Chapter 52. [Second Update] In his past life, Lin Baizhou was also like this...
Wen Xue never likes to rush anything; she always allows enough time.
Fang Lingwei's summer tutoring sessions were four times a week, mostly in the afternoon. After filling her cup with warm water, she slowly locked the door and went downstairs. Before she even reached her car, she heard the sound of tires rubbing against the ground behind her. Turning around, she saw He Yan's dusty gray Jeep.
She looked surprised, thinking she had misread the time. She quickly raised her hand to look at the clock face and breathed a sigh of relief when she confirmed that it was three o'clock, not six or seven.
With a bang, He Yan got out of the car and slammed the door shut. He strode towards her. "Going to tutoring?"
"Hmm." She nodded, then asked him, puzzled, "Why are you up so early?"
"I need to go to the city center."
After saying that, he walked around the front of the car, opened the door, and sat in the passenger seat.
Wen Xue paused for a few seconds. The sun was blazing, so she quickly got into the car. After being baked by the scorching sun, the car was like a sauna. It took a while for the air conditioning to work and the temperature to slowly drop. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Since you have something to do—"
He Yan replied without changing his expression, "It's conveniently located near Hua Jun's residence, saving us the trouble of driving two cars and wasting gas."
"oh."
Wen Xue didn't ask any more questions, stepped on the gas, and drove out of the tenement building.
The journey wasn't short. Unlike when she was a novice driver, she didn't want anyone talking to her while driving, as it would distract her. Now, not only had her driving skills improved significantly, but she also knew the road conditions well. She was relaxed and even had the interest to chat with him. "Going there to run errands?"
He Yan hummed in agreement, and what he said was true. "Old Wu had previously closed a deal, which was related to trade. We are planning to open another company, separate from the transportation business. We've been working on the paperwork for the past few months and are looking for a suitable office building."
This is almost two years earlier than in my previous life.
On the one hand, he was familiar with the path he had taken and knew how to avoid unnecessary detours; on the other hand, he was eager to become stronger, because only in this way could he have a better chance of winning.
"Really?"
Wen Xue was happy for him just listening to him. While waiting for the green light, she glanced at him sideways, her eyes sparkling. "You sound so amazing."
He Yan reminded him, "What's the excitement? Focus on driving."
Wen Xue couldn't stop smiling.
Her exhilarated mood remained even after they arrived at the entrance of Huajun Mansion. She happily got out of the car and walked into the residential area. After a few steps, she turned around and waved to him in the car.
Once her figure had completely disappeared from sight, He Yan suppressed his smile, calmly turned the steering wheel, and merged into the traffic.
It was evening.
Lin Baizhou didn't want to make it too obvious. He knew when Wen Xue would come to his house to tutor Weiwei, but she wouldn't come back every time.
He hadn't planned to go home today, but his mother called to say that a friend had sent over some fresh seafood and invited him to come home for dinner. He thought for a few seconds and then agreed. He drove into the residential area and found Wenxue's car a short distance away; there was an empty parking space next to it.
He slowed down and drove past, and as he reversed, he vaguely saw someone in the car.
After parking the car, he subconsciously glanced to his left. The windows of both cars were closed. He saw the man sitting back in the passenger seat, casually fiddling with something, probably a lighter.
As if sensing his gaze, the man looked directly at him without any attempt to hide it.
Lin Baizhou frowned almost imperceptibly. Compared to the coldness of the previous two days, even through the car window, he could tell that Wen Xue's brother's eyes were much calmer today. But for some reason, he still felt that the other party had a strange... hostility towards him?
What did he do to offend him?
Completely baffled, he calmed himself down, turned off the engine, got out of the car, and walked towards his home, feeling a sense of unease.
He Yan calmly withdrew his scrutinizing gaze.
Did Lin Baizhou win her over little by little in his past life as well?
fine.
On the other side, Lin Baizhou took the elevator to the sixteenth floor. Although this was his home and he had a key, he was more used to knocking to enter each time he came. This time was no exception. He knocked a few times, and the door opened from the inside. He was stunned for a few seconds as a faint, serene atmosphere wafted over.
Wen Xue changed her shoes and opened the door.
Their eyes met; she was inside the door, he was outside, and she smiled politely.
"Xiao Wen, are you really not staying for dinner?" Fang Lirong raised her voice again to persuade him to stay. "There are so many dishes."
Wen Xue smiled and said, "My family is still waiting for me downstairs. He arrived a long time ago."
"Why don't you invite him up to eat with us?"
"No, he has important business to attend to. Thank you, Aunt Fang."
"Alright then..."
Seeing that Lin Baizhou was still standing at the door, Wen Xue thought she was blocking his way in, so she quickly pulled the bag strap that had slipped onto her arm back onto her shoulder and walked out. The doorway was so narrow that she inevitably brushed past him, making a slight rustling sound of fabric, which was completely drowned out by the roar of the kitchen range hood inside.
"I'm leaving," she said softly.
Lin Baizhou's body tensed unconsciously beneath his shirt. "Yes, goodbye, Teacher Wen."
Wen Xue's eyes were filled with a smile.
Actually, she wanted to correct him, since even Weiwei had never called her that.
It seemed like he was the only one who called her Teacher Wen, and she wanted to laugh every time she heard it.
No matter how noisy the room was, at this moment all of Lin Baizhou's senses were focused on her. He keenly caught her soft laughter, which gently brushed past his ear, leaving him feeling at a loss.
Nearly ten minutes later, Fang Lirong was helping Aunt Zhang serve the dishes when she noticed her son still standing blankly at the door. She called out, "Baizhou, what are you daydreaming about!"
Lin Baizhou suddenly realized what was happening.
The elevator was empty; Wen Xue had already left.
-
In the days that followed, Wen Xue went to tutoring classes, and He Yan accompanied her, picking her up and dropping her off. Privately, Wu Yuejiang repeatedly scrutinized him with a probing gaze, "Since you continued to pick up and drop off your sister throughout the summer vacation, why did you buy her a car?"
Is it fun?
He Yan replied, "Buying a car is buying a car, and going along the same route is going along the same route; they are not the same thing."
Wu Yuejiang was truly amazed and gave a thumbs up, saying, "It's really on the way."
"Otherwise?" He Yan glanced at him.
Wu Yuejiang smiled and said, "I thought you were just being silly."
He Yan seemed to understand something. "Alright, I'll leave the office rental to you?"
Wu Yuejiang's face stiffened, and he decisively left.
He Yan chuckled and returned to his apartment building from the company. Wen Xue was used to him picking her up and dropping her off, so she sat in the car waiting for him. Today, like any other day, they parted ways at the entrance of the complex; she went to class, and he went with a real estate agent to look at office buildings.
However, as evening approached, some problems arose.
He Yan wouldn't be able to arrive at Hua Jun's residence to pick her up until later. He avoided the real estate agent manager and went to a quiet place to call her. She had just finished her tutoring session for the day. After he patiently explained the situation in a low voice, she chuckled and reassured him, "Business is more important. It's okay, I can stay at Weiwei's house a little longer. I'll wait for you to arrive—"
It's okay to go further.
Before he could finish speaking, he interrupted, "No."
"ah?"
The emergency exit was poorly ventilated. He Yan raised his hand and opened his collar, his gaze deep. "Go find a coffee shop nearby and wait for me. It won't be long."
"Oh, okay."
"Send me the address when you get to the coffee shop."
"Uh-huh."
After hanging up the phone, Wen Xue put away her phone and left the Fang family home. There were indeed coffee shops near the neighborhood, and worried that He Yan wouldn't be able to find her, she deliberately sat in a prominent spot by the window, ordered a melon milkshake, and waited comfortably for him to arrive.
She sent him the store name and its approximate location.
He replied quickly: "Are you already at the store?"
She chuckled, took a picture with her phone, and sent it to him: [Image]
He didn't reply again; he must have gone to attend to important matters.
Wen Xue rested her chin on her hand, drinking her milkshake and listening to music through the crooked straw, until she heard a rumble of thunder in the distance. She looked out the window and belatedly realized that dark clouds were gathering and there were signs of a rain shower.
Luckily, she had an umbrella in her bag.
She then texted He Yan again: "It's going to rain soon, drive carefully, no need to rush over^^"
…
Wen Xue was chatting with her friends when suddenly a folding umbrella appeared on the round wooden table. She was stunned and looked up at the shop assistant in her uniform, puzzled. Why was she given an umbrella?
The shop assistant smiled shyly and pointed outside: "It was that gentleman who asked me to do it."
Wen Xue was completely bewildered, looking out the French windows in confusion. At that moment, heavy rain began to fall, blurring the outside world. Lin Baizhou, dressed in a shirt and trousers, smiled and nodded at her. He had no intention of disturbing her. After smiling, he ran towards the parking lot and dashed into the rain.
After a moment of stunned silence, she came to her senses, hurriedly got up, grabbed her umbrella, and tried to catch up.
Pushing open the shop door, she looked around haphazardly, but Lin Baizhou was nowhere to be seen. For a moment, she was both amused and exasperated. She guessed that he must have misunderstood, misunderstanding that she didn't bring an umbrella and that she was alone and trapped by the rain.
He didn't know that she had an umbrella and that she was waiting for someone.
The rain hadn't stopped when He Yan arrived. He didn't have the habit of using an umbrella, and his hair was slightly damp. He arrived just in time, his breathing uneven. He glanced around and saw her sitting quietly in a booth reading a book. He stared at her calmly as he walked over step by step.
Wen Xue turned a page of her book, and a tall figure loomed over her, blocking some of the light. She looked up and smiled broadly, "You're here! Want a milkshake? It's delicious."
He Yan shook his head, water droplets dripping down his forehead and onto his high, straight nose. "Let's go."
Wen Xue didn't insist. She closed the book and put it back on the bookshelf in the store.
The air was filled with the smell of damp earth, and the large raindrops had turned into fine drizzle. Seeing that He Yan was about to get wet again, she called out to him urgently, "Wait, I have an umbrella!"
You have to manage on your own.
“No—” She took the folding umbrella out of her bag and opened it, which could easily fit two people. “This umbrella is very big.”
He Yan casually turned his head, but his gaze suddenly stopped.
The black umbrella has a logo printed on it.
It was the company name, and he had seen that company name on that business card a few days ago.
Wen Xue raised the umbrella handle, revealing her delicate, porcelain-white face, and smiled: "Let's share it together."
…
at the same time.
Lin Baizhou didn't want to go back to Hua Jun's residence wet, so he drove back to his own place. After taking a quick shower, he dried his wet hair with a towel. The doorbell rang, and he slowly went to open the door. It was a good friend.
The two returned to China only six months apart, one after the other.
We ended up renting apartments in the same complex and would drink and watch football games together every now and then.
My friend came in carrying a bag of beer. "Taking a shower so early?"
Lin Baizhou closed the door. "I got caught in the rain."
Did you not drive or did you forget your umbrella?
His friend had only asked casually, and Lin Baizhou didn't answer. He would occasionally turn on his phone, as if waiting for a message from someone.
"What's wrong? You seem distracted."
His friend handed him a beer, but he was distracted by the vibration of his phone and almost dropped it. He quickly unlocked it and saw that it was just a text message from the weather station reminding citizens to be careful of heavy rain.
Lin Baizhou barely suppressed his disappointment and asked after a long silence, "There's something I'm wondering about."
"What's up?"
He slowly said, "I recently met a girl, and I always see her brother driving her to work and picking her up from get off work. I always feel that her brother has feelings for me..." He paused, but decided to use another word to replace hostility. He thought it must be his imagination. They were complete strangers. How could a stranger have hostility towards another stranger? "Prejudice? I don't quite understand."
Although his words were incoherent, his friend still understood. After taking a few sips of beer, he asked, equally puzzled, "Are you sure this person you're talking about is your brother, not your boyfriend?"
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