The young man gave her a gloomy look, feeling that even if she bought him the entire bubble tea shop, he still wouldn’t be happy.
Fortunately, the dormitory wasn’t far from the office area. After running desperately, he finally reached the dormitory entrance. Tao Yu asked him to stop just as they reached the building, then limped off the chair: “Thanks for today, go get some sleep. I’m going upstairs.”
“Don’t you want me to accompany you?” the young man looked at her innocently.
Tao Yu laughed awkwardly: “No need.” She had made Yue Linze wait outside the dorm for hours; she didn’t dare bring a young, handsome guy up to provoke him. It was better to go up alone at this moment.
The young man saw her insistence and nodded: “Okay, be careful, I’m heading back.” After taking a few steps and yawning, he turned back, winking at her, “Sister Tao, good thing I came along, or you’d be in an awkward situation later.”
He quickly glanced around and mysteriously stuffed something into Tao Yu’s hand: “I was planning to use this during a camping trip with my girlfriend, but we can buy another. Use this.”
He fled quickly, afraid of being scolded.
Tao Yu frowned, looking at her palm to find a fully packaged condom. Understanding its purpose, she was both angry and amused, cursing softly. Not wanting to throw it away, she casually put it in her coat pocket.
As soon as she moved, her foot hurt. She thought for a moment, placed her sprained leg on the chair, and smoothly slid into the elevator with her good foot, pressing the floor button in good spirits. She decided not to settle scores with him for his previous schemes for now.
Well, she was just touched by his long journey to see her, definitely not backing down.
Thinking he came to see her, she couldn’t help but smile. When the elevator doors opened, she eagerly slid out, reaching her dorm door without seeing Yue Linze, her heart sinking.
Did he leave already?
Tao Yu hurriedly called him, only to hear the familiar automated message that his phone was off. She began sliding the chair to find him.
“Having fun?” a gloomy voice emerged from the corner.
Tao Yu was stunned, turning to see Yue Linze walking towards her from the window at the end of the corridor. She sighed in relief: “I thought you’d left.”
“So, you knew I was here?” Yue Linze looked at her expressionlessly.
Tao Yu blinked, with strong survival instincts, shaking her head: “Just found out. Your phone was off. I was worried something happened, so I went to the office to find the housekeeper’s contact information and learned you were here.”
Yue Linze fell silent after hearing her words. Tao Yu coughed: “You’ve been waiting here for a long time. Let’s go inside and rest, we can talk.”
She reached out to hold Yue Linze’s hand, but he avoided her. Surprised, she looked up to see him surrounded by a dark aura: “How long are you planning to sit on this thing? Want me to push you like that guy?”
Tao Yu was stunned, then glanced at the window behind him, her mouth twitching. She had just thought she was being considerate of Yue Linze’s feelings, but he had seen everything.
“Let me explain,” she said weakly, losing her previous composure.
Yue Linze glanced at her coldly: “Go inside and explain.” He entered the room first.
Tao Yu followed, immediately coming clean: “I want to apologize. I went to a gathering with colleagues earlier. They were quite drunk and insisted on going to a bar, so I went along. That young guy is half my apprentice. He has a girlfriend; it’s as innocent as can be. Don’t overthink.”
Yue Linze, unexpectedly hearing her confession without being asked, slightly raised an eyebrow but remained silent. She knew exactly how to handle him; these few sentences had already calmed most of his anger that had been building for hours.
Seeing he wasn’t speaking, Tao Yu continued her explanation, detailing how she was anxious and sprained her foot, and why she had the young man leave to avoid making him jealous.
After hearing about her foot injury, Yue Linze frowned, losing any other thoughts. He picked her up and laid her on the sofa, removing her shoe and looking at her swollen foot, his lips pressed into a strict line.
“It’s actually this serious, no wonder it hurts so much,” Tao Yu belatedly realized.
Yue Linze looked at her displeased: “Where’s the first-aid kit?”
“Under the computer desk,” Tao Yu immediately responded.
Yue Linze turned around to look for something, and Tao Yu watched his back, suddenly feeling something magical, momentarily feeling like she was dreaming.
No, this scene before her was something she wouldn’t even dare to dream of – this man who would only like her in the spiritual world now loved her in the real world and had come to her workplace, currently searching for a familiar box under her familiar desk.
When Yue Linze returned to her front, she still had a foolish, stunned expression. He raised an eyebrow: “Dazed?”
“…A bit,” Tao Yu laughed stupidly, reaching out to touch his face, frankly saying, “This isn’t a dream, right? Why does everything feel so perfectly unreal? The man I like so much actually ran into my little house to help me apply medicine.”
Yue Linze was struck by her string of affectionate words, and a faint smile finally appeared at the corner of his mouth. He poured some red flower oil in his hand, warmed it, and then gently placed it on her foot. Leaving the spiritual world, Tao Yu had become more honest and cute, saying whatever was on her mind, and he seemed to like her even more.
But accounts still needed to be settled.
“You’ve been busy lately?” Yue Linze asked casually.
Tao Yu thought for a moment, innocently saying, “Not really, just helping some new colleagues. Nothing else… ouch, be gentle.”
“If you’re not busy, why have you been cold to me?” Yue Linze narrowed his eyes at her.
Tao Yu was stunned, realizing she had let something slip, and coughed dryly: “I haven’t been cold to you, don’t talk nonsense. When have I not replied to your messages?”
“Replying after a day or two counts?” Yue Linze increased the pressure, causing Tao Yu to glare at him until he eased up. “A Yu, I’m not a child. Don’t try to fool me.”
Tao Yu saw he wasn’t backing down and coldly snorted: “Yes, I did it on purpose. So what?!”
“Why?” Yue Linze frowned.
Tao Yu glared at him: “Didn’t I tell you before to be more honest with me? Tell me, was it you who instructed the loan sharks to threaten me about leaving the Yue family?”
Yue Linze hadn’t expected this to be discovered and was rendered speechless.
Tao Yu snorted angrily: “You’re allowed to scheme against me, but I’m not allowed to be cold to you? Let me tell you, if anything like this happens again, I’ll never speak to you again.”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have hidden it from you,” Yue Linze sighed helplessly.
Tao Yu glanced at him and asked after thinking: “Are there any other things you’re hiding from me?”
Yue Linze thought about his alternate personality’s memories, paused for a moment, and then shook his head: “No.”
Tao Yu looked at him half-believingly. Yue Linze gradually increased pressure, causing Tao Yu to suppress a moan and bite down on the pain, her attention diverted.
When Yue Linze released her, she indeed felt much better. He washed his hands in the bathroom and told her: “I’ve been up all night. Get some rest, I’m tired too.”
“Mm, I’ll go wash up,” Tao Yu said, taking off her coat and hopping towards the bathroom. Yue Linze was only concerned with watching her to prevent her from falling. Neither of them noticed a small item falling from her coat, landing softly by the bed.
“Okay, go wait outside. I’m fine by myself,” Tao Yu sent Yue Linze away and began washing up in the bathroom.
