Chapter 18: Why Is Your Face So Red? Are You Hot?

"Aren't you going in?" Chen Ye asked suddenly from behind her.

Jiang Xin had stopped the moment her hand touched the doorknob, standing there motionless for several seconds. Reminded of this, the girl trembled slightly, and the next second, she instinctively pushed the door open.

Immediately, a breeze carrying a hint of warmth and a faint fragrance wafted over Jiang Xin, gently brushing against Chen Ye. Lemon-yellow sheer curtains billowed in the summer wind toward the doorway, as if waving to the two of them.

Jiang Xin didn't dare to look back, simply lowering her head as she walked into the room. Chen Ye followed closely behind, stepping inside.

The layout of the room was simple. To the right of the entrance was a bed covered with light orange sheets, its headboard against the wall with the door, and its foot facing the window. Directly opposite the window sat a nearly two-meter-long solid wood desk. To the left of the desk stood a red solid wood bookshelf, packed full of books. The computer rested against the bookshelf on the left side of the desk. The right half was likely where she read and did her homework. Further to the left, leaning against the wall, was a large wardrobe.

His first thought upon entering was, "It's huge."

The apartment Su Hongshan had bought was probably around one hundred and sixty or seventy square meters, with four bedrooms, two living rooms, two bathrooms, and a large balcony over a meter wide. Jiang Xin's bedroom and the master bedroom faced south, while Su Siyun's room was situated by itself on the north side.

Chen Ye scanned the room before his gaze finally settled on the bed. The quilt was folded inward. On the empty half lay a casual off-white nightgown, along with a set of light pink...

However, as soon as he walked in, he saw Jiang Xin lunge toward the bed. She snatched up the nightgown, turned her back to block Chen Ye's view, opened the wardrobe, and shoved it inside. The entire sequence of movements was incredibly smooth, without a single pause.

"What was that? Why hide it so fast?" Chen Ye asked, pretending not to know.

In truth, if he didn't ask, Jiang Xin would endlessly wonder whether he had seen it or not, and ultimately subconsciously conclude that he had. But by asking so openly, he would make her think he genuinely hadn't seen anything, hence the question. After all, if someone saw those two items, they would typically avoid mentioning them to prevent embarrassment. But Chen Ye was no longer a young boy, even if he still was physically.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he watched as Jiang Xin's small, cute ears turned visibly red, her earlobes especially so.

"Uh... I really didn't see it. What was it?" he asked again, putting on an act.

The girl in front of him stood motionless with her head bowed, gripping the wardrobe, but the constant heaving of her shoulders betrayed her rapid breathing. After several seconds, Jiang Xin abruptly spun around, scribbled a few words in her notepad, and presented it to him.

[You can use the computer, but you can't touch anything else.]

Her face, barely larger than a palm, wore an expression of utmost determination. Yet, to Chen Ye, it looked like a flimsy facade of toughness.

"Trying to act fierce, huh?" he chuckled inwardly.

"Don't worry, you should know what kind of person I am. I know my boundaries," Chen Ye nodded. He then pointed to the computer and asked, "Do you have anything you need to tidy up on there? If not, I'll go ahead and use it."

A computer was a personal item. Since its owner was a teenage girl, there was bound to be some privacy she needed to protect. At the end of the day, he was just Jiang Xin's classmate, and a boy at that. But to his surprise, Jiang Xin shook her head.

Chen Ye thought to himself, "What does that shake of the head mean? No need to tidy up? Or is there nothing to tidy up?"

Seemingly noticing his confusion, Jiang Xin wrote again: [I organized it last night.]

"So you were already prepared for me to come over. I was worried you'd be reluctant," Chen Ye laughed as he read the line.

The girl currently radiated an aura of resistance, yet none of her actions were actually rejections. Though he couldn't immediately figure out why, he figured it might have to do with Jiang Xin's inherent personality. She had been just like this in his past life; even after he married her sister, Jiang Xin had still constantly avoided him. Or rather, aside from Su Siyun, no one could get close to Jiang Xin.

But avoiding him was one thing. When Su Siyun had "helped" him borrow money to pay off his loans, Jiang Xin hadn't uttered a single word of refusal. The girl's emotional walls were far thicker than he imagined, yet her innate kindness constantly radiated a light that made people want to cherish her. For someone like her, even setting aside any thoughts of mooching off her, Chen Ye felt he ought to try his best to break the seal on her heart and give her a new lease on life.

However, Jiang Xin was clearly flustered by his previous remark. She quickly pointed at herself, then waved her open right hand. Next, she crossed her index finger in front of her middle finger and shook them repeatedly. Seeing that Chen Ye didn't understand, Jiang Xin wrote it down in her notepad. Yet, Chen Ye could tell she was carefully considering her phrasing.

[That's not it. It's just that I happen to be on vacation.]

When Jiang Xin showed this sentence to Chen Ye, her cheeks were puffed out and her eyebrows drooped, giving her face an awkward, embarrassed expression.

Facial expressions were also a part of sign language. When signing, one often needed to puff their cheeks, purse their lips, or exaggerate their expressions. But with breathtaking beauty like hers, making these faces only made her look adorable.

Aside from being embarrassed, Jiang Xin was also angry. But she wasn't angry at Chen Ye; she was angry at herself. She was mad at herself for reading that letter, mad at herself for losing her composure the moment she faced Chen Ye, and mad at herself for thoughtlessly writing words that were so easily misunderstood. At the same time, she was a little annoyed at Chen Ye for pinpointing the exact implication in her words so accurately. His language grades weren't even as good as hers!

"I know, I know, you just happened to tidy up because you're on vacation," Chen Ye nodded with a smile, refraining from saying anything else that would make the girl flush bright red. He then walked past Jiang Xin, pulled out a nearby chair, and sat down in front of the computer.

Turning around to look at Chen Ye's back, Jiang Xin clutched her notepad tightly, pursed her lips, and took a deep breath. With a soft sigh in her heart, she walked over to the desk, grabbed a piece of letter paper, wrote a sentence on the first line, and handed it to Chen Ye.

[What do you need the computer for? Do you need my help?]

Chen Ye tilted his head to look at it, a faint smile touching the corners of his lips. Reaching out, he pulled a fountain pen from the nearby pen holder, quickly scribbled a few words on the second line, and pushed the paper back.

[No need, I know how to use it.]

Seeing his reply, Jiang Xin wrote another line.

[Call me if you need help.]

After writing this, she didn't press the matter further. Instead, she stood up, picked up a half-read book from the side, and prepared to leave. With Chen Ye staying in her room, it was impossible for her to remain in there with him.

Before she could even turn around, Chen Ye suddenly pressed a hand against the letter paper, turned his head, and asked, "Is it that hot today? Do you want me to turn on the AC?"

His tone was incredibly natural, as if this room and this AC belonged to him, Chen Ye, while Jiang Xin was the guest.

Jiang Xin was clearly stunned. She wondered, "Wait... this is my house, right?"

Having anticipated the girl's thoughts early on, Chen Ye immediately smiled and added, "Your face is so red and there's sweat on your forehead, which is why I asked if you were hot."

She thought, "My face is red? Am I even sweating?"

Jiang Xin involuntarily raised her hands to cup her cheeks. The moment her palms made contact, she was startled by the scorching heat.

She wondered, "Is my face... really this burning hot?!"