Chapter 068

He Ye was awakened by her ringing phone.

The room was dark, with some light coming through the curtains.

The cell phone was on the bedside table. She picked it up and saw “Team Leader” on the screen. The time was exactly “6:00.”

He Ye lay back on the pillow, tucked herself into the duvet, and answered the call.

She closed her eyes sleepily, and her soft breathing could be heard on the other end of the line.

Lu Jin: “Not awake yet?”

He Ye: “It’s only six o’clock. I usually get up at seven.”

Lu Jin: “But you went to bed at eight last night, so you’ve slept for ten hours.”

When he mentioned last night, He Ye became more awake.

Yesterday was Sunday.

She ran home in the morning to catch up on sleep and slept until seven in the evening. Then Lu Jin brought her dinner, and they ate together.

She noticed that Lu Jin still wanted more, so she locked herself in the master bedroom after eating.

Lu Jin didn’t leave, and He Ye didn’t care; she got into bed and quickly fell asleep again… she was really tired.

At that moment, Lu Jin was at her house, calling He Ye.

He Ye: “Did you get up?”

Lu Jin: “I’ve finished my shower.”

Just then, He Ye heard three knocks on her phone and at the door at the same time.

It felt like her boyfriend’s fingers were tapping on her heart, making her feel excited and nervous.

Her face was getting warm, and she covered her forehead, acting a bit silly: “Why are you up so early?”

Lu Jin’s voice came clearly through the phone: “I miss you. I woke up at five o’clock and have been thinking about you for an hour.”

He Ye’s phone slipped from her hands and landed on the pillow.

She turned to the side, nervous, but the call was still going, and she didn’t hang up.

Lu Jin made her feel both sweet and helpless: “What is there to miss? We’ve been together for the past two days and will see each other at work.”

Lu Jin: “The office can’t have you like this.”

He Ye: “…”

Was he trying to make her nervous?

Just that made her breathless. She wanted to blame him, but she couldn’t speak because anything she said would show her weakness.

Lu Jin: “Open the door.”

He Ye: “…No.”

Lu Jin: “I have to go to work. If I start late, I might be late today too.”

He Ye’s face was hot: “…Why are you acting like this? You didn’t used to be this way; you went to work normally.”

Lu Jin: “I was afraid of scaring you before.”

He Ye: “Now you scare me too.”

Lu Jin: “I held back last night and didn’t disturb your rest.”

He Ye hung up the phone because she couldn’t take hearing Lu Jin say such things in that serious tone anymore.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like it, but the impact was too strong.

She sent him a message: [Seriously, are you just doing this now, or will you keep doing this in the future?]

The word “scared” was a joke, but if Lu Jin answered her honestly, He Ye might really become afraid of him.

Team leader: [You’ve been dieting for too long. You’ll feel cravings when you first start eating again. You should be able to manage a healthier routine later.] 

He Ye was about to look up what “healthier routine” meant when her boyfriend messaged her again.

Team leader: [Of course, I also need to think about how you feel. If you’re not ready or simply don’t want to, I will respect your choice.]

Team leader: [Still not feeling well?]

He Ye blinked and realized how true that was.

Ignoring him for now, He Ye went to shower and brush her teeth.

After she came out of the bathroom, she looked at the door and unlocked it.

The “click” sound was very clear in the quiet room.

While wondering if Lu Jin heard it and if she should open the door or text him, the door handle suddenly turned.

He just turned the handle, not pushing it open immediately, and politely said, “I’m in?”

He Ye couldn’t answer him.

She wanted to hide back in bed, but there was no time. Rather than being caught hiding, she would rather wait for him to hold her.

He Ye took two steps back.

Lu Jin entered and saw her quietly leaning against the wall in the dim light.

He closed the door, walked over, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close.

Both were wearing pajamas. He Ye stood on her tiptoes to hug his neck, making it easier for Lu Jin to hold her.

“Will you hate me for doing this?” Lu Jin asked, lifting her chin with one hand.

He Ye: “If I hated it, would you change?”

Lu Jin: “Yes, until you like it.”

He Ye understood: “It will end up like this anyway.”

Lu Jin: “What about you? Do you still hate it?”

He knew that eighteen-year-old He Ye probably didn’t like it. She liked him a little but wasn’t keen on this kind of intimacy. She usually agreed out of pity after he convinced her.

Eighteen-year-old Lu Jin enjoyed his girlfriend’s kindness.

Twenty-four-year-old Lu Jin wanted his girlfriend to like him just as much.

He Ye didn’t answer; she just rested her head against his shoulder and hugged him tightly.

Lu Jin felt it wasn’t enough.

Ten minutes later, he carried her to bed.

He wasn’t afraid to show his feelings, including this one.

“Hold me tight,” Lu Jin clearly requested. Of course, it was up to her. If she didn’t want to cooperate, he wouldn’t mind.

He Ye whispered, “I’m already holding you tight.”

If she squeezed harder, she might choke him.

Lu Jin: “Have you ever seen a koala? The kind that uses both hands and feet to hold on.”

He Ye: “…”

So this is what he thought about when he saw koalas?

She didn’t want to listen and kept hugging his neck.

Lu Jin: “You have long legs, so it shouldn’t be hard.”

He Ye: “…Stop talking.”

Can’t she just hug him?

At eight o’clock, the Panamera slowly drove out of the underground garage of Dangui Jiayuan.

He Ye sat in the back seat, tilting her head to look out the window.

The rain was much lighter than on the weekend, and the temperature had risen a bit, but it was still chilly.

Even though he got up at six, He Ye wasn’t sleepy at all because she had slept well yesterday. In fact, she felt refreshed.

After looking at the road for a bit, she sneaked a glance at the rearview mirror.

The narrow mirror showed Lu Jin’s eyes.

Before he noticed, He Ye quickly looked away and continued to stare out the window.

The traffic light turned red, so Lu Jin stopped the car. He glanced in the mirror and saw He Ye leaning quietly against the back of her seat.

Her face was still slightly red, and it was hard to tell if it was from earlier or if she was remembering their time together at home.

Arriving at the company, Lu Jin parked the car.

He Ye felt a bit lazy. For example, after doing Pilates for an hour in the morning, she should have walked around right after, but if she sat still in the car for more than ten minutes, her muscles would feel weak.

She unbuckled her seat belt, picked up her handbag, and was about to open the door when Lu Jin opened it for her from the outside.

He Ye looked down and got out of the car.

She stepped out with her left foot and tried to push off, but halfway through, her legs felt weak, and she fell back into the seat.

He Ye: “…”

Lu Jin leaned over and said, “Let me help you.”

He Ye glared at him, feeling frustrated. Although her legs were longer than a koala’s, she didn’t have the strength of one!

In public, He Ye pushed her boyfriend away. She just wasn’t ready. After a moment of calm, she got out of the car on her own.

Lu Jin walked beside her and suggested, “You could go hiking once a week or run by the river, either in the morning or evening.”

He Ye glared at him.

Lu Jin: “I’m just thinking about fitness.”

He Ye: “I just like staying at home.”

Lu Jin: “That’s fine. Your energy use these past two days is about the same as a gymnast’s.”

He Ye: “…From now until work is over, don’t talk to me unless it’s about work.”

Lu Jin smiled.

There were two elevators. He Ye left her boyfriend and took one by herself. When she reached the cafeteria on the fourth floor, she signaled for Lu Jin to stay away from her table.

“Hey, why isn’t the team leader sitting with He Ye today? Did they have a fight?” Brother Qiang asked as he sat down with his tray, facing away from He Ye.

He Ye shot a warning glance at her boyfriend.

Lu Jin replied, “I accidentally dropped her phone.”

Brother Qiang laughed: “That’s right. Last time during the Chinese New Year, I broke my mom’s old phone and got scolded.”

He Ye focused on eating.

Lu Jin would need to work overtime in the evening, likely busy until after eight.

In the evening, he sent a message to He Ye in advance: [Let’s have dinner together at the cafeteria? I’ll take you home after dinner and come back later.]

He Ye: [It’s too much trouble. It’s easier for me to take the subway or a taxi.]

Team leader: [It’s more convenient than me sending you.]

Employees working overtime also get some rest after dinner, so Lu Jin could easily take her home.

He Ye: [Okay.]

At six-thirty, Lu Jin parked in her community’s parking lot.

He Ye opened the door and got out. When she was about to close it, she noticed Lu Jin looking at her like he wanted to pull her closer.

He Ye: “… Let’s go, drive carefully.”

Lu Jin: “See you tonight?”

He Ye hesitated for a few seconds, gripping the door handle, but finally nodded. 

After getting used to being with someone, the nights alone at home felt suddenly lonely.

Lu Jin returned at nine in the evening. Even though He Ye hadn’t entered her fingerprint to open the door, she sent him a fixed password.

Before opening the door, Lu Jin texted her so he wouldn’t scare her.

He Ye was sitting on the sofa watching TV. The air conditioner was off, and she wore warm pajamas and thick cotton socks.

Lu Jin changed into slippers and said, “I’m going to take a shower.”

He Ye: “…I made some chicken soup, drink it first.” 

Lu Jin stopped and looked at her.

He Ye focused on the TV.

Lu Jin smiled, went to the kitchen, washed his hands, and opened the soup pot.

He Ye’s chicken soup contained lotus seeds, longan, wolfberries, and jujube, which smelled fragrant and sweet.

It looked like a large bowl, so Lu Jin asked, “Did you drink any?”

Of course, He Ye had. She couldn’t resist without replenishing herself.

After getting a sharp look from her, Lu Jin drank the chicken soup himself, washed the dishes, and quickly took a shower.

Afterward, he sat next to He Ye.

He Ye didn’t expect her boyfriend to be interested in watching TV, but she also didn’t think Lu Jin would just hold her without going to the bedroom.

The dark TV screen reflected both of their figures.

He Ye imagined what that reflection might turn into and angrily gave Lu Jin two options: either go to the bedroom or turn off the lights.

Lu Jin chose to turn off the lights.