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Lin Ting heard from her colleagues that the performance evaluation results were out.
"Okay, I understand, thank you." He returned his colleague's smile.
Going to work is a painful thing, and working is a helpless thing. Lin Ting is not curious about his performance at all, and he already knows it in his heart.
He just prayed that he could leave work on time today and that the news of the layoffs wouldn't be too sudden; he couldn't be bothered to think about anything else.
Instead of worrying about these trivial matters, I might as well take advantage of this time to reply to the message sent by Zhao Qinfeng.
Both Zhao Qinfeng and Lin Ting were busy, but at different times. Sometimes Lin Ting had already gone to bed while Zhao Qinfeng was still working hard, and sometimes Lin Ting was still at work while Zhao Qinfeng was resting.
Zhao Qinfeng asked him if he was going to work overtime today, and Lin Ting guessed that the probability of him working overtime was probably not high.
Whether it was because his prayers were heard by God or not, they indeed didn't have to work overtime today. Lin Ting scanned a bicycle and rode very slowly, but even so, his speed still far surpassed that of the motor vehicles stuck in the evening rush hour.
Lin Ting returned to his apartment complex and took the elevator. His building had two apartments per elevator, and his neighbors seemed to be out and about at different times than most working people, so Lin Ting rarely encountered them on weekdays.
However, as he walked out of the elevator with his head down replying to messages, he found someone standing next to the elevator.
After replying to the message, he looked up at the other person. The person was indoors wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a hat. If he hadn't been familiar with the person, he probably would have called the police right now.
The person who arrived was Zhao Qinfeng. He was carrying a large takeout bag in his left hand and a bottle of juice in his right hand. He greeted Lin Ting.
"So you messaged me asking when I'd get off work because you were planning to surprise me at my doorstep?" Lin Ting opened the door, half-laughing and half-crying, and pushed Zhao Qinfeng inside. He had just been looking down at Zhao Qinfeng's messages and had no idea that he would see him in person the moment he looked up.
Zhao Qinfeng had previously said he wanted to pursue him, but Lin Ting had stopped him. Lin Ting felt that Zhao Qinfeng had indeed taken his words to heart, but he was now visiting him more frequently than before.
Perhaps because the two lived so close, this extremely convenient way of visiting each other reminded Lin Ting of his college roommates when they were dating. Back then, his roommates and their partners lived in dorm rooms right next to each other, just a short walk from their dorms to the cafeteria, so they often brought each other food.
Zhao Qinfeng also brought him food, which seemed to be takeout from the store.
Zhao Qinfeng said, "I ate at a really good restaurant near the recording studio at noon today. After I finished recording, it was dinner time, so I packed some food to eat with you."
Lin Ting said, "That really saved me a lot of trouble, thank you."
The food that Zhao Qinfeng brought had special insulated packaging inside, so it was still warm when it was taken out, and it gave off a fresh and fragrant aroma as soon as it was opened.
Lin Ting had been working all day and was starving. She hurriedly opened all the boxes that needed to be opened with Zhao Qinfeng and placed them on the dining table.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, many migrant workers are starting to buy tickets home. However, holiday plans are becoming increasingly flexible, with some choosing to skip the Spring Festival travel rush and take a regular holiday to go home. Lin Ting asked, "What are your plans for this year's Lunar New Year?"
Zhao Qinfeng said, "I don't know, it depends on whether I have any work commitments. If there aren't any urgent work commitments, I should be able to take a week off to rest. What about you? Are you planning to buy a ticket home?"
Lin Ting shook her head: "I'm not planning to go home this year. My family wants to go on vacation and told me I don't need to go home. If I have time, I can buy a ticket and go to their tourist destination to visit them."
Zhao Qinfeng asked, "How about we go out and have some fun together?"
Lin Ting compared her vacation time with Zhao Qinfeng's available time and found that only the first and second days of the Lunar New Year were compatible. It seemed that the two of them could only watch a rerun of the Spring Festival Gala together at most, and it was unlikely that they could travel together.
"You're not free on New Year's Eve? Are you going to be on the Spring Festival Gala?"
Zhao Qinfeng frankly said, "It's possible, but not certain. We can't be sure until the very end. We'll have to wait and see the program schedule."
However, some information is certain. Zhao Qinfeng said, "I'm going to participate in a music festival soon, it should be in Haicheng, are you interested?"
Lin Ting wished him a successful performance, but admitted that she probably wasn't really interested in going.
"So you really rarely go to performances," Zhao Qinfeng remarked.
After the last New Year's Eve party, Lin Ting mentioned to Zhao Qinfeng that she wasn't actually keen on going to live performances, and Zhao Qinfeng regretted inviting her to the New Year's Eve party. However, Lin Ting said, "I'm very happy to be able to see you at the end of last year and the beginning of this year."
Zhao Qinfeng immediately beamed with joy. After that, he would simply mention any performances to Lin Ting and would not make any arrangements before him.
Their relationship hadn't progressed much since that night. They'd met more often, but individually, their actions didn't seem to go beyond friendship. After dinner, Zhao Qinfeng didn't leave immediately but watched him write by the pavilion.
Although Lin Ting was tapping away, his mind was wandering. When Zhao Qinfeng asked if he could pursue him, he had refused, saying he'd think about it. Since then, Zhao Qinfeng hadn't made any inappropriate moves, but rather slowly integrated into his life in a way that could be described as gradually boiling a frog.
Lin Ting noticed it, but made no comment or resistance, maintaining a tacit acceptance.
But now he hesitated. How long should they maintain this lukewarm relationship? Lin Ting felt he might need to do something.
But what should he do...? Lin Ting didn't really know what to do either. He regretted saying those things back then, which put him in a dilemma now, and he was too embarrassed to ask Zhao Qinfeng directly.
Although his mind was no longer on the screen in front of him, Lin Ting's hand was still moving unconsciously. He typed a line of text and pressed backspace for a long time, not knowing what he was doing.
Just as Lin Ting was in a daze, Zhao Qinfeng suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Ting's hand, got up and walked behind Lin Ting, leaning over the back of the chair, his movements almost covering half of Lin Ting's body.
The moment Zhao Qinfeng touched Lin Ting's hand, he unconsciously lifted it away from the keyboard, as if intentionally placing the back of his hand in Zhao Qinfeng's palm, only to have it immediately grasped. He then felt Zhao Qinfeng's movement approaching from behind with even greater clarity. He tilted his head slightly to the side and saw a face very close to his. Following Zhao Qinfeng's gaze, Lin Ting looked at the document on the screen and saw the content he had hastily typed out but hadn't had time to delete.
Lin Ting wanted to reach out and delete the line of text that had nothing to do with the previous text, but her hand, which was near the backspace key, was grabbed, so she reached out with her other hand.
Then Zhao Qinfeng grasped his other hand as well.
Zhao Qinfeng moved even closer, almost whispering in Lin Ting's ear, "What are you worried about?"
"..."
Lin Ting thought to herself, "I can't exactly say I'm thinking about how to develop our relationship further, can I?"
Lin Ting said, "Let go of my hand first..."
"I won't let go."
Although only Lin Ting's hands were being held by Zhao Qinfeng, and Zhao Qinfeng's grip wasn't very strong, he felt his whole body stiffen, completely fixed to the chair he was sitting in.
"Stop fooling around..." Lin Ting didn't struggle, she just said that.
Zhao Qinfeng said, "Tell me what's bothering you first, and I'll let go right away."
Lin Ting tilted her head slightly to meet Zhao Qinfeng's gaze, her heart filled with conflicting emotions, yet her eyes looked utterly innocent, as if she were showing weakness.
"Let go first, and I'll tell you," Lin Ting sighed.
Zhao Qinfeng couldn't stand Lin Ting's gaze either. After hearing what he said, he let go of Zhao Qinfeng's hand after a moment. Lin Ting stood up, pushed the chair aside, then reached out and pulled Zhao Qinfeng by the collar, opening his eyes and kissing his lips directly.
Zhao Qinfeng's eyes widened suddenly, clearly startled, but he didn't back down at all. Instead, he couldn't help but reach out and stroke the back of Lin Ting's head from behind.
The kiss was extremely brief, just a fleeting touch. Even in that brief moment, Zhao Qinfeng clearly felt the soft touch.
Lin Ting stepped back a little and felt Zhao Qinfeng's hand gently slip into his hair.
"Alright, I've finished answering." Lin Ting's words were ruthless, but her face turned bright red, and she didn't know where to look.
Zhao Qinfeng looked down at Lin Ting, his gaze tracing his features before finally settling on his tightly pursed lips. He reached out and gently stroked the back of Lin Ting's head, his fingers twitching slightly, signaling him to relax.
Lin Ting's face was etched with tension: his cheeks were slightly flushed, his facial muscles were taut, his eyes were blinking rapidly, and his eyelashes were trembling. Looking at Lin Ting like this, Zhao Qinfeng almost doubted whether the light, fleeting kiss he had just given was initiated.
"Why are you so nervous, hmm?" Zhao Qinfeng finally met Lin Ting's gaze again.
Lin Ting's gaze began to wander again. "Nothing, um..."
Zhao Qinfeng took the initiative to kiss her, first gently pressing his lips against Lin Ting's, then slowly adding a little pressure, gently kissing Lin Ting's tightly pursed lips until they softened, before separating them slightly.
Lin Ting's profile turned even redder, the bright red color even spreading to the corners of her eyes, making Zhao Qinfeng feel as if he were bullying her.
"Teacher Lin, when will you give me a proper title?" Zhao Qinfeng smiled, his smile almost blinding, his joy seemingly overflowing from his eyes, impossible to contain.
Lin Ting did not answer immediately, but pressed against him again. This time he used more force, pecking at Zhao Qinfeng's lips and probing slightly inside, kissing him more deeply.
Zhao Qinfeng responded earnestly, and he and Lin Ting intertwined, creating faint sounds of water and sucking.
When their lips parted again, both of their lips were much redder, covered with a layer of moist color, and upon closer inspection, they were not very noticeably swollen.
Lin Ting, slightly out of breath, gently pushed Zhao Qinfeng away, then turned around, deleted the meaningless sentences in the document, and saved it. After doing this simple thing, Zhao Qinfeng hugged Lin Ting from behind.
Lin Ting turned over in Zhao Qinfeng's arms and hugged him. After the kiss, the atmosphere between them became a little sticky. Lin Ting knew what Zhao Qinfeng wanted to hear, and after a long while, he said in a muffled voice, "...Boyfriend, is it okay now?"
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