TSMLI CHAPTER 15

When Lin Chu heard the doorbell ring, she assumed it was room service. But then she wondered what kind of room service a small hotel would offer. So she opened the door cautiously, only opening it a crack.

A dark-skinned, unfamiliar man stood outside, holding a plastic bag and saying, “Delivering takeout!”

Lin Chu asked in surprise, “I didn’t order takeout, did you deliver it to the wrong place?”

The deliveryman glanced at the door and said, “No mistake, it was ordered by a gentleman. Hurry up, I have to rush to the next delivery.”

Lin Chu frowned and hesitated for a long time before taking the food. The deliveryman left immediately.

Ye Jing groggily asked, “Takeout? You ordered it?”

Lin Chu walked over to her and placed the takeout on the bedside table without answering. “Are you hungry? Get up and eat something!” There were three dishes, a soup, and two boxes of white rice in the two plastic bags. Lin Chu opened the black chicken soup, picked up a spoon and scooped some out. “Get up and drink some soup first.”

Ye Jing hummed in agreement, then slowly sat up, supporting herself on the bed. Lin Chu placed a pillow behind her back and handed her the soup.

Although there were only four or five pieces of black chicken, the chicken soup was exceptionally delicious. Ye Jing took a couple of sips and then scooped a spoonful to Lin Chu’s lips. Lin Chu smiled and pushed it away, saying, “I won’t eat your saliva. You can drink it slowly yourself and then eat a couple more bites of rice later.”

Ye Jing smiled and soon drank most of the soup.

After dinner, Ye Jing got up to go to the bathroom to wash up, only to realize, “Chu Chu, I forgot to bring a towel. Could you go buy me one?”

Lin Chu responded, then heard Ye Jing call out, “It’s leaking, can you buy me another pair of underwear?”

Lin Chu had originally planned to buy towels at a small shop, but now she had no choice but to go to the supermarket.

It was lunchtime, and the waitresses at the front desk were watching TV while holding their bowls of rice. There were only a few people in the narrow lobby, and the strong smell of food was mixed with the pungent smell of smoke. Two men with tattoos on their arms were joking with the waitresses. When they saw Lin Chu come out of the elevator, the two men immediately waved and called out, “Little sister, all alone?”

Lin Chu frowned, walked around to the side, and saw Shen Zhongxun standing by the chair, wiping his mouth with a tissue, throwing it into a takeout container on the coffee table, and looking at Lin Chu: “Going home?”

Lin Chu was taken aback and stammered, “Manager Shen… Manager Shen, why are you still here?” Then, she suddenly remembered something and quickly looked down to rummage through her bag for her wallet. “Oh, right, thank you for ordering the takeout for me. How much was it? I’ll pay you back!”

Receiving no response, Lin Chu looked up and saw Shen Zhongxun had already reached the door, thrown the fast food container into the trash can, and opened the glass door, saying, “Aren’t you leaving?”

Lin Chu quickly followed, the sweltering air passing over the two of them and rushing straight into the room.

The sky was half-lit and half-dark, with the fiery red sunset leaving only a narrow streak in the distance. Layers of gray-white clouds were covered with a light gold hue, and bats flew about in an orderly fashion.

Shen Zhongxun opened the car door, intending to take Lin Chu home, but Lin Chu waved her hand and declined, saying, “I’m just going to buy some things, I didn’t intend to go home.”

Shen Zhongxun then said, “Then I’ll take you there, to the supermarket?”

Lin Chu was quite embarrassed: “No need, Manager Shen, you’ve already gone to a lot of trouble for me today. You can go back now, thank you!” As she spoke, she took out some money again, and this time she didn’t even ask how much it cost, but directly handed over a hundred-yuan bill.

Shen Zhongxun said, “Sixty-seven yuan, I’ll give you thirty-three yuan in change. Get in the car first.” Seeing that Lin Chu didn’t move, he had no choice but to say, “I have something to ask you, we’ll talk on the way!”

Although Lin Chu felt awkward and strange, she had no choice but to get into the car and point out a road to the nearest supermarket.

Shen Zhongxun emerged from the side path and asked, “Are you going back to the hotel after buying things? What time are you going home?”

Lin Chu casually gave a time and then said, “By the way, what do you want to ask?”

Shen Zhongxun gripped the steering wheel tightly, his jaw clenched, and remained silent. Lin Chu glanced at him suspiciously and also stopped talking. After a while, she heard him cough and whisper, “You really have a boyfriend?”

Lin Chu’s heart skipped a beat, and she blurted out, “Is this even real?”

Shen Zhongxun only grunted and then fell silent. Lin Chu felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, no longer daring to steal a glance at him, and stared intently at the road in front of her, her heart pounding in her chest.

As the car pulled up to the supermarket entrance, Lin Chu scrambled out of the car as if her life depended on it, shouted “Thank you,” and hurried inside. Seeing no one following, she breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear heavy footsteps appear behind her like ghosts. Shen Zhongxun slowly asked, “I just parked. What do you want to buy?”

Lin Chu was caught between breaths, “Just buy a few things.” She closed her mouth tightly and stopped talking, hurriedly grabbing some items and throwing them into the shopping cart. She cursed herself for being too sensitive, having a princess complex, and being a shameless narcissist. It took her a while to recover and then she walked calmly to the ladies’ underwear area.

Shen Zhongxun followed closely behind. He had been somewhat displeased when he saw her picking out junk food earlier, but now that he saw her pushing a cart into the underwear section, he paused, glanced elsewhere, and stood outside.

Lin Chu glanced at him before quickly picking out a pack of underwear. Just as she emerged from another exit, Shen Zhongxun appeared out of nowhere and followed her again, asking, “Anything else you want to buy?”

Lin Chu smiled and said, “That’s about enough. Let’s buy another towel.”

After buying everything, the two lined up to pay. Lin Chu didn’t have much cash, so she swiped her bank card directly. When signing the receipt, she felt sorry for the pile of useless snacks and wrote too hard, tearing the receipt and leaving a black scratch on the counter.

While she was signing the bill, Shen Zhongxun picked up the shopping bag. Lin Chu put her bank card back and followed him out of the supermarket. Just as she was about to thank him and tell him to go back, Shen Zhongxun asked, “How long have you been with your boyfriend?”

Lin Chu was taken aback, secretly calculating the time: “It’s been more than two months.” She went on a blind date in May, and now it’s July.

Shen Zhongxun nodded thoughtfully: “It’s very short.”

Lin Chu didn’t hear him clearly and didn’t know what he was muttering. In the short time that passed, Shen Zhongxun had already put the shopping bags into the car. When Lin Chu tried to refuse again, he just smiled and said, as if she was just being polite: “Get in the car quickly, your friend must be getting impatient.”

Lin Chu had no choice but to get back into the car with trepidation, remaining silent the whole way. Only when she returned to the hotel and Shen Zhongxun was no longer there did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She didn’t tell Ye Jing about the fear and anxiety she had experienced on the way. After soaking the towel in hot water to soften it, she made Ye Jing get out of bed to wash up.

After Ye Jing finished washing up, she took an anti-inflammatory pill and asked softly, “Can you not go back tonight? Sleep here with me.”

Seeing the tear stains still in her eyes, Lin Chu nodded gently and called home to tell her mother, inevitably receiving a scolding.

The two beds were close together, and the two women chatted while leaning on the edge of the beds. Ye Jing explained the whole story, and Lin Chu asked her, “Do you still want to contact him?”

Ye Jing shook her head: “Haven’t I learned my lesson yet? I don’t want to make the same mistake again.” Then, she suddenly asked, “Hey, who was that guy just now, the one named Shen something?”

Lin Chu stammered, “A manager under the city investment company.”

Ye Jing asked curiously, “How did you meet? He looks much older than you. Is there something going on?”

Lin Chu glanced at her and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? He just happened to be transferred to the project company here and lives downstairs from my grandparents. He’s quite familiar with my grandparents.”

Ye Jing laughed and said, “Don’t think I was too confused to see anything before. He’s quite manly, I like him, you can consider it!”

Lin Chu ignored her, and then heard Ye Jing sigh, “Forget it, let’s not date each other and just keep each other company from now on.” She was exhausted and soon closed her eyes.

Lin Chu turned off the lights and turned up the air conditioning a bit. In a daze, she began to ponder whether she should ask for leave tomorrow and what Ye Jing was going to do these past few days.

Having an abortion is like having a mini-confinement period, and Ye Jing needs to rest properly. However, her current physical condition prevents her from returning home, and staying in a hotel is too troublesome. Just as she was feeling upset, her phone started buzzing. Lin Chu got out of bed, took it out of her bag, and saw a string of unfamiliar numbers on it, which kept vibrating.

After answering the phone, she only heard one sound before she was immediately startled. Shen Zhongxun asked on the other end, “Aren’t you going home tonight?”

Lin Chu swallowed hard and replied, “Ah, I’m not going home. Manager Shen, you’re still awake?”

Shen Zhongxun said in a low voice, “You’re not asleep? Then you should get some rest. Do you need to go back to your unit tomorrow? I also need to go to the city tomorrow.”

Lin Chu immediately said, “I’ll take the day off tomorrow, Manager Shen. It’s getting late, and I want to go to sleep.”

Shen Zhongxun said “Goodnight,” but before he could say anything else, he heard a “beep beep” sound from the other end.

After hanging up the phone, he looked up at the third floor of the hotel. The curtains were tightly closed, and the room was pitch black. He couldn’t see a trace of Lin Chu.

The next day, Shen Zhongxun got up early as soon as it was light. Monday was a busy day. He would be working at the company in the morning, going to the city in the afternoon, and attending a dinner party in the evening. Time was tight, so he divided his schedule into segments. While changing his shoes, he called his assistant and asked him to go to the city in the morning to make arrangements for the new round of investment promotion in the afternoon.

As soon as the door opened, Lin Chu’s grandfather was waiting outside, smiling and saying, “Going to work so early?”

Shen Zhongxun nodded politely: “Yes, good morning.”

Grandpa took out a few banknotes and two coins from his pocket: “Here, Daodao said she borrowed sixty-seven yuan from you yesterday. See if the amount is correct.”

Shen Zhongxun was taken aback, then slowly took the item. His grandfather smiled and walked downstairs with him, his steps unsteady. Shen Zhongxun supported him the whole way and asked, “I heard you talking about Daodao’s boyfriend the day before yesterday. You haven’t met him?”

Grandpa replied, “I’ve never met him. She was introduced by her mother’s friend. I heard he’s from our area, works in a government office, and is four years older than Daodao. I don’t know when we’ll be able to bring him back.”

Shen Zhongxun grunted and said goodbye to his grandfather downstairs.

Lin Chu ran outside the hotel to buy breakfast and then called her workplace to ask for leave.

Ye Jing’s face was still pale. She leaned against the headboard, drinking white porridge, and said, “I lied to my parents and said that the company organized a trip. I took a week off, and I don’t know if I’ll be better by then.”

Lin Chu asked her, “So you’re staying in a hotel this week?” Seeing Ye Jing looking at her expectantly, she said helplessly, “When I rented the place, the sub-landlord specifically emphasized that I couldn’t bring anyone back to stay, saying that the house was just right for three people. It’s fine if I bring you back to stay for two days, but if you stay for a week, they’ll definitely have a problem with it.”

Ye Jing lowered her eyes in disappointment. Lin Chu then said, “There are also hotels near Guanjin Garden. I’ll go back later and find one for you so I can take care of you. You need to nourish yourself these next few days.”

Ye Jing then smiled.

At noon, Lin Chu hurriedly left to catch her train, telling Ye Jing to rest and recuperate. A short while later, Ye Jing heard the doorbell ring. Opening the door, she was stunned: “Shen…”

“Shen Zhongxun.” Shen Zhongxun smiled. “Hello, I bought you some food.”

Ye Jing immediately welcomed him into the house, saying, “Thank you. Lin Chu didn’t tell me you were coming, so I just ordered takeout.”

Shen Zhongxun entered the room and, not seeing Lin Chu, asked, “Where is Lin Chu?”

Ye Jing took the takeout and replied, “Chu Chu just went to the city center and won’t be back until later.”

Shen Zhongxun glanced at his watch. “Then I won’t bother you any longer. I still have work to do.” He turned and went back to the door. Shen Zhongxun grasped the doorknob, hesitated for a moment, then turned back and asked, “By the way, do you know about her and her boyfriend…” He wanted to ask about their relationship and the depth of their feelings, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He felt it was strange.

To everyone’s surprise, Ye Jing’s eyes widened: “Boyfriend? Chu Chu has a boyfriend?”

Shen Zhongxun raised an eyebrow and released the doorknob.

The driver waited anxiously downstairs. After a long while, Shen Zhongxun finally appeared. He immediately opened the car door and estimated the time it would take to reach the city: “Manager Shen, it will start in three hours.”

Shen Zhongxun nodded, telling him to speed up. He then took out his phone to make a call, and after a while, the other end answered. Shen Zhongxun said directly, “Lin Chu, are you in the car? I’m on my way back to the city now, I’ll come pick you up.”

Lin Chu raised her hand to shield her eyes from the scorching sun, her back drenched in sweat. She was the only one waiting for the bus at the bus stop, and her palms were already stained with two smears of mosquito blood.

She guessed that Shen Zhongxun might have been to a hotel, and hesitated before saying, “No need, I’m already in the car.”

Just as she finished speaking, a car drove up from the direction she had come from and slowly stopped in front of her. Shen Zhongxun got out of the back door, his suit jacket covering him despite the nearly 40-degree heat, without a trace of sweat.

He straightened his suit jacket and slowly walked towards Lin Chu, who was standing on the platform. He gently took her wrist; it was so thin and delicate, as if he could snap it with a single pinch. “Let’s go, you’re all sweaty.”