After entering the private room, Liang Xu immediately complained about Jing Yi not giving him candy.
Ni Sui glared at him wordlessly, but Shu He didn’t think much of it and gave him her candy.
Liang Xu smiled as he took one. When she turned her head, she met someone’s quiet gaze.
Shu He was about to say “it’s just candy,” but the words caught in her throat. Just as she was about to say something else, Li Minyu walked in.
The woman’s complexion looked increasingly rosy. She smiled cheerfully, carrying two large bags of souvenirs from her trip.
As they chatted, the topic shifted to Liang Xu and Ni Sui’s wedding.
Their wedding was scheduled for May, when the weather wouldn’t be too cold.
Most of the conversation was between Li Minyu and Liang Xu. By the time they finished dinner, it was already past eight.
Before leaving, Li Minyu noticed Jing Yi walking together with Shu He and wondered about it. They seemed to have a good relationship if they were going out to eat together.
She casually asked, “Little Shu, are you renewing your lease next month?”
It was like a sudden alarm bell, reminding them that the lease was about to expire.
She had said before that she would move out when it expired.
Jing Yi’s dark gaze instantly fixed on her profile. Shu He thought for a moment: “I’ll get back to you later.”
“Alright.”
Considering Jing Yi’s leg, they took a taxi home.
After her shower, she found a missed call from Tang Yun on her phone.
Instead of calling back directly, she first checked her unread WeChat messages from him.
Tang Yun: [Are you looking for a place? Uncle asked me to help you look, and I do have some good properties. When are you free to meet?]
Shu He paused while drying her hair, frowning as she typed: [My dad?]
Tang Yun seemed busy and didn’t reply right away.
The more Shu He thought about it, the more it bothered her. She decided to call Shu Hua directly.
Once connected, she got straight to the point: “Did you tell Tang Yun I was looking for a place?”
Shu Hua didn’t deny it: “Little Yun knows people, so it’s good to have him help you.”
Shu He controlled her temper. “This is the last time. Don’t interfere in my affairs anymore. Also, there’s no possibility between Tang Yun and me.”
“Why are you so stubborn?” Shu Hua scolded. “I’m only thinking of what’s best for you. Tang Yun is such a good catch, and if you don’t take this opportunity, do you really want to end up alone forever?”
Her wet black hair was still dripping. Shu He looked at herself in the mirror and retorted coldly, “What does it matter to you if I end up alone?”
“Shu He! Is that how you speak to your father?!”
Cold water droplets slid down her skin. She couldn’t help but mock him: “I want to ask you too—when I was little, you didn’t care about me, didn’t want me, and now you come to show concern. Is it to salvage your belated fatherly love? Don’t you find that ridiculous?”
Shu He hung up, her mood plummeting to rock bottom.
She didn’t even bother to blow-dry her hair and pushed open the bedroom door to find some yogurt.
But as it happened, the housekeeper had taken time off, and they had finished the yogurt a few days ago.
Jing Yi hadn’t returned to his room yet. Seeing her actions, he instinctively asked, “Are you upset?”
Shu He tugged at her lip. As she brushed past him, he caught her hand. “Remember to dry your hair.”
Meeting his dark eyes, something seemed to suddenly break. She looked back at him with a bland expression: “Don’t want to.”
Jing Yi could tell she was genuinely upset, or else she wouldn’t have displayed this long-forgotten “willfulness.”
His heart pounded steadily as he followed her lead, “I’ll dry it for you.”
Shu He sat cross-legged on the sofa. He skillfully dried her hair, and the woman’s long locks gleamed like silk. He then squeezed some hair oil and carefully massaged her ends.
“When are you planning to get a haircut?”
He tried to make conversation. Shu He was drowsy and mumbled a response, which he couldn’t quite catch.
Seeing how tired she seemed, he put away the hairdryer, slipped his arms under her legs, and gently lifted her up.
Shu He’s eyelids fluttered, but she didn’t open her eyes. She just wrapped her arms around his neck, her cheek resting against his chest.
“Are you still doing rehabilitation?” she suddenly asked. Jing Yi instinctively looked at the person in his arms and gave a soft “mm.”
Perhaps to reassure her, he eagerly added, “Don’t worry, I won’t fall.”
She let out a light snort. “Even if you did, I’d have you as a cushion.”
Jing Yi placed her on the bed. Shu He opened her eyes, her vision blurry. It took her a couple of seconds to clearly see the person in front of her.
“In less than half a month, my lease will expire. Is there anything you want to tell me?”
His lips moved, and he lowered his eyes: “What do you want to know?”
“Everything about you,” Shu He sat up. “Jing Yi, I want to know everything about you.”
“If you knew that I’m not a good person, that I’ve done many bad things…”
He struggled, but his eyes held a pleading look.
“How bad? What kind of bad things?” In the light, her clear gaze looked at him calmly, though also somewhat wearily. “Can you stop living in your own assumptions?”
“You always think I’d choose to give up on you if I knew everything, right?”
He stammered, finding it difficult to say: “But the people who know about this, they all gave up on me.”
“So you chose to give up on me first.”
“I haven’t. I never gave up on you.” His lips moved as he held her hand, but he didn’t dare look into her eyes. “Just wait for me. I will tell you.”
By then, he would be prepared.
If after knowing everything, she would choose to abandon him like the others…
A sense of bewilderment flashed through his heart.
Shu He avoided his gaze and slowly withdrew her hand.
“Forget it. Please go out, I want to rest.”
Sensing her fatigue, Jing Yi silently left the bedroom.
He looked blankly at the empty, quiet living room. Since she had moved in, the home had been filled with her presence, something he had long craved.
She said he was a coward.
He truly was.
In college, he had tried hard to show her his best side. Not just Shu He, even he himself began to believe that he was a normal person.
But now, he was crippled, covered in countless ugly scars, no longer as spirited as before, despised by his closest family…
He was so ugly in this state, truly unworthy of her.
If, after learning everything, she became afraid, disgusted, terrified… perhaps that would be expected.
He had forgotten that he was never meant to be loved.
When that time came, he could seek redemption from Jing Lin… though he didn’t know if Jing Lin would be willing to see him.
If Jing Lin refused… then he would truly have nowhere to go.
Shu He woke up rather early the next day. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Tang Yun’s message from last night.
[Sorry I was busy earlier. I checked with my friend, and there is indeed a nice place. Do you have time to come see it?]
Seeing that he had genuinely helped, Shu He thought for a moment and felt she couldn’t refuse now.
After washing up and leaving her bedroom, she was about to see what to make for breakfast when her gaze suddenly fell on the row of yogurts in the refrigerator.
At this hour… supermarkets probably weren’t open yet.
And the housekeeper hadn’t come in either.
She glanced at that tightly closed door, then looked down and switched back to the Tiantian Coffee Shop’s WeChat. He hadn’t sent any messages either.
Shu He casually drank her yogurt while typing: [Did you buy the yogurt?]
The moment she sent the message, she remembered what the housekeeper had said—at this hour, he probably wasn’t awake yet.
When she left, flowers were blooming luxuriantly outside the residential complex. She inexplicably thought of a certain fastidious man with pollen allergies.
The hair salon wasn’t very crowded yet. When she arrived, Yu Mo said something to the person beside him and hurried over, putting down what he was working on.
While cutting her hair, Yu Mo remained his usual taciturn self. Shu He suddenly remembered something and asked, “Do you also cut Jing Yi’s hair?”
He nodded, then perhaps feeling that was impolite, softly replied, “But he rarely gets haircuts.”
Shu He recalled that Yu Mo had also been present when she went to view the apartment.
“How well do you know him?”
Yu Mo shook his head, “Actually, I rarely saw him before.”
Shu He looked around the salon, remembering that he had said he was also Li Minyu’s tenant, and couldn’t help asking, “Do you also live in Building 21?”
“No,” Yu Mo answered. “The apartments there seem quite expensive.”
An older woman sitting next to Shu He overheard their conversation and curiously asked, “Young lady, you live there? How much is it per month?”
Yu Mo was conflicted about whether to warn her. This woman was also a landlord, probably trying to lure her to view her own property.
Shu He didn’t hide anything. After hearing her answer, the woman’s expression changed drastically. She looked at Shu He suspiciously, then said crossly, “If you don’t want to say, then don’t. No need to lie like that.”
The woman paid and left in a huff. Shu He looked confused, and Yu Mo explained, “I’ve heard that people who live there are quite well-off. The rent starts at least in the five figures.”
The two thousand she mentioned was indeed ridiculously low.
Shu He was stunned. Could it be because of Li Minyu’s special consideration for her?
She didn’t dwell on this question for long. On her way to the coffee shop, she happened to pass a candied haw seller and bought several skewers. She also went to the convenience store next door to buy a pack of fruit candies. After returning, she distributed the candied haws to the young girls at the shop.
In the afternoon, the sound of wind chimes tinkled. Sunlight fell through from behind as a man wearing a loose cream-colored sweater entered. His clear black and white eyes were pure and clean. He tried to show a harmless, obedient smile, but his tightly clenched hands betrayed his nervousness.
He hadn’t been here for several days, and the staff had probably forgotten to keep the corner seat reserved for him. Someone was already sitting there, so Shu He could only lead him to another spot.
Shu He’s gaze fell on his face, which was so pale it seemed almost bloodless: “With so many flowers outside the complex, are you okay?”
He was momentarily stunned, then realized she was concerned about his pollen allergy. He nodded gently: “I wore a mask, just took it off.”
Shu He made a sound of acknowledgment. When she returned to the counter, she checked her phone and discovered he had replied to her message not long ago.
Jing Yi: [Yes, thought you might be upset.]
So it really was him who bought it…
The barista had already prepared his coffee. Shu He glanced at it, “I’ll take it over.”
When he saw her set down the coffee along with a skewer of candied strawberries and a pack of fruit candy, he visibly froze.
Shu He just gave him a casual glance, offering no explanation: “You like candy, don’t you?”
Because Liang Xu had eaten one piece of candy, he had been moody and sullen for a long time.
But he hadn’t expected Shu He to specially buy candied haws for him.
This was probably… her way of comforting him?
She was so good to him.
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