Chapter 257 254. Surprise
"Is that your partner?" Su Guangyu asked with great interest.
Although it was their first meeting, the moment he saw her, it felt as if a wave of goodwill had been forcefully shoved into his head, making him inexplicably fond of the girl.
"She looks like a very nice girl," he remarked. Thanks to his "Goodwill" trait and "Charm" attribute, he had subconsciously approved of An Han already.
As they spoke, Su Peng suddenly broke into a sprint. He dashed toward the traffic light at the end of the street, crossing the road just as the green light had two seconds remaining. He realized An Han looked like she was planning to make a run for it.
The closer he got to the flustered An Han, the more excited he became. His fingertips felt tingly, and a sense of pure joy and excitement was written all over his face.
"An Han!" He rushed up to her, throwing his arms wide. "Why did you sneak over here without telling me!"
An Han deftly leaned to the side, ducking and half-squatting in one fluid motion, smoothly dodging Su Peng’s "attack." Su Peng nearly ended up hugging a green tree by the roadside, overshooting her by several meters before finally coming to a halt.
"Are you trying to kill me by slamming into me?" An Han glared at him with a hint of dissatisfaction, though it was her first time seeing Su Peng so visibly worked up.
She watched his awkward, thrilled, and excited expression. She saw his face twitch as he tried to force his exaggerated grin back into his usual gentle smile... She couldn't help but lower her head and let out a laugh. Half of her mission for this trip was already accomplished. Su Peng was even more excited than she had imagined; his expression was far more dramatic than she had anticipated.
As for Su Peng, looking at her graceful and lovely figure, he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.
An Han hadn't expected the move. When his warm body and strong masculine presence enveloped her, she froze instantly. A soft pink flush crawled up her cheeks, and her face—chilled by the cold wind—suddenly felt scorching hot.
"Um... your uncle is watching," An Han struggled slightly, shrinking her shoulders shyly as she stole a glance at Su Guangyu across the street. "Is that your dad?"
"Yeah," Su Peng’s arms trembled as he pulled her tighter, almost greedily breathing in her fragrance.
The gloom in his heart vanished the moment he saw her. The bitterness of being forced into blind dates by his family, the longing from their long separation, the stress of his dog being sick yesterday... almost all his negative emotions dissipated in this instant.
"You're hugging me too hard, it hurts..." An Han still felt Su Peng was being too dramatic—so much so that it scared her a little. By her count, they had only been apart for half a month...
"Sorry." Su Peng finally let go. His smile had returned to its usual gentleness, but his eyes were crinkled into thin slits from grinning. "I was just too happy. I lost control for a bit."
"Oh~" An Han felt a bit restless, again peeking at Su Guangyu in the distance.
"I almost didn't recognize you. It's only been ten or so days, how did you change so much?" Su Peng’s gaze burned as he looked her up and down. He asked in disbelief, "It’s like... you suddenly went from a bratty kid to a grown adult."
"What kind of ghost description is that?" An Han crossed her arms, accentuating a chest that seemed a size larger than when they had parted. "Go check on Wang Cai first... Oh, right, here's a gift for him."
"Alright, I'll thank you on his behalf." If he knew the truth, he'd definitely give me a few bites.
Su Peng took the teething stick, paused for a moment, but didn't dwell on it. "Let’s go, want me to introduce you to my dad?"
"No, no, no!" An Han immediately took several steps back. "I can't relax if your family is there. You go see the dog, I'll wait for you here, and then we'll go shopping together."
"Okay."
An Han watched Su Peng leave, then walked with stiff steps into a shop behind her. Only when she felt the gaze that had been fixed on her disappear did she let out a shiver, her scalp tingling.
"I actually ran into Su Peng’s dad..." she sighed. She had never planned on facing his family so soon.
Meanwhile, Su Peng returned to the front of the pet hospital.
Seeing his exceptionally cheerful expression, Su Guangyu teased, "Your little girlfriend is here, so you've forgotten all about Wang Cai, haven't you?"
"She's not my girlfriend yet." Su Peng tried to compose himself, but he was still a bit embarrassed by the teasing. He headed straight into the hospital. "Let’s go, let's see how Wang Cai is recovering."
"How many people are in her family?" Su Guangyu completely ignored the poor attempt to change the subject and followed him, pressing for answers. "She’s probably not a local, right? How old is she? Do her parents know about you?"
Su Peng gritted his teeth and didn't answer, quickening his pace through the reception hall.
"Has she been in a relationship before? Is her family in business or are they civil servants? Where does she live?"
"Are you conducting a census?" Su Peng finally couldn't take it and snapped back at his father.
"For something as big as marriage, one should investigate everything clearly."
Su Peng had truly never seen his father act this gossipy.
Their dog’s condition was fairly good. After a day of treatment, the illness had stabilized. While he could have taken him home, Su Peng worried about complications. Since it was an old dog over ten years old, he didn't want to risk the strain of travel and decided to keep him hospitalized for observation.
After staying with the dog for about ten minutes and seeing no issues, Su Peng’s mind drifted back to An Han.
"Dad, she’s still waiting for me, so I’m heading out?"
Mentioning her only triggered more relentless questions from Su Guangyu: "What’s the girl’s name? Is she coming over for dinner tonight? Where is she staying? Why doesn't she just stay at our house?"
"Her name is An Han."
Su Peng answered only the first question before practically fleeing the hospital.
When he reached the street across from the hospital, An Han was already sitting in a milk tea shop, yawning idly while holding a cup of warm cocoa.
"You should have told me you were coming; I could have picked you up," Su Peng said as he pushed open the glass door and stood beside her, his gaze incredibly soft.
"Wasn't this supposed to be a surprise?" An Han grabbed her hot drink and stood up excitedly, pulling his arm toward the exit. "I saw a VR experience center nearby, let's go try it! I've never played VR before!"
She seemed particularly eager. VR had been popular for years, but she had never tried it because it was simply too expensive.
"I have a set at home, why don't we—"
"No, no, no." An Han shook her small head rapidly, looking at Su Peng with a hint of wariness. "Don't even think about tricking me into going to your house."
She had only come out because she was bored at home; she hadn't planned on giving herself away that easily.
Su Peng shrugged. He looked down at his wrist where she was grabbing him, and flipped his hand to wrap hers inside his palm. Her hand was in a pair of ugly fingerless gloves, yet he could still feel a bone-chilling cold, especially the tips of her fingers which felt like ice.
"Did you get frostbite?" Su Peng noticed the redness and swelling on her fingers.
"I'm used to it. Even though I'm careful, it still happens." An Han’s face was flushed red as she tried to pull her hand away. "My hands are so cold, I need to put them in my pocket..."
"Then let me warm them up for you."
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