Chapter 297 - 296: Jiang Xiao Qiao

She actually regretted her words, especially after seeing how pale he’d gone.

Threatening to break up over nothing was irresponsible. It was so immature.

But she was too embarrassed to admit her mistake, and she still felt Simon had gone too far to provoke her. Torn, she kicked him again. "This is all your fault..."

Though her words were blaming, they held a strange, pouty charm. The spot on his calf where she’d kicked him didn’t hurt; instead, it sent a strange tingle through him.

A dark look flashed through Simon Lockwood’s eyes, but his expression remained one of self-reproach. He good-naturedly took all the blame. "Yes, it’s all my fault..."

"Don’t you ever do that again," Joanna said, lifting her face to look at him.

Simon fell silent for a few seconds, as if he were giving it serious thought before finally choosing to acquiesce. "Right. I won’t do that anymore..."

The reluctance in his tone made Joanna speechless. "..."

"Pervert..." Joanna mumbled, and thinking he couldn’t hear her, she added, "Jerk..."

Her voice was too low for Simon to hear clearly, but he could read her lips well enough to know it was nothing good.

Simon didn’t feel like arguing, because what Joanna said was true.

Love and lust had never been separable. He liked Joanna, loved her, and was so deeply aware of her softness and beauty that he couldn’t stop his thoughts from straying in *that* direction.

He knew he was base and selfish, but he couldn’t change, nor did he want to.

After a long moment of silence, Simon spoke, saying he had washed the nightgown. Joanna stared at the pale yellow nightgown in his hands and fell silent.

’Is this really about whether it’s clean or not?! Of course not!’

Joanna took a deep breath. She wanted to tell him to throw it away but was afraid of hurting his feelings. She compromised, her voice stiff. "It’s yours."

Clearly not expecting her to say that, Simon stared blankly for a moment, then froze. It took him a while to react. The tips of his ears turned red, and he didn’t say whether he would accept it or not.

His grip on the nightgown tightened involuntarily. Simon asked softly, "What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?"

’He changes the subject pretty fast,’ Joanna pursed her lips, but answered anyway. "Three-delicacy wontons."

Simon was an amazing cook, and his dumplings and wontons were to die for. Dipped in the sauce he mixed himself, they were absolutely heavenly. Joanna’s mouth watered just thinking about it.

"I want two bowls!" Joanna declared.

Simon’s brow furrowed. He was about to say that eating too much would be bad for her stomach, but when he met her sparkling eyes, he swallowed his words and simply said, "Okay."

’Oh well. I can tell her tomorrow.’

They had apologized and made small talk. With nothing left to say, it was time for them to go back to their rooms, but Simon didn’t move.

He didn’t leave, and Joanna didn’t say anything. They just stood there, facing each other. Simon rubbed his fingers together, not daring to reach out.

Joanna waited a while, but he made no move. ’With his personality, he wouldn’t dare get close to me again tonight.’

’Hmph. So now you’re scared. Where was this hesitation earlier?’

Awkwardly, Joanna took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his lean, powerful waist. She felt his muscles tense abruptly.

"Good night," Joanna said, her voice muffled against him.

Her voice assured Simon this wasn’t a dream. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He carefully wrapped his arms around her, and only after a long moment did he manage a hoarse reply. "Good night..."

He was a head taller than Joanna. As he hugged her, he slowly rested his chin on the top of her head, giving him an unobstructed view of the bedroom.

Something shining on the nightstand caught his peripheral vision. Simon frowned and shifted his gaze. His breath hitched when he saw what it was.

"..."

The "Blue Rose" was gleaming on the table.

She must have just taken it out; the box beside it was still open. That would explain why he hadn’t noticed it earlier.

The rough edges, the one-of-a-kind "Blue Rose"... It was all proof that this was the very one he had given Joanna. But... how was that possible?

His heart skipped a beat. For an instant, a dozen possibilities flashed through Simon’s mind, and he dismissed them one by one.

’Did Joanna bring it back? But hasn’t she lost her memory? If Joanna didn’t bring it back from Aethelburg, then there’s only one other person who could have.’

Simon closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his gaze was calm. He asked, as if it were a casual question, "Joanna, do you really like roses?"

"They’re all right, I guess," Joanna replied without much thought. "Why?"

When he didn’t answer, she straightened up and followed his gaze to the "Blue Rose" on the nightstand. She then explained what had happened at the charity gala.

She finished by saying, "Anyway, I offered to pay for it. Your brother was the one who refused. It has nothing to do with me."

’So that’s what happened.’ The sequence of events was clear now. ’But then, where did Jasper Sinclair get this "Blue Rose"?’

Simon’s brow furrowed in thought, and he only snapped out of it when she called his name.

"Right, I don’t blame you," Simon said. "He’s the one who acted dishonorably."

"You did it for me," Simon added.

Not being misunderstood made Joanna feel a little proud, and a little shy. "Good of you to realize..."

Seeing the gentle smile in his eyes, she seemed to remember something and quickly clarified, "I didn’t turn down Jasper Sinclair because I liked you!"

"I just thought he was being a petty jerk. I don’t need the money, and I wasn’t about to stoop to his level," Joanna said.

Joanna was telling the truth. She really couldn’t stand Jasper Sinclair. He wasn’t at all an honorable person, always resorting to cheap tricks, bad-mouthing Simon in front of her, and trying to both threaten and entice her into setting Simon up.

It was despicable behavior. She might not be a saint, but she wasn’t *that* bad.

’But thinking about it now, maybe I liked Simon from the very beginning. That might be why I hated Jasper so much.’

’But there’s no way I’m admitting that. Anyway, he’s the one who liked me first, who pursued me first.’

As she spoke of Jasper, her face was a mask of undisguised disgust. A proud, pouty expression still lingered, making her look strangely dazed. Her rosy lips were slightly parted, and her fair cheeks, tinged with red, looked eminently squeezable.

Simon rubbed his fingers together, restraining the urge to reach out and touch her. He lowered his head, his gaze softening. "Mm, I know..."

He said, "Joanie, you’re the best..."

His voice was low and pleasant. The name felt both strange and long-lost, as if it had come roaring toward her across the river of time.

Joanna froze. For a split second, so many things flooded her mind. Fragments of memories flashed by, disappearing before she could catch them.

"What... did you call me?"

"Joanie," Simon repeated softly. He finally gave in, his thumb gently caressing her cheek as he spoke. "You’re the best."