Chapter 18

He Cheng’an rode his bicycle to the Cotton Textile Factory.

As he approached the factory gate, the speed of his bicycle noticeably slowed down. He felt Lu Yun’s hands, which were wrapped around his waist, tighten a little. He looked down to see her fair fingers gripping his shirt tightly and continued to move forward.

This time, He Cheng’an almost rode directly into the Cotton Textile Factory.

Lu Yun dismounted and said, “I’m going to work.”

A warmth surged in He Cheng’an’s heart as he grasped Lu Yun’s wrist and gazed at her.

They stared at each other for an indeterminate amount of time, until Lu Yun smiled at him.

As she took a few steps forward to enter the factory, He Cheng’an finally released his grip.

He Cheng’an quickly said, “I’ll pick you up after work.”

“Got it,” Lu Yun replied.

Many people nearby were observing Lu Yun and He Cheng’an.

Once Lu Yun entered the Cotton Textile Factory and He Cheng’an rode away, they began to whisper among themselves about the two of them.

Although most of them did not know Lu Yun personally, they recognized her—her beauty was unforgettable after just one glance.

“Isn’t that our Changhua?” someone said: using the term that referred to the most beautiful person in the factory.

“Who brought her to work? I heard she has a younger brother. Could that be him?” another person wondered.

“No, I’ve seen her brother before. They look like a couple; they’re so close,” someone else replied.

“What is that in Changhua’s hair? It looks really pretty,” another person said.

—o—o—o—

When the people in the office began to ask Lu Yun about her relationship, she was not at all surprised. He Cheng’an had dropped her off at the gate of the Cotton Textile Factory, allowing others to see them.

It would have been odd for everyone to not guess anything. She had also planned for He Cheng’an to take her to the factory gate.

Faced with everyone’s inquiries, Lu Yun nodded in acknowledgment.

The others were extremely enthusiastic about gossip and had many questions, especially about what He Cheng’an did. If it were just novels, Lu Yun truly did not know what He Cheng’an was doing now.

However, he had mentioned once during a trip to the provincial capital that he had contracted some renovation work. Lu Yun had not disclosed this; instead, she simply said she was doing some business.

Some people in Lu Yun’s office felt that doing business was less stable than their jobs, especially since Lu Yun did not specify what kind of business she was engaged in. They had no idea whether He Cheng’an was making any money, but they refrained from saying anything in front of her.

Lu Yun thought that in their minds, they might compare He Cheng’an to Chen Zhiqiang and think that He Cheng’an’s business was inferior to Chen Zhiqiang’s position as the director of the Cotton Textile Factory.

What they did not know was that Chen Zhiqiang would soon resign to start his own business as well.

If it weren’t for the Male Lead Halo and the Female Supporting Character, Chen Zhiqiang would likely be the one falling short compared to He Cheng’an.

Sister Sun, however, praised He Cheng’an in the office. When she and Lu Yun went to the cafeteria for lunch, she told Lu Yun, “If my man had any capability, I’d have him quit and start a business too. Unfortunately, he’s just a simpleton; I’m just happy that he can keep his iron rice bowl.”

Lu Yun understood Sister Sun’s meaning. She said, “What they think doesn’t matter to me. I think he’s great. If he weren’t, I wouldn’t be with him.”

Before she had crossed over, Lu Yun had thought that if she couldn’t find someone suitable, being single for a lifetime wouldn’t be a big deal. After all, she was living comfortably, and her food blogger career was thriving.

Sister Sun covered her mouth, laughing. “Well, just looking at appearances, he’s definitely better than Chen Zhiqiang. He treats you well, too.”

The two of them proceeded to the cafeteria to get their meals as they usually did. Today, the food at the Cotton Textile Factory cafeteria was quite good. Lu Yun ordered stir-fried three fresh ingredients and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and then she got a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup from the cafeteria.

After finding a table and sitting down, Lu Yun habitually wiped her chopsticks.

Sister Sun raised her eyebrows at Lu Yun mischievously. Lu Yun turned to look in Sister Sun’s direction and recalled that she had encountered the woman sitting at the table in the Cotton Textile Factory before, after receiving her salary during the National Day holiday on October 1st.

The Cotton Textile Factory was bustling with people, and Lu Yun could not remember every face she encountered. However, she recognized this particular woman because she appeared competent and had a distinctive look.

Lu Yun asked, “What’s wrong?”

Sister Sun replied, “That’s Li Chunxia. Just look at how she’s smiling; it’s obvious she’s heard about your relationship and thinks she has a better chance of winning over Chen Zhiqiang now.”

Hearing the name Li Chunxia made Lu Yun glance at her a few more times.

There was no denying that the Male Lead in novels had a certain allure, while the Female Supporting Character seemed to compete for the position of the primary partner, as if to highlight that the Female Lead was the one the Male Lead actively wanted to marry.

Lu Yun thought that she needed to remind Li Chunxia of this at some point. If Li Chunxia still wanted to marry him, there was not much Lu Yun could do about it; after all, matters of the heart were not easy to predict.

At that moment, Lu Yun recalled the system that had appeared when she first crossed over. It wasn’t a typical “golden finger” system; rather, it helped her quickly adapt to life here and provided information about the character relationships.

She wondered if her lack of memory about this place was due to the system’s influence, as it might have believed that if she didn’t remember the Male Lead and understood the plot, she wouldn’t continue to act as the Female Supporting Character. Perhaps it was meant to help her become more self-aware.

She was puzzled about why the system wanted to assist her.

Not wanting to dwell on it further—after all, she felt it was pointless to overthink something she might not fully understand—she decided to focus on her meal instead.

The scrambled eggs with tomatoes paired perfectly with the rice, and the stir-fried three fresh ingredients were also good, especially the soft and tender eggplant, which had a delightful flavor.

Li Chunxia had been feeling pleased until she overheard the conversations of the people eating in the cafeteria. In a fit of anger, she slammed her chopsticks onto the table.

“Look at our Changhua! She’s so beautiful.”

“Her partner is quite handsome, too.”

“Where do you think she got that yellow bow in her hair?”

“Why don’t we go over and ask her? She’s really pretty,” one of the girls suggested.

Li Chunxia focused on Lu Yun’s creamy white sweater and the bow in her hair, thinking to herself that these people were just lacking in experience; there was nothing particularly special about it—after all, it was just a bow clip.

After finishing her meal and rinsing her lunchbox, several people approached Lu Yun. They stood not far from her, hesitant to approach. Lu Yun was washing her lunchbox at the sink right by the window, where the sunlight streamed in, illuminating her delicate and fair fingers, making it seem like they were glowing. It made people feel that her hands shouldn’t be doing such work.

After Lu Yun finished cleaning her lunchbox and put it away, she noticed several people were watching her. She asked, “Is there something you need?”

The girl who had been pushed forward shyly asked, “Where did you buy the bow in your hair?”

Lu Yun touched the bow at the back of her head and replied, “I bought it at the state-owned department store in our county. It’s not really a bow; it’s just a silk scarf that I tied into a bow myself. If you have a scarf, you can just tie it at the back of your hair.”

Soon, a crowd gathered around Lu Yun as they chatted and laughed with her, enveloping her in their attention.

Meanwhile, Li Chunxia, who had been closely observing Lu Yun, felt increasingly unhappy.

Li Chunxia hadn’t eaten much for lunch and had specifically packed a meal for Chen Zhiqiang. She went to find him, but today, due to equipment issues in the factory, he had been busy in the workshop.

When she finally saw Chen Zhiqiang, she smiled and ran over, but he frowned slightly without saying anything.

Li Chunxia said, “I knew you’d be too busy to eat, so I brought you lunch. It’s your favorite. My brother told me you like these.”

Hearing Li Chunxia mention her brother, Chen Zhiqiang reached for the lunchbox and said, “Next time, you don’t need to bring me lunch. I can go to the cafeteria myself.”

Li Chunxia didn’t argue; she simply nodded and continued, “I ran into Lu Yun while I was eating in the cafeteria. You know, the one your auntie said has been chasing after you. She wore a scarf tied into a bow today, and quite a few people asked about it.”

At this point, she continued, “I also heard she’s in a relationship. This morning, her boyfriend dropped her off at the Cotton Textile Factory. They seemed really close, which is good; now that she’s in a relationship, she won’t cling to you anymore, so your auntie won’t have to worry. Before, your auntie mentioned how determined Lu Yun seemed in pursuing you, but it looks like it’s not such a big deal after all.”

Chen Zhiqiang raised his voice slightly, “What did you say?”

Li Chunxia replied, “Are you asking about your auntie or her relationship?”

Chen Zhiqiang remained silent. He glanced at the time and realized it was almost time to start work, so he simply told Li Chunxia, “You should go to work now.”

—o—o—o—

Recently, the Cotton Textile Factory had been busy due to the change of seasons, with many orders and various tasks piling up. After a long day, Lu Yun was about to finish her shift when she heard Sister Sun chuckle.

Sister Sun gestured for Lu Yun to look downstairs. When Lu Yun walked to the window, she saw He Cheng’an waiting for her at the entrance of the Cotton Textile Factory. She glanced back at Sister Sun, who didn’t say anything to the others in the office but urged Lu Yun to hurry and finish for the day.

Upon reaching He Cheng’an, Lu Yun asked, “How long have you been waiting?”

He Cheng’an shook his head. “I just arrived; you came out right as I got here.”

Lu Yun didn’t quite believe him but chose not to press further. As they were heading back, she noticed that He Cheng’an had brought something with him in a woven bag. Seeing her looking at the bag, He Cheng’an quickly reached out to help her open it, revealing its contents.

He explained, “This is dried radish from the countryside. I’m starting to stock up on winter vegetables. Zhang Hao told me this batch is especially good, so he sent me quite a bit. I’ll bring your portion over tomorrow, and you can take this one to Sister Sun in your office.”

Since they were all getting off work, Sister Sun approached them at that moment.

Lu Yun called out to her and pointed to the dried radish He Cheng’an had brought, explaining what it was. As she spoke, He Cheng’an didn’t let Lu Yun touch the woven bag of radish; instead, he lifted it and handed it to Sister Sun.

Sister Sun laughed, “This isn’t just for me; it’s really a match made in heaven for you two, isn’t it?”

Hearing Sister Sun’s remark, He Cheng’an didn’t refute it, which could be taken as tacit agreement. He said, “She mentioned that you have a good relationship and that you often look out for her in the office, so I appreciate that.”

Sister Sun quickly waved her hand. “What do you mean by trouble? Don’t worry, if she ever needs anything, I’ll definitely help her.”

Sister Sun had always had a favorable impression of He Cheng’an, but watching how he treated Lu Yun made her think even more highly of him. In her eyes, He Cheng’an was a much better match than Chen Zhiqiang, and Lu Yun seemed far more suited to be with him.

The dried radish He Cheng’an brought was also of excellent quality, and there was so much of it that Sister Sun felt a bit embarrassed to take it all.

He Cheng’an said, “These are just a small gesture; don’t be polite. Think of it as something for your son. After all, he called both me and Lu Yun brother and sister last time.”

Sister Sun looked at He Cheng’an with increased admiration. “Alright, I’ll accept it then. You two should come over sometime for a meal; my son mentioned how good-looking both of you are.”

Once Sister Sun happily took the dried radish back with her, Lu Yun turned to He Cheng’an.

Even though Sister Sun did take care of her at work from time to time, she didn’t remember ever saying those things to He Cheng’an.

He Cheng’an patted the cushion on the back of the bicycle and explained: “This way, she’ll take even better care of you in the office.”

As Lu Yun sat down, she said: “You just want Sister Sun to repeat that line about us being a match made in heaven.”

He Cheng’an smiled, his eyes sparkling. “Isn’t there some truth to what she said?”