He Lindi’s voice still carried a hint of hoarseness when she spoke, but now it also held a touch of laziness that inexplicably stirred something in Chi Shuo.
But Chi Shuo made no extra movements. Her outstretched hand hovered in the air for a few seconds before slowly retracting. Her gaze fell, noticing a faint pink hue on the patch of He Lindi’s neck exposed to the air.
Chi Shuo found it amusing. She averted her eyes, pretending not to have heard He Lindi’s earlier words, and stood up. “I’ll go make you some porridge.”
She had just lifted her foot when she was stopped—He Lindi had rolled over and grabbed her wrist.
Chi Shuo looked down at her, her words carrying an undeniable finality: “Still no pickled mustard greens.”
He Lindi blinked, looking somewhat incredulous. “You…” She looked at her hand holding Chi Shuo’s, then released it and lay back down on the sofa. “Never mind, go cook.”
Chi Shuo went into the kitchen and skillfully started using everything. The housekeeper had already restocked the refrigerator. After looking around, Chi Shuo’s lips gradually curved upwards.
He Lindi, however, couldn’t muster a single smile. Out in the living room, she seriously pondered if some step had gone wrong. She felt like she couldn’t understand Chi Shuo’s moves at all. Did Chi Shuo have no reaction to her words? Or were her hints not obvious enough? Or… had Chi Shuo understood but pretended not to, the underlying reason being that she didn’t like her?
He Lindi panicked a little at this thought. Until now, she hadn’t been certain if Chi Shuo’s feelings for her were romantic, because Chi Shuo’s responses seemed no different from those between normal friends.
He Lindi recalled yesterday when she had eagerly anticipated seeing Chi Shuo, only for the elevator doors to open and reveal Chi Shuo whispering intimately with Zeng Guai, even leaning her body towards her.
In that moment, He Lindi’s heart felt like it was being squeezed tight. Even now, recalling it made her feel uncomfortable.
She knew she was jealous, seeing Chi Shuo too close to other girls, even if that girl was already a very good friend of Chi Shuo’s—so good that He Lindi’s own intimacy with Chi Shuo probably didn’t even measure up to half of Zeng Guai’s.
The thought infuriated He Lindi. The more she thought, the more she began to doubt her own charm and whether her judgment had failed her.
Did Chi Shuo like her? Was Chi Shuo’s attitude towards her good or bad? Chi Shuo…
Throughout her life, He Lindi had received countless confessions. Over time, she could tell at a glance who liked her.
This wasn’t narcissism, merely experience gained over time, allowing her to avoid many unnecessary interactions.
It just required time to determine whether the affection was genuine or superficial.
But Chi Shuo was someone she truly couldn’t figure out.
He Lindi had mingled with her father’s generation since she was young, learning much about deciphering people’s thoughts through their words and actions. Besides Ding Miaoran, who had been a bug in her system before, she had never been wrong. Unexpectedly, Chi Shuo was another rare bug in her life, one that was harder to fix, even forcing He Lindi to re-evaluate herself.
So now, He Lindi was carefully reconsidering where the problem lay. Or perhaps, from the very beginning, Chi Shuo’s liking for her was just ordinary friendship, or… was Chi Shuo just too skilled a player, leaving He Lindi completely outmatched? But that shouldn’t be right; Chi Shuo didn’t look like an experienced player.
As she pondered these myriad thoughts, the aroma drifting from the kitchen reached her nose, entering her lungs with each breath.
He Lindi propped herself up, looked towards the kitchen, then fell back down again, though the corners of her lips lifted slightly, sweeping away the earlier gloom in her heart.
Chi Shuo hadn’t made anything elaborate. She stir-fried some green vegetables and a dish of ham and corn—both very light, but a significant improvement for He Lindi.
Since getting sick, whenever Chi Shuo was around, she felt incredibly humbled, even though… counting last night and now, it had only been twice.
Chi Shuo also poured her a glass of hot water, placed it on the table, then brought the medicine from the coffee table, reminding her, “After you finish eating, rest a bit, then take the medicine.”
He Lindi was a bit confused. “Then what will you do?”
Chi Shuo put on a thoughtful expression, then replied, “I’ll wait for you to get better.”
Hearing this, He Lindi’s lips turned down. She stirred the white porridge in her bowl with the spoon. Her throat felt itchy, and she lowered her head slightly to cough twice.
Seeing her like this, Chi Shuo stretched out her hand again, palm open before He Lindi, asking, “Do you see anything?”
He Lindi glanced at it. There was nothing in Chi Shuo’s fair palm. She silently drank her porridge, refusing to answer.
Chi Shuo chuckled. “Didn’t see anything?”
“See what?” He Lindi snapped irritably. Because of her cold, her voice sounded nasal, making her seem even more aggrieved. Plus, the thought that Chi Shuo hadn’t hugged her or followed her plan made her anger flare up.
Chi Shuo was too hard to guess.
After speaking, He Lindi felt it wasn’t enough. She raised her hand to push Chi Shuo’s away, but just as her hand touched Chi Shuo’s soft palm, it was caught.
Chi Shuo raised an eyebrow. “See your own hand?”
He Lindi looked up at her, slowly pulled her hand back, and muttered two words before drinking her porridge: “Boring.”
Chi Shuo paid her no mind, walking towards the sofa while saying, “Can I borrow your sofa for a nap?”
He Lindi tilted her head to look at her. Chi Shuo looked tired, lacking energy. “Why don’t you sleep in the guest room?”
Chi Shuo shook her head, lying down on the sofa. “No need.”
“What about your lunch then?”
“I’ll eat when I wake up.”
He Lindi frowned slightly, somewhat worried. “Don’t you have stomach problems? Why are you still not eating on time?”
Chi Shuo had already put her head on the pillow. Hearing this, she propped herself up and looked towards He Lindi in the dining room, asking puzzledly, “How did you know?”
“……”
“Anything I want to know, I just ask Xia Zhou.”
Chi Shuo let out a soft laugh. “No wonder.”
No wonder Xia Zhou was so perceptive; it turned out He Lindi had been asking her all along.
“No wonder what?”
Chi Shuo lay back down. “Nothing.”
He Lindi couldn’t stand hearing that. She felt Chi Shuo was like a half-baked fortune teller, always speaking in riddles.
She stood up and walked over to Chi Shuo, adopting a “I won’t leave until you tell me” stance. “No, you have to tell me what that ‘no wonder’ meant.”
Chi Shuo pulled the blanket over her head, avoiding He Lindi’s eyes, and also didn’t hide it from her. “No wonder Xia Zhou would think the two of us…”
Chi Shuo’s voice grew quieter, but the curve of He Lindi’s lips grew wider.
Chi Shuo stopped there. He Lindi chuckled lightly. “Is that so?”
After speaking, she felt it wasn’t enough and bent down, wanting to pull the blanket away to see Chi Shuo’s expression. But Chi Shuo had anticipated her move and held the blanket tightly.
He Lindi: “……”
He Lindi stood up. “Suddenly feel like having fried eggs.”
Chi Shuo’s voice came muffled through the blanket: “Can make them for you tonight.”
He Lindi’s lips curved. “Fried with the heat from your face.”
“……” He Lindi was teasing her for being shy.
He Lindi ate lunch happily. Sleepiness quickly overcame her, leaving her disoriented.
Chi Shuo was already asleep on the sofa, and judging by her expression, she was sleeping soundly and sweetly.
He Lindi walked over to her side and slowly squatted down.
She slowly reached out her hand, but ultimately, her fingertips only brushed against Chi Shuo’s hair. She whispered softly, “Good afternoon.” She said, “Chi Shuo.”
She had called her “Chi Shuo” twice today, each time with a different feeling.
In the afternoon, when Chi Shuo woke up, He Lindi was still asleep in her room.
Chi Shuo washed the pots and bowls, tidied up, and left He Lindi’s apartment.
She decided to go back to the office after all. Recently, the company had been genuinely busy. If she, with less work, rested comfortably here while others were swamped, she’d feel a bit guilty. But dedicating all her time to the company felt somewhat regrettable; she still wanted to spend more time with He Lindi. Therefore, she took a rather unrestrained nap and arrived back at the office at 3:30 PM.
The sounds of colleagues communicating and keyboards clacking never stopped. Chi Shuo sat down at her workstation and started working seriously.
When He Lindi’s cold finally subsided to about ninety percent by Friday, apart from an occasional itchy throat and cough, she was basically back to normal.
Before leaving work, Zeng Guai became extremely excited, constantly pinging Chi Shuo on WeChat.
【Shuoshuo, Shen Qu officially wrapped up filming today. When are you having hot pot with her?】
【I really want to talk to her.】
【Can you tell her that your good friend, me, is her fan?】
Chi Shuo replied honestly: 【Haven’t decided when to eat yet. I’ll definitely tell her.】
This was before work ended. After work, Zeng Guai’s emotions were even harder to control. Walking up to Chi Shuo’s side, Zeng Guai’s eyes reddened. “Thinking about this being Qu Qu’s last drama for two years makes me so sad.”
Chi Shuo sighed and comforted her, “She’ll definitely come back.”
Zeng Guai composed herself, grabbed a tissue from Chi Shuo’s desk to wipe her face, and asked, “Are you going to Didi’s place later?”
Chi Shuo thought for a moment. “Not sure yet.” She added, “But she’s already waiting for me downstairs.”
“Damn.”
“That sour stench of love.”
Chi Shuo had already told Zeng Guai about her situation with He Lindi, holding nothing back.
Chi Shuo shook her head. “No, not yet.” She slung her bag over her shoulder. “Not together yet.”
He Lindi messaged her saying she was waiting at the office building entrance. Chi Shuo went downstairs with Zeng Guai but didn’t see He Lindi anywhere.
After a few seconds, Zeng Guai pointed in a direction. “Shuoshuo, Didi’s over there.” Her expression fell. “Why is He Xiuqi there too?”
Chi Shuo followed her gaze and saw He Lindi and He Xiuqi standing face-to-face, talking about something.
This scene felt familiar.
Zeng Guai glanced at Chi Shuo’s expression, hesitated, and said, “Should we wait until they’re done talking before going over?”
Chi Shuo shook her head. “No need, let’s go over now.”
Zeng Guai was startled, simultaneously excited. “Damn, Sister Chi, going to declare sovereignty?”
Chi Shuo: “……”
Chi Shuo exhaled. “No.”
She and He Lindi hadn’t officially clarified their relationship yet. What sovereignty was there to declare?
However, the reason they hadn’t clarified things was simple: Chi Shuo wanted to wait until He Lindi’s cold was completely gone before seriously discussing the matter.
Besides… maybe the timing wasn’t right yet? Chi Shuo herself wasn’t sure, just felt that the current way they got along seemed quite good.
Just one step away.
He Lindi saw them approaching, her eyes curving. She turned to He Xiuqi and said, “You go eat. I have to go accompany my partner.”
If you’d like to read ahead and support me, you can request extra chapters or get the full novel as an EPUB.
