Chapter 23
Tan Yucheng let go of the ladle, his long fingertips lightly sliding over her collar, while his tone was casual, “It’s not that I’m very interested, I’m mainly just curious.”
Ji Ting’s grip on the sofa loosened.
Yet there was still an indescribable feeling.
His words proved that he wasn’t jealous; he might really just be curious. After all, she didn’t know why she asked such a question. Despite their current temporary relationship, it had nothing to do with jealousy. They didn’t start because of feelings, so why would he be jealous?
“That’s all in the past.” Ji Ting looked at him and said.
Tan Yucheng raised an eyebrow, his long fingers leaving her collar, and he said, “Oh, how long ago? Elementary school or middle school?”
Ji Ting glared at him.
Tan Yucheng’s lips curved into a smile. Ji Ting ignored him, turned around to pick up the bowl of porridge, and grabbed the ladle. She stared at the plain porridge, paused for a moment, then lowered her head and started eating.
Tan Yucheng squinted slightly and lowered his head to eat his porridge.
After finishing the light midnight snack, it was already very late, close to two in the morning. Tan Yucheng cleaned up the disposable bowls and ladles, threw them into the takeout bag, and stood up. “I’m heading back.”
Ji Ting wiped the porridge stains off the coffee table and responded with a hum. She got up to see him off. Tan Yucheng took his coat from the rack, draped it casually over his arm, opened the door, and walked out.
Ji Ting stood inside the door, watching him.
“Lock the door properly,” he said.
Ji Ting responded with a hum.
They looked at each other for a few seconds before Tan Yucheng pulled the door shut with a bang, leaving the room suddenly quiet. Ji Ting walked forward to lock the door, then went to the bathroom to freshen up. Afterward, she took her phone and returned to her room, lying down on the soft bed. The room was dark except for a faint light from the bedside lamp. She still felt weak.
Her body was weak, though she didn’t show it.
He had exhausted her deeply.
Especially the sweat he left behind; she could still feel that burning sensation.
The next day, Ji Ting woke up a bit late. Feeling a bit lazy, she tied her hair up and used concealer to cover the marks on her neck. She then changed out of her pajamas and hurried to the shop.
After taking inventory at the shop, the amount lost wasn’t significant. The apprentice’s wages were fully deducted, and he was gone.
Zhang Yang was in the shop early, interviewing new apprentices. Xiao Wan, smelling the air in the shop, winked at Ji Ting and said, “Sister Ting, did you guys have crabs here last night?”
Ji Ting put her phone in the drawer, put on an apron, and gave her a sideways glance, saying, “You have such a keen nose.”
“Hehe, of course,” Xiao Wan said as she packed croissants for a customer. “I’m quite the expert when it comes to food.”
Ji Ting chuckled, “I’ll treat you guys this afternoon.”
“Wow, that’s great!”
“In the break room,” Ji Ting reminded her.
Xiao Wan nodded, “No problem.”
Leaning closer, Xiao Wan asked, “I heard from Xiao Zhou that a beauty visited yesterday?”
Ji Ting paused, realizing Xiao Wan was asking about Meng Jia. Meng Jia had visited the shop many times, and to Xiao Wan, she was a wealthy super beauty—each visit of hers was memorable.
Ji Ting nodded, “She did come, but unfortunately you weren’t here yesterday.”
“What a pity. Was brother Tan Yucheng here last night too?” Xiao Wan asked.
Ji Ting placed a cup on the tray and gave a confirming hum upon hearing his name. Xiao Wan envied, “Sister Ting, how come all your friends are such beauties and handsome guys? It seems like beauties and handsome guys should hang out together.”
Ji Ting chuckled softly, walked over to take an order, and tore off the slip for her. “Pack another portion of mousse.”
“Sure thing.”
In the afternoon, Ji Ting ordered a super deluxe crabs set for them to eat. Because there were customers in the shop, they had to eat in the break room. Fortunately, the break room had windows and ventilation, so even the two part-time boys joined them. Zhang Yang sliced the cake and brought it out, placing it on the counter. Across from them, Zhuoyue, from a renowned media company, ordered six cups of coffee and six croissants.
Ji Ting asked Zhang Yang to pack the croissants.
She made the coffee.
During sunset, there was a large order from an office building nearby, all white-collar workers from several buildings in the area. They usually placed their orders directly in their group chat. Ji Ting mostly arranged for shop staff to deliver, only occasionally doing it herself when she wasn’t too busy.
Today, the shop wasn’t too crowded.
Zhang Yang also had to manage the bakery, and since there weren’t many takeout coffees, Ji Ting went to deliver them herself.
It was around four o’clock now, and the sunlight was still a bit harsh. The autumn in Li City only showed its presence in the morning and evening. Ji Ting walked down the pedestrian overpass towards the entrance of the building. From afar, she could see two men standing at the entrance of the building.
They were Tan Yucheng and Chen Fei.
Tan Yucheng wore a black casual suit jacket over a white shirt, standing loosely with a cigarette in his mouth and one hand in his pocket, talking to Chen Fei.
Their eyes lifted simultaneously, meeting Ji Ting’s gaze in mid-air.
The sunlight at this moment blurred the clarity a bit. Ji Ting’s heart suddenly races. The scene last night flashes and rushes through her mind, as if she could hear his warm breath. She pursed her lips, calmly walked forward and climbed the steps.
Chen Fei turned and saw Ji Ting, immediately waving, “Sister Ting, are you delivering takeout?”
Ji Ting stood before them, giving a slight smile, and raised the takeout in her hand. “Yeah, what are you guys doing here?”
Chen Fei grinned, “Waiting for a client.”
Ji Ting nodded.
Her eyes met his again. A wind blew over, tousling her hair. Today, she wore a loose V-neck top that highlighted her fair complexion and beautiful collarbones.
Tan Yucheng, cigarette in mouth, locked eyes with her for a few seconds. His gaze lightly brushed over her neckline before turning to the bag she held in her fingertips. “Which company?”
“Xingyi.”
Upon hearing his voice suddenly, Ji Ting felt her ears warm for some reason.
Tan Yucheng nodded.
“You’re delivering it yourself?”
“Yeah, they’re having crabs.”
Tan Yucheng raised an eyebrow, seemingly recalling the hairy crabs from last night as well.
Chen Fei exclaimed, “That’s so nice! Sister Ting, you’re really a great boss, buying crabs for them during work hours.”
Ji Ting chuckled and turned to Chen Fei, “Why don’t you come by the shop now and join in?”
Chen Fei glanced at Tan Yucheng and shook his head. “I can’t do that. My boss isn’t that easy to persuade.”
With an indirect reference to Tan Yucheng, Tan Yucheng turned his head slightly and glanced at him, his gaze falling on the box in his hand. It was the signature cream puff from the coffee shop next door, and Chen Fei had the last original flavor left.
Ji Ting followed his gaze to the cream puff box. Chen Fei scratched his head with a chuckle, recalling that Ji Ting seemed to really like the cream puffs from that shop. He pushed the box forward and said, “Sister Ting, there’s one left. Do you want it?”
Ji Ting blinked hesitantly, looking at the cream puff in the box.
The sweet aroma wafted out, but she had coffee and croissants in both hands, leaving her unable to free her hands. Tan Yucheng took the box, cigarette in mouth, and pulled out the last original flavor cream puff. He glanced up at her.
Ji Ting met his gaze and froze for a moment.
He reached out and offered the cream puff to her, the wind blowing, tousling his fine hair. He raised an eyebrow, gesturing to her.
Ji Ting’s heart pounded.
Chen Fei watched eagerly from the side.
Tan Yucheng’s voice was low and lazy, “If you want it, take it.”
Ji Ting’s ears grew warmer. She lifted her hand, gently grasped his wrist, and bit into the cream puff at his fingertip. After taking a bite, she stepped back, her hair tousled by the wind.
Chewing, she said, “I’ll go in first.”
Tan Yucheng flattened the empty cream puff box with a nod.
Ji Ting walked into the lobby and quickly disappeared through the door, entering the elevator.
Chen Fei blinked and glanced at Tan Yucheng’s wrist, curiously asking, “What did it feel like when Sister Ting held your hand?”
Tan Yucheng tossed away the trash box.
“Guess,” he replied.
Chen Fei shrugged, “If it were me, my heart would definitely race.”
Tan Yucheng lifted his hand to put the cigarette in his mouth, glanced at him, but didn’t respond.
The cream puff quickly dissolved in his mouth. Ji Ting stepped out of the elevator, entered Xingyi, and placed the coffee and croissants on the counter. The receptionist opened the coffee and chatted with Ji Ting for a while.
“Your croissants have been getting tastier lately, really crispy on the outside,” the receptionist said.
Ji Ting smiled, “Thank you for your support. It’s because of all of you that we’ve been able to improve.”
“Oh, don’t be so polite with us,” the receptionist chuckled while nibbling on the croissant. Other staff members came out to take the coffee and croissants and chatted with Ji Ting for a while. Ji Ting was pulled into conversation for a few minutes before leaving Xingyi.
She went downstairs.
Tan Yucheng and Chen Fei were no longer at the entrance. The receptionist in the lobby spotted Ji Ting and called out, “Are you Ji Ting?”
Ji Ting paused and looked over.
The receptionist pointed to a box in front of her, “Mr. Tan left this for you.”
Ji Ting approached and immediately recognized the box from the cream puff brand. She took it, thanked the receptionist, and then walked out of Zhuoyue. She picked up her phone and sent a message to Tan Yucheng.
Ji Ting: Got it.
He didn’t reply.
Ji Ting’s eyes softened, she descended the steps, and headed back to Sunset.
As soon as she walked in, her phone rang. It was from Qiu Dan. Ji Ting hadn’t been home for several days, and Qiu Dan asked her to come home for dinner that evening. Ji Ting agreed. Xiao Wan and the others had finished their crabs, tidied up the lounge, and even left a peeled one on a small bowl for Ji Ting. Holding the cream puff, Ji Ting went into the lounge to enjoy the cream puff and crab meat.
She didn’t plan to eat too much since she was going home for dinner later.
It was past six in the evening.
Night fell as Ji Ting drove home. She encountered traffic on the way, but when she arrived, dinner was already on the table. Ji Lindong was setting the chopsticks when he saw his daughter come in. He immediately said, “Quick, the dishes are getting cold. Was it very traffic on the road?”
Ji Ting responded with an “Mm-hmm” and pulled out a chair to sit down.
Qiu Dan came out with a bowl of white rice and handed it to Ji Ting. “They’re doing road construction on that road ahead recently. You should take a detour in the future, maybe use the Coastal Avenue. There’s likely to be traffic for quite some time.”
Ji Ting took the bowl of rice. “Got it.”
Ji Lindong and Qiu Dan sat down, serving Ji Ting dishes. Tonight’s dinner included garlic spare ribs, which Ji Ting particularly liked. She ate several in one go, along with some corn cakes.
Qiu Dan directly passed over a whole plate of food to her.
Ji Ting soon felt full. Qiu Dan looked at her and asked, “Did you make things clear with Lu Hai?”
Ji Ting held her chopsticks, meeting Qiu Dan’s eyes, and nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
“As long as it’s clear. Your dad mentioned he’s been going on blind dates lately. He’s meeting a girl tonight to watch a movie,” Qiu Dan said.
Ji Ting smiled and replied, “That sounds nice.”
“Yeah, that’s nice. How about you?” Qiu Dan set down her bowl and spooned some soup for Ji Ting. “I have a potential candidate here. Take a look later.”
Ji Ting paused.
She agreed, and then lowered her head to eat.
After finishing their meal, Ji Lindong cleared the table and went to wash the dishes in the kitchen. Qiu Dan pulled Ji Ting to sit down on the sofa. She slid open her phone, tapped on a photo, and handed it to Ji Ting.
“Take a look.”
“Mu Yang, a programmer, registered in Li City, no worries about housing,” Qiu Dan explained.
Ji Ting glanced at the photo.
The programmer wore glasses, had clean clothes, a lot of hair, well-defined features, fair skin—clearly fitting the stereotype of a homebody. Ji Ting thought of Tan Yucheng, whose skin was also fair but with a tall, lean physique that looked muscular when not dressed. His features were sharp and handsome, showing no signs of being a homebody.
He didn’t look as honest and sincere as programmers often did.
Ji Ting pursed her lips. In her current situation, she wasn’t suitable for blind dates.
She raised her eyes, considering how to politely decline.
At this moment, Qiu Dan’s other phone rang. She picked it up, and it was Xiao Xi calling. Qiu Dan suddenly looked excited and started chatting with her, which immediately relieved Ji Ting.
From listening to Qiu Dan’s conversation, it seemed Aunt Xiao was coming to Li City next week.
No wonder Qiu Dan was so happy.
Ding ding.
A WeChat message arrived on her phone.
She opened it and read:
Tan: Are you on a blind date?
Ji Ting’s heart skipped a beat. How did he know Qiu Dan was planning another blind date for her? Then she realized, their families didn’t keep many secrets from each other. She hesitated for a moment before replying.
Ji Ting: Not yet, just looking at photos.
Tan: Come back, I’m at your apartment door.
Ji Ting held her phone, her fingertips paused. She glanced at Qiu Dan who’s chatting happily to Xiao Xi on the phone.
Qiu Dan was mentioning her and smiled at her, saying, “Yes, I’m showing her the photos.”
Ji Ting smiled back at her mother. Ji Lindong brought out some fruits and placed them on the coffee table. He first took a fork and gave one to Ji Ting and another to Qiu Dan. Ji Lindong said, “This cantaloupe is from Xinjiang, incredibly sweet. I’ll get a box for you to take to the shop later.”
Ji Ting shook her head. “It’s too heavy. Just send it with the local courier.”
Ji Lindong nodded. “That works too.”
“Eat more,” he urged, pushing the whole plate towards Ji Ting.
Actually, Ji Ting couldn’t eat much more. After a few pieces, she put down her fork and leaned closer to Ji Lindong. “Dad, I’m going to head out first. Let mom know; I don’t think they’ll finish chatting anytime soon.”
Ji Lindong nodded, casting a glance at Qiu Dan.
The lively scene of chatting and sharing photos on their phones prompted him to nod. “Go ahead, drive slowly.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Ji Ting stood up, took the small bag and car keys from the sofa, and went towards the entrance. She hugged Qiu Dan and headed towards the entrance.
Qiu Dan hesitated for a moment and asked, “Leaving already?”
Ji Ting nodded and put on her shoes.
Qiu Dan reminded her, “Remember to add Mu Yang on WeChat later.”
“We’ll see,” Ji Ting replied vaguely, then opened the door and walked out.
Outside, the hallway lights flickered on with a click. The dim orange glow spread around. Ji Ting descended the stairs, took the car keys, and drove off. The road she had come from was still in traffic, so Ji Ting opted for the coastal avenue instead.
Arriving at Zhuoyue.
Ji Ting stepped out of the elevator and immediately saw Tan Yucheng leaning against the wall, smoking while tapping on his phone. The draft from the hallway blew his collar, giving him a wolf-like appearance, appearing and disappearing with the day and night.
Ji Ting hesitated for a moment, then walked towards him.
As she approached, Tan Yucheng lifted his gaze, cigarette dangling from his mouth, and looked at her with a slight eyebrow raise.
Ji Ting’s heart skipped a beat. She asked, “Have you eaten?”
Tan Yucheng straightened up, took the cigarette out of his mouth, “Just grabbed something.”
Ji Ting nodded, “Oh,” then took out her keys and turned around, inserting the key into the lock, focusing on twisting it.
Tan Yucheng stood beside her, extinguishing the cigarette, watching her struggle with the door. Normally, she could open it easily with a twist, but now she turned it once, then back, trying to turn it again.
Tan Yucheng saw her slender fingers gripping the key, hesitated for a moment, then seemed a bit nervous. He turned around again, hearing the click-clack of the lock from inside.
She seemed a bit puzzled.
Tan Yucheng’s lips curled slightly, teasingly asking, “Nervous?”
Ji Ting’s fingertips paused. She looked at the keyhole and shook her head, “No.”
Tan Yucheng’s hands in his pockets, casually responded with a “Hmm,” then reached out.
His large hand wrapped around her waist, guiding her hand holding the key. They turned around once, then again, the sound of clicks filling the air. Finally, with one last click, the door opened successfully.
Ji Ting was somewhat stunned.
Instinctively, she turned her head to look at him.
At this moment, the two were very close. He lowered his eyes lightly, meeting her gaze. She stood between him and the door panel, and Ji Ting softly asked, “Why can you do it, and I can’t?”
Tan Yucheng raised an eyebrow, “What do you think?”
Ji Ting paused.
Tan Yucheng leisurely looked at her. Ji Ting felt the playful emotion in his eyes, and even faintly sensed his feelings about the matchmaking and the dilemma of straddling two relationships. Ji Ting cleared her throat, trying to maintain composure. She looked at his features from bottom to top; from this angle, he still looked irresistibly handsome.
Ji Ting pursed her lips and the next moment, she tiptoed to cover his thin lips.
Tan Yucheng was momentarily stunned.
In less than a second, he lifted his hand to hold the back of her head, and his tongue effortlessly pried open her lips, engaging with her tongue.