Chapter 023

The gift brought back memories of her first real encounter with Lu Jin, which had been in her family’s small supermarket.

So, Lu Jin had “feelings” for her even back then?

Thinking of this, He Ye couldn’t help but admire Zhu Qing, who had guessed correctly.

Looking at the cartoon girl in the frame, perhaps because of the atmosphere, He Ye thought she looked really pretty.

He Ye messaged: [Who drew this?]

Lu Jin replied: [My aunt, she’s a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts.]

He Ye: [Did you show her my photo?]

Lu Jin: [The one from last year’s sports meet.]

He Ye: [What did you tell her?]

Lu Jin: [No need to explain, she understood.]

He Ye was impressed. If she had a crush on someone, she would definitely not let her relatives know.

Lu Jin: [Do you like it?]

He Ye answered honestly: [Yes, your aunt is really talented.]

Lu Jin: [Have you opened the other gift yet?]

Instead of replying, He Ye opened the second gift.

The small box looked like it was meant for jewelry, and sure enough, there was a silver necklace inside.

He Ye had never dealt with jewelry before, and she couldn’t even tell what the thin chain was made of.

What caught her eye was the pendant—a green “lotus leaf” with irregular edges, round in shape, just like her WeChat nickname, “Ye Zi Yuan Yuan.”

The pendant was about the size of a one-yuan coin, cool and emerald green, lying quietly in He Ye’s palm.

Because of its connection to her name, He Ye couldn’t help but be drawn to the necklace.

After admiring it, she thought about the price and asked Lu Jin: [Is it jade? Is it expensive?]

Lu Jin replied: [It’s jadeite, custom-made at my grandfather’s shop. It’s of ordinary quality, no pressure.]

He Ye messaged: […Your family is really talented.]

Lu Jin sent him a picture of the keychain He Ye had given him. It now had an identical jade lotus leaf pendant attached, much smaller than He Ye’s necklace pendant, so small you might not notice it unless you looked closely.

He Ye: [It looks nice. You could have just given me this.]

She thought the necklace must have been much more expensive.

Lu Jin: [The necklace suits you better.]

He Ye: [I don’t usually wear jewelry, it feels like a waste.]

Lu Jin: [Wear it when you go out.]

He Ye: [Alright, thank you.]

Lu Jin: [Our relationship is different now. No need to be so polite.]

He Ye: [I’ll stop here. I still need to prepare for tomorrow’s interview.]

Lu Jin: [Okay, see you tomorrow.]

In truth, He Ye had already prepared her lesson plan, but she didn’t know what else to say to Lu Jin, so she ended the conversation.

Just then, Zhu Qing sent her a message: [Are you home yet?]

As soon as He Ye replied, Zhu Qing called her on video.

He Ye felt guilty and avoided looking directly at the camera.

Zhu Qing smiled brightly, “Seeing you like this, I’m guessing Lu Jin succeeded. Tell me, how did he confess to you?”

Zhu Qing was more excited than He Ye herself. He Ye had no choice but to summarize: “We just watched the fountain together, and then he said he liked me and asked if I wanted to start a relationship.”

Zhu Qing looked envious, “I wish I could’ve seen that. With the way you two look, any confession must’ve been so romantic.”

He Ye didn’t feel anything romantic at the time; she was just nervous.

“By the way, what did he give you?”

The gifts were still in front of He Ye, so she adjusted the camera to show them to her friend.

“Wow, this photo frame is so cool. As expected of a top student, the gifts he gives are different from what ordinary boys would choose.”

“A necklace! A lotus leaf necklace!”

He Ye listened as Zhu Qing squealed in delight for a while.

After examining the gifts, Zhu Qing suddenly smiled mischievously, “So, with the atmosphere by the lake being so nice, did Lu Jin kiss you?”

He Ye: “…No, what are you thinking?”

Zhu Qing teased, “Yes, yes, yes, our He Ye is still a child!”

He Ye was flustered by the question: “It can’t be that fast! We just got together.”

Although she was technically an adult now, her years of student life made He Ye still see herself as a student. Deciding to date Lu Jin was already a big step for her. She couldn’t even imagine something as daring as kissing yet.

Zhu Qing looked like an expert: “There’s no set standard for these things. It depends on the personalities of the people involved. Some couples may be together for a long time before becoming intimate, while others might do everything on the first day they meet. Movies often show this. Lu Jin seems cold and restrained, so you’ll have to figure out his style gradually, hehe.”

He Ye: …

She didn’t want to figure it out at all.

Because of this conversation with Zhu Qing, when He Ye saw Lu Jin downstairs the next day, she felt a bit uncomfortable. In addition to the nervousness of just starting a relationship, she was now also wary of any potential intimate gestures, afraid that Lu Jin might suddenly try to kiss her.

However, these were just thoughts she kept to herself. To Lu Jin, she was still the same socially anxious and introverted classmate.

“What was the interview like today?” Lu Jin asked as he pedaled the bike with He Ye seated behind him.

He Ye, who felt more relaxed looking at his back, explained, “It was with a pair of twin sisters who are about to start their final year of high school. They’re from our No. 2 Middle School and need tutoring in math and science. They want to get into a top university next year.”

Lu Jin asked, “How much are you charging for the two of them?”

He Ye smiled, “I gave them a bit of a discount—180 yuan per hour in total. Their family wants tutoring twice a week, with math in the morning and science in the afternoon.”

Lu Jin commented, “Your part-time job pays better than mine.”

He Ye replied modestly, “I’m not sure if I’ll get the job yet. The more ambitious the parents, the higher their expectations.”

Lu Jin reassured her, “High standards require someone like you.”

He Ye smiled.

This time, there was no need to change buses, and they arrived at the community smoothly by 8:50. On the way, Lu Jin held an umbrella over He Ye, just like he had done before, and didn’t try anything out of the ordinary.

The twins and their parents were home. When the parents opened the door, the two girls also came to greet them—and immediately recognized Lu Jin.

This time, He Ye didn’t even need to introduce him; the girls excitedly called out his name, praising his top academic performance!

The looks in the parents’ eyes also changed.

Lu Jin greeted the family and, after confirming that He Ye would be safe, declined the parents’ invitation to stay. He then said to He Ye, “Take your time. I’ll find a place outside to wait.”

As he spoke, he pulled a professional book from his backpack and handed the backpack to He Ye.

After saying goodbye, Lu Jin left, and He Ye began her trial lesson.

The parents had a brief discussion on the sofa.

Dad: “Are these two kids in a relationship?”

Mom: “Probably.”

Dad: “Will that have a negative influence on our daughters?”

Mom: “Dating won’t necessarily have an impact. Even the teachers at school are married, so you’re worrying for nothing. Besides, if there is an impact, it’s a positive one. It shows them that outstanding boys will only be interested in equally outstanding girls. Focus on improving your grades and getting into a good university, and you won’t have to worry about finding a good boyfriend in the future. If I’d understood that back then, I could have married better.”

Dad: “…”

In the study, the two girls surrounded He Ye, eager to hear the story of how she and Lu Jin got together.

He Ye: …

After He Ye left with a signed contract, the parents learned from their daughters that Lu Jin had only pursued He Ye after taking the college entrance exam.

Mom: “See, I like Lu Jin’s approach. When you’re a student, you should focus on your studies and only consider relationships after graduation.”

One of the twins said, “I admire He Ye even more. She stayed focused even though she faced such a handsome guy every day.”

Mom: “She knows what she wants. You should learn from her.”

He Ye didn’t know what the family was discussing at home. When she met Lu Jin downstairs and saw his curious gaze, she couldn’t help but smile.

Lu Jin wasn’t surprised. He had seen He Ye explain problems to other students in class with a calm and clear attitude, making it easy for them to understand.

She may not be good at socializing, but she has excellent communication skills.

“Still eating out for lunch?” he asked.

He Ye replied, “I’ll cook at home. Eating out is too expensive.”

Lu Jin suggested, “Then let’s take a taxi back. Otherwise, lunch won’t be ready until after one o’clock.”

The taxi ride was quick, and they arrived back at the community by 11:30.

He Ye, still on Lu Jin’s bike, called her father to let him know that lunch would be a bit late.

He Yong smiled and said it was no problem.

As she put away her phone, Lu Jin asked, “Does your dad know about us?”

He Ye hesitated: “…I haven’t told him yet. Did you tell your parents?”

Lu Jin replied, “I haven’t had the chance. They haven’t been home the past couple of days.”

He Ye quickly said, “Don’t say anything yet.”

Since they all lived in the same neighborhood, she was worried about running into Lu Jin’s parents one day on the street, which would be so embarrassing.

Lu Jin reassured her, “Okay, I’ll formally introduce you to them when you’re ready.”

He Ye hadn’t even thought about that yet. Meeting the parents seemed so far away.

The bike slowly coasted along the tree-lined path to the base of Building 7.

As He Ye walked around to the side near the building entrance, she lowered her eyes, greeted him quietly, and was about to go inside when Lu Jin rang the bicycle bell.

He Ye looked back, puzzled.

Lu Jin’s dark eyes gleamed with amusement as he teased, “Last time I accompanied you, you promised to treat me to lunch. Now that we’re a couple, you’re giving me the cold shoulder?”

He Ye’s pale face immediately flushed: “Well, I can pack something for you when I’m done?”

Lu Jin looked up at the building and said, “That’s too much trouble. Why don’t I come up and help you?”

He Ye bit her lip and lowered her head, refusing, “No, I’m worried the neighbors might see and tell my dad.”

Lu Jin suggested, “Then let’s do it at my place. I’m not afraid of running into the neighbors, and the people there don’t know you.”

He Ye shook her head and said, “I’ll just pack something for you.”

Lu Jin: “That’s fine. You do it this time, and I’ll do it next time. If you come back late, we can eat outside.”

He Ye agreed.

Only then did Lu Jin let her go in.

As He Ye stood in the elevator, she breathed a sigh of relief and realized that, apart from the content of their conversation, their relationship was almost the same as when they were classmates.

Because He Ye’s college entrance exam results were impressive to parents, it didn’t take long for her to fill her tutoring schedule for the entire month of July. She was teaching four to six hours a day with two rest days each week.

Lu Jin accompanied her to visit all the tutoring locations, and during that time, he also helped He Ye select students and plan the most efficient travel routes. He arranged for students with close addresses to meet on the same day, so she could take fewer buses.

With so many students, He Ye became very busy. In addition to traveling during the day, she also had to spend time preparing lessons at night. It wasn’t any easier than preparing for the college entrance exam.

Zhu Qing sighed when she heard this: “Other people go to scenic spots or movie theaters for dates, but you two have dates on buses and taxis. Lu Jin will also start his internship at Blue Ocean on Monday. How will you have time to date?”

He Ye: “It’s not necessary to see each other every day when you’re in a relationship.”

Zhu Qing: “It’s up to you guys. I’m just at a low level and can’t understand the relationship dynamics of top students.”

Since their “dates” were too boring, Zhu Qing and other friends who knew about the situation gradually became less curious.

He Ye thought this was a good thing.

Then, Lu Jin sent a special message: “How about combining work and rest by going to the movies this weekend?”

Ye Ziyuanyuan: “The weather forecast says there will be moderate to heavy rain over the weekend.”

Team Leader: “We can take a taxi and avoid getting wet in the rain.”

Ye Ziyuanyuan: “You’re really not afraid of the hassle. What movie?”

Lu Jin sent her screenshots of several movies being released that day and asked her to choose.

He Ye, who really wanted to relax, chose a popular Hollywood blockbuster.