Chapter 137 Surprise - I'll help you realize this dream, okay...
After a quick dinner, the two went out hand in hand.
Zhu Liushuang was curious about where He Ming would take her, so she shook his arm expectantly and asked him several times.
Unfortunately, the person remained unmoved and vowed to keep the secret to the end.
With a "ding," the elevator stopped in the lobby on the first floor.
Zhu Liushuang tilted her head and asked, "Aren't you driving?"
“Hmm, that place isn’t far from here, let’s take a walk there.” As the man spoke, he tidied the stray hairs that had fallen from the edge of her hat.
"It's a little cold—" she said, her voice rising at the end, sounding somewhat coquettish.
No sooner had he finished speaking than his right hand, red and swollen, was pulled into the pocket of his down jacket.
"Are you still cold?" He Ming asked her, looking down at her.
“Hmm—” Zhu Liu Shuang Sha nodded seriously and said, “I need someone to hold my hand so my hand won’t get cold.”
Her coquettishness was too obvious. He Ming curled his lips and silently put his hand into his pocket, tightly wrapping it around hers.
"It's not cold anymore!" Having succeeded in her little scheme, Zhu Liushuang smiled contentedly and said, "Then let's go..."
The man chuckled softly, then gently slipped his fingertips through the gap and intertwined his fingers with hers.
A cold wind howled outside, and the shadows of the trees swayed gently.
Because the Lunar New Year is approaching, strings of large red lanterns have been hung in the green belts of the community.
Zhu Liu was walking along, looking around, when she tripped over a pebble and stumbled. Fortunately, He Ming reacted quickly and caught her in time.
"Shuangshuang...watch where you're going." The man stopped in his tracks with no other choice.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Zhu Liushuang obediently lowered her head and said, "I'm watching..."
"How could it trip over a stone?" He Ming's tone turned serious.
"I was thinking about something and got a little distracted," she explained in a low voice.
The man remained silent, only urging her to keep going.
As the two reached the entrance of the residential compound, Zhu Liushuang finally couldn't help but ask, "A-Ming, why don't you ask me what I was thinking about just now?"
She said this hoping he would ask. He Ming understood, so he slowed his pace and said, "Then can you tell me what you were thinking about just now?"
He did indeed ask her the question, but Zhu Liushuang hesitated and said, "I...I made a decision for you in advance."
Her tone was weak, and her eyes looked somewhat unnatural, as if she was afraid of making him angry.
He Ming couldn't guess what decision could be so troubling her, so he slowed down and reassured her, "Whatever decision you make for me, I can accept it."
"Aren't you afraid I'll sell you?" Hearing him say that, Zhu Liushuang's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
“I’m not afraid…” the man raised his eyebrows confidently, “Besides, you wouldn’t want to.”
Zhu Liu Shuang laughed and said coquettishly, "That's not necessarily true. The day you make me angry, I'll sell you off!"
"Then I'll try not to make you angry." The man pursed his lips and said thoughtfully, "Shuangshuang, if I do anything wrong, remember to tell me in time."
This man's lips are coated with honey tonight!
Zhu Liushuang's heart almost melted.
"Just kidding..." She nestled beside him, walking slowly. "Come to my house for New Year's Eve dinner the day after tomorrow."
"After agonizing over this decision for so long?" He Ming glanced incredulously at Zhu Liushuang's delicate profile, suddenly finding the girl's thought process rather difficult to understand.
“Not only that…” Zhu Liushuang said softly, “I promised my mom I’d spend New Year’s Eve with her… and I’ll bring you along too.” After saying that, she turned her face away somewhat shyly.
The old house in Donghu Residential Area wasn't large, with only two bedrooms. If He Mingru was going to stay overnight, he would naturally have to share a room with her. Thinking of this, Zhu Liushuang's face secretly flushed.
“It’s only right to go back and spend time with your aunt during the New Year.” He Ming clearly didn’t understand her unspoken meaning and said seriously, “I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had time to buy New Year’s goods. Tomorrow I officially start my holiday, so take some time to write a memo, and I’ll go buy them tomorrow morning… I’ll pick you up from get off work at Ruixin this afternoon, and we’ll go straight home…”
Going back to her house tomorrow?
Does that mean... their schedule of sharing a bed will have to be moved up?
Her heart was racing involuntarily. Zhu Liushuang touched her chest and said calmly, "Then you'll need to pack a few outfits. My mom has already bought the toiletries and stuff."
"Would you like to stay with your aunt for a few days?" He Ming asked.
"Huh?" Zhu Liushuang was taken aback. "Two days? My house doesn't have underfloor heating, and the air conditioner in the room is quite old, so it doesn't heat up very well. I'm worried you won't be used to it..."
“We’ve lived without air conditioning or underfloor heating before…” He Ming gently stroked the back of her hand, comforting her, “Shuangshuang, I’ve never been some pampered young master. I can live anywhere. So… you don’t need to feel guilty at all. I’ll stay with you for as many days as you want, as long as Auntie doesn’t think it’s a hassle to have another person in the house.”
A warmth, like a gentle spring rain, seeped into her heart. Zhu Liushuang remained silent for a long time, until she had walked quite a distance out of the neighborhood, before finally murmuring, "Thank you. A-Ming, you're so kind."
What she didn't know was that a surprise awaited her that night.
————
With the Lunar New Year approaching and Valentine's Day coinciding, the streets are much more crowded than usual.
After navigating through traffic and crowds, the two strolled and chatted until they finally arrived at their destination—a bustling commercial street.
Zhu Liushuang stopped in front of a closed shop and looked at the man beside her with a puzzled expression.
"Shall we grab some late-night snacks here?"
There were several food stalls not far ahead, and the air was filled with the aroma of barbecue, so it's not unreasonable for her to think that way.
He Ming shook his head, continuing to keep everyone in suspense.
"Then what are we doing here? All the shops around here are closed..." On Valentine's Day, most young couples would either head straight to a restaurant or turn a corner to a hotel, but they came here to "live in the cold." Zhu Liushuang really had no idea what He Ming was up to.
Having whetted her appetite enough, the man, who had been smiling without saying a word, took a bunch of keys from his pants pocket and placed them in her palm.
Touched by the cold keychain, Zhu Liushuang was even more confused. She frowned and asked, "Oh dear, what's this?"
"The key is for you," He Ming said calmly.
Of course she knew these were keys, but she didn't know which door they were meant to open! Zhu Liushuang's brows furrowed even deeper.
"Shuangshuang, look up ahead." Seeing her anxiety, He Ming stopped keeping her in suspense. He took her hand and took two steps forward.
Following his words, Zhu Liushuang slowly raised her head. In front of her was a two-room shop, the roller shutter door tightly closed, with a red paper pasted on it.
"Prime location for rent..." She couldn't help but read the words aloud. Suddenly, an unbelievable thought flashed through her mind, so she raised her voice and asked, "Does this shop have the key? Ah Ming, what do you need this shop for?"
He Ming gently pulled her hand away from her mouth and laughed, "This is our own shop, not a rented one. The previous tenant didn't renew their lease, so it's been vacant for now."
"You actually... can still collect rent!" Zhu Liushuang hid the words "envy, jealousy, and hatred" in her heart.
“This is my maternal grandparents’ property, which was later transferred to my name.” He Ming placed his hand over hers and said, “What’s mine is yours… Do you want to go inside and take a look?”
He leaned close to her ear and spoke, his warm breath tickling her earlobe. Although Zhu Liushuang was a little confused, she still nodded.
The man picked up the keychain and weighed it in his hand, then squatted down. "Whoosh—" The rolling door was pulled up by a pair of long, slender hands.
"Shuangshuang, come here." He Ming turned around and offered her his arm.
Zhu Liushuang reached out and grasped his wrist, then followed him into the dark room.
"It's been a while since I've been here, the smell is a bit strong." The man led her forward and casually pressed a switch on the wall.
In an instant, the whole room was brightly lit.
After her eyes adjusted to the sudden bright light, Zhu Liushuang curiously looked around.
But actually, there wasn't much to examine closely. The house had two bays, and further inside was a slightly larger room. The walls were painted white, and the floor was covered with off-white marble tiles. Apart from that, it was completely empty.
"Did the tenant above move all their belongings out?" she asked him, leaning against the door.
"Yes, it's all moved. I had someone clean it all over again afterwards."
How much is the rent here?
"120,000 yuan a year, water and electricity are not included..." He Ming answered truthfully.
“So profitable…” Zhu Liushuang sighed softly.
"The economy has been sluggish in the past two years, and rents have dropped significantly. A few years ago, you could rent for 160,000 to 170,000 yuan."
"So now, how much are you planning to rent for a year?" Zhu Liushuang asked.
"I'm not renting it anymore," the man said in a low voice.
Zhu Liushuang thought she had misheard, so she raised her voice to confirm again: "Not renting it anymore?"
"Okay, I won't rent it anymore." He Ming's voice was very rational, and there was no trace of joking in it.
"Why?" She barely earns this much money after a year of working and running her stall, but He Ming just says he won't rent it out. Zhu Liushuang glances at him regretfully, "Isn't that just throwing away tens of thousands of yuan for nothing?"
“It’s no pity. I want to do something else with it.” The man looked at her deeply, then smiled faintly. “Shuangshuang, how about we open a private dessert shop?”
Zhu Liushuang stared wide-eyed in disbelief, her mind racing with countless thoughts.
He gave up over ten thousand yuan in rent each year to open a dessert shop here. Why? Was it for her?
Of course it's for her!
In the past, Zhu Liushuang wouldn't have dared to even imagine such a thing. But now, facing the man's sincere eyes, she was absolutely certain that she wasn't just imagining things.
“Ah Ming…” she was too excited to speak.
“Once you open the shop, you won’t have to brave the wind and rain to set up your stall anymore.” He Ming wrapped his arms around her from behind and said gently, “You once said that owning your own dessert shop was your dream, so let me help you realize that dream, okay?”
He actually... always remembered.
She had only mentioned it casually in the family rest area outside the ICU. Little did she know that this man would take her words to heart and remember them to this day.
"What if we lose money?" she muttered.
“I’ll cover any losses. The shop is ours, so even if we lose money at first, it won’t be by much.” He Ming tightened his grip on his waist, calmly outlining his plan. “I have a friend who does interior design; we can hire him for the renovations, and he can give us a 50% discount. As for how to run the business, we can discuss that later. If you want to make desserts your main job, I support your decision to quit your job. If you want it as a side business, then we’ll hire a pastry chef. You can focus on being the boss. Whenever you want to make desserts, come practice at the shop…”
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Author's Note: Senior's inner monologue: Isn't the point of making money to spend it? Since I can't spend it all, I might as well use it all for my wife [shy]
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