Chapter 1037: Wide Awake
At first, there were hesitations; it felt awkward to ruffle Li Xiaoyun’s hair like this.
But now, Zhao Dingli seemed to have no such reservations.
The action was too natural, too effortless.
After all, he had secretly wanted to do it for quite some time.
However, Li Xiaoyun was petrified at this moment.
Why did it feel like things had changed as soon as she stepped into Zhao Dingli’s home?
The man suddenly seemed like a different person.
It felt as though his attitude, his proximity to her, had all changed.
Li Xiaoyun’s mind was still in disarray right now, and it felt as if the air was still lingering with Zhao Dingli’s presence from earlier when he was close.
Then she heard Zhao Dingli say, "You fix it up first, and if you’re not tired, we can talk afterwards."
Zhao Dingli smiled, "Take your time, no rush."
After speaking, he stepped out of the bedroom first.
Li Xiaoyun was still in a daze.
Right now, she had no clue where to start with packing her luggage.
The only thing she heard was the sound of the suitcase wheels scraping and rolling on the ground.
Immediately after, Zhao Dingli’s voice came again, "I’ve brought the suitcase for you; make yourself at home, just as if you were at your own place."
Finishing his words, without waiting for Li Xiaoyun to react, Zhao Dingli left again.
Li Xiaoyun took several deep breaths.
At this moment, she wasn’t thinking about packing luggage first, but rather chatting with Ye Fei.
Li Xiaoyun sighed.
However, it was already a bit late, not suitable to bother Ye Fei now.
Li Xiaoyun had no choice but to calm down her emotions, talking to herself, "Don’t think about anything else now, just pack the luggage first."
Right now, packing the luggage is the top priority.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Li Xiaoyun patted her own face again, "Li Xiaoyun, wake up!"
Then she began opening the suitcase, tidying things up little by little.
The wardrobe was all empty.
The few clothes Li Xiaoyun brought couldn’t even fill it.
She sorted them out carefully: pajamas, underwear, and the clothes for work.
The rest were assorted items like skincare and daily necessities.
There was an en-suite bathroom in the room, so Li Xiaoyun first placed her toothbrush and such in the bathroom.
Since there was no dressing table, she temporarily placed skincare products on the sink top.
At this moment, Zhao Dingli knocked and entered again.
He brought in a tray, "Over here are new towels and bath towels, along with some toiletries."
"Great, I didn’t bring any of these," Li Xiaoyun said.
"The house has everything ready, why bother bringing those?" Zhao Dingli chuckled.
"Ah, and toothpaste, I didn’t bring that either," Li Xiaoyun said.
Zhao Dingli particularly liked the way Li Xiaoyun asked for things, promptly stating, "Wait a moment, I’ll bring it to you soon."
Zhao Dingli hadn’t been gone long before he returned again.
He brought Li Xiaoyun a new tube of toothpaste that hadn’t been opened yet.
"If you need anything else, just let me know," Zhao Dingli said.
"Okay."
Zhao Dingli glanced around; the previously empty room had become much more filled with Li Xiaoyun’s presence here.
"All packed?" Zhao Dingli asked.
"Yes." Li Xiaoyun also let out a long breath.
After the packing, she felt quite tired.
"I’d like to take a shower first," Li Xiaoyun said.
"Oh, sure." Zhao Dingli quickly said, "You go ahead."
Zhao Dingli left again.
However, Uncle Zhao sitting in the living room felt rather unsettled.
Not only were they living together, now Li Xiaoyun was taking a shower.
How could Zhao Dingli remain calm about this?
Seated on the sofa browsing on his phone, his mind had already drifted to the door of Li Xiaoyun’s room.
Every few minutes, he’d become curious, wondering if Li Xiaoyun was finished showering.
Zhao Dingli found himself shifting around to multiple spots on the sofa alone.
Finally, he heard the door opening.
He quickly sat upright, pretending to be composed, immersed in his phone, as if he’d never been curious.
Until he heard footsteps, Zhao Dingli put on a pretense of finally noticing Li Xiaoyun had come out.
"Finished showering?" Zhao Dingli said.
Li Xiaoyun wore a long-sleeve top and pajama pants—a conservative and ordinary style.
It was the kind that could be worn outside as casual wear.
"If you’re not sleepy, shall we choose some furniture to place in your room?" Zhao Dingli proposed.
Li Xiaoyun really couldn’t understand why Zhao Dingli was so keen on furnishing the room she was temporarily staying in.
Perhaps he wanted her to feel a sense of homeliness?
He didn’t want her to experience any inconvenience here.
Just earlier Zhao Dingli mentioned punishing her, and it really taught Li Xiaoyun a lesson.
She didn’t dare be courteous to him anymore.
She decided to try changing herself, to not be distant with Zhao Dingli.
She’d strive to say what came to mind and proactively express her needs.
When Zhao Dingli suggested she could, she accepted without fear of bothering him.
Anyway, she wasn’t sleepy now, and since Zhao Dingli brought it up, Li Xiaoyun thought she’d better go along and pick.
Otherwise, Zhao Dingli was sure to keep this matter at the forefront of his thoughts.
For someone who handles big matters, keeping minor things on his mind daily seemed a bit occupying of his mental space.
"I’ve picked a few brands that I think are pretty good." Zhao Dingli sent the store links to Li Xiaoyun, "Take a look and see what you like."
Buying online is convenient, but delivery is slow.
It’d be better if he sent someone to the store directly for ready stock.
When Li Xiaoyun opened it to look, she heard Zhao Dingli say, "Besides a dressing table and sofa, is there anything else you’d like to add?"
"I really don’t need anything else, I’m not being polite, I assure you." Li Xiaoyun quickly said, "What else could the bedroom need? My own bedroom isn’t stocked with much either."
"Alright then, let’s just look at these two items." Zhao Dingli finally relented.
Li Xiaoyun considered the room’s overall color scheme, matching it with styles she preferred.
She picked a dressing table.
Instead of opting for a lounge chair, she chose a sofa that was akin to Zhao Dingli’s room style, where she could recline for a nap.
Because Li Xiaoyun’s room also had floor-to-ceiling windows.
She imagined leaning back on the sofa, enjoying the view outside, or watching TV, sipping a little wine, it painted quite a pleasant picture.
When Zhao Dingli saw her choices, a smile formed on his lips.
He also noticed how the sofa style Li Xiaoyun chose was similar to his, looking very much like a pair set.
With the sofa style so similar, she even chose a matching coffee table set.
The most harmonious match was indeed the style in Zhao Dingli’s room.
"Alright, tomorrow I’ll have someone take care of this," Zhao Dingli said.
He checked the time, "It’s getting late; you’ll need to wake up early for work tomorrow morning. Even if you’re not sleepy, you should try to rest."
"Yes." Li Xiaoyun nodded, "Well then... good night."
"Good night." Zhao Dingli replied.
Li Xiaoyun returned to her room, feeling wide awake.
Changing locations wasn’t her familiar setting.