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Chapter 060
What happened in the hotel years ago was mostly in the past for He Ye.
She understood that Lu Jin wasn’t a bad person at heart.
He really liked her; he helped her a lot during her exam preparations and didn’t distract her at all.
He happily accompanied her on a crowded bus in the heat and waited alone for two hours while she tutored.
He continued to help her with programming at night after a long day at his internship, and picked her up on a rainy night.
These were his ways of caring for her, and all those innocent acts showed he was just an eager eighteen-year-old boyfriend.
After the reunion, Lu Jin joked, “I’ll never dare to think about you again.”
But it wasn’t until today that He Ye realized Lu Jin hadn’t moved on.
He had asked Zhou Xiangming to come to her graduation ceremony so she wouldn’t suspect anything.
He Ye turned to hug his waist and looked up at him: “It’s okay. I didn’t blame you then, I meant it.”
Because Lu Jin’s presence was so strong, He Ye rarely looked him in the eye.
Even now, she still found it hard but didn’t shy away anymore.
She wanted Lu Jin to know she truly forgave him, and he didn’t need to feel guilty for what happened six years ago.
Lu Jin gazed at his girlfriend in his arms.
The river was dark, and the cruise cabin behind them lit up her face. The light and shadows danced, including his own.
Lu Jin gently touched the corner of her eyes: “You’re afraid of crying.”
At eighteen, he had imagined her crying in bed but never thought she would be scared to tears because of him.
Lu Jin was praised for his good grades and behavior by neighbors, teachers, and classmates’ parents.
He always prided himself on being good, but he never imagined the first person he hurt would be the one he wanted to cherish.
He Ye held his hand down and whispered, “I cried today too.”
Being moved to tears by the surprise visit from two good friends seemed unrelated to Lu Jin, but if he hadn’t invited Zhou Xiangming, they wouldn’t have shown up.
Lu Jin moved his hand, wanting to say something more.
He Ye spoke first: “Okay, let’s not talk about the past anymore.”
Lu Jin watched as the wind gently blew through He Ye’s hair.
“Let’s not talk about it anymore,” he said.
It was already past nine o’clock when they got off the cruise ship. Tomorrow was a workday. Except for Zhou Xiangming, who worked at his own company and had a flexible schedule, the other three needed to go to work.
Zhou Xiangming asked, “Do you want to head back now or stay here tonight and leave early tomorrow?”
Zhu Qing had arrived in Lu Jin’s car and looked at him, seeking his input.
Lu Jin replied, “It’s fine either way. If you stay at the hotel, you can share a room with He Ye and check out at five tomorrow morning.”
Once it was clear he didn’t plan to share a room with He Ye, Zhu Qing quickly said, “Let’s go back. It’ll probably be around eleven when we get home. We should get some good sleep.”
Zhou Xiangming shot her a knowing look.
Zhu Qing didn’t respond. She figured Lu Jin had already paid for the hotel room, and she felt uncomfortable spending her best friend’s boyfriend’s money. Staying at a hotel in Shanghai wouldn’t be cheap, so it was better to go home and avoid complications.
He Ye agreed with Zhu Qing. Regardless of money, staying over raised concerns about potential traffic jams and being late for work.
“Alright, let’s go,” Lu Jin said.
Zhou Xiangming, who felt ignored, muttered, “…”
They walked to the nearby parking lot where the car was parked.
Knowing that Zhu Qing and Zhou Xiangming were still feeling awkward around each other, He Ye said, “I’ll sit in the back with you.”
Zhou Xiangming insisted, “No, it’s a two-hour drive. I need to sleep in the back so I won’t distract Lu Jin.”
He Ye thought, “…”
She wasn’t sure if he was being serious or just making excuses.
Zhu Qing chimed in, “Forget it. Just go with your college buddy.”
Zhu Qing got into the car first, and Zhou Xiangming quickly followed, even giving He Ye a proud wink.
He Ye thought, “Well, he does look pretty handsome when he does that.”
Lu Jin looked at her and asked, “Or should the three of you squeeze together in the back?”
He Ye smiled and went to the front passenger seat instead.
The car started and drove away from the busy city.
The highway was busy with traffic at night, and Lu Jin was driving.
Zhu Qing chatted with He Ye for a bit, but Zhou Xiangming kept interrupting. Frustrated, Zhu Qing took out her headphones, turned around, and faced Zhou Xiangming with the back of her head.
Zhou Xiangming snorted and turned away.
After a while, He Ye focused on the road conditions, feeling a little nervous as it was her first time on the highway at night.
Noticing her nerves, Lu Jin said, “You can sleep for a while. It won’t bother me.”
Zhou Xiangming, pretending to sleep, sarcastically added, “Yeah, he’s been a veteran driver for years.”
He Ye smiled and replied, “I’m not sleepy.”
She pulled out her phone to go through the photos they had taken that day, keeping the good ones and deleting the rest.
There was a long silence in the car.
Suddenly, Lu Jin touched her arm.
He Ye looked over, and Lu Jin pointed to the back seat.
Turning her head, He Ye saw that Zhu Qing had fallen asleep with her head on Zhou Xiangming’s shoulder. It was clear that Zhou Xiangming had leaned over to let her use him as a pillow.
Zhou Xiangming was trying to remove an earplug from Zhu Qing’s other ear when he noticed He Ye watching. He joked, “You’re like a pig, falling asleep anywhere.”
He Ye frowned. “You know, that kind of joke can be hurtful.”
Zhou Xiangming replied, “What? We’ve always joked like that. She often hurts me too.”
He Ye said, “Still, I don’t believe Zhu Qing really doesn’t mind at all.”
Zhou Xiangming fell silent.
He Ye pulled out her phone again.
Zhou Xiangming asked, “What are you doing?”
He Ye smiled and pressed record. “You didn’t take a group photo today, so I’ll take one for you. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it to myself.”
Zhou Xiangming protested, “No filming!”
He Ye replied, “You can lean back.”
Zhou Xiangming gritted his teeth but ultimately didn’t push Zhu Qing away.
At 11 o’clock that night, the Panamera exited the highway and entered Ancheng.
Zhou Xiangming woke Zhu Qing and said to Lu Jin, “Please drop us off on the side of the road. We’ll take a taxi back.”
Zhu Qing lived in a completely different direction from He Ye and Lu Jin. Driving them home would take Lu Jin on a long detour.
Lu Jin asked, “One taxi for each of you?”
Zhu Qing said, “Yes.”
Zhou Xiangming added, “That’s not possible.”
They both replied at the same time, then started arguing about how many taxis to get.
Lu Jin cut in, “It’s too late. Zhou Xiangming can take a taxi himself, and we’ll take Zhu Qing home.”
Zhou Xiangming glared at Zhu Qing. “How can you let him take a detour in the middle of the night?”
Feeling embarrassed, Zhu Qing agreed to take a taxi with Zhou Xiangming.
Lu Jin parked on the side of the road, waited for them to get out, then drove away.
He Ye turned around, looked at her friends waiting for a taxi at a distance, sighed, and then sent a photo to Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing replied: [……]
He Ye: [If he doesn’t like you, I’ll take your last name from now on.]
Zhu Qing: [Zhu Ye doesn’t sound good. How about Juliet? P.S. This is the second time I’ve received a red card warning; I still have one last chance.]
He Ye: […Let me know when you get home.]
Zhu Qing: [I’m afraid if I tell you, you won’t have time to talk to me.]
This message was packed with meaning. He Ye put her phone in her bag, tilted her head, and closed her eyes to rest.
Half an hour later, the Panamera drove into the underground garage of Dangui Jiayuan.
As usual, Lu Jin walked He Ye upstairs.
After He Ye opened the door, Lu Jin paused outside, not intending to come in.
Feeling sorry for him after driving for more than two hours, He Ye held the door open and invited him, “It’s late. Sleep here with me. I prepared pajamas for grandpa and grandma, but they haven’t used them yet.”
Lu Jin hesitated: “Will he mind if I wear it?”
He Ye replied, “My grandfather isn’t that particular. Just wash it tomorrow.”
Lu Jin said, “Okay, I won’t be polite then.”
He Ye let him in, turned on the light in the living room, and thought for a moment. She decided there was nothing special to explain: “Towels, bath towels, toothbrushes, cups, and toothbrushes are all in the closet in the second bedroom. You can look for them yourself. I’m going to… my room.”
She wanted to say she was taking a shower, but she felt that “taking a shower” was a bit ambiguous at this late hour.
Her boyfriend said, “Well, go to bed early.”
He Ye left him and went to the master bedroom.
After taking out her pajamas, she locked the bathroom door in the master bedroom.
After showering, washing her hair, and blow-drying it, it was already past midnight when she finished.
She felt sleepy and thirsty but noticed there was no bottled water in the room.
He Ye carefully walked to the door, slowly turned the handle, and quietly opened it a crack.
The door to the second bedroom was closed, and the corridor and living room were pitch black, with no sound coming from the public bathroom.
Is he asleep yet?
His hair is so short that it dries much faster than hers.
After making sure Lu Jin wasn’t outside, He Ye quietly slipped out, using her phone screen for light and holding a mug in her other hand.
As she passed the public bathroom, she thought she heard the sound of hair being brushed inside.
Her heart raced, and she decided to hurry.
She walked quickly to the water dispenser, filled her cup, and was about to turn back when the door to the public bathroom opened.
He Ye froze, hoping Lu Jin wouldn’t notice her.
But Lu Jin was focused on his clothes, which he had just washed, intending to hang them on the balcony.
He turned off the bathroom light first and then turned on the living room light.
The lights came on, revealing He Ye standing like a statue in front of the water dispenser.
With her only wearing pajamas, she felt her face heat up. To her surprise, Lu Jin’s face was also slightly red.
This wasn’t just from the hot water; it seemed more awkward.
The next moment, He Ye’s gaze fell on Lu Jin.
He was wearing a blue plaid set of old men’s pajamas from the second bedroom.
With a “click,” Lu Jin turned off the light again.
The darkness helped hide their embarrassment.
He Ye broke the silence: “Are you going to hang up the clothes? I’ll go back to my room.”
Lu Jin agreed and walked forward.
He Ye raised her foot to leave but hesitated when she heard her boyfriend’s footsteps coming toward her, followed by the sound of clothes dropping onto the coffee table.
She ran forward in a panic.
Lu Jin caught up with her and hugged her waist from behind.
He Ye exclaimed, “Don’t spill my water!”
Lu Jin pushed her against the wall, trying to grab her mug.
He Ye protested, “I’m really thirsty!”
Lu Jin replied, “…Drink it, I can wait.”
He stepped back, appearing genuinely patient.
He Ye leaned against the wall, holding the mug with both hands, sipping while considering her chances of sneaking away.
Suddenly, Lu Jin raised his hand and unbuttoned his pajamas one by one.
He Ye asked, “…what are you doing?”
Lu Jin said, “It’s too ugly and uncomfortable to wear.”
As he spoke, he took off the old pajamas and hung them on the door handle of the second bedroom.
He Ye was just relieved it was dark, so she couldn’t see clearly.
“Haven’t you finished drinking yet?” Lu Jin leaned over again, his warm chest brushing against her fingers holding the mug.
He Ye shivered.
Lu Jin took her mug, placed it at his feet, and when he stood up again, he took her soft hand and placed it on his shoulder.
“Hold on.”
***
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Vyl[Translator]
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