Chapter 568: Chapter 568: The Animal Friends Don’t Really Like You

The two of them leaned in to whisper, while behind them, Mei watched everything with wide eyes.

Including Xie Qingci’s momentary pause and the obvious gulp just now.

The soul of the shipper is burning fiercely!

Such a loaded encounter: one is seductive and sexy, the other bursting with hormones. She could imagine a drama between a female star and a rugged special forces soldier in her mind!

"Mei? Mei!"

She only reacted after being called a few times, responding with "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Yu Xia: "What are you doing? Standing there with a creepy grin on your face. I said order some milk tea for everyone on set."

"...Order milk tea, right, got it, got it."

She wouldn’t admit to the creepy grin.

Yu Xia looked at her strange expression again, then turned to Xie Qingci and walked to a spot away from others, continuing to talk.

"You’ve trained a bit excessively. Does this film demand such intensity?"

The pecs almost rival some girls’, with bandages wrapped around the hands. It makes one want to just pounce.

Xie Qingci took the water from his assistant, gulping a few sips before speaking: "There are many action scenes and stunts. Without training, it’s hard to do them well. Keep staring, and I’ll think you’re going to eat me."

"..." She casually looked away and pointed at him, "You should quickly wipe off and get dressed. Aren’t you cold?"

"You help me. My hands are too tired to lift."

As he said this, he naturally bowed his head and handed her the towel.

Yu Xia rolled her eyes but didn’t expose him, taking the towel to wipe his neck while saying, "Wearing so little and sweating so much, aren’t you afraid of catching a cold? Last time you took half a month to recover from a fever, remember?"

"How could I forget."

The half-month fever wasn’t because of her teasing?

Yu Xia also recalled that incident, her hand paused, and her wiping got a bit heavier, causing him to "hiss" twice in a row.

"Take it easy."

"With your thick skin, a bit heavier won’t be a problem."

Xie Qingci chuckled, maintaining the posture that made it easy for her to wipe, staring intently at her.

"Why are you dressed so beautifully?"

The small inverted triangle on her clothes locked down the neckline, with a neat row of white buttons striking against the black fabric, contrasting her fair skin.

Black and white really show off the figure.

Yu Xia retorted, "When am I not beautiful?"

"...Yes, you’re beautiful every day. But today you’re especially beautiful, dressed just for me?" He raised an eyebrow, staring at her.

"You wish, I dress for myself." Yu Xia tossed the towel at him and waved for his assistant to bring over clothes.

With his young, warm body radiating heat, he might as well be a small heater.

Once he put on his jacket, the two of them walked hand in hand to the rest area and sat down.

Everyone was watching them. People passing by enthusiastically greeted Yu Xia, with the more familiar ones even teasing a bit.

"Oh, the real person finally arrived. Xie Qingci clutches his phone all day, missing you terribly."

"Exactly, he hardly chats with others on set, just playing with his phone."

"Once you’re here, he’s all smiles and has plenty to say."

Yu Xia smiled at each of them, glancing at him.

She took the deck chair, while Xie Qingci found a small stool beside her, his long legs awkwardly bent like a mushroom.

"Are you staying for two days?" he asked.

Yu Xia shook her head, "At most until tomorrow noon. My sister-in-law is due any day, I need to go back."

This schedule can’t be changed, Xie Qingci frowned for a moment.

"Then leave after lunch tomorrow, I’ll arrange for someone to take you."

She nodded.

A gust of wind blew from the opposite direction, making her pull her jacket tighter, her fingers brushing against the photos in her bag.

She remembered she was here to show him the photos, almost forgetting.

Yu Xia took the photos out, showing him each one.

"Look, these are the photos I took myself. This little calf followed us for a long time because we gave it a bath."

"Isn’t this flower beautiful? Light green, I’ve never seen it before."

"And this bird, a fire-tailed green bristle, so tiny and green, we spotted it using binoculars from afar."

The next photo was a selfie of her with a lynx.

Xie Qingci was stunned for a second at the photo, both the lynx and person appearing adorably dazed, the phone in the middle looking out of place.

"...Did you really introduce me to wild animals?"

Yu Xia stifled a laugh, "Yes, this is a lynx, and I showed it your picture. Too bad it couldn’t appreciate your handsomeness and nearly knocked my phone over. Seems you’re not very popular with wild animals."

Xie Qingci: "...That’s truly unfortunate."

He took the photos, ignoring the phone in the center, the person and animal looking very harmonious.

"Shall we travel together when there’s time?" He casually tucked the photos into his bag, "After this film, I can rest for half a month."

Yu Xia watched him slyly take the photos, raising an eyebrow, "After this film, it’ll be almost New Year’s, right?"

"Yes."

"Isn’t there something more important during New Year’s?"

"What..." Xie Qingci’s words got caught mid-way, then he looked at her eyes in realization, "Right, there’s something more important."

They were going to meet his parents.

The significance of meeting the parents isn’t trivial. He couldn’t help but swallow lightly, holding Yu Xia’s hand.

"Just those two days during New Year’s. I’ll have them come back on time. Will you come back with me, is that okay?"

Yu Xia didn’t speak, swaying her head for a bit. Seeing him staring at her intently, she slowly said, "You’ll need to get my brother’s approval first."

Xie Qingci showed a depressed expression.

It felt like sneaking around in school, wanting to go out with your girlfriend but first needing parental permission.

"The sooner you apply, the sooner you’ll feel at ease," Yu Xia said leisurely, "There’s always a hurdle to overcome, whether today or tomorrow, so find peace with it. My brother isn’t that unreasonable, although he can be a bit irrational sometimes."

Xie Qingci played with her fingers, asking, "What if he doesn’t agree? Do you have a backup plan?"

"Your thinking is flawed. If I have to solve every problem myself, why would I need you? My brother wants your promises and assurances, not me acting cutesy."

"Ah—then I’ll apply and talk to him as soon as I wrap up filming. Doesn’t he want a daughter? I hope your sister-in-law has a girl; maybe he’ll be happier and more inclined to agree."

Yu Xia pinched his hand: "What if it’s another boy and he doesn’t agree? You’ll give up?"

Xie Qingci bit his molars, taking a deep breath, replying seriously, "Of course not. It’s normal if he doesn’t agree, I’ll keep trying."

She snorted, mercifully letting him go, then looked at the back of his hand, where two crescent marks remained, showing no sign of fading.

His skin really marks easily.