Chapter 12 - I Have You, With Me
"Okay then, Love."
When Shu Xian heard what he said, and the moment he planted a kiss on top of her head, her face turned red.
Shu Xian's eyes were wide as if her eyeballs were about to pop out from its sockets!
"P-P-Pan An?"
Shu Xian stammered on her words when Pan An moved away from her, a sweet smile already on his face.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, the professor, chuckling as he shook his head.
"I just kissed my girl on the top of her head. Is that a problem?"
If one could look at Shu Xian right now as if she was a cartoon character, one would draw her as a cartoon who would have smoke coming out of her head already!
"B-But... this is a fake relationship, no?"
Pan An nodded, his eyebrows slightly creasing.
"I know. But even though this is a fake relationship, people have to buy it to believe it. Right?" he said, Shu Xian, blinking her eyes in disbelief. "Remember, we're doing this, too, to convince my mother, but not only her if the time arises."
Hearing this, Shu Xian could not help but scoff. She rolled her eyes at him as she still felt embarrassed. She then crossed both of her arms in front of her chest then spoke.
"If only I'm not desperate at this time of need, I wouldn't have agreed!"
Pan An laughed out loud, finding her cute at the same time.
"Alright, alright," he said, unbuckling Shu Xian out of her seatbelt. Her body stiffened as Pan An was close to her again, his words making her nervous. "You have to make passes, too. To make mom believe."
"But--!!"
Before Shu Xian could even speak, Pan An quickly left his seat, opening the door for Shu Xian to get out of the car. The young lady had no choice but to follow him, the girl heaving a small sigh.
The moment they came out of the car, Shu Xian suddenly felt embarrassed as she noticed gazes on their bodies.
When Pan An held out his hand to her after he secured their car, Shu Xian hesitantly took his hand. As they both walked inside the hotel, they made their way to the restaurant to meet Pan An's mother.
Shu Xian shyly smiled as people greeted and smiled at them, her heart racing in her chest.
Somehow, Shu Xian started to worry, if sooner or later, she could not breathe!
"I'm not used to these stares," she mumbled, enough for Pan An to hear. "What if they start judging you because you're dating a girl like me?"
Pan An shook his head as he gave smiles to the other people greeting them before turning his head to tell Shu Xian his answer.
"I told you, you don't have to worry. It is the CEO's son who chose to date you. Sooner or later, you would have to get used to this."
Shu Xian internally sighed. She just faked a smile as she had her hand in Pan An's, her eyes slowly wandering to their interlocked fingers.
'Never have I ever held hands with someone before,' she thought, slightly biting her bottom lip as her mind wandered. 'I know this is just an act, but it is making my heart beat so fast!'
Pan An and Shu Xian started walking up the stairs. It was a grand staircase leading towards the well-renowned restaurant of the hotel. Only a few people who have the hotel's exclusive membership can only enter here.
The owners of the Invicta family are one of those people who can have that privilege.
The thought of meeting Pan An's mother made Shu Xian feel so uneasy. When a sudden thought passed her mind, she stopped in her tracks, her free hand landing on her chest as she took some deep breaths to calm herself down.
"Hey..."
Pan An said worriedly, looking at her with concern evident in his eyes.
"Are you alright?"
Shu Xian narrowed her eyes at him, not believing that the professor only noticed the discomfort she had been feeling.
"You only ask that now that we're here? I have been nervous since you proposed the idea! Any time soon, I would have a heart attack!"
Pan An stifled his laughter, his free hand covering his mouth as his other hand still did not let go of her hand that he was holding. He then smiled as he patted the top of her head, attempting to soothe her.
Shu Xian locked gazes with him. For some reason, she started calming down when Pan An started to pat her head.
She knew that she just met him recently because he saved her and took her under his wing. However, with him together now, Shu Xian felt that she could trust the guy.
How can she feel this way towards a man that she just met?
"You don't have to worry. I keep telling you that," Pan An said, tucking some tendrils of her hair behind her ear. "You have me."
Shu Xian's heart started to calm down. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and the moment a breathtaking smile appeared on her face, Pan An's hand froze on her face, his thumb on her cheek.
"Fine. I'll think about that, then," Shu Xian replied, the professor's eyebrows furrowing, a little bit lost with what she meant.
"Think about what?" he asked, making Shu Xian roll her eyes at him as she held his hand that was touching her face with her free hand.
"The fact that I have you. With me."
With that, Pan An was at a loss for words. Shu Xian couldn't help but giggle when she noticed how quiet the professor was when he kept teasing her a few moments ago.
"Pan An," she said his name, snapping the professor out of his thoughts. "Let's go?"
"Oh..."
Pan An removed his other hand from her face, the two already walking up the stairs with their hands still interlocked with each other.
"Right. Let's go."