Volume One, Chapter 22: When Will We Make Our Relationship Official?

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His expression darkened another shade.

Su Wan could also see in the mirror that her neckline was slightly askew, but by the standards of later generations, this much hardly counted as revealing. Besides, everyone living in this building was a school administrator, and all were highly educated. There was really nothing for her to worry about.

Perhaps her sleeping posture had been a little too inelegant.

And she was being reprimanded even for that? It was fortunate she had never married him; otherwise, she truly would not have been able to endure such a life.

She did not argue with him. Instead, she obediently and quietly nodded.

When they reached the ground floor, Huo Xiaohan strode toward the old twenty-eight-inch bicycle parked beneath the shade of a tree.

This outing was for personal business. Since there was no urgent matter or mission, he certainly could not take a military vehicle. As a regiment commander, he had to set an example.

Su Wan followed him to the rear seat, lightly lifting herself and sitting sideways with practiced ease. One hand gripped the metal bar beneath her.

Clearly, this was not her first time riding on the back of a bicycle. As for whose bicycle she had ridden before, there was no need to say.

Huo Xiaohan kept his eyes on the road, mounted the pedals, and rode toward the cake shop.

He rode quickly. There was plenty of shade along the way, and the breeze against her face was wonderfully refreshing.

The road itself was not very smooth, however, and she was jolted from time to time. Still, with one hand clutching the metal bar beneath her, Su Wan was perfectly fine.

As they passed an alley, two children of seven or eight suddenly ran out.

Huo Xiaohan braked sharply. Su Wan’s entire body lurched forward and pressed against him, both hands landing on either side of his waist.

Her small hands were soft and delicate. Where they touched him, a faint itch arose.

After the children had passed, Huo Xiaohan began pedaling again. Su Wan immediately withdrew her hands, grabbed the metal bar, and sat upright.

To be fair, his waist was remarkably slender—strong and powerful, with firm, compact muscles.

He had the perfect narrow, masculine waist, a broad and straight back, and long, lean legs. He carried her uphill with ease, never once panting. His endurance was astonishing, and he radiated the reassuring strength of an ideal boyfriend.

The pronounced lines of muscle in his powerful arms were intensely alluring.

Sitting on the rear seat, Su Wan admired him for a while. Once she had secured herself a stable job, she would find a young man built something like this.

In her previous life, she had focused solely on sales figures, pouring all her energy into online shopping. She had never properly enjoyed a sweet romance.

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Huo Xiaohan suddenly felt the space on either side of his waist grow empty, and then the itching only became worse. His eyes darkened as he quickened his pace, just in time to encounter another long downhill stretch.

A little frightened, Su Wan placed her small hands on either side of his waist once more. As they sped faster and faster downhill, her hands involuntarily tightened around the fabric at his sides.

Expressionless, Huo Xiaohan gripped the handlebars and brakes, controlling their speed.

They soon arrived at the cake shop. Before Huo Xiaohan had even come to a complete stop, Su Wan easily jumped down from the rear seat.

Judging by the way she moved, she must have ridden on the back of her former boyfriend’s bicycle countless times back in her village.

Huo Xiaohan impassively propped up the bicycle and entered the cake shop.

Su Wan stood beneath the shade of a tree beside the bicycle. A gardenia tree grew nearby, and she stood there with graceful poise, her pure and gentle appearance especially appealing.

Before long, two older women passing by could not resist coming over to strike up a conversation.

They asked nothing unusual—where she was from, whether she had married and come to Beiping, or whether she had come to the city to seek refuge with relatives.

While they were still asking questions, Huo Xiaohan emerged carrying a large cream-covered cake.

One of the women repeatedly looked him up and down, her mouth forming a perfect circle.

“Your husband is actually an officer? He’s so handsome and tall!”

The other woman clicked her tongue in amazement, tugged the first woman away, and continued muttering under her breath as they left, “I knew a girl who looks like that must have been spoken for long ago. What a pity. I was planning to introduce her to my nephew from my family’s side.”

Huo Xiaohan looked at Su Wan with a cold, dark gaze, as though asking what she had said to those women.

Su Wan looked utterly innocent. She had not even opened her mouth.

One could only say that the original owner’s reputation as the beauty of the surrounding villages was no exaggeration.

Ever since she had gone to town for high school, every time she returned home, someone would follow her there to propose marriage.

The most outrageous time, three families came at once.

Even after arriving in the capital, she remained remarkably conspicuous.

They reached the Huo residence at nearly half past three.

Su Wan followed Huo Xiaohan into the sitting room. Su Xiaohui was seated in front of the sofa, reading the newspaper to Grandmother Huo. Although she was making a great effort to correct her pronunciation, her rural accent remained heavy.

“Xiaohan is back? It’s only a small birthday celebration. Why did you buy a cake?” Grandmother Huo asked, removing her reading glasses and looking at him.

“Grandmother.”

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“Good afternoon, Grandmother Huo.” Su Wan curved her lips and greeted her politely.

Grandmother Huo merely cast Su Wan a cool glance and gave a faint hum.

“Brother Huo, Sister, you’re back.” Su Xiaohui’s obedient face was covered in smiles. When she looked at Su Wan, however, a mocking glint flashed through her eyes, as though she were waiting for a show.

She would see how Su Wan managed to get out of this one.

After deceiving the entire Huo family, Su Wan would no longer have Uncle Huo speaking up for her. Her reputation would surely be ruined from then on.

“Grandmother Huo, I’ll go prepare the meal in the kitchen,” Su Wan said, then headed toward the kitchen.

Su Xiaohui rose with affected eagerness, pretending that she wanted to help, but Grandmother Huo stopped her.

Clearly, she was afraid that Su Xiaohui might help Su Wan prepare the meal. That was exactly what Su Xiaohui wanted anyway; it would give her a chance to spend some time alone with Brother Huo.

She stood up, picked up the newspaper, and walked over to Huo Xiaohan.

“Brother Huo, this is an unfamiliar character. We hadn’t learned it yet when I was in school. Do you know how to pronounce it?”

Huo Xiaohan placed the cake on the table and turned to look.

“This character is pronounced yan. It refers to an ancient cooking vessel.”

His voice was low and magnetic. Every syllable plucked at the strings of Su Xiaohui’s heart, and her cheeks quietly flushed.

“Brother Huo, you’re amazing.”

She unconsciously moved closer to him, tilting her head back as she gazed at him with shy infatuation.

She had heard that there was a cinema in the military compound, and that many couples went there on dates. She wondered when Brother Huo would have time to take her to see a movie.

As a child, she had only ever watched open-air films shown in the village. She had never been to a cinema.

Besides, she had already been staying at the Huo residence for several days. When would Brother Huo bring up marriage with her? Was he planning to wait until she finished vocational school?

Even confirming that they were officially dating would be enough for now.

“Brother Huo, Aunt Hong brought me a classical masterpiece yesterday. There are some Chinese characters in it that I’ve never studied before, and I don’t understand what they mean. Could you teach me again?”

Noticing Su Xiaohui drawing closer, Huo Xiaohan stepped back, keeping a certain distance between them. He spoke calmly.

“Wait here. I’ll get you something.”