Chapter 22
"Okay, I understand. I won't stand on ceremony with you. I wish you success this time."
Li Ye hung up the phone and turned around to find Yao Yao staring at him expectantly. Why was she sighing so easily today? He couldn't help but let out a long sigh and said, "You should have been the one to call Lanlan yourself."
Yao Yao looked away and spoke in a dry tone, her words somewhat perfunctory: "She and I are at opposite ends of the spectrum. We're okay online, but I almost never dare to meet her offline. The contrast is too obvious when we stand together, and I don't really want to make a fool of myself."
Li Ye kept staring at Yao Yao until she raised a cushion to try to block her view, then directly relayed Ye Tinglan's answer.
"Of course, I guess Yao Yao doesn't have much luggage, and my little house should be able to fit it. But as you know, I'm not home right now. So, I'll talk to my mom, and she can open the door for you when you go to put your luggage away. You can stay at my place for a few days, so please don't be shy."
Li Ye compiled all the things Ye Tinglan said during the phone call and concluded, "There's a way out now."
Yao Yao relaxed. Today had been a rollercoaster of emotions, but thankfully someone was there to share the burden with her. She quickly rallied her spirits and suggested, "Let's pack our luggage and rooms. Let's start with the second bedroom and the study. We'll sleep together tonight."
Luckily it's not 7 o'clock yet. I quickly bought a batch of packing boxes for moving and had them delivered to my door. It's a kind of convenience for living in a big city, but I probably wouldn't want to have this kind of experience.
Even if there aren't many things, they accumulate over several years and become significant, especially in a study, which is full of important items.
Looking at the cameras and related accessories piled up together, showing signs of having been stored away for some time, Li Ye asked, "I was wondering why I haven't seen you playing with cameras lately. You rarely even go into the study, and if you need to use the computer, you take your laptop to the living room. What happened?"
Yao Yao seemed completely unconcerned, starting by putting the photography collections on the bookshelf in her study into a cardboard box. "No time. No time to go out and shoot, no time to maintain parts, that's the simple reason."
Li Ye chose to ignore the hidden meaning in her words and said, "We'll definitely take photos to remember our trips, right? I'm really looking forward to it. I hope you, a photography enthusiast, can be my personal photographer."
"I prepared for the photos in advance, and a large part of my suitcase was filled with clothes suitable for taking pictures."
Then, extending a formal invitation to Yao Yao, Li Ye asked, "So, are you my personal photographer?"
Yao Yao laughed out loud, "Don't make jokes at a time like this. Apart from the lines, none of them match up, okay?"
After laughing, she still agreed. Yao Yao took out the camera she used to be most comfortable with from the mountain of camera boxes, along with the corresponding lens and accessories. After fiddling with them for a while, she put them on the coffee table in the living room and continued packing the rest.
The study session ended quickly, except for the slightly tiring task of carrying the packed cardboard boxes to the living room.
The next item was the second bedroom, which Li Ye had hardly used before he came to stay. Apart from the mattress and bedding set, the rest were all personal items that Li Ye had brought. He quickly moved everything to the master bedroom and threw the used bedding set into the washing machine.
Then came the kitchen, bathroom, and balcony. Yao Yao listed the pots and pans she had bought. The only kitchen appliance she bought was an air fryer. The balcony had a washing machine and a floor scrubber. The bathroom was filled with all sorts of personal belongings, just as much as the master bedroom.
These were things Li Ye couldn't do. She was organizing Yao Yao's wardrobe in the master bedroom, and compressing all the bedding back into vacuum bags was no small task.
After Yao Yao finished tidying up the living room, Li Ye packed up all the bedding he was using on the bed, leaving only Yao Yao's clothes unpacked.
Li Ye reminded her beforehand, "Remember to leave a suitcase empty for clothes you'll need for the next few days and for your trip later."
After finishing all this, it was already 11 p.m. The two, exhausted, quickly went to bed and even the planned conversation was canceled by sleepiness.
The next morning, Li Ye woke up on time thanks to his strong biological clock. He went to the kitchen to reheat the two leftover sandwiches from yesterday in the air fryer for breakfast one last time, brewed a pot of hot tea, and woke Yao Yao up to start their day as movers.
Yao Yao rented a van downstairs and started moving things like ants. After loading everything, she realized that Ye Tinglan was right. Yao Yao really didn't have much stuff. Apart from the two of them in their suitcases, the van could just fit all the cardboard boxes.
Driving to the small house that Ye Tinglan's parents bought for her, Li Ye knocked on the door. A fashionable auntie, who could be recognized at a glance as Ye Tinglan's mother, opened the door, leaving Li Ye and Yao Yao somewhat at a loss.
The auntie was very gentle. She introduced herself first: "My surname is Ma. You are Tinglan's friends. You can just call me Auntie Ma. Tinglan has told me everything. I will be here for the next few days, so don't worry about troubling me."
After greeting Yao Yao, Li Ye headed straight to the empty room where he had arranged to put his luggage with Ye Tinglan. The two of them silently moved the luggage like ants until they finished moving the last cardboard box. After closing the door, they obediently left Ye Tinglan's house under Aunt Ma's watchful eye.
Sitting in the van, Yao Yao exaggeratedly took a few deep breaths, then turned to Li Ye and said, "Guess why I don't hang out with Ye Tinglan offline?"
Li Ye nodded firmly, expressing his understanding of Yao Yao's actions. "I understand now."
Despite their different family backgrounds, Zeng Yuan's parents didn't give her that feeling, and Li Ye concluded, "Zeng Yuan's family only became wealthy later, but as for Ye Tinglan's family, judging from her mother's appearance, I can't say for sure."
Yao Yao picked up on the gossip and continued, "I remember Ye Tinglan mentioned that this house was her coming-of-age gift, given to her by her mother, and her father gave her the car that she's still driving now."
“I remember she ran away from home in the same city, so it’s hard to say what image we had in her mother’s eyes,” Li Ye recalled, describing her desire for money when she asked Ye Tinglan to take on a job.
Yao Yao returned the car, and the two had dinner outside. When they returned to their place, they saw that the house was empty and had obvious dust marks, making it an unsuitable place to live.
"Should we make do in the living room or stay in a hotel?" Yao Yao was a little unsure.
Li Ye readily agreed, "Stay at a hotel and bring your suitcase with you. You've been running around these past few days, so you need to get some rest."
He then dragged his suitcase to the nearest hotel and booked a room for three days. Before leaving, Li Ye asked Yao Yao to delete her fingerprint on the smart lock, since he wouldn't be coming back afterward.
On the third day, Li Ye woke up in the same bed in the hotel room. It was unusual for him to feel a little uncomfortable, and Yao Yao, who was a bit of a light sleeper, also woke up early.
"Thank goodness I listened to you and didn't sleep in the living room, otherwise I would be completely exhausted today." Yao Yao flipped through her schedule for the day and booked a cleaning company to clean the house; she had to go and oversee it.
Li Ye stayed in the room to rearrange the travel itinerary and get used to sharing a room with friends. This was different from simply sleeping in the same bed with friends at night; the degree of overlap in private space was completely different.
On the fourth day, Yao Yao went to settle the bills for water, electricity, gas, and internet, and made all the necessary handover preparations. Li Ye was still in the room making arrangements for the travel program and posting the travel time on his WeChat Moments.
On the fifth day, Yao Yao returned to the place that would no longer belong to her with her suitcase. Fortunately, the flight was not delayed, and the landlord's family returned to their home on time and handed over everything smoothly. Before leaving, Yao Yao deleted her fingerprint from the smart lock in front of them.
As Yao Yao left the residential area, she couldn't help but feel conflicted. But when she saw Li Ye leaning against his suitcase and waving at her, she grabbed her suitcase and ran towards him.
"It's so good to have you with me during this time."
"Cough cough!"
Zhou Yuan forcefully interrupted Yao Yao's long speech, which she was about to launch into. He hadn't driven over here to listen to this; he hadn't even said anything similar to Li Ye yet.
Forced to stop speaking, Yao Yao hid behind Li Ye and peeked at Zhou Yuan. Less than two seconds later, she completely retreated behind Li Ye, poked Li Ye's back with her finger, and asked, "What is he doing here?"
What was rare was that Zhou Yuan volunteered to answer: "It was a farewell before departure."
Li Ye straightened up, took the suitcase beside him, and said to Zhou Yuan, "Everyone's here, let's go to the airport."
After getting in the car, Yao Yao's attitude became much more natural, probably because she was sitting alone in the back seat. Li Ye was sitting in the passenger seat, and since the car hadn't started yet, he was chatting with Zhou Yuan.
"Didn't you say a few days ago that it would be the last time before the trip?"
Zhou Yuan completely ignored the fact that there were people in the back row and told the truth directly: "There is no such thing as a final farewell. I have always wanted to see you many more times."
The car then started, and silence fell inside. Yao Yao frantically sent messages to Li Ye from the back seat, but unfortunately, Li Ye, sitting in the passenger seat, was also among those who didn't check their phones.
Until Zhou Yuan took the two to the airport, when they parted, Yao Yao tactfully stood far away with her two suitcases, giving the couple some space.
"This is truly goodbye."
Li Ye tiptoed to give Zhou Yuan a farewell hug. Zhou Yuan lowered his head, and their foreheads touched. Their eyes lingered on each other. She spoke in a very soft voice, but Zhou Yuan could hear her clearly.
Li Ye said, "Wait for me to come back in a month. Don't forget to call me every day. Mobile phones are so convenient now. If you want to see me, don't you know how to make a video call?"
The movement of his lips and teeth as he spoke drew Zhou Yuan's full attention. He heard it clearly, but it didn't leave a trace in his mind.
Li Ye noticed this, so she tilted her head up, bringing their faces incredibly close. Just before their lips were about to touch, Li Ye lowered her heels, ending the embrace. All that remained in Zhou Yuan's ears was a single sentence left by Li Ye.
"This is your punishment for disobeying, and this is all you get."
By the time Zhou Yuan came to his senses, Li Ye was already out of sight. He went back to the car and popped a mint into his mouth. The cool sensation instantly hit his brain, and he finally calmed down.
What does Li Ye mean by this?
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