33. Giving out candy

◎"Just sitting on his lap and kissing him"◎

Song Chiyu nervously walked to the balcony to observe his reaction, but to her surprise, his car had already started to turn around when he saw the headlights turn on in her room.

Song Chiyu was somewhat disappointed.

Turning around dejectedly, he suddenly saw a disheveled figure standing beside the coffee table, and was so frightened that he fell to the ground with a thud. Only later did he realize it was Li Li, and, still shaken, patted his chest, "Mom, what are you doing?"

Li Li also wanted to ask her, "Didn't you leave with Yan Zhou? Why did you come back?"

"Don't concern yourself with the affairs of pretty girls." Song Chiyu was unwilling to discuss this matter in depth with her.

"How can I not care? If I don't, you two will break up," Li Li pulled her to the window and whispered, "Are you two having problems in your sex life? They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, why aren't you two excited at all?"

Song Chiyu: "..."

Li Li asked again, "Or is there some other reason? Why don't you want to live with him?"

“I didn’t want to live with him.”

Li Li wouldn't listen at all: "But Xiao Qi doesn't seem to have any strange fetishes."

Song Chiyu nodded: "He didn't, but—"

She stared straight at Li Li.

Otherwise, why would I keep asking her about this?

Li Li immediately realized what was going on: "Do you think I am? I'm only asking these questions because I care about you."

"Okay, don't worry, we're fine." Song Chiyu touched Li Li's face: "Go to sleep now."

Song Chiyu returned to her bedroom.

She sat down at her desk, looking up at her phone screen, lost in thought. After a while, she called Qi Yanzhou: "Teacher Qi, are you home yet?"

Her voice was gentle and concerned, as if the disagreement from just moments ago had never happened.

Qi Yanzhou immediately understood: her going back had nothing to do with Ms. Li; she just wanted to keep him hanging. Seeing through his intentions, he closed the car door behind him and said, "Just arrived."

His voice, equally unremarkable, remained as gentle and polite as ever: "Miss Song, is there anything I can help you with?"

Not only had the disagreement vanished, but the tenderness of the previous moment had also disappeared. It was as if the person who had supported her legs and placed her on the desk was not him at all.

Song Chiyu wasn't angry. She replied gently and patiently, "No, I just wanted to ask if you got home safely. I'm relieved to see you've arrived. Goodbye, Teacher Qi."

"Song Chiyu—" Whether she was pretending or genuinely indifferent, Qi Yanzhou couldn't help but lower his eyes and raise his voice just imagining her ruthless attitude.

"Huh?" She still looked completely naive.

He licked his lips, his gaze deep, but swallowed the words that were about to come out. He replied gently, "It's nothing, goodnight. Go to sleep early."

“Okay,” she replied obediently, “you too. Good night.”

the next day.

When Qi Yanzhou woke up, he saw the WeChat message she had just sent: "Good morning, Teacher Qi~"

He saw through her little trick instantly.

A faint hint of mockery played at the corners of his lips, but his eyes remained gentle: "Good morning."

"You're up?" Song Chiyu asked.

"kindness"

"What are you going to do now that you're up?"

"I'll ride my bike, then come back, take a shower, and then go to work."

"Okay, be careful on the road" was followed by a cute little emoticon.

Qi Yanzhou stared at the expression behind the words.

A knowing smile played on her lips. So this is what it's like when she's in a relationship. She knows how to charm and how to be coquettish; she's practically melting in his arms, yet she still manages to resist spending the night here.

He took out a cigarette and held it between his teeth. He thought of her absurd suggestion from yesterday; she probably never expected him to agree in the first place.

He chuckled softly.

Holding a cigarette in one hand, I dialed her number.

She answered quickly, "Hello, Teacher Qi?"

"Is it fun to hang me up?" He wasn't angry at all; you could even hear the lingering laughter in his voice.

Song Chiyu remained silent.

I didn't expect him to find out so quickly. But I still forced myself to say, "Teacher Qi, what are you saying? I don't understand."

He didn't explain, but took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Is this how you kept him hanging on when you were dating him?"

"who?"

"I still can't forget you." His voice was laced with laughter, but Song Chiyu felt a chill run down her spine for no apparent reason. Why was Xie Yunjin being brought up out of the blue? Something was definitely amiss.

"I don't remember," Song Chiyu replied gently. "Teacher Qi, I have to go to work now, I'll hang up first."

Song Chiyu arrived at her workplace.

Just as she was about to take out the bronze artifact she was repairing as usual, an old craftsman in the repair room suddenly asked her about the thing she had repaired before she left. She obviously didn't know, and was about to explain when the old craftsman suddenly found it in a corner. Looking at the uneven patched outer wall, he suddenly began to criticize Song Chiyu for not even knowing the most basic repair procedures.

No one spoke in the restoration room.

Song Chiyu didn't know who had taken over the project after she left. She interrupted the incessantly chattering master craftsman, saying, "Master, I took over this project, but I was sent out before I could even get started. I just got back these past two days. Please find out who it was before you start criticizing me, okay?"

"You..." The old master knew he had made a mistake, but he couldn't save face: "You young people all look alike, how am I supposed to know who is who? You're all graduate students, I wonder what you've been researching."

That sentence insulted everyone in the room.

Just then, Xie Yunjin passed by and, noticing the strange atmosphere inside, knocked on the door: "Master Yu, Teacher Song, what happened?"

Master Yu knew that he was in charge of this project, so he quickly waved to him and started talking about the items in his hands.

Xie Yunjin stared at the thing in his hand and listened quietly.

“Well, it’s not really Teacher Song’s fault. When we work together, misunderstandings are bound to happen. It’s good to clear things up.” Xie Yunjin adjusted her glasses. “Which teacher restored this vase? Would you mind telling me?”

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and then an intern shakily raised his hand.

The person in charge of training immediately became anxious, "Didn't I tell you to practice making molds yourselves? How come..."

"It's alright, it's alright." Xie Yunjin immediately took charge of the situation: "We can solve any problems that arise."

He then gathered the other experienced craftsmen together to discuss specific repair plans.

Song Chiyu once again deeply felt the evaluation his friends had given him: it was great to be friends or colleagues with him, but only his partner would be unhappy.

She's not good at it and can't help.

He returned to his seat.

After finding a solution, Xie Yunjin called her, the senior instructor, and the intern's mentor outside and comforted them. Once the other two had left, he took off his glasses and wiped them, then silently approached her: "Are you alright?"

"It's fine as long as you don't come to check on me." Song Chiyu quickly took a step back, maintaining a safe social distance from him.

"So wary of me?" Xie Yunjin sized her up. "Are you afraid of me, or is your husband afraid of me?"

"Who's afraid of you?" Song Chiyu made no attempt to hide her rejection and disdain for him: "I just don't want to have anything to do with you anymore."

Xie Yunjin wanted to say something more, but Song Chiyu had already left under the pretext of work.

By noon, the news had spread throughout the courtyard. Several colleagues from the ancient book restoration room ran into her in the cafeteria and gathered around her: "What exactly happened in your department today? Everyone's saying that Professor Xie is backing you up."

Song Chiyu was completely numb to the rumors circulating in the courtyard.

Since she had already decided to resign, she didn't bother explaining anymore. She simply and objectively recounted what had happened, not caring whether they believed her or not. However, what truly piqued their curiosity was something else entirely. One by one, they knelt on the cafeteria bench and crowded around her: "I heard from people at the College of Literature and History that someone saw you and Teacher Qi getting out of the driver's seat together in the parking lot yesterday. What were you two doing in the car? How did you end up getting out of the driver's seat together?"

"The passenger door was blocked, so I got out from the driver's seat," Song Chiyu answered fluently.

"But they said you came down first, and then Teacher Qi came down!" He Zhu's gossipy expression was almost animated: "You brat, tell us the truth! What exactly did you eat behind our backs?"

Song Chiyu blushed uncontrollably at the thought of Qi Yanzhou. The shyness and evasiveness in her eyes contrasted sharply with her current weariness and numbness when Xie Yun was mentioned.

My colleague felt this rumor was more credible than the previous one.

Real couples are definitely the most endearing.

To hell with exes!

"Just a kiss," Song Chiyu replied, feigning composure, but her evasive eyes and increasingly flushed face suggested that it was more than that.

"Anything else?" He Zhu persisted.

Song Chiyu remained silent.

A group of people surrounded her and wouldn't let her go. Song Chiyu couldn't take it anymore: "Just sit on his lap and kiss him!"

The previously noisy cafeteria suddenly fell silent, and everyone, including Xie Yunjin, looked at her.

Song Chiyu's face instantly turned bright red, and she picked up her plate and left.

The girls immediately started jeering even louder.

But she also understands perfectly: "Wow, but it's normal. It would be abnormal if someone could resist having such a handsome husband every day."

Xie Yunjin's colleague next to her looked at Xie Yunjin.

She reached out her hand to him and said, "Teacher Xie, can I have your car keys?"

Xie Yunjin stared at her intently.

Her breathing rose and fell sharply before settling down again. Trying to remain calm, she pushed up her glasses and said, "Don't you think it sounds like you're saying this on purpose for me to hear?"

His colleague glanced at his obviously unpleasant expression but did not refute him.

I just wanted to see how long he could keep up his stubbornness.

"Hey, Teacher Xie," the colleague asked knowingly, "you still haven't told me what you were doing in the Gobi Desert. I heard Song Chiyu was there..."

"Old Zheng is there. I'm going to see Old Zheng."

"Really? I heard from your assistant that you braved a sandstorm..."

"Well, Old Zheng is getting on in years, I'm worried he might have some problems?" But his eyes never left Song Chiyu.

**

As soon as Song Chiyu came out, she called Qi Yanzhou.

She unceremoniously blamed him for the whole thing, but her voice had a sweet softness that she herself was unaware of, making her seem more like a coquettish scolding than angry.

He didn't say much, but simply sent her a photo via WeChat.

She looked at the candy, which resembled loose candy, and continued asking on the phone, "What do you mean?"

"I've already given out candy in our courtyard, do you want to take some over and give some out too?"

Song Chiyu instantly understood what was going on and remained silent for two seconds.

"want."

"Then I'll bring it to you now."

Song Chiyu walked to the main entrance to wait for him.

He quickly drove up, carrying several bags of candy, and walked up to her: "Let me help you carry these inside, they're quite heavy."

Song Chiyu was a little embarrassed to look at him, and after a quick glance, she looked away.

Qi Yanzhou asked frankly, "Why are you hiding?"

"You're kind of handsome." Song Chiyu grabbed a handful of candy from his pocket and put it in the security room. "Uncle, have some candy."

The security guard was flattered: "This is your husband, Ms. Song?"

"kindness."

"What a handsome guy!" the security guard exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up.

"He's not that handsome," Song Chiyu replied modestly. She pulled Qi Yanzhou toward the cultural relics protection building where they worked. They could feel the astonishment of everyone they passed. Those who had previously believed the rumors about her and Xie Yunjin were completely disillusioned the moment they saw Qi Yanzhou.

Teacher Xie is indeed excellent, but compared to Song Chiyu's current husband, he is far inferior.

First of all, in terms of appearance, he's not only handsome, but also significantly taller.

Standing next to Song Chiyu, they could be described as a perfect couple.

On the way, they ran into their dean, who surprisingly knew him and came over to greet him. After Song Chiyu gave them a handful of candy, he also told them not to forget to send him a wedding invitation when they held their banquet.

This was the first time in all the years that Song Chiyu had ever seen their dean have such a kind and gentle side.

"Are you that familiar with our dean?"

"It's alright, I've encountered it a few times in meetings."

She suddenly understood why her direct supervisor had asked her to go to Qi Yanzhou for help.

They really underestimated him.

Upon reaching the cultural relics protection building, Song Chiyu intended to carry the items up herself, but Qi Yanzhou suggested, "Let me go up with you."

"Are you sure?" Song Chiyu asked.

"What's the problem?"

"Have you forgotten what I told you on the phone?"

“It’s okay, my colleagues have been talking about this all morning.” He held the candy in one hand and her hand in the other, saying, “But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”

Song Chi observed his expression.

As if judging the truthfulness of his words, he lowered his head calmly and said, "It's my honor."

Song Chiyu suddenly remembered the scene where he said those words yesterday.

She slowly pursed her lips, revealing a persistent sense of embarrassment and annoyance.

Upon entering the office, Song Chiyu handed out candy to her colleagues, while Qi Yanzhou stood behind her carrying the bags. After leaving the offices of each department, the bags of candy were about half empty.

Just then, Xie Yunjin and his assistant happened to pass by.

He glanced indifferently at the two people standing side by side, seemingly oblivious, and walked on. His assistant, about to remind him, noticed his slightly unnatural expression and wisely kept quiet. Back in his office, Xie Yunjin received candy from a colleague. He stared at it coldly: "Where did this come from?"

"It was a gift from your ex-girlfriend."

He tightened his grip on the candy, then slowly released it, stepping back and saying, "Thank you, but I don't eat candy."

**

Song Chiyu escorted Qi Yanzhou back to the gate.

Looking at the half-bag of sugar still in his hand, she asked, "What are we going to do with these?"

"Stay home and eat slowly."

"How long will it take to eat all of this?"

"You can stay at your workplace and share the food with your colleagues."

“I don’t have any colleagues with whom I can share food,” Song Chiyu shook her head.

"What's wrong?"

"My relationship with my current colleagues is just so-so." She didn't elaborate. "Never mind, I'll just stay at your place and eat at my own pace."

He lowered his eyelids thoughtfully, but did not delve into the matter further.

Where are you having dinner tonight?

"I'm not eating."

Qi Yanzhou: "?"

"I have something to do outside today, so I'll probably just grab something to eat outside."

"With whom?"

“Myself,” Song Chiyu replied.

"What's up?"

"A little personal matter of mine."

He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Seeing that she was unwilling to talk about it, I didn't ask any further.

After work, Song Chiyu drove to the largest antique street in her neighborhood. After deciding to quit her job, she started working on starting her own business. This morning, she saw a shop for rent online and arranged to view it with the landlord that evening.

She followed the address given by the shopkeeper and saw an antique shop in the distance.

This antique shop gives off a mysterious and profound feeling from the outside. A Buddha statue is displayed in a glass cabinet next to it, with its eyes lowered. It is arranged in an orderly manner with other porcelain and wood carvings, which is obviously very solemn and compassionate.

As she entered the store, she smelled the scent of sandalwood that had just burned out.

She carefully walked around the porcelain on the long table and reached the cashier at the back: "Hello, are you the owner?"

Unexpectedly, the voices came from the back courtyard. A young man wearing an apron came out of the courtyard: "Are you Miss Song? Come in and sit down. I'll turn off the stove and then take you to see the house."

Song Chiyu found a sofa and sat down.

He discreetly surveyed the surrounding furnishings. If one didn't have to consider financial constraints, owning a small shop like this would be incredibly pleasant.

As she stared absently at the clock on the wall, she heard steady, powerful footsteps behind her.

Song Chiyu turned around and saw a man calmly walking in from behind the lush greenery outside the shop. The man was slender and tall, with a white shirt peeking out from under his black work jacket. His slightly dazed eyes drooped naturally, making his handsome face look particularly deep and exuding a cold and aloof indifference.

"Teacher Qi?" Song Chiyu suddenly stood up. "What are you doing here?"