Chapter 10

Li Yin nodded and looked at her, reluctant to leave. A few seconds later, he unfastened his seat belt and got out. "Lin Yu."

Lin Yu turned around.

Li Yin quickly walked up to her and looked at her for a few seconds before lowering his head. Lin Yu's hand paused on the tanghulu. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she felt Li Yin's lips land on her forehead, a little cold.

Lin Yu tightened her grip on the tanghulu's bamboo skewer.

Li Yin opened his eyes and looked at her, his heart racing. He smiled. "Good night."

Lin Yu pressed her lips together and smiled softly. "Good night."

Li Yin's heart surged. "I'll watch you go in."

Lin Yu smiled. "You should hurry too. You can't park out here."

"Okay."

Lin Yu turned and entered the residential complex.

Before long, the car drove away. Lin Yu walked along the complex's flagstone path, her heart settling as she leisurely finished the tanghulu. It was just the right balance of sweet and sour.

When she got home, her scarf was damp and cold. She turned on the television and went to shower. When she touched her forehead, she paused, then switched on the bathroom heater.

It was still early when she came out of the shower. The store manager had sent her some information about the shop that she needed to deal with, so she also posted the starry-sky photo she had taken on the mountain that night to her Moments.

The stars were too beautiful not to share.

Jiang Zao: Damn? Did you go see them with Li Yin?

Jiang Yan'an: I'm heartbroken. You were still out on a date with that guy in the middle of the night.

Jiang Zao: Hahahaha, Jiang Yan'an, what are you crying for?

Jiang Yan'an: I'm crying because Yuyu isn't mine anymore.

Jiang Zao: She was never yours.

Ming Yu: Wow, congratulations! Why didn't you take a picture with him for me to see?

Lin Yu replied to Ming Yu: Next time.

Ming Yu: Okay!

Lin Yu didn't dare reply to Jiang Yan'an. He was too good at fake-sobbing, and if she replied, he'd go on forever. She couldn't handle him. As for Jiang Zao, she had already seen Li Yin's photo and wasn't curious anymore.

Lin Yu opened her computer to deal with the shop's business and ordered some supplies they were short of online. The television was on without sound, figures moving across the screen and making the room feel a little livelier.

Building sixteen, twenty-eighth floor.

Xiao Diu jumped onto the sofa and padded across it. The computer on the coffee table was lit up, its code sitting idle on the screen. The bathroom door in the master bedroom slid open, and Chen Lüli came out in black pajamas, drying his hair. Xiao Diu stepped onto the armrest, meowed twice, and obediently crouched down. Chen Lüli casually opened his phone and happened to scroll to his Moments.

He spotted the starry-sky photo Lin Yu had posted at a glance.

His gaze lingered, and he looked at the photo for a while. A few seconds later, he looked away and scrolled down to the other posts.

Moments-stalking maniac

Another 100 red envelopes this chapter. See you tomorrow.

Chapter 10

Saturday was sunny and breezy.

Lin Yu got up early and spoke to the store manager on the phone as she got ready. A customer had reserved a table for a birthday celebration that day. The customer wasn't bringing anything but the guests, so the shop had to arrange everything. The manager was already very experienced, but Lin Yu still had to remind him to take out the birthday tableware and pick up the lilies and roses on time.

The manager laughed over the phone. "All right, I've put it all in my notes. Enjoy your date."

Lin Yu was touching up her lip gloss. Hearing him, she curved her lips slightly. "I'll hang up, then."

"Okay."

The call ended with a beeping sound.

Lin Yu picked up her mascara and brushed it on lightly. She rarely wore a full face of makeup. Though today's look was fairly light too, what people called a "plain boiled water" makeup look, it was quite elaborate compared with wearing only lipstick or lip gloss.

Satisfied that she looked all right in the mirror, Lin Yu put away her makeup, washed her hands, and straightened herself up before heading out.

She wore a white sweater with a light-colored skirt and a camel-colored coat. Carrying a small bag, she walked out of the complex's gate and waited there for Li Yin.

She glanced at her watch.

Li Yin had told her to come out in about two minutes, but Lin Yu had come out five minutes early.

The weather was nice, so she held her coat instead of putting it on. About five minutes later, a white sedan turned the corner ahead and slowly pulled to a stop. Li Yin opened the car door and saw Lin Yu all dressed up. He was so struck by her beauty that he failed to react for a moment, simply staring at her.

Lin Yu got into the car, but when she looked at Li Yin, she froze. "Did you go to bed very late last night?"

Li Yin came back to himself, quickly smoothed his hair, and took her hand. "I stayed up late handling work."

"No wonder," Lin Yu said.

They clasped hands for a moment, and Li Yin said softly, "You look especially beautiful today."

Lin Yu smiled and looked at him. "Thank you."

Li Yin smiled too. He released her hand and started the car. The frustrating night he'd spent up late had put him in a bad mood; he was paler than usual and looked tired.

After they had returned from watching the stars that night, he had begun preparing for Saturday's date the next day, getting his work done ahead of time. But his supervisor wouldn't let him off, pulling him into group three to help with their data under the pretext that the capable should do more work. As a result, although he shouldn't have needed to work overtime and stay up late last night, he had been forced to rush it out overnight, leaving him haggard today.

But the moment he saw Lin Yu, all his exhaustion vanished. He adjusted his shirt collar again, and when they stopped at a red light, he freed one hand to hold hers.

He turned to look at her.

Lin Yu was smiling with her lips pressed together. With their hands clasped, Li Yin's heart sped up for her once again.

Donghua Ocean Park had only opened half a year ago. It was famous for its mermaids, and tickets weren't cheap. There were lots of people on Saturday, and they spent half an hour queuing to get in.

But once inside, they found the trip worthwhile, because it was truly beautiful.

There were glowing jellyfish, dolphins, and the main attraction, the mermaids. The mermaids' interactions with the dolphins were especially adorable and delightful.

There was also an underwater play in which an actor playing a prince interacted with a mermaid. The mermaid circled around him, trying to tell him that she was the girl who had saved him.

But the prince didn't know, and took her for an ordinary, beautiful mermaid.

After watching the play, Lin Yu fell quiet for a few seconds, a little disappointed.

Li Yin adjusted her scarf and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Yu came back to herself and looked at him with a smile. "Nothing."

Li Yin smiled. "Because of the story?"

This time Lin Yu didn't deny it. She smiled, and Li Yin said with a smile, "Don't be disappointed. A story is only a story."

"Mm."

"I'll take your picture," Li Yin said. Lin Yu saw that people all around them were lining up for photos and agreed. She stood in front of the mermaids and dolphins, her figure reflected in the blue seawater. In the dim light, she smiled faintly, and the image was captured on Li Yin's phone.

Later, the two took the road called Sunset to watch the sunset.

As they passed Zhuoyue Plaza, Li Yin said, "There's a famous café here called Sunset."

Lin Yu smiled. "Mm, I've heard of it."

After watching the sunset, they found a campsite restaurant for dinner. Towering trees surrounded them beneath the canopy, and brilliant lights shone in the campsite at the center.

The setting and the atmosphere were both nice. Lin Yu sat with Li Yin beneath a camping umbrella. Li Yin brushed the meat as he cooked it, while Lin Yu poured them each a drink.

They ate and chatted. With no meat to cook, Lin Yu had less to do.

Someone across from them had brought a cat and a dog, and the two animals were tussling. Lin Yu thought they were cute as she watched them. Her phone vibrated: Ming Yu was chatting with Jiang Yan'an in the group and had also tagged Chen Lüli.

Ming Yu: @Chen Lüli, Jiang Yingshan said you two went on a business trip today? Where are you now?

Chen Lüli: Nan City.

Ming Yu: Oh.

Lin Yu paused when she saw that and instinctively looked at the kitten across from her. She hadn't gone to feed Xiao Diu these past few days because Chen Lüli had been home, but tonight...

Her thoughts wandered to Xiao Diu's golden eyes. She paused for a few seconds, then tapped Chen Lüli's profile picture and typed a message.

Lin Yu: You're in Nan City? What about Xiao Diu?

Chen Lüli replied quickly: You're not free?

Lin Yu: Mm.

Chen Lüli: I'll see.

Lin Yu looked at the screen for a while. After some thought, she sent him another message.

Lin Yu: I'll give Jiang Zao the password and ask her to feed Xiao Diu tonight.

Chen Lüli: We'll talk later.

He was brief and to the point. He was probably busy, and there was a sense of distance.

Lin Yu pressed her lips together, put down her phone, and ate a piece of meat Li Yin handed her. About twenty minutes later, her phone vibrated again. She looked down and opened it to find a message from Chen Lüli.

Chen Lüli: Give Jiang Zao the password.

Lin Yu: Okay.

Jiang Zao liked cats too and fed the cats near her apartment. Though she wasn't familiar with Xiao Diu, she readily agreed: "Sure thing."

After sending that, she added: Yuyu, enjoy your date.

Biting the rim of her glass, Lin Yu smiled and replied: Okay.

After reaching a cooperation agreement with the sensor company in Nan City, Chen Lüli and Jiang Yingshan were ready to head back, but President Zhang of the sensor company kept Chen Lüli talking. After several rounds of drinks, he grew more talkative. "Of all the domestic airlines, Berlin Airlines is my favorite. The service and treatment are excellent, and every trip is as comfortable as being at home. It's just that the chairman keeps too low a profile. It's hard to even meet him."

Chen Lüli finished a glass of liquor and said, "President Zhang, we should get going."

"Oh, let's talk a little longer."

Chen Lüli stood up. "We'll talk next time. When you come to Li City, President Zhang, I'll be your host."

President Zhang swayed on his feet. "Really? Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Chen Lüli nodded, then glanced at Jiang Yingshan. Jiang Yingshan tugged at his collar, smiling. He picked up his coat and walked out with Chen Lüli.

Jiang Yingshan smiled. "What's the harm in letting him make a connection? I bet he's known for a while that you're the young master of Berlin Airlines."

"Shut up." Chen Lüli lit a cigarette. A black Brute drove up, with a designated driver behind the wheel. Chen Lüli and Jiang Yingshan got into the car one after the other.

The cigarette was stubbed out, and the window rolled up.

Chen Lüli pulled off his tie and leaned back in his seat. He picked up his phone and glanced at it. They would be back in Li City at around one thirty. He raised a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes to rest.

The smell of alcohol rose from him, carrying a mellow fragrance.