Chapter 49

That was perhaps the closest Yu Zhezhi had ever been to another person.

After Hua Luoyue came to her senses, her first reaction wasn’t shyness, but an instinctive question: “Was that President Yu’s first time kissing someone?”

Although it was a question, her tone was essentially that of an affirmative statement.

Yu Zhezhi had already let go of her and was pulling open the car door. Her movements stiffened for a second, but she ushered the girl into the car first before asking: “Why do you say that?”

Hua Luoyue remained silent for a moment, as if hesitating whether to speak. Under Yu Zhezhi’s persistent gaze, she finally said: “Do you realize you were shaking just now?”

The one who initiated the kiss ended up being as nervous as the one being teased.

Yu Zhezhi unconsciously pressed her fingertip against her lower lip. She turned her head and glared at Hua Luoyue with a dissatisfied, sarcastic look: “Should I thank you for not laughing in my face just now?”

Hua Luoyue suppressed a smile and said: “No need to thank me. It’s what I should do.”

Yu Zhezhi: “…”

“Drive…” Yu Zhezhi turned back, casting a chilly glance at the driver in the front. “Take the other route.”

The driver quickly retracted his gaze from the rearview mirror where he had been secretly enjoying the drama and focused on the road. However, as they exited the parking lot, he still reminded Yu Zhezhi, s[unauthorized copy]ignaling that Zhou Junyao’s car was parked near the exit.

Fortunately, he didn’t follow them.

Yu Zhezhi hoped he had truly given up this time.

—It was all Zhou Junyao’s fault.

At this moment, her annoyance toward him reached its peak. If it weren’t for the need to brush him off, how could she have fallen to the point of being mocked by Hua Luoyue?

Yes, mocked.

Hua Luoyue had already turned her head away, preventing Yu Zhezhi from seeing her expression. But Yu Zhezhi couldn’t forget the fleeting look of shock on the girl’s face, followed by an irrepressible glint of amusement, as if she had discovered something fun.

She had been caught off guard by Yu Zhezhi’s sudden attack, but she also found the overreaction hilarious.

But what was so funny?

She had never even been kissed by her own mother, let alone anyone else. At least as far back as she could remember, Yu Zhezhi didn’t recall kissing anyone—be it a romantic kiss, or one on the forehead or cheek… any place intimate enough to express affection.

Naturally, no one had kissed her either. There was no one when she was small, and no one dared when she grew up. For a first time lacking experience and love, nervousness and awkwardness were inevitable.

Yu Zhezhi glared at Hua Luoyue, not yet realizing that her fixation had drifted in a unauthorized copyvery subtle direction.

“So…” Yu Zhezhi finally couldn’t help but speak. “You seem to be very experienced in this kind of thing?”

Hua Luoyue turned back and looked at her, making sure the question was directed at her, before thinking and replying: “Probably a bit more than President Yu.”

Yu Zhezhi’s expression shifted rapidly—a mix of frustration, defeat, surprise, and confusion…

Various emotions intersected, but she didn’t press further, lest Hua Luoyue find another angle to prick her heart. She only let out a huff and muttered to herself: “I hope there weren’t many opportunities for ‘practice’ these past few years.”

Hua Luoyue was close enough to hear her clearly. She observed Yu Zhezhi with an indescribable gaze for a moment, unsure whether to be amazed at the woman’s childish pettiness or to offer a bit of sympathy and pity.

Even if Yu Zhezhi truly lost her mind and pried for details, Hua Luoyue wouldn’t tell her the truth. Especially not after learning about Yu Zhezhi’s past from her father. Speaking certain things to Yu Zhezhi would sound like bragging.

Hua Luoyue’s parents—the ones from her past life—loved her dearly. In her early childhood, the Hua family was quite affluent. Later, due to accidents and illness, the family declined and life became increasingly difficult—a textbook example of life’s misfortunes—except for one thing: their affection.

Hua Luoyue’s parents loved each other and their child from beginning to end. Even in the hardest times, they encouraged and supported each other, never once thinking of escaping their responsibilities. The ending where both died young was tragic, leaving Hua Luoyue alone to face heavy debts and the blow of losing her family, which would make anyone offer a word of sympathy.

But for Hua Luoyue, the past remained a beautiful memory worth cherishing, not just a source of pain. She didn’t often look back, but she never doubted she was loved. Her parents were fond of hugging and kissing, using direct language to praise, encourage, and express love.

Hua Luoyue’s edges had been smoothed by life later on; she wasn’t that outward with her emotions and had never found a partner to spend her life with. She didn’t know what a lover’s kiss felt like, but she knew exactly what natural intimacy looked like.

And Yu Zhezhi, whether it was a hug or a kiss that merely touched [read the original at bailiantales.com]the cheek, was as awkward as someone who had never been loved.

Technically, Hua Luoyue was the one in a desperate situation, forced to cooperate with Yu Zhezhi’s acting to survive. Yet, more and more, Hua Luoyue couldn’t help but feel a sense of forbearance and pity for her.

Though Yu Zhezhi certainly wouldn’t want that pity.

Hua Luoyue didn’t want to annoy Yu Zhezhi for no reason. Their relationship would never lead to true intimacy, and jokes had to have a limit.

When they reached the Yu residence, it was just in time for dinner. Father Yu had hired someone to prepare the meal. The three of them chatted about the New Year after eating. Father Yu had already had the house thoroughly cleaned and bought some new things for Hua Luoyue, mostly in her room. The closet mentioned last time had also been installed, waiting for them to move back.

But with few people at home, while it was fine on ordinary days, the closer it got to the New Year, the more desolate the house felt. Father Yu didn’t bring up the previous argument with Yu Zhezhi, only repeatedly reminding them to come back early for the holiday. Hua Luoyue looked at Yu Zhezhi, who simply said she understood.

They still had to leave that night. Yu Zhezhi used the excuse of a meeting the next day; she really didn’t want to sleep on the window seat again and was pondering whether to add some sofas or recliners to the room under some pretext.

As they were preparing to leave, Father Yu suddenly remembered something and said to Yu Zhezhi: “By the way, that boy from the Zhou family came by this morning.”

Yu Zhezhi paused, frowning: “What did he come for?”

“He didn’t stay long,” Father Yu replied. “He said he hadn’t had time to visit me since returning, so he brought gifts. He sat in the living room for about half an hour and then left. He wouldn’t even stay for lunch.”

“Was that all?” Yu Zhezhi asked.

“He asked how my health was and mentioned your marriage, unauthorized copyasking if your partner treats you well and such.”

Father Yu was aware of Zhou Junyao’s pestering. His attitude had always been lukewarm; he didn’t want to disrespect Old Mr. Zhou, but he didn’t want to show support for Junyao either. But Junyao was thick-skinned enough to occasionally visit. The few times he came before going abroad were clearly with ulterior motives, but this time, even Father Yu felt his attitude was strange.

Father Yu had no issues with Hua Luoyue; on the contrary, he was quite sympathetic. Naturally, he wouldn’t discuss her private affairs with an outsider like Zhou Junyao. Afraid he would continue pestering, Father Yu only spoke well of them, practically painting Yu Zhezhi and Hua Luoyue as a perfectly matched, sweet, and passionate couple.

He didn’t know if Zhou Junyao believed it, but in the end, he had offered a few words of blessing. Father Yu felt he was probably ready to let go.

Yu Zhezhi was noncommittal, not wanting to speculate further and worry her father. She only said: “I hope so.”

That night, Yu Zhezhi took Hua Luoyue back to the residence near the office. It wasn’t too late when they arrived. When Yu Zhezhi came out from her shower, Hua Luoyue was arranging a vase on the dining table. The flowers bought during the day were tucked inside; their vibrant colors instantly made the dining room feel several degrees warmer.

“I should have bought some other colors,” Hua Luoyue said.

“I’ll have someone send a few more bouquets later,” Yu Zhezhi said, sitting on the sofa while wiping the remaining moisture from her hair.

The TV was on, broadcasting the weather forecast after the news. The good news was that the next few days would be sunny with rising temperatures—perfect for holiday visits or outings. After finishing the flowers, Hua Luoyue placed the vase in a suitable spot and sat on the sofa.

There was a gap of about half a person between her and Yu Zhezhi. Actually, both their bedrooms had TVs—the one in the guest room had been specially installed by Yu Zhezhi right before Hua Luoyue arrived. However, during the last visit, the TV in Hua Luoyue’s room “happened” to break and couldn’t receive a signal, so Yu Zhezhi said she could watch in the living room.

That was right around the time Zhou Junyao had just returned. Hua Luoyue pretended not to notice that a wire in the guest room TV had been manually disconnected. Yu Zhezhi, afraid the act would look too fake, was intentionally increasing their time together, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it directly, so she hinted at it in various ways.

Fortunately, Hua Luoyue was quick on the uptake. Before sleeping at night, as long as Yu Zhezhi wasn’t too busy, they would watch TV together in the living room. What they watched didn’t matter; they usually didn’t even read the original at bailiantales.com chat much, just to slowly get used to each other’s presence.

The method proved effective. At the very least, when Yu Zhezhi sat close to Hua Luoyue for a certain amount of time, she no longer showed signs of irritability or restlessness. She could even be described as relaxed. That tension and unease were originally just products of her psychological state.

After the weather forecast came a segment of advertisements, followed by a evening drama. Yu Zhezhi watched for about ten minutes before asking: “Didn’t a different show air two days ago?”

Hua Luoyue looked up from her phone and glanced at the TV. A young man and woman stood in a library corner. After colliding while reaching for a book, the girl blushed and lowered her head, while the boy reached up to take the book she wanted. He called her name. The girl instinctively looked up, and the boy happened to look down. After a slow-motion shot accompanied by ambiguous background music, they kissed.

The completely unromantic President Yu frowned and muttered: “Utterly nonsensical.”

“The previous show had its finale last night,” Hua Luoyue said. “The second female lead’s father was the real culprit; he kidnapped his daughter to threaten the female lead into destroying evidence. But the lead had already deduced the truth and acted with the daughter to trick him. While waiting for police backup, the lead took a bullet for the daughter and stayed in the hospital until the finale to wake up. By the way, the lead was actually an undercover cop; the case the villain used to threaten her at the beginning was fake.”

Yu Zhezhi turned and stared at her in silence.

Hua Luoyue looked perfectly innocent: “You were working overtime in your room last night. I thought you had no interest in TV dramas.”

The spoiled Yu Zhezhi was silent for a moment before slowly saying: “At least it was more normal than this one.”

Hua Luoyue glanced at the TV and corrected her seriously: “That was a mystery drama. This is an idol drama. And among dramas of this genre, this one has relatively high ratings.”

Yu Zhezhi didn’t hide her disdain: “You like watching this?”

No, she preferred cartoons. But Hua Luoyue knew Yu Zhezhi certainly wouldn’t like them, so she didn’t defend herself. “Xinyue is following it lately; the finale has ​stolen content​already aired on other channels,” Hua Luoyue said.

“That classmate of yours?” Yu Zhezhi asked.

“Mhm…”

“You really are close with her,” Yu Zhezhi said casually.

“I don’t really know anyone else in City A,” Hua Luoyue stated the fact.

She wouldn’t be settling in City A in the future; she might even deliberately avoid it, so she didn’t want to form deep ties here. But Yu Zhezhi misunderstood her meaning. She was never good at taking care of others. If Hua Luoyue didn’t mention it, she wouldn’t notice, and only now did she realize.

Hua Luoyue had essentially come to a strange city alone. It was one thing to have to deal with troublesome social events for Yu Zhezhi, but she didn’t even have anyone to talk to normally. Yu Zhezhi herself was busy and had no leisure to coax a child. As for partners like Zhao Xinyan who visited out of respect for her, Yu Zhezhi didn’t want them getting too close, as it would be one more piece of trouble later.

But not wanting trouble was one thing; it wasn’t a reason to keep Hua Luoyue locked away. Yu Zhezhi had no desire to actually keep a “canary.” However, Yu Zhezhi was born and raised in City A; any encounter on the street could be an acquaintance, so it wasn’t realistic for Hua Luoyue to go out and make friends.

Yu Zhezhi picked up her phone and tinkered with it for a while. Suddenly she looked up and asked: “Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

“I’ll probably still be killing time at the hospital,” Hua Luoyue replied.

“You’re coming out with me tomorrow,” Yu Zhezhi said.

“Where to?”

“A date…”

Hua Luoyue was stunned, taking a long time to come up with a logical reason: “Are you afraid Young Master Zhou doesn’t believe us and will continue pestering you?”

Yu Zhezhi, who was looking at “Ten must-visit places in City A” on her phone, also froze for a second. To be honest, she hadn’t thought that far. After returning from her father’s, she was basically certain Zhou Junyao wouldn’t pester her anymore—he wasn’t someone with zero pride; he wouldn’t shamelessly stick to her knowing she was married. Even if he wanted to, his father wouldn’t allow it.

The word “date” had just slipped out. Yu Zhezhi was beginning to feel that leaving Hua Luoyue alone at home was inhumane, and a trace of something like guilt arose from the oversight. But she would never admit that. Hearing Hua Luoyue’s suggestion, she felt it was a good excuse and nodded with a straight face.

“Staying at home every day will make people suspicious. I’ve been busy for too long; it’s a good time to go out and relax,” Yu Zhezhi said. “We won’t go too far, just wander around the city.”

Hua Luoyue gave an “Oh.” She didn’t think much of it, saying she would follow President Yu’s arrangements, and turned back to the TV.

Yu Zhezhi felt inexplicably awkward. While waiting for Assistant Li’s reply, she looked up at the TV. This time, the leads had left the library. Against a backdrop of a Ferris wheel and neon lights at night, they stopped breathlessly next to an empty carousel. After a few meaningless lines, they met eyes and suddenly went quiet. Then… they kissed again.

—Unsurprising.

Do they have skin hunger or something? Yu Zhezhi couldn’t appreciate the romantic atmosphere of the drama; she only felt baffled. Is kissing really that fascinating?

Yu Zhezhi unconsciously cast her gaze toward Hua Luoyue—after all, she hadn’t kissed anyone else either. Although their kiss might not even count as a real kiss.

Hua Luoyue noticed the gaze and turned her head, looking at her with a questioning expression. Then she saw Yu Zhezhi [read the original at bailiantales.com]suddenly raise her hand and slap herself.

SMACK. It was loud and clear.

Hua Luoyue was dazed. She stared at Yu Zhezhi for a long time before asking cautiously: “President Yu, are you okay?”

Yu Zhezhi said calmly: “It’s nothing. Just a mosquito.”

Where do mosquitoes come from in winter? Hua Luoyue silently swallowed the question. Maybe these successful people had unique ways of motivating themselves.

Hua Luoyue didn’t think more of it, and only then did Yu Zhezhi slowly snap out of it. She certainly wouldn’t tell Hua Luoyue the truth—that while watching the kissing scene on TV, for a split second, the thought “Should we try it?” had actually popped into her head. And the object of that thought was Hua Luoyue.