Extra 6: If-6 (End)

In the days leading up to the Chinese New Year, Ancheng was sunny, and the temperature reached 20 degrees Celsius.

Since it wasn’t cold, Lu Jin forgot to turn on the air conditioner.

He Ye didn’t even have time to think about this. When Lu Jin opened the door, she was already so nervous that she felt hot.

She turned off the lights again, and Lu Jin didn’t turn them back on.

He crawled back into bed, wearing just cotton pajamas, feeling warm after his shower.

He habitually put her arm on his shoulders, enjoying that closeness.

Lu Jin was athletic and tall, almost 1.9 meters, with a well-proportioned body hidden under his clothes.

He Ye had touched him many times, but now she didn’t dare to move.

“Do you regret it?” Lu Jin asked playfully, “I can give you a chance to change your mind.”

He Ye didn’t regret anything; she was just worried: “What if uncle and others come back early?”

If that happened, she would feel so embarrassed.

Lu Jin reassured her: “They want to celebrate too, and the earliest they’ll come back is eight o’clock.”

He Ye: “What time is it now?”

There was a small alarm clock on Lu Jin’s bedside table. He glanced at it and saw that it said, “One thirty-five.”

He Ye thought about how close they were and told her boyfriend firmly, “I will definitely leave by 3:30 at the latest.”

Lu Jin was more determined: “No, I’ll let you go at five o’clock.”

He Ye wanted to argue, but her boyfriend kissed her.

Everything spiraled out of control.

Her soft cries mixed with his heavy breathing.

Lu Jin liked hearing her cry, but he couldn’t ignore her completely, so he kissed away her tears and whispered comforting words.

The more he soothed her, the more upset He Ye felt: “I won’t try anymore.”

Lu Jin: “…You can’t just give up.”

He Ye: “I’m going to give up halfway.”

Lu Jin: “Then I won’t move; you come to me.”

He Ye: “…”

Lu Jin had learned a lot, and he adjusted while comforting her.

He Ye’s crying gradually softened.

Lu Jin: “Do you like it?”

He Ye covered his mouth.

Lu Jin held her wrists with one hand, not saying anything else; he just wanted to make her feel more.

It was past four o’clock when Lu Jin wanted to continue.

He Ye gripped the quilt tightly, but she was too exhausted to resist. She threatened, “If you do this again, don’t expect me to go out with you in the future!”

As expected, Lu Jin stopped and lay back, sighing at the balloons above him: “This is corporal punishment^[1]is a form of physical punishment, often used in schools or at home, to discipline children..” 

He Ye: “…”

How could he say that? Who was punishing whom?

She didn’t have time to chat; she was still worried that his parents might come home unexpectedly.

Lying with her back to Lu Jin, He Ye began to put her clothes back on.

With a “click,” Lu Jin turned on the light.

He Ye panicked and huddled under the quilt, showing only her head.

Lu Jin moved closer, hugging her with the quilt, and pressed his hand against her hot, damp cheek: “Don’t rush; hold me a little longer.”

He Ye: “I’m in a hurry. If uncle and aunt see us, I’ll break up with you.”

Lu Jin: “…”

He Ye elbowed him away and continued dressing in bed.

Lu Jin: “Why don’t you shower first?”

He Ye: “I’ll go home to wash.”

The sooner she left, the better.

Lu Jin understood her determination and handed her some tissues.

He Ye: “…”

She caught them with one hand.

Knowing she was shy, Lu Jin put on his pajamas, took a quick shower, and changed back into his outer clothes.

When he returned, He Ye was dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed, fixing her hair in front of her phone’s camera.

Seeing this, Lu Jin went to the bathroom to get his comb.

He Ye lowered her eyes to take it.

But Lu Jin didn’t give it to her. He sat next to her and helped her comb her hair.

He Ye turned slightly to make it easier.

Lu Jin found a crushed pink rose petal in her hair and handed it to her.

He Ye: “…You shouldn’t have spilled this.”

It looked pretty, but now it was everywhere.

Lu Jin: “For the look, I didn’t think it would…”

He Ye turned and playfully hit him, then turned away.

Lu Jin smiled, hugged her from behind, and whispered in her ear: “You’re amazing; even better than I imagined.”

He Ye covered her ears.

Lu Jin’s breathing changed; he turned and gently pressed her onto the bed.

He Ye’s eyes were still teary. Facing him like this made her shy and flustered, so she turned her head away.

Lu Jin swallowed hard, looking at her and saying, “He Ye, I want to be with you.”

He Ye: “…What about all these balloons? When will you deal with them?”

Lu Jin: “…”

He pulled her up and kept combing her hair.

After he finished, He Ye felt too embarrassed to look at the messy bed or her boyfriend. She lowered her eyes and said, “I’m leaving. You can clean up yourself.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help; she was just worried about staying longer.

Lu Jin: “I’ll take you home first.”

He Ye: “Why send me off? I can walk back.”

Lu Jin looked at her legs: “Can you walk? You were just complaining about the pain.”

He Ye: “…”

She really wanted to tape her boyfriend’s mouth shut!

Two minutes later, He Ye finally sat on the back of his bicycle.

Her face was hot, and even the slightest breeze felt intense.

He Ye wrapped her arm around his waist, resting her head on his back while looking at their shadows on the ground.

Just a moment ago, they had been intimate.

She was only a freshman in college and just eighteen years old.

Lu Jin: “What are you thinking about?” He suddenly turned around to look at her.

He Ye didn’t answer.

The sunset was beautiful, and kids were playing nearby. Lu Jin tried to push away the thoughts swirling in his mind and said seriously: “I’ve booked a restaurant for dinner tonight. Do you want to pack up and leave now, or rest for a while?”

He Ye: “I don’t really want to move.”

She felt lazy all over.

Lu Jin: “You need to eat dinner. Maybe you’ll feel like moving after a shower.”

He Ye: “…We’ll see later.”

They parked the bicycles by Building 7.

When He Ye got off and walked around to the back, her boyfriend took her hand.

He Ye turned back.

The golden sunset surrounded her, and the wind caught her hair, making it stick to her flushed cheeks.

She lowered her long eyelashes, looking soft, quiet, and beautiful.

Lu Jin held her hand tightly and whispered, “He Ye, I think I was too impatient.”

He Ye looked at their hands held together and said softly, “I don’t blame you.” 

Lu Jin cared for her a lot, and she liked him just as much, and that was enough. 

After a moment of silence, Lu Jin promised, “He Ye, I will treat you well for the rest of my life. I’m serious, this isn’t just sweet talk.” 

He Ye smiled. Why did he always talk about forever? 

Maybe the gentle sunset and the quiet around them made her feel bold enough to say what she felt. 

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” she admitted. “Right now, I like you and want to be with you. If one day you don’t like me anymore, or I don’t like you anymore, we can just let it go without lying to each other.” 

She wouldn’t regret what they had done together, even if they broke up.

Lu Jin replied, “That day will never come.” 

He Ye smiled back and glanced at him. 

Lu Jin understood that at eighteen, He Ye didn’t care about whether their relationship would last forever. So, whatever promises he made wouldn’t mean much to her. 

A girl who could fall in love could also easily let it go. 

After He Ye took a shower at home, Lu Jin washed the off-white four-piece suit he wore and put it in the dryer. While waiting, he took down all the balloons in his bedroom, deflated them, and put them in a storage box. He probably wouldn’t use them again, but they would remind him of this Valentine’s Day. 

He swept up the scattered rose petals and threw them away, leaving only the rose bear on the table. 

Lu Jin then took out his phone, which had pictures of He Ye admiring the rose bear. 

His girlfriend, eighteen-year-old He Ye. 

Roses will wilt, but Lu Jin believed he would take a photo of He Ye with new roses every year in the future. 

He was sure they would be together forever. 

The next day, He Ye went to help her father at the supermarket. Today was the last day of business. They would return to their hometown tomorrow morning to prepare for the New Year and the wedding of He Yong and Wu Li. 

Around ten in the morning, two figures walked in through the door. 

He Ye looked up from the cashier counter and saw Lu Jin and Zhou Xiangming. 

The memories from the day before made it hard for He Ye to act normally. She glared at Lu Jin and went back to the computer screen. 

Zhou Xiangming came over and knocked on the counter, saying, “He Ye, how can you be so rude? You don’t even greet an old classmate.” 

He Ye found this funny. 

He Yong, her dad, turned around from behind a shelf and smiled at the two boys. “Are you here to buy something?” 

Zhou Xiangming replied, “Yes, I heard He Ye say the supermarket will close tomorrow.” 

He Yong was happy to say, “Yes, we’re going home for the New Year.” 

Zhou Xiangming picked out two bottles of drinks while Lu Jin grabbed a box of pure milk. 

At the cashier counter, Zhou Xiangming teased He Yong: “Uncle, He Ye also said you are getting married?” 

He Ye was surprised. She hadn’t told Zhou Xiangming. 

He Yong smiled and replied, “Yes, the banquet is on the third day of the New Year. He Ye invited Xiao Qing. You two should come to join the fun!” 

In He Yong’s eyes, the two boys who accompanied his daughter throughout her senior year were good friends. 

Zhou Xiangming said with a serious face, “Isn’t this embarrassing?” 

He Yong responded, “What’s embarrassing about it? Xiao Ye is just shy. If I were you, I would have invited you long ago.”