Chapter 100: It was his turn to take the initiative. Warm, soft, and sweet…
The mirror was narrow, barely enough to show her lowered profile and his long, strong forearm.
Zhu Liushuang's gaze followed the tightly fastened button on the man's cuff as it swayed gently. After a few seconds of hesitation, she dared not look any further.
She was like a coward with the desire to steal but not the courage, recklessly starting a fire but unable to withstand the raging flames that followed.
The night air was cool and still, seeping through the window.
The smoky warmth emanated from the vents, teasing her cheeks in intermittent bursts. A fog rolled down the windows, countless droplets shattering the dim light and weaving the carriage into a tight cocoon.
In this confined space, all the senses are amplified. The cotton swab falls on the shoulder blade, and the expected coolness washes over you, seeping into your skin little by little.
She couldn't help but shrink her neck, like the tender leaves of a mimosa under the moonlight, which would shyly curl up her shoulders and back at the slightest touch.
"Does it hurt?" He Ming's gaze returned to the woman's slightly reddened earlobe. He controlled his strength, making his movements even gentler.
Zhu Liushuang held her breath, afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would reveal her inexplicable nervousness.
Of course it doesn't hurt! She just feels itchy.
Strangely enough, calamine lotion was clearly very effective at relieving itching; the hives on her neck and wrists no longer felt itchy at all. Yet—the areas where he had applied it not only didn't feel less itchy, but the itching seemed to be getting worse.
After much thought, Zhu Liushuang attributed all of this to a terrible psychological effect.
As her mind wandered and daydreamed, the person behind her suddenly stopped moving. Hearing the sound of the bottle cap turning, she moved her incredibly stiff neck.
Before she could even utter a word of thanks, He Ming beat her to it.
“Just now…” he paused, as if trying to ease some kind of awkwardness, “I didn’t see it.”
Zhu Liushuang turned her head in a daze, the light in her eyes flickering.
He Ming thought she hadn't understood, so he added bluntly, "It's just applied along the curve of the shoulder blade."
She naturally understood what he meant by "didn't see," and there was no need for him to explain it further.
The air in the carriage suddenly felt thin. Zhu Liushuang turned her face away and looked at the hazy white window. To an unsuspecting person, she would have thought she was shy.
But in reality—she only felt regret in her heart.
She should have known better; the person she liked had always been a good person. A gentleman, kind-hearted, and certainly not one to take advantage of others for no reason.
"Hmm, it's not so itchy anymore, thank you, senior." Zhu Liushuang casually changed the subject. The car window rolled down a crack, allowing her increasingly short breaths to catch their breath.
The cold midnight wind dispersed the condensation on the windowpane, shattering the ambiguity along with the white cocoon, crushing the insignificant romance in her heart.
After the chaos, they were met with endless silence.
The two people, each lost in their own thoughts, one focused on driving, the other staring blankly at the door frame, like two thin ice floes floating on a lake, each with unmelted secrets, neither daring to approach easily.
————
Zhu Liushuang slept soundly this time, much to her surprise.
The combined effect of the ointment and anti-allergy medication relieved her from the torment of the rash.
The northwest wind howled all night, but she remained oblivious. It wasn't until she stood by her bedroom window and noticed that the sycamore tree in front of the house was bare, with only a few withered leaves remaining, that she belatedly realized that winter had suddenly arrived in Gucheng.
After applying the ointment and getting dressed, Zhu Liushuang, still sleepy-eyed, prepared to go to the bathroom to wash up.
She yawned several times and stood in the hallway, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the master bedroom. Usually at this time, He Ming would be fast asleep, and the master bedroom door would be tightly closed, making it difficult for anyone to peek in.
But today—in the instant she glanced down the corridor, the wooden door, which should have been tightly closed, was unexpectedly opened. The man about to step out of the doorway seemed as tired as she was; the buttons of his cotton pajamas were fastened in the wrong row, and his messy hair stood up, adding to his youthful air.
"Good morning—" Zhu Liushuang's brain was still half-open, and she squeezed out a useless greeting.
He Ming hadn't expected to bump into her at this moment. He looked up a beat late and replied, "Morning." His deep, bubbly voice was so hoarse that it was impossible to hide his exhaustion.
She gripped the bathroom doorknob, hesitating to turn it: "Is Senior leaving so early today?"
"Yeah, I have to go to the client's office this afternoon. There's some work that needs to be finished this morning." He barely lifted his eyelids, slipped on his slippers, walked to the living room, and poured himself a glass of water. He drank it all in one gulp, then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked casually, "Has the rash gone any better?"
The guest bathroom door was already open, but Zhu Liushuang still had half her body inside. Radar, receiving He Ming's concern, instantly activated the remaining half of her dormant brain.
"Yes, it's already reduced by more than half. The ointment is very effective."
The man nodded almost imperceptibly, picked up his water glass, turned and walked back to the master bedroom, leaving her with his broad back.
Zhu Liushuang stared at the closed wooden door for a long time before remembering that she hadn't washed up yet. So she hurriedly went into the bathroom and tidied herself up. The door, which had opened and closed repeatedly, remained upright, not easily disturbing the tranquility.
But she couldn't help it.
I couldn't resist knocking on his bedroom door just before I left for work.
"Knock knock knock—" Three light knocks were made with fingers, but the wooden door did not respond.
Her delicate knuckles rested on the door panel, undecided.
Did he go for a nap?
If the door doesn't open soon, she'll probably be late for work. Zhu Liushuang lowered her eyes to the porcelain bowl in her hand, the rising steam dampening her eyelashes.
Try knocking again. If it still doesn't open, then forget it.
"Thump thump thump." The sound was shorter than last time.
"Snap—" A clean and refreshing face appeared from inside the door.
Clearly, He Ming had tidied himself up. The dark blue V-neck sweater made his skin appear even whiter, and as he lowered his head, a cool fragrance wafted to her nose—a scent that Zhu Liushuang liked.
"What is it?" He lazily lifted his eyes, which were covered by long eyelashes.
She nodded repeatedly, embarrassed, and quickly pushed the porcelain bowl in her hand away.
"Millet and red date porridge is good for the stomach."
After cooking porridge for so many days, she finally got the chance, so how could I not give it to her?
The man stared blankly at the bowl of porridge, his gaze inadvertently falling on her slightly reddened fingertips before subtly shifting his gaze away.
She thought he was afraid of sweetness and didn't want to drink it, so she persuaded him, "No sugar was added, it only has the natural sweetness of red dates, it's not cloying."
If she delays any longer, she will really be late.
Being late meant a deduction from her bonus. Zhu Liushuang didn't care about that; she forcefully shoved the bowl of porridge into He Ming's hands, hurriedly tossed out "See you on Sunday," and turned to run to the entrance.
After a flurry of activity, the room fell silent again.
He Ming leaned against the doorway, propping himself up on one side, and casually picked up the porcelain bowl, taking a sip of millet porridge from the rim.
Warm, soft, and sweet.
It smelled exactly like her.
He picked up the bowl of porridge again and gulped down half of it in one go, his gaze fixed on the ground, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
After finishing the entire bowl of porridge, he leisurely walked into the kitchen, intending to wash the bowl and rice cooker.
When I touched the pot lid with my fingertips, there was no heat at all.
He Ming paused for a moment, then continued to lift the lid; it was empty inside.
He couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head, his eyes shining brightly, and his pale, tired face suddenly became vibrant and full of life.
That's Zhu Liushuang's style; she tries to do things herself rather than cause trouble for others. So—not only did she hand him the porridge, she also washed the pot.
Suddenly, the red fingertip flashed before He Ming's eyes. When he took the porcelain bowl, he still felt that the bottom of the bowl was quite warm.
And what about her? How long did she stand in front of his door with that bowl of millet porridge?
As his thoughts wandered, He Ming felt a sudden pang of annoyance.
Last night I received a message from the weather station warning of a significant temperature drop in Gucheng starting late tonight, with the possibility of freezing rain and snow in some areas. She's a young woman who commutes to work by electric scooter every day, braving wind and rain. Can she handle it?
Shouldn't he have asked her if she needed a ride to work?
But their companies are in opposite directions. If he asks, will it seem deliberate?
Looking at the empty rice cooker in front of him, He Ming suddenly felt relieved.
He knew that even if he asked, Zhu Liushuang would refuse.
She is not a rose grown in a greenhouse, delicate and easily broken.
On the contrary, she is more like an anemone blooming in the sunlight. Seemingly delicate and fragile, as if it would break at the slightest touch, she actually possesses extremely tenacious vitality and resilience, and can proudly bloom even in the snow and rocks at an altitude of two or three thousand meters.
————
Zhu Liushuang received the WeChat message from He Ming after arriving at the company.
Although she rushed as fast as she could, she was still two minutes late.
But she lingered in front of He Ming's bedroom door for far more than just two minutes.
The message from the man completely dispelled the gloom of being late and having my bonus docked. [The millet porridge was delicious, thank you.]
It's getting colder and windy today, so drive slowly.
I'll come over tomorrow evening, but I won't eat there, so Auntie won't have to worry.
She stared at the message and silently read it over and over again before finally placing her phone face down on the table, forcing herself to stop being distracted by his words. But the smugness in her eyes was impossible to hide.
This sudden joy kept Zhu Liushuang in a good mood all day. So much so that Zhuang Xiaoqian, who worked in the same office, kept glancing at her strangely, wanting to ask but not daring to.
Just before leaving get off work, Zhuang Xiaoqian couldn't contain her curiosity and hooked her arm around Zhu Liushuang's shoulder, asking, "Girl, what's wrong with you all day? You're grinning like an idiot while eating, and you're grinning like an idiot while staring at the computer... Did you win the lottery?"
It's almost like winning the lottery! she thought to herself.
Those three WeChat messages that she knew by heart flashed through her mind once again.
Since they started living together, their WeChat chats are no longer filled with the awkward scene of her asking a question and him giving a cold reply.
Although she was overjoyed inside, she didn't show it on her face.
"No way! Sister Zhuang, you must have seen wrong..." Zhu Liushuang stared wide-eyed innocently.
Seeing that she was unwilling to talk about it, Zhuang Xiaoqian did not expose her, but smiled meaningfully: "Maybe I saw it wrong... But, Liu Shuang, if you have any great news, you must share it with your sister! Let your sister celebrate with you too."
Zhu Liushuang gave a low "hmm" and parted ways with Zhuang Xiaoqian at the elevator entrance on the first floor.
As she walked into the parking shed outside the office building, the howling northwest wind blew, carrying withered leaves that stung her cheeks and disheveled her hair.
But because of He Ming's WeChat message, she didn't feel cold at all.
My heart was so full that there was no room for even the slightest gap.
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Author's Note: [Cat emoji] Wow, 100 chapters! So happy! [Loud-eared rabbit emoji][Loud-eared rabbit emoji][Loud-eared rabbit emoji]
Although only about ten people subscribe each time I update, haha, I will still write this story properly and completely.
Shuangshuang is a special person in the senior's heart, like an anemone, she has the beautiful quality of perseverance... He can really see her goodness!
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