Chapter 324: Cunning Little Thing
1 p.m. in the afternoon.
The weather in the Imperial Capital was misty, and the pedestrians on the road walked with hurried steps.
Ye Fan pulled the luggage and walked out of the airport, with Ning Xi obediently following behind.
Two suitcases plus two backpacks—Ye Fan at this moment was like a human luggage rack, yet he was enjoying it.
"Gege, give me a bag."
Ning Xi tugged on Ye Fan, pleading, "Otherwise, when Mom sees it later, she'll definitely scold me."
"No need."
Ye Fan rejected her lightly, "Just follow along. It's only this bit of luggage, and it's not heavy."
Ning Xi: "…"
Not heavy?
How could that be possible!
She knew better than anyone how much stuff was in the suitcases, but seeing Ye Fan's firm attitude, she didn't say anything more.
The two of them walked forward for almost two hundred meters before they saw Lan Xi leaning against the car door.
"Mom."
Ning Xi waved her hand and ran to her mother with joyful steps, throwing herself into her mother's arms, "Did you miss me?"
Lan Xi patted her daughter's smooth back, her eyes glancing at Ye Fan who was pulling the luggage. A strong smile surfaced in her eyes as she teased in a low voice, "Xiao Xi, you haven't even confirmed your relationship with Ye Fan yet, and you're already ordering him around?"
"I… I wasn't ordering him."
Ning Xi pulled away from her mother's embrace, blushing as she explained, "He insisted on…"
Toward the end, her voice was barely audible.
The girl knew deep down that the reason Ye Fan was doing this was mainly because he cared for her.
Ye Fan walked up to the two of them, nodded toward Lan Xi, and smiled, "Sister Lan, do you want to inspect it?"
Lan Xi was puzzled, "Inspect what?"
"Of course, inspect Xiao Xi. Your precious daughter—I'm returning her to you intact."
"Haha…"
Ning Xi secretly glared at Ye Fan and wrapped her arms around her smiling mother, "Mom, this time Ye Fan isn't leaving the Imperial Capital. Can he stay at our house?"
Hearing this, not only was Lan Xi surprised, but even Ye Fan's face showed a trace of astonishment.
On the way here, he and Ning Xi had already agreed that during the summer vacation, they would stay at the previous rented apartment.
After all, the college entrance exams were over, and there were no more tutoring sessions.
As an outsider, staying at Ning Xi's home for a long time was more or less inappropriate.
When he had talked to Ning Xi about this, the little girl hadn't said anything, so Ye Fan thought she had agreed. He didn't expect her to suddenly pull this move.
To be honest, Ye Fan was caught off guard.
Lan Xi looked surprised, her eyes full of curiosity. "Xiao Fan, I thought you were going back to Linhai after dropping off Xiao Xi."
Ye Fan looked at Ning Xi, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile as he explained, "Auntie, there's nothing going on during the summer anyway, and Xiao Xi is going to study chess with Teacher Gu. I can keep her company."
"But, I won't be staying at your house. I can't keep bothering you."
"Why not stay?"
Before Lan Xi could say anything, Ning Xi spoke up first. Her eyes drooped, her expression full of disappointment, as she muttered, "There are so many rooms in the house, it's not like we don't have space. Why bother staying in a rented apartment by yourself?"
Lan Xi silently crossed her arms, clearly ready to enjoy the drama.
Her daughter's attitude was more than obvious—she wanted Ye Fan to stay at their house.
What surprised Lan Xi more was that based on her daughter's personality, she normally wouldn't be this forward about such matters.
Looks like, during their time in Linhai, the relationship between these two little ones grew closer!
Feeling the girl's questioning gaze, Ye Fan sighed softly and said in a low voice, "Xiao Xi, didn't we agree on the plane? Why are you going back on it now?"
"When did I agree?"
Ning Xi countered, "You were the one talking on the plane the whole time. Did I say yes?"
Ye Fan: "…"
Thinking carefully, that really did seem to be the case.
This little thing was getting sneakier!
"Xiao Xi, it's not appropriate."
"What's not appropriate?"
Ning Xi uncharacteristically showed a pressing tone, making Lan Xi snicker even more.
It's over!
This girl's heart has already fallen!
In the past, Lan Xi would never have believed her daughter would be so forward as to want a boy to live at their house.
Indeed, love is a magical thing!
Seeing the girl's eyes filled with stubbornness, Ye Fan scratched his head, not knowing how to argue back. Helplessly, he said, "Xiao Xi, this matter is settled then. I'll come to find you every morning, and we'll go to Teacher Gu's together to learn chess."
"Who said it's settled?"
Ning Xi crossed her arms in front of her chest, her soft voice unusually firm, "Taking a taxi every day to find me—how tiring is that? It's really not inappropriate for you to stay at my house. Mom will definitely agree, and I'll talk to Dad. That's okay, right?"
"…"
Ye Fan's eyes filled with helpless laughter, and he looked to Lan Xi for help.
Lan Xi smiled and nodded, "Xiao Xi is right. What's inappropriate about this? It's settled then! Zhuang Li, load the luggage."
"Yes, madam."
Zhuang Li, sitting in the driver's seat, heard the voice outside and immediately got out of the car to load their luggage.
Ye Fan silently watched the whole scene, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
Seeing this, Ning Xi slowly walked to Ye Fan's side, tugged on his clothes, a blush appearing on her cheeks as she softly said, "Gege, isn't it nice to stay at my house?"
"Being able to see you anytime—of course it's nice."
Ye Fan gave a bitter smile, then added, "But we haven't even confirmed our relationship yet. Even if we had, staying at your house long-term still isn't appropriate."
Ning Xi lifted her delicate face, unconvinced, "Then I stayed at your house."
"That's different."
Ye Fan shook his head, raising his hand to tidy the girl's wind-blown hair. "I invited you to visit Linhai, and besides, you're a girl…"
"What's different about it?"
Before Ye Fan could finish, Ning Xi interrupted him, "You came to the Imperial Capital because I invited you too. Besides, men and women are equal, it's all the same!"
After saying that, she let out a soft humph, turned around, and got into the car. As soon as she sat in the back seat, she saw her mother's teasing expression.
"Xiao Xi, it's only been a few days, and your relationship with Ye Fan has progressed pretty fast, huh?"
"N-No!"
Ning Xi's face instantly turned red, and she stammered, "I just think it's… more convenient, yes, more convenient."
Lan Xi chuckled and said, "Explaining is covering up, and covering up is admitting."
Ning Xi: "…"
Outside the car, Ye Fan shrugged and silently sat in the front passenger seat.
Since Ning Xi wanted him to stay at her house so much, then he might as well accept it.
Although it might be a little inappropriate, as long as this girl was happy, it was fine.
Along the way, the atmosphere inside the car was very quiet—no one spoke.
This made Zhuang Li a bit surprised. He peeked at Ye Fan, who was resting with his eyes closed, his heart full of questions.
Could it be… this kid had a fight with the young lady?