686 Three, Two, One

Having chit-chatted until nine o'clock, Li Du stood and prepared to take his leave.

Mr. Martin, who sat on the sofa and kept warm by the fireplace, smiled. "It's so cold and late—why go back? Sleep here. We still have to open our presents together tomorrow."

Li Du became very excited after hearing his words and said, "Is this a good idea? Sophie and I have only held hands."

Sophie, who was teasing Ah Meow, understood his meaning and looked up. "What do you mean by that? I mean, what relation is there between the two sentences that you said?"

Mrs. Martin smiled. "We have a lot of guest rooms here."

Only with that did Li Du realize he had misunderstood. He awkwardly and hurriedly added on, "I know, I mean . . . "

He racked his brain trying to come up with an explanation but was really unable to think of any. He was only able to say that he had been carried away by the compliments Mr. Martin had given him during the day.