Chapter 044

When He Ye left the cinema with her grandparents, she didn’t see Lu Jin and the others. 

This made her relax completely.

They treated Grandpa and Grandma to a big meal, and after they were full, the three of them happily returned home.

Life in her hometown was comfortable but a bit boring. He Ye often stayed in her bedroom playing with her phone and computer.

Leaning against her bed’s headboard, He Ye scrolled through the chat history with Lu Jin today, focusing on the last message.

[Okay, I’ll do as you say.]

She had just said they wouldn’t eat together; where did the “I’ll do as you say” come from?

It’s hard not to think that Lu Jin is playing some kind of word game, but there’s no strong proof, just speculation.

Just as she was about to leave the chat, a new message appeared.

Team Leader: [Did the kid’s nonsense cause you any trouble?]

He Ye: [No, my grandparents can’t hear very well, so they didn’t catch it.]

Team Leader: [I have good news.]

He Ye: [What is it?]

Team Leader: [I figured out how to convince my mom not to ask Uncle He for help.]

He Ye was curious: [How will you convince her?]

Team Leader: [I’ll tell her you just graduated and might not be ready for a parent introduction. I’ll say I’ll try harder to pursue you.]

He Ye’s heart raced a little.

Team Leader: [Of course, I only said that to her. I’m not really going to pursue you. I know myself.]

He Ye wanted to laugh: [Okay, but don’t help my dad anymore.]

No matter what he wants to do, it’s best not to involve the elders right now; small issues can easily become big problems.

Team Leader: [I understand. Last time, I worried Uncle would think I was being arrogant. Is it okay to buy fruits normally?]

He Ye: [Yes.]

They didn’t talk again during the following few days of the holiday.

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, He Yong and his wife returned from their vacation and stayed in their hometown one more night. The next morning, the three of them drove back to the city together.

He Ye helped the couple clean the fruit shop at Xiaofeng Yaju to prepare for reopening after the New Year.

While wiping the shelves inside, she heard Zhou Xiangming’s voice: “Uncle, Happy New Year! Are you opening so early?”

His voice was friendly and natural, making people think of a lively boy next door.

He Ye smiled and looked outside.

It was Zhou Xiangming, but next to him stood “Xiao Lu” in black sportswear. The moment she saw him, he looked back at her.

He Ye quickly turned her head and wiped the shelf harder.

Zhou Xiangming looked inside and smiled: “He Ye is here too? It’s been a long time since we last met.”

He Ye worried that he might reveal that she and Lu Jin were in the same group. She walked to another shelf, trying to ignore their looks, and asked Zhou Xiangming, “Did you go hiking?”

Zhou Xiangming took a sip of water and smiled widely: “Yeah, climbing mountains, playing ball, and exercising are all old habits.”

Wu Li: “That’s a good habit. Nowadays, girls look for boyfriends not just based on looks but also on their figures.”

Zhou Xiangming glanced at He Ye and said jokingly: “Then Auntie, let’s see who’s better, me or Lu Jin.”

He Ye glared at him. She didn’t want to hide because she was worried about what her parents might think.

Wu Li, not wanting to offend anyone, smiled and complimented both of them. She joked with Zhou Xiangming: “I heard from Xiao Ye that you like Zhu Qing?”

Zhou Xiangming spat out a mouthful of water.

He Ye laughed, shaking her shoulders, and ran away.

Zhou Xiangming turned red: “He Ye, you can’t do this! How can you slander my innocence? Who wants to date her!”

As he said this, he was about to chase after her.

Lu Jin grabbed his wrist and turned to He Yong and his wife, saying, “Uncle, you’re busy; we’ll head home first.”

He Yong: “Okay, Go ahead.”

Wu Li stood at the door of the store, watching Lu Jin leave without any reluctance, then looked at He Ye, feeling that something was off.

He Ye felt satisfied with this.

A few minutes later, Lu Jin sent a message: [I didn’t help today?]

He Ye: [I didn’t need your help anyway.]

Team Leader: [We’re all old classmates, why do you smile when you see Zhou but not when you see me?]

He Ye: [Is because he more handsome than you?]

Team Leader: [So you like him.]

He Ye: […Don’t say nonsense.]

Team Leader: [Okay.]

The holiday ended, and everyone went back to work.

Thursday was another rainy day.

He Ye didn’t see Lu Jin on her way to work. When she got off in the evening and was about to reach the subway entrance, someone honked from the side of the road.

He Ye turned around with her umbrella and saw the familiar Panamera. The clean black car glimmered in the dim streetlight.

The passenger window was partly down, revealing Lu Jin in the driver’s seat. He was wearing a black shirt and looked serious and distant, which made him seem intimidating.

He Ye glanced toward her office building, hurried to the car, and quickly got in.

Lu Jin handed her a bag to put her umbrella in.

He Ye sat sideways and folded the umbrella, some water dripping onto his pants.

She heard him say, “We live so close; I could give you a ride every day, but I didn’t dare to mention it because I was worried you’d think I had ulterior motives ^[1]refers to hidden intentions..”

He Ye’s face felt hot.

She could easily respond to his teasing over WeChat, but not as naturally as he did in person.

“No, I’m also preparing for my driver’s license test.”

Lu Jin started the car and continued chatting: “Are there any top students from Peking University or Tsinghua University in my hometown that you like?”

He Ye: “…”

She turned to the window and whispered, “It’s none of your business.”

Lu Jin: “It’s not a big deal, but I’m curious about what kind of top student you like.”

He Ye pretended not to hear.

Lu Jin: “Do you want to cook dinner yourself or eat takeout?”

He Ye: “…Why are you asking this?”

Lu Jin: “I don’t want to cook today. If you cook, I’d like to eat for free.”

He Ye quickly replied, “I’ll eat takeout.”

Lu Jin: “Forget it, I prefer cooking for myself.”

He Ye felt relieved.

Lu Jin: “Or, I can make it and send you some? Takeout might not be that healthy. Old classmates should take care of each other.”

What kind of excuse is this?

He Ye instinctively refused: “No… no need.”

Lu Jin didn’t seem to hear clearly and looked over, asking, “No, or yes?”

The female colleague in the front seat blushed and replied shyly, “No need.”

Lu Jin didn’t push further.

The car slowly stopped at the east gate of Dangui Garden. He Ye was still fastening her seatbelt when Lu Jin quickly got out. He moved so fast that He Ye didn’t even have time to react.

She wondered why he was in such a hurry. Then she saw Lu Jin opening an umbrella, walking slowly around the car, and stopping next to her.

He Ye was a little confused.

A long time ago, the eighteen-year-old Lu Jin would often rush over just like this to shield her from the rain before she could open her umbrella.

She was stunned, and the man just stood quietly by the door.

The sound of water splashing as a car passed brought He Ye back to reality. She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door.

There was not a single drop of rain above her head, only his quiet gaze.

He Ye opened her umbrella.

Just as she was about to step out from under his umbrella, he suddenly called her, his voice low but clear, “He Ye,” like a soft echo in her ears.

In the rain, in the quiet night, with that tone, He Ye didn’t even dare to look back. Her breath nearly stopped.

Lu Jin saw how startled she was and smiled faintly, saying, “Since we’re old classmates, you don’t have to be so polite. The forecast says it will still rain tomorrow. I’ll wait for you here at 8 in the morning.”

He Ye: “…Okay, thank you.”

Lu Jin walked away.

He Ye turned around and watched him return to the car and leave as if nothing had happened.

The lingering tension from earlier still seemed to hang in the air. He Ye gritted her teeth and walked into the community.

Ordering takeout was out of the question, so He Ye made herself an unusually hearty bowl of noodles. She set it on the dining table, steaming hot.

He Ye took a photo and sent it to her father.

Her father, He Yong, smiled and said, “Eat more. You’re too thin.”

This was nonsense. He Ye had a somewhat fleshy build. She looked slim, but if you pinched her wrist, you would feel she’s quite chubby.

With her studies and research being mentally exhausting, He Ye never restricted her diet and always ate regularly.

Being home alone felt a bit lonely, so He Ye put on her iPad and watched a TV series while eating noodles.

It was an idol drama where a couple who had just confirmed their relationship kissed, but without much emotion.

Whenever He Ye saw scenes like this, she would fast-forward because they reminded her of her own experiences.

Her phone beeped.

It was a photo sent by her team leader. When He Ye opened it, she saw Lu Jin’s dinner: a meat dish, a vegetable dish, and soup. Her bowl of noodles suddenly seemed quite plain.

Team Leader: [If you regret it, I can still pick you up.]

He Ye: [I’ve already eaten.]

Team Leader: [How could takeout arrive so quickly on a rainy day?]

He Ye: [It tastes better than what you cook anyway.]

Team Leader: [I guess you haven’t tasted my current cooking skills.]

He Ye didn’t respond and finished the rest of her noodles with little appetite.

That night, before going to bed, she remembered her “old classmate” had said he’d pick her up in the morning.

The next day, He Ye slept until seven and woke up naturally. When she left the house, she wore a knitted hat and a scarf, wrapping herself so tightly only her eyes were showing.

She checked the time—7:50.

The rain was lighter than the previous night, and the air was cool and fresh. The roadside bushes looked greener after being washed by the rain.

Holding her umbrella, He Ye walked to the east gate as if she was following a familiar path and saw Lu Jin’s car already parked there.

Instead of waiting inside, Lu Jin got out of the car again, like last night, holding an umbrella and watching her approach.

He Ye really wanted to pull her scarf up to cover her eyes.

She walked up to Lu Jin with her eyes lowered.

He didn’t move. He Ye closed her umbrella and reached for the car door.

Lu Jin stopped her, keeping a polite distance without touching her hand.

He Ye looked up, confused.

She was wearing a light brown hat, a white scarf, and in the middle, her bright, clear eyes shone.

Before Lu Jin could get a better look, she quickly lowered her head in a panic: “What’s wrong?”

Lu Jin paused and said, “I just needed to confirm if it’s really you. You don’t look like the old classmate I was supposed to pick up.”

He Ye: “….”

She couldn’t help but glare at him.

Lu Jin: “Are you afraid of being seen by colleagues?”

He Ye nodded.

Lu Jin opened the car door for her.

The temperature inside the car was perfect. He Ye loosened her scarf a bit. As she turned to fasten her seatbelt, she noticed a small transparent box on the middle armrest, containing six plump, deep red cherries.

The sight of the cherries made her instinctively swallow under her scarf.

Lu Jin got in and focused on driving.

The car was silent until they arrived at the company garage.

Lu Jin purposely parked in a corner.

He Ye tightened her scarf and was about to open the door when something touched her arm.

She turned to see Lu Jin holding the small box of cherries in front of her.

“I bought too many. One person can’t finish them,” he said generously.

He Ye: “….”