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Chapter 020
“Dad, several girls in our class have planned a lunch gathering at noon. You can handle lunch by yourself.”
“Okay. Do you need some pocket money? I can give you more.”
“No, I’ve saved thirty-five thousand yuan. I won’t need to ask you for money anymore.”
He Ye is now quite wealthy.
After her college entrance examination, her father rewarded her with 3,000 yuan. After the results came out, her father and grandmother each rewarded her with 10,000 yuan. She had also saved over 10,000 yuan from New Year’s money and previous allowances.
He Ye deposited all the money into her account, keeping 5,000 yuan for daily expenses.
He Yong: “What’s yours is yours, and Dad will give it to you. When you graduate from college and start working, Dad will treat you as an adult.”
He Ye just smiled.
Today she was going to the student’s home for a trial lecture. If the family was satisfied and signed the contract, she would share her first part-time job experience with her father.
He Yong went to the supermarket early. He Ye sat on the sofa, holding her lesson preparation materials, rehearsing the trial teaching process in her mind.
At 7:50, Lu Jin sent a message saying he was downstairs. He Ye packed her schoolbag and took the elevator down to meet him.
In the hot summer, as soon as He Ye stepped out of the building, the stifling air enveloped her.
Looking at Lu Jin, he was wearing a white shirt and sitting on a bicycle, his expression cool and calm, unaffected by the heat.
“Thank you. I wouldn’t have thought of all this if you hadn’t mentioned it.”
He Ye walked down the stairs with her schoolbag and thanked him somewhat awkwardly.
Lu Jin’s eyes swept over her.
The He Ye in front of him was just like a senior high school student about to go to No. 2 Middle School.
Fortunately, tutoring doesn’t require formal attire. The parents care more about He Ye’s college entrance examination scores and teaching ability.
The only drawback is that He Ye looks quite young and might be easily taken advantage of.
“Get on.”
The departure point for the bus this time was the same as when they went to the library, so they had to walk a little further.
He Ye sat in the back seat skillfully.
The sun was bright. He Ye took out her lesson plan and used it to shield her head from the sun. She initiated a conversation: “What’s Zhou Xiangming been up to recently? We haven’t been in touch much.”
Since they filled out their applications, Zhou Xiangming seems to have disappeared. Unlike before, he would chat with her frequently and invite her to hike or play ball.
Lu Jin: “Uncle Zhou went on a business trip abroad, and Zhou Xiangming went with him.”
He Ye: “No wonder.”
Lu Jin: “But before he left, he said he’d come back to celebrate your birthday. If you want to share the cake, don’t forget to include him.”
He Ye: “…”
She was stunned for a moment before asking, somewhat stammering, “How did he know my birthday was coming up?”
Lu Jin: “I reminded him.”
He Ye: “…”
The bicycle moved slowly. The green belt beside the road had just been watered. Water droplets hung on the green grass leaves, refracting the sunlight into colors.
Lu Jin tilted his head and noticed the teaching plan she was holding high. He explained in a normal tone, “You gave me a birthday present last year, and I’ve always remembered it.”
He Ye remembered that Lu Jin did save a memo about that.
She couldn’t help but be polite and muttered softly, “Then you don’t have to tell Zhou Xiangming. Has his birthday passed? I didn’t mention it.”
Lu Jin: “His birthday is on the second day of the first lunar month. Everyone is celebrating the New Year, so it’s not convenient to get together. I’m coming with you today. Does Uncle know?”
He Ye: “I didn’t tell him because I was afraid he might be too happy and fail the interview.”
Lu Jin then asked what preparations she had made.
When they arrived at the stop, the bus came quickly, and there were actually two empty seats in the last row.
Lu Jin asked He Ye to sit by the window while he sat outside.
He Ye took out the lesson plan and showed it to him.
She had carefully researched how to be a good tutor. Although she took this part-time job for the high salary, she was determined to perform her duties conscientiously and help students improve their grades.
After reading it, Lu Jin gave a positive opinion: “They’re going to be preparing for the high school entrance examination next year, and your knowledge points are enough.”
He Ye smiled, put the lesson plan back into her schoolbag, and looked relieved.
The air conditioner was on in the car, and her face, which had just turned red from the heat outside, gradually returned to its normal color. The bright light from the window cast a soft glow over her.
As if she noticed his gaze, the girl lowered her head slightly and nervously fiddled with her schoolbag.
Lu Jin looked ahead.
They had to change buses once in the middle. After getting off at the target stop, they had to walk a few hundred meters to the student’s home community.
He Ye took out a parasol from her schoolbag, opened it, and looked at Lu Jin: “Shall we share it?”
In Ancheng’s summer heat, girls often use parasols. Boys might not care about getting tanned or might not use parasols specifically for sun protection.
Lu Jin didn’t refuse. He took the umbrella and walked on the side where he could block the sun for He Ye.
“Have you told your parents that a classmate will be accompanying you today?”
“Forgot. Should I call now?”
“Yeah, just let them know I’ll leave after dropping you off and won’t disturb your lecture.”
He Ye summarized the message in her mind and made a phone call.
The aunt, whose surname was Li, had a gentle and capable voice. She wasn’t bothered by He Ye’s presence and repeated the house number with a smile.
He Ye breathed a sigh of relief.
A few minutes later, He Ye called the access control and entered the building with Lu Jin.
The elevator arrived quickly, and they walked out to find Aunt Li standing at the door of Unit 01.
He Ye greeted her politely.
Aunt Li smiled in surprise: “You’re really pretty, and your classmate is handsome too. When you mentioned bringing a classmate, I thought it would be a girl.”
Lu Jin smiled and added, “This is He Ye’s first time tutoring, and her father was worried, so he asked me to accompany her.”
Aunt Li: “Of course, of course. Come in and have a seat. The fruits are ready; they just need to cool down.”
He Ye nodded, followed her inside, and changed into slippers.
The third-grade student was very quiet and a little introverted, always observing them from the side. In addition to the mother and son, there was also an elegant grandmother.
Aunt Li was very enthusiastic. She arranged for the two young people to sit on the sofa and wasn’t in a hurry to start the lecture but first wanted to learn about He Ye’s academic background.
Grandma: “That’s impressive. With such high scores, did you apply to Tsinghua University or Peking University?”
He Ye: “I didn’t dare to apply because I was afraid I wouldn’t get into the major I wanted, so I applied to Shanghai Jiaotong University.”
Aunt Li: “SJTU is also excellent. My husband graduated from SJTU and is currently on a business trip in Shanghai. What a coincidence!”
He Ye was also surprised.
Grandma looked at Lu Jin and asked with a smile, “How did your classmates do in the exam?”
The old lady’s ambiguous smile and the way she said “your classmate” seemed to suggest she saw through everything without saying it out loud.
He Ye, who was secretly nervous on her first visit, didn’t notice and happily introduced Lu Jin: “He’s always been the top student in our class, and Tsinghua University is trying to recruit him this time.”
She didn’t reveal Lu Jin’s exact score to avoid people identifying him by checking online.
Aunt Li and Grandma looked at Lu Jin with newfound respect. If Lu Jin hadn’t been interested in tutoring, He Ye might have worried about him being rejected.
When Lu Jin was about to leave, the two elders were particularly reluctant to let him go and accompanied him until he entered the elevator.
After understanding the situation, He Ye went to the study to give a lesson. The door was open, and she could hear the women chatting softly in the living room.
After an hour of teaching, there was a ten-minute break. The boy went to the bathroom, and He Ye took the opportunity to check her phone, which was in silent mode. She found a message from Lu Jin shortly after he left: [I’m at the milk tea shop outside the community.]
Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Ah, I just saw you. Didn’t you go home? Are you still here?]
Team Leader: [Yes, there’s air conditioning here, and I can browse the web. It’s just like being at home.]
Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Why don’t you head back first? I still have another hour to teach.]
Team Leader: [Take your time. I’m not in a hurry.]
At that moment, Aunt Li came over to bring He Ye some water. He Ye quickly put away her phone, picked up the water she had brought, and smiled, “You’re welcome. I brought it myself.”
Aunt Li smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll take it away. By the way, you and Xiao Lu don’t seem like ordinary classmates.”
He Ye looked puzzled.
Aunt Li seemed to understand that the boy was interested, but the girl was still unaware. With such an outstanding boy by He Ye’s side, Aunt Li wasn’t worried about her son developing any inappropriate feelings for the quiet and beautiful tutor.
At half past eleven, He Ye declined the two elders’ invitation to lunch and walked toward the elevator with a relaxed demeanor.
She sent a message to Lu Jin from the elevator lobby. As soon as she stepped out of the unit, she saw Lu Jin sitting on a wooden chair in the rest area. She didn’t know how long he had been waiting.
He Ye was surprised and felt guilty: “You didn’t wait here the whole time, did you?”
Lu Jin put away his phone and stood up: “No, I came out of the milk tea shop when I knew you were about to finish.”
He also handed her a cup of milk tea, which was cold and icy, proving his words.
He Ye felt particularly awkward. “I said I would treat you, but instead, you’re treating me.”
Lu Jin replied, “Just get used to it.”
He Ye was left speechless.
As she was still pondering the meaning of his words, Lu Jin opened an app on his phone. There were three restaurants listed on the page, all in a nearby shopping mall. “Are you hungry? Choose one, and we can eat before heading back.”
He Ye was indeed hungry. She had eaten breakfast early and had been busy all morning, which had made her quite tired.
“Let’s go to this one. I’ll treat you this time,” He Ye said, eager to repay Lu Jin’s kindness immediately.
Lu Jin didn’t comment.
They headed straight for the large shopping mall, with Lu Jin holding the umbrella and He Ye sitting next to him, holding a cup of milk tea.
It was hotter at noon than it had been in the morning. He Ye could feel a slight sweat forming under her bra. She glanced at Lu Jin, who still looked cool and composed.
The sun was scorching, creating a heat haze on the road.
He Ye took a guilty sip of her milk tea.
Since the beginning of the first semester of senior year, Zhu Qing has speculated that Lu Jin treated her differently. Until the end of the college entrance examination, He Ye had dismissed such talk as nonsense.
In her view, Lu Jin, though seemingly aloof, was actually a gentleman. He had helped her many times, but their interactions had always remained within the bounds of friendship, with no ambiguity.
They had spent more time together in the same classroom than in private, and during their preparation for the college entrance examination, Lu Jin had been less involved with her compared to Zhou Xiangming.
Before today, He Ye had never considered the possibility that Lu Jin might have feelings for her.
“But now, after he had silently waited for her for two hours and accompanied her along this sweltering road—in weather she would have preferred to avoid—she began to question her previous assumptions.”
Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist.
He Ye stared blankly at Lu Jin’s hand, which was slender, white, and strong.
“Red light,” Lu Jin said.
He let go of her hand and looked at her with some confusion. “What are you thinking about?”
He Ye blushed. She had been thinking about ambiguous questions related to him and hadn’t noticed the traffic light.
The heat was making her face even redder, but the additional blush wasn’t very noticeable.
As she turned her gaze away, Lu Jin continued to watch the traffic light.
The light turned green, and the two of them, holding the same umbrella, crossed the street, each lost in their own thoughts.
He Ye felt uneasy around boys in general, and after having these new suspicions, she felt even more awkward around Lu Jin.
Perhaps she was overthinking? Or maybe Lu Jin was just being a considerate friend?
He Ye tried to focus on staying natural.
At the restaurant, the waiter brought three dishes. He Ye was so hungry that the delicious meal momentarily made her forget her previous worries.
After eating, it was time to head home.
The intersection near the shopping mall was approaching, and the sun outside was becoming increasingly unbearable.
There was a bus stop just outside the mall.
While He Ye was studying the route with her umbrella, a black ride-hailing car slowly pulled up.
Lu Jin then called to He Ye, “Let’s go.”
He Ye was taken aback. “It’ll cost several dozen yuan to take a taxi from here to the community, right?”
But Lu Jin had already opened the car door for her, and the driver looked at her as she hesitated. With mixed feelings, He Ye got in.
The heat was quickly replaced by the cool air conditioning inside the car.
He Ye’s frugal and simple nature was soon overshadowed by a touch of indulgence. After all, she had earned 200 yuan that morning, so spending a few dozen wasn’t such a big deal, right?
Half an hour later, the ride-hailing car stopped at the bus stop where they had started.
He Ye wanted to check how much Lu Jin had been charged, but he simply put his phone back in his pocket.
As they got out, the driver drove away. He Ye asked in confusion, “Did you pay?”
Lu Jin opened the parasol and looked down at her. “It’s set to automatic deduction.”
He Ye protested, “I should pay for this.”
Lu Jin replied, “If you want to be so precise, what’s the value of my spending time with you this morning?”
He Ye was silent.
Her hourly tutoring wage was 100 yuan, so for Lu Jin, a prospective Tsinghua University student, 200 yuan seemed low, right?
Her cheeks flushed, and she looked down, saying, “Tell me how much it’s worth, and I’ll transfer it to you along with the fare. Otherwise, you’ll end up paying for the meal and the fare…”
It was agreed that she would treat him at noon, but Lu Jin had used the excuse of going to the bathroom to settle the bill early.
Feeling as embarrassed as a roasted shrimp, He Ye listened as Lu Jin simply smiled and said, “Whatever amount I say, you’ll give me that amount.”
He Ye nodded in agreement.
Lu Jin said, “Okay, go home first. I’ll let you know the exact amount later.”
He then went to unlock the bicycle parked under the shed.
He Ye sat there feeling perplexed, sensing that something was off.
Lu Jin accompanied her to the entrance of Building 7. As she walked into the unit and looked back, she saw Lu Jin riding away on his bicycle. He smiled at her, and his smile was dazzling in the sun.
After entering her house, He Ye took out her phone, waiting for Lu Jin to “settle the score.”
Lu Jin’s message arrived quickly: [Firstly, I have plenty of pocket money each month, and I’ve saved a lot from scholarships and various awards this year.]
After reading this, He Ye felt like a sour lemon.
Team Leader: [So, when I go out with you, I value the experience more.]
Team Leader: [Send me a red envelope.]
He Ye was waiting for this message: [How much?]
Team Leader: [52.69]
He Ye stared at the number and suddenly understood: [Fare?]
Team Leader: [The first letter. If you don’t understand, you can ask Zhou Xiangming or Zhu Qing.]
As the second-best student among the four, He Ye felt a bit disheartened that Lu Jin seemed to look down on her.
She mentally reviewed the pinyin: wu, er, liu, jiu.
The first letters are W, E, L, and J.
“LJ” immediately reminded He Ye of Lu Jin’s name, along with the ubiquitous “520” and “521.”
He Ye stared blankly at her phone until the screen went dark and then lit up again.
Team Leader: [Understood?]
He Ye gritted her teeth and replied, [I don’t understand.]
Team Leader: [It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. Just send a red envelope.]
How could He Ye possibly send him a red envelope with such a suggestive meaning? After estimating his morning expenses, she sent him a red envelope of 200 yuan and then another one of 100 yuan.
When Lu Jin opened the message, she added, [Both are settled.]
Team Leader: [Then you lost money as a tutor today, didn’t you?]
He Ye replied, [Every failure makes me wiser. I won’t need you to send me off again in the future.]
Team Leader: [I’m willing to send you off.]
He Ye: [I don’t need it.]
Team Leader: [Let’s talk about it after your birthday.]
He Ye: [What did you say?]
Team Leader: [Adults can say things like this.]
***
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