CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28: JUST KISS HIM

[Hey! Are you listening to me? Sophia? Hmm? Is the signal bad? It shouldn’t be... ] Ariel on the other end of the phone started to doubt if her phone was broken.

No one would have thought that at this moment, Zane Sterling was standing by the balcony in the living room, hands in the pockets of his black coat, looking at her with deep, dark eyes.

In the light snow, his expression was hard to read. Hopefully, he couldn’t read hers either.

Sophia slowly lowered the phone from her ear.

Is there a sandy place here? I really want to bury my head...

Which damn designer designed this suite?! The balcony of the room and the living room are actually connected!

She stood there, stunned.

When did he start standing there?

What did he hear?

Sophia bit her lip, mechanically turned around, and walked back into the room, pretending nothing had happened.

Ah!!!!

There was a moment when she felt like dying on the spot —

Not knowing when the call ended, Sophia hurriedly texted Ariel.

[He heard our conversation. What should I do?]

[Just kiss him, no need to explain.]

Does that work? Just kiss him? Will nothing else happen?

Sophia swallowed, and those improper thoughts appeared in her mind again.

——

For a long time.

"Knock knock——" There was a sound at the door.

Sophia patted her face, adjusted her mindset, and opened the door.

Zane Sterling’s dark figure stood before her.

"Hungry? Want to grab something to eat?"

He wore a black woolen coat, with a white wool sweater underneath, looking tall and elegant.

It was only then that Sophia realized they wore the same style, a black woolen coat outside, with a white woolen dress underneath.

"Mhm." Her voice even became smaller.

Receiving her response, Zane turned and walked toward the door.

Sophia slowly approached, took his hand, and Zane unexpectedly put their hands into his coat pocket and held them tightly together.

Hot! So hot!

Unexpectedly, the cold weather was so warm even without floor heating, tch!

Zane rented a car, and the person from the rental company handed him the keys and left. It wasn’t until Sophia got into the passenger seat that he reluctantly let go of her hand.

On a rare snowy day in S City, the car was warm, her blush never fading, hanging on her face like a newborn baby.

Inside the car, neither of them spoke, until...

The TV station’s voice: [S City welcomed the first snow of the year. This scene can’t help but remind me of a saying: When we share the snow in the future, it means we’ll grow old together...]

"He got it wrong." Zane said.

"Hmm?"

Sophia was startled and turned to look at him.

The car stopped just at a red light.

He glanced back and said, "Snow can’t replace being side by side; meeting you is already a fortune."

The jerk could actually say sweet words.

For a moment, Sophia was a bit lost, looking at him.

Zane parked the car in a parking lot on the street in the city center.

"Where are we going to eat?" Sophia asked.

"You’ll know in a bit."

Sophia tried to unbuckle her seat belt, but it wouldn’t budge. She wanted to call Zane, but he was already out of the car.

The passenger door opened, and the cold air rushed in.

Sophia looked at him innocently, "It’s stuck."

Zane paused, one hand supporting the car door as he leaned in, tinkering with the seat belt latch.

Sophia dared not move. At the moment he leaned in, his unique sandalwood scent enveloped her with his breath.

"Kiss or not to kiss?" Three words popped into Sophia’s mind.

Sinning...

"Click!" The sound of the seat belt latch being released.

"There you go..." Zane was about to rise, but found his arm being held by Sophia.

He turned his head, and their eyes met.

Men’s and women’s breaths intertwined, two people at thirty-six degrees touching, enough to make the air boil.

The atmosphere became thick, and the ambiguity gradually increased.

Sophia reached out and covered his eyes, leaning in without hesitation, lightly touching his cold lips.

Zane stood frozen, only feeling darkness before him, a trace of heat from the cold lips.

His Adam’s apple moved, heavy breathing sprayed on her neck, grasping the car door ever tighter.

Before he could savor the moment, Sophia gently released her hand and pushed him away.

Zane wisely stepped back, but his gaze remained on her.

Sophia got out of the car.

They were silent, as if nothing had happened just now.

Zane glanced at her hand hidden in her pocket, with his large hands hanging awkwardly by his sides, then he reached out to put his arm around her shoulders, leading her to a nearby alley.

Sophia turned her head, glanced at the large hand on her shoulder, and her little heart started to race again.

Walking side by side on the street, people passed by.

"Are they filming a movie? Haven’t seen such a matching couple of stars for a long time."

"There’s no camera crew nearby; why haven’t such beautiful people been recruited to be stars?"

...

Zane brought her to an old hot pot restaurant, "Two, please."

"Sure thing!"

"You can speak the language of The S Republic?" Sophia was somewhat amazed.

"Not really, I just learned a few phrases temporarily." Zane found a seat and sat down. "Aren’t you fluent? You won’t be deceived."

"How did you know about this place?" She struggled to find a topic.

"My mom said she and your mom used to come here often."

He rinsed the dishes and bowls with hot water for her and then pushed them in front of her.

"Oh."

This old hot pot restaurant had been here for many years. Sophia often went with Autumn Lowell, and Zoe Walsh would be brought here for a meal or two whenever she visited, so it made sense he knew about it.

Zane ordered some dishes, all of Sophia’s favorites, even the dipping sauces were to her taste.

She once suspected he made a guide with Ethan Sinclair, but she had no proof.

[How much did the boss pay you?] Sophia sent a message to Ethan Sinclair.

[My dear lady, texting an outsider during a date, is Mr. Sterling not taking good care of you?]

[Flunky!]

[Your servant knows he was wrong!]

During the meal, he was extremely gentlemanly, treating Sophia like a long-term partner. Although his actions were slow and clumsy, it was clear he was doing his best.

She didn’t eat much, whether due to jet lag or something else, her body felt soft and weak, somewhat tired.

Despite Zane providing her with many foods, she couldn’t eat much, and in the end, Zane didn’t mind finishing everything.

After eating, they wandered around the mall for a long time due to the rain mixed with snow and the bad weather.

Plus, Zane called someone to take the car away, so they had to use a ride-hailing app to call a car.

Waiting for the car at the mall entrance, they stood side by side.

"You don’t look well." Zane noticed her unusual expression and tightened his arm around her shoulders.

"Hmm, my stomach is a bit uncomfortable." She tilted her head and gently rubbed against his chest.

He looked down at her, like a little lamb, chuckled, opened his coat, and wrapped her inside.

Sophia looked up at him, then quickly averted her gaze.

What was this feeling?

Was she going to drown in this feeling?!

His body temperature had always been high, and the coat made it even warmer.

But just a few days ago, she’d been drowning in Henry Quinn’s false lies, unable to extricate herself.

In Henry Quinn’s subconscious, taking her to high-end restaurants, wearing expensive clothes, frequenting luxurious clubs, trying to pull Sophia into his extravagant lifestyle.

Yet, the more he did that, the more Sophia felt the distance between them.

But Zane was different; he’d actually come to this humble place, squeezed into a small hot pot restaurant with her, eating regular home-cooked meals together.