Even though Qingyu seems as mature as an adult, Fengguang still sees him as a kid. Sometimes, she even likes to tease him because of his old-soul demeanor. But now, she silently cursed herself for not watching her words. Why was she being so thoughtless toward a child who’d lost his parents?
She caught up with him at the kitchen door. “Qingyu, wait for me!”
Qingyu turned to give her a flat, emotionless glance, then stepped into the kitchen.
Following him inside, she saw him preparing to brew medicine. Feeling guilty, she said, “Qingyu, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by what I said.”
“What you say doesn’t concern me.”
Just listen to that tone—colder than usual. He was upset. Fengguang tugged at his sleeve with a pitiful look. “Come on, Qingyu, I’m apologizing. Can you forgive me?”
“I’m the bad Qingyu.” He placed the medicine pot on the stove, going about his work without acknowledging her.
What’s with this kid’s sudden stubborn streak?
While he busied himself, Fengguang followed along at his heels, trying to make him smile. “What’ll it take for you to stop being mad? I could buy you a whole bunch of candied hawthorn skewers?”
“I’m not a little kid.”
“Who says only kids eat candied hawthorn? Look, I love them too.”
He gave her a two-word response. “Childish.”
“Yes, yes, you’re not childish at all.”
Qingyu cast her a sidelong glance.
She immediately dropped her casual tone, straightening up. “Alright, Qingyu, what do I have to do to make it up to you?”
Qingyu replied offhandedly, “Run a lap around the Tang Clan grounds.”
Fengguang was stunned. “You’re serious?”
“Absolutely.”
“But the Tang Clan is huge! I’d never finish even if I ran for an hour!”
“Heh.” Qingyu gave a mocking smile, clearly implying that he knew she wasn’t truly sorry.
Fengguang gritted her teeth. “Fine, I’ll run!”
She turned to leave.
“Wait.”
“Qingyu, I knew you wouldn’t be that harsh…”
“Drink the medicine first, then run.”
She: “…”
That day, an unusual scene unfolded at the Tang Clan grounds: a young woman in red had been running for over half an hour. Sometimes she’d stop, out of breath, leaning against a tree. When people asked what she was doing, she’d reply, “I’m running a lap around the Tang Clan grounds.”
Hearing this, they’d often give her a thumbs-up. “Such determination!”
Fengguang jogged and walked until, finally, she plopped down on the ground, panting. She’d barely covered a few miles. As a pampered young lady, she’d never done physical work, so this was already quite an accomplishment—at least, she thought so.
She rubbed her sore legs, sighing, when suddenly a figure appeared in her view.
Xue Ran held out a hand. “Miss Xia, the ground’s cold.”
She took his hand to stand, looking at him in surprise. “Xue Ran, why are you here?”
“I heard people talking about a young lady out here ‘exercising,’ so I came to see for myself.”
Fengguang’s face flushed. “This whole ‘exercise’ thing… it’s not my favorite.”
Xue Ran chuckled. “I figured you wouldn’t be a fan. Miss Xia, you don’t have to take Qingyu’s words so seriously.”
“But… he still seems angry with me. It’s like he thinks I’m a bad person now?”
“Do you care that much about his opinion?”
“Huh? No, not exactly…” She muttered, “It’s just that… I feel bad for bringing up painful memories. I guess I’m a little embarrassed.”
Loveguy On CFRFGC Chapter 12