I’m Really Scared
Chapter 183: Ice Cream

"Xiao Shan?"

The familiar voice of the girl came from the other end of the phone. "Is the busy man's business trip finally over?"

Guan Shan was startled. "My phone broke... I'm using a new number. How did you guess it was me before I even spoke?"

"Intuition."

"Be honest, can you remove the surveillance camera?"

"No way~ Monitoring every move of Guan Shan is a perverted Shen Dinghua's pleasure, kekekeke!"

Xiao Shen laughed arrogantly.

"…You should still be at work, right? Saying that in public is not a good influence."

"Nope, I'm not like someone who always works overtime till midnight. Recently, with Li Zhi Ying on a business trip, things have slowed down. Everyone is getting off work on time now. There's hardly anyone in the office."

"Alright." Guan Shan shrugged helplessly and stopped joking. "I'm back."

"Hmm." Shen Dinghua's tone softened, and she said gently, "Welcome back."

"Should I pick you up from the office?"

"Umm... then I want an ice cream from McDonald's, two, please."

"It's snowing now, eating ice cream in this cold weather isn't good, right?"

"Hmm?"

"Okay, fine, very well. I'll get them right away."

Guan Shan showed his flexible principles. Anyway, even if Shen Dinghua became a chubby little cat, she would be an adorable one that he personally fattened up.

"I'll wait for you at the entrance downstairs."

Shen Dinghua casually added, "By the way, did you see Li Zhi Ying? When will she be back?"

Guan Shan looked down at the pendant on his neck. The "Queen Bee" was still in self-isolation. "I saw her, but there was a little problem. It might take a while for her to return."

Shen Dinghua responded with an "Oh" and then asked, "Is Officer Xia's case wrapped up?"

Guan Shan replied, "Yes, it's over. There shouldn't be any more emergencies needing my help for a while."

"That's good, but..."

Shen Dinghua seriously remarked, "Xiao Shan still needs to learn more life skills. If you panic at the sight of a cockroach, what will you do without me? Surrender?"

"Then I'd rather not learn."

Guan Shan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "This way, I'll always need Xiao Shen's guidance."

Shen Dinghua suspiciously said, "If you learn, will you stop needing me?"

Here it comes, the million-dollar question!

Guan Shan's smile didn't waver. After so many trials, he was now seasoned. He instantly found the perfect answer. "Learning might mean I don't need Xiao Shen's guidance, but I will always need Xiao Shen."

Shen Dinghua, incredulous, said, "Impossible, my Xiao Shan can't be so smooth-talking. Who are you?"

Guan Shan played along. "Oh? You found out? Your Xiao Shan is with me. How much are you willing to pay to get him back?"

Shen Dinghua solemnly said, "Two ice creams."

"Are your upper and lower sentences even connected?"

"Hehe."

Guan Shan chatted and joked with Shen Dinghua for a while before reluctantly hanging up and heading to buy two ice creams as promised.

When he arrived at the office building entrance, he saw Shen Dinghua, already dressed in a knit sweater and a wool coat. Despite wearing thick clothes, she didn't look bulky. Instead, she looked very cute. Her semi-long black hair was styled into two braids on the sides, tied into one at the back with a bow hair clip, adding a touch of intellectual beauty.

She wore a deep red pleated skirt under her sweater, her slender legs wrapped in black stockings, and her elegant little leather shoes. Standing quietly in the falling snow, she looked like a lone, aloof flower.

Guan Shan realized that Shen Dinghua's aura carried a hint of coldness, but not the hard, icy kind like Gao Ye. If she didn't make any other expressions, she resembled a daffodil by the lake, reserved and distant.

But as Guan Shan approached, this daffodil revealed her endearing side.

"Xiao Shan!"

Shen Dinghua's eyes lit up. She waved, then felt the cold and shrank into her sleeves. She hopped a few steps towards Guan Shan and threw herself into his arms, rubbing her face against him. She looked up and complained, "Why are you dressed so lightly? It's snowing!"

Guan Shan hadn't paid attention to his attire. He had hastily thrown on a jacket over a short-sleeved shirt. Now that Shen Dinghua mentioned it, he realized it was indeed inappropriate.

But his current tolerance for cold had significantly increased. The subzero temperature now only brought a slight chill.

Guan Shan dismissed it with a wave. "No worries, I'm not stupid. I'll wear more if I feel cold. Lately, I've been running around a lot and feel much healthier. I don't get cold easily."

Shen Dinghua opened her arms and hugged him tightly, rubbing him. "You are stupid, pretending not to feel cold."

Guan Shan didn't argue, slightly bending to rest his chin on her head, hugging her back. He laughed, "Now it's warm."

Shen Dinghua huffed, "Thanks to me."

"Yes, yes." Guan Shan asked, "Still want the ice cream? It'll melt soon."

Shen Dinghua immediately looked up, her eyes firm, "Yes!"

On the way home, Guan Shan watched Shen Dinghua holding two ice cream cones, amazed at how girls seemed immune to the cold.

Shen Dinghua justified, "Eating ice cream in winter is like using a quilt in an air-conditioned room in summer—both are joys."

Well, Guan Shan couldn't deny it; it was quite delightful.

As they got off the bus, Shen Dinghua took a lick of her ice cream, then turned to Guan Shan, regretting, "I wanted to share one with you, but seeing how cold you are, I guess I'll eat both."

So, buying two was for this reason... But giving one back to me after I bought them is childish.

Guan Shan chuckled, "It's fine. These two ice creams were to ransom me, right? But be careful of getting a stomach ache."

"I'm not afraid anymore."

Shen Dinghua took another lick of her ice cream.

"Hope so." Guan Shan patted her head and looked at the fork in the road. "Alright, back to our homes... Um, your parents aren't home, right?"

He nervously glanced at the villa, still wary after their last unexpected encounter.

Shen Dinghua looked at him and said, "Of course, they aren't."

Guan Shan and Shen Dinghua stared at each other.

Then Shen Dinghua dropped a bombshell, "Want to come to my place tonight?"

"Cough, cough..."

Guan Shan nearly choked on his own saliva, frustrated. "Are you trying to set me up again?"

Shen Dinghua innocently replied, "Of course not. They're really not home. I'll prove it."

Suddenly, a mischievous gleam appeared in Shen Dinghua's eyes. She wrapped her arms around Guan Shan's neck and shared the taste of her ice cream with him.

The sweet, cold taste spread in his mouth...

Guan Shan instinctively chased the sweetness, but it soon slipped away, leaving a strong restlessness in his heart.