Chapter 79 A Clumsy Lie She really didn't mean to take advantage of him! ...

"When are you going back to Yunxiang?" He Ming asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

These words sounded to Zhu Liushuang as an impatient attempt to drive away her guest. Her grip on the chopsticks tightened, and she poked a round hole in the few remaining noodles.

"Did your family know you came to Yunhe all by yourself?" He Ming asked again when he received no response.

Zhu Liushuang put down her chopsticks, turned to him, and gave him a gentle smile: "Senior, I'm not a three-year-old anymore! My mom said it's a rare opportunity to travel, so I should enjoy myself. I heard there's a famous porcelain town in Yunhe, so I thought I'd stop by and visit it, then go back tomorrow..."

With his glass of water almost empty, He Ming got up to refill it with hot water and asked, "Have you booked the hotel?"

"Mmm." Zhu Liu nodded twice. "Huating Hotel shouldn't be far from here."

She had no idea where the Huating Hotel was. She had only glanced at it on a map while taking a taxi, so she just casually gave them the name.

Her skill in lying through her teeth was so refined that if it weren't for her racing heartbeat controlling her breathing, she would almost have believed her own story.

“Huating Hotel…” He Ming’s fingers idly stroked the rim of the cup. “So, do you want to go to the ancient town now or go directly to the hotel?”

The rain intensified, giving Zhu Liushuang room to maneuver.

She feigned distress and said, "It's so raining so hard, it's inconvenient to go anywhere... How about I stay here this afternoon and go to the hotel when the rain stops?"

The raindrops pattered against the frosted glass. He Ming bent down to close the window crack and said, "That's fine, but there's no TV here. Won't you get bored?"

Zhu Liushuang tossed her phone around and said in an exaggerated tone, "Not at all, I can pass the time by playing on my phone."

"Okay." He Ming picked up the bowl and chopsticks on the table. "I still have some work to do this afternoon. Please make yourself at home."

"I'll wash them!" Zhu Liushuang quickly grabbed the bowl.

She lost control of her strength and grabbed He Ming's hand. Her fingertips touched the man's warm skin, and her heart pounded. She sheepishly let go.

She really didn't mean to take advantage of me!

Gazing at the exposed wrist bone at the man's cuff, Zhu Liushuang silently defended herself in her heart. By the time she composed herself and faced He Ming again, he had already walked away with his bowl and chopsticks, leaving her only with the back of his head.

————

In the cramped space of just over ten square meters, the sound of a mouse clicking on the computer desktop could be heard from time to time.

To avoid disturbing He Ming's work, Zhu Liushuang deliberately muted the video. On the phone screen, a teacher teaching "accounting" was analyzing a difficult problem, and she stared at the rapidly changing subtitles, completely bewildered.

Just over ten minutes ago, she was watching a reality TV show, but unfortunately, she couldn't get into it.

A dozen minutes later, she switched to watching "CPA courses," but unfortunately, she couldn't get into it either.

At this moment, Zhu Liushuang had to recognize a fact: the man behind her, half-leaning on the bed working, could easily distract her.

She gave up, clasped her hands together, and rested her face against her arm.

On the surface, she appeared to be engrossed in watching the video. In reality, she was secretly glancing at He Ming out of the corner of her eye.

His bangs were a bit long, with a few strands covering his eyelids. He wore frameless glasses on his high, straight nose—the same glasses she'd been so engrossed in watching from outside the R&D department.

My heart was pounding wildly, even more intensely than the sound of the rain outside the window.

In this position, she intently traced his face. Gradually, the face that haunted her dreams transformed into a hazy mist. Soon, darkness engulfed her.

During a break, He Ming took off his glasses and rubbed his sore temples. He subconsciously looked towards the desk, and when his gaze fell on Zhu Liushuang's peaceful sleeping face, he couldn't help but pause and chuckle.

How could she have fallen asleep so completely unguarded?

A barely audible sigh was drowned out by the heavy rain. He Ming moved his laptop aside, picked up the cashmere blanket from the bed, and walked over. The girl's face was half-buried in his arms, and her soft breathing made him unconsciously slow his movements.

A thin blanket gently fell onto Zhu Liushuang's shoulders, covering half of her body.

He Ming did not turn around immediately. He crossed his arms and thoughtfully observed the beautiful figure leaning against the table.

What was her purpose in coming to Yunhe to see him?

The money transfer he initiated that day was returned to the original recipient. He tried to transfer it again, but received the same result.

He remembered that she said in her WeChat message that her National Day holiday was fully booked. She was going to set up a stall at a music festival, deliver dessert tables to two engagement parties, watch a movie with her best friend, and accompany her mother to the countryside to harvest late rice.

How did you suddenly appear in Yunhe?

Is visiting relatives in Yunxiang just an excuse or something else?

He Ming felt his throbbing temples hurt even more. He grabbed the cough syrup on the table, unscrewed the cap, and took a few sips. He didn't like sweets, but the bittersweet syrup made him feel nauseous. After a few seconds, the cool mint sensation overcame the sweetness, and his itchy throat felt much better.

Zhu Liushuang was awakened by the heat. When she woke up, her neck was covered in a fine sweat.

The ceiling light had been changed to a soft, warm yellow, and the edge of the thin cashmere blanket brushed against her numb arms, causing a slight itch. Her mind was blank, and her eyes welled up with tears.

"How did I fall asleep?" She sat up sluggishly, turning her head to the back of her head. "Senior, what time is it?"

He Ming was finishing up and didn't have time to look up: "It's 3:40. Wait for me for ten minutes. I'll take you to the hotel after I finish reading this report."

"Has the rain... stopped?" Zhu Liushuang replied, seemingly unrelated to the question.

He Ming sent the document to the work group and said, "A light drizzle."

"Oh." Zhu Liushuang hugged the blanket tighter around herself. She watched He Ming close his laptop, make the bed, and put the osmanthus cake she had brought into the refrigerator in the corner...

He was going to take her home. Her hands and feet reacted before her brain could process her; she frantically reached for her phone on the table.

The teacher on the screen continued to lecture, draining most of her phone's battery.

Thankfully, it didn't shut down automatically! Zhu Liushuang was glad she still had battery power to book a hotel.

Time was of the essence. While he was in the restroom, she typed "Huating Hotel" into the booking app, and a few lines of gray text appeared below:

"Atrium King Room", starting from 699, fully booked.

"Atrium Twin Room", starting from 699, fully booked.

"Deluxe King Room", starting from 599, fully booked.

...

During the National Day holiday, hotel and guesthouse prices across the country doubled. Looking at the low 3.1 rating in the reviews, Zhu Liushuang's face fell.

The crucial point... it doesn't even have guest rooms yet!

The only available room is a single room priced at 299, and it has no window.

Is this robbery?

Zhu Liushuang angrily scrolled through the photos of the single rooms and clicked the "Book" button.

Once you tell one lie, you have to tell many more to cover it up.

The signal suddenly weakened, and the pop-up window for booking "windowless special offer room" froze on the screen, as if mocking her cleverness.

"What's wrong?" He came out of the bathroom and asked with a puzzled look as the door opened.

Zhu Liushuang bent down to pick up the thin blanket that was about to slip to the ground, and after managing her expression, she joked, "My brain hasn't fully turned on after my nap. I'm trying to reboot."

"Let's go check in first. Let's see if there are any restaurants nearby that serve light meals," He Ming said, putting his phone charger in his pocket.

Zhu Liushuang took the blanket off her body, carefully folded it, and placed it on the bed next to the neatly folded quilt before walking to his side.

The doorway was only ten steps or so from the bedside. The damp wind forced the door open, and a chill rushed in, making her shiver involuntarily.

"Bang—" The wooden door slammed shut unexpectedly.

"Did you leave anything behind?" Zhu Liushuang asked, tilting her head.

“Wait a minute—” He Ming explained in a low voice as he stepped aside, his hand, which was braced against the door, bulging with veins, “It’s getting colder, I’ll go get you a coat.”

His manners and gentlemanly manners seemed to be ingrained in his bones, and he could always stir up endless ripples in her heart with the most ordinary tone.

Zhu Liushuang decided to indulge herself and enjoy his meticulous care.

"I didn't bring many warm clothes. Besides the one I'm wearing, I only have a leather jacket." He Ming pulled out a warm brown jacket folded at the bottom of the closet.

He closed the closet door and stuffed the jacket into her hands: "Wear this for now."

Zhu Liushuang held the leather jacket he had brought her, as if it weighed a ton.

The scent of camphor mixed with a faint fragrance of camphor blossoms filled my nostrils, instantly transporting me back to a sudden summer downpour. The piercing sound of a car horn tore through the rain, and there she was, clutching his suit jacket, sitting nervously in the back seat of his car.

The oversized clothes reached all the way to her knees, with sleeves extending half a hand's length. Zhu Liushuang zipped up the garment and buried her face in the raised collar.

"Let's go, senior." Her appearance was somewhat comical, as if a child had stolen an adult's clothes.

"Take the umbrella." He Ming was taken aback when he turned his head, and then reminded her to take the umbrella.

The door lock turned three times, and the two walked down the corridor to the dormitory building.

He Ming's car was parked in the open space behind the dormitory. Zhu Liushuang, holding an umbrella, followed closely behind him.

"Xiao He, where are you going?" A white BMW was parked next to the black SUV. The window suddenly rolled down, startling Zhu Liushuang.

"Mr. Wu, what brings you here today?" He Ming asked in surprise.

"I left some documents at the dorm, so I drove over specifically to pick them up. If the boss hadn't been urging me, I wouldn't have rushed over like this," the middle-aged man, called Engineer Wu, said with a wry smile as he opened the car door. His gaze then shifted to Zhu Liushuang in the back, and his expression changed. "I introduced you to someone before, but you weren't interested at all. So you have a girlfriend, huh!"

Zhu Liushuang silently stared at the back of He Ming's head without saying a word. She was wearing his coat, so it was perfectly normal for outsiders to mistake her for his girlfriend.

He Ming neither denied nor admitted it, but simply nodded and smiled at Engineer Wu.

"You don't even go home for the long holiday, and your girlfriend comes all the way from Gucheng to be with you? Xiao He, you're so lucky!"

Her hand holding the umbrella trembled slightly, and Zhu Liushuang hurriedly opened the car door and sat down first. Her earlobes were stained with the color of pomegranate juice, and she clutched her chest in a daze.

The car window was shrouded in a white mist, and through the fogged glass, He Ming closed his umbrella in the drizzle.

“Girls are shy,” He Ming whispered to his colleague.

————

"Are you sure this is the right place?" The car stopped in front of an old building, and Zhu Liushuang heard He Ming confirm with her once again.

She glanced at the prominent "Zhongxin Internet Cafe" sign on the first floor, then opened the booking app and checked the address for the fourth time.

"No. 235 Liuzhi Lane, the address is correct. It says the third floor, maybe the hotel sign is inside the building?" Zhu Liushuang opened the car door with a forced smile.

He Ming pursed his lips and circled around the internet cafe before finally finding an inconspicuous entrance. On the mottled white wall beside the stairs was written: Huating Hotel, please go up.

Why does it look so much like an illegal hotel?

Zhu Liushuang inwardly lamented, but dared not show it.

"I'll go first, you follow behind," He Ming said, taking the initiative to lead the way.

Footsteps echoed in the old stairwell.

The entire third floor belongs to the Huating Hotel. The situation is better than I expected; although the location is hidden and the decor is outdated, at least it looks legitimate.

"Hello, check-in." Zhu Liushuang took out her ID card from her bag and handed it to the front desk.

Do you have a reservation?

"Yes," she quickly gave her name and phone number.

"Come on, scan your face here and look at the camera..."

Zhu Liushuang stood in front of the camera, seemingly before the recording was finished, when a commotion arose behind her. She turned around and saw five or six young men dressed in a sleazy manner walking towards her, their arms around each other's shoulders. Judging from their flushed faces, they had probably been drinking.

"Ms. Zhu, please look at the camera." The receptionist yawned and urged.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Zhu Liushuang turned around.

"Hush—" Suddenly, a series of whistles sounded from behind her. Her sixth sense told her that the whistles might be directed at her.

Suppressing her panic, Zhu Liushuang's mental safety radar went off: Once inside the room, she needed to check for hidden cameras first, then lock the door from the inside. She needed to put a chair behind the door, and make sure the windows were securely closed…

She has decided not to come out again before checking out tomorrow.

The corridor floor was covered with a maroon carpet, which made little noise when people walked, but this made the sounds in the room seem unusually loud. Listening to all sorts of strange noises, Zhu Liushuang walked forward with difficulty.

“Liu Shuang…” Standing in front of the door, He Ming hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Huh? What did you say, senior?" Zhu Liushuang swiped her access card and went inside. Although there were no windows in the room, it had all the necessary furniture.

"How about... we cancel this room and find another one?" Perhaps afraid of putting her in a difficult position, He Ming asked tactfully.

"The hotels are all full during the National Day holiday. Checking in and then checking out..." Zhu Liushuang stopped talking, smiled, and said, "It's okay, it's just for one night. I've stayed in hostels where a bed costs only a few dozen yuan, this place is pretty good!"

He Ming stared at her with a deep look in his eyes without saying a word. Seeing her stubborn expression, he had no choice but to give up.

"It's getting late, shall we go have dinner?" he asked.

"Senior, I think I caught a chill from the wind and my stomach is a bit cold, so I don't have much of an appetite." She avoided his gaze and declined his invitation.

He Ming thought for a moment and said, "There's a pharmacy across the street. I'll go buy you some stomach medicine and bring up some dinner while I'm at it."

Zhu Liushuang softly said "Okay." She closed the door and quietly slumped into the single sofa.

Ten minutes later, the phone on the coffee table started vibrating violently.

"He Ming is calling—"

She answered the phone.

"Liu Shuang, send me your ID information," he said to her gently.

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Author's Note: Since the break between classes was shortened to fifteen minutes, I'm constantly dealing with endless cases, bumps, fights, and accidents [chin resting on hand]. Exhausted, all I want to do when I get home is collapse; I don't even have the energy to write. Waaah, I really want to quit and find a job that's less stressful and doesn't require dealing with too many people. Because if all my hard work before quitting after getting the promotion is wasted, I won't have the courage to go all in.

[Shrug][Shrug][Shrug] Try to separate work and life, at least when I'm writing I can forget about the bad things that happened during the day.