Chapter 056

“Take your time eating. I’m leaving now. We’ll get together again when we can,” Chen Xuan said with a smile before leaving with his tray. She wore a white dress, and many male colleagues turned to look at her as she passed.

He Ye glanced at her boyfriend.

Lu Jin didn’t watch his classmate leave but noticed He Ye’s gaze and turned to look.

He Ye quickly looked down at her food, stirring the remaining rice with her chopsticks.

“Do you mind?” Lu Jin asked quietly so that Feng Qiuyu and others wouldn’t hear.

He Ye kept her eyes on her tray and whispered, “What do you mean?”

Lu Jin replied, “I told everyone I have a crush on you.”

He Ye held back laughter, glancing at him before continuing to eat.

As they started eating, Cheng Rui, Gong Hang, Brother Qiang, and Liu Fei quickly sat down across from the two couples.

Wang Wei, who is married and more stable, and Song Chengzhou, who is quiet and honest, just smiled from a distance and didn’t join in the fun.

Cheng Rui eagerly asked Feng Qiuyu: “Sister Yu, what did Team Leader just say?”

Feng Qiuyu coughed, winked at Jiang Xu, and imitated Chen Xuan’s question.

Jiang Xu repeated Lu Jin’s words.

Feng Qiuyu said, “Hey, you can’t do that! Team Leader said it in a cool way, but you just read it without any emotion.”

Jiang Xu replied, “I can’t help it. I didn’t study acting in college. It’s good enough that I can remember the lines.”

Cheng Rui was satisfied and turned to He Ye: “So, Team Leader really had a crush on you for a year, and you didn’t even notice?”

He Ye concentrated on eating the pork ribs.

To say she felt nothing would be too dull, especially since Zhu Qing had started to cause trouble. Every time Lu Jin was “helpful,” He Ye had a little suspicion, but Lu Jin would retreat and not say anything extra while cleaning the classroom or when riding silently behind Zhou Xiangming when he joked with her. He barely messaged her during the busy exam period.

She still believed that Lu Jin liked her. How self-centered must she be?

Cheng Rui continued, “Let me ask you another question. Team Leader said he confessed to you, but you rejected him? How could you reject him with such a face?”

He exaggeratedly waved his hands in front of Lu Jin.

He Ye, amused, said, “At that time, I just wanted to study. I really didn’t think about these things.”

Lu Jin looked at Cheng Rui and said, “Let’s eat.”

Cheng Rui fell silent.

The cafeteria meal satisfied the colleagues in the operations control group. They learned almost everything they wanted to know. When they returned to the office, they joked about the young couple before changing the subject.

He Ye felt relieved, as if she had passed a test.

She had many tasks to complete today, expecting to be busy until 7:30, while Lu Jin would stay until after 8:00.

That evening, they went to the cafeteria together.

On the way back, Lu Jin asked, “Will you go first or wait for me?”

He Ye didn’t respond, watching employees arrive at the cafeteria.

Lu Jin paused and said, “You should wait for me. Your foot isn’t fully healed yet, so walk less.”

His girlfriend seemed to agree and nodded.

Lu Jin laughed, squeezed her hand, and then quickly let go.

While working late and reviewing her thesis, He Ye found it easy to wait for Lu Jin. If she went home first, she’d be alone, either watching TV or reading professional materials, and could choose whether to sit or lie down.

At 8:10, Lu Jin stood up.

He Ye, focused on writing, didn’t even notice.

Gong Hang, still at the next workstation, coughed deliberately.

Finally, He Ye looked up, confirming that Gong Hang was just teasing. Her face flushed slightly, and she quickly packed her things and followed Lu Jin.

Once they were in the car, Lu Jin asked, “Do you want a midnight snack?”

He Ye shook her head; she wasn’t hungry. Though she didn’t diet to maintain her figure, she didn’t want to eat randomly and gain weight.

Lu Jin said, “Then I’ll take you home. Go to bed early, and we’ll go out for dinner tomorrow night.”

He Ye replied, “Yeah.”

Working in the same company meant they could be together every day, so there was no need for a special date on a night of overtime.

The car quickly drove into the underground garage of Dangui Jiayuan.

When He Ye unbuckled his seatbelt, she noticed Lu Jin had also unbuckled his: “I’ll take you upstairs.” 

A moment later, they walked side by side toward the elevator. 

The underground garage was spacious, and their footsteps echoed softly. He Ye put her hands in her pockets, which made her look more relaxed next to him.

Once they reached the elevator, Lu Jin swiped his card to access the floor. The elevator stopped on the first floor, and other residents entered. Lu Jin and He Ye moved to a corner to give them space.

To He Ye’s left was the elevator wall, and to her right was Lu Jin, who was very tall, making it hard for her to see his face unless she looked up.

She stared ahead silently, thinking about how strange dating was. At work, she tried to avoid looking at him, but now that they were side by side, she wanted to sneak a few glances. If Lu Jin closed his eyes, she’d have the courage to look.

He Ye chuckled at her own silly thoughts.

The elevator reached the ninth floor. He Ye stepped out first, with Lu Jin following behind.

The voice-activated lights turned on as they entered the corridor, which was quiet and felt private since only three households shared it.

It reminded He Ye of the quiet stairwell during their senior year of high school when it was just the two of them.

Standing at the door, He Ye placed her finger on the fingerprint lock, feeling Lu Jin’s gaze on her.

When the door opened, she turned slightly and asked, “Would you like to come in and sit down?” 

Lu Jin checked his watch and then looked at her slightly closed eyelashes: “It’s too late; I won’t go in.”

He Ye’s eyelashes drooped completely: “Then I’ll go in.” 

She stepped over the low threshold, took a last glance at his pants, and gently closed the door.

The thick door blocked his view completely.

Inside the dark living room, He Ye turned on the light and changed into her slippers. She noticed her reflection in the entrance mirror and didn’t look very happy.

After taking a shower, He Ye changed into comfy pajamas and called her dad while selecting a TV program.

The lively atmosphere of the fruit shop on TV lifted her mood.

At nine o’clock, Lu Jin sent a message.

It was a photo of him holding a box of green-wrapped chewing gum, with a supermarket shelf full of various brands in the background.

Team leader: [I’m here to buy something. Do you want me to bring you a box?]

Although the variety show continued playing, He Ye was focused on this photo.

Six years ago, Lu Jin had first asked her if she wanted to chew gum, and he had bought this brand.

The supermarket logo in the background was from the same chain store he took her to before they went to the movies that year.

On a night like this, even though he had another box of gum in his car, he went to the mall to buy more gum, which felt intentional.

He Ye’s heart raced, and she wanted to reply but kept deleting her messages.

Team leader: [“Yes” means 1, “No” means 2, and “No” means 1.]

He Ye just didn’t reply.

Team leader: [Wait, it will be delivered in about half an hour.]

She sat still for a few minutes, glancing at her pajamas, then quickly changed back into her work clothes.

At nine thirty-five, the doorbell rang, along with Lu Jin’s message: [I.]

Her heart raced again. She imagined how she looked now, turning off the lights in the living room and entrance. It was dark enough to seem like no one was home.

But she forgot that the voice-activated light outside was still on. When she opened the door, it lit up, revealing Lu Jin standing there with a small box of gum in his hand.

The gum rattled softly inside the box.

As she opened the door, Lu Jin noticed her flushed cheeks. She seemed startled by the light and quickly hid behind the door.

The door was still ajar.

With a gulp, Lu Jin held the gum box tightly and asked politely, “Should I bring it in for you?”

He Ye didn’t respond.

Lu Jin leaned against the door and pushed it open further, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

She lowered her head against the hallway cabinet, looking nervous and awkward, just like she had back in high school.

The dim light made it hard for Lu Jin to see her clearly, but he could imagine how she looked.

He unscrewed the cap of the gum, tightened it, and offered it to her: “Want to try it?”

He Ye didn’t answer: “I brushed my teeth.”

Lu Jin pulled back his hand.

He Ye quickly clarified: “I brushed my teeth right when I got back, not because you came.”

Lu Jin replied, “Yeah, I haven’t gone home yet. I bought a toothbrush and toothpaste at the supermarket and used them in the car.”

He Ye turned toward the door panel, feeling there was no need for him to explain so much.

After a moment of silence, Lu Jin placed the gum box on the cabinet next to him and looked at his girlfriend, wishing she could disappear into the hallway cabinet. He smiled helplessly: “He Ye, you know this is only my second time being in love, and I don’t have much experience. I don’t know what steps to take. If you have any questions, I can only ask you.”

He Ye responded: “…you say.”

Lu Jin continued, serious as if discussing an experiment: “For a reunited couple like us, is it too fast to want to kiss on the third day after getting back together?” 

He Ye: “…”

Lu Jin: “Nod if you think it’s fast, shake your head if you don’t.”

He Ye placed her palms against the smooth counter, neither tapping nor shaking.

He sighed, moved closer, pulled her into his arms, brushed her hair aside, and leaned forward to say, “If you do this again in the future, I’ll take it as my silent approval.”

He Ye panted nervously.

Lu Jin held her face, rubbed his lips against her cheek, and leaned in to kiss her lips.

It was a long, familiar touch. He Ye closed her eyes and opened her mouth without thinking.

Lu Jin paused and asked in a husky voice, “Why are you opening it?”

He Ye: “…”

Lu Jin held her face more firmly and asked, “Are you testing if I’ve really changed?”

He Ye felt embarrassed and was about to cry from his teasing. She wanted to push him away, but Lu Jin held her tightly.

“you……”

She wanted to chase him away, but Lu Jin suddenly kissed her.

He Ye gritted her teeth.

After a moment, Lu Jin didn’t try to push further; he just kissed her lips again and again.

He Ye’s anger faded little by little.

While kissing, she heard him whisper, “Open.”

He Ye remembered how mischievous he had been earlier and angrily turned her face away.

Lu Jin smiled and started kissing her forehead, nose, and cheeks. He even tried to kiss her ears, but she pulled back and blocked him with her hands.

Lu Jin kissed her fingers and tried to suck on her knuckles.

He Ye pulled her hands behind her back, feeling embarrassed.

Lu Jin teased her, “Is this not allowed?”

He Ye shook her head in panic.

That was too much; it was better to just kiss without anything else.