Chapter 22 First Love

"A-Shu and other people mean different things to me."

After Lin Yujing finished asking her question, Chen Jingshu remained silent, and for a moment the restaurant was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Just as she was about to be filled with wild thoughts, she suddenly heard a soft laugh. Chen Jingshu looked at her and said, "Of course, Jingjing can be called whatever she wants."

Lin Yujing immediately felt like she was being teased, but she ignored him and lowered her head to drink a sip of ginseng, jujube and astragalus porridge.

The porridge, simmered over a low flame, has a wonderfully harmonious blend of Chinese herbs and red dates, and the addition of brown sugar gives it a refreshing, sweet, and not-too-sweet taste.

"Jingjing, can I have a sip of the chicken soup?" Chu Yan said, handing her a clean spoon.

Lin Yujing didn't have the habit of eating alone, so she pushed the bowl of chicken soup towards him, saying, "Drink more."

Chu Yan only scooped up a spoonful, then shook his head helplessly and sighed, "I've followed Brother Jing for so many years, and I've risked my life for him, shedding blood and sweat for him, but I've never seen him order food for me on his own initiative."

Chen Jingshu looked at his pitiful appearance and said, "It was ordered for her. If you want to eat it, I'll give you the owner's phone number."

Lin Yujing's heart skipped a beat for no reason. With a smile, she took the clean bowl next to Chen Jingshu and filled it with more than half a bowl of chicken soup. "Ashu, I can't finish it."

Chen Jingshu turned to look at her, and as he took the bowl, his eyes gleamed with undisguised amusement, his tone full of doting affection, "You should really work on developing your little appetite, look how thin you are..."

"Hey, hey, hey, your eyes are practically glued to me. Please show some respect." Chu Yan chattered on. "And why give me a spoonful but give him a whole bowl?"

"Shut up and eat." Almost simultaneously, Lin Yujing and Chen Jingshu said to Chu Yan in unison.

"I can't stay in this house anymore."

-

They were just joking and playing around, and none of them took it seriously.

After breakfast, Lin Yujing and Chu Yan stood in the courtyard looking up at the sky.

She asked, half puzzled, "It's nice here, but it's too cold up high. It's too cold in winter and too hot in summer, and the ultraviolet rays are too strong at other times. The courtyard house is no longer connected to the earth."

Suddenly, a low, cold laugh came from behind her, "Sure enough, people do change."

Lin Yujing didn't even realize what Chen Jingshu meant before he turned around with his hands behind his back and said, "Come here for a moment, I have something for you."

Lin Yujing: "Me?"

Chen Jingshu: "Are there any other people here?"

Chu Yan: "Am I not human?"

"..."

"..."

Lin Yujing followed him to the living room, and as soon as she entered, she saw a tall stack of various packaging boxes on the coffee table.

Upon closer inspection, there are all sorts of things: donkey-hide gelatin and poria cocos cake, osmanthus and rose tea, angelica and jujube pills... like a small mountain.

There was also a separate bag of boiled Chinese medicine.

“The doctor said you have severe anemia and low blood sugar yesterday. Take these back to school later; they’re all for replenishing your blood and energy. You can eat them as snacks, or share them with your classmates. I’ll give you more when you’re done. They’re all Chinese medicine; take one packet a day,” Chen Jingshu said.

Lin Yujing was stunned. She went over to look at the ingredients in the herbal medicine bag. "Ginseng, astragalus, angelica, donkey-hide gelatin, white fleeceflower root, white peony root... Ah Shu, aren't these too much... I'm a little..."

She couldn't handle it anymore.

Chen Jingshu stood to the side, his tone indifferent, "I didn't accompany you upstairs yesterday, and you almost got hurt. This is my way of apologizing."

Hearing this, Lin Yujing finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll take the Chinese medicine with me, but let's forget about these blood-nourishing foods."

After all, just looking at the packaging, the price didn't seem like something she could easily afford, and they were all well-known big brands.

“Take it if I tell you to. These are women’s supplements that our previous partners sent. I’ve never had a woman here. If you don’t take them, they’ll just expire and be thrown away.”

After hearing that sentence, Lin Yujing inexplicably only remembered the sentence, "He has never had a woman here."

"But aren't you being too good to me?" She bit her lip and murmured softly.

She's endured a lot of hardship and isn't afraid of ridicule. But she can't stand even the smallest kindness from others; a simple word of concern can easily open her heart.

Chen Jingshu smiled, raised his hand and flicked her forehead, "Be good from now on, and I'll always be good to you."

Lin Yujing's eyes welled up with tears, so she walked past him and pretended to be preparing to carry the tonics.

"Don't do it yourself, let Chu Yan do it." Seeing her step forward, Chen Jingshu followed. "I have something else for you."

Lin Yujing stared at him intently, her eyes filled with undisguised flattery. "You have something else for me?"

"There's something else for her!" Chu Yan exclaimed in shock. "I'm by your side every day, acting as your driver and doing all the hard work, why don't you treat me this well?"

Chen Jingshu turned to look at Chu Yan, clicked his tongue and frowned, "Hurry up and move your things, do you want your year-end bonus?"

Chu Yan shut up, looking aggrieved. "Okay, Mr. Chen."

Lin Yujing stood to the side watching, as if she had returned to her high school days.

Back then, the group of them would bicker and joke around every day. It made her feel that time was passing too quickly, and she longed for it to slow down, to slow down even more, wishing she could record every second as if it were a minute.

For some reason, her heart felt like it was blocked by clumps of cotton wool.

"I saw your phone was broken yesterday, here you go," Chen Jingshu said, pulling her back to reality.

Lin Yujing looked over and saw that he was holding a white, brand-new HUAWEI phone, which cost about three times as much as her previous one.

“You’ve already given me so much. I can buy a phone myself when I get back to school. There’s an electronics market at our school, and it’s very cheap.” She hesitated, not daring to reach out her hand. It was as if what she was receiving wasn’t a phone, but a beautiful, but illusory dream.

Those who walk in the darkness should not have the thought of having beautiful dreams.

"Take it, it's the phone I used before that I replaced."

"..."

Lin Yujing pursed her lips, thinking that for a phone that had only been on the market for less than half a month, his lie was too far-fetched.

But she also felt that she was being a bit pretentious. However, she was more afraid of falling back into the emotional vortex with Chen Jingshu than being pretentious.

"This was a gift from a competitor. They said it would take great photos and I should give it to my girlfriend. But I don't have any girls around, so if I don't give it to you, it'll just sit idle until it's scrapped."

It was the same excuse again, but for some reason, she was starting to feel like accepting it.

She admitted that she was struggling with the back-and-forth between wanting and not wanting, feeling like her heart was being roasted by fire.

"Then... I'll accept it." Lin Yujing bit her lip and held out her hand. "However, consider it a favor I owe you, and I'll repay you later."

"Okay, then don't forget that you owe me a debt of gratitude."

That's a bit ambiguous and a bit inappropriate.

He even added a touch of flirtatious teasing, "I was just talking about a favor, how do I owe you one!"

Chen Jingshu didn't argue with her, but simply reached out and gave her shoulder a gentle push. "I thank you on behalf of the phone for being willing to accept it. Now I'll take you back to school."

Lin Yujing followed behind him, "It's almost nine o'clock now. If you take me to school and then come back, won't that make me late for work?"

She didn't believe any of that nonsense about going the same way as him. He always did it on his way, and the North Fourth Ring Road was completely opposite to his company's location.

Just then, Chu Yan came to get the supplements and said, "We have to go to headquarters for a meeting today. If we're not late, we'll probably get scolded twice more."

Lin Yujing asked, puzzled, "Why? Is there something wrong with it?"

"Of course not, there's nothing that Brother Jing can't do well. It's precisely because he does things too well that he gets criticized," Chu Yan explained.

In Lin Yujing's memory, Chen Jingshu lived in the admiration and adoration of everyone since childhood. She thought that the proud son standing in the sunlight, with his powerful background, would only become even more formidable.

She never expected it to end like this, so when she looked at him again, her expression was filled with an indescribable heartache.

"Was it an elder who scolded A-Shu? His father? His grandfather?"

"She's Jing's cousin. But she scolds everyone, and when she gets angry, even the elders get scolded by her. She doesn't just scold Jing."

Lin Yujing bit her lip, feeling even more heartbroken.

Then Chen Jingshu glanced at her, seemingly seeing through her thoughts, and nudged Chu Yan, saying, "Don't listen to his nonsense. I'm going to your School of Humanities to deliver materials to Professor Shi."

The three of them went downstairs. Lin Yujing stood in the elevator and suddenly looked at Chen Jingshu and said, "You shouldn't always be bullied. If it's not your fault, you should pay back what you owe."

Chen Jingshu chuckled and bent down, looking her straight in the eye, and said, "When you were bullied before, why didn't you ever retaliate?"

Lin Yujing recalled how, back in high school, she was bullied by Chi Man because of their rumored relationship.

She did allow herself to be bullied in public, but she immediately retaliated in private. She smiled and said ingratiatingly, "I wasn't bullied much back then because you were there."

Chen Jingshu straightened up, and it was rare to see him laugh so heartily. "Yeah, you know that's good."

Lin Yujing glanced at him, not daring to ponder the meaning of his words.

-

Chu Yan drove her all the way to her dormitory building, but Chen Jingshu still felt it wasn't enough.

Two grown men, carrying loads of tonics, followed her into the girls' dormitory building.

A handsome guy in a suit, and it was during class time, so a lot of girls came out in the hallway to watch and sigh.

Qi Woxue heard the commotion in the corridor while in her dormitory and immediately opened the door, only to find herself caught up in the gossip.

"President Chen? President Chu?" She tilted her head and saw Lin Yujing following behind her. "Jingjing!"

"Is it convenient to go in?" Chen Jingshu asked.

The two girls' dormitory was always kept very clean.

Mixed with various washing and care products and fragrant laundry detergent, the air is filled with a natural fragrance.

"Of course, you are both welcome to my humble abode."

Lin Yujing pulled Qi Woxue aside and explained to her, "I thought you went to the Alliance meeting, so I brought people in without thinking."

"It's no big deal. Can I refuse a client who wants to come? But our alliance meeting is tomorrow. Are you crazy?" Qi Woxue said in a low voice. "Luckily, I didn't go out, or I would have missed this good show."

Chen Jingshu and Chu Yan neatly stacked all the supplements against the wall of their dormitory, piling them up into a small mountain again. "From now on, we'll trouble Senior Sister Qi to take good care of Jingjing."

"Oh, Mr. Chen, don't worry, it's nothing!"

"Then you guys rest, I won't bother you any longer."

Qi Woxue nudged Lin Yujing's shoulder, "See her off, see her off."

Chen Jingshu walked to the door, turned around and stopped Lin Yujing, "Don't see me off, it's cold outside, and you're still very weak. Just rest more recently."

After saying that, without waiting for her response, he closed their dormitory door.

Once the two left, Qi Woxue could finally openly enjoy the gossip, and excitedly exclaimed, "My goodness! Sister, what happened to you two last night? President Chen's attitude towards you has completely changed!"

"..."

"You two wouldn't have... merged, would you?!" Qi Woxue asked expectantly.

Lin Yujing pushed her away, "Of course not, how could that be?"

“That’s really unusual, so many supplements.” As a medical student, Qi Woxue first took out the Chinese medicine that had been prescribed for her to look at. “It’s actually Renhe Tongxin’s medicine! This pharmacy is practically a dream house for pharmacy students. All the prescriptions are confidential. And it’s extremely difficult to get a number from them. Many people go to queue up at dawn.”

"Adding in all those supplements, it must cost at least five figures!"

Lin Yujing took out a packet of Chinese medicine and rubbed it repeatedly in her palm.

The liquid, though slightly chilly, felt incredibly warm at that moment.

"You even replaced that old phone that always ran out of memory." Seeing her cheeks slightly flushed and silent, Qi Woxue asked, "Could it be that President Chen is pursuing you?"

These words sent a jolt through her body like an electric current, instantly snapping Lin Yujing out of her erotic fantasies. "How could that be? He's just feeling guilty for not accompanying me upstairs to deliver the painting yesterday, which almost caused me an accident."

Qi Woxue pursed her lips, feeling that it wasn't as she described. "Then tell me, if a man is inexplicably nice to his ex-girlfriend, especially an ex-girlfriend with whom there's a misunderstanding, what else could it be for if not to get back together?"

Lin Yujing shook her head. Rather than saying she was unwilling to admit it, it would be more accurate to say she was afraid to admit it.

Cinderella dared to dream of becoming a princess because she herself was a duke's daughter.

A person who struggles to even have enough to eat and wear wouldn't dare to dream of love.

“We have a cooperative relationship with JING Capital, so maybe they just wanted to show some consideration for their employees. Anyway, it can’t be what you think.” Lin Yujing said as she took her toiletries and headed to the bathroom. “I’m not going to say anything more. I’m going to take a shower and then get some sleep.”

-

Throughout the day, Lin Yujing tried her best to control her wild thoughts.

Fortunately, after a night's sleep, everything returned to normal.

In the morning, Lin Yujing wrote her paper for a while before going to a meeting with Qi Woxue at the office rented by the Alliance.

Jing Capital has learned that their proposal has been basically approved and will begin internal review next week.

A group of people chatted until noon and then suggested going out to celebrate.

Lin Yujing has inexplicably become drowsy these past two days. The medical students in the alliance, after examining her pulse, concluded that the traditional Chinese medicine she was drinking was repairing her body. Replenishing qi with qi depletes some of her essence, qi, and spirit.

She sat lazily on the stool, not participating in the gathering, preferring to stay with the group.

Suddenly, her phone, which was on the table, rang. It was an unfamiliar number. "Hello."

"Excuse me, is this Ms. Lin Yujing?" A man's voice came from the telephone receiver, and the entire conference room fell silent.

Lin Yujing pursed her lips, unsure who was on the other end. "Yes, who are you?"

"Oh, I'm a delivery person from Renhe Tongxin Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant. Here's your order."

"But I didn't order any food."

"It was ordered for you by Mr. Chen Jingshu."

"Okay, I'll go get it at the dormitory entrance now, just wait a moment."

After hanging up the phone, the entire conference room erupted in excitement.

"Wow, no wonder he's my ex-boyfriend."

"Jingjing, to be honest, was this project only possible because Mr. Chen pursued you?"

"Jingjing, are you going to become our sugar daddy's wife?!"

Faced with a barrage of teasing, Lin Yujing felt a little lost.

She was afraid, deep down, of others being curious about her relationship with Chen Jingshu.

What I fear even more is that she herself will become so deeply involved that she won't be able to extricate herself.

Lin Yujing stood up. "My advisor is rushing to get the first draft of my graduation thesis, so I won't be going to the dinner. You guys have fun."

After saying that, she grabbed her bag and ran out.

"Senior." To everyone's surprise, Zhang Jiale also came out.

The puppy looked at her with a slightly aggrieved expression, "You and President Chen, isn't that right?"

"No, don't overthink it. He's just feeling guilty and apologizing because he accompanied me to deliver the painting that day," Lin Yujing explained, though it sounded more like she was speaking to her own heart.

Zhang Jiale nodded, his expression softening considerably. "Senior, you should have let me stay with you that day. I would have stayed by your side every step of the way."

Lin Yujing didn't comment on his statement, but just smiled and said, "Then I'll go back first."

-

Lin Yujing thought the medicinal meals would be delivered for at most a week, but they were delivered for almost half a month in a row, every day without interruption.

Qi Woxue became curious every time she heard a food delivery call.

When Lin Yujing picked up her meal, she looked at the deliveryman in his Chinese-style uniform and asked, "Mr. Chen, when did you order this meal? At the end of the month?"

The deliveryman was even more surprised, "Don't you know? Mr. Chen meant to keep delivering."

"He keeps sending them!" Qi Woxue exclaimed in surprise. "I'm absolutely certain now that President Chen isn't just feeling guilty; he's definitely pursuing you."

For the past two weeks, although I haven't seen him, various supplements have been continuously delivered to me.

On the traditional festival a few days ago, Yuan Shu suddenly sent a gift box, along with a pair of silver earrings.

"..." Lin Yujing was in a state of confusion.

“Jingjing, no matter what you think of President Chen, Chen Jingshu’s relationship with you is definitely more than just friendship.” Qi Woxue walked behind her and hugged her shoulders. “Baby, you should think carefully about whether you should agree to get back together with him if he suddenly confesses to you one day.”

Lin Yujing's thoughts froze, and for a moment she had no answer.

But instinctively, a voice kept swirling in the depths of their minds, speaking of the vast difference in their social status and the deep-seated entanglements and resentments of the past.

"..." She was even more at a loss for words.

Qi Woxue then asked, "Do you still like Chen Jingshu?"

Lin Yujing blinked, her eyes burning with pain, and said, "I don't know if I still like him. I just feel that I'm not good enough for him anymore. We're not from the same world, how can we be together?"

The Chen family of Yijing, the sole heirs of the Huaren Group.

With a net worth exceeding 100 billion, and his name appearing in every industry, this was something she never dared to dream of.

Qi Woxue rubbed her shoulder and comforted her, "Feelings are not something that can be explained in a few words, nor can they be hindered by class, status, or age gap. Jingjing, you've always lived too restrained a life. Why not relax a little?"

Lin Yujing nodded in agreement, but a ripple of emotion still stirred within her.

So much so that her thesis progressed slowly that afternoon. After staring blankly at the computer desktop for a full hour, she opened the Zhihu website.

[Overdue Serenity: My ex-boyfriend, whom I hurt, suddenly became very kind to me after we reunited...]

I just typed a title and haven't even had a chance to edit the content yet, and someone already asked: "Please tell your story in detail."

[Overdue Serenity: It's been seven years since my first love broke up. I hurt him back then, and the breakup was very unpleasant. Now, he's my boss, and we see each other frequently.]

[Overdue Serenity: At first, he was sarcastic and distant towards me because of what happened before, which I thought was normal. But about two weeks ago, I was injured in an accident, and his attitude suddenly changed completely. He sent me supplements, a cell phone, ordered very expensive medicinal meals, and even gave me gift boxes and jewelry as gifts for holidays.]

[Overdue Serenity: I want to ask, what does he mean? Is he pursuing me?]

Soon, someone replied.

[1L: So, OP, do you still like him?]

[Overdue Serenity: Our statuses are no longer compatible. It's inconvenient to say which family heir I am; the only way to describe our class difference is like heaven and earth.]

[2L: I think the questioner shouldn't worry too much about the difference in social status. The most important thing is whether you are mentally prepared to let go of the past.]

[Overdue Serenity: I wronged him in the past, and I don't yet have the right to let go voluntarily.]

[3L: Based on my own experience, I'm sharing this with you. I also hastily got back together with my first love after many years of separation, and the result was the same old story, completely messing up my already rebuilt life.]

[4L: Seven years after a breakup is enough time for all the cells and blood in your body to metabolize, and enough time for you to start anew. How can you be sure he truly likes you, or is he just unwilling to let go of the hurt he caused you and is only coming back? Or are you the only one still reminiscing about you and him?]

Lin Yujing fell into deep thought.

She truly missed that boy who once stood in the sunlight, so much so that she didn't even dare to dream about it.

She was terrified that the emotional shock she would experience upon waking would kill her.

[5L: Men, you know how it is. They all like to reminisce about their first love. And judging from what you've said, he's probably quite wealthy and powerful now. It's normal for a rich man to have a fling with his ex-girlfriend when she's down on her luck. Don't take it too seriously, or you'll only end up getting hurt.]

[6L: I support the original poster's clear-headed perspective. And given your goal of attending Tsinghua University, if you're a top student, please study hard and strive to make more decisions and gain access to more women in the future!]

Lin Yujing felt a lump in her throat and then closed the page.

She was confused about her own thoughts and was afraid of being influenced by others.

So, in retaliation, I finished the first draft of my graduation thesis in one night and then reviewed and reorganized my doctoral application a second time.

-

When she went to Jing Capital again, the unusual turmoil in her heart calmed down considerably.

Chen Jingshu was not seen at the meeting, and even Chu Yan did not appear.

After the meeting ended, Lin Yujing still politely asked Ren Moyin, "Where is President Chen?"

Ever since Ren Moyin learned that she was Chen Jingshu's first love, she no longer had any illusions about her. Instead, she found her question strange: "Don't you know that President Chen went to the United States for surgery?"

"Operation!"

"I go there every winter."

Lin Yujing shook her head; her once calm heart was now in turmoil once more.

What kind of surgery is it that requires going every winter?

The only thing she could remember was Chen Xuan and her grandfather's hereditary heart disease.

“They’ve been gone for half a month.” Ren Moyin said, then suddenly saw Chu Yan. “President Chu is here. You can ask him about the details.”

Lin Yujing turned around and jogged towards Chu Yan.

At this moment, she could no longer care about the shackles in her heart; she only wanted to know Chen Jingshu's current situation.

"You look great after all this time!" Chu Yanxian said with a smile. "Looks like that medicinal cuisine restaurant was good; it was worth the price."

"Why did A-Shu have surgery?" Lin Yujing asked directly.

Chu Yan was stunned for a moment, then saw Ren Moyin behind him and knew that he couldn't hide it anymore. "Brother Jing told me not to tell you."

"You say it!" Lin Yujing said, somewhat annoyed.

Chu Yan also wanted to test her reaction, so he deliberately said, "Brother Jing is worried about your own health, and doesn't want you to worry about him. He has a lot of people taking care of him, but you only have yourself."

Lin Yujing's eyes reddened, and there were even tears glistening in them. "Chu Yan, I didn't know before, but now that I know, I can't remain indifferent and ignore it."

She didn't want to dwell on the answers in those posts anymore. Whether it was manipulation or retaliation, she was in the wrong to begin with.

As long as Chen Jingshu can be happier, she has nothing to lose. It's just a little bit of affection; she won't die from it.

“A-Shu and other people mean different things to me. Please don’t hide it from me, I’m begging you.”

Chu Yan was genuinely happy for Chen Jingshu after hearing this answer.

He acknowledged that Lin Yujing possessed a unique charm, but at the same time, she was dangerous. This woman was beautiful, but beneath her beauty lay a cold and selfish nature.

"Okay, I'll tell you." Chu Yan also wanted her to feel sorry for Chen Jingshu. "It's not a major surgery, it's just a sequela of the previous car accident, which brought out Aunt Chen Xuan's recessive genetic condition. There's no danger, but it will make him very weak for a period of time."

"Then why won't you tell me?"

"Jingjing, you should know better than me what Jing is thinking."

Lin Yujing fell silent.

She was actually the one who knew the least, because she cared too much and didn't even dare to fantasize.

"Jing has really gone all out for you. Before going to the United States, he stayed up several nights in a row to finalize the alliance cooperation with the headquarters. The current meetings are just formalities, because he doesn't want his cousin to find fault and delay your progress."

"The only difficulty is the payment, which is also the most urgent matter for your alliance right now. He was worried that the financial approval process would take too long, so he gave me his personal account directly. As long as the headquarters signs it off, I guarantee you can get the money immediately."

"Jingjing, you really should feel sorry for Jing-ge and take the initiative to care for him."

"With his heart condition, staying up all night would kill him."

Lin Yujing couldn't hear what was said after that; her heartache almost choked her ears.

"Chu Yan, could you give me his contact information?"

Don't you have one?

Lin Yujing sniffed, "I...I didn't dare to ask for it before."

Chu Yan laughed, "You two are a perfect match. You wouldn't dare do what he wouldn't."

-

After getting Chen Jingshu's phone number, Lin Yujing did not dial it immediately.

Yijing is 15 hours ahead of California. After returning to her dormitory, she sat on the balcony, waiting from dusk until sunset and into the night.

She didn't even know when she fell asleep leaning against the stool.

But the sudden weightlessness woke her up immediately, and she swiped her finger to dial Chen Jingshu's number.

That day, sunrise in California was at 7:13:33 AM, which was also the time Chen Jingshu made the call.

The horizon brightened instantly, and even his heart, which had been dull and listless for days, began to beat again.

Lin Yujing held her phone, unsure of what to say to him.

Concern, compared to his constant delivery of tonics and medicinal meals, seemed insufficient with just a phone call.

Crying will only make him more worried.

She had so much to say, but she was speechless.

But at that moment, Chen Jingshu's voice came through the receiver first.

His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a hint of weakness from illness, but his gentleness and concern were even stronger.

Chen Jingshu asked, "Jingjing, are you feeling better?"

A note from the author:

Seven Mile Fragrance

Singer: Young Master Chen

[Weak][Gentle][Longing][Holding the microphone][The rain falls all night, my love overflows like rainwater. The fallen leaves in the yard, piled high with my longing. A few words of gossip cannot cool my passion; you appear on every page of my poems.]

-

What is fate? Fate is that after going around in circles, I still can't live without you.

-