Chapter 36

"The primroses are blooming nicely this year, better than in previous years." Zhong Lixin had a good impression of Chen Lüli, so she naturally felt warmly toward Tan You as well. Since they rarely ran into each other, they might as well walk together. She smiled and said, "Since fate brought us together, why don't our families have a look around together? Professor Lin can tell us about the flowers."

Tan You was mildly surprised. "Does Professor Lin teach botany?"

Chen Lüli said quietly to his mother, "Uncle Lin teaches physics, but he's published several papers on botany. People in the field have praised them as models."

"I see," Tan You said respectfully.

Professor Lin couldn't help glancing at this friend of his daughter's. He still didn't know that the animated promotional video for Li University that had shaken his resolve was the work of the friend standing before him. He was also a little surprised that the young man had read the papers he had written outside his own field.

Zhong Lixin, meanwhile, had an even better impression of Chen Lüli.

And so it was decided: the two families would walk together. Lin Yu hadn't expected this outcome. When she ran into him here, her ears, hidden beneath her hair, had immediately grown hot, and she had barely dared meet his eyes. With Tan You, Lin Yu had been composed and polite.

Who would have thought they would end up walking together?

The nemophila had been planted below the slope, so the group walked down. The two mothers hit it off at once, chatting as they walked, while Professor Lin strolled along with his hands behind his back, admiring the primroses beside him.

Lin Yu came to a small step and prepared to step down.

A large hand reached out to her. Lin Yu paused, then met his long, narrow eyes. Chen Lüli looked up at her for a few seconds. "Don't recognize me anymore?"

Lin Yu's cheeks and neck quietly flushed and burned again. She shook her head, steadied her heartbeat, and laid her hand in his palm. Chen Lüli took it.

He helped her down.

The two mothers were walking ahead. Zhong Lixin turned back to look for her daughter, while Tan You did so instinctively. They saw the young man and woman holding hands.

Chen Lüli being a gentleman to a female friend.

Seeing that someone was looking after her daughter and helping her safely down the step, Zhong Lixin thought nothing more of it and felt reassured.

But Tan You was different. No one knew her son better than she did. His indifference toward women was inborn; it was a mercy he didn't freeze them to death, so why would he take the initiative to hold one's hand? Besides, the step wasn't high at all; for an adult woman, getting down was as easy as turning over her hand. Tan You grew thoughtful, but once Lin Yu was down, she saw that both of them looked normal. They said nothing and made no other move, and Tan You wondered if she was reading too much into it.

After all, they had been friends since high school.

Sure enough, there were lots of people around the nemophila flower field. The vast expanse was the color of blue tears, like a scene from a movie, and many people couldn't resist taking out their phones to snap pictures. Even Professor Lin squatted down to study the flowers, while Zhong Lixin and Tan You chatted about the field among the crowd.

Lin Yu arrived a few seconds late and couldn't squeeze in.

Her gaze was drawn to someone selling ice cream.

Chen Lüli glanced at her. "Want some?"

Lin Yu looked at him and nodded.

"Sit down." Chen Lüli gestured. There were too many people here, all jostling about. Lin Yu agreed and sat down on a chair, rubbing her ear.

Trying to ease the heat.

Chen Lüli went to queue at the ice cream truck, his tall, slender figure standing out. Lin Yu watched him, and when he returned a few minutes later, she looked away and pretended to check her phone.

Chen Lüli held the ice cream out to her.

Only then did Lin Yu look up and reach for it, but Chen Lüli didn't let go. He lowered his eyes to her. "After what happened on New Year's Eve, can I assume you're already looking at me?"

Lin Yu's lashes fluttered, and she instinctively started to lower her head as she answered.

Chen Lüli placed his other hand against her forehead and pushed it up a little so their eyes met. He asked, "You haven't

lost your memory,

have you?"

This time, the flush spread from the roots of Lin Yu's ears all the way down her neck. She gritted her teeth, her voice soft and gentle. "No, no."

Hearing that, Chen Lüli's brows lifted slightly, a smile in his eyes.

Lin Yu snatched the ice cream and lowered her head to take a bite.

Chen Lüli sat down opposite her and said, "It's too cold. Eat slowly."

Lin Yu said nothing and kept eating. Mainly, she didn't know how to face him calmly. A child walked past the table carrying a big bubble machine, and the bubbles it blew drifted toward Lin Yu's bangs. Seeing this, Chen Lüli reached out to shield her, and the bubbles struck the back of his hand.

They burst, leaving it wet.

A few tiny bubbles still landed on Lin Yu's bangs. She reached up to brush them away and happened to touch his hand. The man turned his hand over and caught her fingertips.

Lin Yu's heart began racing wildly, and she bit into her ice cream even faster.

Chen Lüli pulled her hand down and looked at her. "Then it's settled. Keep looking at me."

Lin Yu raised her eyes. Her lips were rosy, while her eyes had grown watery from the cold sweetness in her throat.

His hand remained holding hers.

Over by the flower field, the crowd was packed tight. Fortunately, Zhong Lixin and Tan You had entered the field earlier and had found room to stand. They were listening to Professor Lin talk about where nemophila could be grown and how it adapted to the climate when Tan You's phone rang. She took it out of her bag and saw that Ming Yu was calling.

Tan You answered.

Ming Yu's sweet, lively voice came through the phone. "Auntie, did you go out today? Where did you go? There's nobody home."

Tan You said, "We came out to see the Spring Flower Festival."

"Oh, did Chen Lüli go too?"

Tan You said, "Who else would keep me company?"

Ming Yu laughed. "I would."

"You don't even like flowers and plants."

Ming Yu said with a smile, "If I'm with you, Auntie, then I like them."

"You always know just what to say."

Tan You smiled and looked through the crowd for her son. She saw Chen Lüli take something from Lin Yu's hand and throw it in the trash for her.

Tan You's eyes grew more thoughtful.

"Auntie, when are you coming back? Is Chen Lüli coming back with you?" Ming Yu asked.

Tan You returned to herself and said, "We'll come back when the festival closes. Lüli still has to go to the company later."

Ming Yu said, "Oh, okay."

"Ming Yu, I'm going to hang up." There were too many people and it was a little noisy, so Tan You let Ming Yu know. Ming Yu smiled and said, "Okay, Auntie. Then I'll go with my mom to see my older cousin first."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Tan You returned to Zhong Lixin.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu hadn't finished her ice cream. She had overestimated herself. Chen Lüli was using his phone beside the table, having given his seat to an elderly woman with a child.

He looked down and saw that she was eating the last few bites especially slowly. It reminded him of a time in the university cafeteria when she had ordered an extra steak. Everyone else had finished eating, leaving only her. She had taken tiny bites, eating slowly and with difficulty; her family had taught her not to waste food.

She had thought she would chew it carefully and finish it, without saying she was too full to eat any more.

Jiang Zao couldn't stand watching and asked, "Yuyu, can't you finish it?"

She looked up blankly, then nodded, cute and pitiful like a rabbit.

Chen Lüli looked at her for a few seconds and said, "Give it to me."

Lin Yu was taken aback and raised her head.

Chen Lüli held her wrist, bent down, and bit off the rest of the ice cream in her hand.

A child at the same table immediately looked at Lin Yu warily.

Is big sister going to cry?

Chen Lüli said, "If you can't finish it, say so."

Lin Yu's wrist was a little red, and the roots of her ears were a little hot. She said quietly, "I thought I'd eat as much as I could."

Before long, their parents returned. The flower market was due to close that evening. Chen Lüli still had to go to the company later, and Tan You couldn't very well keep her son with her indefinitely.

The two families went to their cars and said goodbye.

Chen Lüli glanced at Lin Yu.

She was very quiet beside her parents.

Before getting into the car, Tan You smiled at Lin Yu. "Yuyu, come visit us when you have time."

Lin Yu smiled faintly. "Okay, Auntie."

Chen Lüli said, "Who knows if she'll dare come?"

Lin Yu pressed her lips together, instinctively looked at him, and quietly glared.

Chen Lüli's expression was indifferent, but a trace of a smile slipped into his eyes. After saying goodbye to Zhong Lixin and Lin Zhenghe, he got into the car with his mother.

Zhong Lixin put an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Come on. We'll eat out tonight. What would you like?"

Lin Yu had eaten too much ice cream and only wanted something light and refreshing now. The ice cream from the outdoor truck was more expensive and bigger than what they sold in shops.

"All right, then we'll have something light."

The family of three also got into their car, and the black sedan drove away.

Over dinner, Lin Zhenghe asked Lin Yu whether she was renovating the garden at her shop for the new year. Lin Yu said she had already planted some new flower seeds. Zhong Lixin touched up a few photos and sent them to Lin Yu, saying, "Your dad thinks you could try this flower in your garden."

Lin Yu opened the photos.

They were indeed beautiful, but the blue didn't match the flowers in the garden. She said, "I'll see if I can add them. I'll have to ask my teacher what they think."

Lin Zhenghe said, "Up to you."

Just then, Jiang Zao tagged Lin Yu in the group chat and asked: Yuyu, did you go to the Spring Flower Festival this year?

Lin Yu drank her soup and replied on her phone: I did. What's up?

Jiang Zao: Ah, I forgot to ask you to buy me the High-Hanging Moon.

Lin Yu: The festival market will still be open tomorrow. I have time to go out and buy it for you.

Jiang Zao: Yay, yay!

Jiang Yan'an: So you went to the Spring Flower Festival today, Yuyu?

Lin Yu: Yeah, what's up?

Jiang Yan'an: I fucking went too! How come I didn't run into you?!

Lin Yu: ...

Jiang Zao laughed: That's because you weren't fated to meet!

Jiang Yan'an: ...If fate won't bring us together, I'll make it happen. Shut up.

Jiang Zao: [giggle giggle]

The two were bickering again, and Lin Yu thought it was adorable. She held back a smile as she drank her soup. Just then, her phone chimed again. A message had arrived from an account with a backlit profile picture of someone propping up their face.

It was Ming Yu.

Ming Yu: Yuyu, are you free tonight? I'll come find you and we can talk.

Lin Yu paused: What time? I'm still having dinner with my parents.

Ming Yu: How about nine thirty?

Lin Yu: Okay, let's pick somewhere to meet. It's a bit of a hassle to drive over to my residential complex.