"Yes, it's time to go to sleep."
"Mmm."
As if the midnight bell of the Sistine Chapel had rung, they were brought back to reality. They got up separately, shut down the computer without turning it off, she tidied up the paper and pen, and Lin Jinshen took the teapot for her and put it back in the sink with his cup so Aunt Fang could clean it the next day.
In less than a minute, the area around the sofa was cleaned. Lin Jinshen went upstairs, and Lu Yi said good night to Puff as if what had just happened hadn't happened.
Before eleven o'clock, the two of them were already in bed, the lights out and the room dark.
Lu Yi couldn't sleep, so she hugged the blanket and stared at the dark ceiling.
The images kept flashing back, and the details she hadn't noticed during the kiss were gradually magnified.
For example, halfway through the kiss, Lin Jinshen seemed to be swallowing.
His long, slender neck with prominent blue veins on his pale skin, his Adam's apple rolling up and down heavily, the sound of a tiny swallow, the hissing sound in his throat... She closed her eyes tightly, but the image was still there.
That's normal. Who doesn't kiss their spouse?
There's no reason to overreact to a kiss. It's not like they haven't kissed before.
Go to sleep!
Ten minutes later, Lu Yi opened her eyes without feeling sleepy.
She still couldn't get used to the idea of a man lying next to her.
Going to bed at eleven at night was really inhumane.
Lu Yi was muttering to herself when the side of the bed suddenly moved. She held her breath and remained absolutely still. After two or three seconds, the person next to her moved slightly, but not much.
It wasn't a rollover, just an adjustment of position.
A few seconds later, an indistinct sound came from the throat.
It was irritated and impatient.
So Lin Jinshen wasn't sleeping either?
Lu Yi's mental balance was restored, and she wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep that night.
The next morning, Lu Yi woke up with her eyes open. Her side was still empty. She got up and went to the bathroom to wash up. There was no sign of use on the sink, which was as clean as new. Lin Jinshen had always wiped the counter after washing up.
The evidence was a few balls of tissue paper in the trash can.
She didn't feel like breakfast, so she grabbed a couple of cups of coffee and went back to the office. When she arrived at the office, she gave the coffee to the members of her team.
"Thank you, Teacher Lu!"
"Teacher Lu is practically a living Buddha, I'm embarrassed."
The team member took the coffee, but wanted A. Lu Yi refused, saying, "I bought it on the side, don't be polite to me.
Yu Qian raised her glass above her head and said, "Thank you, beautiful lady!
"Xin Qi's contact information hasn't been found yet, even his classmates have been searched, so should we pass this up? Since Xin Qi was Lu Yi's favorite candidate, her colleagues looked to her for a decision.
Lu Yi said, "I'll try again. If it doesn't work out today, we'll find someone else."
"Okay."
It was already Friday, and the project deadline would not wait.
Lu Yi looked for Yu Yin.
She was a blogger with a wide range of online resources and many friends from all walks of life, so she was more likely to find someone.
Yu Yin: [Waiting]
She waited until the afternoon.
Yu Yin sent her the phone number and said, "This is his cell phone number, but according to his friends, nine out of ten calls cannot be connected. He is a primitive person who does not use electronic devices.
"This is his current address, in a village in the eastern suburbs. I heard that he rented a private house and draws things there."
"Do you really want him? Find someone else, it seems he is not quite right in the head."
[...
Lu Yifa sent a shocked emoji, once again impressed by Yu Yin's potential as a private detective: "Bao! You've helped me a lot."
Yu Yin: "? Woman, is this your reaction? It's too bland. Write me an 800-word short essay in ten minutes, specifically praising me for how great I am."
Lu Yixiao laughed. She had called a few times, but no one answered. When she called again, the phone was off. She had checked the address, which was quite far away. It would take three to four hours to drive there. It would be around six or seven o'clock by the time she got there. She wanted to try.
She asked, "Do you have anything else to do today?"
Yu Yin replied, "Not really. Why?"
Lu Yixiao said, "I'll take you to shoot some other material.
Yu Yin simply and rudely replied, "Don't even think about it!"
Half an hour later, Lu Yi picked up Yu Yin and filled up the gas tank before getting on the highway.
Yu Yin crossed her arms and looked at her suspiciously, "Miss Lu, this is kidnapping. You have the right to remain silent until my lawyer arrives."
Lu Yi just smiled.
Yu Yin laughed and snorted, "Not only are you kidnapping me, but you're abusing me in cold blood?"
"I'm exercising my rights. Keep quiet.
Yu Yin just started bragging. After the car drove out of the city and onto the highway, she took out her camera to take pictures of the scenery along the way, speaking in a tone that made the years pass peacefully: "Babies, this time it's an escape from the city plan..."
Lu Yi was used to it.
After the car arrived at a service station, the two of them took turns driving.
Yu Yin whined, "I really don't understand why you don't hire a driver. And it would be best if you got rid of your little steel cannon. Your husband is rich enough, he shouldn't be so stingy with his money.
"I don't want to change,"
Yu Yin imitated in a strange voice, "You want to save money just a few days after getting married? Let me tell you, if you don't spend that money, someone else will sooner or later."
"..."
Lu Yi didn't have to drive, so she was busy checking information and exchanging information with her colleagues. She just nodded at Yu Yin's nagging and listened.
"..."
"Did you sleep together or not?"
"Mm."
"What, you already slept together and didn't tell me?"
"Mm-hm."
Yu Yin's voice rose: "Lu Yi, try saying 'mm' again. Have you slept together or haven't you? Is he any good?"
Lu Yi came to her senses, looked up and explained, "I didn't sleep."
Then she added, "But we kissed."
"Just kissed?"
"Yes."
"No further action?"
"Yes."
"..."
Yu Yin sneered. Her prejudice against Lin Jinshen grew deeper and deeper. She said with certainty, "A man's delaying tactics, throwing out a smoke bomb, not being hard after kissing, is that a man?"
"It's not too late for you to get a divorce."
There was no wedding, it wasn't made public, so it's just as good if they get divorced.
Go through the same process again? Lu Yi would rather not have sex in her life, she just said let's talk about it later, her mind is on work now.
She looked ahead, it was a little dark, it shouldn't rain at this time of day: "Is it going to rain?"
The navigation system said it would take ten minutes to reach the destination, Yu Yin said it was possible: "Let's do it quickly, if he really disagrees, don't waste time arguing with him."
"Okay."
The car drove to the entrance of the village. It was indeed remote. The road was a potholed dirt track. Even the navigation system couldn't find a route. Lu Yibian rolled down the window and asked for directions.
Most of the people in the village were elderly. He listened intently to their answers even though he couldn't hear them clearly. When he heard that they were looking for a painter, he pointed with his finger in a direction.
"A big painter who carries things on his back, walks up the hill all day, and stays there all day."
The car continued into the village, and as it grew darker, the headlights illuminated the road ahead. A tall, thin figure walked past the car, carrying an easel and buckets of paint. His unshaven beard covered most of his face, making it difficult to tell his age.
"That's him,"
"Bao, stay in the car, I'll talk to him."
Lu Yi packed her things on the seat and unbuckled her seatbelt before getting out of the car.
"Let me know if you need anything,"
"Okay."
Lu Yi pushed open the car door and followed in two or three steps: "Teacher Xin."
Two or three times, no answer.
It wasn't until she quickly walked up to him, took a deep breath and said, "Hello, Teacher Xin, my name is Lu Yi, I'm the curator of Yi Xing. I have come to work with you this time."
Xin Qi stared at her and said after a few seconds, "I don't have anything to collaborate on.
"Wait, can you give me five minutes? I've come four hours from Beijing, and I'm really sincere about this collaboration. I really like your work."
Xin Qi was unmoved. After withdrawing his gaze, he continued walking and said impassively, "I don't know where you heard I was here, and I don't care how long it took you to get here. My answer is still the same: I have nothing to cooperate with you."
"..."
"Can you spare three minutes? You can mention your request for cooperation."
"..."
Xin Qi walked straight ahead, not looking aside, and went up the path on the ridge, leaving Lu Yi behind.
Yu Yin waited in the car. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but get out of the car and call out to Lu Yi, "It's okay. There's nothing to talk about with someone who's so arrogant. He really thinks he is a master and looks down on people with his nose.
The other party was unmoved.
It wasn't long before he walked tens of meters away, his figure getting smaller and smaller in the night until it became a dark dot.
Lu Yi walked back, almost expecting this result, but she had tried her best and didn't sound too frustrated. She walked to the driver's seat and said, "I'll drive."
"Don't take it personally, I'll find you a car full of those little painters," Yu Yin reassured her.
Lu Yi laughed, "There are so many, I'm afraid there won't be enough room to hang them all in an exhibition hall."
Yu Yin snorted, "So you won't have the same ones every day."
As soon as the car turned around, the phone rang. Lu Yi glanced at the message on the screen, parked the car, motioned to Yu Yin, and then answered the phone.
It was Lin Jinshen calling.
The voice on the phone was lower than in real life. He was calling because Ms. Qin had delivered a box of seafood to Chengxiyuan by air. The quality was good, so they should eat it while it was still fresh. Lin Jinshen had work to do and wouldn't be home early, so he asked Lu Yi when she would be back.
"I won't be home until later either. Ask Auntie Fang to put it in the fridge."
Lin Jinshen nodded and asked, "Are you working overtime?"
"Not really. I'm in the eastern suburbs, outside the city, and I'm on my way back. It will take a while to get back," Lu Yi explained.
"Work related?"
"Yes. It's the painter from last night. He's going to try his luck."
Lin Jinshen asked no more questions and told her to be careful on the road.
Lu Yi hung up the phone, and as she put it down, she caught a glimpse of Yu Yin's expression, which looked like a smile, but was actually a sneer.
"What?"
Yu Yin crossed her arms and her smile had a meaningful undertone: "You and your husband seem to have a lot to talk about."
She had thought that after marriage, they would be the kind of people who would find even half a sentence too much to say, but on the phone right now, it wasn't like that at all. There were questions and answers, and it was just like a normal couple.
Lu Yi started the car and explained, "You will know about the daily chores after marriage when you get married.
"I'm not getting married."
Yu Yin tied her hair back and said with a hint of melancholy, "I'm afraid I'll be doomed to the same fate as you, otherwise I might as well find a man first."
If she had thought of that, she would have found one long ago.
The two of them smiled in silent agreement.
Lu Yi drove all the way back, and since visibility was poor at night, Yu Yin fell asleep in the car. She didn't stop halfway and drove all the way back to the city.
What was worse than driving at night was the rain, which was not light at all. The windshield wipers kept working, occasionally aided by lightning and thunder, which indicated that the rain would not stop soon.
-
Chengxi Garden.
Lin Jinshen arrived home at ten o'clock. After taking a shower, he came out to find that a violent wind was blowing outside and a torrential rain had suddenly started.
He went to the first floor and looked out of the floor-to-ceiling windows. In the dim light, the rain poured down in a mighty deluge.
He looked at his watch: it was half past ten, and Lu Yi had not returned. The outgoing call had been made at six o'clock. He pressed his lips together and turned off the screen of his cell phone, not wanting to make another call.
The previous time, the question was superfluous.
Lin Jinshen looked at it for a moment and then looked down. Not far from his feet was a rattan cat bed with a soft cushion inside. A ball of cat was quietly sprawled on it, its neck bent, its eyes moving restlessly as it stared at him.
The man and the cat stared at each other for a long time.
His gaze was cold, and the creature in front of him did not arouse the slightest bit of affection in him. After a long time, he lifted his lips and said, "What are you looking at? Your owner is not here."
"..."
Especially Puff's expression looked helpless.
Lin Jinshen frowned, a bit annoyed. He pulled his lips back and his tone became even colder: "You have an incompetent owner.
He doesn't come back this late, and he doesn't care about the cat he keeps.
As if Puff sensed the low-pressure atmosphere in the room, he didn't say a word, continued his actions, and didn't make a sound.
After a few minutes, Lin Jinshen planned to go upstairs, continue working as usual, and go to bed at the right time, and he had always been precise with his schedule. After taking two steps, he turned on his phone again, pulled out Lu Yi's number, and called.
He was just doing what a husband should do. His wife hadn't returned home during the rainstorm, and he should show the necessary concern.
Coming home late affects his normal routine.
The phone rang twice before being answered. Amidst the pattering rain, Lu Yiqing's clear voice came in: "Lin Jinshen?"
"When are you coming back?"
Lin Jinshen's voice was hard to hear in the rain, so she had to raise her voice as much as possible and reply, "I might have some trouble here. I can't come back right now. Is something wrong with Paofu?"
"No." Lin Jinshen asked, "What kind of trouble?"
"The car broke down halfway and I'm waiting for the tow truck to come."
Lu Yi didn't know if she was just having a bad day or if the car was just too delicate, but it broke down after driving over the bumpy mountain road. She finished sending the last message and on the way back, the car broke down halfway.
She reacted quickly enough to pull over to the side of the road and turn on the double flashers before the car completely stalled.
She had already called for help, but due to the heavy rain, she didn't know when they would arrive.
"Where are you?" Lin Jinshen's voice was very deep.
Lu Yi only gave a rough location and said, "I think it might be too late to go back and disturb you, so I'll just stay at a hotel..."
Lin Jinshen interrupted her, "Send me your location via WeChat.
Lu Yi blinked in confusion and didn't react before she heard him follow up, "I'll come pick you up."
A statement with a very calm tone.
"Huh?" Lu Yi looked out of the car window at the torrential rain that seemed like the eve of the end of the world. There were hardly any cars on the road. Not wanting to bother others, she said, "The tow truck is almost here. You don't need to come. I can handle it."
"Send it to me."
"I don't want both sets of elders asking me tomorrow morning why I left you alone on the side of the road in the rain."
Lu Yi's breath caught and she coughed lightly, "I didn't tell my parents."
"Lu Yi."
Lin Jinshen was getting dressed, and his voice on the phone came closer and closer: "Wait for me to come over."
The phone was hung up.
Lu Yi held the phone in her hand and her mind went blank for a few seconds. After a moment, she opened the WeChat conversation with Lin Jinshen and sent her location.
After sending it, she turned the phone over and looked at it blankly, a little at a loss.
It was as if she had been trapped in a small space for too long, and her hands and feet were numb. She rested her hands on the steering wheel and looked out at the rain that seemed to be falling incessantly.
About twenty minutes passed.
The black Bentley pulled up next to the Mini, and the window was rolled down to reveal Lin Jinshen's face, with its pronounced features and deep gaze fixed on Lu Yi through the rain.
"Wait."
The sound of the rain was so loud that she couldn't hear him clearly, and she thought he was asking her to get out of the car.
She grabbed her phone and bag, clenched her teeth, pushed the door open, and stepped out of the car. The rain poured down as if it had been turned over. In the rush, she saw Lin Jinshen push open the car door at the same time as her, and at that moment of eye contact, the umbrella in his hand opened with a bang, like a black mushroom that had grown instantly after being caught in the rain.
"..."
It turned out he wasn't getting into the car, but was telling her to wait.
They were both stunned and speechless for half a second, but they couldn't think of anything else. They opened the door and got into the car at the same time, sat down and looked at each other for a moment, making sure they were both wet.
"..."
Lu Yi explained awkwardly, "I thought you told me to get out of the car."
"It's okay."
The car was air-conditioned, but it was warm, and the cloth was just sticking to her body after the rain, so it wasn't cold.
Lin Jinshen put the salvaged umbrella in the back seat, took off his jacket, which was half wet and half dry, and said, "Wipe yourself with this."
"Okay."
"Thank you."
Lu Yi took it and symbolically wiped her dripping hair.
She saw that Lin Jinshen was wearing pajamas, so he must have showered already. After receiving the call, he grabbed a jacket and came straight out. She looked down and was relieved to see that he wasn't wearing slippers, but leather shoes that had been soaked by the rain.
His profile is above average, and even in such an appearance he still looks good.
The car is parked there, so it's okay. When the tow truck arrives, it will tow it away for repairs, and she can just pick it up then.
There wasn't much conversation on the way, and the car drove all the way to the parking lot. They took the elevator home, and she held his jacket in her arms.
"Give me your jacket," Lin Jinshen looked at her, "it's wet, you don't need to hold on to it."
Lu Yi handed it over.
She was wearing a chiffon blouse and a wrap skirt today. During the car transfer earlier, she was soaked to the skin, and the thin fabric clung to her body, showing the shape of her underwear.
A casual glance revealed the undulating lines under her neck, flawless and white. Lin Jinshen quickly looked away and said, "You take it."
"?"
Lu Yi clutched it to her chest.
The elevator went straight down and the door was unlocked by fingerprints. The two of them walked in one after the other.
"Meow~"
Puff came out of her cat's nest. Since Lin Jinshen was there, she didn't dare come over and could only watch from a distance.
Lin Jinshen changed his shoes and said without looking at her, "Go take a shower first, don't catch cold."
"Okay."
Lu Yi changed her shoes beside him. Because her feet were wet, she slipped while taking off her shoes. Lin Jinshen caught her wrist before she hit his chest, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around him.
They were wet.
And very hot.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Lin Jinshen let her go, his frown lingering.
Lu Yi changed her shoes, and before she went upstairs, she didn't forget to squat down and rub the little puffer's head. She went to the bedroom, took her pajamas and went to the bathroom. The hot shower made her feel much better.
When she finished washing and came out, Lin Jinshen was already lying in bed, his body straight, his arms by his side, in a standard posture that matched his personality.
His eyes were closed.
The light was still on.
Lu Yi moved slowly. She had checked the time before entering the bathroom. It was after eleven when they returned, and it was after midnight when she finished washing.
According to Lin Jinshen's routine, he had been asleep for an hour.
Lu Yi walked over to the side of the bed, turned off the light, lifted the quilt in the dark, and slowly lay down. The process, which could have been completed in a few seconds, took a painfully long time in the dark.
After tossing and turning for so long, her brain was still in a state of excitement and she felt no drowsiness.
Judging by her experience of the previous two days, she would have to stay up until two o'clock.
The rain had not stopped, and the weather forecast said it would continue until late at night.
She was in the car at that time, ready to wait for the tow truck. She didn't expect Lin Jinshen to come back, or rather, she didn't think about him at all, but he drove up in his pajamas.
He said, "I didn't want my elders to call me in the morning and scold me for leaving her by the side of the road in the rain.
That's it, right?
A good reason.
Even if there is no affection, they are still husband and wife in name.
Lu Yi relaxed a bit after she figured it out. She turned around and prepared to change positions.
"Lu Yi,"
Lin Jinshen's voice suddenly sounded impatient.
Lu Yi stopped rolling over and she turned around and asked apologetically, "Did I wake you up?"
He didn't say yes or no, and an unintelligible sound came out of his throat, like the sound of the word 'hmm'. Before she could apologize, Lin Jinshen leaned over and asked, "Do you know what time it is?"
The bed was a normal-sized double bed, with a safe distance between the two of them. After he leaned over to the side, the distance was suddenly broken, as if whispered in his ear.
Her mind buzzed and she said guiltily, "It's after midnight."
"It's already Saturday."
"..."
Lu Yi already felt guilty enough, and just as she was about to say something to make amends, she heard Lin Jinshen continue calmly and rationally, "We haven't done it three times this week."
"There are still two days left."
"If you don't do it, you'll have to do it three times a day."
"?"