Chapter 059

The Panamera swayed slightly.

He Ye wanted to escape but was pushed back by Lu Jin every time she tried.

She was annoyed by his teasing, so she scratched his back hard a few times.

Lu Jin seemed unfazed and focused on kissing her.

He Ye gradually started to hold his clothes, but eventually, she lost strength in her fingers.

Lu Jin tried to kiss her neck, but since she was sweaty from the hike, He Ye raised her hand to block him and buried her face in his shoulder.

Lu Jin paused, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes.

He Ye could hear his heavy breathing, like a beast that had just finished hunting.

She quietly opened her eyes and glanced up, seeing his chin tilted back, which revealed his slender neck—it made her heart race.

Not wanting to look longer, He Ye lowered her gaze, feeling a familiar sensation.

She didn’t want to move.

A car drove in and parked nearby.

He Ye felt Lu Jin might take a while to recover, so she thought her presence might not help.

She stood up, holding the back of the front seat, and quickly opened the car door to get out.

When she turned to close the door, she saw Lu Jin still sitting, but he was watching her with dark eyes.

Feeling flustered, she pointed at the public toilet across the street and turned away.

She stayed in there for a while, washing her face and neck.

It seemed like no one else was around. He Ye wiped her neck while looking in the mirror.

Climbing the mountain made her face red, contrasting sharply with her white ears.

She thought she looked a bit messy and not as pretty as usual. She wondered why Lu Jin still liked her so much and didn’t seem to mind.

After wiping off the last drop of water, He Ye sighed and walked out.

Lu Jin had actually come out and was leaning against the driver’s seat, his back to her. The weather was nice, and he wore a black sweatshirt, looking like a college student.

As He Ye got closer, Lu Jin turned around, looked at her, and opened the car door.

Outside the car, his appearance was very cool and distant.

But because of this contrast, when he got closer, He Ye couldn’t resist.

On the second weekend of March, He Ye went on a date with her best friend after leaving her boyfriend.

As soon as they met, Zhu Qing teased her: “Look at this rosy face. Is this all because of love?”

He Ye pressed down Zhu Qing’s playful hand and tried to change the subject.

But everyone wanted to hear about her reunion with Lu Jin. Zhu Qing had many questions, like how Lu Jin confessed his love a second time, why they broke up before, and, of course, how far they had progressed in their relationship now.

Zhu Qing asked, “Did you kiss?” 

He Ye didn’t admit it.

Zhu Qing continued, “Are you living together?”

He Ye replied, “No!” 

Even though she felt that Lu Jin missed her, she wasn’t sure if he had really changed how he dated her or if he was being careful because she might not be ready for rapid progress. In the last month since they got back together, Lu Jin had only kissed and hugged her. They hadn’t even touched on living together.

Zhu Qing understood: “So you’re still at the kissing stage. I’m not sure who I should admire more. If I were you, I would have jumped on the college bully long ago. If I were Lu Jin, I would have jumped on you even faster.”

He Ye complained softly, “You’re impressive. If you’re so good, find a boyfriend for yourself and one for me too.”

Zhu Qing responded, “Do you think I don’t want to? The problem is that I’m average-looking, short, and have short legs, so no high-quality guy is eager for me! If I had your looks, I could change boyfriends every month in college.”

He Ye said sincerely, “You’re not ordinary; your smile is especially beautiful and contagious.” 

Zhu Qing replied, “So you don’t understand men. All men care about looks. Of course, I care about looks too; I’m just like them!”

He Ye thought about it and realized that if Lu Jin hadn’t been good-looking, she might not have tried dating him.

Their conversation covered more than just boys. During lunch, Zhu Qing reminisced, “I remember when we graduated from college, the four of us in the dorm took pictures all around the school.”

He Ye agreed, “It was all the same.”

Zhu Qing added, “It’s a pity we aren’t in the same school; otherwise, we would have graduation photos from kindergarten, elementary school, high school, and college.”

He Ye then suggested, “Can you take a day off on the 19th? If it’s convenient, let’s go to Shanghai together?”

Zhu Qing hesitated, then asked, “What about the top university student coming too? I don’t want to be a third wheel, and I could save myself the time off.”

Taking leave is indeed a problem for working people. He Ye smiled and didn’t try to convince her anymore.

The graduation ceremony would start at 2:00 p.m. on the 19th. He Ye had a lunch date with her roommates and classmates, so she had to rush over in the morning.

On the 18th, she asked Team Leader Lu of the Operation Control Group for a day off. He agreed, as it was a normal request.

Everyone knew He Ye was attending the graduation ceremony. Cheng Rui boldly said, “Team Leader, are you not going with your junior sister? Just a heads-up, there are a lot of handsome guys at Jiaotong University.”

Feng Qiuyu commented, “Handsome or not, if he’s competitive, how could He Ye still be single enough to give Team Leader a chance?”

Cheng Rui joked, “Maybe she’ll bump into him tomorrow. The schoolgirl will hesitate for a moment, then kick Team Leader and run towards true love.”

Brother Qiang applauded, “Not bad, the plot is novel and not cliché.”

He Ye smiled the whole time, enjoying their banter.

Gong Hang asked, “So, will Team Leader take leave?”

Lu Jin ignored them.

Even if he didn’t say it now, his colleagues would definitely tease him when he left at noon the next day.

He Ye was just glad she would already be in Shanghai then and wouldn’t have to deal with the teasing.

Lu Jin had to work overtime that evening, so He Ye waited for him in the office.

When it was almost nine o’clock, Lu Jin turned off his computer. They walked to the garage together. He Ye asked, “Are you too busy? If so, don’t take leave tomorrow. You’ll just be sitting in the audience anyway. I can join you after I’m done.”

Lu Jin replied, “Fortunately, I can finish my work tomorrow morning.”

This meant he still had to go.

He Ye fiddled with a small pendant on her bag. 

Lu Jin glanced at her and asked, “You don’t really want to meet a handsome guy from Jiaotong University, do you? Are you afraid I’ll get in the way?”

He Ye smiled and decided not to worry about whether she should take leave or not.

The next day, He Ye had to catch the high-speed train at 8 a.m. 

Lu Jin drove her to the station. 

She had only one bag with her and no other luggage. The car stopped at the entrance, and she was ready to get out.

After unbuckling her seat belt, she looked at her boyfriend. It felt strange that they were reluctant to part after such a short time together.

Lu Jin looked at her lips and then at her eyes.

He Ye’s face turned red as other passengers were around.

She pretended not to understand and moved to open the door… but couldn’t.

She glared at him.

Lu Jin said, “Just for a moment.”

He Ye reluctantly leaned toward him, closed her eyes, and waited.

She felt him getting closer; his lips brushed the corner of her mouth before pulling away gently.

It was so innocent that even He Ye was surprised.

After reuniting with her classmates in Shanghai, He Ye focused on enjoying time with them and didn’t think about An Cheng’s boyfriend. They strolled around their campus, which they were about to leave forever, and then went out for dinner.

After dinner, it was nearly one o’clock when they headed to the gymnasium.

Inside, she texted Lu Jin: “Where are you?”

Team Leader replied: [I came by car, so I might be a few minutes late.]

He Ye: [Don’t worry, safety first.]

She put her phone away, and a classmate on her left jokingly asked, “Parent or boyfriend?”

He Ye smiled.

The classmate added, “You’re amazing! You found a boyfriend just two months after coming back!”

Her roommate on the right chimed in, “I must see what your boyfriend looks like later. Many boys from Jiaotong University have failed in their pursuit of you, but he succeeded in just two months.”

Curious, the two girls often glanced toward the audience more than He Ye did.

With them peeking, He Ye felt embarrassed and tried not to look around too much. Anyway, if Lu Jin arrived, he would definitely text her.

“Oh my god, I saw a super handsome guy! Could it be him?”

After the school leaders took their seats, her roommate pushed up her glasses and excitedly grabbed He Ye’s arm.

The description of the “super handsome guy” matched Lu Jin, and He Ye finally turned to look.

She saw Lu Jin walking down the stairs to the seats, Zhu Qing in front of him looking for her seat, and Zhou Xiangming beside Lu Jin with a camera and a bright smile.

He Ye quickly looked away, her eyes getting teary.

“Which handsome guy is it?” her roommate asked, surprised and amused to see He Ye wiping her eyes. “Are you that touched?”

He Ye was indeed touched. The people she loved, her two best friends, came to support her.

After the graduation ceremony ended, He Ye said goodbye to her classmates and rushed over to Lu Jin and the others.

She happily hugged Zhu Qing: “Why are you here too?”

Zhu Qing glanced at Zhou Xiangming.

Zhou Xiangming laughed, “Lu Jin asked me to come. I didn’t want to be the only extra person, so I invited her too. We planned this a few days ago to surprise you. Are you happy?”

He Ye was very happy and curious why Lu Jin thought to invite Zhou Xiangming, but she decided to wait until later to ask.

After leaving the gym, Zhou Xiangming took out a bachelor’s gown from his backpack and stuffed it into Zhu Qing’s pocket: “Put it on and pretend to be a top student at Jiaotong University.”

Zhu Qing, in a good mood, didn’t mind his comment. She put on the gown, took He Ye’s arm, and they went to find a spot for pictures.

They took many photos: group shots of all four, photos of the two best friends, and pictures of He Ye and Lu Jin, continuing until the evening.

After finishing their photo session, Zhou Xiangming patted Lu Jin on the shoulder and said, “Okay, it’s time to treat us. You need to pay us back for our lost time.”

Zhu Qing added, “I also want to see the night view at the Bund.”

Lu Jin looked at He Ye.

He Ye smiled and said, “Let’s go. I’ll be your tour guide.”

With Zhou Xiangming and Zhu Qing around, everything was lively. He Ye was surrounded by them, taking many photos while Lu Jin mainly focused on paying.

On the cruise, after taking a group photo, Zhu Qing and Zhou Xiangming quietly left the seat next to He Ye for Lu Jin.

“Will it be cold?” 

The wind was strong on the river, so Lu Jin pulled He Ye into his arms.

In front of He Ye was the cruise ship’s guardrail, and behind her was Lu Jin.

The night view of the tall buildings along the coast was vibrant, and her boyfriend’s embrace made her feel warm and safe.

As she shook her head, seeing Zhu Qing and the others running to the other side of the cruise ship, He Ye finally had a chance to ask, “Why did you think to call Zhou Xiangming?”

He was known for valuing women over friends.

Lu Jin rubbed her soft hair with his chin and looked at a large hotel by the river. After a moment of silence, he said, “I didn’t want to scare you again.”

He was worried that he might plan something that would ruin her fun.

He Ye was taken aback.

Lu Jin leaned down and whispered in her ear: “I’m sorry.”

He would always remember how she stood alone on the roadside crying that day, saying she wanted to go home.

So, he wanted to make sure it would never happen again.