Chapter 106: The last syllable of the poem, delivered with a slightly rising tone, seemed to be suppressing a hint of pleasure…

That night, the atmosphere in Room 502, Building 1, Chunhua Lane was exceptionally warm.

The room was warm and cozy, and the television in the living room continued to play a music variety show. Zhu Liushuang and He Ming sat at opposite ends of the sofa, quietly watching the singers' emotional performances on the big screen.

People came and went on stage, but their eyes never left the television set. Yet, the ever-upturned corners of her mouth betrayed Zhu Liushuang's true feelings. Even though a poignant love song was playing in her ears, she could no longer muster even a trace of sadness.

The program was halfway through when it entered commercial break. A rustling sound came from the other end of the sofa; He Ming stood up and brushed the wrinkles off his trousers. Zhu Liushuang felt a pang of regret, and although she didn't ask aloud, the smile on her lips was visibly suppressed.

It's already rare for him to spend even a little time watching TV with her.

She comforted herself, "Everything should be done step by step."

Without He Ming's company, the other side of the sofa felt empty, leaving a void in her heart. The dazzling array of commercials on the TV screen was overwhelming, but Zhu Liushuang watched absentmindedly, eventually changing the channel and letting her gaze follow the kitchen.

A few minutes earlier, the man turned and went into the kitchen.

The frosted glass door was slightly ajar, so she couldn't see what he was doing inside. She was incredibly curious and wanted to rush in and see for herself. But she restrained herself, remaining obediently seated on the sofa, arms wrapped around her knees, eyes fixed straight ahead.

A short while later, the half-closed glass door opened as the doorknob was turned.

At that moment, Zhu Liushuang was pretending to be engrossed in watching TV, and didn't even notice when a corner of the seat next to her had collapsed.

"Clang!" A plate of fruit slices appeared on the glass coffee table in front of them.

"Has the variety show just ended?" the man asked casually, putting down the fruit plate.

This time, they were no longer "far apart," but were only one person's distance apart.

The tension in her mind intensified, and Zhu Liushuang rubbed her chin against her knees. She picked up the remote and hurriedly changed the channel: "It's not over yet, the commercial break is a bit long, I'll just change the channel."

"Has the rash gone down?" He Ming glanced at the back of her neck, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the sofa cushion.

"It's almost gone. Thank you... thank you for your concern, senior." Zhu Liushuang buried half her face in her knees and replied in a muffled voice. She was a little annoyed with herself for not being able to control herself; whenever he mentioned the word "rash," she couldn't help but recall the scene in the train carriage that day.

"That's good." He Ming turned his gaze back to the TV. "It's quite dry in the room. If you're bored, have some peaches to soothe your throat."

Staring at the plate of sliced ​​winter peaches on the coffee table, Zhu Liushuang felt a mix of emotions.

He suddenly left halfway through the program, not because he was getting impatient, but because...

Knowing she was allergic to peach skins, he peeled the peaches for her and carefully cut them into pieces.

The sad love songs on TV variety shows didn't bring tears to Zhu Liushuang's eyes, but the plate of sliced ​​winter peaches in front of her almost made her cry.

"Oh... okay." She puffed out her cheeks, composed herself, and then said, "Thank you, senior."

Each episode of the variety show lasted an hour and a half. Zhu Liushuang only wished the show was longer, otherwise she could have stayed in the living room with He Ming for even longer.

The fruit plate on the coffee table was empty; she had eaten almost all of it, while He Ming only ate two or three pieces.

Touching her bloated stomach, Zhu Liushuang lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

"Liu Shuang, what time are you leaving tomorrow morning?" the man asked, turning to her.

Zhu Liushuang looked up and her gaze met his shirt collar, which was unbuttoned by one button.

"Eight o'clock, I think." Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she asked softly, "What's wrong?"

He Ming nodded and said, "I'm going to Ruixin tomorrow, do you want me to give you a ride to the company?"

Zhu Liushuang asked in surprise, "Tomorrow? Aren't Lin Hui and Shuting coming?" She had already arranged this with Lin Hui a week ago.

"The schedule has changed. Lin Hui has been pulled by Xu Feng to work in the field for another company."

"But don't you start work half an hour later than us?" Zhu Liushuang hesitated. "Are you going to stay at Ruixin all day? Lin Hui said he'd only stay for the morning..."

“I need to talk to Guo Yang about something this afternoon, and I should finish around the same time you get off work.” The man looked into her eyes thoughtfully and said, “You don’t need to feel troubled or embarrassed; it’s just on your way.”

He eliminated all her concerns, so how could she possibly refuse?

"Okay, thank you in advance, senior!" Zhu Liushuang blushed slightly and asked with a smile, "I'll make breakfast tomorrow, what would you like to eat, senior?"

The room was very warm, and He Ming suddenly felt a little thirsty. He awkwardly turned his face away and turned off the TV, saying, "Anything is fine, I'm not picky. There are breakfast shops outside the community, we can actually go there to buy some."

"The breakfast shops always have the same few things, and they're all oily, which isn't good for your stomach..." Zhu Liushuang muttered. "There's some osmanthus honey I brought in the fridge. Didn't we buy rice noodles at the supermarket last time? How about we have osmanthus rice cakes tomorrow..."

When she talked about how to make osmanthus rice cake, her almond-shaped eyes shone brightly, and the corners of her lips and eyebrows danced charmingly, as if the steaming rice cake was already being served to her.

He Ming gazed intently at her, his eyes following the radiant expression on her face. A strange warmth washed over him, gentle and tender. A tingling sensation spread through his chest, making him feel intoxicated.

This feeling wasn't the first time it had occurred to me.

Her voice, her smile, her animated expression stirred his breath and his heart.

"Okay." He heard his own voice escape from his throat, hoarse yet unusually gentle.

————

The next morning, the two rode in the same car to Ruixin.

Outside the window, a thick white fog blanketed the scene, carrying the scent of winter. Inside the train carriage, however, lay another world. The air conditioning blew warm air, and a wave of heat rose on people's faces.

"Did you get up early today?" The man's slightly hoarse voice came through the car radio.

Zhu Liushuang took a bite of the steaming rice cake and mumbled, "It's only half an hour early... I did all the preparations the night before, so it didn't take much effort..."

The light ahead was red. He Ming slowly stopped at the zebra crossing and asked, "The weather has been getting colder lately. Do you... want to take the bus to and from work? There's a direct bus to Ruixin from the bus stop outside the community."

"Huh?" A small mouthful of rice cake, which she hadn't had time to chew, got stuck in her throat. Zhu Liushuang swallowed hard before she could get it down. "No need, the electric scooter will do. It's convenient to come and go, and it's more free." She spoke in a deliberately light tone, so no one noticed anything amiss.

“Taking a taxi is fine too…” The car started up again, and the man said thoughtfully, “I can collect the receipts and take them back to the company for reimbursement.”

"Is this really okay?" Zhu Liushuang thought to herself, but outwardly she adopted a posture of refusal.

"No need to trouble yourself, senior. It's only a ten-minute walk from Chunhua Lane to our company. I've gotten used to it... There's a windproof blanket in the car, and with gloves and a hat on, it's not actually that cold."

He Ming seemed not to be paying much attention to what she was saying, and abruptly changed the subject: "Have you gotten your driver's license yet?"

Zhu Liushuang tilted her head and answered blankly, "Yes, I got my driver's license in college."

The man nodded and remained silent, continuing to drive.

Zhu Liushuang's mind was in turmoil from his series of questions. She chewed the osmanthus rice cake that was put to her mouth without being able to taste it for a long time.

At 8:20 a.m., the car stopped at the intersection in front of the office building.

Zhu Liushuang pushed open the car door and got out, while the people in the car waited for her to stand still before slowly starting the car and driving towards the underground parking garage on the other side.

This was her idea, probably to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After all, there are many people around, and if some nosy colleague sees them getting out of the same car, there will inevitably be a lot of gossip.

He Ming arrived at Ruixin ten minutes later than her. At that time, Zhu Liushuang was carrying a kettle of hot water towards the tea room.

"Good morning, Teacher He." Because Zhuang Xiaoqian was also there, she immediately changed her form of address.

The man in the suit paused, then politely replied, "Good morning, Liu Shuang."

"White tea or coffee?" Zhu Liushuang asked.

"White tea, thank you." The man continued walking without stopping, heading straight for the small conference room.

After the tall figure disappeared around the corner, Zhuang Xiaoqian tugged at Zhu Liushuang's sleeve and said, "Don't you think this person seems to have become a lot more approachable?"

"Really? Isn't Teacher He always like this?" Zhu Liushuang started to dodge the question, pulling Zhuang Xiaoqian's arm and walking towards the tea room. "I'm so sleepy, I didn't sleep well last night."

"Having trouble sleeping? Are you still listening to that app I recommended before?" Zhuang Xiaoqian's attention was diverted.

"It's been a while since I've opened it..." Zhu Liushuang told a little lie, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten it existed."

Zhuang Xiaoqian shook her head: "Such a wonderful app, and you don't even use it... It's practically a sleep aid miracle!"

"Okay, I'll use it," she replied, though she felt a little guilty. Actually, Yueyin FM hadn't been completely ignored by her. Although... He Ming hadn't been online for a long time, she still logged in every day.

After organizing the materials in the finance office for a while, Zhu Liushuang carried her laptop to the small conference room, where she bumped into Jiang Shuting, who was rushing over.

"Good morning, Shuting," she greeted with a light smile.

"It's getting late! I didn't hear my alarm and overslept!" Jiang Shuting said with a pained expression. As she stepped into the room, she saw He Ming already sitting steadily in the center of the conference room, and her drooping head hung even lower.

"Teacher He—" Jiang Shuting called out weakly, "You've arrived!"

He Ming turned his head, looked at his assistant with a serious expression, and only managed to utter a single "hmm" after a long pause.

Zhu Liushuang couldn't bear the awkward atmosphere, so she quickly tried to smooth things over, pulling her humble assistant inside: "Shuting, would you like coffee or white tea?"

"Plain water, please, thank you, Sister Shuangshuang." Jiang Shuting sat down next to He Ming, one seat away. Turning her head, she saw her stern-faced boss slowly and deliberately eating a piece of translucent white rice cake.

His gaze was fixed on the table, where a plastic bag was placed, containing several pieces of rice cake.

"It smells so good! It's the osmanthus scent she loves!" Jiang Shuting clutched her empty stomach and looked at He Ming with a mournful expression.

Unfortunately, her boss was completely oblivious to her feelings and didn't even notice that she was starving.

On the contrary, Zhu Liushuang, who was busy making tea, was very understanding and asked her about her well-being.

"Shuting, have you had breakfast?"

Before the word "no" could even escape her lips, a "coo coo" sound preceded it, making Jiang Shuting blush bright red.

"Wait a minute, I'll go to the finance office to get you something to eat." Zhu Liushuang finished making the water and jogged out the door.

Soon, she reappeared in the conference room with some food.

"There's not much stock left, just cookies and nuts. Make do with this. Here's a piece of my leftover breakfast, if you don't mind it getting cold..."

“I don’t mind! I want to eat it!” Jiang Shuting’s eyes lit up, and the first thing she picked up was the cold rice cake.

The aroma of osmanthus honey tantalized her nose, and she quickly put the rice cake to her mouth and took a big bite.

"Is it delicious?" Zhu Liushuang chuckled.

"Mmm, so soft and sweet..." Jiang Shuting smacked her lips, still savoring the taste. As she ate, a thought suddenly struck her. "Hey, Shuangshuang, your rice cake is the same as Teacher He's! Did you buy it from the same shop?"

Zhu Liushuang's lips stiffened. She was glad she wasn't an impatient person and hadn't said "I did it myself." She looked at He Ming seriously for a moment, then smiled and said, "I guess... right."

The man had finished two pieces of osmanthus rice cake and was preparing for the third. It seemed that the rice cake was quite to his liking.

"Teacher He, did you also buy your breakfast from that breakfast shop downstairs?" Zhu Liushuang asked unexpectedly, intending to tease He Ming.

Her slender fingers paused, and the man turned his head to look at her. His clear, cold eyes were unfathomable. After a long while, he slowly said, "Hmm."

It's just another bland "hmm," but this one sounds much more pleasant.

The last syllable rose slightly, as if suppressing a joyful laugh.

-----------------------

Author's Note: I'm a little late, Happy Children's Day, everyone! [Cat emoji]