Team leader: […We’ll talk in person tomorrow night.]

He Ye thought that if he broke his promise again tomorrow, she wouldn’t believe him anymore.

He Ye had classes only during the day on Thursday, but they agreed to meet in the stairwell at 8:30.

It was hard to do this once, so He Ye felt nervous and sneaky.

Since they just arrived, the voice-activated light turned on.

Lu Jin leaned against the wall, his schoolbag over his shoulder.

He was tall and looked down at He Ye with a serious expression, suddenly becoming the cool and aloof top student in the classroom.

The change from the previous days was so big that He Ye felt confused, thinking he might be angry.

“Just got off work?” she asked, glancing at his schoolbag.

Lu Jin replied, “I got off early.”

He Ye was even more curious: “What’s in there?”

Lu Jin glanced at her, walked past, and sat on the top step.

He Ye watched as he took out a notebook from his schoolbag, and she felt embarrassed when her high-definition photo screensaver flashed by.

“Do you want to learn programming?” he asked calmly while opening a teaching plan.

He Ye’s eyes lit up; she didn’t care about the dirty steps and sat down next to him: “Will it be too hard?”

Lu Jin looked at the screen and said, “Starting from the basics, but I’m afraid you won’t be interested and think it’s a waste of time.”

He Ye was about to shake her head when she remembered the word “waste” sounded familiar.

After a brief silence, she whispered, “I just said that casually that day.”

Who made him kiss her for so long? It was beyond her expectations. For someone who had to stay up late to prepare for class, it felt like a waste of time.

But this explanation didn’t improve her boyfriend’s expression.

He Ye looked at the notebook on his lap and suggested, “How about we talk at home? It’s too awkward here.”

When talking, they should keep talking to avoid attracting attention.

Lu Jin raised an eyebrow: “Aren’t you worried about the neighbors seeing us?”

He Ye’s face turned red: “If we’re careful, it should be fine.”

How to be careful?

He Ye opened the door first, checked that the elevator wasn’t moving and the neighbors weren’t coming out, then sent Lu Jin a message.

Lu Jin grabbed his schoolbag and quickly ran into her house.

The He family’s decoration style isn’t as fancy as the Lu family’s, but a new house is always kept clean and ready for guests.

Lu Jin walked into the study behind his girlfriend, He Ye. He noticed her lesson plans for tomorrow on the desk and asked her to sit in the main seat while he took over. 

Lu Jin said, “You’re too busy. I only teach for half an hour on weekdays. I can teach more on weekends.” 

He Ye agreed, looking at him like a student admires a teacher. 

Lu Jin thought, “If my girlfriend wants to learn, I shouldn’t talk about anything else.” So, he gave He Ye a private lesson for half an hour. 

After learning new things, He Ye felt happy. Lu Jin packed his bag and said, “You can keep preparing for class. I’m leaving now.” 

He looked serious, as if he were still a student from Grade 3 Class 8, not her new boyfriend.

He Ye asked, “Are you angry?” 

Lu Jin paused at the door, looked back, and asked, “Why would I be angry?” 

He Ye couldn’t explain; it was just a feeling. She looked a bit guilty yet confused. Lu Jin opened the door and locked her inside, confirming her suspicions.

After a moment, she returned to the study and received a message from him.

Team leader: [I like you, so I want to see you, not just for kisses.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: […I’m sorry for what I said last night.]

Team leader: [Do you want me to keep teaching tomorrow night to prove myself? I can avoid kissing you all summer if you want.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [No need, I understand.]

Team leader: [Then let’s learn programming when it’s your turn and let things happen naturally when it’s mine.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: […Hmm.]

The next night, the stairwell was completely dark.

Lu Jin kissed He Ye deeply, holding the back of her head against the wall. They kissed in various ways—softly, deeply, lightly, and heavily.

He Ye felt his strong arms through her thin clothes, making her realize he was no longer just a high school student but her tall and passionate boyfriend.

“Is that enough?” he finally asked, stopping. He Ye leaned against him, feeling weak.

“Don’t you like it?” Lu Jin whispered in her ear.

He Ye replied, “I still need to prepare lessons.”

Lu Jin said, “Okay, let’s kiss for another five minutes.”

He Ye: “…”

When the Hanfu photos arrived, Zhu Qing asked if He Ye wanted to pick them up together or have them sent.

He Ye chose to go together.

After the call, she messaged Lu Jin: [Tomorrow I will go out with Zhu Qing and Wu Yuanyuan to pick up the photos.]

Team leader: [Is friendship more important than kisses?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: […I see them every day.]

Team leader: [But we can only hang out for a whole day on weekends.]

He Ye arranged two rest days for herself: one on Friday and another on Sunday.

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [You can use this time to see Zhou Xiangming and Li Liang. It’s been a while since you met, right?]

Team leader: [No need; I value women more than friendship.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: […It’s up to you. The three of us already made plans.]

On Sunday, He Ye was excited to meet her friends.

They got the same package, which included twenty-four photos and two photo frames: one for a single photo and one for a group photo.

The girls gathered, admired the photos, and chose the best ones for each.

Wu Yuanyuan pointed at a picture of He Ye, saying, “I didn’t realize how impressive she looks.”

In the photo, He Ye wore a Tang-style outfit ^[1]is traditional Chinese clothing. It usually has a straight collar and a loose-fitting jacket or robe, paired with trousers., with a light crimson top and a green skirt, showing a lot of her fair skin.

Zhu Qing joked, “What a pity Lu Jin wasn’t there that day.”

He Ye blushed.

Zhu Qing teased, “So, how’s it going? Have you made progress with Lu Jin?”

He Ye pretended to look at the photos, her cheeks already red, so she didn’t worry about showing her feelings.

Wu Yuanyuan defended her, saying, “They just got together; how much can they progress? Maybe they just hold hands.”

He Ye nodded, agreeing.

Zhu Qing scoffed, “I don’t believe it. Lu Jin waited a year before making a move, so he’s very strategic. A guy like that will take advantage of He Ye.”

Wu Yuanyuan replied, “You have bad thoughts.”

Zhu Qing: “…”

He Ye felt like she was lucky to be in a good spot.

“By the way, the admission letters for the first batch of undergraduates should arrive soon, right?”

“It seems so. Our university is nearby, so they might come in the next few days.”

He Ye was also curious about this.

The next day, she happily ran to her dad in the supermarket: “Dad, I got my admission letter!”

He Yong washed his hands before taking it to read. He was so happy he called his parents to share the good news.

Grandpa He said, “Hey, no one in our town has done better than you in the past ten years. Let’s pick a day for a big feast!”

In their hometown, when a child is admitted to a good university, the family usually invites relatives to celebrate with a banquet.

He Yong agreed, excited, but He Ye protested, “Let’s just eat at home without inviting anyone, okay?”

He Yong replied, “Why not? Two years ago, someone who passed the college entrance exam had a big banquet. I even gave them 800 yuan as a gift. Now my daughter has done even better! Even if it’s not to get back the gift money, I still want to celebrate with a big feast.”

He Ye sighed. 

The adults were determined to have a celebration, so she agreed to cooperate, and they set the date for Sunday.

This was a date that Lu Jin cared about a lot.

He Ye couldn’t hide this from him, so she shared the news in the stairwell that night.

Lu Jin, looking at the Hanfu photo album she had, smiled and asked, “It’s your special day. Should I give you a gift?”

He Ye felt a bit mocked: “You’re from Tsinghua University, so you don’t have a banquet at home?”

Lu Jin replied, “There are too many top students. Just getting into college isn’t worth celebrating. Bringing a girlfriend home is celebration enough.”

He Ye felt speechless.

Lu Jin pulled out four photos from the album.

He Ye was worried: “Didn’t you say you only wanted two?”

She wanted to keep each photo for herself.

Lu Jin said, “You stood me up twice; I should get something in return.”

He Ye was at a loss for words.

The lights suddenly went dark again.

Lu Jin set the photo album down and pushed her against the wall.

They kissed in a familiar way, but it felt different.

His fingers slipped under her shirt.

When he touched her waist, He Ye tensed up and grabbed his hand, feeling alert.

After a moment of hesitation, Lu Jin stepped back but pulled her closer and kissed her more deeply, like he was claiming her.