Little yawns came one after another, with tears welling up, evidently quite sleepy. It’s probably Ke Yong, who stays up late dealing with work, leading little Ke Su astray!

"I didn’t!" Ke Yong shook his head with amusement, already fastening his seatbelt, he said softly, "I went to bed early last night. It was Susu who was too excited to sleep, no matter how I tried to calm her down. She was restless in my room and wouldn’t let me sleep until past eleven. I’m the real victim here!"

Not pleased with being blamed, Ke Yong smiled as Du Xixi glanced at him, and seeing Susu so sleepy, the original plan for a walk seemed impractical. Du Xixi covered the already sleepy Ke Su with a small car blanket and suggested, "How about we skip the walk? Let’s just find a quiet place to sit, alright?"

"Of course." Ke Yong looked through the rearview mirror at Du Xixi, sitting elegantly, and smiled very gently, "I’ll follow your lead."

Du Xixi’s mind buzzed at that instant, and her face turned red when she met Ke Yong’s gaze. Fortunately, Ke Yong soon focused back on driving, and she quickly lowered her head, otherwise, Du Xixi felt she might just crawl into a crevice in the car.

"How about a tea house? I’ve been there a few times, the environment and privacy are quite good." Ke Yong looked around, picked out a place, and asked Du Xixi. At this moment, Du Xixi was amenable to anything, nodding randomly, only to hear a faint chuckle from Ke Lian.

This chuckle in the quiet car was strikingly audible, smoothly reaching Du Xixi’s ears, and she glared at him in embarrassment and irritation, gritting her teeth and exclaiming, "What are you laughing at!"

"Laughing at how cute you are!" Ke Yong felt that Du Xixi was beginning to sense his feelings, and she herself was not without feelings for him. Given this, he didn’t mind saying some things to hint at the emotions beneath the surface.

Du Xixi’s face turned even redder, wishing she could sink her head into the ground. Luckily, Ke Yong stopped at the right time, and after finding a place to park, he gave Du Xixi a moment to calm her emotions. Once her expression returned to normal, he got out, picked up the soundly sleeping Ke Su, and walked inside with Du Xixi.

"I have a room on the second floor." A simply dressed woman with a twisted bun approached and said something, seemingly asking about upstairs or downstairs, to which Ke Yong replied in a soft voice.

"I remember, but as you brought a lady today, I kept the room for you." The woman smiled subtly, intimate yet suitably distant, "Please follow me."

Du Xixi had never been to the tea house, just following Ke Yong, she saw many elegantly poised women and men, some strolling with tea jars, others guiding customers up and down floors. There was no noise or clamor, rather a leisureliness that calmed one instantly.

Du Xixi was somewhat mesmerized.

"Xixi!" Ke Yong’s voice was near, snapping her back to reality, and she realized she was already sitting with Ke Lian in a small private room. Ke Su was placed on a small couch continuing to sleep, while she sat beside Ke Yong, with the previous woman standing nearby. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Sorry, I got a bit lost in thought." Du Xixi smiled apologetically, but Ke Yong didn’t mind, sitting gently by her side without speaking, while the woman with the twisted bun spoke smilingly, "No worries, occasionally newcomers also react like Miss Du, it won’t be like this after a few visits."

"What would the two of you like to drink? We’ve recently got some Xinyang Maojian, I remember Mr. Ke likes it. Would you like some served? Miss Du, perhaps Pu’er? Many first-time female customers choose Pu’er."

Du Xixi frowned a little, uncertain if it was just her imagination, but the nicely-looking woman seemed to have some hostility towards her. Though her tone was harmless, Du Xixi heard it as insinuating her lack of taste?

Du Xixi lowered her eyes, somewhat displeased, but before she could express it, the observant Ke Yong beside her had noticed something, and said coldly, "No need, my Xixi loves Du Yun Maojian, and I follow her preference. Have someone bring us a pot of Du Yun Maojian."

The twisted bun woman’s expression changed, her carefully maintained smile cracking a bit, yet she tried to act naturally when Du Xixi glanced over, smiling and promising, then stiffly retreated, "Please wait, I’ll... have someone send it over."

With the door closed, Du Xixi lightly laughed, "President Ke, quite charming! Only visiting a few times yet captivates the staff. They remembered you like Xinyang Maojian!"

"I never asked her to attend to me previously, nor did she ever show such obvious affection." Ke Yong quickly explained, yet from Du Xixi’s slightly jealous look, he sensed something, and after a thoughtful pause, leaned closer to her and said softly, "See how I care for you, remembering your love for Du Yun Maojian!"

"You!" Du Xixi was momentarily speechless, her eyes dodging, unable to utter a word. Ke Yong’s comment was so blatantly suggestive that even if Du Xixi had been half-suspecting his feelings towards her, she couldn’t fool herself anymore.

Ke Yong, indeed, liked her.

And she...

Du Xixi looked at Ke Yong, meeting his slightly expectant eyes, she said softly, "It’s too fast... give me some more time."

Du Xixi genuinely felt everything was happening too quickly. How long had she really known Ke Yong? To decisively reciprocate feelings and settle down seemed too much for her to accept.

At least, give her two more months. In these two months, she wanted to properly understand Ke Yong, to discern whether he’s worthy of her affection and ultimately... lifelong companionship.

"If I’m certain, it would mean a lifetime commitment, naturally requiring more time to..."

"Alright." Without needing Du Xixi to say more, Ke Yong grasped her hand resting on her side, earnestly promised, "No matter how much time you need to be sure, I’m willing to wait."

"You’re the first person I’ve liked all this time. I believe, you’ll be the last."