Chapter 066

After breakfast, it was already ten o’clock in the morning. 

Lu Jin took away the dishes and went to the kitchen. 

He Ye returned to the master bedroom, rinsed her mouth quickly, and then walked to the lotus pot next to the floor-to-ceiling window. 

The floor was clean, so He Ye sat down to admire the leaves inside.

She loved lotus flowers because of their name, but she had never thought about growing one, as it requires water and mud, which is complicated.

Someone knocked on the door. 

He Ye turned her head and saw Lu Jin, then looked back at the green, round leaves.

Lu Jin came over, sat next to her, and hugged her in his arms. 

He Ye felt stiff with her back to him. 

Lu Jin said, “Just a hug; don’t think too much.” 

He Ye believed him for now and pointed inside the tank, asking, “When can it open?” 

Lu Jin replied, “At the end of June? It should bloom by your birthday.” 

He Ye asked, “What color?” 

Lu Jin said, “White.” 

While she imagined the flower, Lu Jin’s lips brushed her earlobe, and he added softly, “Like you.” 

He must have thought of something inappropriate to say that, and as soon as he spoke, his badness showed.

He Ye wanted to stand up immediately. 

Lu Jin held her down and said, “I didn’t intend to do anything.” 

He Ye didn’t believe it! 

After a few seconds, Lu Jin explained, “It’s a physiological reaction; it doesn’t obey my control.” 

He Ye said, “…Then control your hands and let me up.” 

Lu Jin smiled and let her go. 

He Ye quickly moved to the other side and sat facing the floor-to-ceiling window to watch the rainy river view.

Lu Jin continued to sit next to He Ye, deliberately keeping some distance to show he had no bad intentions. He Ye pretended not to notice him.

Seeing her staring outside, Lu Jin suggested, “Let’s go for a walk by the river?”

Although He Ye initially thought to refuse due to the rain and dropping temperature, she remembered that they had done the same thing the previous night. She figured it wouldn’t be much different from completely lifting the restrictions they had set for themselves, so she nodded.

They both put on warm coats, and as they went out, Lu Jin grabbed a black umbrella from the entrance cabinet. 

In the elevator, they held hands, and as soon as they stepped outside, Lu Jin wrapped his arms around He Ye. Raindrops hit the umbrella, splashing water on the ground.

Noticing her white shoes, Lu Jin asked, “Are these rainproof?”

He Ye nodded.

After exiting the north gate of the community, they walked a bit east to reach the sidewalk leading to the river across the road. Standing on the sidewalk, looking at the red light ahead, He Ye peeked up from Lu Jin’s arms. 

He noticed her looking and lowered his gaze first. When she quickly looked down again, as if embarrassed, Lu Jin smiled and asked, “Are you just trying to see me, or do you have something to say?”

He Ye snorted, “I just remembered the first time you asked me out alone, and it was also in this weather.”

Lu Jin replied, “You remembered it wrong.”

He Ye looked up in disbelief, “You can’t say it didn’t rain that day!”

Could it be that he didn’t even remember?

Lu Jin looked at her and clarified, “A chilly late spring day at 7 or 8 degrees Celsius and a hot summer day at 36 or 37 degrees Celsius aren’t similar weather.”

He Ye: “…”

She glared at him, emphasizing the rain and ignoring the temperature comparison.

The red light turned green, and they crossed the road, huddled under one umbrella. 

By the river, there was a guardrail, but it was wet from the rain, so they couldn’t lean against it. The only thing He Ye could lean on was Lu Jin’s shoulder.

After a few minutes of silently watching the rain, He Ye suddenly felt foolish standing there. 

“Is there somewhere to sit?” she asked, looking around.

Lu Jin, who often jogged here, explained, “There are only open-air chairs, and none are available right now.”

He Ye replied, “So we just stand here?”

Lu Jin pointed to a shopping mall about a kilometer away and said, “I’ve been cooking at your place lately. My refrigerator is empty. Should I go buy some food for the next two days?”

He Ye agreed, “Okay.”

Lu Jin asked, “Should we walk over there, or go back and drive?”

One kilometer didn’t seem far, especially along the riverside, so He Ye chose to walk.

The mall’s ground floor housed a supermarket.

Lu Jin already had meat at home, so today he only needed fresh vegetables and a sea bass ^[1]is a type of fish with mild flavor and tender meat. that He Ye liked. He also planned to buy some fruit.

After finishing their shopping, Lu Jin pushed the cart while He Ye walked beside him to the cashier. 

The bad weather meant there weren’t many customers, so Lu Jin led her to a queue with only two people ahead.

When it was their turn, He Ye stood behind Lu Jin, watching him take items out of the cart one by one and place them on the silver-gray checkout counter.

After placing the last item down, Lu Jin noticed a small shelf next to him and looked back. 

He Ye: “…”

Though her father owned a small supermarket, she knew what product had caught Lu Jin’s attention without checking.

Feeling embarrassed, He Ye walked past Lu Jin to grab the umbrellas they had left at the supermarket entrance.

Two minutes later, Lu Jin approached with a shopping bag, his tall figure and calm demeanor giving off a cold vibe.

This demeanor could be misleading. He Ye knew from six years ago that he could be more daring when no one was around.

She avoided his gaze and glanced at the shopping bag. It was mostly filled with packaged vegetables, so she couldn’t see what else was inside.

Maybe he was just looking and didn’t buy anything?

The incident at the hotel that day still lingered in her mind, including how he hadn’t tried to touch her pajamas last night.

He had prepared for that year, and 18-year-old He Ye had been frightened.

Now, he seemed to be cautious, possibly not buying anything out of fear.

“Let’s go,” Lu Jin said, taking her hand.

He Ye lowered her head slightly and didn’t move.

Lu Jin waited for the two customers behind them to pass, then whispered, “Don’t worry, I didn’t buy anything.”

He Ye’s ears turned red, but she still refused to move away from him.

Lu Jin said, “…I bought it, don’t worry?”

He Ye: “…”

She felt like she might explode. She pulled her hand away and started walking quickly, even taking the escalator without looking back. Once outside, she opened the large black umbrella and stepped into the rain, standing three meters away with her back to the door, letting the cold wind cool her flushed face.

She turned around only when she felt she could hide her embarrassment.

Lu Jin stood opposite her, calmly looking at her with dark eyes.

For a moment, He Ye was almost convinced by his calm demeanor and wondered if he really hadn’t bought anything and was just teasing her.

The confusion between what was real and what wasn’t made her feel uneasy.

Suddenly, Lu Jin pointed toward the roadside.

He Ye turned her head and saw an online-hailing car pulling up in the rain.

Lu Jin said, “I just called.”

He Ye moved to hold the umbrella over him and asked, confused, “It’s so close; shouldn’t we walk back?”

Lu Jin held her with one hand while balancing the umbrella and shopping bag with the other, explaining, “It’s too slow.”

He Ye: “…”

She thinks He Ye is complaining about the slow pace. Is he in a hurry to make lunch or do something else?

Despite that, she got into the online car-hailing vehicle.

The driver had a serious expression. After confirming Lu Jin’s phone number, he drove silently and took them to the community gate.

Lu Jin got out first, holding an umbrella to shield He Ye from the rain as she exited.

After the car left, He Ye stood on the roadside. To her left was her boyfriend’s apartment, and across the road was her own.

She gazed around.

Lu Jin watched her and waited quietly.

He Ye looked back and forth a couple of times before taking his arm.

This time, Lu Jin stood still.

He Ye looked up.

Lu Jin’s eyes were dark and serious. Worried she might hesitate, he said, “I really bought it.”

He Ye bit her lip. The damp and cold wind swirled around, taking away her warmth.

She let go of his arm and walked ahead.

Lu Jin quickly followed, holding the umbrella over her to keep her dry.

He Ye headed toward Wangchao Mansion.

As they reached the entrance, Lu Jin suddenly stopped in front of her.

He Ye turned away, her flushed face showing her irritation.

Lu Jin handed her a shopping bag.

He Ye was confused.

Lu Jin said, “Hold it; I’ll carry you.”

He Ye looked away: “It’s such a short distance. Why should I ride on your back?”

Lu Jin replied, “Too slow.”

He Ye: “…”

In the end, she climbed onto her boyfriend’s back, holding the shopping bag in one hand and the umbrella in the other.

He didn’t run but walked quickly, splashing water with every step.

He Ye felt breathless, her heart racing.

Once in the elevator, Lu Jin didn’t set her down. Even after they got inside, he carried her to the kitchen and placed the shopping bag on the counter. Then he took her to the bathroom, where the wet umbrella hung in the shower.

He then carried her to the master bedroom, turned on the light, and locked the door.

He Ye, worried he was too eager, said nervously, “I’m going to take a shower.”

Lu Jin placed her in the master bathroom.

She weakly closed the door.

Lu Jin drew the curtains, then leaned against the door, gazing toward the bathroom.

When He Ye came out of the shower, she was startled to see him. Annoyed, her cheeks red, she complained softly, “Is it really that urgent?”

Lu Jin’s eyes roamed over her face and neck.

Feeling embarrassed, He Ye quickly retreated.

After showering, Lu Jin emerged and turned the light back on.

He Ye peeked out, ready to protest, but when she saw he was only in pants, she quickly hid again.

Lu Jin sat on the bed and lifted the quilt.

He Ye squeezed her eyes shut.

Lu Jin leaned over her, watching for a long time.

Feeling his gaze, He Ye awkwardly said, “Turn off the lights.”

Lu Jin wanted to keep looking at her but respected her wishes and turned off the lights.

The darkness made her relax a bit.

But Lu Jin made her nervous again, like a small leaf in a pond, round, green, and tender, targeted by a big fish that loves to eat leaves.

Lu Jin wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed her face and ears softly.

“Are you scared?”

He Ye couldn’t respond. She knew girls were often taught that the first time is always difficult.

Lu Jin understood her anxiety but had his own view.

“I don’t see this as possessing you.”

“Instead, it’s you taking me in.”

“He Ye, let me belong to you.”

He should have been hers six years ago.