CHAPTER 574: CHAPTER 574: THE SUDDEN ROMANTIC ENCOUNTER

The start of the date didn’t go exactly as Xu Ke had planned. There was a small mishap, but overall it didn’t deviate too much from his original plan. The minor differences were within Xu Ke’s tolerance range.

The location Xu Ke chose for this date was initially a museum. There were specialized guides in the museum; they only needed to shut their mouths and open their ears to listen carefully. They didn’t need to speak and could help Ariel gain a deeper understanding of the past occurrences on this piece of land.

Ariel listened intently to the staff’s explanation, exclaiming in awe from time to time, but her voice wasn’t loud. She seemed somewhat adorable, and Ariel’s shocked yet longing gaze rekindled the guide’s long dormant enthusiasm, making the introductions even more vigorous.

Xu Ke walked behind Ariel, watching her interact with the guides, and the smile on his face never faded.

Ariel truly is a very special girl, Xu Ke thought.

"Stop following me. Why don’t you find a place to sit and rest for a while? I still have a lot to see," Ariel said to Xu Ke, who hadn’t spoken much and followed them all along. "After all, you don’t have to listen, do you?"

Xu Ke glanced around; they actually had seen a lot of the museum’s exhibits. Only a small part remained, which would probably be introduced shortly. So Xu Ke didn’t linger; he wasn’t particularly interested in the exhibits in the museum, so he agreed with Ariel’s arrangement and found a place in the museum to take a temporary rest.

Shortly after Xu Ke sat down, a shadow fell over him.

"Is anyone sitting here?" asked a delicate-looking girl of mixed heritage standing in front of Xu Ke, her eyes of different colors making her look especially unique. Her voice had a hint of strawberry sweetness—fresh and not sticky.

"No one," Xu Ke glanced up at the girl and replied flatly. He then lowered his head to look at the book in his hands, showing no intention of continuing the conversation.

The girl sat beside Xu Ke, a faint fragrance wafting over as she did so.

The girl waited for Xu Ke to make a conversation, but after a while, she realized Xu Ke wasn’t talking to her, only focused on his book, which made her feel somewhat frustrated.

"Are you afraid to look at my eyes?" The girl asked softly, gently poking Xu Ke’s arm with her finger.

Xu Ke put down his book and looked towards the girl with a calm expression, saying, "You’re overthinking it, not at all."

"Then why aren’t you looking at me or talking to me?" the girl asked, puzzled.

Xu Ke frowned, unsure of what her problem was. He didn’t know her, so why would he stare at her or strike up a conversation? Doing so might make him seem like a lunatic. Thinking this, his expression grew colder, and he said, "I want to read."

"What’s so interesting about the book? Isn’t chatting better?" The girl glanced at the book in Xu Ke’s hands. Seeing that it was full of specialized terms she couldn’t understand, she withdrew her gaze disinterestedly and instead stared at Xu Ke’s face.

Xu Ke felt uncomfortable under her gaze, his well-shaped eyebrows unconsciously drawing closer together.

"I don’t want to chat," Xu Ke said, shaking his head.

Seeing the girl about to say more, Xu Ke promptly spoke, "Don’t talk to me anymore and disturb my reading."

Xu Ke’s words made the girl’s expression turn colorful in an instant, her eyes even sparkling with tears silently accusing Xu Ke. But Xu Ke acted as if he hadn’t seen it, continuing to focus on his book.

The girl sulked next to Xu Ke for quite a while, waiting for him to come over and apologize for his behavior. However, she waited and waited but no apology came. When she turned her head, she found that Xu Ke was still reading his book, showing no intention of apologizing. The girl couldn’t stand it any longer and directly knocked the book out of Xu Ke’s hands.

The loud thud of the book hitting the floor drew the attention of several people around them.

Looking at the book on the floor, Xu Ke’s expression turned even more serious and cold. "Miss, what exactly is your problem? Why did you knock my book down? Please give me a reasonable explanation." Xu Ke did not try to appease just because the other was a woman. Instead, he asked in a stern tone, almost to the point of interrogation.

The book he was engrossed in being suddenly disrupted was equivalent to a girl having finished her makeup but being interrupted by someone marking a slash on her face just before applying lipstick—a truly heinous act. Xu Ke thought sparing her immediate execution was already a kindness given she was a woman.

The girl looked at Xu’s expression and realized she might have done something wrong, but her fluster only showed for three seconds before she regained composure. Her face quickly turned pitiful, as if she were about to cry any moment, making people embarrassed to blame her.

"I didn’t mean to. It’s just you were ignoring me when I talked to you, so I hit your book in desperation. The book isn’t damaged—I’ll pick it up for you. Don’t look at me like that. You’re scaring me," the girl whimpered, picking up the book at Xu Ke’s feet, dusted it off, and handed it back to him.

Watching the girl’s performance, Xu Ke couldn’t help but lick his molars, nearly getting amused by her antics.

While Xu Ke was trying hard to control his irritation, some people around who didn’t know the truth were fooled by the girl’s behavior and added fuel to the fire, saying, "The girl’s not intentionally doing it, plus she’s apologized and even picked up the book. You’ve scared her to tears. Just let it go, don’t be unreasonable and continue scaring the girl."

"Yeah, you’re a big guy; there’s no need to be so petty, right? She’s just a young girl. Be careful or you might end up never getting married," someone else chimed in, and more people joined in the fuss.

It seemed as if Xu Ke was unforgivable and incredibly guilty if he didn’t forgive her.

The girl hung her head, shoulders relaxing. Her loose hair fell around her face, covering it and the slight upward turn of her lips.

Xu Ke took a deep look at the girl, planning to turn and leave, not wanting to see this bothersome person anymore.

Xu Ke wanted to leave, but the girl didn’t intend to let him go.