Chapter 038

At 9:30 PM, some residents were still entering and exiting the east gate of the community, and shops outside were open for business, their lights brightening the dark.

The black Panamera slowly stopped. He Ye unbuckled her seatbelt and turned slightly toward Lu Jin, just seeing his hands on the steering wheel. She smiled and said, “Thank you, Team Leader.”

“See you tomorrow.”

After the brief interaction, He Ye opened the car door, got out, walked a few steps, turned around, smiled again, and waved goodbye.

The man in the driver’s seat nodded slightly and drove away. The black luxury car quickly disappeared into the traffic.

He Ye let out a long breath. The chilly night air was exactly what she needed. As she walked toward the community, the heat from the car faded away.

Walking alone at night, when her mind was quiet, she recalled old memories, like when eighteen-year-old Lu Jin would drop her off at home, waiting until she got to the elevator before riding away on his bike. 

After a long separation, the high school student who used to ride a bike had become an IT elite who drives a luxury car. The youthful feelings had faded away with time.

That was good. As long as she got over the lingering feelings of intimacy, she could interact with Lu Jin like ordinary colleagues in the future.

Her dad called. He Ye smiled as she shared her first-day experience with him. Since Wu Li had thought of setting her up with a “Tsinghua scholar” from their community, He Ye subconsciously avoided mentioning that her new boss was Lu Jin.

But she realized she wouldn’t be able to hide this from her best friend forever.

Instead of waiting for Zhu Qing to find out through others and confront her, He Ye decided to tell her after taking a shower.

It took only about the time to read this message when Zhu Qing’s video call came through.

He Ye answered, seeing her own surprised face in the small window.

Zhu Qing laughed so hard she couldn’t stop: “Is this true? Is it really Lu Jin? Isn’t he abroad? When did he come back? And why is he working at the same company as you?”

He Ye looked at her friend, who was clearly excited, with an expressionless face.

Zhu Qing eagerly asked, “So, what happened? How did he react when he saw you?”

He Ye pouted and said, “He screened all our applicants’ resumes. He knew I would go. I was the only one who suddenly ran into my ex-boyfriend.”

Even if she had warned her friend earlier, Zhu Qing wouldn’t have acted so stiffly.

Zhu Qing looked at her beautiful friend, who seemed a bit upset on the screen, and said, “Well, don’t blame me for thinking too much. Lu Jin wouldn’t still like you and deliberately recruit you in, right?”

He Ye was upset and said, “Are you saying I can’t get in without him?” 

Zhu Qing shook her head and replied, “No way. Your skills are obvious to everyone. I’ve seen too many tricks, and my brain reacts automatically.” 

He Ye understood but felt down, saying, “That’s not true. I passed the final interview, and he just got back from a business trip. It’s purely official.” 

She mentioned how Lu Jin’s behavior today showed he had forgotten their old relationship. 

Zhu Qing said, “I would believe it if it were anyone else, but it’s Lu Jin, a high-level werewolf who secretly liked you for a year without anyone else knowing.”

He Ye shivered at the thought, saying, “We were all young then. It’s been years; we’ve forgotten.” 

Zhu Qing snorted, “Hold on, I’ll ask Zhou Xiangming. I told him you went to Blue Ocean. If he knew Lu Jin was there and didn’t tell me, I won’t forgive him!” 

He Ye let her go, feeling puzzled. Colleagues said Lu Jin had been back in China for a year, so his best friend Zhou Xiangming should know about it. If Zhou Xiangming knew, he would have told Zhu Qing.

Just then, Zhou Xiangming came out of the gym. Friends envied him for working in his own company, but he was just as busy as everyone else, often attending social events with his father. To avoid getting a beer belly at a young age, he worked out three times a week.

He found a video call from Zhu Qing and leaned against his car, smiling. “Why are you video calling at this hour? Are you alone and looking for me to ease your loneliness?” 

He noticed her pink pajamas and added, “You should care about your image. Who would be interested in you looking so sloppy?” 

Zhu Qing had something important to discuss, so she got serious and moved closer to the camera. “Did you know Lu Jin returned to China last March and has been working at Blue Ocean?” 

Zhou Xiangming’s smile faded quickly.

Zhu Qing sneered, “Stop pretending!” 

As she finished, she saw Zhou Xiangming’s eyes turn red, and he cursed under his breath.

Zhu Qing: “…”

Then he hung up.

Zhu Qing took a moment and contacted He Ye again, saying, “Zhou Xiangming cried!” 

He Ye: “…What happened?” 

Zhu Qing felt sorry for him. “He must have been hurt. He thought of Lu Jin as a good brother, but Lu Jin didn’t even contact him after coming back.”

If He Ye were treated like this, she would feel hurt too.

He Ye: “…” 

That was quite unfair.

The two sisters looked at each other through the screen for a while, and Zhu Qing concluded, “Now I believe it’s just a coincidence that Lu Jin and you ended up in the same company. He could forget his childhood best friend and his first love girlfriend, whom he only dated for two months. That’s so cruel. I can’t help but feel sorry for Zhou Xiangming.” 

Outside the gym, Zhou Xiangming, feeling sorry for himself, kicked the tire hard. Once he calmed down, he angrily called Lu Jin but hung up and switched to video instead. 

He wanted to see if Lu Jin would face him again!

A minute later, the video connected.

Zhou Xiangming smirked at the screen. 

Lu Jin appeared, looking fresh from a shower, wearing a black shirt. 

The camera shook as Lu Jin walked into his study, set his phone down, and sat with a bottle of mineral water. He looked at Zhou Xiangming, waiting for him to speak first, just like before.

Zhou Xiangming observed Lu Jin’s background and said mockingly, “So, you didn’t tell me when you returned to China?” 

Lu Jin casually asked, “How did you know?” 

Zhou Xiangming replied, “What do you think? You and He Ye…” 

He hesitated, seeing Lu Jin’s familiar cold expression. He cursed again, “Damn it, it’s about He Ye, right? You’re scared I’ll tell Zhu Qing, and she’ll tell He Ye. If He Ye finds out you’re at Blue Ocean, she won’t submit her resume there!” 

Lu Jin just lowered his eyes and slowly twisted the water bottle cap between his fingers. 

He didn’t deny or confirm it, acting like it didn’t concern him.

Zhou Xiangming gritted his teeth, saying, “Keep pretending! Don’t think I won’t be mad just because you have a reason! Back in high school, you cared more about girls than your friends. You ignored us all summer to chase after He Ye. Now that you’re a tech master, you still prioritize girls over friendship! What if He Ye never comes back? You’d never contact me again, right?” 

Lu Jin looked up and reminded him, “We played games together the night before last.” 

Zhou Xiangming shouted in frustration, “That’s not what I mean!” 

Lu Jin stayed silent.

Zhou Xiangming said, “Where do you live? I can’t let this anger go until I beat you up tonight.” 

Lu Jin gave him the address. 

Zhou Xiangming exclaimed, “…Isn’t that near He Ye’s place? I told you before her father bought her a house there, but you ignored me…” 

Looking at Lu Jin’s indifferent face, Zhou Xiangming felt sad for some reason. “Is it really that serious? It’s been so many years.” 

Lu Jin replied, “Go to bed at midnight. Come earlier if you want.” 

Zhou Xiangming: “…” 

Lu Jin must have saved his life in a past life, which was why he always acted like a brother.

Around eleven o’clock, when He Ye finished reading a paper and was about to turn off the lights and sleep, Zhou Xiangming suddenly called.

 He Ye guessed that Zhou Xiangming’s call was about Lu Jin, but she didn’t expect him to react so strongly.

“He Ye, I’m telling you, Lu Jin is not a good person!” 

He Ye felt worried: “Where are you now? Aren’t you drunk?” 

“I’m outside Lu Jin’s house. He hasn’t contacted me in a year since returning to China. He doesn’t treat me like a brother anymore. I’m done with him!” 

He Ye replied, “…Really?” 

Zhou Xiangming continued, “He has forgotten about me. We’re on completely different levels now.” 

Feeling bad for him, He Ye said, “Don’t say that. You’ve just been apart for too long. Maybe he doesn’t know how to reach out to you.” 

“Are you defending him? Do you still like him?” Zhou Xiangming shot back. 

He Ye felt wronged: “No! I’m just trying to comfort you.” 

“I don’t need comfort. Just remember, Lu Jin isn’t worth it. If he tries to pursue you, ignore him. You can only choose one of us as your friend. Who do you choose?” 

He Ye laughed a little and reassured him, “I choose you.” 

“Good. I didn’t make a mistake again.” 

He Ye added, “Just go talk to Lu Jin. Did he suspect I told you anything?” 

“Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid. I heard from a friend who saw you both at dinner.” 

He Ye was surprised. Although that made sense, she thought it was strange how quickly Zhou Xiangming figured out Lu Jin was back after a year. She felt uneasy about it. 

That night, He Ye had trouble sleeping for the first time in her life. Luckily, she had to work at nine in the morning. 

She woke up at 8:30 and rushed to wash her face. To avoid being late, she took a taxi to work. 

When she arrived, she found she was the fourth person in the office, with Lu Jin, Brother Qiang, and Song Chengzhou already there. 

Lu Jin was quiet, Song Chengzhou was shy, but Brother Qiang was cheerful and offered advice: “You work late every night, so being on time isn’t necessary. You can come in at 9:30.” 

He Ye nodded, greeted him, and sat at her workstation. 

Yesterday, she had familiarized herself with the process but hadn’t done any real work. As she prepared to read a paper, she noticed Lu Jin stand up. 

She was a little skeptical; he seemed to have grown taller, maybe around 1.9 meters. 

He appeared to be walking towards her, and she wondered if he needed something or was just going to the break room. 

Despite her thoughts, He Ye kept her face calm, focusing on the screen in front of her. 

Soon, Lu Jin was right next to her. She felt nervous and wanted to stand up. 

“No, I’ll give you a task,” he said. 

“Okay,” He Ye replied, remaining seated and waiting for instructions. 

Suddenly, Lu Jin leaned over her desk, holding the mouse in his right hand and clicking on a file. 

She could smell his refreshing scent, likely from shower gel. 

He Ye looked down, noticing his long, slender hands. 

Unexpectedly, she recalled the summer years ago when he had reached under her clothes and unbuttoned her back without her resistance.