Zhang Yujie's Thoughts

"Hubby, what do you want for lunch?" Yue Xiaodan asked, holding Li Yang's hand as they got off the Route 50 bus. They walked towards the Pedestrian Street. The sun was particularly scorching today, making it feel hot even early in the morning.

"Let's have some lao mian," Li Yang said with a smile, looking at Xiaodan's virtuous appearance. His heart immediately blossomed with joy.

"Okay, I'll make you egg lao mian for lunch. Did you bring your key? Don't always wait for me to come back and open the door for you," Xiaodan reminded him, pouting slightly.

"Got it. You're not even married yet and you're already acting like a little wife, learning to nag," Li Yang said with a confident air, like the master of the house.

"Hmph!" Xiaodan kicked Li Yang playfully and ran off, laughing.

"Hubby, remember to go back early, okay? Bye-bye." The two parted ways at the entrance of Li Yang's store to go to work.

"Oh, the injured person is all better," Zhang Xiaoli teased Li Yang, who had just clocked in.

"I'm fine. The main thing is your friend Xu Rui is seriously injured. Why don't you go and check on him?" Li Yang retorted boredly.

"I have nothing to do with him. Why should I go see him?" Zhang Xiaoli scurried away like a fox caught by its tail. Actually, there wasn't much between her and Xu Rui, but Xu Rui often touched Zhang Xiaoli inappropriately when he had nothing to do, and Zhang Xiaoli happened to like that kind of dynamic. There were no secrets between them; you could just say they were bored.

Zhang Mimi and Liu Yueyue saw Li Yang arrive, and the three immediately became a close-knit team again. Everything returned to how it used to be.

"How's the injury?" Zhao Tiantian walked over with a smile and casually asked about Li Yang's condition.

"I'm fine, Sis," Li Yang said, pulling up his pant leg to reveal the scabbed-over external wound. Even so, it made the girls wince as if they felt the pain themselves.

"Okay, okay, put it down," Tiantian said, grimacing, unable to look at it. "If you're not busy every day, you can sit down and rest. It's fine, Sis approves. Just focus on recovering for now, and be more careful in the future. Don't get injured again."

"Thank you, Sis," Li Yang replied politely to his supervisor.

"I'll get back to work then. Let me know if you need anything." Afterward, Tiantian went to the manager's office for a meeting.

The first half hour of work was the most comfortable for Li Yang and the others, basically like free time.

Some customers came in the morning, and Li Yang helped attend to them for a while. After that, it was time for chatting and bragging. After Li Yang became familiar with Zhang Mimi and Liu Yueyue, they treated him like a close friend and even considered him an emotional expert. When they had nothing to do, they would ask Li Yang to answer their various relationship questions, and it actually worked.

Just now, Zhang Mimi asked Li Yang a gossip question.

"Li Yang, I have a good friend recently, and she said her boyfriend seems to be having problems. Can you quickly help me figure out what to do?" Zhang Mimi said, looking around furtively like a little mouse.

"Don't make things up. If it's you, just admit it. Don't use a friend as a shield."

"You're so annoying!" Zhang Mimi's face turned red, and she pinched Li Yang. "You knew and you still said it."

"Hurry up and tell me," Zhang Mimi demanded bossily to Li Yang.

"Your attitude isn't good," Liu Yueyue reminded her from the side, taking a lollipop from her pocket and putting it in Li Yang's mouth. She casually said, "Just analyze it for her, Li Yang."

"See? That's more like it," Li Yang said, pretending to be serious, which made them cover their mouths and laugh.

Then came Zhang Mimi's story. She admitted that her boyfriend was indeed having problems and his temper had become much more irritable.

"Look, both of you, my skin has become rough too," Zhang Mimi complained, shaking her little face in front of Li Yang.

"Hurry up and give us some advice, Li Yang," Liu Yueyue urged anxiously.

"That's simple. Just change to a different person," Li Yang said without hesitation.

"How can you say that? How can you choose in this kind of situation?" Zhang Mimi glared at Li Yang angrily, as if he was the one with the problem.

"Mimi, if you don't mind, but let's be clear first, you can't get attached to me because of this. I already have a girlfriend," Li Yang said shamelessly and seriously.

"Get lost! Who knows?" Zhang Mimi said with a look of disdain in her eyes.

"Then there's nothing to talk about. I'm not willing either. My girlfriend loves me to death every day, and I don't want to do anything to betray her. You should find someone else more capable."

Then Zhang Mimi, angry, and Liu Yueyue together launched a set of Wang Ba Fists at Li Yang, which was almost like a back massage and tickling.

Just then, customers arrived, and they quickly stopped and got busy. Li Yang sat in the corner leisurely watching his surroundings. The old employees didn't bother Li Yang; the leader had already given the word, so who would bother with unnecessary things?

"Li Yang, come to our usual spot," Zhang Yujie sent him a text message. Li Yang looked at it, got up, and walked towards the stairwell, going up to the fourth floor. There were usually not many people here. Zhang Yujie would find Li Yang to chat when she had nothing to do, so it became their usual spot.

"Hurry up, Li Yang," Zhang Yujie jogged over and grabbed Li Yang's hand. She looked left and right first, which left Li Yang confused.

"What's wrong?" Li Yang asked softly, looking at Zhang Yujie's flushed face.

"Hehe, who told you not to come find me for so long? I just missed you," Zhang Yujie said. After getting closer to Li Yang, she became more and more open in front of him.

"My ex-boyfriend came to find me yesterday. He said he recently went to see an Old Chinese Medicine Practitioner who prescribed him some medicine to regulate his body, and he wants to start over with me," Zhang Yujie said, expressing her confusion.

"So you want me to analyze it for you, right?" Li Yang asked tentatively, looking at her.

"En," Zhang Yujie nodded obediently.

"What about you? What are you thinking?" Li Yang pulled her to a secluded spot where no one was around, and they began to talk.

"Li Yang, I like you, but I know you don't really like me, right?" Zhang Yujie said with a look of disappointment.

"Yujie, I won't lie to you. You're a good girl. I'm afraid I won't be good to you and will hurt your heart."

"Some time ago, by chance, I got a girlfriend. We're quite compatible, so I suggest you find someone else you love. I'm sorry, don't blame me."

"It's okay, Li Yang. I can understand. Thank you for being honest with me. If you were a scumbag, I wouldn't like you either. Just based on this, I feel like I haven't misjudged you. You are a man worth entrusting your life to. If we are still destined in this life, I am willing to be in a relationship with you, Li Yang."

"I've thought about it. I won't agree to my ex-boyfriend's request. Since we broke up, there's no need to hold onto any thoughts. I hope to wait for someone like you to appear, Li Yang. Can we be friends from now on?"

Zhang Yujie forced a strong smile, but her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. She didn't want to appear vulnerable in front of Li Yang.

"Yujie, you're a good girl. We will always be friends. If one day, we are still destined, I am willing to have the same thoughts as you," Li Yang said from the bottom of his heart.

If Yue Xiaodan hadn't suddenly appeared, Li Yang would have definitely been with Zhang Yujie without hesitation. To be honest, although Zhang Yujie wasn't particularly beautiful, she was a pretty good candidate for marriage. Sometimes, dating and finding a marriage partner really can't be treated the same.

"Li Yang, I wish you happiness. My contact information will never change, you can reach me anytime. Can you hold me properly one last time?" Zhang Yujie said, tears welling up in her eyes as she spoke the last word.

Li Yang wrapped his arms around Zhang Yujie's slender waist, tenderly and sweetly...

He didn't know how much time had passed...

"I'm sorry," Li Yang's mind cleared. Looking at Zhang Yujie in his arms, his heart was filled with guilt and self-reproach. He knew he had lost control just now and done something he shouldn't have.

Li Yang took out a pack of wet wipes that Xiaodan had given him that morning from his pocket and handed them to her...

"Li Yang, you keep an eye on things for me." Zhang Yujie had regained her composure and didn't let Li Yang help.

Before leaving around noon, Zhang Yujie and Li Yang hugged and chatted for a while.

"Li Yang, I gave myself to you willingly. Don't feel burdened. This can be considered the fulfillment of one of my wishes. Thank you for accepting me, Li Yang."

"Look at you, it's my honor to have you. It's just a pity I can't walk with you. I hope you can find someone better than me. If that day truly comes, as you said, and we are fated, I will marry you, Yujie."

Their eyes met, and everything was unspoken. Perhaps it was the heavens being moved, for many years later, the two miraculously rekindled their romance.

Once everything quieted down, they each left and returned to their posts.

By lunchtime, Xiaodan had gone back early to cook. She told Li Yang to remember to come back for dinner.

After the incident with Zhang Yujie, Li Yang felt incredibly guilty. What a wonderful girl. Sometimes, love is truly unreasonable.

After returning home, Li Yang immediately regained his composure. He didn't want Xiaodan to be hurt because of him again. With a playful grin, he went up and hugged Xiaodan, who was chopping vegetables.

"Wife, I missed you so much."

"Oh, you're annoying, I need to cook," Xiaodan giggled, turning her head to kiss Li Yang.

"Alright, hubby, after we eat, I'm all yours, okay?" Xiaodan coaxed Li Yang away as if he were a child.

Seeing Xiaodan's unwashed underwear and panties soaking in the washbasin, Li Yang volunteered, "Wife, you cook, I'll help you wash the underwear." Saying this, he picked up a small stool and began to wash them in a showy manner.

"Oh, hubby, did you do something wrong to me today and want to atone?" Xiaodan looked at Li Yang with a surprised expression.

"Hehe, how could I? I just thought I'd make my wife less tired. Cooking during the day, really, wife, I'm afraid you'll wear yourself out. Where else could I find such a gentle, beautiful, kind, and virtuous wife?" Li Yang sweet-talked his silly wife.

"Go on, go on. I'll check later to see if you washed them clean. If you behave well, I'll give you a reward tonight," Xiaodan smiled charmingly and winked at Li Yang, truly full of allure.

Afterward, Li Yang buried his head and seriously washed Yue Xiaodan's intimate clothing.

"Dinner's ready, hubby," Xiaodan took off her apron and brought out a large bowl of egg and tomato noodles. She didn't use dried noodles; knowing Li Yang loved handmade noodles, she bought them from a shop that made them by hand.

"Coming, wife," Li Yang was carefully hanging the clothes to dry. The weather was hot, so drying them outside in the sun would also sterilize them, killing two birds with one stone.

"Alright, wife," Li Yang walked into the room, put down the basin, picked up the bowl, and started eating.

Then Xiaodan served herself a small bowl. Her appetite was like a cat's. Li Yang once joked with her, saying that five yuan a day was enough to feed her; her daily food intake wasn't even as much as Li Yang ate in one meal.

"Not everyone is like you, like a pig," Xiaodan always retorted stubbornly to Li Yang. Since seeing him eat at Xu Rui's house that day, Xiaodan felt that Li Yang's eating was actually normal.

"Hubby, when you get off work this afternoon, come back early and collect my underwear," Xiaodan dangled her feet, taking small sips of noodles and looking at Li Yang.

"Why? It's not raining today," Li Yang wolfed down the noodles in his bowl; the first bowl was almost empty.

"Oh, come on," Xiaodan pouted, stood on her tiptoes, and complained, "Look at the underwear you bought me, what are they! If they were hung outside, they would definitely be stolen! A few days ago, the girl downstairs was cursing because her underwear was stolen!"

It turned out that ever since Li Yang and Xiaodan started dating, Li Yang always found Xiaodan's underwear too traditional, so he bought her various sexy lingerie. Gradually, Xiaodan also grew to like these styles. She knew Li Yang liked them, so she got used to them out of love for him.

The people renting in the courtyard were too mixed, and it was inevitable that there were some perverts and lechers. As a girl, Xiaodan naturally understood. Li Yang wasn't a lecher, but it was the first time he had heard of someone stealing underwear. Only after Xiaodan's serious explanation did he finally understand.

"Okay, wife, don't worry, I promise not to let a single pair go missing. Oh, right, wife, I'll buy you that kind of panties another day for you to try," Li Yang enthusiastically promoted.

"Get lost, you wear them yourself," Xiaodan kicked Li Yang with a displeased look, then stood up to serve him another bowl of noodles.

"Wife, don't be so hard on yourself," Li Yang said with a playful grin.

"If you keep talking nonsense," Xiaodan rolled her eyes and urged, "Hurry up and eat!" After saying that, she lay back down on the sofa to rest. This scared Li Yang, and he didn't dare to tease her anymore, truly afraid that this silly girl would get confused at night.