Chapter 48: Sweet Burden

He deliberately emphasized the words "househusband", and with his handsome, innocent face and slightly aggrieved eyes, he looked like a "little man" who was worried about being overshadowed by his wife and in urgent need of comfort.

Yu Ling was amused by his exaggerated jealousy and deliberate display of weakness. The slight awkwardness she'd felt earlier instantly vanished, and a sweet feeling of being cared for surged in her heart. She couldn't help but laugh out loud, reaching out to squeeze his sturdy arm. "Don't give me that! Chen Mo was just discussing work with me! Why are you being so jealous? How childish!" She spoke childishly, but her body relaxed even further as she leaned closer to him.

"Even work is not possible." Zhao Chen lowered his head, and his warm breath brushed Ling's ear. His voice was low, with a bit of childish arrogance and coquettishness. "Lingling is too dazzling when she is at work. I just want to hide you and only let me see you." As he spoke, he opened the passenger door very naturally, protected her head with his palm, and "stuffed" her in. His movements were gentle but with unquestionable control.

The car merged smoothly into the traffic flow. Soothing music played in the car, but the atmosphere was completely different from when we came.

Yu Ling leaned back in her comfortable chair, gazing out the window at the dazzling cityscape at night, a lingering smile on her lips. Zhao Chen's childish jealousy and overbearing declaration were like a drop of honey dropped into her heart, spreading sweet ripples. This feeling of being cherished and stressed, with a secret sense of satisfaction, diluted the slight fatigue brought by the high profile of the workplace and... the lingering doubts deep in her heart.

She even felt that Zhao Chen's "sweet burden" gave her a sense of being down-to-earth and real.

In the following days, this "sweet burden" began to frequently make its presence felt in various unexpected ways.

“Checking in” on WeChat messages.

Yu Ling was discussing a technical difficulty with several project team members (including Chen Mo) in the tea room when her phone screen lit up with a message from Zhao Chen:

"Lingling, would you like to have winter melon and pork ribs soup or corn and yam soup tonight?" Attached was a photo of the fresh produce section of a supermarket, with noisy background music.

Yu Ling casually replied: "It's all right, you can do whatever you want."

A few minutes later.

"Lingling?"

"?"

"In the photo just taken, is the guy in the blue shirt behind you the intern downstairs last time? Is he also in the discussion group?" Zhao Chen's message followed closely, with an emoticon package of [puppy peeking out.jpg].

Yu Ling: "..." She subconsciously glanced back at Chen Mo, who was diligently taking notes, then looked down at her phone, feeling both amused and embarrassed. This guy, are his eyes made of radar?! He can even pinpoint a target through a photo?!

A chance encounter after get off work.

Yu Ling and several female colleagues had arranged to check in at a newly opened internet-famous dessert shop near their company. As they reached the entrance, they saw Zhao Chen's "ordinary" car parked steadily on the curb. The window rolled down, revealing his gentle smile. "What a coincidence? I saw this shop is quite popular when I passed by. Lingling, don't you like sweets? Want to join us?"

Amidst the flirtatious choruses of Yu Ling's colleagues, Zhao Chen naturally joined the "sisters' afternoon tea" group, taking care of all the ordering and bill-paying. While feeding Yu Ling his favorite tiramisu, he casually chatted with her colleagues, his conversation always tactfully circling around to questions like, "Is Lingling popular at the company?" and "Are the new colleagues all young and promising?"

Yu Ling's cheeks flushed as her colleagues teased her, "Your husband is too clingy/too considerate/too jealous," but her heart felt as sweet as if it were soaked in a honey pot.

The "flower protector" who works overtime on weekends.

During the final stages of the project, Yu Ling needed to go to the company to handle an urgent matter on the weekend. Zhao Chen drove her downstairs without hesitation.

"Call me when you're done and I'll pick you up." He unbuckled her seat belt with a gentle look in his eyes.

"No need. I can take a taxi back by myself. I don't even know what time it will be." Yu Ling didn't want him to run back and forth.

"No." Zhao Chen refused decisively, his attitude unbending. "Working overtime on weekends is tough already, how can I let you take a taxi alone? I'll find a cafe nearby to wait for you. I can take care of my own business there." As he spoke, he pulled out a thermos bag from the back seat like a magic trick. "It contains your favorite milk tea and freshly baked cranberry scones. You'll need them to fill your stomach if you're hungry."

Yu Ling looked at his serious expression, and the slight resentment in her heart about working overtime was instantly smoothed out, leaving only full of warmth.

When she wearily walked out of the company building that evening, she spotted Zhao Chen's car parked in its usual spot. He leaned against it, looking down at his phone. The warm yellow streetlights cast a soft golden hue over his tall figure. At that moment, all her fatigue seemed to vanish, leaving only the peace of mind of returning home.

Zhao Chen's clinginess and jealousy were like the most precise seasoning, perfectly blending into Yu Ling's busy and fulfilling life. Instead of feeling suffocated, it became a comforting habit and a sweet burden. She grew accustomed to his "checking in," enjoying his childish jealousy and relying on his ever-present protection.

The cold agreement and the horrifying secret in the study seemed to have been temporarily sealed in the corner of her memory by this surging, real love. She even began to actively share details about her work - of course, she would cleverly avoid any "details" related to her young male colleagues.

However, this deliberately maintained tranquility was quietly broken by an unexpected "little accident" on an ordinary overtime night.

Yu Ling worked until past eleven at night at the office, working on an important report. The entire floor was nearly empty, with only the lights at her workstation still on. After finally typing the final period, she stretched tiredly and picked up her phone, ready to text Zhao Chen to pick her up.

The phone screen lit up, revealing an unread MMS message. It had been sent over an hour earlier from a... completely unfamiliar local number.

Yu Ling clicked it in confusion.

No text, just a photo.

The pixels of the photo were a little blurry, as if it was taken secretly in a poorly lit environment. In the center of the picture was Zhao Chen! He was wearing the simple white T-shirt he wore during the day, standing in front of a coffee shop that looked elegant. This in itself was nothing, but what made Yu Ling's blood freeze instantly was,

There was a woman standing next to Zhao Chen!

The woman was tall and slender, dressed in a neatly tailored off-white trouser suit. Her long hair was slightly curled, and her profile was impeccably refined. Even in the blurry photo, one could sense the elegant, intellectual, and calm aura of an elite. She tilted her head slightly, as if speaking to Zhao Chen, a faint, gentle smile playing on her lips. And Zhao Chen… he lowered his head slightly, his profile appearing exceptionally soft under the warm yellow light of the cafe. He listened intently, his face devoid of the gentle aloofness he usually wore with strangers, nor the clingy or aggrieved expression he wore with her. Instead, there was a kind of… a calmness… that Yu Ling had never seen before, tinged with a hint of respect and… a complex, indescribable meaning.

The angle of the photo is incredibly clever, capturing the invisible, inexplicable tacit understanding and familiarity between the two people. The warm yellow light of the cafe acts like a soft filter, rendering the scene like a movie scene, with a breathtaking sense of harmony.

Buzz——

Yu Ling's mind went blank instantly! All her fatigue was replaced by a huge shock and a sharp pain! Her heart felt like it was being gripped by an icy hand and suddenly stopped beating!

Who is this woman? !

What is her relationship with Zhao Chen? !

Why was Zhao Chen looking at her with an expression she had never seen before? !

In the dead of night, they "ran into each other" outside the cafe? Or... made an appointment?!

Countless terrifying speculations, like cold venomous snakes, instantly entangled her heart! Her heart, which had just been immersed in the "sweet burden", was instantly frozen to the bone by this sudden photo!

She stared at the blurry yet dazzling photo on her phone screen, her fingertips turning white from the strain, her body trembling uncontrollably. The fragile fortress of trust and sweetness she had just built was crumbling before this silent image.

She suddenly raised her head and looked at the empty office area where she was the only one working overtime. She felt a huge panic and helplessness like a cold tide, instantly drowning her completely.