The alcoholic breath sprayed onto Qin Huaichen's face, and Fu Xiaoya could already see the veins bulging on his forehead.
The drunk man had the sense to realize that Qin Huaichen's expression had turned cold, so he staggered away.
"He's not entirely wrong," Fu Xiaoya touched her nose and said with a smile.
"That's my prerogative," Qin Huaichen petulantly kicked the bottle the drunkard had dropped.
Fu Xiaoya picked up the cigarettes and lighter that the intoxicated man had left on the ground. She took out a cigarette, sniffed it at the tip of her nose, and the pungent smell rushed to her head. She didn't really want to smoke, but this scent triggered her nicotine addiction.
"Do you mind if I smoke?" Fu Xiaoya asked before Qin Huaichen could answer. Without waiting, she ignited the lighter and took a puff. The coolness of the gentleman's cigarette filled her mouth and lungs, making her feel much more relaxed. She blew the smoke onto Qin Huaichen's face. "Do you know what kind of person I am? Yet you like me?"
The current Fu Xiaoya no longer had the appearance of an obedient girl from before. She now had a hint of alluring wildness, like an untameable wolf on the grassland.
This was the real her.
The smoke swirled around Qin Huaichen, but he remained still, not even batting an eyelid, quietly waiting for the smoke to dissipate.
"I only know that you are the person I like. No matter what kind of person you are, I like you," Qin Huaichen said.
Fu Xiaoya was surprised, but she shook her head with a smile. She took another long drag from the cigarette, and before she knew it, it was already finished. She looked at the cars passing by on the roadside, extinguished the cigarette butt, and lit another one. "I'm not the kind of gentlewoman that you men like," she flicked the ash and warned, "So, don't provoke me."
Fu Xiaoya had never shown her true nature outside, even in front of her family, she pretended to be innocent and adorable. She didn't know why, but in front of Qin Huaichen, she suddenly didn't want to pretend anymore. Maybe she wanted to scare Qin Huaichen away.
Qin Huaichen also lit a cigarette and approached Fu Xiaoya. His warm breath sprayed onto the back of her hand, sending tingles through her. The two cigarette tips collided, emitting an orange glow under the dim streetlight.
"Indeed, you are different from what I had in mind, but you're not a bad person. I know," Qin Huaichen said, taking a drag from his cigarette and exhaling smoke into the sky.
Qin Huaichen had a certain elegance even when smoking, making it hard to look away.
Fu Xiaoya looked at him for a while before saying, "Well, thank you then." It was the first time someone said she wasn't a bad person! But she knew what kind of person she truly was – vindictive and with a dark personality. She and Qin Huaichen were not from the same world.
"I locked a girl in the restroom today and scared her unconscious," Fu Xiaoya confessed. She wanted Qin Huaichen to understand that she wasn't as good as he imagined. Perhaps then, he would stop liking her.
"Zhang Li?" Qin Huaichen asked.
"Yes, don't you think I'm bad?" Fu Xiaoya questioned.
"People who are too kind can get swallowed up, so it's necessary to have some sharpness to protect oneself. It's not being bad; it's self-preservation," Qin Huaichen explained.
Fu Xiaoya lowered her head, feeling a ripple in her heart. Besides her family, Qin Huaichen was the first person to treat her well and open up to her. What was even stranger was that she didn't mind him getting closer to her. In fact, she even hoped for a closer bond between them. It was truly peculiar.
"Have we met before?" Fu Xiaoya's heart inexplicably quickened. She stubbed out her cigarette and exhaled the last puff of smoke, trying to calm herself down.
Qin Huaichen replied, "I said you are my light. Do you believe me?" He flicked the ashes of his cigarette occasionally while holding it. Seeing that Fu Xiaoya had stopped smoking, he extinguished his own cigarette as well.
Fu Xiaoya shook her head. There was no trace of Qin Huaichen in her memories. Perhaps the previous owner of her body had experienced something unforgettable with Qin Huaichen. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so deeply obsessed.
In Qin Huaichen's clear eyes, there was a sense of loneliness. He looked at the distant lights and realized that he lacked self-restraint. Since seeing Fu Xiaoya, his heart had been in chaos.
"I apologize for my sudden words," Qin Huaichen said. He felt that he shouldn't have said those words of confession. Perhaps he had already frightened Fu Xiaoya.
Fu Xiaoya couldn't bear to see him so dejected, but she didn't know how to comfort a sad man. Just then, Qin Huaichen's phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw it was a call from Qin Dongling.
"I'll take this call," Qin Huaichen said, not avoiding Fu Xiaoya, and answered, "Hello?"