Chapter 37
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Sun Ping was taken aback as they brought in Chen Rui to unload the goods. He was about to ask what was going on when Chen Rui, without a moment’s hesitation, rolled up his sleeves and picked up a box of cola from the open compartment. “Uncle, where should I put this?” he asked.
At this point, pushing and pulling was meaningless. He shot a fierce glare at his wife and picked up another box. “Come with me.”
Meanwhile, Su Nan and Sun Yutan stood still, observing the scene before them. They exchanged a glance, and Sun Yutan couldn’t help but chuckle. “I didn’t see it wrong just now. Did Dad just glare at you?”
“Yes,” Su Nan looked at Chen Rui’s back, “From this perspective, Chen Rui doesn’t seem to be that delicate either. He moves with such ease, without making a fuss.”
Sun Yutan laughed quietly.
As Chen Rui prepared to make his way back to the truck for the second time, Sun Nan spoke up, “Alright, Xiao Tan, let’s not make him work anymore. I’ll go call Xiao Hai over.”
Sun Yutan nodded in agreement, and picked up a box of puffed food before following Chen Rui into the warehouse. They both returned empty-handed. She reached out to pull him, but despite his cold expression, Chen Rui’s fingers laced tightly around hers.
“That’s enough,” Sun Yutan urged. “Let’s go have some fun.”
Chen Rui’s response was firm. “We need to finish moving first.” As they reached the truck, he released her hand once more.
“Come on, there’s really no need,” Sun Yutan protested.
Chen Rui stood his ground. “You sit here and wait for me,” he ordered, pushing her towards a nearby plastic chair.
Left to wait helplessly on the sidelines, Sun Yutan watched as Chen Rui tirelessly went in and out of the warehouse, his hair becoming increasingly disheveled and dusty with each trip.
Sun Yutan sat up straight, her previously swaying feet now firmly planted on the ground. Her mind was consumed with thoughts of Chen Rui, from his usual cold and indifferent demeanor, to his stubborn refusal to give up on the task at hand, and even the pretentious facade he sometimes wore. And yet, the Chen Rui she had seen today was entirely different from what she had expected.
Chen Rui, Chen Rui.
Suddenly, it dawned on her that perhaps Chen Rui was not as complicated as she had initially believed. In fact, he might even be easy to understand.
She shouldn’t have treated him so badly.
Three big men worked together to unload the truck, so it was quickly emptied.
Su Nan handed a red envelope to Sun Yutan, asking her to pass it on to Xiao Hai later.
“Tell him to finish up work and have a wonderful Lunar New Year with his family,” Su Nan instructed.
“Okay.”
“Will you be heading home with Xiao Rui later?” Su Nan inquired.
“I’m taking him out for a walk,” Sun Yutan replied.
Su Nan smiled warmly. “That sounds lovely. Just make sure to let me know when you’ll be back.”
“I’m not sure, but I’ll call you once we return,” Sun Yutan assured her.
“Alright then. Have fun,” Su Nan said, waving them off.
Xiao Hai received the red envelope from Sun Yutan, but expressed some hesitation about leaving work so early. “It’s not even noon yet,” he said.
Sun Yutan reassured him. “It’s okay, Xiao Hai. Go home and enjoy the Lunar New Year. We don’t need you for the rest of the day. Happy New Year in advance.”
Xiao Hai nodded gratefully. “I’ll go let Auntie Nan know.”
“No need,” Sun Yutan replied, pushing him away gently. “My mom is busy with inventory. You can head out now.”
As Xiao Hai took a few steps away, Sun Yutan suddenly felt Chen Rui’s hand grab onto hers. She looked over at him, and he continued to hold her hand. He played the role of a gracious host and turned to Xiao Hai, thanking him for his hard work.
Xiao Hai smiled, no longer insisting on staying. “You’re welcome. Goodbye.”
As Xiao Hai walked away, Sun Yutan playfully bumped her chin against Chen Rui’s shoulder and said, “Thank you for your hard work too, temporary worker, Xiao Chen.”
Chen Rui raised an eyebrow. “What about my salary?”
Sun Yutan grinned mischievously. “What salary? There isn’t one.”
Chen Rui pointed out the red envelope that had been given to Xiao Hai. “Then why does he get a red envelope?”
Sun Yutan pretended to turn back and check. “Hmm, I’ll have to ask my mom about that.”
Chen Rui playfully pulled her back into his arms. “I want you to give it to me instead.”
Sun Yutan hugged his waist and planted a kiss on his lips. “Is that enough?”
Chen Rui shook his head. “Not even close.” In one swift motion, he scooped her up and whisked her back to the hotel as if they were flying.
Chen Rui’s heart was racing as he pressed Sun Yutan against the door, his lips passionately locked with hers. The intensity of the moment threatened to consume them both, but Sun Yutan’s voice cut through the haze.
“Chen Rui, that’s enough,” she said, her hand firmly gripping her own pants. “We still have business to attend to.”
Chen Rui’s desire was strong, and he was loathe to let her go. After a restless night spent thinking of her, he had finally found himself in her embrace, and he didn’t want to leave it so soon.
“What business could be more important than this?” he asked, his voice husky with desire. “Take a shower with me first.”
The simple act of taking a shower had taken on a new significance between them. Sun Yutan supported herself with her remaining willpower, sneaking to the other side while he took off his sweater.
“Do you still want to go to my grandfather’s house? We’ll leave early tomorrow morning. We need to go buy things now.”
“You won’t regret it, will you?”
“You’re the one who shouldn’t regret it. Why are you smiling?”
“I’m not smiling.”
“I saw you laughing secretly.”
Chen Rui said, “Let me kiss you again.”
“No.”
As Chen Rui came to catch her, Sun Yutan ran a circle but was still dragged into the bathroom by him.
…
Sun Yutan gasped as she felt the powerful impact from behind, the glass door cold against her bare skin. Her earlier protest echoed in her mind, but it was quickly drowned out by the overwhelming sensations coursing through her body.
“Didn’t we agree to just kiss?” she managed to gasp out. “Why don’t you keep your word…”
“Resistance is futile.” Chen Rui bowed tightly against her, his hand spreading open her legs.
“I can’t stand still.”
He simply lifted her onto the sink.
In the afternoon, the two finally left the room.
After wandering around the mall for a while, Sun Yutan found that besides bedding, there seemed to be nothing else to buy. Chen Rui, the picky one, had brought everything.
“Chen Rui, come clean,” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously. “When did you secretly plan to come back to Shaocheng with me?”
“Do you know those two?”
Sun Yutan turned and saw familiar faces in the distance. She quickly averted her gaze, but it was too late. She had been spotted and they were already making their way over.
Sun Yutan inwardly cursed and blamed Chen Rui for causing the commotion. “Why did you have to look around?”
“What, are they your enemies?”
Sun Yutan gave him a disdainful look, took a deep breath, and forced a smile as the newcomers called out her name. “Hi, Song Xin, Wu Shan, long time no see.”
Wu Shan’s surprise at seeing Sun Yutan was evident on her face. “It’s really you!” she exclaimed. “Sun Yutan, we haven’t seen each other for over ten years.” She scanned Sun Yutan up and down. “You’re getting more and more beautiful. Is this handsome guy your boyfriend?”
Sun Yutan smiled and introduced Chen Rui to her old friends. “Yes, he is,” she confirmed. “You two are getting more and more beautiful too. I almost didn’t recognize you earlier.”
Wu Shan playfully swatted Sun Yutan’s arm. “What’s wrong with you?” she scolded. “You didn’t even say a word when you came back to Shaocheng. Did she tell you, Song Xin? You two used to be the best of friends.”
Song Xin shook her head, her velvet dress swishing softly beneath her coat. She still exuded the same gentle and elegant aura as before. “Xiao Tan must be too busy,” she mused. “We haven’t talked for a while.”
“It’s true. I was too busy,” she admitted. “Don’t blame me, Song Xin. I forgot.”
Wu Shan said, “Today, a few of us old classmates planned to get together. We thought you were still out of town. It’s great that you’re back. Come with us. Everyone will be happy to see you. Song Xin, ask Xie Jinghao if he’s still at the arcade.”
“Hey,” Sun Yutan quickly said, “Chen Rui and I have something to do. You guys go ahead and have fun.”
“You can’t leave today.” Wu Shan held onto her tightly, refusing to let go.
“Come with us,” Song Xin also spoke up, “It’s okay. It’s rare for everyone to meet.”
“Hey handsome, do you mind?” Wu Shan asked Chen Rui.
Ignoring the urgent eye signals from Sun Yutan, Chen Rui said, “Actually, we do have something to attend to right now, so we can’t go. But I’ll treat everyone to dinner tonight. Is that okay?”
“That’s amazing!” Wu Shan applauded. “Can we pick the place?”
“Sure. Just send the address to Xiao Tan.”
After Wu Shan and Song Xin left, Sun Yutan hung her head and dejectedly leaned against Chen Rui.
Chen Rui pinched her face and teased, “Don’t you have something to attend to? Go take care of it.”
“It’s a weird thing.” She grabbed Chen Rui and went to the first floor to send the things back home.
“What happened between you and Song Xin?”
“Who said something happened between us?” Sun Yutan jumped up.
“You can’t even look her in the eye. Either you did something wrong to her.”
“No, it’s not like that.” Sun Yutan explained earnestly, “Some friends are like that, especially those who used to be very close friends. Once they become estranged, it’s a hundred or a thousand times scarier than with ordinary friends. They would rather avoid each other. But if you think about it carefully, nothing really happened between us. There were no quarrels, no conflicts, we just suddenly stopped contacting each other. The thought of meeting again brings a lot of pressure. So why is that? Who knows.”
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