1452: Cheapskate

Cheapskate

Lu Ning stood still, asking in a voice that could not conceal her embarrassment, "You've been waiting for a long time, haven't you?"0

Yin Zhihan raised his eyebrows. "Two hours."

".... Sorry," Lu Ning apologized sincerely.

"I forgive you - that is, on account of how beautiful you look today."

It took a great deal of effort on Lu Ning's part to resist the urge of burying her face in her hands. How was he always saying things that sent her heart aflutter?

"Hop in." Yin Zhihan opened the passenger seat door with a slight flourish, ushering her with a noble grace that would have put a gentleman to shame.

"Where are we going?"

"To the beach."

...

The two of them arrived at a beach. The great blue sea stretched as far as the eye could see. Large waves broke against the shore, sending sprays of seafoam over the dry sand. Conical shells, starfish, seaweed, and pieces of coral peppered the sand, having been swept ashore by the surf. The picture was made perfect by the cool sea air that blew inland, caressing their skin. Lu Ning and Yin Zhihan were not the only ones enjoying the picturesque beach. Many young couples wandered the sands, laughing, with their hands entwined.

Stalls were set up by the side of the road selling exquisitely crafted trinkets. Lu Ning ran over to one that had caught her eye. Picking up a string of small pearl bracelets, she asked Zhihan for his opinion, "Do they look good?"

He studied the milky beads adorning Lu Ning's slender wrist. The pearls looked like they had been tailored for her. It would have been gross injustice to his aesthetic sense, and Lu Ning, to say it was not pleasing to his eye. "Yes, it looks good."

"How much is this?" Lu Ning asked the stall owner, a portly middle-aged woman with an amiable countenance.

The auntie enthusiastically informed the young woman of the price, "That bracelet costs 100 yuan."

100 yuan for a pearl bracelet - even if they were not genuine mother-of-pearl - was not expensive. They even matched her clothes. "Okay, I'll take it."

Lu Ning's hand unconsciously dove for her purse only to grasp at air.

She had not brought her purse along with her! Did she leave it in her room at the hotel? Panic transformed into awkwardness.

"Here." Just then, Yin Zhihan withdrew a brand-new grandpa Mao from his wallet and handed it to the auntie.

"Thank you for your patronage!" The auntie scooped up the bracelet Lu Ning had been about to return and placed them back in her hands.

Lu Ning looked up at the man beside her and whispered bashfully, "I'll pay you back."

The auntie laughed when she heard the words Lu Ning had spoken under her breath. "Silly girl, why on earth are you worried about reimbursing the young gentleman? Isn't this young man your boyfriend? It's normal for a girl's boyfriend to spend money on her. Besides, I can tell that your boyfriend is wealthy with just one look."

Boyfriend...

Lu Ning quickly denied, "He isn't..."

"Aww, don't be shy." There was no doubt in the auntie's mind that the gentleman beside Lu Ning was her boyfriend.

Lu Ning could not find the words to refute the auntie. Looping the bracelet around her wrist, she mumbled out her previous assertion, "I'll still return the money I owe you."

"Okay," Yin Zhihan snorted. "If you're so insistent on paying me back, then I'll have you return what you owe me right now."

Now...?

She did not have any money on her!

Lu Ning pouted, puckering her cherry-coloured lips, "Stingy!"

Yin Zhihan eyed her pouting lips framed by glowing cheeks. Lu Ning did not know how adorable she looked acting like a spoilt child. It suited her a lot better than the one she wore in the office, all stuffy and business-like. At this moment, she looked... alive.

He smirked. "Lu Ning, you're not playing fair."

"Excuse me?"

"You insisted on returning the money to me. Yet, now that I've agreed, you're not happy. What are you trying to say?"

Yin Zhihan bent down and kissed her forehead. "If you don't have the money to return it, then... pay with your flesh..."

A fire seemed to light itself around her ears, causing steam to gush out without restraint. Lu Ning glanced up at the man who stood a full head taller than her but quickly flitting back to the ground. In an enchanting voice that belied a brewing tantrum, she whined, "Then I want to buy more things."

"That's fine by me, but this time, it won't be as simple as kissing your forehead..."

"I was just joking!" Lu Ning huffed, strutting away with her hands folded.

Yin Zhihan stared at her supple back, a doting lilt suffusing his tender gaze.

...

Powdered sand sank softly wherever her feet tread. Lu Ning struggled against the misfortune of having her heels sink every time she moved. Exhausted, she slipped off her impractical shoes and planted her sore feet on the warm ground, feeling the grains of sand tickling the soles of her feet.

The sound of laughter caught her attention. Looking up, she noticed a crowd of young couples racing. The men carried their loved ones in their arms as they raced to see who would come first.

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