Chapter 60 Chapter 60 "Can't I ask?"

At ten o'clock in the evening, Lin Qianyuan tossed and turned in bed, replaying Pei Lanqing's reaction after he came in. He looked normal, just asking her if it was okay to have pumpkin porridge tomorrow morning.

Lin Qianyuan stared at him for a moment. Compared to his calmness, her reaction at that moment seemed more like something was wrong. So she quickly calmed down and replied calmly, "It's all right."

Then he cleared the table while she packed her luggage.

Lin Qianyuan sat up and looked around the room.

This was the master bedroom, with the bathroom right inside, making it convenient for her. The bedding had all been replaced, the items on the table were hers, and the wardrobe contained her clothes. In short, there was no sign that he had ever lived in the room.

Lin Qianyuan lay down, covering her head with the quilt. She sniffed around, finding the unfamiliar scent of lily of the valley, not even his. Inexplicably frustrated, she pulled back the quilt and went to sleep.

The light in the study next door was still on. Pei Lanqing finished sending the email and pushed the door open to drink some water.

He stood by the dining table, his eyes unconsciously falling on the master bedroom. There was no light from the crack in the door, so he guessed that they were already asleep.

Pei Lanqing lowered his head and stared at the cup absentmindedly. After a long time, he put down the cup and slowly walked to the entrance.

There was a pair of black high heels in front of the open shoe cabinet. Everything seemed real, she was indeed here.

Pei Lanqing squatted down, put his shoes into the shoe cabinet, stood up and left.

The next morning, Lin Qianyuan appeared at the dining table on time, but he was yawning.

She didn't like the bed when she slept, but she liked the sofa. She was used to sleeping in a small space and felt unfamiliar with the double bed. She couldn't sleep until the second half of the night, and when her consciousness was confused, she was looking forward to breakfast very much, so she forced herself to keep her eyes open and set the alarm.

Lin Qianyuan was chewing a boiled egg slowly when he suddenly thought of something. He swallowed everything in his mouth and asked naturally, "When will you be back tonight?"

Pei Lanqing raised his eyes and looked at her.

Lin Qianyuan glanced at him quickly, then looked away, "I am..."

She got stuck here and swallowed the rest of the words, unable to say anything more.

Pei Lanqing's eyes moved slightly, but he didn't ask any more questions. He frowned and replied, "I'll be a little busy today, around nine o'clock."

Lin Qianyuan kept stirring the pumpkin porridge in the bowl with the spoon in his hand. He took a sip and said in a muffled voice, "Oh."

Pei Lanqing found it funny to see her sulking alone, "What were you going to say?"

Lin Qianyuan was a little speechless. Didn't she want to say it? Why did she still ask?

Pei Lanqing really couldn't help laughing this time, and looked happy.

It was the first time he heard someone say such words to him, and she was the one asking the question. The words were not special, but they were very beautiful, and every word struck deep into his heart.

Lin Qianyuan put down the spoon for a while, then angrily said, "I just want to ask, okay?"

Pei Lanqing was silent for a moment. "Yeah," he replied, then asked back, "Will you be home all day today?"

"No, I'm going out."

"Where are you going?"

Lin Qianyuan thought about it and found that she couldn't clearly tell the specific address. Liang Siyu only told her that he looked around and still thought the environment in the south of the city was quieter and suitable for setting up a studio, so she said honestly: "South of the city."

Pei Lanqing nodded and asked, "What time will you be back?"

"afternoon."

"What time in the afternoon?"

Lin Qianyuan heard this and thought about the probability that she looked down on that site. Suddenly, she noticed something was wrong. She looked cold and aggressive, "Why are you asking this?"

Pei Lanqing lowered her eyes, her eyelashes drooping obediently, and spoke in a low voice, "Can't I ask?"

Lin Qianyuan suddenly choked, wondering if his attitude was too bad, feeling like something stuck in his throat. "That's not what I meant."

Pei Lanqing pursed his thin lips and said nothing.

Lin Qianyuan is not good at coaxing people. After a long while, he pulled his hair and suppressed his irritation, "It's earlier than you anyway."

When she couldn't hear any movement, she changed her words again: "I can't explain it clearly now. I'll text you when I get home."

Pei Lanqing hummed lightly, finished his breakfast quietly, washed the dishes, and went out to work.

Lin Qianyuan opened her mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say, so she simply didn't call the person. She watched the door close in front of her eyes. She picked up the pillow and sat down on the sofa dejectedly.

Is he angry?

Lin Qianyuan was not in a good mood. The clock on the wall showed that it was still early. She could go back to her room to catch up on some sleep, but she was not sleepy at all. Her mind was filled with his appearance just now.

After a while, Lin Qianyuan put the pillow back to its original place. She was so angry that she paced back and forth three times. She was so angry that she sat on the sofa with a stern face and made a phone call.

Pei Lanqing had just arrived at the law firm when the receptionist at the front desk greeted him with a smile. He nodded and answered the call.

Lin Qianyuan asked in a cold voice, "Did you do this on purpose?"

Pei Lanqing smiled silently and admitted frankly, "Yeah."

He kept saying "hmm", but Lin Qianyuan was so angry that he laughed. He endured it again and again, lowering his voice, "Pei Lanqing, is it fun to play tricks on me?"

Was it funny to see her unable to find the words? She was still there reflecting on herself, and Lin Qianyuan wanted to dig out her eyes at this moment. When had she ever been so embarrassed?

Pei Lanqing approached the desk, lowered his eyes, and explained slowly: "Lin Qianyuan, I'm not kidding you, and I absolutely have never had such thoughts about you."

"I just want to get to know you better."

After saying that, Pei Lanqing smiled and asked bluntly, "What about you?"

“…”

Lin Qianyuan put the phone away and hung up immediately.

When Pei Lanqing heard this voice, he felt helpless and doubted whether he could see her again when he returned home tonight.

"Lawyer Pei," someone knocked on the office door, followed by a voice, "Someone outside is looking for you."

Pei Lanqing responded and took the materials to meet the person involved.

Lin Qianyuan stared at the darkened screen of his mobile phone, suddenly threw it away, picked up a pillow at random, bent down and buried his head in it, his heart still beating wildly, extremely flustered.

He clearly saw everything.

If she didn't want to get to know him better, why would she ask him when he got off work?

Lin Qianyuan straightened up and threw away the pillow. What was going on? Why did she feel his scent filling her nose? The warm, clean woody notes lingered around her, unmistakably, lingering for a long time, even after she returned to her room.

She couldn't stay in this house anymore, so she changed her clothes and called Uncle Chen to pick her up.

Qin Yi was also in the car. As soon as the door opened, she came up to him with a smile, "Ms. Lin."

"Well," Lin Qianyuan glanced at her calmly, got into the car, and handed her a bag. "The hem of your skirt is stained with a lot of rainwater, so it's a little dirty. Be careful when cleaning it."

Qin Yi took the bag and nodded excitedly, "Okay."

Lin Qianyuan closed his eyes slightly and added calmly, "I'm not telling you, remember to tell Auntie."

Qin Yi's excitement suddenly died down. Yes, Miss Lin is not her employer now. She is just here for tourism and will leave soon.

Qin Yi was a little reluctant. After all, she had taken care of her for seven years, and her body had already formed a conditioned response. Otherwise, why would she come over to get the clothes on her own initiative? She was even thinking about how to deal with the water stains on her skirt.

Qin Yi tried hard to adjust himself, turned his head and looked, and asked in a low voice: "Ms. Lin, why are you wearing sunglasses?"

In her impression, Lin Qianyuan rarely carries accessories. Apart from a bracelet, the item she wears most often is earrings.

"..." How could Lin Qianyuan tell her that she didn't dare to stay at home for too long, so she left the house without even putting on makeup, and when she was in the elevator, she realized that her dark circles were extremely obvious, so she had to go back upstairs and find her sunglasses to put on.

Qin Yi looked at her with curiosity.

Lin Qianyuan hummed lightly, "The sun is too bright today."

Qin Yi glanced out the window and said weakly, "Ms. Lin, it's cloudy today. The weather forecast shows rain."

Uncle Chen was speechless about this child. What good would it do her to provoke Lin Qianyuan? He immediately spoke up to make amends, "Qin Yi, did you remember it wrongly?"

Uncle Chen's tone of surprise was just right, neither too much nor too little, making it very believable. "When I checked this morning, it clearly showed sunny weather."

Qin Yi covered his mouth belatedly and his face turned pale.

Lin Qianyuan pulled down his sunglasses, looked directly into her eyes, then pushed them back and asked with a smile, "Are you okay today?"

Qin Yi was afraid but honest, "No."

Lin Qianyuan continued to smile and said leisurely, "Then don't go back for the time being."

Qin Yi's palms felt cold, and he hugged the bag tightly, "Ms. Lin."

Lin Qianyuan casually put the bag aside and said, "Don't think too much. I just asked you to hold an umbrella for me for a day. Didn't you say it was going to rain today?"

Lin Qianyuan felt a little tired, and his tone of voice also became tired, and his sharpness softened. "This little help..."

"Are you unwilling to help?"

"Yes, I do." Qin Yi thought it was something else, but it turned out to be this.

"Yeah," Lin Qianyuan leaned back in his chair, not wanting to speak anymore, and closed his eyes to rest.

Qin Yi agreed very readily, but when she actually did it, she immediately realized that Lin Qianyuan would not let her go easily.

There was a height difference between them. Even though Lin Qianyuan was wearing flat shoes, she was still half a head shorter than her. She had to stand on tiptoe to hold the umbrella and ensure that it was evenly covered to prevent the rain from dirtying her skirt.

If she were to use this as an excuse to ask her for compensation, how could she possibly afford it?

Lin Qianyuan pretended not to notice her strange posture. After walking a few steps, she took the umbrella from her hand, walked her to the car, asked Uncle Chen to take her back, and walked into the art park.

When Liang Siyu saw her, he welcomed her as if she were RMB. He stood in front of the unfinished house and applauded enthusiastically to welcome her.

Lin Qianyuan instantly regretted taking off his sunglasses, so much so that he couldn't even express his speechlessness.

Liang Siyu looked at her in surprise as she approached, "Do you have a night shift to work tonight?"

Lin Qianyuan was too lazy to pay attention to him and walked past without even looking at him.

Liang Siyu consoled himself, "As an artist, it's normal to have an irregular schedule. Late at night is where my inspiration comes from."

He followed her and continued to describe the future blueprint of the studio to her, from downstairs to upstairs, and then to the attic.

Lin Qianyuan was so annoyed by his noise that he couldn't stand it anymore. He frowned and scolded, "Shut up."

Liang Siyu shut his mouth wisely.

Lin Qianyuan left him standing here alone and took a walk around alone. He was quite satisfied with this location.

After lunch, Lin Qianyuan returned home and sent a message to Pei Lanqing as promised. Perhaps he was busy, so he didn't receive a reply.

She threw down her phone, took a shower, and changed into home clothes.

The table in the room was filled with items and there wasn't much empty space. Lin Qianyuan took a look around and finally sat cross-legged beside the coffee table with her drawing tools in her arms. She casually tied her hair into a low bun with a hairband and concentrated on drawing the studio's decoration drawings.

Pei Lanqing had just finished his conversation and stood up to walk the client to the elevator door.

He returned to the meeting room and picked up his phone to reply to Lin Qianyuan's message.

An intern from the law firm came in with a cup of hot tea, smiling until his eyes narrowed, "Senior."

Pei Lanqing looked up and said, "If you have something to say, just say it."

The intern touched his nose. As expected, no one could lie successfully in front of him. "Well..."

He hesitated for a few seconds and then asked tentatively, "Brother, are you really married? Or is this just an excuse to avoid contact with the opposite sex? If that's the case, do you need a girlfriend?"

Pei Lanqing put down his pen and looked at him with interest. "Why are you so concerned about this issue?"

The intern had a hard time saying, "My sister came to deliver something to me last time and saw you by chance. After she got home..."

He was too embarrassed to speak, like a man possessed, obsessed, constantly trying to get his contact information. He claimed she was married, but she didn't believe him, arguing with her, "Why wouldn't she be wearing a ring if she was married?" It had to be an excuse. He thought it made sense, so he bravely stopped her.

Pei Lanqing didn't force him to finish the rest. All the useful information was here. He closed the pen cap and said, "I'm not refusing. This is the truth."

The intern's mind raced, recalling the gossip in the internship group. "Did you really have a fight?"

Pei Lanqing smiled and calmly clarified, "No, we never quarrel." After saying this, he took his things and left.

The intern complained secretly, of course he didn’t want to argue, because who could win over the person in front of him?

That's what he said in the group last night, but they said he didn't understand love. When emotions get the better of you, no matter how rational you are, it's useless. He didn't even know that the person had returned to China. They expressed their curiosity about what Lawyer Pei was like when he was coaxing people.

The drizzle in spring and summer ends at night.

Pei Lanqing parked the car and checked the time before taking the elevator home. It was exactly nine to five.

The person who had been sitting in the living room all afternoon also looked up at the clock and said he would be back at about nine o'clock.

Lin Qianyuan put down her pencil and heard the sound of the combination lock. She didn't know what she was thinking, but she walked over to the sound and her eyes met the person who had just opened the door.

She lowered her eyes, then raised them again, and found that he was still looking at her. Her heart tightened when he looked at her, and she said awkwardly: "You're back."

"Yeah," Pei Lanqing couldn't help but smile. He closed the door, changed his shoes and went in. Seeing that the person was still there, he walked closer and said frankly, "Did you miss me?"

Lin Qianyuan raised his head, thinking he had misheard.

In fact, he still felt a little uncomfortable, but Pei Lanqing was good at keeping up appearances and continued, "I missed you a lot."