Chapter 48
The room was very quiet, with the heater on. The man sleeping next to her did not press all his weight onto her; she could still hear his subtle breathing. Ji Ting knew that even when he was deeply asleep, he could wake easily.
Because of their position, she could see his brows and eyes. His naturally sharp eyebrows and high nose were partially obscured by stray hairs, casting a shadow on his face.
His appearance had become increasingly striking.
Back in high school, many girls liked him. Even junior high students came specifically to ask for his contact information. In the first year of high school, when they were in different classes, Ji Ting heard that two girls had argued over him.
He himself was unaware of this. It was said that while he was on the third floor, the argument took place on the first floor. As he walked down the corridor, he heard the commotion and even poked his head to see the excitement.
Later, when he found out it was over him, he was momentarily stunned.
This story circulated for a long time. Ji Ting remembered encountering him and Fu Yan in Nan’an Alley. Fu Yan, who rarely smiled, teased him, and he stood by the wall with a lollipop in his mouth, casually leaning with the setting sun highlighting his brows, exuding a youthful and carefree attitude.
Perhaps that was when some seeds were sown. At that time, Ji Ting did not think about anything beyond that. She was engrossed in games with Yu Xi, maintaining her grades while occasionally hanging out at internet cafes. It wasn’t until the second year of high school, when the top students were all placed in the same class and with the teacher’s encouragement, that Ji Ting fully immersed herself in her studies.
She had a competitive streak in her nature.
Even if she didn’t aim for first place, she definitely couldn’t fall too far behind.
Ji Ting watched him for a while, and unknowingly, her heart softened. Putting aside everything else, she hoped for his well-being. Tan Yucheng moved slightly, and Ji Ting held her breath. He edged a little closer to her, but while this position was manageable for a moment, it was uncomfortable over time. Ji Ting whispered, “How about lying down to sleep instead?”
Tan Yucheng, drowsy and half-asleep, murmured in response, inhaling the scent on her and pulling her onto the sofa with him.
Ji Ting lay down with him. Fortunately, the sofa was chosen specifically to be wide when they bought it, primarily so Ji Ting could snuggle up on it while watching TV or using her tablet.
Even after lying down, the hands that held her waist did not loosen, so Ji Ting had to lie there with him.
She was also feeling a bit drowsy, largely because the sofa was very soft and comfortable.
Thus, she drowsily fell asleep with him for a while.
It wasn’t until her phone vibrated on the coffee table that she realized it was a call from Qiu Dan. Clearly, her mother was worried. Ji Ting held his arm and said softly, “Could you loosen up a bit? My mom is calling.”
At first, Tan Yucheng did not respond as he was still asleep. When Ji Ting said it a couple of times, he heard her and released his hold.
Ji Ting sighed in relief, got up from the sofa, her clothes slightly messy. She sat on the carpet, picked up her phone, answered the call, then put on a jacket and walked to a small room to take the call.
“Mom.”
“Listen, have you found Yucheng? How is it?”
Ji Ting leaned against the wall. The door of the small room was open, so she could see the living room where Tan Yucheng was sleeping soundly, his arm over his forehead, and his long legs barely fitting on the sofa.
Ji Ting replied, “I found him, and I’ve looked at Fang Yu’s information.”
Qiu Dan sighed with relief. “What do you think after looking at it?”
Ji Ting paused before saying, “I get along quite well with him.”
Qiu Dan was surprised.
Ji Ting quickly added, “But it’s okay. I’m quite calm about it.”
Qiu Dan sighed again. “That’s good.”
“Investigating others is not right, but for your future, we had no choice but to do it. At first, I only asked Yucheng to take a look, but who knew he would investigate so thoroughly? Your dad saw the information and was too scared to show it to me. I only just found out how shocking it is. I didn’t believe it when I first heard about it.”
Ji Ting gave a bitter smile.
She didn’t believe it either.
Fang Yu did truly align with her tastes.
Whether it was the books he recommended or the movies he introduced.
“Anyway, just stay calm. We know about this, but it’s not something we can openly discuss. We definitely can’t let the landlady know that we know. She might not even be aware. Find a way to cut ties with Fang Yu slowly and with good reasons.”
Ji Ting paused before responding, “Okay.”
This kind of blind date led by parents can indeed be troublesome, especially when the landlady’s relationship is so special. Ji Ting had to consider this. Qiu Dan had probably just realized it. Initially, she told Ji Ting to stop all contact directly and decisively, but after calming down, she knew it couldn’t be handled like that. At least a good reason and proper timing were needed.
Qiu Dan sighed and said, “Yucheng is still reliable.”
Ji Ting raised an eyebrow.
She said, “Mom, get some rest.”
Qiu Dan agreed, “Okay, you too.”
After hanging up, Ji Ting stood in the small room for a moment, then went out and draped a soft blanket over the man on the sofa.
She sat on the carpet, watching him sleep with the blanket covering his forehead, and observed his collar and Adam’s apple.
At that moment, the black phone on the sofa vibrated and lit up. Ji Ting was startled. She glanced back hesitantly, then moved closer. With her heart racing, she glanced at his phone screen.
Shu Xiao had sent a message.
It was displayed on the screen.
Ji Ting leaned against the sofa and stayed still until the screen dimmed, then she came back to her senses.
A few seconds later, she looked back at the man sleeping peacefully.
Sometimes, certain images keep resurfacing, whether it’s the encounter at the airport or the look he had while supporting Shu Xiao over the wall (In highschool). Ji Ting sighed.
The night deepened.
Ji Ting checked the time, got up to go to her room, and turned off the lights in the living room, leaving only the one next to the sofa.
The night was still deep, gradually approaching dawn. Tan Yucheng turned over, instinctively reaching for her, but found only emptiness. He rested his arm on the sofa, opened his eyes, and realized he was alone on the wide sofa.
The woman who should have been in his arms was gone.
His hand rested on the sofa, the veins on the back of his hand clearly visible.
After a moment of stillness, Tan Yucheng sat up, adjusted his cuff, his shirt hanging loosely from his waist, and his open collar revealing his abdominal muscles. He maintained this posture for a while before getting up and walking toward the master bedroom, which was closed.
He stood there for a moment but did not turn the handle. His throat felt a bit scratchy.
A few seconds later, he turned and left, picking up his coat and phone, opening the door to go outside. The sky was slightly brightening. He took out a cigarette, lit it with his head lowered, and closed the door behind him.
The man, just awakened in the deep night, still had a trace of sleepiness in his eyes and a hint of coldness, perhaps due to the closed door and the empty embrace.
The next morning.
Ji Ting woke up feeling a bit dazedly but soon realized there was someone in the living room. She pulled off the blanket, got out of bed, put on a coat, and went out to open the door. The living room was empty, and the sofa was unoccupied, and the coat was also gone.
Ji Ting leaned against the door frame, her hair is messy, lost in thought. At this moment, the doorbell rang. She was startled, went to the door, and looked through the peephole. It was the delivery person from the porridge shop downstairs.
Ji Ting recognized them and opened the door.
The delivery person immediately handed her the food, saying, “Boss Ji, breakfast.”
Ji Ting hesitated, took the food, and asked, “Who ordered this?”
The delivery person glanced at her and smiled, “Mr. Tan.”
Ji Ting realized and responded with an “Oh.”
The delivery person winked and smiled.
Ji Ting thanked them.
The delivery person said, “You’re welcome,” and then turned to leave.
Ji Ting closed the door, placed the breakfast on the coffee table, and went to the bathroom to freshen up. After that, she changed into a new outfit and went downstairs to the shop. As soon as she exited the elevator, the sunlight was intense. Although the weather was still cold, the sunshine made it much more comfortable.
Zhang Yang and Xiao Wan had already opened the shop. Ji Ting pushed open the door and immediately saw Shu Xiao sitting by the window.
Shu Xiao had a laptop open in front of her, dressed in a long dress with a light beige sweater draped over her shoulders. She looked up and smiled at Ji Ting.
Ji Ting’s footsteps faltered.
It had been about four days since they last met. Shu Xiao had been staying at a hotel, and her complexion looked much better than before, indicating that she had fully recovered.
She recalled the WeChat message that had appeared on Tan Yucheng’s phone last night.
Ji Ting walked in, took off her coat, hung it up in the lounge, washed her hands, and then came out to put on her apron. Just then, a few customers came in to order coffee and bread. One of them was sitting opposite Shu Xiao. Ji Ting brought a croissant to her and also delivered one to Shu Xiao. Shu Xiao looked up at Ji Ting and smiled, saying, “Thank you, Tingting.”
Ji Ting nodded and turned to get back to work.
Xiao Wan approached Ji Ting with a cleaning cloth and said, “Sister Ting, your friend seems to be a university teacher?”
Ji Ting replied with a “Mm-hmm.”
Xiao Wan, who did not know as much as Xiao Zhou, blinked and said, “She’s so beautiful.”
Ji Ting responded with another “Mm-hmm.”
This morning was a bit busy. With the slightly better weather, more people were ordering iced coffee. One of the coffee machines broke down and wasn’t dispensing coffee. Zhang Yang went to the branch to deliver cakes, so Ji Ting had to fix it herself. She stood at the counter, unplugging the machine and working on it. Xiao Wan was handling the takeout orders, one of which was from Yanchun order.
There were four cups of coffee.
Xiao Wan said to Ji Ting, “Brother Tan Yucheng’s company ordered coffee again.”
Ji Ting was busy and replied, “After I finish, you can deliver it.”
“Okay.” Xiao Wan’s eyes lit up. She finished preparing the four cups of coffee, packed them, and took them along with other orders out of the counter. Shu Xiao, who had just washed her hands, came over to see Ji Ting fixing the coffee machine.
Seeing that Xiao Wan was carrying more than one takeout order, Shu Xiao noticed the name on the order and said, “Let me accompany you.”
Xiao Wan was surprised.
Ji Ting also paused with the screwdriver and looked over.
Shu Xiao, with a shy smile at Ji Ting, looked at Xiao Wan and said, “I see you have a lot to carry; I’d like to help.”
Xiao Wan said, “It’s fine, beautiful sister, I’m okay.”
“It’s no trouble, I’ll take a walk anyway.” Shu Xiao approached Xiao Wan. She was taller and had fairer skin than Xiao Wan. With a gentle gesture, Xiao Wan couldn’t refuse and let her take two of the orders.
Xiao Wan was still hesitant and looked at Ji Ting.
Ji Ting’s expression was indifferent. She nodded slightly and then turned her gaze back to her work.
Seeing Ji Ting’s nod, Xiao Wan didn’t hesitate any longer and led Shu Xiao outside.
She curiously asked, “Beautiful sister, how long have you known our sister Ting?”
“Just call me Shu Xiao. I’ve known Ji Ting since high school.”
“Wow, so you’re the same as sister Xixi and the others?”
Shu Xiao paused and nodded, “Yes.”
“That’s great,” Xiao Wan said.
Soon, the two of them entered the Zhuoyue Building and arrived on the third floor. Shu Xiao was carrying takeout from a different place, while Xiao Wan had the Yanchun orders. There was no one waiting outside for the Yanchun orders today. Xiao Wan greeted the front desk and went straight in, with Shu Xiao following her. The person who ordered the coffee today was not Chen Fei but four other programmers.
Xiao Wan recognized one of them, handed over the coffee, and chatted a bit.
Shu Xiao stood beside Xiao Wan with the coffee, her gaze directed inward.
After a while, a tall figure walked out of the meeting room. Tan Yucheng was flipping through some documents, having just showered and changed clothes. He had only recently arrived at the office, and his hair was still damp.
Chen Fei approached him to speak.
From across the office, Shu Xiao watched the man who was quite a distance away. Once her fear had dissipated, she took a serious look at him, tightening her grip on the bag she was holding.
Shu Xiao was very beautiful, and naturally, many people in the office noticed her presence.
But as she watched Tan Yucheng, he didn’t turn around. After finishing his conversation with Chen Fei, Tan Yucheng handed the documents to Chen Fei and went into his office.
In the past, no matter where Shu Xiao was in high school, Tan Yucheng could easily spot her.
Time passed.
Some things had quietly changed.
After Xiao Wan finished talking to the programmers, she looked up and signaled Shu Xiao to leave. Shu Xiao came back to her senses and followed Xiao Wan. Xiao Wan also peeked into Tan Yucheng’s office and saw him with his head down, biting on a cigarette while typing on his computer. She turned to Shu Xiao and said with a smile, “That person is also a friend of sister Ting, brother Tan Yucheng. Sister Shu Xiao, do you know him?”
Shu Xiao paused and nodded, “I do.”
Xiao Wan exclaimed, “Wow!” She walked out of the Yanchun office with Shu Xiao, pressing the elevator button and taking the bag from Shu Xiao’s hand. She said, “Brother Tan Yucheng and our sister Ting have a great relationship.”
Shu Xiao nodded.
—
Ji Ting finally repaired the coffee machine, stood up, and went to wash her hands.
Xiao Wan and Shu Xiao returned. Xiao Wan continued chatting while Shu Xiao smiled and listened. Ji Ting wiped her hands and glanced at Shu Xiao. Shu Xiao looked up and smiled at her.
Ji Ting also gave a faint smile in return.
After lunch, Shu Xiao went back to the hotel.
Around four in the afternoon, Ji Ting went to the warehouse. After she came out, her phone rang with a new message. She opened it to see a message from Long Kong.
Long Kong: Tingting, are you free?
Ji Ting: ?
Long Kong: Let’s go hiking. The weather is so nice today, and there should be a sunset.
Ji Ting glanced outside and saw that the weather was indeed beautiful. A sunset on such a day was quite normal. In the summer, Long Kong would often invite her to hike nearby at Zicui Park, which wasn’t very high but was good for warming up and watching the sunrise or sunset. In the winter, she hadn’t gone yet due to the cold, so she hadn’t been hiking this winter.
She thought for a moment and replied to Long Kong: OK
After replying to the message, Ji Ting informed Zhang Yang and then returned to her apartment to change into sportswear. She then walked directly to Zicui Park Mountain. The weather was nice, and at this time, Zicui Park was crowded with people flying kites, taking walks, and enjoying leisure activities. As she approached the base of the mountain, Long Kong was already there in a gray tracksuit, holding two bottles of water. He waved when he saw Ji Ting.
Ji Ting smiled and walked up to him, her hair styled in a bun. She asked with a smile, “You’re free today?”
“After your birthday, I went on a business trip and just got back,” Long Kong said, handing one of the bottles to Ji Ting. Ji Ting took it, and they both started walking up the steps. “It’s the end of the year, and you’re quite busy.”
“Of course. I’m not sure if I’ll go back to Nan’an for the New Year. You probably won’t be going back, right?” Long Kong glanced at Ji Ting as they walked. Ji Ting shook her head and replied, “I went back last year, but not this year.”
“It seems that brother Cheng’s family won’t be going back either. Their company is preparing for an IPO, so they’ll probably be in Li City.”
Ji Ting responded with a slight nod.
She tried to open the water bottle, but her hands were a bit sweaty and she couldn’t manage it. Long Kong put his bottle into the pocket of his tracksuit and said, “Let me do it.”
Ji Ting handed the bottle to him.
Long Kong opened it for her and handed it back. Ji Ting took a sip, and Long Kong asked, “Has Shu Xiao been to your store recently?”
Ji Ting paused and looked at him. “Yes, how did you know?”
Long Kong smiled and said, “She posted on WeChat, and I saw it.”
Ji Ting realized that Shu Xiao had posted a photo of a bookshelf, and anyone familiar with her store would recognize it. She responded with a “Hmm,” and then looked over as the sky on Long Kong’s side was tinged with the glow of the setting sun.
Ji Ting’s eyes, which were very beautiful, suddenly turned toward Long Kong. He was caught off guard and met her gaze, his eyes flickering briefly.
Long Kong slightly averted his gaze and said, “My birthday is in a couple of days. Remember to come.”
Ji Ting, drinking water and looking at the sunlight in the distance, smiled and said, “Yes, your birthday is coming up too.”
“Yeah, time flies.”
The two of them soon reached the top of the mountain, where the sunset had formed a line on the horizon. Long Kong took out his phone to take pictures; this phone was great for photography.
Ji Ting knew that Long Kong liked taking photos of landscapes, so she stood there, drinking water and waiting for him to finish taking shots.
Long Kong adjusted the lens and unintentionally captured Ji Ting’s arm raised as she drank water, with the sunset in the background. Even though only her arm and the bun on the back of her head were visible, her neck and shoulders looked beautiful. Long Kong clicked the shutter.
He took the photo and showed it to Ji Ting.
Ji Ting screwed the cap back on and stared at the beautiful afterglow.
Long Kong came over, adjusted the photo, and handed it to her, asking, “How’s this?”
Ji Ting looked at the pictures he scrolled through and said with a smile, “They’re great.”
Long Kong smiled back.
He selected a few photos to post on WeChat.
Ji Ting’s photo was in the middle, but it was only half visible, so it was unlikely that anyone would recognize her.
Except, of course, for those who knew her well.
Ji Ting’s phone rang.
The mountain wasn’t high, so there was a signal.
She opened the message, which had a black profile picture.
Tan: Hiking?
Ji Ting paused: Did you see Long Kong’s WeChat post?
Tan: I’m nearby for work. I’ll pick you up later.
Tan: Let’s have dinner together tonight.
Ji Ting: Aren’t you working late?
Tan: I’ll work after dinner.