Chapter 75

Lin Langyi did not return to Yingshan Lake until noon the next day.

In the morning, she took Yuan Chuyu shopping at the mall, and they parted ways when they were close to the company.

Lin Langyi, carrying a cycling bag, drove her motorcycle to the company entrance and immediately spotted Cheng Yanjin's car.

He parked very close to the edge, almost along the riverbank, with the driver's side window rolled all the way down. He rested his elbow on the windowsill, turned his head to the side, and stared aimlessly at the surface of the aquaculture pond, seemingly looking at nothing in particular.

Lin Langyi simultaneously twisted the front brake and throttle levers, and the motorcycle roared to life, the huge vibration making him suddenly turn his head.

His face was extremely tired, with dark circles under his eyes and short stubble on his chin that he hadn't had time to shave. Lin Langyi noticed that he was wearing the same clothes he had with dinner last night.

He slowly and sluggishly looked her up and down, his voice low and muffled, without even blinking.

After a long while, he managed a weak smile, as if his soul had returned to its place: "You're back? I was worried something might have happened to you... Well, if you're alright, then I'll head to the company."

Lin Langyi slowly drove the motorcycle to his car. When he got closer, he saw two full, unopened fruit slices, two generous breakfasts, and two steaming lunch boxes on the passenger seat.

The fruit no longer looked fresh; it had oxidized and turned yellow overnight. The breakfast was no longer hot; condensation formed on the transparent plastic bag. The tea had gone cold as soon as people left.

The lunch looked freshly bought, but everything from late-night snacks to breakfast to lunch was a double portion, yet none of it had been opened or touched.

There were three or four power banks and a mess of charging cables missing from the passenger seat, so the food was crammed to one side and looked pitiful.

Cheng Yanjin's phone was still connected to the charging cable. As soon as a message came in, the screen lit up, and the battery was down to 14%.

He took the phone, and Lin Langyi saw that all the messages were from people around her. The newest contact at the top was actually the salesperson who had ordered the dressing table earlier, replying: "Miss Lin hasn't come to see it yet."

They've already asked the sales department?

Cheng Yanjin quickly looked around. He noticed her gaze and said in a hoarse voice, "I told you last night that you were home, so Mom and Dad weren't too worried afterward."

After thinking for a moment, he explained the whole story: "Because you forgot to turn off the light in your office and the door to the break room wasn't closed either. When the security guard was patrolling, he saw that your phone was there but you weren't there. He was worried that something might have happened, so he told your parents."

He gave a reassuring smile, his eyelids slightly swollen and heavy as lead: "It's no fun without you, so I left early and waited for you at home. That's why I didn't find out about you forgetting your phone right away at the dinner table. Otherwise, I could have covered for you sooner."

Lin Langyi turned off the engine and stopped the car, looking at him: "Aren't you going to ask me what I was doing all night?"

Cheng Yanjin opened the car door and got out, taking the cycling bag from her back. He showed no sign of going crazy or questioning her after searching for her for fifteen or sixteen hours; instead, he continued speaking rapidly, as if afraid she would answer her own questions first:

"You went cycling with your friends, right? I know. Sometimes when you're having fun, you lose track of time. I used to do that when I raced cars or played ball at night."

He chattered on like a little old man, not letting her interrupt him. He took her bag and touched her fingers; she was warm, but his hands and feet were unusually cold.

"I only realized later that your motorcycle wasn't there. I looked all over the venue, but I couldn't find it. It was too late, so everything was closed." He continued, "Then it rained. Did you get wet?"

"No," Lin Langyi said.

Cheng Yanjin's gaze swept around her eyes, and after noticing something, he abruptly looked away and turned to walk towards the passenger seat: "You played for so long yesterday, you didn't get a proper rest, did you? I bought lunch. You can rest for a while after lunch so you'll have more energy in the afternoon."

As he did every day during this period, he escorted her to his office before preparing to leave.

Seeing his tired appearance, Lin Langyi opened her cycling bag to take out her change of clothes and asked him to stay, "Would you like to take a shower before you go?"

Cheng Yanjin turned his head, about to say something, when Lin Langyi pulled out her trousers while tidying up. One trouser leg accidentally snagged other things, along with a towel, wristbands, and the remaining two loose T-shirts, which fell clearly to the ground.

Lin Langyi: ...

After a two-second silence, she calmly picked up the fallen items one by one, without offering any explanation.

What's wrong? Since you have the habit of putting spare T-shirts in every bag, it's not surprising that you put two in your cycling bag. For example, it's normal to go out for some barbecue after exercising, or to bring a T-shirt in case of some unexpected situation after a late ride.

She packed everything away, and when she looked up, she saw Cheng Yanjin hurriedly turning his head away, not daring to look at her movements, as if the T-shirt had fallen out of his pocket rather than her bag.

He forcefully turned his face completely away, drawing a clear line between his neck and shoulders, his whole body tense.

Before she could react, Cheng Yanjin had already pushed open the door to the lounge and walked out, stammering, "It's nothing, I don't need to take a shower. I remembered I have something to do at the company, so I'll leave first."

As if something was haunting him, he left without even turning his head after saying those words.

Lin Langyi was still holding her pants in her hands. All she could see in her field of vision was the office door that had been opened in a panic and was now slowly closing automatically, and the two lunches on the table.

...

Lin Langyi got off work around 5 p.m.

She was able to leave work early today because there was new progress on the shareholding issue, so she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Last night, she discussed it with Yuan Chuyu. Since Lin Xiangshuo had objections to Zhuang Lan's monopoly on shares and did not intend to accept investment in the name of Yuan Fei and others, why not have Ying Yuan also take a small share? She would then sign a contract with Yuan Chuyu privately.

She acts on her ideas immediately. When she was studying, she went to a hotel with Bian Shu, but he was writing a thesis. Today, the roles are reversed. She and Yuan Chuyu were hanging out at the hotel when they started drafting a nominee shareholder agreement. She directly used her agreement with Zhuang Lan as a template to start bargaining with Yuan Chuyu.

At that time, neither of them was fully dressed. Yuan Chuyu looked helpless and had no choice but to give up the last two T-shirts that he hadn't had time to use and seriously put his mind at ease to discuss it with her.

This morning, Yuan Chuyu sent a notification of intent to Lin Xiangshuo.

Lin Xiangshuo was eager to get in touch with Ying Yuan and immediately agreed.

The only regret was that Chu Yu's initial investment was not significant, and Ying Yuan requested a wait-and-see approach, waiting for Zhuang's funds to arrive before signing. Therefore, Lin Xiangshuo could only accelerate the cooperation process with Zhuang Lan, speeding up the signing of the investment agreement and the actual investment delivery.

The thought that funds from all sides had been secured, and that Yingyuan's involvement had balanced the major shareholder Zhuang's position to some extent, brought Lin Xiangshuo immense relief.

Lin Langyi was in the process of closing all her contacts. Seeing that things were going smoothly, and having not slept enough the night before, she returned to Dingpu Community early.

When she got home, she entered the password and opened the door normally, but suddenly bumped into something inside.

She was startled. Upon closer inspection, she found Cheng Yanjin sitting on the floor in the entryway, looking lost and blank, his head bowed and his back against the shoe cabinet.

He had his sneakers on, and a cool black and gold skateboard was placed diagonally next to him, looking like he was about to go out.

Lin Langyi bumped into him when she pushed open the door, which made his listless nerves twitch.

He saw her, paused for a few seconds, then his expression suddenly turned relaxed. He reached into his pocket to take out his phone, but after a while he realized it was on the ground, so he quickly bent down to pick it up.

The screen was originally lit, but when his gaze fell on it, he immediately recoiled as if pricked by a needle, and his fingers reacted with lightning speed by pressing the lock screen button.

"Why are you back? You didn't even ask me to pick you up." Cheng Yanjin casually took her bag and put it down. He took a couple of steps inside before realizing he hadn't taken off his shoes. He quickly took them off, barefoot, and glanced back at the clock on the wall. "You're back so early today."

“I didn’t have anything to do today. Yuan Yinghe just happened to be picking up Yuan Fei, so he brought me along.” Lin Langyi glanced at him a few times and saw that although he had changed his clothes, he hadn’t shaved and had a short stubble on his beard when viewed from the side.

I don’t know if he’s forgotten, but his chin grows fast and he has to shave every day. The first thing he does after getting up and wandering into the bathroom is to apply shaving cream to his chin.

"You haven't shaved?" She walked over and scratched his chin like she was scratching a puppy's chin. "It's prickly."

The moment Cheng Yanjin was touched, his pupils dilated suddenly, his eyes widened slightly, and he stared at her blankly, as if he had prepared himself to be disliked and neglected, left to lick his wounds in a corner, but was both delighted and surprised to receive a little bit of unexpected attention.

Because of this slight intimacy, the corners of his lips drooped awkwardly for a second, then lifted again, finally flattening into a line as he pursed his lips tightly.

He blinked too frequently, seemingly trying desperately to control his emotions, but failing time and again.

She saw his drooping eyebrows; his once handsome and imposing brow bone now exuded a vague sense of dejection, and anyone could tell that he was incredibly aggrieved.

Cheng Yanjin's lips moved, and finally he tightened his jaw and pressed his chin deeper into her palm, mumbling, "Yeah, I came here to stab you."

Lin Langyi smiled. It was as if she had taken a break from studying to play on her tablet and had a great time. Now everything looked pleasing to the eye. Hearing him say that, she wiggled her fingers and scratched him again.

He touched her and was about to leave when Cheng Yanjin suddenly grabbed her wrist.

He had big hands; when he gripped her, he could almost reach her second knuckle. He held her tighter and tighter, as if trying to hold onto a handful of water in vain.

“Lin Langyi, do you want to go skydiving? It’s really stress-relieving and relaxing.” He blinked slowly, gradually coming back to his senses. “Or we can go skiing. We can fly to Jikepulin, which is the largest ski resort in the country. The snow quality is beautiful. We can take a cable car to the top of the mountain and then ski down. I checked, and it had its first snowfall in early September. It’s 2800 meters high, and there’s plenty of snow.”

Lin Langyi added, "I don't know how to skydive, but I do know how to ski... but I haven't done it in a long time. I used to ski with Hang Qian."

“Then let’s go skiing.” Cheng Yanjin seemed to have finally come back to life, and his eyes gradually lit up when he talked about familiar territory. “It would be even better if you have a foundation. I can teach you and guide you a little to get a feel for it. Or if you don’t trust me, we can hire an instructor together.”

sounds good.

Lin Langyi, perhaps feeling more confident due to her recent career success, experienced a rebellious phase and constantly wanted to get some fresh air and relieve stress. Hearing him say this, she became somewhat tempted and softened her tone: "Sure, let's go sometime—"

"I'm free right now!" Cheng Yanjin straightened up the moment he saw her nod, his voice firm and decisive. "I'm free! My business trip won't last three or four days, but I'm free anytime these days!"

He finished speaking in a rapid-fire manner, then glanced at her cautiously and asked, "Are you free?"

"These next few days? Go skiing right away?" Lin Langyi was surprised. When she was in college, she could take trips whenever she wanted. Later, she gradually took over Yingshan Lake. Everything is difficult at the beginning. She nurtured the seedlings from the most difficult seedlings to where she is today. Naturally, her life has become busier and busier, and the pace of life has become faster and faster.

Upon closer reflection—the professor has been met, the patent has been obtained, Lin Xiangshuo's company has been established, and the first phase of the characteristic town project is progressing steadily… there really is nothing urgent.

“It’s possible recently…” she carefully chose her words.

"Let's go then." Cheng Yanjin let go of her hand and immediately turned to the storage room to move her suitcase. "I'll buy the tickets now, and we'll leave tonight."

"Now?!" Lin Langyi was shocked for the second time.

"Okay, don't worry, I know that place well, I'll arrange everything. You just need to take a nap, and when you open your eyes we'll be there." Cheng Yanjin had already darted into the storage room, grabbing things with a clatter. "Leave everything to me."

She watched as he pushed out two suitcases, hesitating, "Why did you suddenly decide to go—"

"Yes, if you want to go, you should go right away." Cheng Yanjin laid his suitcase down on the ground and opened it. "Lin Langyi, when you're unhappy, you should go out and relax. Don't deal with it all by yourself."

He took out the built-in desiccant bag, wrung out a towel, squatted down and wiped the suitcase clean, his hands never stopping, his head bowed lower and lower:

“I could tell you were unhappy yesterday… I…” He paused, took a deep breath, and suppressed the tremor in his voice, “You said you were just tired, but my brain was like it was rusty and I didn’t think about it. I stupidly let you go for a bike ride alone.”

He rubbed his eyes haphazardly with the sleeve of his upper arm: "I'll understand from now on, Lin Langyi. I'll get to know you better and better. There are many things I haven't experienced, and no one has taught me, so I don't know... but I won't..."

His phrasing was strange, as if something was stuck in his throat. After a few seconds of suppressed breathing, he continued, "Let's go have some fun. Let's ski down from 2800 meters. It's very relaxing. You, who likes to drive, will definitely like skiing too."

"If you want to invite your friends, then invite your friends. The more people there are, the more dishes we can order. We can order a little bit of everything, and everyone can eat together. You can try everything and you won't have to worry about wasting food or missing out on something you want to eat because you're full."

Cheng Yanjin paused for a moment and said, "As long as we have the opportunity, we shouldn't leave any regrets or miss it."

Lin Langyi: "But I never used to go out with my friends without my boyfriend. This time, we went out as a couple, and some of my friends are still single. They probably don't really like going out with couples—"

"I won't cause you any trouble." He held his hand to his ear and immediately assured him, "You can go shopping and eat with your friends as much as you like, I'll just follow behind you and help you carry your things... I, I won't make your friends feel uncomfortable."

These words were so unexpected that Lin Langyi stared at his sincere eyes in surprise. Cheng Yanjin liked to go out with friends, loved excitement, and enjoyed being the most dazzling center of attention. He always wanted others to play supporting roles for him; he would never condescend to be a mere background figure.

"You—" She was unusually speechless for a long time, while he, on the other hand, probably thought about these words for a long time before he could say them one after another.

"When you're in a bad mood, there's always someone who can cheer you up. It doesn't matter who it is, so you, me, or anyone else you like to call. Anyway, I'm not calling friends. There won't be anyone you don't know on this trip, so just do whatever makes you happy and relaxed."

"You... if you want to invite Bean Sprout, no, you can invite Bian Shu too."

Lin Langyi's pupils dilated in shock, and she stammered, "Cheng Yanjin, do you have a fever?"

“It’s all in the past…” he said, his tone lowered, but he enunciated each word with force, “I don’t care about the past, but I care about the present, so he can, and some things can’t.”

Do you want to go skiing?

He squatted in front of the suitcase, looking up at her. The light from the living room shone on his face, making his light-colored pupils look watery and lustrous.

He was inviting her, yet it also seemed like he was pleading with her.

Lin Langyi walked up to him, and his chin rose higher and higher as she approached, until he finally tilted his head back and stared at her intently.

Lin Langyi couldn't help but grab his chin again, saying indifferently, "No way."

The light in his eyes faded instantly, his fingers unconsciously loosened, and the towel he was holding fell to the side of his suitcase.

Cheng Yanjin turned his head to the side, then lowered it again, stammering for a long time, trying to appear nonchalant but unable to utter a single word.

Lin Langyi patted his fluffy hair and slowly added the second half of the sentence: "Because, if I remember correctly, don't you have the skateboarding finals tonight?"

The minds of those under my command have stopped wandering aimlessly.

Lin Langyi squatted down to face him, looked at his wide-open eyes, and smiled: "What's wrong? Did you forfeit the competition? The signs were all set up at the door, but we took a plane and left. Didn't you say you were going to get revenge?"

“Yes…” he answered hesitantly, his pupils reflecting only her miniature image. “I thought you had forgotten.”

She laughed and said, "After the competition, we'll leave tomorrow."

"Okay." The single word sounded choked with emotion.

They hit it off immediately. Lin Langyi excitedly scrolled through her phone: "I'll message Hang Qian and the others right now, pack your bags and let's go. Oh, and since they're my friends, I'll pay for it."

Cheng Yanjin raised his hand, his strong arm like a heavy block of iron, tugging at her hem and pulling it down, then shaking it from side to side, questioning, "You're paying? Are you looking down on me?"

Lin Langyi's fingers flew across the keyboard as she sent a message to the person she had in mind. She nudged his arm with her knee to make him let go, and walked into the bedroom, saying, "Then I'll pack my luggage first."

"good."

She hummed a tune in her bedroom as she searched for the clothes she needed to bring.

In the living room, Cheng Yanjin squatted in front of the suitcases, wiping both suitcases clean. He listened to the music coming from the bedroom and tapped his phone with wet fingers.

The interface that hadn't closed earlier was where he had used the excuse of a birthday gift to inquire about his boss's whereabouts from Yuan Chuyu's assistant.

The assistant knew the two were childhood friends, so he didn't hide anything and explained that Yuan Chuyu had shortened the meeting agenda last night and left right after it ended, so he must have had something to do.

When I asked again this morning, I was told that the original boss had not yet come to the company.

After saying that, Cheng Yanjin didn't ask any further questions.

He told himself that making unfounded accusations was not the way a man should do, and he shouldn't speculate about his bedmate like that.

He won't lose his composure unless he gets slapped in the face or the truth is laid bare before him.

Cheng Yanjin focused his gaze on the conversation with his assistant again. These few words had consumed all his energy for the entire day. He couldn't stop thinking about those words, as if they had burrowed into his brain and were relentlessly on his mind.

Every time I watch it, it feels like my heart is being squeezed hard, squeezing out sour fluid, and still throbbing with pain. I desperately want to get out of there as soon as possible, feeling panicked and helpless.

Stop looking, stop looking.

"Hey, I want to get that bigger suitcase. I want to bring an extra pair of warm boots." Lin Langyi's voice drifted from the bedroom.

"Okay, I'll get it for you." Cheng Yanjin replied, lowered his head, and deleted the conversation between him and his assistant.

She needs to go out and clear her head; making her happy is the most important thing. Don't think about anything else.