Chapter 735: Chapter 735: A Young Girl’s Thoughts
This delicious meal made Xu Ke feel a bit regretful in his heart. Regretful that he didn’t come back earlier to enjoy this meal, making them reheat everything once again.
Xu Ke swallowed the last mouthful of soup, set his utensils aside, and wiped his mouth with a napkin before speaking: "Thank you for the hospitality. Tonight’s dinner was delicious. I’m sure a lot of effort went into preparing it. I apologize once again for being late."
"Please don’t say that. This meal was prepared specifically for you. As long as you like it, it’s worth it. The timing doesn’t matter; what’s important is that you enjoy it." This was the first time Ely had said something so corny, making her ears turn red with embarrassment, and her eyes became misty. However, she mustered the courage to look at Xu Ke, not avoiding eye contact with him.
"I really liked it, thank you for the hospitality. This is something I got on my way back from a store I happened to pass by. I thought their perfumes smelled nice, so I bought three to give to you all. I hope you won’t mind this gift," Xu Ke said as he took out the gifts he had prepared in advance.
The small boxes containing the perfume were not large, and the brand name on them was unfamiliar. However, they were beautifully packaged, and the scent was pleasant. The smiles on the faces of the three people who received the gifts were very bright.
"Thank you for this gift. It smells wonderful, and the packaging is beautiful. I really like it," Ely said softly, looking at Xu Ke a bit bashfully.
The landlady glanced at her daughter and said, "Thank you. We really like this gift. This bottle of perfume is probably the favorite gift I received in years, bar none."
After speaking, the landlady pinched the landlord, signaling him to say something.
"This is the first time I’ve received perfume from someone of the same sex. Although I haven’t used perfume much before, I think I’ll have to break that habit now because this fragrance suits me so well. With this, I believe my wife will love me even more," the landlord, despite his age, playfully winked at the landlady, making her smile bashfully.
"Your uncle just has that kind of outspoken personality, saying whatever comes to mind, truly shameless," the landlady said this but was smiling happily.
Xu Ke, infected by the cheer of this family, also found himself smiling.
Anyone would feel uplifted seeing the recipients’ happiness from a well-chosen gift.
"As long as you all like it. When I bought it, I worried that you might not like this scent."
"How could it be possible? No matter what scent you buy, I’ll like it," Ely said nervously, pinching her own hand, her face flushed as she spoke to Xu Ke. After speaking, Ely felt so shy that she didn’t dare to lift her head, and like a flustered little bunny, she got up and ran off.
Xu Ke, while a bit slow at times, was no fool. With Ely’s obvious behavior, he had a vague suspicion in his mind. He looked at the landlady and the landlord, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say. Since the woman hadn’t been explicit about it, he decided to pretend that nothing had happened.
But Ely did not make Xu Ke wait for too long. Uncertain if being straightforward and bold was a trait of all foreign women, Xu Ke had just finished dinner, freshened up, and lay down on the bed when he heard a knock at the door. When he opened it, he saw Ely standing there in a white nightgown.
"It’s so late; is there something you need?" Xu Ke asked, looking at her.
"I baked some cookies and some more treats for you. I have something I want to talk to you about—can we speak inside?" Ely said, raising the canister filled with cookies and treats in her hand.
The scent of butter wafted from the canister to Xu Ke’s nose. He nodded and stepped aside to let Ely in.
Even though the inn’s rooms were of a similar setup, and she was familiar with all of her family’s inn rooms, she couldn’t bring herself to look around in Xu Ke’s room. The entire atmosphere seemed to carry Xu Ke’s scent, making it embarrassingly blush-inducing.
Xu Ke found it amusing to see Ely turn red the moment she stepped into his room. He almost wanted to laugh but restrained the urge out of consideration for the young girl’s feelings.
"It’s quite late—what did you want to tell me?" Xu Ke asked as he took the cookie canister from Ely’s hand.
Ely was quite tense, and the nightgown she wore was nearly getting snagged by her fingernails. "Don’t you want to try the taste of the cookies and treats first?" Ely’s mind was unusually chaotic, and in a panic, she brought up the cookies.
"No, I ate plenty at dinner and can’t eat any more. Besides, I’ve already washed up, so I’ll have them tomorrow instead," Xu Ke said, glancing at the cookies next to him.
"Oh, okay," Ely said, feeling dry and awkward.
She sat silently on the sofa with her head down. Xu Ke didn’t know her intention, so he just sat in silence beside her.
Without rushing Ely, after an unknown amount of time, she finally realized the awkwardness of the situation, causing her face to turn even redder.
"Um."
Upon hearing Ely’s voice, Xu Ke lifted his head to look at her.
Ely glanced at Xu Ke in a fluster, quickly lowering her head again, but this time, she finally managed to get her words out. "I wanted to say, I like you. Could you be with me?" After speaking, Ely faced Xu Ke with a blazing flush, staring so intently it even made Xu Ke feel slightly awkward.
"But I’m sorry, I don’t like you, so I’m afraid I can’t agree to that." Xu Ke didn’t want to leave any false hopes behind, so he directly refused. Although the result was likely cruel for Ely, considering how brief their encounters were, Xu Ke believed she would soon forget him.
Ely was stunned by Xu Ke’s outright rejection. Her mind replayed Xu Ke’s words several times before she realized he had indeed turned her down. She stood up abruptly from the sofa as if to run out, yet halted midway.
"Can I ask why? Why don’t you like me? Is it because I’m not pretty enough, or my figure isn’t good enough, or perhaps my cooking doesn’t suit your taste? Otherwise, why did you reject me so quickly?" Ely asked unwillingly.
"It’s not because of those reasons. Have you ever considered that your feelings for me might just be a fleeting illusion, simply because I offered a helping hand when you were in danger, leading you to see me as a hero and thus giving rise to feelings of admiration, which you mistakenly interpreted as liking?" Xu Ke rationally analyzed Ely’s emotional state toward him.