The next day, Luo Jingyi made a pot of hangover soup after finding Uncle Robert curled against the kitchen countertop, regretful for drinking excessively the previous night. So Luo Jingyi decided to prepare a rehydrating soup for the three.
After adding the last ingredient, she put off the fire and removed the pot from the stovetop.
"This is exactly what I need." Uncle Robert sniffed the bowl of soup she served him. In between spooning the broth and cooling it down, he asked, "What about Yun Jinghan?"
"I'll call him." Luo Jingyi tossed the apron aside and head upstairs. She made a stop in her bedroom to take the paper bag. Worried that Yun Jinghan might not find the items in the guest room's closet to be at his liking, she had her assistant shop and deliver new clothes this morning.
Rapping at the door, Luo Jingyi waited outside. Hearing no movements, she turned the knob and pushed it open, finding it unlocked.
His figure couldn't be seen.
The bed was tidy. The pillows were piled at the headboard and blankets were tucked on each side, leaving no wrinkles on the bed. Neat like in the military.
She set the clothes on the bed.
When she heard sounds coming from the bathroom, Luo Jingyi assumed he was showering so she turned away. Her steps came to a stop when she heard his voice behind her. "You need something?"
Luo Jingyi realized she made a mistake turning because he was only wearing a towel around his waist. Coming out of the shower with wet hair, drops were cascading down his pectorals to his perfectly sculpted abdomen. Even to a person like her who was immune to seeing naked bodies, she was momentarily frozen and feasted on his near nakedness.
"I can remove…..if you want to see down further." He offered with an amused laugh, holding the side of the towel, about to throw it aside.
Retracting her gaze, she dared. "You can try."
Luo Jingyi didn't know that he would really dare to do it. He cast the covering away. At an instant, she closed and covered her eyes with her hand. Pivoting around to leave the room, she was hauled back to her original position, facing him. She jerked her hand free.
"Couldn't dare?" He whispered to her ear, his hot breath spraying on her neck. She immediately stepped backward, opening her eyes at the same time. And there he was, grinning from ear to ear. When she glanced down, he was wearing shorts. He was wearing them beneath the towel all along.
'Idiot.' she scolded herself.
He bent down to take the towel. Facing her, he teased, "Next time sweetie, don't barge into a man's room in the morning. It's dangerous. Unless you want to do some exercise?"
A smirk crept on her face. Motioning to the direction of the bed, she told him. "You can use those. Come down when you are ready."
…..
After breakfast, they bid goodbye to everyone. Living overseas for a long time, one of the aunts wanted to visit ancient towns but Luo Jingyi told them their schedule was packed for the next few days. Which wasn't a lie, considering she would be leaving the city the following week. But she promised she could accompany them to go shopping just in case they were still in town.
"Be careful on your way back." Uncle Antoine reminded Yun Jinghan with a pat on the shoulder. Seeing that the direction of the wind had changed, Luo Jingyi and Aunt Alice looked at each other. Nobody actually knew what exactly the two discussed last night that they became best buddies.
Walking to where the car was parked, she probed but he said nothing. The dismissive shrug meant he didn't want to talk about it so Luo Jingyi no longer persuaded.
There were two people standing next to the car. Luo Jingyi listened as he introduced the woman as Amy, his assistant and the man as K2. Luo Jingyi didn't ask why he was called K2 because she had different names for the interns or the staff too. Luo Jingyi simply nodded to Amy's greetings and slid onto the backseat.
Amy handed a tablet to Yun Jinghan. He was scrolling for the news but his attention was elsewhere. It was to the woman sitting next to him. He noticed that the minute they got into the car, she slipped on that mask again. He wondered who could have caused her to be cold and distant, almost detaching herself from other people. Last night was the very first time he'd seen her carefree, laughing and talking animatedly with everyone. Convinced that there was a story behind this, he made up his mind to investigate more of Governor Han's family.
Luo Jingyi glanced at the ring on her finger. The previous night, she told everyone that they would go to the Civil Affairs Bureau today. It was a hasty decision on her part. This morning, Aunt Alice reiterated not to rush. Although she was perplexed by the other woman's changing decision, she was happy. Marriage, after all, wasn't part of her plans.
She glanced at Yun Jinghan. He was looking outside, absent-mindedly. Luo Jingyi tapped her fingers on the armrest between them to get his attention.
"Thank you for your help." She smiled sincerely when he turned.
. Although there were things that happened that weren't on the plan, he did his part well. Considering they barely knew each other well, he acclimated well into the role that even she got into the play without exerting much effort. He charmed his way towards the younger generation. Even Uncle Antoine, whose approval was hard to come by, talked to him a lot this morning.
Yun Jinghan never realized that a simple 'thank you' from her would give him a feeling of being rejuvenated by adrenaline. It's more profound than the satisfaction he felt when he made successes in business. Hiding that euphoric sensation rushing in his veins, he dipped his head in acknowledgment.
Because she still owed him from saving her during the kidnapping attempt, Luo Jingyi continued talking to him.
"That last time…the kidnapping.." She paused with a sense of guilt. After chewing over her actions that day, she came to the conclusion that she was blatantly being ill-mannered.
Her grandmother thought her better. Ashamed of herself, she imagined that she flicked a finger on her forehead.
"What about it?" He understood but he was pretending not to.
'He was doing it for a purpose.'
"How do you want me to repay that?" Rather than overthinking on what to do, she asked directly.
He glanced at her briefly before returning his eyes to the tablet. Waiting for 5 minutes, Luo Jingyi finally heard him say, "I'll tell you in the future. You are not allowed to refuse though."
Without thinking much of it, she simply agreed. "Okay."
A self-satisfied gleam settled on his face.