Yu Qi spent a blissful three hours with Long Hui exploring every corner of the massive greenhouse. She thoroughly enjoyed herself and ended up purchasing many different types of rare seeds to plant later. By the time they finally stepped out of the facility and headed back to the car, it was already around five o'clock in the evening.
"Where are we going next?" Yu Qi asked, looking over at Long Hui as he started the engine.
Obviously, Long Hui had absolutely no intention of sending Yu Qi back home just yet. The day was far from over, and he desperately wanted to spend more quality time with her, just the two of them.
"We have one more place to visit. After that, I promise I will drop you off straight in front of the Tang household." Long Hui answered with a gentle smile.
"Okay." Yu Qi nodded, feeling a quiet wave of anticipation settle in her chest.
They remained on the road for about an hour and a half, driving smoothly through the changing landscape until they finally arrived at their secret destination. The moment the car slowed down, Yu Qi looked out the window and saw the vast, beautiful sea. Long Hui had brought her all the way to a pristine, quiet beach just as the sky was starting to turn a vibrant shade of orange.
There was a lovely seaside restaurant located nearby. Long Hui had intentionally chosen the perfect outdoor table to enjoy their dinner, positioning them perfectly to watch the sunset over the water. As the sun began to dip lower toward the horizon, the seawater magically transformed into a brilliant, shimmering golden colour. It was an incredibly breathtaking and lovely scene.
A gentle ocean breeze swept across the patio, causing Yu Qi's long hair to wave softly around her face. She could not help but beam a radiant smile, thoroughly captivated by the view.
Watching her, Long Hui felt that this specific scene was far lovelier than anything else in the entire world. In that quiet moment, looking at her windblown hair and bright eyes, Long Hui fell deeply in love with her all over again.
The dinner turned out to be absolutely delicious, accompanied perfectly by the soothing, rhythmic sound of the ocean waves crashing against the shore. As the night went on, Yu Qi found herself becoming more and more comfortable in Long Hui's presence. She responded to his casual conversation a little shyly, but her previous nervousness had completely evaporated. What had started as a tense outing had officially turned into an incredibly fun and memorable date.
"When exactly are you officially starting your life as a university student?" Long Hui asked casually, taking a sip of his drink.
"I still have about two to three months left to prepare for everything before classes begin." Yu Qi replied.
"I see. I am actually heading out on a critical military mission next week. Because of that, we might not be able to see or contact each other for the time being." Long Hui explained, his tone carrying a trace of reluctance.
"I see." Yu Qi murmured.
Though she tried to hide it, a distinctly sad and disappointed tone slipped into her voice.
"I promise I will come visit you the very moment I have some free time." Long Hui added quickly, making a solemn vow to reassure her.
"Please don't force yourself too hard." Yu Qi said softly, worrying about his safety.
"Before I completely forget..." Long Hui smiled, reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket to search for something. A second later, he pulled out a small, elegant red box and placed it gently on the table right in front of Yu Qi. "Congratulations on your incredible success in entering your first-choice university. This is my congratulatory gift to you. I truly hope you will like it."
"This... this is really for me?" Yu Qi was completely speechless, her eyes widening as she stared at the beautiful gift box presented by Long Hui.
"Yes. Go ahead and open it." Long Hui urged her softly.
He watched her intently, eager to see her genuine reaction when she saw the specific gift he had chosen for her.
Yu Qi carefully took the small box into her hands and slowly lifted the lid. She gasped in absolute surprise the moment she saw what was resting inside. It was a stunning pair of earrings. What made her heart skip a beat was the material. They were masterfully crafted from rare, high-quality blood jade. The blood jade had been beautifully carved into elegant, small rectangular shapes that caught the dimming light flawlessly. Yu Qi was incredibly happy with the thoughtful gesture.
"Do you like it?" Long Hui asked, leaning in slightly.
"Yes, I love them very much! But when on earth did you manage to prepare this? From what I can see of the craftsmanship, this is completely custom-made." Yu Qi said, looking up at him in awe.
"I ordered them right after you came to visit Yue's home. I actually found this piece of raw blood jade a very long time ago. So, I recently took it to a professional jewellery designer and asked him to custom-design these earrings specifically for you." Long Hui explained thoroughly.
"But how did you even know that I liked blood jade so much?" Yu Qi asked, thoroughly puzzled.
She searched her memory but did not recall ever explicitly telling Long Hui about her profound weakness for it.
"I noticed it from the very first time we ever met." Long Hui recalled, a fond look appearing in his eyes as he remembered their past. "You bought that blood jade pendant that day. From the sheer excitement in your expression back then, I knew instantly that you liked blood jade very much."
Yu Qi truly did not expect him to remember a tiny detail like that. That incident had happened a long time ago, and it was during their very first, brief encounter. Usually, people never paid such close attention to total strangers, let alone a handsome, high-ranking man like him.
"Thank you so much. Thank you for today, and also for this incredibly lovely gift. I promise I will treasure it forever." Yu Qi said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude.
"It is getting quite late now. Let me send you back home." Long Hui said softly, noticing the night sky had fully rolled in.
"Okay." Yu Qi agreed.
........
"Here we are." Long Hui said smoothly as the car finally pulled up right in front of the grand Tang estate.
"Once again, thank you for everything today." Yu Qi said with a warm smile before she unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car.
"I truly hope we will be able to go out together again like this in the future." Long Hui said, flashing her a devastatingly handsome smile through the window.
"Yes, definitely." Yu Qi replied.
She bowed slightly to Long Hui, waiting for him to nod before she turned and walked gracefully inside the safety of the house.
Long Hui remained parked in the car for a while, keeping his engine idling until Yu Qi had completely disappeared from his sight inside the building. Only after he was certain she was safe did he finally drive away into the night.
The moment Yu Qi entered the main foyer, Steward Hang Ji Chang, who was waiting by the door, stepped forward and greeted her warmly.
"Welcome home, Young Miss. Would you care for some freshly prepared dinner?" Steward Hang Ji Chang asked politely.
"Thank you, Grandpa Chang, but I have already eaten a wonderful dinner outside. May I know where everyone else is currently gathered?" Yu Qi inquired curiously.
"Everyone is currently relaxing in the main living room, with the exception of Young Master Jin Wei. He is unfortunately on night duty at the hospital tonight." Steward Hang Ji Chang informed her.
"Okay, thank you so much." Yu Qi thanked him with a sweet smile.
She then walked down the hallway and stepped into the spacious living room. The exact millisecond her feet crossed the threshold, her two enthusiastic aunties, Ming Yue and Su Xiao, practically sprinted over. They grabbed her hands tightly and eagerly pulled her over to the sofa, forcing her to sit down right in the middle of the two of them.
"So, how did it go? Tell us everything!" Ming Yue asked in an incredibly excited, high-pitched tone.
Su Xiao also looked exceptionally thrilled, leaning in close, dying to hear the latest gossip from her niece.
"What do you mean? How did what go?" Yu Qi tried to play completely dumb, her cheeks warming up.
"Just tell us all the details about your romantic date! It was officially your very first date, right?" Su Xiao asked, a knowing smile spreading across her face.
Yu Qi's face instantly turned a deep shade of crimson the moment the words 'first date' echoed in the room.
"Humph! What do you mean by a first date? That was absolutely not a date at all! It was just a regular, platonic outing between acquaintances." Grandpa Tang suddenly interrupted from his armchair, letting out a protective snort.
He absolutely did not like hearing the word 'dating' associated with his beloved granddaughter. In his eyes, Yu Qi was still entirely too young, and he desperately did not want her to be stolen away by some smooth-talking young man already.
"We just went to a nice place and had dinner together. That's really all that happened." Yu Qi explained briefly, trying to tone down the romance to calm her grandfather down.
"Good. Very good." Grandpa Tang nodded firmly, completely satisfied with her simple answer, while her two aunties merely giggled silently behind his back.
***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***