Chapter 224: A ‘Powerful’ Date! Something's Wrong with My Firefly!
In an instant, Firefly felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
"Come on, I'll take you to eat something delicious." Xia Wen walked over.
Seeing Firefly in good spirits now, he finally felt completely at ease.
At that moment, he suddenly froze.
He watched as Firefly stepped forward, wordlessly pulled up his sleeve, and tied the woven cord around his wrist.
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"Mm?" Xia Wen did not stop her, just watching Firefly's actions.
Right now, he wanted to fulfill all of Firefly's wishes.
Because her sleeves kept slipping down, Firefly had to pause and pull them back up every time she tried to tie the knot.
But she didn't seem to mind at all.
She even hummed a little tune.
"Alright, boss." Finally, Firefly finished tying the woven cord.
The colorful cord stood out conspicuously on Xia Wen's wrist.
Firefly circled around him once.
After confirming that it was eye-catching from every angle, she nodded in satisfaction.
"Is this... her way of expressing her feelings for me?"
"That's quite direct." Xia Wen had mixed emotions.
Firefly was different from other girls.
When she wanted something, she would keep striving for it, never giving up.
Though she looked delicate, deep down, she was a decisive and straightforward girl.
At that moment, Firefly looked at Xia Wen with hopeful eyes.
"Boss, this woven cord is my gift to you."
"You must keep it safe."
After saying that, she boldly met his gaze, her eyes shining with expectation.
"I definitely will." Xia Wen nodded seriously and gave his word.
Firefly smiled contentedly.
She trusted Xia Wen's promise completely.
"Boss definitely doesn't know what this bracelet means."
"Looks like I hid it well."
"Unfortunately, my life is about to burn out, and I can't let the boss discover my little secret. Otherwise, it would trouble him in the future."
Before leaving this world, she wanted to leave a 'little surprise' for the person she cherished most, as proof that she had existed.
The thought gave her a small sense of delight.
But that tiny secret— Xia Wen had already seen through it.
He chuckled, then, without a word, took Firefly's hand and said, "Come on, let's go shopping."
For this entire month, he was determined not to let Firefly have any regrets.
He would make sure she was in the best condition to take the first targeted medication for Entropy Loss Syndrome.
"Eh?"
Sure enough, Firefly, who had been secretly pleased with herself, suddenly blushed bright red.
She immediately realized— The meaning behind her small actions was completely understood by Xia Wen.
And he had given her a response.
No matter how brave she was, at the moment their hands touched, her heart pounded wildly.
The arm she held felt numb, as if electrified.
Excitement, shyness, embarrassment. A flood of emotions washed over her.
"Mm... okay!" After a moment, Firefly pressed her lips together and grinned.
Her genuine feelings made her smile with squinted eyes.
She even tightened her grip around his hand with a strength far greater than his.
At this moment, a new realization blossomed in Firefly's heart.
A moth drawn to a flame— It burned brightly, yet it did not harm her.
That flame could be the pure satisfaction of eating delicious food.
Or the breathtaking awe of seeing beautiful scenery.
Or the sweetness and joy of sharing a deep connection with someone she loved.
And because of that, the flame was so irresistibly attractive that the moth would throw itself into it without hesitation.
Because of Entropy Loss Syndrome, she had spent her life surrounded by the shadow of death.
And so, she had struggled fiercely to experience everything— To chase the fire, to savor every moment of joy.
Just like that, without any spoken words, the two walked through the city like a couple.
From then on, Xia Wen stopped caring about his company's affairs.
Wearing masks, they roamed the busiest streets of the city, trying different foods.
Then, they went to the amusement park, playing all the attractions that Firefly had never tried before.
Dance machines, strength tests, basketball shooting, shooting games—
She wasn't good at any of them.
But she never got tired of trying again and again, pushing herself until she achieved her best score.
Even when drenched in sweat and panting heavily, she refused to stop.
Before they knew it, night had fallen.
Xia Wen held Firefly's hand as they sat in the amusement park's resting area.
They had ordered a table full of snacks and were enjoying their meal.
Firefly's face was still damp with sweat, strands of hair sticking to her forehead as she breathed slightly heavily.
Yet, she held a tissue in her hand, her eyes fixated on Xia Wen's mouth.
Each time he took a bite, she would immediately reach out and gently wipe the corner of his lips.
After two or three times, Xia Wen couldn't help but put down his food and chuckle.
"Do I look that messy when I eat?"
"Ah, no, not at all!"
Firefly, her face still flushed and glistening with sweat, panicked at his words.
She waved her hands frantically in denial.
"I read about this in books, and I… I also think doing this feels very sweet. Is… is it wrong?"
As they continued talking, Firefly blushed and lowered her head.
But her right hand still clutched the tissue tightly. Clearly, despite her shyness, she was not going to give up on this action.
"Is that so?" Xia Wen asked thoughtfully.
Firefly didn't have a normal life trajectory. What kind of love did she yearn for?
Probably much of it came from books.
When she saw couples in books making such decisions, she found it sweet and wanted to imitate them.
If one were to directly point out that this approach was inappropriate, it might hurt Firefly's confidence.
So...
At this thought, Xia Wen suddenly had a revelation: "Is that so? I also saw something really interesting in a book. Why don't you try it?"
"Oh, okay, sure!"
Hearing that Xia Wen's question wasn't due to her actions, Firefly breathed a sigh of relief and then nodded expectantly.
Then, Xia Wen reached out and gently pinched the tip of Firefly's nose.
"Ah, such a unique feeling." Firefly smiled blankly.
Her adorable expression made Xia Wen unable to hold back a laugh.
Then, they resumed eating the food on the table.
Fortunately, aside from an elderly shop owner, there were no other customers.
Otherwise, people would witness a strange scene— A pair of people who seemed like a couple sitting in front of a pile of snacks.
Only the man was eating, while the woman was persistently staring at the corner of his mouth, occasionally pulling out tissues to wipe it.
And then— Firefly's actions became increasingly overwhelming for Xia Wen.
The drink in Xia Wen's cup was always full.
Every time Firefly finished pouring water, she would look on with great anticipation.
Under this gaze— To meet Firefly's expectations, Xia Wen had no choice but to drink the water.
But as soon as he finished, the cup would be filled again, and that eager gaze would once more lock onto him.
After drinking an entire pot of water, Xia Wen's stomach was already starting to protest.
"It's... it's all gone?"
Firefly turned the water pot upside down and shook it a couple of times. Seeing not a single drop left, she looked a little disappointed.
Meanwhile, Xia Wen secretly sighed in relief.
But just then— Firefly's eyes lit up as she turned her attention to the food on the table.
"Wait..." Before Xia Wen could finish speaking, he saw Firefly had already taken a tissue in each hand, eagerly looking at him.
"What's wrong, boss?"
"Isn't this sweet?"
"But this is how it's written in books..."
The smile on Firefly's face faded slightly as she asked with concern, fearing that her actions were inappropriate and would make the one she loved uncomfortable.
"Ah, no, I was just... preparing myself." Seeing this expression, Xia Wen immediately rubbed his temples and forced a smile: "You did great, really great. No problem. Alright, I'll start eating now."
"That's good!" Firefly cheered up again, looking happily at the array of snacks on the table, silently thinking to herself—
"The book says that men in love need to replenish their nutrition like crazy."
"Boss seems to have a big appetite, so this should be just right."
"I'll order some more later. Oh, and another pot of water!"
"Sure enough, seeing the boss devouring the food like this, he must be really fond of me!"