My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Tall, slender legs stretching out lazily. Black turtleneck sweater paired with jeans, black sneakers, hair pulled up in a half bun. Then, he perfected it with a purple cashmere long coat that could possibly look tacky on men, but Jiang Jinyan managed to pull it off with his exceptional look. His dark eyes stared straight at her, a lollipop bulging out on his side cheek.

He was so handsome that Shi Nian forgot to breathe.

Shi Nian herself wore her favorite lilac dress. Her long hair was made slightly wavy on its end by Qiang Fei, and there was a light makeup on her face, making her eyes look particularly bright and striking. Her youthful look was matched with peach colored lip gloss which added the cheerfulness to her features.

"Um…" Shi Nian averted her gaze nervously and tucked her hair behind the ear. "G—Good morning."

Jiang Jinyan recovered from his daze and replied, "Good morning."

"Oh, Xiao Jiang is here!" Qiang Fei exclaimed with a smile.

Jiang Jinyan straightened up and bowed politely. "Auntie, good morning. I am taking Shi Nian out for today."

"Yes, yes," Qiang Fei was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. "Have fun and remember to reach home before dark. Oh! Look at you two," She covered her mouth and giggled. "It looks like you're wearing a couple outfits."

Shi Nian stared at Jiang Jinyan's dark purple coat and her lilac dress.

"It's a coincidence." They said in unison then looked at each other, speechless.

"Oh my!" Qiang Fei squealed inwardly. "Look at how cute you two are! Okay, go on and remember to pay attention to safety. Xiao Jiang, Auntie will leave Niannian in your care."

Jiang Jinyan replied politely, "As I should be."

The door closed behind Qiang Fei, leaving the two of them in an awkward silence. Jiang Jinyan rubbed his nape and gestured, "Shall we go?"

"Oh, okay!" Shi Nian skipped toward him. Even when they got into the elevator, Shi Nian couldn't take her eyes off him. There was pure admiration, awe and bashfulness in her eyes. 

Since the day she found out about his insecurity, she always found some ways to let him know her feelings both vocally and in action. Because she still held some apprehension to approach him carelessly, Shi Nian could only verbalize her thoughts. "You are so handsome."

Jiang Jinyan coughed softly.

"Really, I am not lying." She mumbled. "How can you be so handsome ah? What to do, when we go out later, everyone will stare at you."

In response to her statement, Jiang Jinyan pulled out a mask from his inner pocket and wore it before the elevator arrived on the ground floor. Shi Nian stared at him in surprise then burst out in a fit of giggles.

When the elevator door slid open and Shi Nian stepped out, Jiang Jinyan's eyes followed the girl's back, murmuring. "You too."

Unfortunately, Shi Nian didn't hear it. 

When she was ready to set out of the apartment building toward the subway station, Jiang Jinyan grabbed the girl's arm abruptly. 

Caught off guard, Shi Nian lost her balance and her body tilted backward. Luckily Jiang Jinyan held her shoulders in time, preventing her from the embarrassing fall. She scratched her nose sheepishly. "Thank you."

A soft, sweet fragrance wafted to Jiang Jinyan's nose and he lowered his eyes to find the source of the fragrance which came from Shi Nian's hair. It smelled…alluring. Jiang Jinyan let go after she found her balance, unknowingly shifted his eyes away. "No, it's my fault."

"Why did you stop me?"

Only then did he remember what he was going to say. "There." He pointed at the garage. "Let's take the car."

Shi Nian blankly followed him into the apartment's underground garage and found a sleek, dark blue sports car. Even though Shi Nian was blind about cars, she still knew that the price of the car in front of her couldn't possibly be cheap. "This…is your car?"

Jiang Jinyan hummed softly and pressed on the car key. The headlights lit up twice and Jiang Jinyan opened the door for her. "Get in."

Shi Nian held her breath at his suave movement. She wondered, if Jiang Jinyan showed this side of his to others, how many women would have fallen into his embrace? Even in their past lives, when Jiang Jinyan was surrounded by more obnoxious rumors than glorious, he was still popular among the upper rank ladies due to his wealth and power.

"O—Okay." Shi Nian robotically slid in, her spine straight. She took no notice of how careful Jiang Jinyan put his palm above her head to prevent her bumping into the car hood.

After making sure that she had seated properly, he shut the door and made his way to the driver's seat. His movement was both proficient and skilled, as if he had driven it countless times in the past.

However, his leg…

Shi Nian shut her mouth. She knew better than to question his decision so as to not spoil the pleasant mood between them. So be it. Today, she would trust Jiang Jinyan and indulge herself in the fun. The car's interior lit up in a soft dim light, illuminating his dark eyes and long eyelashes. "So, where are we going?"

Shi Nian had finished adjusting her mentality and pulled out her phone with her chest puffed out in pride. "I have decided to take us to a very fun place! You will find it unforgettable!"

More than half an hour later, the car came to a stop by the side of the road. Jiang Jinyan rested his arm on the steering wheel and peeked outside. "This is…the unforgettable place you're talking about?"

Shi Nian flushed in excitement and her eyes grew brighter as if there were stars in it. "It's comfy, tranquil, privately safe, we can do whatever we want, and there's delicious food!"

Jiang Jinyan looked at her for a while and laughed.

In the end, the place Shi Nian brought them to was a…book café.

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A/N: For me, there's no dating place better for two introverts than a book cafe ngl (ʃƪ¬‿¬) hehe but anywhere will be fun as long as you're with the person you likes 

Next update will be tonight 10 pm GMT+8 as always ^^