Ning Xi withdrew her gaze and then focused her attention on Ye Fan, her clear eyes sizing him up. A captivating smile appeared on her face as she softly asked, "Just now, you kept calling her Sister Lan. You seemed pretty close, huh?"
"It's okay," Ye Fan replied.
"..."
Ning Xi stomped her foot, her face showing a hint of threat, "Just okay? Are you asking for a beating?"
"I consider you a good friend, but you want to treat me like your uncle? That's too much!"
"Xiaoxi, I don't want to be your uncle."
Ye Fan shook his head like a rattle, his thin lips moved slightly, and he murmured in a voice barely audible, "I want to be your husband."
"What did you say?"
Ning Xi only heard a faint sound but didn't catch the specific words, a hint of confusion crossing her eyes.
"Nothing."
Ye Fan shook his head with a smile, walked over to Ning Xi, and gently pressed her fragrant shoulder, making her sit on the bench. He placed a fruit platter in front of her and changed the topic, "Let's pause the tutoring for a bit. Have some fruit. A proper break can improve study efficiency."
"Hmph!"
Ning Xi's small nose twitched. The dissatisfaction in her heart was dispelled by the fruit platter in front of her. She picked up a slice of freshly cut lemon and put it in her mouth. The sweet and sour juice spread over her tongue, and the corners of her eyes curved into crescent shapes, lively and pure.
Seeing Ye Fan standing there, she mumbled, "You eat too, don't hold back. Treat this place as your own home..."
As she spoke, she seemed to realize something was off and quickly corrected herself, "I mean, there's so much here; I can't finish it all by myself."
"Sure."
For some reason, Ye Fan felt like laughing at Ning Xi's explanation. He nodded and sat down.
As he watched the girl eat slice after slice of lemon, he couldn't help but frown.
Can lemon really be eaten like this?
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed unsettling!
"What are you doing standing there? Open your mouth."
"Hmm?"
"Open your mouth." Ning Xi repeated.
Ye Fan instinctively opened his mouth, and in the next second, a fresh lemon slice was shoved into it.
That intense sourness could only be experienced, not described!
"Cough, cough!"
Without hesitation, he spat the lemon into his palm, the sourness almost shutting his eyes tight, squinting into slits.
He had never been fond of lemon water, but because Ning Xi loved it, he forced himself to get used to it. Over time, he gradually came to tolerate the taste of lemon water.
But the fresh lemon slices in front of him far exceeded his taste buds' limits.
This was a level of sourness he couldn't handle!
Seeing this, Ning Xi burst into laughter, her soft, sweet giggles filling the air, warming his heart.
Ye Fan was at a loss for words. He threw the lemon in his hand into the trash and wiped his hands with a tissue, and after all that, his face was full of bitterness as he raised his hand in surrender, "Sis, I was wrong. Can you spare me?"
Ning Xi's face lit up with a smile, and she nodded as if she were being serious. Her small hand waved, "Considering you're pretty sensible, I'll let you go."
After speaking, she seemed to remember something, her eyes gleaming as she stared at Ye Fan, "By the way, there's one more thing."
"Hmm?"
Ye Fan suddenly felt a sense of foreboding, his heart pounding.
Ning Xi poked her chin with her little finger, her eyes twinkling, "The title 'Sis' sounds pretty nice. From now on, call me Sis, Little Leaf. How do you feel about that?"
"..."
Ye Fan's mouth twitched.
Sure enough!
This little girl was up to no good!!!
Calling her Sis?
Forget it. No way!
Without thinking, Ye Fan squinted slightly, a hint of an unclear expression between his brows, and asked casually, "Xiaoxi, what did you just call me?"
"Little Leaf."
Ning Xi blinked innocently, pretending not to understand, "What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing wrong."
Ye Fan smiled, his smile somewhat meaningful. He shook his head and muttered to himself, "Sigh, I have a bad habit. When I'm in a bad mood, I don't like helping others, like tutoring, for instance."
Saying this, he stood up, straightened the wrinkles in his clothes, and said with a smile, "Let's leave it like this until the college entrance exam. There will be no more tutoring sessions. Do your best on your own."
"That's settled. I'm leaving now. Study well at home this afternoon; the shopping plan is canceled."
After saying that, he started walking towards the door.
However, he walked very slowly...
Ning Xi was dumbfounded, staring blankly at Ye Fan's back. Seeing that he was about to leave the study room, she couldn't sit still anymore. She quickly stood up, ran to the door, leaned her delicate back against it, and blocked Ye Fan's way. There was a trace of anger in her eyes, "Who told you to leave? Are you giving up your salary?"
"I don't need it."
Ye Fan's expression remained calm.
Ning Xi puffed up her cheeks, her soft voice tinged with frustration, "You... you said you would go to Qinghua University with me. Just because I joked around, you're giving up on me?"
The last few words carried a hint of grievance.
Realizing that the joke might have gone too far, Ye Fan's attitude changed instantly. Smiling, he raised an eyebrow at Ning Xi, "Just kidding. Did you really take it seriously?"
Saying this, he took her hand, turned back to the table, sat down, and gently pinched her chubby cheek, his voice soft, "Xiaoxi, no matter when I won't give up on you."
Then, he added reassuringly, "I was wrong. Please don't be angry."
"Pfft—"
Suddenly, Ning Xi laughed, not caring how intimate Ye Fan's actions had just been. She only knew that her nervous heart had settled down. She opened her pink lips and finally whispered softly.
"Bad guy!"
Ye Fan breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "As long as you're not angry, you can call me anything you like."
"Hmph!"
Ning Xi crossed her arms, turning her head away.
She was three parts enchanting, three parts delicate, three parts charming, and the last part shy, making a perfect view.
Ye Fan squeezed her small hand in his palm, his voice deep and steady, "Xiaoxi, the college entrance exam is a month and a half away. We will go to Qinghua University together, understand?"
"And after the college entrance exam, I will pursue you!"
Ning Xi's cheeks blushed as she tried to pull her hand back, but she failed. Her heart was flustered, and her sweet voice carried a hint of panic, "You... don't change the subject. We're talking about why you just..."
"I'm going to pursue you!"
"..."
Those four simple words silenced the girl, her eyes locked on Ye Fan.
One second, two seconds, the clock ticked away, yet the two of them seemed unaware of the passage of time as if this moment had been frozen forever.
At that second, even time itself seemed to be touched by gentleness.
Ye Fan's gaze was particularly intense as if he wanted to etch Ning Xi at that moment into his memory—her shyness, her beauty...
No mountain or water in the world could compare to even half of Ning Xi's charm.
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