Read Novel Full Chapter 143 – You’re A Guest Too
Chapter 143 – You’re A Guest Too
Jiang Li left Tong Yi tied up hand and foot in the bedroom and headed downstairs on her own. The moment she reached the first floor, she went straight to the kitchen—sure enough, that guy had not only washed all the pots, pans, and dishes, but even organized them perfectly.
In other words, he had finished everything, got bored, and then wandered upstairs into her room…
Should I go untie him?
Forget it. That guy’s mouth is just too annoying. Let him reflect on his behavior for a while longer.
Did she actually hate how annoying Tong Yi could be? Not really. To most people, she was the rational Miss Jiang Li; to her family, she could act cute and playful as Xiao Jiang Li or Xiao Lizi. But with Tong Yi, she somehow turned into the occasionally bratty Jiang Xiao Li.
Jiang Li walked to the coffee table, picked a pear from the fruit plate, and began slowly peeling it with a knife, while imagining Tong Yi struggling upstairs. The corners of her lips curved up involuntarily.
Just as she bit into the pear after peeling it, Tong Yi came downstairs and sat beside her. Jiang Li glanced at his shoes and could tell he hadn’t cut the laces—he’d patiently untied them.
She raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You got that fast?”
Tong Yi: “…”
He was about to cheekily rebut, You really shouldn’t say ‘fast’ to a guy, but the memory of being tied up moments ago made him think better of it—probably not the best time to test Jiang Xiao Li’s patience.
At least not before he officially became her boyfriend, no. Saying reckless things now wouldn’t help his prospects.
Seeing his hesitant expression, Jiang Li raised her eyebrows. “What were you about to say?”
He grinned. “Just wanted to praise your knotting skills, that’s all! I had to study the shoelace knot first, then I used my mouth to bite through the rope on my wrists.”
Jiang Li laughed. “Your teeth are pretty handy then. Is that because you used to gnaw on bones a lot?”
Those binding techniques she’d learned while playing with interlocking rings before she transmigrated into this world. It wasn’t exactly difficult, but not that easy to undo in a short time either. Tong Yi getting out that fast was a bit beyond her expectations.
Being called a dog, Tong Yi immediately bared his teeth in a mock snarl. “Dogs don’t just gnaw bones—they bite. Are you scared?”
Jiang Li reached out and patted his head, speaking softly, “Don’t go biting people, okay? Otherwise, when I take you out in the future, I’ll have to leash you and put a muzzle on you. That’d be such a hassle.”
Feeling her gentle touch on his head and catching the unique, pleasant scent on her, Tong Yi’s mind started to wander. He caught her mischievous hand and murmured, “Jiang Xiao Li, are you trying to seduce me?”
Jiang Li’s cheeks flushed slightly. She pulled her hand back. “Don’t get too full of yourself. I was just petting a pet.”
“How about we get a dog?” Tong Yi suggested. If Jiang Xiao Li agreed to raise a dog, she’d have to live outside the dorms. Then he could ask for a key to the villa under the pretense of helping take care of it.
But Jiang Li rejected the idea without hesitation. “Dogs are cute, but I don’t think I can take good care of one. Better not.”
He tried to persuade her, “I can help you! We can learn together.”
Jiang Li still shook her head. “I’m not keeping pets for now.”
Seeing how firm she was, Tong Yi had to give up. Since they had nothing to do in the afternoon, he suggested they go to the amusement park together. It was, after all, his birthday gift to Jiang Xiao Li. But she’d only been there once—far too little, considering it was hers.
Jiang Li agreed right away. Since it was her amusement park, she really should go take a look.
When they arrived, Jiang Li realized the park wasn’t very crowded. Some rides didn’t even have anyone on them.
As for the more popular attractions, only a few high-altitude rides and the haunted house—where she had gone with Wen Wan—drew crowds. Jiang Li didn’t like the high rides, and Tong Yi was scared of the haunted house. Coincidental, really.
Tong Yi grinned at her. “Wanna ride the roller coaster or the giant swing?”
Jiang Li replied with a blank expression, “Why don’t you suggest the haunted house?”
Tong Yi paused for a few seconds. “You want to go?”
Last time, he’d faked being scared in the haunted house so he could hug Jiang Xiao Li for a long time. If she agreed to go with him again, that would mean she didn’t mind being in his arms.
Seeing the hopeful look in his eyes, Jiang Li smiled brightly, “Not even a little bit.”
Tong Yi: “…”
Alright then. No haunted house, no hugs. What a missed opportunity!
Tong Yi followed Jiang Li as they strolled through the park. But he quickly realized she had no intention of enjoying the ride. She was actually walking up to random patrons and striking up conversations to hear their thoughts about the park.
He saw through her intentions at a glance. Once she finished gathering feedback, he asked, “Are you planning to renovate this park?”
Jiang Li nodded. “Yeah. Collect the visitors’ opinions, then sort out the useful ones. Let’s make this place profitable.”
Tong Yi hesitated for a few seconds, “But this amusement park was my birthday gift to you. It’s made to your liking… I don’t want it to change.”
It was a gift from him to Jiang Xiao Li—as long as she liked it, that was enough. Whether others liked it or whether it made money, he didn’t care in the slightest.
Before she could argue back, he added, “If you really want more money, I can find other ways to make it for you. Let’s keep the amusement park the way it is, okay?”
Jiang Li: “…”
It was only today that she realized how sentimental Tong Yi could actually be. She remembered back in their first year of high school, he had so confidently said that giving medals to a girlfriend was boring, and that giving cash bonuses was more sincere.
At the time, she thought that if Tong Yi were the male lead of this novel, he’d be a total disaster.
And yet… all he wanted was to give her things she liked. As if, as long as she was happy, nothing else really mattered.
When Jiang Li didn’t respond, Tong Yi hesitated a few more seconds and said quietly, “If you really want to change it, I’ll have someone do market research and transform it into something more crowd-pleasing. Whatever you want—I’ll go along with it.”
Jiang Li looked up at him. “I suddenly don’t want to change it anymore.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “Because I just realized—making money isn’t that important after all.” Tong Yi had given her something from the heart. She couldn’t just disregard how he felt.
The look in her eyes was so gentle that Tong Yi’s heart started racing. To hide his excitement, he took her hand and led her toward the haunted house. “Come with me one more time, just once, okay?”
Jiang Li nodded. “Sure. I’m not the one who’s scared, anyway.”
Once inside the haunted house, Tong Yi still pretended to be scared but tried to stay calm—just like last time. When they came out, he once again hugged Jiang Li tightly.
This time, Jiang Li didn’t try to pull away. She gripped the hem of his jacket and leaned into his arms. Tong Yi was about a head taller than her, and resting against him… actually felt kind of nice.
Tong Yi: “…”
He had the feeling that it wasn’t him hugging Jiang Xiao Li anymore—it was her hugging him. Was that just his delusion?
Ten minutes later, Jiang Li pulled away and asked, “Have you ever hugged another girl before?”
Tong Yi pondered seriously. “Just one.”
Jiang Li’s eyes widened. “Didn’t you say you’d never dated anyone before?”
Before he could answer, she frowned and added, “When you were studying in the US…. don’t tell me…”
She’d heard that many students studying abroad had pretty open views on relationships. Even if they didn’t date, they’d still do things only couples should do.
Tong Yi immediately saw through her spiraling thoughts and, afraid he’d angered her again, quickly explained, “No, no. I meant Youyou. She was super clingy when she was two or three and always wanted to be carried. I got annoyed and picked her up a few times.”
Jiang Li: “…”
She turned around with a blank expression and walked off, completely ignoring him.
Tong Yi hurried after her. “I’m telling the truth. And I promise, from now on, I’ll never hug another girl—only you.”
Jiang Li turned to him. “So if you have a daughter in the future, you won’t hug her either?”
Tong Yi: “…”
“Then your future wife’s really unlucky—married a guy with no sense of responsibility. And your daughter’s unlucky too. She’ll never get to feel fatherly love.”
Tong Yi: “…”
Seeing him look so dazed, Jiang Li couldn’t help but poke his arm. “As a suitor, you’re really not qualified.”
Tong Yi caught her hand and asked in a soft voice, “Then what do I have to do to be qualified—to make it official?”
Jiang Li looked at him, surprised. “It’s already official. Didn’t you realize?”
Tong Yi stared at her, stunned. For a moment, his heart swelled with pure joy—he wanted nothing more than to lift her up and spin her around.
But Jiang Li wasn’t done. “You’ve already been officially approved as a suitor. Don’t question it.”
Tong Yi: “…”
Seeing him frozen in place, Jiang Li couldn’t help but laugh. “Isn’t this fun?”
Tong Yi finally realized—she was getting back at him for teasing her earlier.
He’d wanted to make her jealous and then explain it away, but she’d turned it around—first making him happy, then knocking him back down.
His Jiang Xiao Li really never let herself take a loss!
After leaving the amusement park, the two wandered around for a while before heading home. As soon as they got back, Jiang Li received a call from Wen Wan, saying she had arrived on campus. Jiang Li invited her and Lin Zhao over for dinner to try Tong Yi’s cooking.
During dinner, Wen Wan spent the whole time praising Tong Yi’s cooking, even saying Jiang Li was very lucky.
Seeing Jiang Li about to refute her, Tong Yi quickly jumped in, “Just ask Lin Zhao to cook for you.”
Wen Wan shook her head. “He doesn’t know how.”
Tong Yi looked surprised. “Doesn’t even know how to cook? He must at least know how to wash dishes, right?”
Lin Zhao smiled warmly. “Of course. I’ll do the dishes tonight.”
Wen Wan quickly chimed in, “I’ll help you.”
Lin Zhao turned to her. “You don’t need to. Just watch me wash. Once I have more free time, I’ll learn some recipes and cook for you too.”
Wen Wan’s eyes lit up. She whispered, “Then I’ll learn with you. We can chat while cooking—it won’t feel boring.”
Seeing the two shamelessly flaunting their affection, Tong Yi frowned. “You know, as guests, it’s a little inappropriate to be feeding people dog food like this.”
Before Lin Zhao or Wen Wan could respond, Jiang Li said, “You’re a guest too. Don’t try to outshine the host.”
Tong Yi: “…”
True, but still—ouch.
Seeing him sigh, Wen Wan quietly tried to console him. “You’re a guest now, but maybe someday you’ll be the host.”
Tong Yi grinned. “You’re way cuter than your Lin Zhao.”
Lin Zhao: “…”
He didn’t even say anything. Why was Tong Yi targeting him like this? How rude.
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Translator’s Note:
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