Love for You

"Pretty good." She sat on the sofa folding clothes and asked if he wanted some cake.

"Where did the cake come from?"

"It was Zhengsi's birthday. We bought a birthday cake but didn't finish it, so I brought the leftovers back and put them in the fridge."

Oh, someone else's leftover cake, asking if he wanted to eat it.

"No."

Speaking of Lu Zhengsi brought up another matter. Chen Yi propped his chin, slightly narrowed his eyes, and pursed his lips: "You and Lu Zhengsi seem pretty close?"

"Very close." Miao Jing kept her eyes demurely lowered, then remembered something and said softly, "The weather's getting cold, and it's becoming difficult to catch the shuttle bus early in the morning. Zhengsi often travels back and forth to the city center, which isn't very convenient either. I'm thinking of moving to the company dormitory. Can I keep my room here? Maybe I could come back for a day or two on weekends."

He lowered his gaze, his thick dark lashes casting shadows, then suddenly stood up and strode away. "Do whatever you want."

"Are you going out?"

"What's up?"

"That works perfectly." She gathered the clothes and carried them into the room. "I need to change. Could you give me a ride? I have a date tonight and will be back late. If you return early, could you fix the washing machine pipe? It's leaking a bit."

"..."

Miao Jing emerged from the room adjusting the pearl earrings on her ears. Her long hair was loosely pinned up with a hair clip, a few strands falling along her swan-like neck. The light blue shirt dress reached her calves—seemingly ordinary clothes, but on her they carried a crystal-clear, cool elegance, refined without being ostentatious, an untouchable noble grace that no one could grasp, just like her slipping dress hem.

She had arranged to have dinner with Lu Zhengsi at a restaurant. Chen Yi dropped her off, then turned his car around and left. Watching the Cadillac disappear into the distance, she made a call to Chen Yi.

His voice sounded slightly impatient: "What is it?"

They hadn't exchanged a word during the car ride, but now he picked up the phone promptly.

"There's an umbrella in the back seat."

"Should I bring it back to you?"

"No need, just wanted to let you know—it belongs to Lily. Just return it to her."

"Mm."

Chen Yi drove around the city, picking up Dayong and his girlfriend along the way, then waited for Tu Li to come downstairs, finally collecting Dai Mao. In the evening, they went to a club that offered banquet, sauna, mahjong, and karaoke services. Chen Yi seemed to be in high spirits, his face lit with laughter, eyes sparkling brightly. After dinner, everyone enjoyed themselves at the mahjong table. Chen Yi played a couple rounds too, with Tu Li sitting beside him, counting his chips and helping him win quite a bit. Later, during karaoke, several cases of beer were ordered, and everyone started playing games. They pulled off the thick gold chain from Chen Yi's neck to verify its authenticity on the spot. He was drinked until his face turned pale, but his eyes shone like stars as he leaned back on the sofa, leisurely lighting a cigarette. Tu Li wrapped her arms around his neck, leaving bright red kiss marks on his skin.

Miao Jing waited for Lu Zhengsi to arrive. After meeting up, they found a place to eat. Recently, a component design project had been assigned to Miao Jing—the blueprints were finalized, and subsequent design and testing certification work needed to begin. Miao Jing discussed this with Lu Zhengsi over dinner. After the meal, she decided to follow Lu Zhengsi back to the company, where she spent two extra hours working on technical documents by herself.

When it was about time, Lu Zhengsi came in from outside and mentioned it was raining. Miao Jing got up to leave and walked out of the office with him. The autumn rain poured down, wrapping everything in a chilly dampness. The wind brushed through her hair and skirt, creating a delicate, graceful silhouette that evoked both admiration and pity."It's really too late, let me walk you back." Lu Zhengsi held an umbrella for her and pulled out a car key. "The company cars are all available, I borrowed one, perfect to take you home."

"Thank you, I appreciate it." Miao Jing didn't refuse his kindness. "You really don't have to work overtime with me."

"I think it's quite nice. I've learned a lot from you, Engineer Miao."

"You should still have your own personal time, don't follow my example. I might be overcorrecting a bit."

"Engineer Miao, you're the most hardworking woman I've ever met... Have you always been like this?"

"Is that something I can talk about?" Miao Jing smiled. "Hard work is the easiest talent to acquire, and also the simplest way to escape life, or rather, to escape troubles."

"Do you have many troubles, Engineer Miao?"

Miao Jing beamed brightly: "I'm just very interested in life's choices."

They chatted about work, about the future and the industry, and finally about their respective families. Lu Zhengsi tentatively asked: "The person you mentioned... who was seriously ill, is that Chen Yi?"

"Do you think he fits the description?"

Lu Zhengsi shrugged somewhat confusedly.

Arriving at the building entrance, Lu Zhengsi and Miao Jing shared an umbrella as they got out of the car. She carefully held her skirt hem, not expecting to see a car parked by the roadside. Tu Li, wearing a leopard-print miniskirt, was supporting Chen Yi as they returned too. The four of them encountered each other at the building entrance.

Chen Yi had drunk quite a bit but wasn't completely drunk. The glaring large gold chain around his neck had disappeared. He leaned lazily on Tu Li, his entire being exuding a cold, dark aura. His sharp features appeared pale as jade in the rainy night, radiating a temperament of wild indulgence.

As the two umbrellas converged, Chen Yi and Miao Jing each looked up, their gazes meeting through the dense rain. After a moment of silence, they quietly looked away.

"What a coincidence."

"You're back?"

The rain had been falling heavily during this time, dampening their trouser legs. The four of them went upstairs one after another. Miao Jing boiled water to make tea, preparing some for Chen Yi to sober up, while everyone else had a couple sips to warm themselves. As the teapot was set down, the atmosphere in the home suddenly became lively. Tu Li and Lu Zhengsi chatted about the evening's amusing events - how Chen Yi's large gold chain had been completely divided among everyone. Tu Li's clear laughter filled the entire room.

With the heavy rain outside, Chen Yi had been accepting all drinks offered to him that night, and Tu Li naturally planned to stay over.

As it was getting late, Lu Zhengsi felt somewhat awkward and hesitated about leaving, but Miao Jing stopped him: "The rain is so heavy, it wouldn't be safe for you to drive back. Why don't you stay?"

As soon as she finished speaking, three pairs of eyes fixed on her smooth complexion. Chen Yi's expression changed slightly, his ambiguous gaze freezing in place. Lu Zhengsi's face flushed slightly red as he stood somewhat awkwardly, scratching his head before Tu Li's joking remark eased the tension: "This home just lacks a mahjong table, otherwise we could play a few rounds tonight. Let's see if there are any playing cards in the house."