Chapter 026

On Monday, Lu Jin finally started his summer internship.

Thinking about having to catch the bus alone to tutor today, He Ye felt completely relaxed.

Lu Jin’s company made He Ye feel secure, but it was mostly awkward because Lu Jin kept staring at her. Being watched so closely by a boy, He Ye was too embarrassed to even yawn. When the weather was hot and she started to sweat, she wondered if Lu Jin noticed that drop of sweat.

At the same time, she had to think about the time and money Lu Jin spent.

Taking the bus isn’t easy or comfortable. There are seats when there aren’t many people, but during rush hour, it’s so crowded that you feel like your schoolbag might get squashed. When He Ye thought about how Lu Jin could have rested at home but came out to deal with this hassle, she felt pressured. It was the kind of pressure where you unintentionally make someone else uncomfortable. She also considered the money Lu Jin spent at milk tea shops and coffee shops while waiting for her, along with his taxi rides. Even though Lu Jin had money, He Ye found it hard not to care about these things.

She preferred spending weekends playing games or watching movies together when they were both free. Of course, it would be better if they didn’t kiss.

Morning tutoring started at 9 a.m., so He Ye wasn’t in a rush to leave and spent some time at home.

At 7:30 a.m., Lu Jin sent a message: [Shall I take you to the bus stop?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan replied: [Aren’t you going to work soon?]

Team leader: [We start at 9. You’ll get there on time if we drop you off.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Forget it. It’s your first day at work. I don’t want you to rush.]

Team leader: [Okay, see you tonight.]

He Ye: …

She admired Lu Jin’s energy. After a busy day of tutoring in the hot summer, she really wanted to relax in an air-conditioned room during her free time.

The morning tutoring ended at 11 a.m. He Ye rushed home, made a quick lunch, took a 30-minute nap, and then left for her afternoon student’s place.

When the afternoon session ended at 4 p.m., He Ye’s teaching for the day was done. Compared to her busy summer schedule, preparing lessons in the evening felt much easier.

After delivering dinner to her father in the evening, He Ye took a relaxing shower.

Afterward, she saw Lu Jin had finished work, so she asked if he had eaten.

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [I’ve eaten. Are your parents home?]

Team leader: [My dad’s back. I’m still on my way. I’ll come find you after dinner.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [It’s too hot outside. I don’t want to go out.]

Team leader: [Can I come to your place?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [No.]

Team leader: [Just open the door for me. I’ll take the elevator to the 14th floor and use the emergency stairs to wait for you on the 15th floor.]

Team leader: [No one will see us, and it’s cooler in the stairwell than outside.]

Reading his plan made He Ye feel like they were in a spy movie: [This is too much trouble, can’t we just meet on the weekend?]

Team leader: [I miss you. It would be so hard if I couldn’t see you.]

After hearing that, how could He Ye make him feel bad?

Even though it was awkward at times, He Ye had to admit that Lu Jin was a very good boyfriend. He had treated her well long before they started dating.

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Okay, but don’t come too early.]

Seven or eight o’clock in the evening was still peak time for people to come and go, so even meeting in the stairwell was a bit risky.

Team leader: [How about 8:30?]

He Ye agreed.

He Ye was alone in room 1503, and it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

When the intercom at the entrance suddenly rang, it startled He Ye, who was preparing lessons in the study.

Her family didn’t have many friends in the neighborhood, so they rarely used the intercom.

Guessing it was Lu Jin, He Ye quickly answered, stopping the abrupt ringing.

The intercom screen showed Lu Jin’s upper body, wearing a white short-sleeve shirt. His black hair was slightly wet, probably from just showering.

He smiled at the camera, then disappeared.

He Ye stood in the entrance, her heart pounding. She looked at the clock in the living room, which read 8:30 exactly.

She was nervous about being seen by her neighbors, though she wasn’t familiar with the two who lived on the same floor. Both she and her father left early and came home late, so they rarely interacted with them.

Since the building had more than ten floors and the elevator was reliable, nobody would take the stairs.

After mentally preparing herself, He Ye grabbed a garbage bag with only an empty yogurt container inside and quietly opened the door.

The hallway was silent, with no one in sight.

As she passed the elevator, she saw that it had stopped on the 14th floor.

Already?

Her nerves worsened as she made her way to the emergency stairs. The heavy door required some effort to push open.

When she looked up, she saw Lu Jin leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a round box of ice cream.

Lu Jin noticed the garbage bag in He Ye’s hand, clearly meant to cover up her intentions.

“Do you like it?” Lu Jin asked in a low voice, handing her the ice cream after the door closed.

He Ye glanced at the strawberry pattern on the box and nodded.

Lu Jin opened the seal for her and inserted a wooden spoon.

The garbage bag was set aside, and He Ye took the ice cream, scooping a small bite into her mouth. The half-melted ice cream was cold and sweet.

“Did you buy it at our supermarket?” she guessed.

Lu Jin: “I bought it on the way home at six, not just now.”

He Ye lowered her gaze.

That was fine, but if he had gone to buy it a few minutes earlier and then rushed to meet her, it would’ve been too bold.

“Why aren’t you eating? Or did you already have some?” she asked, taking another bite.

Lu Jin: “I don’t really like sweet things, including chocolate.”

He Ye: “…”

She suspected he was reminding her of the WeChat message from yesterday.

“How was your first day of the internship?” He Ye cleverly changed the topic.

Lu Jin smiled: “It was mostly orientation training today. It wasn’t hard. Tomorrow, I’ll get some tasks.” 

He Ye secretly observed Lu Jin and noticed that he didn’t seem sad at all. Maybe he was just very capable and could handle everything effortlessly.

The small ice cream box was quickly finished, and she tossed it into the garbage bag beside her.

The stairwell lights only turned on when there was noise, and since they were speaking softly, it had been dark for a while.

He Ye checked her phone. It was 8:40.

She asked Lu Jin, “What do you think of this?”

It seemed like they had nothing much to talk about.

Lu Jin didn’t respond. In the dim light of her phone, He Ye met his gaze.

Feeling nervous, she understood what Lu Jin wanted without him saying anything.

She froze.

Lu Jin stepped closer, took her hand, and gently put her phone in her pocket.

He Ye followed him as he turned, and she leaned against the wall as he moved forward.

Lu Jin lowered his head and cupped her face.

After eating ice cream, He Ye’s lips felt cool, making the kiss especially nice.

Though she was nervous and kept her teeth clenched, Lu Jin had a trick. He would kiss her neck to catch her off guard before kissing her lips again.

Initially, he used her height to his advantage, but soon he wrapped one arm around her waist, making her stand on tiptoe.

This brought their bodies closer together. He Ye felt embarrassed as Lu Jin held her tightly.

She pushed him away in protest.

Lu Jin released her waist but kissed her even deeper, repeating the action shortly after.

He Ye felt like she was burning up.

This was different from their earlier kiss under the rain, where the sound of rain filled the silence. Now, in the quiet stairwell, they could hear each other’s kisses.

All her embarrassment overwhelmed her. Despite pushing him away several times, she finally pinched his arm in frustration.

Lu Jin pulled back, breathing heavily above her.

He Ye squeezed between him and the wall but struggled to open the thick doors. Her movement turned on the lights.

In the next moment, Lu Jin pulled her back against the door and began kissing her again.

She didn’t want to make noise, which only encouraged him more.

But Lu Jin was cautious; he didn’t want to push too hard against the door in case someone opened it.

Instead, he moved her back to the wall.

The pressure made He Ye’s head hurt, and her nails dug into his arm.

Lu Jin paused, breathing warm air into her ear.

Feeling unhappy, He Ye said, “I don’t want to see you again.”

Lu Jin replied, “Okay, I’m sorry. I won’t see you tomorrow, alright?”

He Ye turned away, saying, “I don’t want to see you this week.”

Lu Jin countered, “You have class on Wednesday night. I’ll pick you up.”

He Ye remained angry: “You don’t have to.”

Lu Jin replied, “It’s too late. I won’t feel comfortable not picking you up. I promise I won’t even touch your hand that night.”

He Ye stayed silent.

She recalled her father’s worry about her Wednesday night class, but Lu Jin had reassured her he would be there as long as she wanted.

It was hard to complain about him, except that he was too demanding when it came to kissing.

Her softened heart made her tone less harsh, “I didn’t like what you did just now.”

If he was willing to change, she might agree to see him.

Lu Jin paused and squeezed her hand, saying, “But I like it. I thought about it all night. Couples do this; can you try to get used to it?”

His soft voice made it hard to say no.

But He Ye felt wronged: “I’m uncomfortable; my head hurts from you pushing against it.”

She felt trapped by his kisses.

Lu Jin immediately checked the back of her head, apologizing, “I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”

He gently rubbed the sore spot, easing her frustration.

While he did, He Ye looked at her phone and gasped. It was 9:50, and her father would close the store in ten minutes!

“You should go,” she urged, pushing his hand away in a panic.

Realizing he couldn’t stop her anymore, Lu Jin opened the staircase door and whispered, “See you Wednesday night?”

He Ye didn’t reply and hurried to the other side.

Lu Jin grabbed her hand, blocking the door, looking at her earnestly.

For a moment, He Ye felt confused. Could love change someone so much? She nearly forgot Lu Jin’s cold and distant demeanor.

She mumbled and quickly broke free from his grip.

After he closed the door, He Ye felt relieved and rushed to the bathroom to check her appearance.

Her hair was messy, and her lips looked particularly red.

Memories of Lu Jin kissing her flooded her mind, as if he couldn’t get enough.

He Ye shook her head and splashed water on her face.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed several times.

After wiping her face, she checked the messages.

Team leader: [I’m really sorry; I’ll change next time.]

Team leader: [Are you still angry?]

Team leader: [Next time I promise not to take more than fifteen minutes.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Five minutes at most!]

Team leader: [Ten minutes?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [No more kissing.]

Team Leader: [Okay, five minutes, not a second more.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [I won’t say any more. I still have to prepare for class. I wasted so much time.]

In the stairwell, Lu Jin leaned against the wall, thinking about the word “waste” for a full minute. He didn’t think it was a waste at all; in fact, he felt time passed too quickly. But he realized that his girlfriend’s experience might not be great. Maybe he was putting in too much effort or had a problem with his technique. Luckily, there are solutions.