Chapter 042

Feng Qiuyu might have doubted He Ye’s claim of “unfamiliarity,” but since there hadn’t been any communication between Lu Jin and He Ye outside of work in the past two days, she fully believed her. 

With the Chinese New Year approaching and Sunday being a day off, He Ye decided to return home to Xiaofeng Yaju on Friday evening. 

He Yong and Wu Li, a couple, had finished their meal around five o’clock, allowing them to focus on customers. 

He Ye returned home with some food ingredients, cooked a dish, and made chicken soup. After seven o’clock, she went to the fruit store with the thermos. 

Wu Li said, “You’re tired from work; why do this? I would have cooked if I had known.” 

He Ye, standing behind the cashier, carefully scooped two bowls of soup and replied with a smile, “My job is fine; it’s not that tiring.” 

He Yong said, “I heard high-tech companies have employees working 996 hours. Many young people here leave after 9 PM.” 

He Ye responded, “It’s manageable in R&D. Auntie, come and have a drink. I’ll go watch outside.” 

Wu Li found an apron and tried to help He Ye put it on. 

An old customer entered and, seeing this, exclaimed, “Is this your new waiter? She’s so pretty.” 

Wu Li smiled, saying, “She’s not a waiter; she’s my daughter…” 

Before finishing, Wu Li’s expression changed slightly, and she looked at He Ye with concern. 

That worried look made He Ye’s heart ache, so she called out, “Mom, I can do it myself.” 

Wu Li turned away, her eyes red. 

He Ye exchanged glances with her father, tied her apron, and began serving customers. She also handled checkout but had to confirm some fruit prices with her parents. 

After the customers left, He Ye picked up a broom and started cleaning in front of the store. 

Before she could finish sweeping, Wu Li, who quickly finished her soup, took the broom from her and insisted she stay inside. 

He Ye returned to the cashier, chatting with her father. 

Then, a new customer walked in. 

He Ye looked up and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Lu Jin. He had a woman in a brown coat with him. 

The woman had her hair tied up simply, showing a fair, calm face, like a tranquil lake in a quiet forest. Her demeanor was refined, yet low-key and gentle. 

She looked at the fruits around her without purpose. 

Lu Jin met He Yong’s surprised gaze and smiled, saying, “Uncle, long time no see.” 

The woman paused, turning to the cashier. 

Lu Jin introduced his mother, saying, “This is my mom. I came with her to buy fruit.” 

He Ye was taken aback. 

Lu Jin looked at her and said, “This is He Ye, my high school classmate. Uncle He used to run a supermarket, and I often came here.” 

The surprise in Lin Yun’s eyes turned into a smile. The distance created by her delicate features melted away as she walked to the counter and said to He Yong, “I remember Xiang Ming came to our house looking for Xiao Lu and mentioned a female classmate in the community. Unfortunately, boys and girls don’t usually socialize, so we didn’t have a chance to meet.”

He Yong smiled and said, “It’s fine. The three of them know each other well. Besides walking home from school together, Xiaoye went to your house to check the results of the college entrance exam that year. But you were either working overtime or on a business trip, so she didn’t see you.”

Lin Yun looked at her son and asked, “Do they really walk home together after school? Well, your father and I are often out together, and Xiao Lu doesn’t talk to us about these things. It’s harder for us to connect with our sons than with our daughters. He Ye, right? She has a nice name and is very pretty.”

He Ye wanted to accept the compliment from her ex-boyfriend’s mother, but thinking about Lu Jin saying he would introduce her to his parents made her feel uneasy.

Feeling shy and flustered, she avoided eye contact and her face turned red. He Yong noticed and said to Lin Yun with a smile, “Our Xiao Ye is shy. She’s already graduated from graduate school but still blushes when adults praise her. When I asked Xiao Lu and Xiao Zhou to accompany her to evening study sessions, she felt awkward and thought I was bothering her classmates.”

Lin Yun asked, “Where did Xiao Ye get her master’s degree?”

He Yong replied, “Shanghai Jiaotong University. I was just a few points short of getting into Tsinghua University like Xiao Lu.”

Lin Yun added, “Shanghai Jiaotong University is impressive too. Uncle Xiao Lu graduated from there, and he and Xiao Ye are both alumni.”

Soon, Wu Li joined the conversation.

Lu Jin said, “You guys chat; I’ll go pick some fruit.”

Once he left, He Ye felt a bit more relaxed and checked the accounts while listening to the adults brag about their businesses.

“I’ve heard Mr. He talk about your Xiao Lu for a long time, but today when I saw him, I realized how handsome he is.”

“It’s fine for others to say that. Your Xiao Ye is beautiful; how can Xiao Lu compete?”

“There’s still a gap compared to Xiao Lu; he’s from Tsinghua!”

“Forget it. He has good grades but isn’t great at socializing. He has only a few close male classmates and has never had a girlfriend. Now that he’s graduated, there are few female colleagues for him, so he’ll need help from relatives to meet someone.”

“Our Xiao Ye is the same. While in school, she worked part-time in addition to studying…”

This topic made He Ye a bit uncomfortable, and she shot Wu Li a pleading look.

Wu Li laughed, “Okay, okay, let’s change the subject. They’re still young; there’s no rush.”

He Ye sighed in relief.

Lu Jin returned with some fruit.

He Yong was very enthusiastic: “Xiao Ye, as usual, give Lu Jin and the others the purchase price.”

He Ye smiled and nodded.

Lin Yun stopped her, saying, “How can this be so embarrassing…”

Wu Li insisted on accepting the polite offer. After some back and forth, Lu Jin finally took the fruit.

Once the mother and son left, Wu Li excitedly winked at He Ye: “I think Xiao Lu’s mother really likes you. She was praising you and even mentioned that her son has never had a girlfriend.”

He Yong, usually indifferent, said, “Really? It sounded like just normal chit-chat to me.”

Wu Li looked at He Ye with a knowing expression.

He Ye replied, “Dad and I think the same. You’re just eager to marry me off, and everyone seems interested.”

To avoid this topic, He Ye quickly went to arrange the fruit.

In the community, Lin Yun adjusted her scarf and laughed at her son: “You insisted on dragging me out to buy fruit at night. Is it because of He Ye? Isn’t she the one who broke up with you?”

Lu Jin only answered the first question: “It’s just a coincidence.”

Lin Yun joked, “Such a sweet girl—what did you do to make her break up with you?”

Lu Jin remained silent.

Not wanting to press him, Lin Yun patted his arm sympathetically and said, “She graduated and returned, and you followed her back. It’s clear you still miss her. Don’t worry, Mom will help you.”

Honestly, Lin Yun hadn’t taken her son’s teenage crush seriously. She thought boys would move on quickly, but she didn’t expect her son to become so distant after their breakup.

Before he fell in love, Lu Jin was already mature for his age. He ignored the things his peers liked and seemed out of place.

During the relationship, he became more lively and went out on dates with a backpack, returning home happy.

After the breakup, he lost interest in everything. He would sit there, seemingly in another world, only smiling at his grandparents.

Because of this, Lin Yun had always been curious about what kind of girl could affect her son this much.

After seeing He Ye tonight, Lin Yun finally understood what had troubled her for six years.

It was surprising; He Ye seemed so well-behaved, yet her confident son had thought about her for years but had never approached her.

It showed that love could change everything.

He Ye got home around eight o’clock.

As she lay on the bed browsing the web, she suddenly received a message from Lu Jin.

Team leader: [Did I cause you any trouble tonight? I didn’t know you were in the store.]

He Ye: [No, I just heard my dad and his friends praising me in front of my aunt, which was quite embarrassing.]

Team leader: [You are already excellent.]

He Ye: [Auntie looks very young, pretty, and elegant.]

Team leader: [She praised you to me; you might want to prepare yourself mentally.]

He Ye: [Prepare for what?]

Team leader: [She might come to the store to get close to Uncle He and Aunt Wu and try to bring us together.]

He Ye: [No way?]

Team leader: [Don’t underestimate how much my family wants me to get married.]

He Ye thought of her own family. Her father was carefree and not in a hurry, but Wu Li and her grandmother were already ready to introduce her to someone. Tonight, Wu Li showed great interest in Lu Jin.

Wu Li felt satisfied that Lu Jin and He Ye could understand each other, but she found it strange that Lu Jin’s mother had formed such opinions after just one meeting.

Team Leader: [One more thing to add, she guessed our previous relationship.]

He Ye: […We only met once!]

Team Leader: [It is said that when my dad pretended to sit near my mom in the library for the second time, my mom saw through him and wrote a note to my dad before leaving.]

He Ye was curious: [What did Auntie write?]

Team Leader: [‘Come early tomorrow and help me get a good seat, thank you.’]

He Ye suddenly felt a sweetness at this.

Team Leader: [Uncle He said too much, and you weren’t natural enough. Even though I denied it, she still insisted on her own judgment.]

He Ye: [Then just say that it’s been so long since we broke up and you’ve let it go a long time ago. Explain clearly, and I won’t force you.]

Team Leader: [I told you that you can’t accept me again, but she insisted on trying. She is very stubborn.]

He Ye was stunned when she saw the new message pop up.

She asked Lu Jin to convince Aunt Lin from his perspective, but Lu Jin put the reason for not getting back together on her.

Could she accept Lu Jin again?

He Ye had never thought about this because there was no need, and Lu Jin had no intention of pursuing her again.

The chat screen scrolled up.

Team Leader: [In short, my mom will contact Uncle He and Aunt Wu at most. If Uncle He and Aunt Wu are interested and ask you what you think, just firmly refuse.]

He Ye bit her lip: [This is too troublesome. Can’t you be more resolute and stop Auntie from the source?]

Lu Jin: [Sorry, I may not be as firm as you in refusing to get back together.]