Chapter 17 "Her waist is indeed quite slender."...
Chapter Seventeen: "Her waist is indeed quite slender."
The small cakes, sold in bulk by weight, were baked to a golden brown and fluffy perfection, emitting an enticing aroma. Even though she had brushed her teeth, she couldn't resist the temptation.
Seeing her biting into a small cake and drinking warm water, her eyes still misty, Zhou Yunqi chuckled softly: "What important matter do you need me for?"
Lin Su's carefully cultivated emotions vanished, and she chewed her cake in frustration, remaining silent.
He looked over: "What's wrong? Is it hard to swallow, or hard to say?"
Lin Su couldn't help but say in a somber tone, "Neither."
"What is that?" he asked patiently, sitting to the side.
Lin Su swallowed the small cake, took a sip of hot water, and then honestly said, "I wanted to tell you that I didn't get mushroom poisoning that night on the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Zhou Yunqi frowned: "Then what did you eat that caused poisoning?"
“I wasn’t poisoned…” Lin Su looked at him. “That night, I heard Xu Yaodong mention your parents.”
In an instant, the smile on the man's face vanished.
Lin Su stared at him in surprise. Sure enough, he didn't like to talk about his parents. Her voice was very soft: "Xu Yaodong didn't know much either. I felt a little sad after hearing it, and I also felt that you were only fifteen or sixteen years old at that time, which was quite pitiful, so I wanted to hug you to comfort you."
Zhou Yunqi: "..."
When he wasn't speaking, his facial features became sharper, and his face had a coldness that made Lin Su feel a little scared. Seeing him get up from the chair, Lin Su didn't know where he was going. She panicked and grabbed his arm with both hands, saying, "Don't be angry."
He looked down at her hands.
Lin Su let go and looked up expectantly: "Where are you going?"
Zhou Yunqi said helplessly, "I'll get you some water."
Lin Su: "...Oh."
The sound of boiling water poured into her cup. He glanced at the fearful woman and asked, "Why didn't you tell the truth back then?"
Lin Su said, her throat dry, "I hadn't thought it through at the time."
"Why are you telling the truth now?"
She said softly, "I'm afraid you'll misunderstand."
Upon hearing these four words, Zhou Yunqi's face froze for a moment, then he relaxed and asked, "Misunderstanding... Tell me, what are you afraid I'll misunderstand?"
Lin Su paused, blinked, and said in a low voice, "You misunderstood that I was being a pervert."
After a cold sneer, Zhou Yunqi, whether joking or speaking the truth, snorted coldly: "I'd rather you were acting like a hooligan."
Lin Su: "..."
She looked at him, puzzled.
He scoffed, "I'll have to sew up Xu Yaodong's foul mouth sooner or later."
Seeing that his tone and expression had returned to normal, Lin Su felt a little relieved. Zhou Yunqi, however, took a deep breath, looked at her, and didn't say anything more. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Seeing that the stalemate was not going to work, Lin Su stood up and said, "That's what I wanted to say. I'll head back now."
"Go."
The stern-faced man sat in the chair, watching the departing figure outside the door. A sense of unease rose in his heart, so he took out a cigarette and lit it.
He considered many possibilities regarding that hug, but he never imagined it was out of pity.
She actually took pity on me.
It's better to be a scoundrel than to be one.
Halfway through his cigarette, Zhou Yunqi couldn't sit still any longer and went to one of the male educated youth's dormitories.
Xu Yaodong was sitting on the bed playing cards when he heard someone call out "Brother Zhou." He turned his head to look at the door and said happily, "Boss, you're back."
"Come out for a moment," Zhou Yunqi said, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
"Wait a minute, I'm on a winning streak this time."
Zhou Yunqi: "Hurry up."
Xu Yaodong sensed something was wrong and shoved the cards into the hands of the onlookers: "Here they come."
Stepping outside, he asked with a grin, "Boss, what are your orders?"
He didn't say anything and walked straight to his office.
Xu Yaodong followed behind him, his mouth never stopping: "Did you go to the county today?"
He still didn't say anything.
Xu Yaodong finally shut up and followed him into the house. He saw that the cake box was open, with a piece missing, as if someone had eaten part of it. Next to it was an enamel mug, half-empty, and the angle of the chair…
He immediately realized that the girl had been there earlier; she liked to sit in this spot to eat.
"Is Xiaolin here?" he asked.
Zhou Yunqi sat in his office chair, his sharp gaze fixed on him: "What did you say to her?"
Xu Yaodong's heart sank. Was he referring to what they had discussed today? He chuckled and said, "Oh, it's nothing. I was just testing her a little."
"Test her?"
"Yes, she's going back to Beijing to take the college entrance exam, but you have to stay at the sugar factory, boss. You can't just wash your hands of everything all at once. I'll definitely stay here with you too. Just ask her what she'll do if she misses you or misses us?"
Zhou Yunqi: "What did she say?"
"She said you would be going back to Beijing to visit relatives, and we could meet."
"Anything else?"
"Anything else? No, I observed her for a while and she remained quite silent. But as I said, if the eldest brother goes back to Beijing to visit his family, he will definitely go to see her."
Zhou Yunqi frowned: "When did this happen?"
"Today."
Zhou Yunqi: "..."
Is that why you went to wait for him in the eye of the storm?
"Is there something you've forgotten?" he asked.
Xu Yaodong thought for a moment, then smiled awkwardly: "There is still a little bit."
Zhou Yunqi said impatiently, "Can you finish your sentence in one breath?"
Xu Yaodong: "I told her that after the Mid-Autumn Festival, you've been sighing a lot, so I asked her to take care of you more when she has time. She nodded and said okay, but that was it. Did she come over and say something to you?"
Zhou Yunqi's expression darkened: "How much about my parents' affairs did you reveal to her that night during the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Xu Yaodong, his heart pounding, whispered, "Actually, there's not much. After all, I don't know much either. I only know that your father suffered injustice, and his condition just worsened, so he passed away. Also, your mother... committed suicide."
As Zhou Yunqi clicked his tongue, Xu Yaodong immediately admitted his mistake: "Boss, I was wrong."
"Why are you talking to her about these things?" The man's expression grew increasingly frightening. "Do you want her to pity me?"
Xu Yaodong stammered, "Well, things just got to this point in the conversation, and besides, she needs to know about these things, right?"
Zhou Yunqi glanced at him and said, "Mind your own business."
"I'm just worried about you two."
What's your rush?
"She's about to return to the capital..." Xu Yaodong was indeed anxious. Although it's said that the emperor isn't worried but the eunuch is, as an observer, he couldn't suppress his anxiety.
He had never seen the boss take such good care of any female comrade before; he himself rarely even got close to female comrades.
“She’s going back to the capital,” Zhou Yunqi retorted. “Do you think I won’t go back?”
“Your return to Beijing is a long way off. Aren’t you worried that she’ll get into university and find a boyfriend there?”
“?” Zhou Yunqi stared at him.
Xu Yaodong quickly changed his tune: "However, the possibility is extremely slim. Susu is a discerning girl. The mature men in college are definitely too world-weary, and the young ones are too immature. She would definitely look down on those kinds of men."
The man's face grew increasingly grim, and he finally said impatiently, "Get out of here, stop making noise."
Xu Yaodong said "Oh," and then said, "I'm off then. Boss, you should get some rest. I have to take her to school tomorrow morning."
After saying that, he turned around and took two small cakes with him as he left.
-
After that day, Zhou Yunqi continued to take her to school as usual. He would drive to the commune first, buy her breakfast, and then turn back to the school gate to let her get out of the car.
The two of them seemed to get along the same way as before, but it also felt different.
The difference is that, upon closer inspection, he seems to be even better than before, or rather, more enthusiastic.
When they were traveling by car, Lin Su would chat with him about gossip and anecdotes, such as which teacher at school was a former sent-down youth, which teacher was going through a divorce with his spouse, which child in the class was very smart and looked destined for success, and once they talked about a letter from Feng Yuxia in which she said her ex-boyfriend regretted his decision...
Most of the time, Zhou Yunqi would just listen quietly to these trivial matters, occasionally smiling and saying a word or two, but he wouldn't say much, much less make any comments about certain people.
However, Lin Su recently noticed that he would also actively join in the conversation.
For example, this Saturday, Zhou Yunqi had nothing to do, so he went to the school to pick her up and take her back to the farm. After Lin Su got in the car, he first took her to the commune restaurant for a treat. When they came out after the meal, they ran into a colleague.
On the way back to the farm, Lin Su said, "The colleague I just met is the teacher who is going through a divorce with her lover."
Zhou Yunqi nodded: "She seems to be someone with her own opinions."
"Yes, she couldn't stand some of her partner's ideas and felt that the two had different philosophies on life."
Zhou Yunqi said, "Living with someone whose spirit doesn't align with yours can be very painful. The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be free."
Lin Su talked to him about a colleague who had a daughter and wanted to divorce her husband because his wife and mother-in-law always wanted a son, and the colleague felt that their family was very sexist...
He showed no signs of annoyance and responded from time to time, which made Lin Su sigh. This man, who was destined to be a high-ranking boss and would give people a distant and indifferent impression, suddenly became so down-to-earth, which was a bit strange, but she couldn't figure out why.
Time flies so fast, it's already late October.
In the north, the leaves are gradually falling and people are wearing warm clothes, but here, apart from being slightly cool in the mornings and evenings, the sun is high in the sky during the day, and it is still no different from summer.
One Sunday morning, three pigs on the farm ran out of their pen.
The pig feeder and a few others began to chase after the three pigs, but once they escaped, it was as if they had been freed from their cages, their wild nature unleashed. The farm was spacious, allowing them to roam freely.
Just as Lin Su was washing her schoolbag and a pair of white running shoes and drying them on a low courtyard wall, a medium-sized black boar saw someone chasing it and charged straight at her.
Lin Su sensed something was wrong and turned around. The ferocious-looking black boar was about to charge at her. Lin Su was terrified and was about to run away when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her behind them.
As the black pig brushed past his leg, Lin Su came to her senses and realized that the person protecting her was Zhou Yunqi.
The pig continued to scream and charge forward, and Lin Su couldn't help but pat her chest: "That scared me to death."
Zhou Yunqi chuckled softly, "It's alright now."
He stared at her face again: "You were so scared your face turned white."
Before long, the three men grabbed the black pig by the ears and tail and drove it back to the pigpen.
As the pigs were driven into the pigpen, the crowd of onlookers dispersed.
When Lin Su returned to the dormitory, Sun Xiaoqing said to her with a grin, "The farm manager just now was a hero saving you, he kept you firmly behind him."
Chen Si, who hadn't witnessed the scene, asked in surprise, "Really? How were they rescued? I didn't see anything."
"It was when the pigs charged at her that the farm manager shielded her behind him," Sun Xiaoqing exclaimed. "How come I've never met such a good man?"
Chen Si laughed and said, "Of course I did! Didn't Xiao Zhu pursue you before?"
"Why bother chasing after him? He left after less than two years."
Seeing that the topic had naturally shifted, Lin Su didn't respond further and put the bucket away.
She has been interacting with the farm manager a lot more lately, but she feels that the farm manager is still the same person who is wholeheartedly devoted to his career.
This kind of man will not get caught up in romantic relationships.
She didn't want to think about these things, so she pulled out her study materials and went to the office to study.
Lin Su's grades were already quite good, and since she had just started university, she hadn't forgotten many of the key points, so reviewing wasn't difficult; in fact, she found it quite easy. Therefore, she made up her mind that since she had this advantage, she had to get into a top-two university to make her journey worthwhile.
When I arrived at Zhou Yunqi's office, he was on the phone.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Su asked, "Are any guests coming to visit?"
He said calmly, "A few people are coming to take a look. You can study here. We'll entertain them in the conference room later."
Lin Su responded and sat down at her desk to study. Just as she was working on a set of math problems, seven or eight unfamiliar faces suddenly passed by outside the door.
They all looked like cadres, but one of the girls accompanying them looked familiar to Lin Su. She remembered that it was Tang Shimin, the girl she had met at the Torch Festival.
Lin Su couldn't help but glance at it a few more times.
Tang Shimin glanced into the office and smiled, "Director Zhou, do you have a guest in your office?"
He later recognized her: "Oh, it's you."
Lin Su stood up, walked to the door and greeted them: "Hello, leaders."
Zhou Yunqi said calmly, "Xiao Lin, one of our employees, is currently a substitute teacher at a primary school. He wants to take the college entrance examination next year and has been studying in my office during the holidays."
A middle-aged man said, "Your field had four students admitted to university this year, so the feng shui for the college entrance exam is pretty good."
Zhou Yunqi said, "To forge iron, one must be strong oneself; this is the result of their own hard work."
He glanced at Lin Su and said, "You continue your studies. I'll show them around the farm."
"Okay, thank you, Manager."
After they left, they never appeared again. Lin Su continued studying in Zhou Yunqi's office that afternoon.
I don't know if it was because I was too tired or because I did a lot of work today, but I was washing up early in the morning and was even startled by a pig. After looking at it for a while, I fell asleep on the table.
When she woke up, she was wearing a men's coat, but the person who had helped her was nowhere to be found.
Lin Su was lost in thought for a while. After putting away her clothes and tidying up her study materials, she was about to leave when Zhou Yunqi walked in.
"woke up?"
"Hmm." Lin Su looked at him. "What time did you get back?"
Four o'clock.
Lin Su rubbed her eyes: "Oh, I'm leaving."
She seemed to be still half asleep, and left with a few books in her arms.
Zhou Yunqi said helplessly, "A thermos."
"Oh right." Lin Su turned around to get her thermos.
She gave an awkward and bewildered laugh, then turned around again, causing the man beside her to let out a heavy breath and grab her arm.
Lin Su felt a sharp pain in her arm and looked at him in confusion.
Zhou Yunqi said helplessly, "Wake up first before you leave."
After saying that, he led her to a short sofa and sat her down, then took her water glass and refilled it with hot water.
There were two lunchboxes on the square table. He said, "I brought back two dishes from the restaurant. Come over for dinner."
Hearing that there was something delicious to eat, Lin Su smiled and said, "Okay!"
He sat in his office chair, looking at her with a weary expression. Lin Su could only avoid his gaze by blowing on the hot water.
"Aren't you going to ask who those people are today?" he suddenly asked.
Lin Su looked up: "What? Aren't those people leaders?"
Zhou Yunqi seemed to be explaining: "The sugarcane harvest season is approaching. The head of the main farm accompanied the county leaders to inspect the area, and a propaganda cadre from the commune also came, namely Officer Tang."
Lin Su: "Oh."
Something feels off. Is he trying to lure Tang Shimin out? Should she ask him a few more questions to avoid making it seem strange, like they're just gossiping normally?
So Lin Su took a deep breath and picked up the conversation: "Manager, did someone try to introduce you to Tang Shimin before?"
Zhou Yunqi sized her up and smirked, "You've heard quite a few rumors, haven't you?"
That's what everyone's saying.
He answered frankly: "A county leader wanted to introduce me, but I declined."
Lin Su asked curiously, "Why did you refuse?"
Since we've come this far, let's gossip to the end.
He said succinctly, "I will eventually return to the capital."
Lin Su was even more puzzled: "But if we're together, can't we bring each other back to the capital?"
"I can bring it, but I'm not interested."
“But…” Lin Su thought about how he would never get married in the future and couldn’t help but ask, “Will you never be interested in finding a partner? After all, you’re a career-oriented person.”
Instantly, Zhou Yunqi's sharp gaze fell on her: "Who told you that?"
"Nobody told me, so I'm asking."
This time, Lin Su heard a clear answer: "I'll tell you when I'm in the mood."
Lin Su didn't think too much about it, drank the water that had cooled down a bit, and replied, "Okay."
...
In the past few days, Zhou Yunqi has been busy preparing for the upcoming crushing season. The factory's machines have been adjusted and everything is ready.
This weekend happened to be market day in the commune, so he took Lin Su to the market at noon and had lunch there.
The market was as bustling as ever, filled with the constant calls of vendors. After lunch, Lin Su went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things. Zhou Yunqi happened to run into an acquaintance at the entrance, and the two chatted for a while. After Lin Su finished buying her things and left the cooperative, she didn't see him.
Looking around, I realized something was wrong; something seemed to have happened ahead.
Upon closer inspection, he saw an old man driving a horse-drawn carriage that was about to rush towards him from a distance. He shouted loudly to stop it in his dialect, but the horse seemed to have gone mad and was completely disobedient to the old man's control, galloping forward on all fours.
The sound of a wild horse neighing pierced the sky, and passersby quickly made way.
Seeing the situation was bad, Lin Su also tried to move towards the supply and marketing cooperative. Just then, a strong arm wrapped around her waist from behind and lifted her away. Lin Su was caught off guard and bumped into a firm, hot chest. Out of survival instinct, she clung tightly to his thick arm.
Just as she stood still against the wall, the carriage passed right where she had been standing.
This is the second time. There have been so many unexpected things lately... Lin Su stared blankly at the man who had carried her away.
He didn't let go, still holding her waist, his gaze fixed on the direction the spirited horse had gone. Lin Su twisted her waist, and only then did he realize what was happening and release her.
She stopped gripping his arm tightly, and the two of them moved a little further apart.
Warm breath filled the air between them, and Lin Su's face flushed. Pretending nothing was wrong, she asked, "Where did you just go?"
"I'll come to the supply and marketing cooperative to find you."
"No wonder, I just happened to come out."
After speaking, the two fell silent. They were very close, their breaths mingling, and their silent eye contact intensified the ambiguous atmosphere.
Lin Su didn't know where to look. Zhou Yunqi looked down at her flushed face and suddenly chuckled softly.
Lin Su looked up and asked in confusion, "What are you laughing at?"
"Sister Ju is absolutely right," he said casually.
Lin Su's voice trembled slightly: "What?"
"Your waist is indeed quite slim."
Lin Su frowned, punched him without hesitation, and shoved him away: "You scoundrel!"
...
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Author's Note: There will be a second update following this post~~~
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