Two days before officially going to work, Jing Ran accompanied Jing Li to Hong Kong to take care of everything.

Jing Ran had previously rented a small apartment for Jing Li, which was about a 5-minute walk from the hotel.

The two of them took a taxi to the entrance of the apartment community. Jing Li looked up at the community of high-rise buildings and immediately recognized it as a place for wealthy people. After all, the prices in Hong Kong are not on the same level as those in mainland China, and Jing Li felt a bit distressed about the money aspect.

Jing Li said, “The hotel has arranged dormitories. Two people can stay in a two-bedroom suite, and the environment is not bad. Is it necessary for us to rent an apartment ourselves?”

Jing Ran pushed the luggage towards the community and said calmly, “It’s inconvenient.”

Jing Li followed behind and said, “Inconvenient? What’s inconvenient about it? It’s just a difference of 10 minutes and 5 minutes of walking, isn’t it?”

Jing Ran explained seriously, “Lili, you are different now. You have a family.”

Jing Li was momentarily taken aback, “… So what if I have a family? It’s not like the dormitory is only for single people.”

“When I come to spend the night with you, you must feel embarrassed if your roommate sees us, right?” Jing Ran knew that Jing Li was quite shy; even kissing had to be done at home, not in public. If Jing Ran went to the hotel dormitory to see her every week, her roommate would definitely figure out what they were up to without even guessing. Perhaps, after one or two times, Jing Li would feel embarrassed and ask him to come to Hong Kong less often.

After hearing Jing Ran’s words, Jing Li remembered the morning before they left, when Jing Ran had initiated some bedroom activities with her. Her cheeks couldn’t help but blush. Lowering her head, she shyly said, “I understand.”

The small apartment was fully equipped with appliances, so they could move in with just their bags. After arriving at the apartment, Jing Ran opened the two large suitcases and began to unpack and arrange their things. Seeing this scene, Jing Li was reminded of the first day she arrived as a freshman at university, when, despite her usual insistence on independence, she had to push her suitcase alone through the campus, go to registration, get her uniform, meal card, and dormitory key.

Carrying the heavy suitcases up to the 5^th floor of the dormitory, she found her new roommates, along with their parents, waiting. The roommates stood still as their parents conscientiously cleaned the dust off their beds, made their beds, and hung up mosquito nets…

Jing Li particularly envied how other parents treated their children like treasures. It’s not that her parents didn’t love her, they were just too busy, and the care and attention she received were indeed much less compared to other families.

When Jing Ran was halfway through tidying up, he noticed Jing Li staring blankly at him. He smiled and asked, “Lili, what are you thinking about?”

Jing Li snapped out of her thoughts and said, “Ranran, you seem like a father.”

“You mean I’m like your father?”

Jing Li shook her head and explained, “No, not that. It’s more like the feeling of a father, giving a sense of belonging.”

“It sounds like you’re praising me, but why does it feel strange?” Jing Ran scratched the back of his head, suddenly had a moment of inspiration, and said, “Not a father, but a husband, right!”

Jing Li: “…”

Jing Ran showed a slightly expectant expression, “Lili, call me ‘husband’ and let me hear it.”

Jing Li turned around and went to the kitchen, saying, “I’m so thirsty, I’ll boil some water to drink.”

“Wife…”

Jing Li didn’t even turn her head and walked into the kitchen.

After organizing their luggage, there was still some time left, so Jing Ran took Jing Li to a nearby restaurant for dinner, then they strolled around the mall and bought some essentials before returning to the apartment.

The next day, Jing Ran felt that everything was in order and left Hong Kong with peace of mind. Jing Li also officially started working. Her job was to train new staff at the hotel. In fact, her job was relatively easy. The new employees were carefully selected by the HR department’s personnel officer, and the Haixin chain hotel had a certain reputation in the country. Opening a new hotel in Hong Kong also had a high positioning route. Being able to work in a well-known and well-paid unit, the employees naturally worked hard.

However, there were busy times too, such as when the hotel was overwhelmed, and Jing Li had to support other departments.

At first, Jing Ran visited Hong Kong every week to see Jing Li. As the year-end approached, factors like overseas tourists taking Christmas vacations, auspicious dates for marriage in the lunar calendar, and various company year-end meetings led to a surge in demand. Whether for accommodation or banquet events, the hotel staff were extremely busy.

Both Jing Ran and Jing Li, working in the hotel industry, understood that during busy times, it was impossible to break away. They mutually understood each other’s commitments and canceled their recent meeting opportunities to stay dedicated to their respective roles.

On New Year’s Eve, Jing Li finished work as usual. Some young colleagues suggested going to Victoria Harbour to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks. Jing Li joined them, and the crowd gathered at Victoria Harbour was substantial, estimated to be around 300,000 people. Jing Li had heard about the spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks here when she was in the country, and it was a rare opportunity to witness it in person. However, the thought of spending the first New Year’s Eve separated from Jing Ran left her feeling a bit melancholic.

Before the fireworks display, Jing Li received a call from mainland China. She answered, “Hello.”

“Lili, it’s Ranran’s mom. What are you doing?”

Jing Li didn’t expect Jing Ran’s mother to call on New Year’s Eve, as he hadn’t called her for two days. She replied, “Auntie, happy New Year. I’m waiting with my colleagues at Victoria Harbour to watch the fireworks.”

“Lili, Happy New Year. By the way, have you been in touch with Ranran recently?” Jing Ran’s mother asked.

Jing Li felt a sense of concern and replied, “Not in the last two days. What’s going on?”

With a hint of worry, Jing Ran’s mother said, “Ranran caught a little cold these days, and he refuses to take medicine. Now he has a fever at home, but he won’t go to the hospital no matter what.”

Jing Li didn’t expect Jing Ran to handle his health this way and expressed her concern, “Is he acting like a child again?”

Jing Ran’s mother also seemed helpless, “Grandma said that Ranran listens to you. Please talk to him and persuade him to go to the hospital as soon as possible.”

“Okay, I understand.” After bidding farewell to Jing Ran’s mother, Jing Li hung up. No wonder Jing Ran hadn’t video-called her in the past two days; he must be avoiding showing signs of illness. Jing Li tried calling Jing Ran’s mobile number, but after three attempts with no answer, she started to worry that something might have happened to him. She called Jing Ran’s mother again and asked her to check on him.

Anxiously, Jing Li inquired her local colleagues, “What time does the border crossing close?”

A local colleague replied, “Some close around 10 PM, and I think Lo Wu closes at midnight.”

Glancing at her phone, Jing Li noted that it was almost 9:56 PM, and Lo Wu was about an hour away. She asked, “How long does it take to get from here to Lo Wu?”

The colleague replied, “About an hour. Why, what’s the matter?”

“I have something urgent to attend to in the mainland. Please help me request a leave for tomorrow!” After giving instructions, Jing Li rushed out of the crowded viewing area. Due to the large number of people, it took her at least half an hour to navigate through the crowd. Finally, she hailed a taxi and urged the driver to head to Lo Wu border crossing quickly. Due to road closures near the fireworks display, traffic was heavy, and by the time Jing Li reached the Lo Wu border crossing, it was just past midnight and the border was closed. Feeling disheartened, she instructed the driver to take her back to her residence.

The driver asked, “Miss, are you in a hurry to go back to the mainland?”

Jing Li somewhat disappointedly said, “Yes, my husband is sick, and I need to go back to see him, but the border is closed now.”

The driver suggested, “Huanggang has a 24-hour border crossing. How about I take you there?”

“Really? Thank you!” Jing Li was excited to learn about another border crossing option.

After crossing through Huanggang, Jing Li called a Didi car to rush back to G City.

When Jing Li returned to her residence, it was already past 3 AM, and the lights at home were on. Jing Ran’s father was dozing off on the sofa, and upon hearing someone enter, he woke up, surprised to see Jing Li back.