Lumi walked through the door, kicked off her shoes, and collapsed onto the sofa. She didn’t want to walk another inch of the Second Ring Road for the next six months.

She was exhausted.

Seeing Lumi lying there motionless, like a dead dog, Tu Ming asked, “Can I use your kitchen?”

Lumi waved her hand listlessly, “Go ahead.”

Hiking was a strange thing. You grit your teeth and keep walking, maybe it would open up your meridians. But once you stopped, you were done for. Lumi lay on the sofa, feeling the heat rising from her feet, her legs numb and stiff. She had no thoughts at all.

She mentally berated Tu Ming, but it wasn’t enough. She called out to him as he was washing vegetables in the kitchen, “What kind of date is this! Think about it, is it appropriate for you to treat me like this? The first date, you brought a thermos and took me hiking around the Second Ring Road. The second date, are you going to take me to practice Tai Chi? The third date, painting Chinese ink wash! The fourth date, going to the park for a mass choir! I’ve already figured it all out for you! This is how we’ll date from now on! Any deviation from this, I won’t agree! I want to experience the sunset years in advance!”

Tu Ming heard the words “sunset years” and his shoulders shook. He was holding back laughter.

He wasn’t a mischievous person before, but Lumi was a person who, if you didn’t act a little mischievous, she would eat you alive. Once you were eaten alive, it would become boring. And if it was boring, you would want to change partners.

Tu Ming had a history of relationships, but he was a manager after all, and he knew Lumi inside and out.

Hiking a few kilometers was nothing to him. At this moment, he was filled with good feelings. He was preparing the ingredients in Lumi’s small kitchen. He couldn’t cook, but hotpot wasn’t difficult. He tossed scallions, ginger, garlic, and star anise into a pot of water. The only thing that took a little effort was mixing the sesame paste. He mixed the sesame paste with warm water and a little salt, constantly stirring it, which was a good workout for his upper body.

In Lumi’s eyes, it was a mess, but everything was clean. The last time she saw him preparing a table of food, she guessed it would be delicious. And today, she was proven right. Everything was there, no shortage of seasonings, and every delicious ingredient.

Tu Ming finished preparing everything, and it was dark outside.

Lumi was still lying on the sofa, relaxing. Seeing that Tu Ming was ready, she dragged her stiff legs to the dining table. The pot was steaming, offering a little comfort. She put a piece of meat dipped in sesame paste into her mouth, it was so delicious she almost cried.

If not for this hotpot, she would have definitely said goodbye to Tu Ming today.

Tu Ming also brought some pickled garlic cloves. He asked Lumi, “Do you want some?”

“Of course! Of course! Hurry up and peel the cloves for me!”

Tu Ming teased, “No kiss?”

“You want me to be the jerk? Dream on! Give it to me!” She grabbed a clove of pickled garlic and shoved it into her mouth. Seeing Tu Ming take off his sweater, revealing a black round-neck short-sleeved T-shirt underneath, what was this way of dressing? It looked pretty good, though?

Tu Ming peeled another clove of garlic for her. Lumi shook her head, “No more, it’s all over my mouth!”

Tu Ming saw the mischievous gleam in her eyes and found it amusing. He grabbed the garlic and tossed it into his own mouth. Lumi shrugged.

Tu Ming discovered that he actually enjoyed teasing Lumi. Sometimes, when he saw her expression change suddenly, he found it particularly funny.

“You’re not allowed to eat it either!”

“I’m not going to kiss you.”

“…”

Tu Ming was being deliberate. He actually wanted to kiss her, but if he did under these circumstances, it would probably get out of control. She was still resentful from his dragging her around today, and if he really made a move, she would probably say goodbye to him.

Humph! Lumi snorted, she wasn’t going to kiss him, and that was that! One second she was scolding him, the next second she was genuinely praising his sesame paste, “It’s really authentic! Did you add chives and fermented bean curd? I can taste it.”

“It’s good, we’ll eat it again next time.”

“Then next time, I’ll go to your place to eat. I haven’t been there yet! What’s with that fancy apartment complex? They only let people wait at the entrance and don’t let anyone in. Thinking about it now, I’m still angry! Is that how humans behave?” Lumi was criticizing Tu Ming for not inviting her in when he delivered something to his place last time.

“Then come to my place the first day of the break.” Tu Ming paused, “There’s a park called Yiyuan next to my place… we can go for a walk…”

“Please stop! From now on, I won’t walk a single step on our dates! Don’t even think about making me listen to you, from now on, I’ll be in charge of our dates!” Lumi stated her own idea.

“One date each, fair and square.” Tu Ming bargained.

“Alright then.”

“Let’s not count today’s failure, I’ll plan a new date later.” Tu Ming said slowly, probably scheming something.

“Okay, I believe that after today, you’ve learned your lesson. I hope you’ll mend your ways soon! Stop doing such wicked things…”

Dragging someone around for several kilometers in the middle of winter, how wicked!

Tu Ming was amused by Lumi again. Looking over, he saw her eating lamb, obviously enjoying it, her brow furrowed in delight.

They ate hotpot slowly, then had some fruit. Lumi forced Tu Ming to make carrot juice, and after drinking it, she made him drink a pot of jasmine tea to help with digestion. She was determined to make up for all the exhaustion she had endured today.

In the end, she was the one who was exhausted, lying on the sofa, refusing to speak anymore.

Tu Ming put the bowls in the dishwasher and pressed the button. He then swept the kitchen. When he came out, he saw Lumi lying on the sofa, asleep. She was truly tired.

He sat beside her, watching her. Lumi rolled over, almost falling off the sofa, Tu Ming quickly caught her. She woke up, groaning, “My legs hurt.”

“Did you walk too much? Lactic acid buildup.”

“I haven’t walked this much in years.” Lumi groaned again.

Tu Ming made her lie flat and rested her legs on his lap. He pressed his palm against her ankle and gently massaged it. He often did this to relieve muscle tension after playing tennis, the technique was the same. He seriously provided Lumi with post-workout massage services.

His warm palm gently massaged her ankle, then moved up to her calf. Her muscles were a little stiff from walking so much, so he gently bent her leg and kneaded it, “Does it hurt?”

He was asking Lumi.

“A little sore.” Lumi rested her head on the armrest of the sofa, half-open, half-closed eyes looking at Tu Ming. It was just a massage, nothing else on her mind. If it were anyone else, they would have moved their hands to another place after a minute of kneading. But Tu Ming was being earnest and meticulous.

Lumi knew, of course, why Tu Ming had taken her on that hike today. He didn’t want her to ride a motorcycle, he wanted her to discover other pleasures, he wanted to date her but didn’t want to go all the way, so he made her tired and drained, making her think about other things. Interpersonal relationships require wisdom. She knew that she sometimes seemed quite stupid, but she had this kind of wisdom. Playing dumb was also a kind of wisdom.

Tu Ming’s hands kneaded her calves for almost two minutes before moving upward, to her knees. His hands rested on both sides of her knees, and he realized that Lumi’s bones were particularly well-formed. Even at the knees, there were no deformities or bends.

Moving further up would be inappropriate. At least it was through her pants, he could still keep his composure. But Lumi couldn’t. A small fire was burning in her mind, wanting to ignite something in this decent man before her. She hoped his hands would move upwards, quickly. The leg pain wasn’t important, there were other places that needed attention. As her thoughts turned naughty, she acted upon them. The other leg, waiting to enjoy the massage, curled up, her foot resting on his knee, her toes curled forward.

His legs were so strong! It looked like she was about to get to the place she wanted, but Tu Ming grabbed her ankle. He looked at her silently, both of them like they were brewing a bloodbath.

In the end, Lumi couldn’t stand it anymore. She sat up, pushed him against the back of the sofa, and sat on his lap.

Tu Ming’s hands didn’t know where to go, no matter where he put them, it felt disrespectful. Lumi cupped his face and looked at him for a long time. Why did he blush so easily? Why was his face so hot? What was wrong with him? Shouldn’t he have seen it all by now?

She leaned down and kissed him. They both had the scent of tea in their mouths. Tu Ming’s face had a particularly fresh and clean scent, making her infatuated.

Her lips pressed against his, gently, once, then again. Her lips parted slightly, her tongue poked out, touching his lips, then quickly retreated. She teased him like this, one touch at a time.

Tu Ming tilted his head back, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Lumi’s hair brushed against his neck, a heavy breath escaped her nostrils, and she suddenly opened her mouth, biting down on Lumi’s lips.

They both froze for a moment, their noses brushing against each other. Tu Ming’s lips completely covered Lumi’s, and her tongue was in his mouth.

It suddenly became intense. Lumi fell into Tu Ming’s arms. Tu Ming’s hand pressed lightly against her back, afraid she would fall backwards.

Lumi shifted her body, damn it, her legs hurt.

She was almost crying, her eyes filled with tears, “Tu Ming, save me, I can’t live anymore. My legs hurt, my body hurts, I…”

I’m about to die, but I also want to do something with you, what should I do?

She was stuck in between.

Neither up nor down.

It was torture.

Tu Ming, of course, knew what Lumi was saying. He kissed her fiercely, taking the lead, pushing her down on the sofa. He hovered above her, his hand covering her eyes, “You want an upgrade, don’t you?”

Lumi turned her head, kissing the inside of his wrist. The answer was in her actions.

Tu Ming didn’t say anything anymore. His lips pressed against her earlobe, his tongue slipped inside. As Lumi couldn’t help but let out a soft cry, his hand finally moved downward.

His fingertips touched the secret she wanted to tell him. It wasn’t a secret that was too difficult to guess. It was the truth, her hometown had been flooded.

Lost in the moment, their thoughts were all there.

Lumi bit her lip. He knew she liked it. He frowned. He knew she probably wanted him to hurry up. There was a bead of sweat on the tip of her nose. He licked it away, then moved to her ear, enveloping her earlobe, and heard her long and short breaths.

Lumi was greedy, Tu Ming knew. He decided to go all in, burying himself in her.

Happiness came too suddenly. Lumi felt like she had been driven crazy by him for the past few days. Being restless in bed was not a pleasant experience. Today, she finally found a little solace, and she even felt that the wait was worth it.

Tu Ming was really so gentle.

“I can help you too, or maybe we can do something, but I definitely won’t move, I’m too tired.” Lumi had gotten what she wanted and didn’t want to take care of Tu Ming anymore. She said something snarky, a real bad girl. Tu Ming was amused, he pinched her cheek, “I didn’t actually want to be a jerk today.”

“I am a jerk, so what?” Lumi raised her slightly flushed face, “Bad girl” written all over it.

Tu Ming didn’t bother arguing with her, he didn’t want to argue anyway, “I’m leaving, I have to go to work tomorrow.”

Lumi saw him out, but she didn’t send him off properly. She clung to him, “Why don’t you stay? We’re already like this, why leave? I promise I won’t bother you anymore, you can be at ease.”

“I have an important meeting tomorrow, I’ll go back and change into a suit.”

“Oh, oh, oh. Then see you later!” Lumi closed the door and walked to the window. Seeing Tu Ming leave, she finally took off her clothes and went to take a shower.

The water turned on and off, and she could almost hear Tu Ming panting in her ear.

She let out a soft, “chichi” laugh.