Chapter 65 Chapter 65

The thick night fell on the vast land. If you look down from the sky, the endless night is like a vast ocean. Even the city of S, which is known for its revelry every night, becomes insignificant in it.

Lu Ye sat alone by the floor-to-ceiling window in the study of a high-end residential building, with his back to the twinkling Milky Way and the brilliant stars.

Even the air around him felt cold and silent. A leather ergonomic swivel chair held his waist steady. On the height-adjustable desk, three curved screens interwoven with red and green curves. Behind the desk was a tall cabinet reaching directly to the ceiling. Heavy tomes and folders lay on the lower shelves, while higher up were scattered trophies, from his outstanding graduate awards as a student to his best analyst awards since entering the industry.

This was already the most elaborately furnished room; the other rooms were bare except for the essentials. Shen Xingyu had come to pick him up once and had gone upstairs to sit for a while. Lu Ye could only get a disposable paper cup of filtered water for him to drink.

Shen Xingyu, who had just met Lu Ye, secretly took note: Lu Ye is a person who has no roots and is not very stable.

After they got to know each other, he came to visit again one time. He was still treated with disposable paper cups and purified water. Shen Xingyu finally began to doubt his life. Of course, he was doubting Lu Ye's life.

"Aren't you going to clean up this place?"

Lu Ye was puzzled. "I hired a professional team to do the renovations, is there anything wrong?"

When it comes to hard and soft furnishings, Shen Xingyu really can't name a single one or two or three. He simply feels that this place is not very popular.

Lu Ye sneered: "Out of 365 days a year, I'm on business trips for at least 300 days. Why would I need popularity?"

Shen Xingyu couldn't stand him, but Lu Ye himself adapted very well to this house. Perhaps compared to the whole house, he was even more aloof.

The only thing steaming in the room at this moment was the hot cocoa in his hand.

Perhaps there is another one, which is this vivid mobile phone screen.

Lu Ye stared at the video call window, and the ends of his long eyelashes trembled invisibly.

He still maintained the same posture as when he was watching the index trend, his body slightly leaning forward, his pupils as dark as ink, his expression calm and composed, and he had already thought of the angle from which to make the corresponding comments.

But facing the other figure in the video, his heart was already in turmoil, and he couldn't think of what to say first.

Although, the girl on the other end of the video was just wearing silk pajamas, a cat ear headband, holding a buzzing electric toothbrush in her mouth, and pouting at him in dissatisfaction.

Her cheeks, now free of makeup, were pure white, clear enough to reveal the faint pink of her capillaries. Her almond-shaped eyes were lively and soft, no longer requiring the constant calm and seriousness of her daytime work. A happy smile flickered from the corners of her relaxed eyes. Beneath her delicate nose, her lips were lost in a pool of white foam, gradually emerging as she rinsed her mouth, their cherry-like color a sweet and captivating color.

It seemed that such a plain and simple everyday scene was enough to arouse his heart for An Jiuyue.

Lu Ye suddenly regretted that he was so sensible and flew back to City S.

An Jiyue kept moving her hands and raised her eyebrows at him: "What are you doing?"

The man off-screen took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling dramatically. He replied in a normal, unhurried tone:

"I was exhausted at work today."

He blinked, then continued without blinking: "I missed you."

An Jiuyue raised her face in surprise, water dripping down her cheeks and into her neck, staring at him blankly.

Ever since they had reconciled in a tacit understanding, they had been treating each other with respect, as if skipping all the steps in between, getting along naturally and reservedly. This was the first time Lu Ye had said such words to her so bluntly.

She always thought that they had not yet completely overcome that barrier, or worse, Lu Ye just regarded her as a target for his unrequited pursuit.

Even if that was true, An Jiyue didn't think it mattered. After all, she herself was also carrying a certain reluctance, which was why she was determined not to miss it again.

But Lu Ye seemed to be more "noble" than her. He took the initiative to send her a series of messages, and just now, he even said clearly that he missed her.

She moved her lips, suppressing the slight panic in her heart, and fluttered her eyelashes rapidly. She feigned composure and said "hmm" and began to think rapidly.

I'm tired from work and I miss you.

The two seemingly independent sentences are actually inextricably linked.

Maybe it's karma, I miss her so much because I'm exhausted from work. Or maybe it's a turning point, even though I'm exhausted from work I still miss her so much.

No matter what, she is the one who is missed in the tiring and busy life.

Somehow, An Jiyue suddenly remembered the long-distance call from Lu Ye when she was working an all-night deadline abroad.

At that time, she had red eyes from staying up late, and in Lu Ye's eyes of hidden heartache and soothing soft voice, she pitifully told him about a lot of trivial things that had happened to her this week.

Lu Ye listened to her silently, and only said "What next?" or "Drink some water" when she paused. His clear and otherworldly voice suddenly became as soft as a duvet, calling her name again and again, and then comforting her without repeating himself.

For example, "These courses must be difficult, Jiyue is amazing", or "When you are under a lot of pressure, find something to do that makes you feel happy. For example, Jiyue, do you want to eat anything? I will mail it to you."

After a phone call, she would often be able to calmly submit her homework for each subject the next day, and would even rush to the front row of the classroom in high spirits and radiantly to grab a good seat.

At that time, she vaguely felt that Lu Ye was her inexhaustible source of super energy.

Lu Ye had given her a perfect answer a long time ago. Perhaps, she could give it a try herself?

An Jiyue hurriedly wiped her face, quickly patted the essence on her face, and sat down in the armchair by the balcony window with her phone in her arms.

Her eyes sparkled, and her voice was like a nightingale: "What's the matter? What happened to Chief Lu today?"

Lu Ye paused, smiled, and the concentration in Mo Chenchen's eyes relaxed a little.

He began to record his absence today:

"Nothing special. There was no traffic on my way out this morning, so everything went smoothly. However, when I got to the office, I discovered that the review I wrote last night hadn't been sent successfully, so I quickly resent it. This morning, I met with two institutions, one of which was a big seller, but it wasn't too difficult. In the afternoon, I reviewed several reports for external distribution. The data for one company hasn't been delivered yet, and I can't contact the secretary of the board of directors either. I need to go and follow up in person tomorrow. The US stock market just opened, so I've been watching the market."

Anyone else might have been fed up with his emotionless expression long ago, but An Jiuyue listened attentively, occasionally nodding to show her understanding.

This is not only because she can understand, but also because she is most adapted to Lu Ye's way of communication.

An Jiuyue always felt that Lu Ye was not a good storyteller. Although he could make clear and logical analyses during roadshows, it would be extremely difficult for him to write a travelogue while traveling.

During the summer they interned together in Pingjiang, An Jiyue could talk nonstop for three days and three nights, from the cats in Donglin Temple to the tea on Pingjiang Road. But in Lu Ye's mouth, it became a different story.

An Jiyue once heard him call his parents at that time: "I'm very busy at work, and the air conditioning is cooling well."

Perhaps he has used all his cleverness on "real things" and has no extra energy to organize language for life.

But to An Jiyue's ears, the ordinary and cold tone revealed that it was a day that was as tense as a war.

She tried hard to recall what Lu Ye had said back then: "When you're under a lot of pressure, it's better to do something that makes you feel happy."

Lu Ye nodded in agreement, a smile tinging his dark eyes: "You're right. That's why I called you."

An Jiyue opened her lips slightly, and her cheeks turned pink instantly.

The next sentence she had been thinking about for a while should have been "Is there anything I want to eat? I'll send you some", but she never expected that there would be a variation of this question.

Lu Ye pressed on: "Just seeing you is a happy thing."

An Jiyue bit the tip of her tongue gently to control her expression. Who was it that had just mocked Lu Ye for not being able to express himself?

She forced herself to remain calm and said stubbornly, "Then why don't you just look at the photos..."

The man's leisurely voice came slowly: "The photo is so beautiful, I can't help but want to see the real person again."

An Jiuyue's defenses completely collapsed. Her face flushed and she lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him. Her confused eyes drifted to the hanging dress.

The voice that had been so clear and melodious just now was as thin as a mosquito: "So, do you still want to see me in that dress?"

There was a long silence on the other side. An Jiyue bravely looked up and met Lu Ye's restrained and burning eyes.

An Jiyue closed her eyes and made a decision in an instant: "Wait a moment."

She put her phone aside and walked lightly to the wardrobe. She took off her pajamas and put the shimmering silver dress back on. The knot at the back was difficult to tie, so An Jiyue lifted her hair and fiddled with it for a long time, finally tying a knot.

She took a deep breath, picked up the phone again, and pointed it at the mirror with a milky white frame.

The graceful figure in the mirror is even more captivating against the silk fabric. The outline of her snow-white shoulders is a little thin, and the straps tied behind her neck are thin and shiny, as if two loving shadows are cast by the moonlight.

An Jiyue was not wearing slippers. She stood on tiptoe and turned half a circle holding up the hem of her skirt.

"My Jiyue has always been so beautiful." The man's voice was hoarse as he praised her, and there seemed to be an undercurrent.

An Jiuyue, who put on her beautiful dress again, also smiled happily. After hearing Lu Ye's generous praise, she raised her head gracefully, then bent her knees slightly, like a noble white swan bowing at the curtain call.

The moon shone brightly, the night wind was gentle. The hastily tied knot suddenly untied, and the smooth cloth fell down like a beautiful fish sinking to the bottom of the water, and in an instant, the color of snow suddenly appeared.

The cool wind blew up the curtains. When the girl in front of the mirror raised her head, she was stunned for a few seconds, somewhat at a loss.

She blinked. The next second, before she could even scream, her phone was thrown out.