Chapter 25

He Cheng’an helped someone move the sofa down from the car. When he looked up, he saw Lu Yun.

He hadn’t expected Lu Yun to come, and he felt a rush of surprise followed by a moment of stillness as he stood there.

In recent days, He Cheng’an had been swamped with renovations. He helped the workers with tasks like smoothing putty, cleaning up garbage, and moving furniture.

Wherever there was work to be done, he followed to lend a hand. By the time he returned to wash up, he found himself spending half an hour longer than usual in the shower; it was easy to tell just how messy he had become.

Lu Yun looked beautiful, like a movie star. Even the strands of hair blown by the wind looked more attractive than others’. Her eyes sparkled like they held a pool of spring water, and standing opposite her, He Cheng’an felt an embarrassing sense of inferiority swell within him.

Before long, He Cheng’an pushed aside his feelings and asked, “Today isn’t Thursday. Why did you come to the provincial city? Is there something going on?”

Lu Yun stepped closer and gently brushed off his clothes.

Her strength was weak, and she didn’t manage to clean them perfectly, but she still managed to pat away the dirt from various spots. He Cheng’an’s back, which had felt tense, began to relax gradually because of Lu Yun’s actions.

In the cold wind, Lu Yun smiled at him and said, “He Cheng’an, I missed you a bit, so I came over.”

Lu Yun had no intention of discussing Chen Zhiqiang with He Cheng’an.

She was already feeling somewhat down about it, and she didn’t want to burden He Cheng’an with it either, considering how he might feel or react.

The people working around He Cheng’an came and went, and they couldn’t help but glance at Lu Yun when they saw her.

He Cheng’an wanted to reach out and hold Lu Yun’s hand, but in the end, he carefully wiped his hands on his pants before smiling and taking her hand.

He felt a surge of joy and introduced her, saying, “This is my girlfriend, Lu Yun.”

“Hello, sister-in-law.”

“We’ve heard a lot about you from Zhang Hao. He didn’t lie; he said Brother He found a fairy as his girlfriend.”

“Yeah, yeah! Zhang Hao also said sister-in-law has a wonderful personality.”

“Brother He, you don’t have to worry about things here. We can handle it. You should spend some time with your sister-in-law.”

Listening to what they said, Lu Yun felt a bit shy, even though she wasn’t sure if their compliments were sincere.

After all, they were working for He Cheng’an, and he paid their wages, so they would likely say nice things.

Nevertheless, she stepped closer to He Cheng’an because of their words, and he glanced at the workers, who quickly smiled and went back to their tasks.

“Did Zhang Hao really say that?” Lu Yun asked.

He Cheng’an actually knew about this. Once, he had overheard someone asking Zhang Hao if he had a girlfriend, and Zhang Hao had confirmed it before praising Lu Yun. He had stood there listening, and when Zhang Hao finally saw him, he stopped talking.

He nodded at Lu Yun.

He Cheng’an noticed that Lu Yun’s cheeks were a bit flushed, and with a smile in his voice, he said, “Celestial being, I missed you too.”

Lu Yun rested her head on his shoulder. “Don’t listen to Zhang Hao’s nonsense.”

He Cheng’an gently stroked her hair. “Okay, okay.”

—o—o—o—

In the car, Chen Zhiqiang sat looking out the window, unsure how much time had passed. He finally withdrew his gaze and told the driver, “Let’s go back.”

The sight of Lu Yun and He Cheng’an together reminded Chen Zhiqiang of the times when Lu Yun used to seek him out at the fabric factory.

He had wanted to keep some distance from her, and now she was indeed with He Cheng’an, just as he had wished. Yet, he felt regret.

If he had agreed to be with Lu Yun back then, would he be the one standing beside her now?

As He Cheng’an watched Chen Zhiqiang’s car drive away, he noted the license plate and concealed his emotions.

He had seen that car before—once, when he went to find Lu Yun, Chen Zhiqiang had been about to go on a business trip and had driven that very car.

—o—o—o—

Zhang Hao had just finished moving some items back and was preparing to head downstairs to help again when he heard others mention that Lu Yun had arrived. He quickly grabbed someone’s arm and asked, “What’s my sister-in-law here for?”

The person replied, “It doesn’t seem like she has anything specific to do—she probably just came to see Brother He.”

Zhang Hao’s smile widened. Lu Yun coming to see He Cheng’an was a good sign; it meant they had a good relationship. Brother He had finally come into his own. He hoped these two would marry soon and live happily together.

Zhang Hao said, “I’ll step out for a moment.”

As he left, he suddenly remembered something. Yesterday, he had listened to the weather forecast on the radio with He Cheng’an, which had warned of heavy rain tonight.

Lu Yun probably didn’t know about it, and he certainly didn’t want her to go back in the pouring rain.

Zhang Hao looked at the place where he was working and thought it would be fine to sleep on the floor there for the night; he had napped there before.

Zhang Hao ran down the stairs and, upon reaching the outside of the complex, walked up to Lu Yun to greet her. “Sister-in-law, you’re here! The weather forecast says there’s going to be a storm. We were in a hurry to move furniture because of that. Why don’t you just stay here today? I can sleep on the floor, and Brother He can clear out a room for you; he can sleep in my room!”

As Zhang Hao reminded her, Lu Yun recalled that while chatting with Sister Sun earlier, she had indeed been told about the heavy rain.

As if on cue, the sky began to darken, signaling the impending rain.

He Cheng’an looked at Lu Yun and suggested, “Why don’t you stay? If not with me, then at a hotel. It’s already past four.”

There were hotels in the provincial city. He Cheng’an hadn’t stayed in one before, but he was sure they would be better than where he lived.

The place he rented was far away, and after a busy few days, he had just washed up and gone to sleep without doing any cleaning. He didn’t want to impose on Lu Yun by making her stay there, and it didn’t feel appropriate for her to stay in his place.

Lu Yun listened to the rumble of thunder and finally nodded after a moment. “Okay.”

He Cheng’an asked Lu Yun to wait outside the complex while he called Zhang Hao to join him in heading to the small convenience store just outside.

When they arrived at the store, He Cheng’an pulled the money from his pocket. He hadn’t made much from working, and Zhang Hao handed him some cash, but He Cheng’an still felt it wasn’t enough.

They usually got their drinking water from the convenience store, and since the owner’s son had bought a house there, He Cheng’an had worked on the renovations, making him acquainted with the store owner.

He Cheng’an pressed his lips together and approached the store owner, borrowing seventy yuan.

As they left, he reminded Zhang Hao to hurry and bring the money, and pay the store later.

“Perfect timing; we’re running low on water. When you settle the bill, order thirty cases of water, three cases of soda for them to drink, and also grab a case of instant noodles to take back,” He Cheng’an instructed.

They still had plenty of water; it wasn’t as if they had run out yet. During the winter, they didn’t drink as much as in summer, but when Zhang Hao heard He Cheng’an’s request, he quickly nodded. “Got it, Brother He.”

The store owner smiled and said, “No rush, no rush. You all keep busy; just bring the money whenever you can. I’ll start setting aside your things so you won’t run out later.”

Lu Yun pushed his hand gently, and the two of them walked forward.

Before long, He Cheng’an’s umbrella tilted again toward Lu Yun, prompting her to squeeze closer to him, and they stood together under the umbrella.

The rain began to pour harder, accompanied by wind and downpours.

Fortunately, although Seagull Garden wasn’t as bustling as the provincial city, there were hotels nearby.

Once Lu Yun stepped into the hotel, she felt warmth envelop her.

He Cheng’an folded up the umbrella and wiped the rain off Lu Yun. “You wait for me here,” he said.

It was He Cheng’an’s first time here. After asking at the front desk, he requested a room that was relatively expensive.

After paying, he glanced at the price of the most expensive suite but said nothing.

He led Lu Yun to the room he had just booked. Inside, there was a large bed, a big floor-to-ceiling window, and besides that, there was a wardrobe, a TV, a refrigerator, and a bathroom stocked with various toiletries. Additionally, there was a phone!

He Cheng’an walked around the room, showing Lu Yun what to pay attention to.

Outside, the rain continued to pour down, hitting the windows with a loud patter.

“Do you want to call home first? Do you know the number for your convenience store?” He Cheng’an asked.

Lu Yun shook her head; she didn’t know it.

“Wait a moment; I’ll make a call to ask,” He Cheng’an replied.

He called the convenience store near his place in the county to ask someone to help find out. As Lu Yun watched him from the side, she didn’t even realize that there was a faint smile in her eyes.

Lu Yun waited until Zhang Meili and Lu Dong finished work and were almost home before dialing the number.

She held the phone to her ear, and after about a minute, Lu Xiang’an answered.

Lu Yun could even hear the sound of rain on the other end of the line.

Lu Yun said, “Brother, I’m not going back today.”

Lu Xiang’an’s voice rose a bit. “What did you say?”

He glanced around at the people nearby and swallowed back the second part of his response about her not returning.

“What’s going on?” Lu Xiang’an asked.

As Lu Yun spoke to Lu Xiang’an on the phone, she had thought of several reasons for why she wouldn’t go back, rehearsing how to explain it in her mind multiple times.

But looking at He Cheng’an beside her, sharing an umbrella, with some rain dampening his shoulder, she found herself unable to articulate her thoughts.

Why should she come up with an excuse? Creating a reason would imply that her and He Cheng’an’s actions might not be accepted by the Lu family, or that they would disapprove.

Lu Yun didn’t want him to think that.

She and He Cheng’an were officially a couple, and the Lu family knew about it.

“I came to the provincial city to find He Cheng’an, but it started raining heavily—looks like a storm is coming—so I’m not going back. He Cheng’an got a hotel room for me, and I’ll be staying here tonight.”