Chapter 93 Business Trip
The days before Lin Yan went on a business trip were like preparing for a grand handover ceremony.
His image as the decisive and efficient Boss Lin was shattered, and he turned into a "keeper" who was more nagging than an old woman, and his target was me.
"Baby, look," he opened the closet and pointed at the neatly categorized and stacked clothes inside. "This pile is for Monday. The weather forecast says it's going to get colder, so here's a fleece sweatshirt and a thick coat. It'll get warmer on Tuesday, so here's this thin sweater and jacket. On Wednesday..."
He even labels each outfit with Post-it notes, with the date and weather reminders written on them in his meticulous, obsessive-compulsive handwriting.
I was stunned and couldn't help but complain, "Brother, I'm just living alone for a week, not going into the wilderness to survive! I even have to rely on my phone to remind me what day it is, and you want me to look for clothes by looking at the labels?"
He turned a deaf ear to her and walked back to the refrigerator.
A larger, brightly colored sticky note was taped to the refrigerator door. Written in marker on it was the following:
Ruirui exclusive supply station:
Upper drawer: Sunshine Rose grapes (washed), blueberries, diced mango (fresh-keeping box)
Middle left: Your favorite XX brand peach yogurt (two cups a day!)
Middle right: XX brand sea salt cheesecake (for craving relief, not for your meal!)
Refrigerated door: soda water, sugar-free cola (ice is good)
Freezer: Quick-frozen dumplings and wontons (for emergencies, eat less!)
At the water dispenser: Prepare two large buckets of purified water. Remember to drink warm water! Do not drink ice water directly!
I looked at the sticky notes that looked like a supermarket shelf list, and the two large buckets of water neatly stacked next to the water dispenser, and was completely speechless.
"Lin Yan, do you think I'm a three-year-old? Can't I collect water by myself?"
"It's just a matter of convenience."
He casually said this and picked up the remote control for the robot vacuum. "I set it to automatically clean at 3:00 PM every day. It's connected to the internet, so I can control it from my phone. I also checked Snowball's automatic feeder and water dispenser. They're full of food and water..."
He looked around, his eyes filled with anxiety, wondering if there was anything missing. Finally, his gaze settled on the bathroom. "Oh, toothpaste..."
"Stop! Stop it!" I couldn't stand it any longer and rushed over to cover his mouth. "Lin Yan! Please! I can squeeze the toothpaste! Really! I promise to brush my teeth and wash my face on time every day, and I promise not to starve or freeze to death! Please let my toothpaste go!"
I can just imagine the horrifying scene of him squeezing out a week's supply of toothpaste and lining them up by day before leaving.
I covered his mouth with my hand, his eyes full of helpless smile. He pulled my hand down and kissed it: "Okay, okay, I won't use toothpaste. But..."
He held my face in his hands, his eyes becoming deep. "What about food? I'm really worried about you ordering takeout every day."
"Oh, there are so many restaurants downstairs, you won't go hungry!"
I patted my chest and assured, "Besides, there is still the 'emergency food' you left behind!" I pointed to the freezer of the refrigerator.
He sighed, knowing that this was the only solution at the moment, and could only repeatedly remind him: "Eat less greasy food, eat on time, and don't make do."
This feeling of "uneasy" reached its peak the night before leaving.
Lin Yan seemed to want to advance all the money for the next week, and he asked me for it several times in a fierce and aggressive manner.
I was tortured to the point of feeling weak all over and my consciousness blurred. In the end, I almost cried for mercy. My body was so sensitive that it trembled at the slightest touch, and even my fingertips were trembling slightly.
Lying on the messy mattress, I felt like a sponge that had been thoroughly rubbed and squeezed dry. I didn't even have the strength to lift a finger. I thought drowsily:
It's over. I'm afraid it will fall apart tomorrow morning...
As a result, the next morning, I woke up in an overly quiet sunshine.
The seat next to me was empty and cold.
I reached out my hand in a daze and touched it, but only felt the smooth sheets.
Lin Yan has already left.
There was a glass of water on the bedside table, with a note underneath:
I'm leaving. Seeing that you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you up.
Remember to eat the fruit in the refrigerator.
Call me anytime if you need anything.
The handwriting is still steady and powerful.
I looked at the glass of water and felt a little empty and warm in my heart.
I slowly got up, feeling as if my body had been reorganized. I felt extremely sore and weak, and there was a distinct feeling of fullness in some difficult-to-speak place.
I picked up the cup and took a sip. The water temperature was just right.
I had no classes in the morning and was too lazy to move, so I just curled up on the sofa and ordered some takeout.
While waiting for the takeaway, I sent a message to Lin Yan: "Has it arrived yet?"
The message was replied almost instantly: "Just arrived at the hotel and settled in. Are you up? Have you eaten yet?"
I was just about to reply "I ordered takeout" when the doorbell rang.
I slipped on my slippers and went to get takeout, a delicious plate of dry fried beef noodles. As soon as I picked up my chopsticks, I realized something was missing.
At this time of day, Lin Yan would always push me to the dining table, and either read some information beside me or stare at me while I eat, occasionally picking up some dishes for me, or nagging me, "Eat slowly" or "Don't just pick the meat."
He always says that I eat like a cat. I get distracted while watching, or I get attracted by my phone and don’t even notice when the food is cold.
So there is an unwritten rule at home: don’t watch TV shows or use your phone while eating, just concentrate on eating.
No one cares today.
I looked at the empty opposite side and suddenly felt that this bowl of fragrant beef noodles lacked some flavor.
Even with a pout, she couldn't help herself, picked up the tablet, and clicked on a hot-blooded anime that she had only half-watched.
While slurping the rice noodles, I watched with great interest, temporarily putting aside the feeling of loneliness.
The phone vibrated again. It was Lin Yan: "Baby, have you eaten yet?"
My eyes were still fixed on the screen as the protagonist used his ultimate move, and my fingers were typing quickly: "Eating, eating, it smells so good!"
Just a few seconds after it was sent, Lin Yan's video call request popped up, accompanied by a buzzing exclusive ringtone.
I put down my chopsticks in a hurry and pressed the answer button.
Lin Yan's handsome face immediately appeared on the screen, with the simple lines of the hotel room as the background.
"Ruirui, have you eaten?" His voice came through the receiver, a little tired from the journey, but still gentle.
"Eating!" I pointed the camera at the beef noodles on the table, "Look! Dry-fried beef noodles! Just started eating!"
Lin Yan frowned slightly, staring at me on the screen with sharp eyes: "When did you get up? I saw you sent me a message almost two hours ago. A takeaway... took you so long?"
He paused, his tone tinged with danger. "Also, who just used my Alipay account to sign up for an annual membership on that video platform? Huh?"
I:"……"
Damn! I forgot about this!
Lin Yan's Alipay account was linked to his credit card, so he could see his spending information in real time! What a careless mistake!
"Oh..." I felt guilty for a moment, my eyes wandering, "It's just... eating alone is too boring... I want to find something to read..."
The voice became smaller and smaller.
He looked at my obviously evasive gaze and the lit tablet screen next to him, and sighed helplessly: "...Okay, go ahead and watch it. But you have to eat your meal well and concentrate. If it gets cold, your stomach will feel upset."
"I know, I know!" I responded quickly, just wanting to end this "check-up" as soon as possible.
"Be good." He looked at me through the screen, his eyes still glued to my face, filled with deep attachment. "Then I'll go wash my face first and go to the partner company. You eat slowly, but not too slowly."
After hanging up the video, I lost interest in watching the anime as I looked at the bowl of beef noodles that was almost cold. I took a few bites and put it away.
The sun is shining brightly in the afternoon.
I was thinking of taking a shower to wash away the stickiness and residual soreness from last night.
I took off all my clothes and walked into the bathroom. As usual, I stood under the shower and turned on the switch.
The cold stream suddenly poured over my body, making me jump away with a scream.
"Damn! Why is the water cold?!" I turned the switch left and right, but the water from the shower was still freezing cold.
I was stunned. Is this water heater broken? It was clearly working fine before Lin Yan left!
Wrapped in a bath towel, I rushed out, still dripping wet, to get my phone. I angrily sent a voice message to Lin Yan: "Hey! Lin Yan! Our bathroom heater seems to be broken! No, it's the water heater! I can't take a hot shower! I'm freezing!"
Almost as soon as the voice message was sent, Lin Yan's video request popped up again.
I hesitated for a second. I was wrapped in a bath towel and my hair was still dripping... but when I thought of the cold water, I gritted my teeth and took it.
The video was connected, and he seemed to be in the car, with the street scene passing by quickly in the background.
He immediately saw my exposed, water-beaded shoulders and collarbone on the screen. His Adam's apple rolled noticeably, and his voice instantly became a little hoarse: "Ruirui... you're so bad... you knew I was holding it back, but you still... seduced me like this?"
"I seduced you!"
I rolled my eyes in anger and turned the camera towards the bathroom, aiming it at the shower head that was still gushing cold water. "Look for yourself! It's not producing hot water! What's going on?"
Lin Yan narrowed his eyes, looked carefully at the water flow, then looked at my angry face. He was silent for a few seconds, and then asked in an extremely helpless, yet somewhat doting tone: "Baby...did you...didn't you boil the water?"
"Boil water?" I was stunned. "Boil what water? Isn't this water heater solar-powered? Just turn it on and there's hot water."
After I moved in, every time I took a shower, the bathroom was always steaming hot and the water temperature was just right. I naturally thought that the water heater would heat up as soon as it was turned on.
He held his forehead on the other side of the screen and sighed long and helplessly: "Wife... ours is a storage-type electric water heater. It needs to be heated in advance... Usually, you turn on the switch ten to fifteen minutes in advance to preheat it..."
He looked at my bewildered expression, "I see," and said helplessly, "Before... I cooked it for you in advance. You really... How can I be at ease?"
My face instantly turned red with embarrassment!
It turns out that every time I took a shower, the hot water was just right because he had prepared it in advance! I felt like a fool with zero common sense!
"Oh...oh! So that's it!" I replied awkwardly, wrapping my towel tightly around me. Following his instructions, I went to the small balcony next to the kitchen, found the control panel for the cylindrical water heater, and clumsily flipped the switch. The indicator light on the panel lit up, indicating that the water heater had started heating.
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