Chapter 3

CH 3

Chapter 3: First Meeting

When one’s most cherished possession is snatched away, even a small coward would do everything possible to get it back.

Jiang Xiao stood there, not crying wantonly as the group of children had thought, but when she gazed at their backs, her eyes were indeed red.

She was too unfamiliar with this place. After they left, she didn’t even know where to find them.

Go home and tell her mom? But Wei Pinfang hated the camera so much that she would never be willing to get it back for her.

Grandpa He? She believed that he definitely would be willing to help her, but unfortunately, grandpa had went somewhere else yesterday and probably wouldn’t be back this week.

Jiang Xiao’s brain became a mess, after deleting and subtracting, only He Xingzhi remained.

Before leaving, the girl named Xue Xiaoxiao said that He Xingzhi didn’t like her, so he couldn’t possibly help her.

She also knew that He Xingzhi didn’t like her, because few people in this world did.

The moon behind the dark clouds faintly appeared, and the moonlight shone through the heavy obstacles, elongating his shadow. Jiang Xiao silently followed behind him, repeatedly struggling with the question, “Should I or should I not stop him.”

She was afraid of him, but she had to force herself to get close to him.

After walking for a while, Jiang Xiao saw him turX into an open clearing. There were many sports equipment in the open space. She saw him turn over a few times and go up the dark green horizontal bar.

He had his back turned away from her, so she didn’t know what he was doing. She thought he probably came out after dinner to relax.

So she mustered up her courage and walked towards him.

“Um…” Jiang Xiao finally walked to his side. She raised her head and looked at He Xingzhi sitting high up.

With this glance, she finally saw what he was doing. He had one hand on his left knee casually, a cigarette sandwiched between his index and middle fingers in his other hand.

“……”

“…………”

“Why are you here?” After a weird silence, He Xingzhi spoke first.

Jiang Xiao was silent, and then took a deep breath: “I have, I have something to ask you, for help.”

“Old Gao is at home, if there is something missing you can go and tell him–” HIs voice paused, because he saw the little girl standing on the ground, clearly trembling, he furrowed his eyebrows, and asked, “Is there something that only I can do?”

Jiang Xiao nodded affirmatively: “You said that if I have anything that I cannot resolve, that I can, I can come find you.”

He Xingzhi’s gaze was still cold and indifferent, but he came to remember that he had indeed said this, so he jumped off the bar and leaned to the side casually: “Say then, what’s the matter.”

Jiang Xiao took a step back unconsciously. She glanced at the spark of light at his fingertips and said softly: “My camera was taken, taken away by someone, and I want to get it back.”

“Camera?” He said in a puzzled manner, “Who took your camera?”

Jiang Xiao thought for a while, and said the girl’s name: “Xue Xiaoxiao.”

“Xiaoxiao? You are familiar with those little kids now.”

“No, no, I don’t know her,” Jiang Xiao was very nervous, and she kept stumbling over her words, “They, took away, my camera.”

“That camera is very important?”

Jiang Xiao immediately nodded: “The only thing, my father, left for me.”

He Xingzhi’s remained calm and collected, his expression was still cold, but looking at her face full of hope, his heart softened a little. He remembered his grandfather saying that the girl’s father died…died on the road to Tibet.

“Why did she take your camera?”

Jiang Xiao shook her head, but after thinking about it, she responded, “She said, I should, move away.”

He Xingzhi was not ignorant to how annoying those bunch of kids led by Xue Xiaoxiao could be. He also immediately understood the situation after Jiang Xiao spoke. Maybe they had heard some news from somewhere, so they came to Jiang Xiao to assert their dominance.

He Xingzhi: “Understood, but… this kind of thing doesn’t seem to be in the scope of what I should help you with.”

Jiang Xiao was taken aback, somewhat at a loss.

He Xingzhi briefly curled his lips: “Or you can keep talking, if you can persuade me, then I’ll help you.”

The moon came out from behind the clouds, and the moonlight fell upon the ground, also caressing his face. He looked at her without much care, and she mustered up the courage to look back at him.

One tall and the other short, the two lines of sight intersected in the air.

No one spoke for a long time, Jiang Xiao thought about it for a long time, and finally said, “They say, I am your, wife.”

“……”

With both hands tightly tugging in front of him, she looked at him with a sense of eager hope and ignorant innocent. “Then, can you, back me up.”

Facing He Xingzhi’s overtly stunned expression, Jiang Xiao immediately said, “Can you back me up, even if you don’t like me? Just, just this time, can you?”

There were a few seconds of silence in the open space, suddenly, a low chuckle came from He Xingzhi..

Originally, the corners of his mouth had been raised slightly, but now he really was laughing.

Jiang Xiao stood in front of him nervously, Listening to the laughter that seemed to echo from his chest. In this moment, her mind came to think, this was the first time she had seen him laugh, the way he laughed… it was so handsome.

He Xingzhi really did find it interesting. He had imagined countless reasons she could come up with, but he didn’t expect her to say this matter so directly. He shook off the cigarette ashes and said while regaining a bit of his composure: “Little kid, do you know what a wife is.”

Jiang Xiao: “I’m, not, a little kid.”

He Xingzhi raised his eyebrows slightly, reached out his hand to gauge her height, and smiled: “If you’re not a kid, then what are you, huh?”

Jiang Xiao frowned: “I will, grow up.”

He Xingzhi laughed again: “Oh, you will grow up.”

“I, I really will, grow up!”

He Xingzhi raised the corners of his lips. He was amused by her dumb and cute look. He stretched out a hand and patted her on the top of her head: “Okay, you will grow up well.”

Saying this, he passed by her and walked in the other direction.

Jiang Xiao turned around: “Hey, you…”

“If you want your camera, come here at one o’clock tomorrow afternoon.”

“Ah?”

“Don’t understand?”

Jiang Xiao’s eyes lit up: “Understood!”

She actually wanted to say thank you again, but He Xingzhi stopped in his tracks, and suddenly turned around: “Also, this—” He Xingzhi raised the hand holding the cigarette, “Keep this a secret.”

Jiang Xiao was dazed for a second, and then nodded quickly: “Okay!”

Jiang Xiao never imagined that He Xingzhi would really help her, the moment he nodded, she was so happy that her heart almost burst out. At the same time, she also felt that He Xingzhi no longer seemed so hard to get close to. At least in this situation where he told her to keep his ‘smoking’ a secret, she felt that he was also a little more ‘ordinary.’

After tossing and turning all night, she finally got through to the next day.

After eating, Jiang Xiao kept waiting for the time to come, seeing that it had just reached 12:50, she rushed out of the small building.

The open clearing was not too far away, there were already many people there when Jiang Xiao had arrived.

A group of small children sat on the side to play, and He Xingzhi was playing basketball on the basketball court next to them.

After Jiang Xiao approached, the first person to see her was Xue Xiaoxiao. She originally sat on the edge to watch the older brothers play, but when she saw Jiang Xiao, she immediately became angry.

“Hey, why did you come here? Say something, why haven’t you left yet. You didn’t listen to what I said, did you?” Xue Xiaoxiao stood up and looked at Jiang Xiao in a dissatisfied manner.

Xue Xiaoxiao’s voice was clear and prominent. When she spoke, all the players who were not playing looked over from beside them.

Jiang Xiao was very uncomfortable with the sight of so many people who were either watching the drama or looking confused, but she had a clear purpose today, so she did not flinch.

She ignored Xue Xiaoxiao, instead, looking at He Xingzhi.

The latter was withdrawing from the field. He walked to the rest area next to him, picked up the bottle of mineral water on the ground, took a few sips and sat down on the stairs casually.

His forehead was slightly wet, he suddenly raised his eyes to look at her, his expression a little sharp.

“Did you listen to me, who asked you to come here, you—”

“Xiaoxiao, what are you doing.” An older girl next to her pulled her away.

Xue Xiaoxiao turned around: “Sister PeiYan, she is Jiang Xiao.”

Meng Peiyan was taken aback for a moment, and subconsciously glanced at He Xingzhi. The latter didn’t say a word, he just threw the water aside with a bang. The sound wasn’t even loud, but it made people feel inexplicably tense.

“Come here.” Suddenly, He Xingzhi spoke.

There was no Beginning or end to this sentence, no one knew who he was talking to.

“What are you doing standing there?” He Xingzhi raised his eyes, and now, he looked at Jiang Xiao accurately, “Come here.”

Pound, pound pound.

Tang Zheng stopped hitting the ball, just letting it bounce on the ground up and down. His gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them, and then he ran to the side to find a position – it was a standard spectator posture.

Jiang Xiao secretly took a breath, lifted her feet and walked over.

“Your timing is very accurate.” He Xingzhi glanced at the seat beside him, “Sit down.”

Jiang Xiao went ‘okay’ and sat down obediently.

“Eh, what’s the situation?”

“Who is this little girl?”

“Hey, are you from the last century? You are so uninformed. Isn’t this the…little guest from the He family.”

Little guest, what he said was really tactful.

Xue Xiaoxiao became angry: “Brother Xingzhi, why are you—”

“Xiaoxiao, go back and get it.”

Xue Xiaoxiao was taken aback: “What?”

He Xingzhi pursed his lips slightly, his eyes gave one chills: “Her camera, bring it back to her immediately.”

“Brother Xingzhi!” Xue Xiaoxiao pointed at her in disbelief, “Why are you helping her, I’m just helping you!”

“Who wanted you to help me?” He leaned back, putting his hands on the stone steps, raising his eyes slightly, “Your reason for bullying is quite fresh.”

Xue Xiaoxiao felt the hairs behind her back stand up after being stared at like this, and her voice became weak: “I didn’t bully her.”

“In that case, now, go back and get it back immediately.”

“I……”

“Xiaoxiao.” He Xingzhi cut off her sentence, and said dully, “You can bully people1, but if you bully my people, do you know the consequences?”

–

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***