Meeting in private
At the end of January, Lin Tingyue received good news from Xia Xiaoran.
"We've got it."
"Um?"
Xia Xiaoran sent a series of pictures, all of them showing the other person sticking close to her.
"Wow, that was fast!"
Xia Xiaoran called.
"Isn't it just because of your kind words? I only need to make a slight move, and it's a piece of cake."
It's clear she's quite pleased with herself.
"Tell me more about how you won it over. I need to know the details."
"detail?"
Xia Xiaoran laughed like a cat that had just stolen some cream on the other end of the phone: "Details, huh? Okay, listen carefully—"
"I just asked him to see a movie. I came home late that day, and I invited him upstairs to sit for a bit, and then..."
"That simple?"
Xia Xiaoran nodded smugly, "Yes, that's it. That's all."
"And then? Details, I want to hear the details!"
Xia Xiaoran immediately blushed, "Details...details are not suitable for children! Okay, okay, I've said everything I wanted to say, we'll talk about it later!"
After saying that, she immediately hung up the phone.
Lin Tingyue smiled helplessly when the call was abruptly ended.
-
The apartment's caregiver is going to take a holiday at the end of the year and go back to her hometown, so Lin Tingyue has simply been staying in bed these past few days.
Chi Zhuo held the freshly made corn porridge, but seeing that she was still asleep, he felt somewhat helpless.
"Wake up, it's noon..."
"Sleepy."
Chi Zhuo pretended to lift the blanket, "You really aren't going to eat?"
But after sleeping for so long, Lin Tingyue's stomach was indeed growling with hunger, and she couldn't stand it anymore.
She cautiously peeked out from under the covers, half-closing her eyes, and asked, "Did you put sugar in?"
“I put in just a tiny bit,” Chi Zhuo gestured, “just a tiny bit, because I know you’re worried about gaining weight.”
She then slowly sat up and took the bowl.
The warm porcelain bowl soothed my palms, and the sweet aroma of rice mixed with the fragrance of corn wafted up.
She sipped the water slowly, and her stomach gradually warmed up, making her feel much more awake.
"Today I made soup, braised pork ribs, steamed fish, and a vegetable dish. Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
Lin Tingyue's eyes lit up immediately. "Wow, we're having such a lavish meal today!"
"Since the auntie wasn't here, I just made something simple."
Lin Tingyue held the bowl, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Chi Zhuo: "You make so many fancy dishes with just a casual meal? What would you be like if you got serious?"
Chi Zhuo was amused by her and reached out to ruffle her messy hair. "Eat quickly, the porridge is getting cold."
After Lin Tingyue slowly finished her porridge, Chi Zhuo had already put on an apron and was busy in the kitchen.
She shuffled over in her slippers, leaned against the doorframe to watch him, and chatted with him casually.
What do you need me to do?
"You need to wait patiently for your meal."
"Wow, that's amazing treatment for me."
She couldn't help but sniff, "It smells so good!"
Chi Zhuo turned to look at her, a smile in his eyes. "Are you hungry? It'll be ready in another half hour."
So Lin Tingyue simply started chatting about something.
"By the way, Ranran is in a relationship."
Chi Zhuo raised an eyebrow. "The boy you mentioned before."
"Yes, I told you, his name is Qin Yuchen."
"That's good, you don't have to worry about her anymore."
Lin Tingyue turned her head away, "No, I didn't worry about it."
Chi Zhuo, seemingly knowing but saying nothing, picked up a piece of meat from the pot and placed it near Lin Tingyue's mouth, saying, "Quickly taste it to see if it's salty enough."
She couldn't wait to take a bite. The savory sauce and tender meat melted in her mouth, making her gasp for breath, but she still gave a thumbs up: "Delicious! Perfectly seasoned! Absolutely amazing!"
Chi Zhuo raised an eyebrow again. "Hmm, the evaluation is quite high."
Lin Tingyue looked at him and smiled happily, "If it's delicious, I have to praise you more!"
"It's just that I feel Ranran and the others are moving so fast."
“Everyone has a different pace,” Chi Zhuo said. “Some people warm up quickly, some people warm up slowly, that’s normal.”
Lin Tingyue nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly stared at him: "And you? Are you quick to warm up or slow to warm up?"
Chi Zhuo paused for a moment, then looked up to meet her gaze. "Guess?"
Lin Tingyue gave a sly smile.
"Hehe, you're hot everywhere."
Chi Zhuo paused, almost losing his balance. He turned to look at Lin Tingyue, and could tell from her expression that she was secretly laughing.
"Listen to that, you're being naughty."
"hey-hey."
Finally, dinner was served, with three dishes and a soup on the table.
Lin Tingyue eagerly filled a bowl with rice, then picked up a piece of pork rib and started eating.
"Eat slowly," Chi Zhuo ladled a bowl of soup for her. "No one's going to take it from you."
With her mouth stuffed full, she mumbled, "Your cooking is getting better and better."
"I'll make it for you often from now on."
"Okay, okay." But then she thought again, "But you're so busy with work, you don't have much time usually."
“I have time.” Chi Zhuo slowly and methodically picked out the fishbone for her. “I have time for you.”
He said it so naturally, but Lin Tingyue was taken aback for a moment, feeling a warm feeling in her heart.
After dinner, Chi Zhuo tidied up the whole house today.
Lin Tingyue was busy unpacking all the packages that had been piling up recently.
"I'm going to do a big cleaning in a couple of days. I've already bought the Spring Festival couplets and many kinds of window decorations. I'll just put up whichever looks good."
“Okay.” Chi Zhuo was busy on the side and didn’t notice that Lin Tingyue had secretly hidden a newly opened package in her hand.
"By the way," Lin Tingyue turned to look at him, "is there anything you particularly like?"
Chi Zhuo looked at her gently, "Isn't it you?"
Lin Tingyue smiled and lowered her head, "Stop joking, I'm serious, I really want it."
Chi Zhuo thought for a moment and then fell silent.
"Not yet... I don't think so."
"oh."
Lin Tingyue glanced at the item in her hand and said with great interest, "Then how about I give you a New Year's gift?"
What gift?
Just as Chi Zhuo was about to get up, Lin Tingyue stopped him.
"For now—it's confidential."
"All right."
As Lunar New Year's Eve drew closer, Lin Tingyue felt a little sad.
My brother's situation hasn't been resolved yet, and I don't know if he'll be able to go home for the Chinese New Year.
That day, she secretly sought out Gu Yanzhi to inquire about the news.
"Attorney Gu, hello. How much do you know about my brother's case?"
Gu Yanzhi was very polite, "Junior, there's no need to be so polite. I've inquired about your brother's situation with my friends. President Chi has hired a top-notch legal team. If he repays all the embezzled funds, he can get the lightest punishment, which should be within a year."
"Thank you so much, Senior Gu..." Lin Tingyue changed her address at the last minute.
Gu Yanzhi looked at Lin Tingyue, somewhat surprised. "Junior, you can ask President Chi directly about these things; his information should be more accurate."
Lin Tingyue knew she could ask Chi Zhuo, but this constant questioning felt like an invisible pressure.
“I don’t want him to feel like I’m pressuring him.” She said softly.
Gu Yanzhi nodded in understanding, then continued, "I understand. However, as far as I know, President Chi has put a lot of effort into your brother's matter, and the progress is going more smoothly than expected."
Lin Tingyue picked up her coffee and took a sip, looking somewhat worried.
Not far away, Chi Zhuo was carrying a cake when he passed by the coffee shop. He saw Lin Tingyue talking to someone across the street. He stopped, observed for a while, and then quickly turned and left.
In the coffee shop.
"Senior, you're not from northern Beijing, are you?"
Gu Yanzhi shook his head. "No."
"Aren't you going home this year? There are only three days left until Lunar New Year's Eve."
Gu Yanzhi smiled and said, "My parents came to Beijing for the Spring Festival this year and have already made all the arrangements. Otherwise, I wouldn't have time to come here for coffee today; I would definitely be on my way back."
That's great.
Gu Yanzhi nodded, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
"Um... junior, I wanted to ask, I heard that Xiao Ran is no longer single, is that true?"
Lin Tingyue was a little surprised, then smiled knowingly, "It's true. She just shared the good news with me a few days ago."
Gu Yanzhi's fingers tightened slightly around the coffee cup. He looked down and smiled. "It's good. What kind of person is the other party?"
"His name is Qin Yuchen. They've known each other for a while." Lin Tingyue observed his expression. "You know him, senior?"
"We don't really know each other." Gu Yanzhi stirred his coffee gently. "We've met a few times."
"You've seen him before, senior?"
"Yes. Xiao Ran and her friends had a community event before and asked me for help, so I've met them before."
His tone was calm, but Lin Tingyue caught a fleeting glimpse of melancholy in his eyes. She recalled Xia Xiaoran's evasiveness when Gu Yan was mentioned earlier, and understood what was happening.
“Actually, at the beginning,” Lin Tingyue carefully chose her words, “Ranran said she was just giving it a try.”
Gu Yanzhi looked up, a faint light flashing in his eyes before dimming again. "No need to comfort me. There was nothing between her and me to begin with."
The atmosphere was subtly awkward.
At that moment, Lin Tingyue's phone rang; it was a message from Chi Zhuo.
I bought you your favorite cheesecake; it's at home.
She quickly replied with a smiley face and put her phone away.
"Senior, I have to go home now. Thank you for telling me everything today."
Gu Yanzhi nodded, "You're welcome. Please give my regards to President Chi."
Lin Tingyue nodded immediately, "Okay. I'm leaving now, bye-bye~"
-
When Lin Tingyue arrived home, Chi Zhuo was unpacking the cake.
"You have to carry me when you go out to meet people? Which handsome guy have you met that you're so infatuated with?"
Lin Tingyue paused in changing her shoes, tilting her head to look at him, "You saw it?"
Chi Zhuo opened the cake box without saying a word. The cheesecake looked golden and tempting, but he pushed it aside, clearly not interested in the dessert.
"You met with me secretly without telling me. It seems I'm not important to you at all."
"Oh, so important! You're the most important person in my heart!" Lin Tingyue walked around the table to Chi Zhuo's back, leaned on his shoulder, and kept rubbing her face against his.
Are you jealous? Or angry?
Chi Zhuo replied indifferently, "Can't you tell?"
Lin Tingyue pouted again, "Oh, don't be angry, okay? I just wanted to ask about my brother..."
“I know,” she said softly, “I just don’t want to put too much pressure on you.”
Chi Zhuo sighed and pulled her into his arms. "You've never been a burden."
His aura reassured her.
Chi Zhuo spoke again, "However, I'm not angry that you went to see him. You can go see anyone, but don't feel any psychological burden from me. I'll tell you whatever you want to know."
"Okay, I understand." Lin Tingyue lowered her head and silently admitted her mistake. "I was wrong this time. I was a little petty."
Chi Zhuo touched her face and explained, "Listen, it's not that you're petty, it's that you don't completely trust me yet, so you have concerns, understand?"
Lin Tingyue seemed to understand, but she just wanted to make things easier for Chi Zhuo and didn't want to put all the pressure on him alone.
"knew."
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