Chapter 53
Yuan Chuyu stayed at home with her for the night. Lin Langyi didn't know when he left. She only remembered that when she woke up the next day, he was gone, and the hot water bottle behind her feet was slightly hot, obviously it had just been changed.
He had just left.
Inside the room, only the health-preserving kettle he bought was bubbling away, simmering with longan, brown sugar, and ginger tea; a slow cooker contained stewed pumpkin and white fungus soup; two cans of milk sat beside it, with a piece of paper underneath.
Add the milk just before serving; turn off the heat once the milk boils.
At the dinner table, he even bought peaches and durians, and left a note saying that he had researched that these were suitable to eat before menstruation, and might be able to relieve menstrual cramps. However, he didn't know her menstrual cycle before, but he would know it later.
Lin Langyi put away all the small slips of paper. Looking at the sharp and unyielding style of the words on the slips of paper, he couldn't help but recall the way he copied the Heart Sutra when he was in Laoshan.
She drank a bowl of hot pumpkin and white fungus soup, then half a cup of ginger tea. After that, she gathered the notes together, stacked them, and went to the kitchen sink to light them with a lighter.
Flames suddenly leaped up, her fingers slowly retreated, pinching a small corner of the paper strip, and finally letting go, scattering the ashes into the sink.
With a "whoosh," the faucet was turned on, and she watched as all the black and gray shavings were flushed into the drain before turning off the water.
She went back to her bedroom to sleep. The menstrual cramps that had lasted for two days passed by today, and she expected to feel better tomorrow.
As she lay down, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her messages, replying to work emails and messages before switching to private messages.
Y: [I have to go out of town today. If I can make it, I'll be back tomorrow afternoon and come see you then. Are you feeling any better?]
Lin Langyi replied with an "ok" emoji, but the other party didn't reply, probably because they were busy.
*
When Lin Langyi woke up on the third day, her health bar had recovered to half. She thought to herself that she was the boss, so it was normal for the boss to be late or leave early by half a day. So she dawdled until the afternoon before going to Yingshan Lake.
Yuan Chuyu returned as agreed, even an hour early. He went straight to Yingyuan after getting off the plane and sent her a message on the way saying he would come to see her later.
Lin Langyi did not see the message in time; she and Meng Hui were racing against time to check the materials that needed to be submitted for review in five days.
Who knew that Cheng Yanjin would suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Without a word, he suddenly slipped out of Laoshan Temple and appeared abruptly in front of her and Meng Hui, leaving them both stunned.
"Mom, I've come to see you." He was dressed in clean and crisp casual clothes, and greeted her with a clear and cheerful voice. Then he presented Meng Hui with a brocade box decorated with enamel.
Meng Hui was surprised to see such a precious jewelry box with a phoenix in flight being stuffed into her hand. It was so heavy that she looked at Cheng Yanjin with some surprise.
Cheng Yanjin smiled brightly, his black pants and white T-shirt making him look exceptionally energetic: "Why don't you open it and take a look?"
Inside is a pair of mutton-fat white jade pendants, with three-dimensional relief carvings all over the body, smooth and flawless, truly a collector's item.
"It was auctioned off." Cheng Yanjin walked to Lin Langyi's side, hooked his arm around her shoulder, tilted his head, and smiled at her. "I was on the mountain, and my family bid for it on my behalf. It hadn't started bidding before Mother's Day, but I'd been thinking about it for a long time. You and Xiaoyi both have fair skin, so it would be nice to have something else made to hang on your body. It would match very well."
"What Mother's Day?" Meng Hui quickly closed the lid. "That's all in the past, why waste money like that!"
Cheng Yanjin leaned against Lin Langyi, sticking to her like a leech, and tried to ingratiate himself with Meng Hui: "Yes, so Mom, please don't blame me for being late."
Lin Langyi turned her face and gave Cheng Yanjin a look, which earned her a haughty raised eyebrow in return.
She lowered her voice: "What's wrong with you?"
“I didn’t pay attention before, but now I know I was wrong.” He whispered in his ear, looking furtive, “You know, our temple does blessing things, right? I bought these two mutton fat jade pendants before, and I blessed them for you. You’re lucky.”
Meng Hui still felt it was too precious, so she put it away and returned it. Cheng Yanjin, like an eagle catching a chick, circled around behind Lin Langyi, wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed them against her stomach, stubbornly refusing to put it away.
“I’ll be sad if you don’t take it. I’ve blessed it with all my heart. If you don’t like it, I’ll find another one another day until you like it.”
"Hey, hey..." Meng Hui frowned, but couldn't hide the smile on her face. "Then give it to Xiao Yi. You two have a good relationship, so each of you can have one. I'll keep this box. As elders, we should protect our children from the wind and rain, okay?"
The two argued back and forth but couldn't reach an agreement. In the end, both cards were given to Lin Langyi. One said he would keep them for his mother, while the other said his wife should keep them.
Lin Langyi held a piece of smooth, white jade in each hand. Cheng Yanjin saw her standing there blankly and couldn't help but keep smiling at her. He even quietly added, "Actually, I also bought a string of raw jade beads for you."
Lin Langyi: "No, how much did you actually spend?"
"A bracelet? It's alright, 2.1 million."
Lin Langyi was shocked and decided not to ask any more questions about the two heavy lumps in her hands: "You being locked up won't stop you from spending money like water."
"What does it matter?" He reached out and took her entire hand in his palm. On her wrist was a bracelet of eight mutton fat jade beads from Hetian.
He took the simple, natural bracelet from his own wrist and slid it down to hers.
The handover was successful.
"Spending money is just a different way of having someone by your side." He couldn't help but admire her fair wrist after she put on the bracelet, turning it around and looking at it several times before finally bending down and giving her a loud kiss on the back of her hand.
"Ah!" Meng Hui suddenly exclaimed.
Upon hearing her mother's voice, Lin Langyi quickly pushed his fluffy head away and said, "You are more worthy of this string of raw seed beads than I am. Every single bead is just like you. Without being carved into a finished product, you won't find another bead like the other in the world."
He chuckled and clung to her, saying, "Go ahead and compliment me on being unique."
Lin Langyi pushed him away with her hand still on his forehead, then turned her head and found that Meng Hui wasn't smirking at the two of them, but was facing the doorway—
She leaned back and looked over, her gaze passing over Meng Hui's shoulder to see Yuan Chuyu, dressed in a suit and tie.
His hair was slightly disheveled, with a strand falling softly onto his face, as if he had traveled a long and tiring journey.
He slightly raised his eyelids, and although he was facing Meng Hui, his eyes moved slightly in that instant, and his silent gaze met hers precisely.
Lin Langyi's hand, which was pressed on Cheng Yanjin's forehead, subconsciously lifted an inch upwards, and the bracelet rolled down his wrist, smooth and slightly cool.
Cheng Yanjin grabbed the hand on his forehead, slid it down to hold his, straightened up, and finally saw him too: "Hey, Brother Yu, what a coincidence."
“I’ll talk about the contract,” Yuan Chuyu replied, his gaze fixed on Lin Langyi.
"Oh right, Zhuzhu and I were just reviewing the materials. Since the project team is all here today, I'll get everyone together for a meeting now." Meng Hui spread his hands. "President Yuan, this way please."
He didn't move, his gaze fixed silently on the two people standing together and their clasped hands.
Are you feeling better?
He asked softly.
Instantly, everyone in the room turned to look at her.
Lin Langyi sensed that Cheng Yanjin, who was holding her hand, suddenly used more force.
He tensed up and turned her shoulders, asking, "What's wrong?"
“I was talking to President Yuan on the phone the day before yesterday, and he heard the deliveryman delivering the medicine.” Lin Langyi’s tone remained unchanged. “Thank you for your concern.”
"No wonder you ended your live stream halfway through the day before yesterday." Cheng Yanjin became even more flustered upon hearing the words "deliver medicine." "Did you go to the hospital?"
“Ah, is it…” Meng Hui suddenly remembered and pinched her fingers, “Zhuzhu has menstrual cramps… By the way, Mom took you to drink Chinese medicine before and it helped a little. Have you been too busy lately, so the pain has returned? Mom will make an appointment in a couple of days and we’ll go see a doctor again.”
"Okay." Lin Langyi nodded.
"Then you should go back and rest early. How can such a big company not survive without you?" Cheng Yanjin said with great dissatisfaction. "I'll take you back."
He acted immediately, pushing Lin Langyi's back and walking outside.
“Yes, Zhuzhu, Mom is here. We can talk on WeChat later if anything comes up.” Meng Hui’s eyes were full of heartache as she scolded, “It’s all because Mom inherited the bad things from you. I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve even forgotten about this.”
"It's okay, Mom."
She brushed past Yuan Chuyu, who was standing at the door.
He stood still, turned his face away, and silently watched as the hems of their clothes brushed past them like an elusive breeze.
His index finger twitched almost imperceptibly.
Meng Hui and Cheng Yanjin were both surrounding her, leaving him no room or reason to intervene.
"Mom, I'll take her back, don't worry. We'll be going now." Cheng Yanjin supported Lin Langyi's arm, wishing he could carry her away.
"Okay, okay," Meng Hui readily agreed.
It started raining after they arrived at Dingpu Community. Cheng Yanjin clumsily took care of people, but he was still somewhat useful.
"I'm not in as much pain today," Lin Langyi said. "You should go home early."
"Go back what!" He even bought a knee-high wooden bucket, which was extremely heavy when filled with water, but he flexed his arm muscles and steadily lifted it to the bedside.
“I just asked my mom, and she said that traditional Chinese medicine practitioners told you to soak your feet in hot water all year round, right? But I see you streaming until midnight every day, how could you have time to soak your feet!”
"I'm soaking now, you can go."
"If I leave, will you be able to move such a heavy bucket of water?"
Without saying a word, he grabbed her foot and slowly dipped it into the water. Soon, a layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
The room air conditioner was set high; he turned it on.
The water temperature was high, so he took it.
But this water temperature was perfect for Lin Langyi.
But he was different. He was someone who was afraid of heat and preferred to take showers in cool water. He had inexplicably asked her questions such as, "Won't you peel off a layer of skin if you set the water temperature so hot?"
"Is it hot enough?" Cheng Yanjin squatted down in front of her, looked up and asked, "Do you want some more hot water?"
Lin Langyi glanced at his flushed face, as if he had just finished strenuous exercise: "That's enough."
He carefully washed her feet. Because of his broad hands, he had plenty of strength when massaging her feet. Lin Langyi squinted and relaxed: "You've studied this?"
"Yes, I washed it for my mom."
She looked at him again and saw the sweat from his sweat trickling down his sharply defined profile to his chin, hanging there as if about to fall off. She reached out and wiped away the drop of sweat.
He looked up and smiled at her.
The rain outside the window grew louder, and the water droplets on the glass spread from thin streaks to a large patch. From a distance, it was impossible to see which of the myriad lights were on and which were off.
*
Before the news of the application for the characteristic town project had even spread, Zhuang Lan had already called Lin Langyi several times to inquire about it.
Lin Langyi originally thought that Zhuang Lan wouldn't be able to take control of her family's business in such a short time, but two days later she brought people to the site to check it out, and it looked quite professional.
Lin Langyi was both curious and admiring: "Teach me, how do you do it?"
Zhuang Lan, dressed in a sophisticated Chanel-style suit, said smugly, "It's simple. Yingyuan has already made it clear that they want to invest in such a large potential business area. My family also wants to get on Yingyuan's good side. We can all make money together. That's why I said I should take over this project. None of you have a better relationship with Yuan Chuyu than I do. My dad thought it made sense and gave it to me directly."
Lin Langyi gave a thumbs up: "Well done."
Zhuang Lan was flattered and felt completely at ease, exchanging pleasantries: "I learned it from you. After you and Cheng Yanjin get married, Ying Shanhu is safe, right?"
Lin Langyi didn't answer the question directly, but accompanied her to inspect the site: "We have to be stable, even if it's not stable."
During this period, there were many leaders and project teams who came to evaluate and inspect. Every day, she was either receiving guests or on her way to receive them. After accompanying Zhuang Lan for an hour, Lin Langyi said that she had something to do and had to go.
Back at the company, Lin Xiangshuo had already invited the leaders from the bureau and office units who had come to inspect the company into the reception room. The tea on the table was fragrant, and there were also several fruit platters.
Upon seeing the person enter, Lin Xiangshuo immediately stood up and introduced, "This is my younger sister, Lin Langyi."
Several leaders dressed in shirts and black trousers smiled kindly: "We know each other. We've been liaising with Ms. Lin for a while now."
"Director Wu, Director Chen." Lin Langyi shook hands with them one by one, and as she sat down, Lin Xiangshuo pushed a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of her.
The discussions revolve around government-invested projects. The collective assets of villages and towns will be coordinated to make Yingshan Lake Pearl Characteristic Town one of the cultural tourism projects. Therefore, some companies that have expressed interest in investing are being gathered to listen to quotations and review bidding documents.
As they chatted, Director Wu suddenly looked at Lin Langyi with a smile, tapping the document with his pen: "That piece of suburban land outside the third ring road of City B was originally an unfinished building project that had been abandoned for many years. It was only after Ying Yuan acquired it that it was developed into a small commercial district. Now the economy there is quite good. I saw in Miss Lin's report that she also mentioned cooperation with Ying Yuan? Is this cooperation likely?"
Lin Langyi paused briefly upon hearing the name, watching Lin Xiangshuo busily handing materials to the leaders, and said in a relaxed tone, "Yes, I have a good personal relationship with him, and he said he would facilitate the cooperation even if it was just for my sake."
Meng Hui, who had been sitting at the end of the long table, suddenly glanced at Lin Langyi.
Director Chen, a former military officer who transferred to the government system, sat upright with meticulous attention to detail, even his lips forming a stern line: "The application deadline is tight. If possible, it would be best to finalize this cooperation as soon as possible, so that we have something to write in the application materials."
Lin Langyi knew what this meant, and made a hands-free call right in front of everyone.
After two beeps, the call was connected.
Fearing that Yuan Chuyu might say something inappropriate, Lin Langyi preemptively greeted him, "President Yuan, I am Lin Langyi. Is this a convenient time for us to talk?"
After a few seconds of silence, a slightly hoarse voice came from the other end: "Convenient."
Lin Langyi noticed that Yuan Chuyu's voice had a slight nasal tone. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to finish discussing the important matter first.
Yuan Chuyu listened quietly the whole time. The environment there was quiet, and it seemed that he was alone. If it weren't for the occasional heavy breathing sound from his nose, she would have thought that no one was listening on the other end of the phone.
After she finished speaking, Yuan Chuyu coughed lightly and said calmly, "The contract we discussed earlier has been finalized today. I'll have my secretary send you an electronic copy with the official seal first, and the original will be sent over later."
Lin Langyi pushed her phone two inches further to the center of the long table, looked around, and gave a knowing smile.
Seeing the leaders nod in satisfaction, she took back her phone, turned off the speakerphone, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Yuan."
He coughed a few more times on the other end, but didn't hang up, seemingly still waiting for her to say something.
Lin Langyi lowered her eyes and didn't say a word of concern in the end, only saying, "I'm still in a meeting here, so I won't disturb you any longer."
The call was disconnected. Her gaze lingered on the three minutes and sixteen seconds mark in the call log for a moment, then she exited, smiling as she continued the conversation about business.
In less than forty minutes, Xiaoyu, who came in to refill the tea, first served tea to the leaders, and then whispered in Lin Langyi's ear, "Yingyuan has brought the contract and is waiting outside your office."
Lin Langyi perked up, glanced at the crowd out of the corner of her eye, and immediately said, "Let's invite him here."
She assumed the person delivering the documents would be project manager Wu Ling, but when the door to the guest room opened, the person who came was actually Yuan Chuyu.
His face looked somewhat pale, his brows and eyes were slightly tired, and even his lips, which were rosy when we last met, had faint dry lines.
He was holding a stack of documents in his hand. When his eyes swept over them, Director Wu stood up enthusiastically: "It really is President Yuan. We met at the investment promotion conference in City B before."
Yuan Chuyu had an exceptional memory. He nodded slightly to Director Wu and asked, "You've been promoted step by step and transferred to City A?"
After a few pleasantries, the fact that Yuan Chuyu had personally delivered the contract had already brought the Ying Shan Lake project to its fullest extent of importance. He sat down to the side, and when Xiaoyu came to add tea, he waved her hand and said in a hoarse voice, "No need for tea leaves, water is fine."
The inspection meeting went smoothly, and the preliminary application materials were finalized and ready for review. Lin Langyi felt at ease. After seeing the leaders off at the parking lot, she turned around and looked around, but she couldn't find Yuan Chuyu.
Meng Hui stepped forward and said softly, "It seems that President Yuan has something to attend to. He said he would wait in your office first."
"Okay, I'll go right away." Lin Langyi turned around and walked back.
She had originally planned to return the keys to the previous apartment and the property files at home to Yuan Chuyu once she got to the office, but he was visibly unwell today, and she didn't know if it was appropriate to bring up such a thing at this time.
She was almost at the company when she glanced around and saw him still walking wearily along the riverbank towards the company.
Lin Langyi quickened his pace and chased after him for a few meters. He had just shouted "Yuan—" when he stopped and looked back at the sound.
But he had only taken half a step when he lost his balance and his body swayed violently. He uncontrollably took two steps back, lost his footing, and fell backward into the water.
With a "plop," water splashed onto the shore.
Lin Langyi's heart stopped for a second. Hearing what sounded like Meng Hui's scream behind her, she rushed to the spot where the drowning had occurred and jumped in after her.
The water here is three to five meters deep, and it is naturally shallower off the shore. When Lin Langyi jumped in, he had no thoughts at all, and he did not think about his swimming skills. In the end, all he could remember was his unsteady steps and pale face.
Sure enough, Yuan Chuyu had no strength after falling into the water and sank straight down. A series of bubbles rose from his face, and he frowned and closed his eyes, looking like he was in great pain.
She swam with all her might to his back, put her hands under his armpits and lifted him up. He was heavy, and it was only with great difficulty that she managed to swim to the surface. Then there was another "plop" sound as someone fell into the water beside her.
Meng Hui kept calling for help from the shore, directing Lin Xiangshuo to jump down. Lin Langyi and he worked together to drag Yuan Chuyu ashore.
Just as she was about to ask Lin Xiangshuo to carry her to the hospital, Yuan Chuyu coughed up water a few times, struggled to open his blurry eyes, glanced at Lin Langyi, and, in a daze, grabbed her wrist, leaned close to her weakly, and shook his head heavily: "No... Zhuzhu, no hospital."
His voice was low and soft, and before he could finish a sentence, he started coughing violently. Even Lin Langyi, who was closest to him, didn't immediately understand what he was saying.
"A-Shuo, go get the car and take him to the hospital." Meng Hui took the towel and wanted to wipe Yuan Chuyu's face, but he frowned and kept leaning towards Lin Langyi, who was kneeling to his left. His head was tilted and pressed tightly against her legs, and all his strength was gathered in the hand that was holding her wrist.
"Give him a towel to wipe his face." Seeing that his face was buried in Lin Langyi's trouser leg, Meng Hui could only hand him the towel and take out a thermometer from the first aid kit to check his ear.
With a "beep," the screen lit up red. Lin Langyi, with her sharp eyes, noticed it and frowned: "39.7 degrees."
She wiped his face and ears with a towel, bent down, and gently patted his cheek with her palm: "We went to the hospital, Yuan Chuyu. Are you still conscious?"
His brows furrowed even deeper, his legs curled up slightly, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his arms, like a drowning person clinging to a piece of driftwood: "I'm not going... Zhuzhu."
The words were clearer than before, and Lin Langyi's fingers trembled. Even without looking up, she could feel Meng Hui's burning gaze suddenly falling on her.
"We need to install railings here next time," Lin Langyi abruptly changed the subject, "for safety reasons."
Meng Hui didn't respond, but Yuan Chuyu started to feel cold all over. He bent over, his nose touching Lin Langyi's knee, his body swaying slightly. His other hand tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, as if he only recognized her. He mumbled incoherently, "Cheng Yanjin... fell into the water... you, now I also... us."
Lin Langyi's soaked pants were pressed tightly against his burning forehead, his breath sounding like tiny sparks, making her eardrums throb. She slapped him across the face again, covering his mouth and nose.
He gasped twice, then didn't move.
Meng Hui straightened up, put the thermometer she had been clutching aside, and said softly, "You saved Cheng Yanjin when he was little, and President Yuan... Yuan Chuyu means that you saved him today too, so... is Mom's understanding correct?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Lin Langyi pressed her palm hard against Yuan Chuyu's face, hearing the intermittent groans beneath her hand, and covered up his words when he was delirious. "He's talking nonsense."
Meng Huirou's gaze lingered on her face: "Is this really nonsense?"
Lin Langyi replied decisively, "Yes."
Meng Hui suddenly laughed, then shook her head knowingly: "...You're my child, never mind, let's go to the hospital first."
Lin Xiangshuo drove the car over, and the group worked together to put him in the back seat. Meng Hui went upstairs to get Lin Xiangshuo and Lin Langyi's clothes, indicating that they should change out of their wet clothes first.
"You help him change here, I'll go to the restroom to change." Lin Langyi pointed to the clothes at Lin Xiangshuo, then pointed to Yuan Chuyu, "Your clothes might be a bit too short or too small... never mind, we'll just have to make do for now."
She wrapped one arm around her wrist, trying to pull off Yuan Chuyu's hand that was tightly gripping hers, as if trying to remove a bracelet. This only resulted in him struggling even harder, and he started calling her nickname indistinctly again.
"You..." Lin Langyi dared not look at her brother and mother, and forced a businesslike face to lean close to Yuan Chuyu's ear and threaten, "If you don't let go of me, I'm going to catch a cold and go to the hospital... Yuan Chuyu, if you keep this up, I really won't talk to you anymore."
He was burning up and struggling to breathe. He gasped for breath a few times before finally easing his tension.
Lin Langyi returned to her office, took a shower, and without drying her hair, wrapped herself in a towel and looked at the hospital location sent by Lin Xiangshuo. She then held up her phone to her mouth and said, "Alright, bro, I'll take over for you. You can come back and take a shower."
When she arrived at the Second Hospital, Yuan Chuyu was already on an IV drip. He was sitting in the last few seats in the last row, leaning back in his chair with his head up. His Adam's apple was clearly visible on his smooth neck. He was half-closing his eyes and still feeling drowsy.
Lin Langyi stood in front of him and looked at him for a while. The scratches on the back of his hand had faded and disappeared. The needle was inserted into the slightly bulging blue veins, and the light yellow medicine flowed in little by little.
The pure black bracelet was still tied to her wrist, the pearls shimmering like an enduring promise.
She had never seriously examined this bracelet before. In the hospital, amidst the hustle and bustle of the world and the sounds of people, with the background filled with the unsettling cries, she managed to steal a moment of peace in this chaotic world, to sit beside him and carefully examine the bracelet.
She felt that she must have been feeling lost after suddenly having so much free time today, which was why she was looking at him like someone sitting in the bathroom without their phone, idly reading the instruction manuals on the packaging.
But I've been so busy lately that even just looking at a toothpaste tube while clearing my mind feels like stealing a half-day of leisure.
She touched the inside of his wrist, paused, and then slightly turned his wrist over, revealing the peach blossom clasp.
I just picked up a chopstick for you.
Is it true that you'll never talk to me again except for work-related matters?
She sat to the side, looking down at the bracelet, remaining motionless for a long time.
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