ABT Chapter 145: The Magical Scarf

With their minds preoccupied, the meal was not enjoyable.  

Despite never wasting food, An Ning left more than half of her dish unfinished.  

Li Fanyu was a carefree person; he would quickly move on from any worries. After a while, he emerged from his negative mood. Seeing An Ning propping her face with one hand and counting the rice grains in her bowl with the other, he thought his request had troubled her.  

He quickly reassured her, "Uh... Sis, don't take it to heart. Actually, the company is running pretty well now. I just want to make plans for the future. I'll figure something out; don't worry about it."  

An Ning put down her chopsticks, hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "Alright, are you done eating? Let's go."  

Li Fanyu paid the bill, and they went downstairs, one after the other.  

It was even colder outside.  

Tiancheng was located on a plain, with a very flat terrain, and the winds in spring and autumn were strong. Someone once joked that you shouldn't jump off a building in spring or autumn because the high winds might blow you back up. This showed how strong the winds were.  

At this hour, people were either out seeking entertainment or heading home after dinner. The street was busy with red-lit taxis weaving through traffic, quickly passing by the two of them.  

"Damn it, I'm taking the driving test tomorrow!" Li Fanyu grumbled, feeling the cold wind seeping through his collar and sleeves.  

Before leaving, despite An Ning's reluctance, Li Fanyu had insisted on wrapping a scarf around her. Catching a cold during her period was no joke. Although he lacked understanding of women, he knew the basics.  

Yes, a man should be courteous and gentlemanly around a woman. Of course, not the kind of gentleman who lifts skirts in the AC community...  

An Ning, behind Li Fanyu, watched him wave down taxis. With each gust of wind, he would pull his coat tighter.  

"He can't even take care of himself, worse than a child," An Ning thought to herself, feeling a pang of sorrow. She unfolded the scarf and tapped Li Fanyu's back, handing one end to him.  

It was an extra-long cashmere scarf. Normally, An Ning would fold it for warmth, but now she let it hang in a single layer, almost two meters long.  

Li Fanyu was momentarily surprised, seeing that the other end of the scarf was still wrapped around An Ning's coat. He understood her intention and, smiling sheepishly, took the end and wrapped it around his neck to block the wind.  

However, even the longest scarf wasn't enough for two people.  

Despite An Ning's slight avoidance, they ended up standing very close to each other.  

The passing couples on the street saw them and couldn't help but comment.  

"Wow, what a romantic scarf."  

"I want that too!"  

"Honey, our scarf isn't long enough. If we did that, we'd be suffocated before we got home..."  

Hearing their comments, An Ning quickly lowered her head, burying her flushed face in the scarf.  

Li Fanyu, feeling his heart race, adjusted his posture and suggested, "It's hard to get a taxi here. How about we walk to the end of the street?"  

"Mm..." An Ning hummed softly, indicating her agreement.  

Under the streetlights, they walked slowly; sometimes they drifted apart due to An Ning's subtle adjustments, only to be pulled back together by the scarf's elasticity.  

Li Fanyu's heart seemed to itch with each stretch and contraction of the scarf.  

Finally, just as An Ning was about to move away again, Li Fanyu reached out and hugged her from behind.  

"Ah!" An Ning exclaimed in surprise.  

"It's cold... This way is warmer," Li Fanyu mumbled, not daring to look at her.  

Biting her lip, An Ning felt a mix of emotions. She wanted to break free but felt a sense of security in his embrace.  

After a brief struggle, she decided to allow herself this moment. "Just this once, just for a while... it should be fine... right?"  

Feeling the warmth from each other's bodies, they continued walking. The end of the street grew closer, but their steps became slower.  

If not for a taxi abruptly stopping by, they might have walked all night...  

Seeing them hesitate, the taxi driver rolled down the window and shouted, "Are you getting in or not?"  

An Ning: "Yes!"  

Li Fanyu: "No!"  

They glanced at each other, and An Ning quickly turned away.  

"Crazy!" the taxi driver muttered. "So, are you getting in or not?"  

Reluctantly, Li Fanyu removed the scarf and opened the door for An Ning.  

The driver, cigarette in mouth, asked, "Where to?"  

"Yucai Community on North Fifth Road," An Ning replied, fanning away the smoke.  

Li Fanyu frowned. He remembered An Ning's home being in a high-rise in the city center. Yucai Community was an old residential area over ten years old. Why would An Ning go there?  

But the atmosphere was still awkward and ambiguous, and with the driver present, he didn't ask.  

The community wasn't far from the restaurant; after a few turns, they arrived in about ten minutes.  

"Be careful on your way back," An Ning said, adjusting her scarf before waving goodbye.  

"Don't worry," Li Fanyu said, but before he could wave back, the taxi had already turned and left.  

Li Fanyu shook his head, feeling confused. Though he often teased An Ning, he still saw her as a sister at heart. However, after what happened earlier, he was no longer sure how he felt about her.  

Sigh... It's exhausting.  

Shaking his head, he glanced back through the taxi's rearview mirror and saw An Ning crouching by the entrance.  

Is her stomach hurting again?  

"Stop the car!"  

The driver slammed the brakes, "What now?"  

Li Fanyu threw some money at the driver and ran back.  

An Ning wasn't crouching because of stomach pain; she was feeling embarrassed and ashamed.  

"How old are you? Can't even control yourself! Shameless, ugh!"  

Her waist still felt warm and tingly, as if his hand had never left.  

"I shouldn't have shared a scarf with him! A bit of cold wouldn't kill me!"  

"I shouldn't have let him touch me! It was fine before, but now... An Ning, you're too soft-hearted!"  

She muttered, burying her flushed face deeper into the scarf.  

"Sis, is your stomach hurting again?!"  

Startled, An Ning jumped up, feeling like a child caught misbehaving. She didn't know how to react.  

After a while, she clutched her stomach and said, "Ah... yes... it hurts... ow..."  

Seeing her exaggerated expression, Li Fanyu sighed; Sis, you're holding your stomach.  

Does period pain... shift locations?


NEXTNEXT