Chapter 13

Li Yin smiled. "Yes, so I found myself a treasure."

Jiang Yingshan said, "You sure did, kid."

Li Yin's eyes were smiling, and he looked both shy and embarrassed, but he couldn't hide the happiness on his face.

Jiang Yingshan watched him for a few seconds and thought it was really dazzling.

When they reached the floor, Li Yin stepped out first. Smiling, he said to them, "I'll be going."

Jiang Yingshan nodded and waved.

Li Yin left.

Chen Lüli's expression didn't change as he watched Li Yin walk away. The elevator doors closed, and it went straight down to the first basement level.

The two of them went to get their cars.

The cold air had been moving south for some time, and everyone had grown used to the bone-chilling weather. Lin Yu wore a scarf every day, sometimes adding a hat and coat-the so-called three-piece cold-weather set. As soon as she entered the shop, she took off her scarf and hung up her coat. The manager was making a list of things they needed to buy.

Although New Year was still a month away, they needed to decorate the shop ten days in advance. Some of the decorations needed to be custom-made ahead of time, so the manager had Xiao Li contact the designer they worked with to discuss what they needed.

Lin Yu walked over and watched them talk to the designer. The manager turned and asked, "Should we ask Boss Ye? Does she have any suggestions for the New Year decorations?"

Lin Yu glanced at her chat with Ye Xi and said, "She doesn't have any objections. She said we did a great job last year."

The manager grinned. "That's good."

He and Xiao Li got back to work. Lin Yu stood to the side, watching them discuss their requirements while texting Ye Xi. Ye Xi was still in class, and sneaking in a chat helped her stay alert. The weather in Hong Kong was as bone-chillingly cold as it was in Li City. She was already wearing her down jacket, which she disliked because it made her look like a bear, but she couldn't bear to give up its warmth.

Just then.

Jiang Yan'an sent her a message: Yuyu, I'm back in Li City!

Lin Yu was a little surprised: You're back?

Jiang Yan'an: Yep! Surprised? Delighted?

Jiang Yan'an had been the life of the party since high school. He was cheerful and outgoing, and he expressed himself very directly, in a forthright and enthusiastic way. A quiet girl like Lin Yu often couldn't handle him one-on-one, but she envied and admired his personality. Whenever he was around, there was never a dull moment.

She replied with a laugh: Surprised and delighted.

Jiang Yan'an: Hmph, you didn't even wait for me. You went and got yourself a boyfriend first.

Lin Yu: Couldn't be helped. My family arranged it.

Jiang Yan'an: You could have lied to your parents and said you had a boyfriend, then told them I was your boyfriend.

Lin Yu: Stop messing around.

Jiang Yan'an: Hmph, nobody believes me when I tell the truth.

Lin Yu: If there's a next time, I'll give you a chance.

Jiang Yan'an: Haha, all right.

Jiang Yan'an: I'm here on a business trip this time and have to go back to Jing City, so let's get everyone together to meet up. I won't be back again until New Year.

Lin Yu: Okay, you arrange it.

Jiang Yan'an: The usual place, the Star and Moon Card Room on the 88th floor of Wenxing Tower tonight.

Lin Yu: Okay.

Jiang Yan'an: Bring your boyfriend. I want to meet him.

Lin Yu paused, then replied: Okay.

Jiang Yan'an: Make sure you bring him!

Lin Yu smiled and sent him a sticker: [Okay, okay]

Jiang Yan'an: I'll go tell the others.

Lin Yu: Okay.

After replying to Jiang Yan'an, Lin Yu switched to her chat with Li Yin and asked if he was free that evening. She wanted to introduce him to her friends.

Li Yin replied quickly, sounding a little nervous: I'm free. What kind of friends? Are they like President Chen?

Lin Yu: Mm, a few close friends.

Li Yin: All right.

Lin Yu had grown up in Li City, and most of her connections were there. Although Li City wasn't far from Nan City, however close it was, Li Yin was still from another city. Naturally, he was nervous at the thought of meeting his girlfriend's close friends, so he immediately checked his work tasks for the day, hoping to finish them before getting off so he could focus on the meeting that evening.

After talking to Li Yin, Lin Yu switched out of the chat. In their five-person group, Jiang Yan'an was already telling Jiang Zao all about it, making a big announcement. Ming Yu wasn't online at the moment, or she would definitely have clamored to join them by video and hang out. A few times before, she had video-called Chen Lüli, who left the video on and propped up his phone so she could join in from afar.

The shop was busy for a while that afternoon. The garden needed weeding, so Lin Yu changed into a pair of rain boots and went to help. The gardener they'd hired removed some flowers that weren't growing well and checked the soil. Patting the wall, she asked Lin Yu, "Do you want to plant some trumpet vines? In summer, a whole wall covered in trumpet flowers would be quite a sight."

Both of Lin Yu's hands were muddy. She asked, "Are the flowers kind of orange?"

"Yes. Let me show you. You can plant them on both sides of the wall. They'd look lovely on the outside too, but you might have to ask the landlord if you can."

The gardener showed Lin Yu a photo through her phone case, and Lin Yu fell in love at first sight. "Plant them. As for the outside of the wall, there's no need to ask. The landlord won't allow it."

"All right, we'll plant them on the inside."

"Okay."

When Lin Yu came out of the garden, her cuffs and sweater had mud on them. She had a get-together that evening, so she left the shop a little after four and went home to shower and change.

Once dressed, she tidied up the house, ordered a meal, and waited for Li Yin to get off work. As she waited, night fell. Lin Yu glanced back at the night outside and picked up her phone.

In the five-person group chat.

Jiang Zao and Jiang Yan'an had already arrived.

Lin Yu messaged Li Yin: Are you still busy?

Half an hour passed before Li Yin replied: I'm sorry, wife, I'm sorry. I can't make it tonight.

Lin Yu was taken aback: ? What happened?

Li Yin: There's an error in Group Three's data. I led them through the work, so I have to rerun the data now. I might even have to stay up all night, so I can't go with you to meet your friends.

Lin Yu: ...

She was quiet for a few seconds, then said: It's okay. Work is important.

Li Yin: Wife, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Lin Yu: It's okay~ We can meet next time.

Li Yin: [Clutching head and crying]

Lin Yu sent him a sticker to comfort him, then got up, grabbed the scarf on the sofa and wrapped it around her neck. She took her car keys and the bag of takeout trash, threw the trash out as she left, and went downstairs.

She rarely drove. This was only her second time driving recently.

After she drove off, Li Yin sent another message asking where they were meeting. He wanted to order them some food. Lin Yu sent a voice message saying there was no need and that he could do it next time.

When she reached Wenxing Tower, Lin Yu had a key card. Chen Lüli and Jiang Yan'an were VIP members of the Star and Moon Card Room. It was reserved for the two of them long-term and was a private space.

Lin Yu swiped her card.

She had just poked her head in.

Jiang Zao clicked her tongue twice. "Why are you so late? You didn't reply in the group chat either. I thought you'd forgotten."

Lin Yu came in and said, "I didn't forget. There was a bit of traffic."

She looked back and saw that Chen Lüli and Jiang Yan'an were already sitting at the card table, talking. As soon as Jiang Yan'an saw her, he jumped up. "Yuyu, I missed you."

He got to his feet and walked toward her, wearing a brown coat. He glanced back. "Where's your boyfriend? You didn't bring him?"

Smiling, Lin Yu said, "Something came up at work, so he couldn't make it. Maybe next time?"

Jiang Yan'an leaned against the card table and clicked his tongue. "Is he too timid to meet us?"

Lin Yu hurried to explain for Li Yin. "No, no, he really is busy with work."

Jiang Yan'an snorted. "Can he be busier than me? Busier than Chen Lüli?"

At a loss, Lin Yu unconsciously glanced at Chen Lüli, who was wearing a black shirt and fiddling with a deck of cards. He gave her an indifferent look.

Lin Yu's eyelashes fluttered as she remembered their showdown in the game that night. It had been the first time she'd beaten him.

Hehe.

Their scenes together are coming up next.

Another 100 red packets for this chapter. See you tomorrow.

Chapter 13

"All right, all right, you're practically glued to Yuyu." Jiang Zao got up, put an arm around Lin Yu, and pulled her back. Lin Yu came back to her senses. Jiang Yan'an put his hands in his pockets, stepped forward, and shot Jiang Zao a sideways glance. "You just have to meddle."

Jiang Zao stuck out her tongue. "Jiang Yan'an, half the things you say are true and half are false. Who knows if you really missed Yuyu, or if you just missed the coffee at her place?"

"Pfft, of course I genuinely missed Yuyu." Jiang Yan'an pushed Jiang Zao aside. "Yuyu, is that boyfriend of yours really busy?"

Lin Yu smiled. "Mm, he really is."

"All right, then. Who knows what he's so busy with."

Jiang Zao said, "So you're allowed to be busy, but no one else is?"

"Jiang Zao, you're picking a fight with me again."

The two began bickering again. Lin Yu coughed and pulled Jiang Zao over to sit down. Jiang Yan'an turned and took a seat at the table. A server in a qipao came in to pour tea.

Jiang Yan'an said, "Leave it. We'll do it ourselves."

The server nodded and respectfully left.

Jiang Yan'an said, "The last time we met was the last time we met. I really missed you guys. It's so lonely in Jing City. I'm exhausted from scheming against those senior brothers of mine."

Jiang Zao picked up a deck of cards and said, "Serves you right. Who told you to stay in Jing City? We all left. What fun is there being there alone?"

Jiang Yan'an raised a hand to hit her.

Chen Lüli picked up the teapot and poured tea. Jiang Yan'an hurriedly moved his cup over. Jiang Zao hesitated, then carefully slid her cup toward his hand too.

He glanced at them and poured for both.

Only Lin Yu was left. He looked up.

Lin Yu was sitting across from him, so it wasn't really convenient. But for some reason, he seemed especially cold tonight, and she hadn't had the chance or dared to greet him, much less casually get him to pour her a cup of tea. But now everyone else had gotten some, and she was the only one left. It wouldn't be right to be the exception, would it?

"Pour it yourself?" he asked.

Lin Yu pressed her lips together and slid her cup toward him. "Sorry for the trouble."

Chen Lüli finished pouring the tea and set the teapot down beside him.

The room was heated, but a cup of hot tea was still comforting. Jiang Yan'an switched on the automatic mahjong table and said, "Without you to play with me, I can't even get enough people together for a game of mahjong."

Jiang Zao said, "I haven't played in ages."