Chapter 59 Chapter 59

59.

The sturdy man held her in one arm while he placed the water glass back on the bedside table with the other. He ignored her two questions and instead caressed her face with his dry, cool palm.

"Have an appetite? What would you like to eat?" Perhaps because she had taken the medicine, Lu Ye's voice sounded a little more reassured. "If you want something light, maybe black rice porridge and straw hat cakes? Or maybe you'd like something a little more flavorful?"

An Jiyue leaned against him lazily, not wanting to think: "Porridge and pancakes are good, and a side of cold jellyfish salad. Oh, right—"

"Add rock sugar to black rice porridge." Lu Ye finished her words with a helpless smile, leaning over and kissing her lips as she hesitated to speak.

An Jiyue smiled sweetly. She had been nestled in his arms for so long that his chest had become warm. At this moment, a thin layer of red appeared on Lu Ye's pure face.

She turned over consciously and sensibly and crawled back into the silk quilt.

Lu Ye didn't rush to leave. He extended his left arm, wrapped it around her shoulders, and gently soothed her. His slender figure leaned loosely against the headboard, yet he stood like a motionless guardian deity.

Not long after lying down, the effect of the medicine gradually took effect. When An Jiyue's eyelids were heavy, the man next to her finally moved.

He leaned over, supporting himself on the bed with one hand, and gently rubbing circles on her pink cheek with the other.

Then came a very light and gentle kiss on her forehead which was no longer hot.

An Jiyue's long breathing paused for a moment.

The distant physical memory was engraved into her conditioned reflex, and she subconsciously raised her hands to hug Lu Ye's neck.

The next action should be to slightly raise your chin, stand on tiptoe, then close your eyes and throw yourself into the cool and refreshing fragrance of the cedar without hesitation.

An Jiyue clenched her hands into fists beneath the quilt, her delicate nails digging into her flesh. She suppressed her pounding heart and held her breath, fearing that any movement would expose her true identity.

She and Lu Ye had a tacit understanding about reconciling. If it were normal, she might come forward and kiss his handsome, abstinent and seductive lips.

But everything was happening in bed.

Suddenly, all the elements she had just ignored suddenly became prominent. The soft silk quilt, the exposed slender collarbone and fair skin, the shirt buttons unbuttoned to the chest were directly in front of her eyes...

Even though she had just drunk some water, An Jiyue's throat suddenly became dry and she couldn't speak. This was beyond her comfort zone.

The cool and soft lips left her forehead, Lu Ye stood up, and saw An Jiyue's suddenly red face.

"What's wrong with you?" He frowned and put the back of his hand against her face. His voice suddenly became urgent. "Is the fever coming back?"

An Jiyue didn't answer. She was filled with shame and humiliation.

People say that when you are sick you feel haggard and weak all over. How could she still be daydreaming when she had a fever, and even feel excited as if she had no illness at all?

Those dark eyes were now easy to understand; they were filled with nothing but anxiety and worry. Lu Ye was filled with worry, his cool hands repeatedly covering her increasingly red cheeks, trying to cool her down.

He had his arms open, the faint lines of his chest not too abrupt, but rather smooth and full. Below that, there was nothing at all. Unlike the average man who would accumulate three or four circles of fat after working for a year or two, Lu Ye's flat abdomen bulged with a mermaid line like a relief.

The broad shoulders and narrow waist were now supported right above her, and An Jiuyue's breathing, which had finally stabilized, became disordered again.

She looked at Lu Ye's handsome and self-conceited face, and suddenly thought in confusion: Why didn't we give it a try back then?

Obviously, at that age, one is full of vigor and vitality. His physical strength should also be at its peak, right?

An Jiyue recalled in a few seconds that she had a good figure when she was in school, tall and thin but not lacking in material. During the long summer days, she always loved wearing short suspender skirts. When she saw Lu Ye, she never hesitated to put her arm around his, her smile as bright as a summer flower.

But in his memory, Lu Ye had never overstepped his bounds, never even hinting at anything. When the girl's creamy long legs brushed against him, Lu Ye's Adam's apple didn't even roll.

An Jiuyue herself was completely absorbed in her heavy academic workload, shuttling between classes and practical assignments all day long, seemingly having no time to think about these lingering affairs.

Thinking about it this way, their love, which was made in heaven in the eyes of outsiders with envy, was simply bland.

An Jiyue's cheeks were burning hot and her eyes were as sharp as torches.

Her chocolate-colored eyes became increasingly bright and dark, staring straight at Lu Ye without blinking.

Lu Ye's peripheral vision clearly saw the indoor thermometer jump from 26°C to 27°C. He deliberately left the air conditioning on in the living room and opened the bedroom door to create a comfortable but not freezing temperature.

He slowly withdrew his palm, and read An Jiyue's eyes with a half-understanding. There was clearly a shy desire burning in them.

Her cherry-like lips suddenly became lustrous, and her dense, feathery eyelashes seemed to be trying to hide something, but were not quite successful. Her whole body was stiff, but to him, it seemed more like she was sending out some kind of eager signal.

...Is that what he meant?

Lu Ye's eyes were dim, and his throat suddenly choked. Something was stuck there, and the pain made him dare not move.

His face was calm, but his mind was in a mess. After a stalemate of half a minute, he finally retreated suddenly, staggering and holding onto the wardrobe door.

She's sick. Lu Ye cursed himself for his sudden, beastly thought. How could he possibly take advantage of her and bully her?

"You just took some medicine, get some more sleep. I've already taken two days off for you. I'm going out to buy dinner and will come back to call you."

An Jiyue stared blankly at his back as he left in a hurry. The door that was originally wide open was now half-closed, making the matter even more obvious.

-

Xu Mu carefully prepared the sick leave form, but did not submit it to the administrative OA immediately. Instead, he filed it in the online document to leave a trace.

Having worked as an assistant for a long time, he was familiar with the process. Even if a leave note without medical records and diagnosis was submitted, it would most likely be blocked.

The person he had requested leave for, An Jiyue, had already been asked by the director to keep a low profile and reduce her presence. She was still nominally on leave, so even if she didn't come in for a day or two, she wouldn't be held responsible.

After all, what could be more effective in reducing one's presence than simply not showing up?

Xu Mu was in an indescribably good mood today. Even though he had attended several discussions on behalf of Director An and had argued with the post-production director over some plot points, he was still able to hum a tuneless tune and leisurely walk home with his bag on his back.

"Xiao Xu, you're so happy. It's so relaxing when the boss is away. I really envy you."

When a colleague said this, Xu Mu simply chuckled and didn't say much. He had indeed benefited from his superiors' help—because he had tipped off Lu Ye promptly, he had received some casual advice from the head of the company, which had allowed him to sell off several stocks that were showing promising growth before the market closed.

Xu Mu was completely convinced of Chief Lu's ability. He had no doubt that he would see these stocks plummeting in half as soon as the market opened tomorrow.

However, his feelings towards Lu Ye are very complicated. In Xu Mu's heart, this male guest who has withdrawn from the group is both his god of wealth and director An's god of plague.

Director An, who worked diligently and conscientiously to join the director team, had to take sick leave because this male guest was suspended twice and fell ill after An Jiuyue entertained him. You should know that An Jiuyue never took leave before, and even when the flu was at its worst, she stubbornly resisted the virus and did not get sick.

Xu Mu felt a little sorry for his good leader. The Lu chief was far away in City S. Even if he knew the news, he'd probably only offer a few words of comfort. His schedule was always incredibly busy, so how could he find the time to come and visit in person?

…

Perhaps, it's not impossible? Xu Mu's mind moved, and he boldly imagined it.

When he was coordinating the schedule with Lu Ye before, he once provided his email address as an alternative to receive Lu Ye's flight updates. However, Lu Ye later became more active in participating in the program, and Xu Mu didn't need to worry too much, so he hadn't used his email address for a while.

Xu Mu carefully opened the dazzling array of emails and pulled the scroll wheel with the expectation of getting nothing.

Dear Mr. Lu Ye, you have successfully booked flight CZ3620. The flight will depart today from City S to City P. As the departure time is approaching, please pay attention to your travel arrangements.

The sending time was exactly fifteen minutes after he informed Lu Ye that Director An had a fever and was on sick leave.

Xu Mu's heart exploded.

He wanted to tell the whole world, wanted to dance into the super topic of Luzhu CP, and wanted to go crazy under the official Weibo of "The Last Days Lovers".

He is the one who has found the real CP!

What about the Luzhu CP who are evenly matched, what about the campus youthful girl and the high-spirited senior, who dropped everything and flew to be in front of you after receiving a sick leave message, they are all scum.

Who is Lu Ye? He talks about the scale of business every minute and every second. Xu Mu has already gotten a glimpse of it in these days.

Recording at three in the morning is no problem, and getting stuck in traffic to meet someone at the airport is no problem. As long as he has a computer with internet access and a cell phone signal, he can work non-stop.

Just don't interrupt him when he's on the phone, and don't arrange any overly intimate romantic scenes.

Xu Mu was a little dazed. This person, for Director An, had actually set aside all his previous harsh and uncompromising principles and bottom line, willingly flying for hours just to come and take care of him as soon as possible.

Perhaps, Chief Lu, who is always so glamorous and unconcerned with women, is now serving tea and water to Director An at his bedside.

Xu Mu couldn't help but laughed out loud in a very unrighteous manner.

He was about to step out to hail a taxi when a speeding BMW stopped him. The tourmaline-grey BMW screeched to a halt beside him, only inches away. Xu Mu felt the car looked familiar.

The car window rolled down and a sturdy man leaned over and greeted him loudly.

Liang Sinan lowered his sunglasses: "Mr. Xu, right? I'm your Director An's family member. She didn't go home last night and I can't contact her. Did she come to work as usual today?"

Xu Mu suddenly understood. No wonder he felt the car looked familiar.

"Director An is on sick leave today."

"Sick leave?" the man repeated blankly, his voice full of suspicion. "She's sick? But she didn't go home—"

Liang Sinan suddenly fell silent, as if he had come to a conclusion. His nostrils flared, and he let out a long breath. The doubt on his face disappeared in an instant. After thanking Xu Mu, he sped away.

Xu Mu watched the tourmaline-gray car body quickly disappear in the traffic, and suddenly realized: Director An said that she was an only child. When did such a family member of the opposite sex who was so close and caring to her appear in her family?