there something amiss at the hospital? My cousin informed me that you are usually quite busy.”

Jiang Tao mechanically replied.