Chen Xi stepped off the stage, ignoring the envious or jealous glances from the other performers, and walked towards Xue Lan.

"Xi Xi! You were absolutely amazing just now! After this performance, you'll definitely be flooded with love letters... huh?"

Xue Lan was still chattering happily, but Chen Xi didn't seem to pay her any mind. Instead, she handed over the guitar she was holding and smiled gently:

"Hold this for me, he's here."

With that, the young girl turned and left.

The fluttering in her heart was like willow branches gently brushing the surface of a lake, creating ripples that shimmered in the light. Her joyful steps gradually quickened, from a walk to a chase. She was laughing, crying, running towards the man.

The light shawl on her shoulders fluttered behind her, and her chest felt as if it were filled with something. Years of longing had finally been rewarded. At this moment, Chen Xi was no longer the cold, aloof ice queen, but Little Xi, belonging only to Yan Feng.

She rounded the corner and entered the narrow corridor. At the end of her vision appeared the tall figure of the man, who was also smiling and stepping towards her!

Chen Xi bit her lip and ran towards him like a madwoman. The grievances accumulated over the years turned into tears, flung behind her, shattering into wisps of pink smoke, leaving no trace.

The young girl ran faster and faster, showing no signs of stopping. Just as she was about to collide with Yan Feng, she leaped forward, throwing herself into his arms!

Crashing into his chest, his embrace was still so warm. Chen Xi held onto him without hesitation, her legs entwining around him beneath her long dress.

Her eyes were red, tears streaming down, her light makeup already smudged by her crying, giving her a tragic beauty. Her lips parted slightly, and she cried out her emotions.

But at this moment, Yan Feng was frowning, his face full of pain.

The reason was simple: Chen Xi had charged straight at him, and to avoid hurting her, he had to catch her with all his might. The impact almost knocked the life out of him...

Yet he was also excited, because in that fleeting moment, he saw a glimpse of Bai Xi in the young girl.

Time seemed to rewind to many years ago, when he stood below the stage watching his sister in a blue and white dress, holding a guitar, shining brightly.

The same scene, the same protagonist, even the guitar was the same.

But the man's feelings were no longer the same. In the past, his gaze towards the stage was full of longing, but now, it was filled with affection and comfort.

How wonderful... she's even more beautiful than her mother...

Thinking this, the man's arms wrapped around the young girl in front of him.

Feeling the strength around her waist, Chen Xi was already overwhelmed with excitement. What seemed like a gentle hug was, in the young girl's heart, a response of love.

This made the inexperienced young girl feel shy, but she didn't want to push the man away. Instead, she rested her chin in the crook of his neck and cried:

"I... I thought you wouldn't come..."

Yan Feng just smiled wryly, reaching out to stroke the young girl's smooth long hair, inhaling the locust flower scent from her hair, and said helplessly:

"I wasn't going to come, after all, someone gave me the wrong time! If I hadn't joined the parents' group early and seen the messages there, I might have really stood Little Xi up~"

Hearing this, Chen Xi's face turned red, her lips pouting slightly, and she whispered, "I'm sorry... I... I didn't mean to trick you... I really just... just remembered wrong... I usually don't interact with classmates, and besides Xue Lan, no one talks to me..."

Yan Feng found it amusing, placing his hand on her head, stroking it, and said with a smile:

"Yeah, so Little Xi should make more friends and interact with classmates more, that way you won't..."

"I don't want to!" Chen Xi interrupted him before he could finish. She first put some distance between them, then looked him in the eye and said word by word:

"I don't need that many friends..."

Yan Feng thought about it and nodded, "Hmm, that's true. Having one or two close friends is enough, too many can backfire."

The two embraced, silent, the ambiguous atmosphere enveloping them, even time seemed to stand still.

Her heart raced, her breathing slowed, a blush spread across the young girl's cheeks. Looking at the man's face so close, she impulsively stood on tiptoe, closed her eyes, and leaned in with her lips...

Unfortunately,

The tender affection she imagined didn't happen.

Yan Feng probably misunderstood, and what covered her face was his hand.

His fingers were cool, unlike the warmth of his body, but they wiped away the tears and smeared makeup from her eyes.

Chen Xi slowly opened her eyes, seeing the man's familiar smile, gentle, considerate, with a hint of humor.

"Your face is all smudged, like a little kitten."

Yan Feng laughed, pulling out a pack of tissues from his jacket and carefully wiping her face.

Serious, attentive, gentle, humorous, Chen Xi stared blankly at the man in front of her. For a moment, she really felt like the heroine in a romance novel, pampered by a nearly perfect male lead, held in his arms, accepting all of her, and then whispering in her ear not to smile at anyone else.

But such stories can only happen in fiction.

Returning to reality, Yan Feng, having discarded the tissues, didn't know what to do next.

Logically, after such a successful performance, the young girl should be treated to a nice meal as a reward, but he had skipped work to come, and there was still a lot waiting for him...

Despite the heavy workload, he awkwardly scratched his head and asked, "You played well, so are you hungry? Want to go out and eat with me? Consider it a reward for yourself?"

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Chen Xi's eyes sparkled, taking a deep breath to regain her composure, and she looked up with a smile, "I want to eat your beef sauce~"

Yan Feng's lips curled into a proud smile, his back straightening with pride, "Sure! There's plenty at home, but is that all you want? Don't you want anything else?"

"I only want that!" Chen Xi's gaze locked onto his eyes, saying word by word, "One is enough..."

"Enough, enough, enough of what! I'm really fed up!"

As the two continued their sweet exchange, an out-of-tune voice suddenly interrupted. Chen Xi turned her head to see Xue Lan, panting as she walked over with the guitar, still complaining:

"Honestly, you just left me with this thing and ran off, Xi Xi, you didn't even say where you were going, I had to search everywhere..."

Seeing this, the two almost leaning against each other couldn't help but exchange a smile. Yan Feng was the first to speak:

"Then..."

"Let's go, we're... going home!"