When Lu Linshen asked her when she would come back, Meng Suihuan couldn’t help but mutter “clingy” in her heart. She had been in Qingcheng for less than two days, and he was already missing her. Undoubtedly, his longing made her very happy, because she missed him a lot too. They were in the sweet phase of their relationship, spending every day together and doing some very mundane things.

On the first night after arriving in Qingcheng, she couldn’t sleep. In the end, she picked up her phone and called him, falling asleep only after hearing his voice.

“Tomorrow, the people from the Qingcheng government will come over again for negotiations. If the negotiations go smoothly, I can come back the day after tomorrow. If not…” She didn’t finish her sentence, but he continued it for her. “It will definitely go smoothly,” he said.

She chuckled lightly. “I hope so too.” That way, she could return to Qingcheng sooner and see him again. The Qingcheng government also attached great importance to this matter, and after some subtle inquiries, they finally made some progress. When they visited, they even invited the key leaders of the Cultural Relics Bureau to express their sincerity.

The negotiation lasted for several hours. Professor Wu continued his research undisturbed, while Professor Shen, on the other hand, became increasingly concerned, focusing on the situation of the negotiation.

“Lao Shen, why are you standing here idly instead of doing research?” Professor Shen sighed and said, “Lao Wu, the people from the Qingcheng government have arrived, and so has Lao Lin from the Qingcheng Cultural Relics Bureau.”

Old Lin was a well-known figure in their field, having achieved many brilliant accomplishments. Since the site was located in Qingcheng, it made sense for the local Cultural Relics Bureau to take charge. Thinking of this, his expression darkened. “Lao Wu, what do you think the outcome of the negotiations will be? Will we still be able to continue our research here?”

Lao Wu gently patted his shoulder. “Lao Shen, Meng Suihuan is reliable. She definitely won’t leave us behind at a time like this.” He and Lao He were close friends, and he had often heard Lao He speak highly of Meng Suihuan, calling her smart, loyal, and a child who knew how to repay kindness.

“Besides, we’ve been working day and night on this project for so long, and we’ve made some progress. We should be confident. We believe in ourselves, and we believe in Meng Suihuan.”

“She will definitely fight for us.”

Not long after, the tightly closed door suddenly opened, and a group of people came out. Professor Shen immediately focused on the group. Both sides were smiling, seemingly having reached some kind of agreement. Professor Shen’s heart sank slightly.

Professor Wu’s expression remained unchanged.

To their surprise, the group walked toward them and stood in front of them. Meng Suihuan smiled and greeted them, introducing, “These two are Professor Wu and Professor Shen. All the research results are thanks to their late-night efforts.”

The others greeted them warmly, and the elderly Lin also politely extended his hand to both of them, without any airs. “Professor Wu, Professor Shen, I’ve seen your research results. They are quite impressive. I just didn’t expect to meet you both this way. It’s a pleasure.”

Professor Shen was stunned, but Professor Wu quickly reacted, bowing and shaking hands with Lin. He even pulled Professor Shen along. “Lao Lin, you flatter us. Compared to you, we’re just young newcomers. We hope to have the chance to learn more from you.”

Lin smiled kindly. “I’m just older and have more experience than you. There’s nothing to learn from me. However, in our future collaboration, we can exchange ideas and learn from each other. I also want to take this opportunity to learn more about the thoughts of you young people.”

Professor Wu was momentarily stunned, but Meng Suihuan quickly added, “Professor Wu, Professor Shen, I’ve just communicated with Lao Lin and the relevant departments. In the future, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to work together with Lao Lin and exchange ideas.”

“Really?” Professor Shen, who had been very quiet, blushed and said.

Although Professor Wu didn’t say anything, his eyes were filled with excitement and joy that he couldn’t conceal. Meng Suihuan chuckled lightly, “Of course it’s true. The results of your research are evident to everyone, and I hope your future collaboration will spark even more ideas.”

The train station was crowded, and Meng Suihuan was struggling with her suitcase as she made her way through the throng of people, almost losing her balance. Luckily, someone helped her, and she politely apologized, “Thank you just now.” After a few seconds, her brain finally caught up, and she suddenly looked up, surprised, “Lu Linshen, what are you doing here—”

Lu Linshen took the suitcase from her hands, and with his other hand, gently blocked the crowd from pushing her. He responded tenderly, “I’m here to take you home.”

“You shouldn’t be off work at this hour. Did you skip work?” She knew well how much of a workaholic he was, and seeing him at this time truly surprised her.

“Yeah. I skipped work,” he replied calmly. “After all, I need to take my girlfriend home.”

Hearing him say he skipped work for her made her smile widely. When he referred to her as his “girlfriend,” her smile grew even more. It was the first time he had called her that. Unlike “Suisui,” this was a 21st-century term, a special one only for the two of them in this world.

She responded happily, “Boyfriend.”

As the words left her lips, the noise around them seemed to fade away. It was as if they were in another world, a world only they could understand. This feeling lingered for a long time, lasting all the way until they arrived home, where Meng Suihuan couldn’t help but tightly hug him.

“I’ve wanted to do this since the train station,” she said. However, this era wasn’t as open-minded as the 21st century, and she didn’t want to be seen like a monkey, surrounded by onlookers. So, she pushed the desire deep down inside.

Lu Linshen looked down at her. “Me too.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he eagerly kissed her lips. Just like when he saw her at the train station, and after she teasingly called him “boyfriend,” he had wanted to do this. The kiss was almost addictive. Although it had only been two days since they saw each other, it felt like much longer.

She responded passionately, her teeth slightly parted, wrapping herself around him. Sensing her response, Lu Linshen’s hand moved to her back, gently caressing it as if it were a soft jade, feeling its warmth. His touch was light, but she seemed to be trembling, almost as if she was afraid of him.

He stopped and gently reassured her, “Suisui, don’t be afraid. I won’t do anything.”

“Huh?” Meng Suihuan was a bit confused. She wasn’t afraid, and she didn’t want to guess what he was thinking, so she asked directly, “What am I afraid of?”

“As soon as I touched you, you started trembling,” he replied.

Meng Suihuan blushed, feeling embarrassed. It wasn’t fear, it was… She was just worried he might misunderstand her, so she lowered her voice and said, “I’m not afraid, I’m…”

“What is it?”

She finally suppressed her embarrassment and softly responded, “… because I like you.”
She had been so immersed in the moment, feeling the heat on her lips spread to other places, causing her nerves to tremble like the strings of a musical instrument being plucked. She enjoyed it, and she liked it. She stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him again. When she saw he wasn’t responding, she pouted and said, “Boyfriend, I’m uncomfortable. Please kiss me and hold me like you did before.”

The last bit of rationality Lu Linshen had left was shattered by her soft, sweet call. He was also feeling uncomfortable and wanted to kiss and hold her too. It was clear that a simple kiss had been enough to relieve the discomfort before, but today, despite her kissing him for so long, the emotions hadn’t eased but only intensified. She was now feeling very uncomfortable, and because of that, she kissed him even more passionately, moving closer and closer to him, so close they seemed inseparable.

The discomfort wasn’t just hers—Lu Linshen was feeling it too. He could feel his blood rush, his veins throbbing, and his body beginning to lose control. He was afraid he might scare her, wanting to push her away, but at the same time, he couldn’t bear to. He could only suppress his voice and say, “Suisui… don’t move.”

She was like a playful kitten, completely ignoring him and becoming even more mischievous. He felt like his mind was being consumed by something, breaking down entirely. Before he completely lost control, he gripped her shoulders and stepped back, creating some distance between them for safety.

Meng Suihuan finally managed to relieve some of the discomfort, but just as quickly, he lifted her shoulders to distance them again. She looked at him in confusion. Lu Linshen’s breath was even more strained, and his voice became hoarse as he said, “Suisui, we can’t continue.”

“Why?” She was still feeling uncomfortable. Why couldn’t they continue?

Seeing her confused reaction, his breath grew more erratic, and his voice became deeper and rougher. “Suisui, we can’t continue.”

“… I’m about to lose control.”

That night, Meng Suihuan couldn’t sleep again. She had just had a reaction to him. Afterward, she realized why she felt uncomfortable and why holding him made her feel better.

She shyly covered her face. She didn’t even know what she had looked like just now. Fortunately, the lights were off, and the curtains were drawn, so that side of her hadn’t been seen. Fortunately, she wasn’t the only one who had a reaction—Lu Linshen had one too. When she pressed against him, it felt like she touched something, a sensation that was soft and warm, like a roasted sweet potato, but unlike the sweet potato, which softens when roasted, this one was the opposite.

But she was too caught up in the moment to discern it. Seizing the moment when he was reacting, she hugged him even tighter, over and over again. No wonder he was on the verge of losing control and had to awkwardly escape to the bathroom.

Ahh, what was she thinking? She had to stop. Stop thinking about it.

Just then, her phone rang. She looked at the message. It was from Lu Linshen:

“Suisui, did I leave my computer at your place? I had a gift for you, but I left in a hurry, so I’ll give it to you next time.”

A gift? What kind of gift was he giving her? She quickly typed a reply, and he responded almost immediately: “Still not asleep?”

He was obviously asking knowingly. If she had fallen asleep, who would be sending him messages? She didn’t reply, wanting instead to ask more about the gift.

The phone rang again, its tone clear in the quiet night. She wrapped herself in the blanket and answered the call, her voice muffled, “Tell me, what’s the gift?”

Hearing her coquettish voice, Lu Linshen couldn’t help but remember some untimely images.

“Lu Linshen?”

“If you don’t answer, I’ll hang up.”

Realizing she had called his name again, he snapped back to reality and hurriedly said, “Don’t hang up, I’m here.”