Chapter 33
After that hotpot night that was so spicy that it made them tear up, yet so heartwarming, their relationship entered a new stage.
They no longer just share each other's preferences and past, but begin to integrate more deeply into each other's real, trivial, and even somewhat embarrassing daily lives.
Time flies and it is late autumn.
It was a Friday, and Lin Qi had already worked overtime for two days in a row on an urgent project. By Friday afternoon, he felt completely drained.
As she was getting close to getting off work, she slumped over her desk, not even having the strength to lift her head, when her cell phone vibrated.
It is a Shenyan.
He seemed to know how she had been doing these past few days, so he didn't ask any other questions and sent a simple and direct message.
[Chen Yan: Do you still need to work overtime today?]
【Chen Yan: I'm already downstairs at your company.】
Before Lin Qi could reply, his third message came.
[Chen Yan: Don't worry about what to eat for dinner, and don't worry about cleaning up after you get home.]
【Chen Yan: I have arranged everything.】
[Chen Yan: Now, all you need to do is go downstairs, get in the car, and then give yourself to me.]
Looking at the last sentence he sent - "Give yourself to me", Lin Qi lay on the table and did not move for a long time.
All the fatigue, stress, and frayed nerves accumulated from days of overtime seemed to find an outlet at that moment. Without warning, her eyes warmed.
She didn't reply, but silently turned off the computer, picked up her bag, and quietly walked out of the office amid the noise of her colleagues still discussing where to go for dinner.
In the square outside the office building, the evening breeze was strong, making people feel a little cold. She immediately spotted the familiar dark gray Volvo parked on the side of the road.
As soon as she walked down the steps, he saw her. He immediately opened the car door and got out, quickly walked to the passenger side and opened the door for her.
She got into the car and was instantly enveloped by warmth.
He closed the car door, blocking out all the noise from the outside, and then returned to the driver's seat. He didn't drive immediately, but turned around and looked at her face carefully.
"Very tired?" His voice was low, with a barely perceptible hint of heartache.
He took out a familiar thermos cup from the armrest box, unscrewed it, and handed it to her: "It's still ginger tea. I put red dates and wolfberries in it. It's a little sweeter than last time. Take a few sips to warm yourself up."
Lin Qi held the warm cup and nodded.
He then started the car and merged smoothly into the night traffic.
"We're not going out to eat." He looked at the road ahead and stated his plans in a calm tone, "I hired a part-time maid to make a few light dishes at home. They should be ready by now."
He paused and glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
"Don't think about anything right now," he said, his voice softening. "And don't talk. Just lean back in your chair and get some sleep."
"When we're there, I'll call you."
"Okay." Lin Qi closed his eyes and leaned on the passenger seat with complete trust.
Hearing her gentle "OK", the curve of Chen Yan's mouth deepened a little.
He didn't say anything else, but reached out and turned up the air conditioning temperature by one degree. He lowered the volume of the stereo to a barely audible level. Then, he drove slower and more steadily than usual.
The car, like a moving, warm cocoon, carried her smoothly through the noisy city in the heavy rain.
At the red light at the intersection, he stopped the car, tilted his head, and looked at her quietly. She leaned back in her chair, breathing lightly, her brows relaxed, as if she were truly asleep. She had shed her usual professional and capable facade, revealing her softest, most vulnerable side.
As he watched, somewhere in his heart, it also became extremely soft.
He suddenly felt that the so-called "going home" might not have always referred to a specific building space. Rather, it meant being able to bring her back safely from the tiring workplace on a stormy night like this, to a place where she could let down her guard.
The car slowly drove into the basement downstairs of his house.
He parked the car and turned off the engine. He didn't wake her up immediately, but unbuckled his seat belt, turned sideways, and looked at her quietly for a long time in the dim light.
It was not until her eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she was about to wake up, that he reached out and touched her arm very gently.
"Lin Qi," his voice was softer than ever before, "We're home."
Lin Qi opened his eyes sleepily, said "Oh," and prepared to get off the car.
Seeing that she was still a little confused, the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowed. She was about to push the door, but he reached out and very gently held her arm.
"Don't move." He spoke in a low voice, afraid to scare her. "It's cold outside, put on your coat first."
He watched her slowly put her coat back on before nodding and getting out of the car. He walked around to the back of the car and took her bag out of the trunk before walking over to the passenger side and opening the door for her.
"Slow down," he held out his hand to her, "There's no rush."
She used his strength to steady herself. He naturally took her bag with one hand and held her hand with the other, leading her to the elevator hall.
The elevator arrived at his floor with a ding.
"We're here." He took her out of the elevator, came to the door, and entered the password.
"Welcome home." As the door lock clicked open, he turned sideways, looked into her eyes, and said very softly but very clearly.
Lin Qi stared at him blankly, and for a moment, forgot to react.
"Welcome home"—these four words were more direct, more profound, and yet warmer than any "I love you." They skipped all the romantic prelude and gave her the most secure promise of "future" and "belonging."
Chen Yan seemed to know how much impact this sentence had on her, so he didn't put any pressure on her to respond.
He simply closed the door naturally, shutting out all the wind and rain outside. He took her bag from her hand, helped her take off her coat, and hung it on the hanger in the hallway. Then, taking her hand, he gently sat her down on the softest sofa in the living room, like a treasure.
"I'll go get the food." He said softly, "Auntie must have just left, so it's still hot."
Soon, a bowl of steaming black chicken soup, a plate of steamed sea bass, and a serving of emerald green broccoli with garlic sauce were placed on the coffee table in front of her.
"I know you're tired, so I didn't prepare anything complicated." He sat down next to her, but there was a distance between them so that she could feel relaxed and undisturbed. "Let's eat first. After that, take a hot bath, and then have a good sleep."
Lin Qi was stunned for a moment and shook his head slightly.
"I'll eat later," she said, with a barely perceptible hint of grievance in her voice.
"You're sitting too far away."
Her words, full of complete dependence, instantly made the entire set of rational care plans he had prepared... completely ineffective.
Chen Yan looked at her and was stunned for a moment.
He didn't say anything, but put down the dishes in his hands, and then, very slowly, moved towards her. He stopped beside her, at a perfect distance, not too far away.
Then, he stretched out his arm, very lightly but very firmly, and put his arm around her shoulders, and gently pulled her, along with the bowl of rice in her hand that she had not yet eaten, into his arms.
He let her lean on his shoulder.
"Okay." His voice was right beside her ear, very low and hoarse, with a slight tremor of heartache that he himself didn't even notice. "I'm not far away."
He didn't urge her to eat or take a shower anymore. He just sat there quietly, using his body temperature and heartbeat to create a small, safe harbor for her that could temporarily isolate her from all the fatigue and storms of the world.
"Wait a moment," he said softly, "If you don't want to eat, we won't eat."
Lin Qi put the bowl down, leaned against him, closed her eyes, and turned all the anxiety and vulnerability she had felt in the past few days into a muffled, nasal request.
"Chen Yan...you never said you loved me. I want to hear..."
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