Chapter 14
Ji Ting sat on the edge of the bed, holding her phone.
It had been a few days since Shu Xiao officially announced her relationship. That night at the bar when they met, since then they hadn’t been in touch. Ji Ting also didn’t know what the situation was on his side.
But Long Kong had witnessed Tan Yucheng and Shu Xiao’s past. He was more worried than others, which was understandable.
Ji Ting pursed her lips. “I’ll contact him later.”
“He should be at the company. You’re closer to him geographically, just go over and check on him. I originally wanted to go see him too, but I’m away on a business trip this week and can’t make it. I can only ask you to go.”
“Okay, I’ll head over shortly.”
“We trust you the most, Ji Ting.”
Ji Ting smiled and walked out of the room. “Wait for me.”
“I’ll treat you to dinner when I get back.”
“Let’s talk about that when you’re back.”
“Alright.”
At half past eight in the morning, Ji Ting went to “Sunset” to bring breakfast for Zhang Yang and the others. After everyone finished breakfast, Ji Ting asked Xiao Wan to make six cups of coffee.
She drove across to Zuoyue Times under the morning sun. She had been here many times before; she had sent coffee to congratulate them when Intelligent moved from the third floor to the fourth floor, and later when they bought the office building upstairs.
Ji Ting carried the six cups of coffee and walked into Zuoyue Times.
The receptionist recognized Ji Ting and let her through directly. Ji Ting turned and walked straight into Tan Yucheng’s office, but he wasn’t there, nor were Chen Fei and others. She paused for a moment, then asked a programmer.
The programmer pointed to the innermost conference room. “They’re in a meeting.”
“Thank you,” Ji Ting replied. She placed the coffee on Chen Fei’s desk and proceeded towards the conference room. Since the door was open and she was near the back, she stood there and looked in.
Inside the conference room, four people were having a meeting. Tan Yucheng was in a white shirt and trousers, leaning against the table, his fingertips sliding over the mouse in front of him as he spoke. There was a hint of weariness in his eyebrows, but the tough aura he exuded had now turned cold.
Chen Fei and the others were seated in a relaxed manner, fingers twirling pens, each in front of a computer.
Ji Ting watched quietly.
Tan Yucheng happened to lift his gaze and saw her peeking in.
Their eyes met.
Ji Ting paused for a second. Then she raised her hand, lifted the coffee, and nodded towards Tan Yucheng. He acknowledged with a nod and then turned his attention back to Chen Fei and the others to continue their discussion. Ji Ting didn’t leave immediately but leaned against the back door, observing and listening.
Although she couldn’t quite catch everything clearly.
Chen Fei and the others noticed Ji Ting and greeted her one after another. Ji Ting smiled back at them.
About ten minutes later, Chen Fei and his team were the first to leave the conference room. They greeted Ji Ting, who gestured that their coffee was on their desks, and they quickly left.
Tan Yucheng was the last one to leave. He carried his laptop casually and leaned against the wall. “What brings you here?”
His shirt was slightly disheveled, and his tone was casual.
Ji Ting opened the coffee and handed it to him, asking, “Have you been at the company these past few days?”
Tan Yucheng took the coffee, removed the lid, took a sip, and glanced at her teasingly. “Yeah.”
Ji Ting leaned against the door, arms folded, and smiled. “Looks like you haven’t been sleeping well.”
Tan Yucheng sipped his coffee. In this relatively dim light, he locked eyes with her. “Two consecutive nights of all-nighters fixing bugs.”
Ji Ting understood.
Bugs are the jargon of programming.
“And during the day? Haven’t slept either?” she asked.
Tan Yucheng nodded quietly.
He stood upright and said to her, “Don’t leave yet.”
Ji Ting blinked.
Tan Yucheng walked past her, out of the dim area, and pushed the door into his office. He set down his laptop, and two programmers followed him in. Rolling up his sleeves, he leaned over to examine the data handed to him by the programmers. His office had large floor-to-ceiling windows, and he lowered his head to study the data, lightly tapping his fingers on the desk.
His distinct joints were visible.
Despite the signs of fatigue around his eyes.
Perhaps from staying up late.
But even so, he remained outstanding.
Ji Ting didn’t move.
Watching him busy in his company, around 10:30, Tan Yucheng finally opened the door and walked out of his office. He glanced at her. Ji Ting stopped talking to Wen Nanxi, caught up with Tan Yucheng’s pace.
He rubbed his neck, then tossed a car key to her. “I’ll sleep in the car. You drive.”
Ji Ting took the key and replied, “Okay.”
She got into his black sedan. Tan Yucheng fastened his seatbelt on the passenger side, adjusted his seat, and leaned back. Ji Ting started the car and drove towards his residential complex.
Inside his car, there was a faint scent of agarwood.
Sometimes, this scent resembled the smell of the cigarettes he smoked. The car interior was also simple and clean, with colors leaning towards cool tones, clearly not the type of car a woman would typically drive. Ji Ting’s delicate and fair fingers turned the steering wheel in his direction.
Before long,
The car was parked in the underground garage.
Tan Yucheng also woke up.
Ji Ting turned to look at him. “Still sleepy?”
“Yeah.”
He opened the car door and got out.
Ji Ting glanced at her wristwatch; it was just past eleven. She asked, “Hungry? Should we eat?”
Tan Yucheng turned to look at her. “You cooking?”
Ji Ting shrugged, looking at his loose-fitting shirt and tired expression. “I can.”
Tan Yucheng nodded in response.
The two of them went upstairs together and entered his home. Inside, it was dimly lit, a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment with cold colors throughout. The sofa was black. After Tan Yucheng entered, he unbuttoned his collar lazily and threw himself onto the couch.
Ji Ting walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and checked what food was available.
“Ji Ting,” a man’s voice came from the living room. Ji Ting hesitated momentarily, then walked to the kitchen doorway. Tan Yucheng was lying on the sofa, hand resting on his forehead, eyes still closed. “Make congee.”
Ji Ting looked at his tall figure. “Okay.”
She returned to the kitchen, took out a package of unopened chicken thigh and mushrooms from the fridge. She checked the date; it seemed Xiao Yi recently ordered groceries for him online. He was mediocre at cooking; unless necessary, he wouldn’t cook himself. These chicken thighs were probably bought as a backup.
Making chicken and mushroom congee was quite easy, just time-consuming.
When it was ready,
Ji Ting walked out and called for him.
He was deeply asleep, his long legs sprawled outside the couch, collar open, Adam’s apple and clavicle exposed. Ji Ting wiped her hands dry and sat down on the edge of the couch.
His breathing was steady, strands of hair covering his eyes, nose bridge high and prominent.
Ji Ting wasn’t in a hurry to wake him up. The congee was warming in the pot. She gazed at him absentmindedly. At this moment, she noticed the bottom drawer of the sofa cabinet slightly open from the corner of her eye.
Under the faint light of the sofa cabinet, there was a bracelet made of small pieces of purple sandalwood inside.
Ji Ting looked at it carefully, then glanced back at Tan Yucheng.
He was sound asleep, but there were dark circles under his eyes, visible signs of exhaustion.
A pang of tenderness rose in Ji Ting’s heart.
When a woman starts to feel sorry for a man, it’s the beginning of a disaster.
The balcony was breezy, and the windows were fluttering. Ji Ting stood up, closed the balcony door, and when she returned, the phone on the table rang loudly. Tan Yucheng was awakened by the noise. He pulled his long legs off the couch, sat up, and picked up his phone to check it.
Ji Ting walked over and glanced at him. “Awake? Let’s have the congee then.”
Tan Yucheng put down his phone, stood up, and followed her inside.
She fetched bowls and chopsticks.
Tan Yucheng reached out and took the congee from the stove. He glanced at it. “Did you cook the chicken thighs?”
Ji Ting took the bowl and followed him out, seating herself at the dining table. She handed him the bowl. “Is this the only thing in your fridge? Can’t you cook?”
“I can.”
Scooping up a bowlful, Tan Yucheng started eating right away. He was hungry and not afraid of the hot temperature.
Ji Ting sat across from him, sipping her congee slowly.
“You haven’t eaten much these past couple of days, have you?”
After finishing several bowls, Tan Yucheng leaned back in his chair. “Had one meal yesterday.”
Ji Ting chewed on a piece of chicken and nodded. “That’s almost starving.”
Tan Yucheng replied casually, “Close enough.”
“Next time, remember to eat,” Ji Ting advised.
“Mm.”
He responded obediently, which was rare for him.
Ji Ting picked up the spoon and scooped up the congee bit by bit.
She ate slowly.
Tan Yucheng ate quickly, watching her as she ate.
After finishing the congee, Tan Yucheng placed the bowl and chopsticks in the kitchen to be washed in the dishwasher.
Ji Ting finished the congee, feeling a bit warm. She walked over to the sofa and sat down, picking up the remote to adjust the air conditioning in the living room. Tan Yucheng pressed the dishwasher start button, grabbed a tissue to wipe his hands, and walked out.
Ji Ting set down the remote and looked at him. She asked, “Do you want to nap for a while? You’re not going to the office today, right?”
Tan Yucheng threw the tissue into the trash can, unwrapped a coffee candy and popped it into his mouth, then grabbed another one and tossed it to Ji Ting. She caught it, unwrapped it, and started chewing.
Tan Yucheng picked up his phone, sat down beside her, and said, “Let’s play some games.”
Ji Ting responded with an “oh” and opened the game.
At a glance, she noticed he hadn’t been online or completed any missions in the past few days. Since she had cleared a few levels last time, she was close to where he was in the game. Tan Yucheng leaned against the back of the sofa chair with his arms crossed, saying, “I’ll handle the missions. You pass the levels.”
Ji Ting nodded and leaned back in her chair, manipulating her character.
As he sat there, tall enough to block the light above her head, they were quite close. His slender fingers slid across the screen while Ji Ting tapped on her phone, thinking of something to ask.
“You’ve been at the company these past few days?”
“Yeah,” he replied absentmindedly.
Ji Ting thought for a moment. “Then have you not taken a shower?”
Tan Yucheng’s fingers paused slightly, and he glanced at her teasingly. Ji Ting met his gaze, blinked, and he teased her, “Wanna smell?”
Ji Ting hesitated for a moment, leaned closer, and sniffed near the edge of his collar.
The faint scent of tobacco mixed with the fragrance of ebony wood drifted over. Tan Yucheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his tone playful, “Are you really sniffing?”
Ji Ting backed off a bit, looking at him. She shrugged, “Curious. Long Kong said he messaged you, but you haven’t replied much…”
“I replied, just not much.”
“Oh.”
Afterwards, Ji Ting cleared the level while he focused on his mission. Finally, they were on the same map again, moving down as a team. During this, Meng Jia logged online. Tan Yucheng raised his hand to press a button, hiding himself from being seen online by her. This action made Ji Ting glance at him. Before Meng Jia pursued him, he didn’t seem to hide from her like this.
Did Meng Jia break the friendship for his avoidance and rejection? Was it worth it?
Ji Ting withdrew her gaze, sighed softly, and continued controlling her character, but her mind wandered.
It felt like a premonition of something that could happen.
In the afternoon, she returned to the shop.
Ji Ting called Long Kong back. The aroma of coffee filled the air as she sat in the corner, bathed in sunlight. She explained, “He’s been up all night for two nights, very exhausted, so he didn’t reply to your messages.”
Long Kong sighed in relief, “No wonder. I knew he was busy, but didn’t realize it was that intense.”
“Then, is there anything else?” Long Kong continued, and Ji Ting put down her coffee cup, pursing her lips. Thinking of the open drawer, she murmured softly, “The rosewood bracelets… originally…”
“They each have one,” Long Kong interrupted.
Ji Ting lifted her coffee again. “Shouldn’t he have taken them out to look at?”
“Did you see them?”
“The drawer seemed to be open.”
Long Kong sighed, “I knew it. He’s not that easy to accept.”
—”The light boat has passed ten thousand mountains.”
It was indeed related to Shu Xiao.
Unfortunately, no one was behind a thousand mountains.
Ji Ting watched pedestrians pass by outside the window, lost in thought.