A pampered young lady from a prestigious family, pampered by her childhood sweetheart, a CEO.

"clear"

"Don't worry, we'll all protect this surprise for you. Have fun, everyone."

"gone."

Luo Yunqi only felt relieved after picking them up and getting them on the road. These guys were all close friends, and who knew if they were talking badly about him behind his back.

Otherwise, how could they get along so well? Luo Yunqi sneezed several times while waiting at a red light, and it's obvious that they were talking badly about him behind his back.

"Yaoyao, I've bought the movie tickets, popcorn, and milk tea. We'll go see the movie first, and if you're hungry afterward, I'll take you for a late-night snack. They said there will be a lantern festival at midnight tonight, and then I'll take you to see it, okay?"

He had already made this arrangement long before she even mentioned receiving the notification for the painting competition.

They can set off whenever she is available.

"You've arranged everything?"

These activities don't seem like they could be arranged all at once; it's more accurate to say that he did his research and preparation in advance and was always on standby.

"Yes, I've been very busy lately. I've been busy with company matters, and you've been busy with school and competitions. I haven't had time to take you out to relax. Today is a good day, as you received the notification for the National Danqing Painting Competition, and I've also taken care of most of the company's issues."

Luo Yunqi was driving with one hand, while the other hand was on the center console. He couldn't help but want to hold her other hand, but after holding her hand there for a long time, he didn't know how to take the initiative to hold her hand.

I was a little nervous, a little shy, and a little at a loss.

Why are you so nervous? You're sweating.

Xu Shuli was unaware of his inner turmoil and complexities; she only knew that he had been driving for a while and was already sweating profusely from the heat.

"Is it too hot? Would you like to turn the air conditioning down a bit? Or could you open the car window a little to let some air in?"

Xu Shuli was genuinely considering things from his perspective, noticing his slightly reddened ears and constantly twitching chin, and a thought flashed through her mind in an instant.

Was he embarrassed?

My gaze then slid from his cheeks to his reddened ears, to his tightly pursed lips, and then to his hands hanging on the center console. His hands seemed restless, constantly clenched into fists in tension.

Xu Shuli instantly understood what he wanted to do, but dared not do anything about it.

"Do you want to hold my hand?"

If it weren't for his good driving skills, they would have almost crashed into the green belt just because of her words.

The car braked suddenly, and both of them lurched forward uncontrollably. Xu Shuli's forehead bumped into something soft.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that it was his hand.

In such a critical and urgent moment, he didn't forget to pull his hand out to shield himself, but he ended up hitting the steering wheel hard.

"Are you alright, Yaoyao?"

Are you alright...?

The two spoke in unison, looking at each other with concern and nervousness almost overflowing from their eyes.

"I'm fine." Hearing that reassuring answer, Xu Shuli frowned and couldn't help but scold him, "Driving like that is so unsafe! Why did you suddenly brake so hard? Even if what I said made you unhappy, you can't joke around with your life!"

"I'm not unhappy!"

He picked up on the wrong keywords and immediately retorted nervously, "What you said made me very happy. I'm not unhappy with what you said; I was just a little excited and stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake."

Xu Shuli had already prepared an excuse for him. He was the CEO of the Luo Group, and he always had a driver to escort him when he went out. It was normal for him to drive for so long and his driving skills to be a little rusty.

But that won't do either; when driving on the road, you must be responsible for yourself and everyone else.

"you're right."

Since the car has already stopped, I might as well say everything I wanted to say and do everything I was too afraid to do.

"I wanted to hold your hand, but I didn't dare. I hesitated for a long time and never expected that you would see through my true intentions."

They had done things even more intimate than holding hands when they were little, so why does he lack even that courage now that he's grown up?

"Do you feel that I haven't officially made you a full-time employee yet, and that you're still in a probationary period, so you're afraid to hold my hand?"

"Yes."

He answered quite quickly, without holding anything back.

"Yaoyao, I'm afraid you'll think I'm reckless. I've already told you that this time I'll be more meticulous and gentler in pursuing you again. I'll also try to see things from your perspective. So even though the thought of holding your hand is raging in my heart, I don't have the courage to reach out."

Luo Yunqi stared at her nervously. The car was parked to the side, and in the cramped space, their breaths mingled.

"Yaoyao, I..."

After a long silence, he struggled to lift his eyes to look at her, only to see her watery eyes staring intently at him.

“Yaoyao…”

He murmured his name softly.

"Then I'll give you this chance. I'll allow you to hold my hand and go to see this movie. I'll let you enjoy the privilege of being my boyfriend in advance. If I'm not satisfied with your performance later, I'll take back this privilege."

"!!"

The surprise came so suddenly!

Before Luo Yunqi could react, the girl in front of him boldly squeezed her hand into his palm. His body instinctively reacted as soon as her hand touched his fingertips, his large hand tightly grasped hers, their fingers intertwined, intimately connected.

"Yaoyao, I will treat this opportunity you've given me as my last, no matter how much it costs me."

Luo Yunqi gripped her hand tightly, afraid that she would change her mind at any moment and pull her hand back, or that it was just a dream he had imagined, and that once he woke up, they would return to their separate ways.

"Okay, let's hurry up and get going, or we'll miss this movie."

Having taken the initiative once was enough to make her shy. After realizing what had happened, Xu Shuli could only ask him to turn down the air conditioning a little, taking advantage of the somewhat humid weather, to help her dispel the blush on her face.

"Okay, I'll head out to see the movie now."

This movie was the first one they had seen in so many years since their reunion, making it a real date in the truest sense.

“Yaoyao…”

"Um…"

“Yaoyao…”

"Um…"

"I really, really like you. I really, really love you."

"Um…"

"!!"

She assumed he was just calling her name out of boredom, so Xu Shuli replied perfunctorily while replying to other people's messages.

I never expected him to say something like that. In that instant, it was as if thousands of fireworks had suddenly burst into the sky, creating a dazzling display in my heart.

From then on, he was there at the end of my life, a time of bright spring sunshine and vibrant colors.