By the time Lin Jianqing arrived at Shen Huaixue’s place, the sky was completely dark.
The streetlights outside the residential area glowed quietly, their warm yellow light spilling onto the ground, casting a soft amber hue over the neatly trimmed greenery. They simply spread along the roadside in silence.
This place was completely different from the school. No noisy students, no delivery scooters whizzing past. Even the sound of wind rustling through the leaves felt orderly.
Lin Jianqing stood at the bottom of the building, watching the automatic door click open. With mixed feelings, he stepped inside. This wasn’t his first time at Shen Huaixue’s home.
But every time he came, he had the feeling that he was willingly walking into some kind of danger zone.
At first, he’d thought of it as a wolf’s den.
Seemed it was still a wolf’s den—except this wolf had recently learned to prepare dinner for him?
That was just Lin Jianqing’s guess. Still, there was an inexplicable sense of anticipation in his heart.
The elevator rose steadily. Lin Jianqing looked down at his phone. The chat window still showed Shen Huaixue’s last message:
“Just come straight up when you arrive.”
Simple and matter-of-fact, with no trace of a request.
Lin Jianqing put away his phone just as the elevator doors opened. The moment he reached the door, it swung open from inside. Shen Huaixue stood behind it, as if she had timed it perfectly.
Tonight she wore a black loungewear set—soft fabric, loose collar. Her hair was unbound, casually draped over her shoulders. Unlike her usual cool, polished demeanor at the office, Shen Huaixue now seemed less distant, yet carried an indescribable laziness.
Still, if Lin Jianqing had looked closely, he would have noticed a faint trace of exhaustion in her expression. But he was no longer fooled by her surface appearance.
Even if Shen Huaixue were wrapped in a blanket lying on the sofa, she could use the most languid tone to say the most infuriating things.
“You’re here?”
She leaned against the doorframe, giving Lin Jianqing an appraising look.
Lin Jianqing nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Pretty quick. Not late. I thought you’d dawdle a bit.”
“When the Financial Backer gives an order, I have to show up early.”
“So you’re being self-aware?”
Lin Jianqing paused mid-motion as he changed his shoes. He knew it—this woman couldn’t go a single moment without finding an angle to tease him.
“I just happened to be free. And I just came from the hospital.”
“Oh.”
Shen Huaixue’s tone was airy.
“I thought Student Lin missed me after not seeing me for two days.”
Lin Jianqing nearly tripped over his slippers. He looked up at her, his expression complicated.
“Can you act normal?”
Shen Huaixue blinked.
“What about me isn’t normal?”
“You know damn well.”
“I don’t.”
She leaned down slightly to look at him, a smile tugging at her lips. “How about you explain which part of what I just said made you react like that?”
Lin Jianqing was silent. He realized he’d been trapped again. So he chose to shut up. As always, less said, fewer mistakes. If he said too much, Shen Huaixue would grab hold of something and then strike him down in one blow.
Shen Huaixue watched the tips of his ears slowly turn red, and her mood visibly improved.
“Lin Jianqing.”
“What?”
“Your face is still so thin-skinned.”
Lin Jianqing finished changing his shoes with a deadpan expression.
“I’m going to eat.”
“Your escape skills are getting smoother.”
“I’m just reasonably avoiding harassment.”
Shen Huaixue froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“Not bad. Haven’t seen you in two days, and now you can fire back.”
Lin Jianqing ignored her. The dinner was already set out in the living room. No takeout containers tonight—everything was in clean ceramic dishes.
On the table were hot soup, stir-fried vegetables, and a few light-flavored dishes. Nothing overly extravagant, but the combination was comforting.
Lin Jianqing had originally assumed that someone like Shen Huaixue would only have coffee, alcohol, and some ridiculously expensive Western food that never filled you up.
Yet the meals she’d prepared these last few times were unexpectedly normal.
They even suited his taste perfectly. That discovery made Lin Jianqing’s feelings even more complicated. Shen Huaixue sat down at the dining table and pointed to the seat opposite her.
“Sit.”
Lin Jianqing sat down. He glanced at the dishes, then back at Shen Huaixue.
“Did you make this?”
Shen Huaixue looked up at him as if he’d said something strange.
“What do you think?”
Lin Jianqing paused.
“I don’t think so.”
“Why?”
“I don’t see you as the type to step into a kitchen.”
Shen Huaixue leaned back in her chair, half-smiling.
“Then what do I look like?”
Lin Jianqing thought about it seriously.
“Like someone who packs takeout from a restaurant and then plates it.”
Shen Huaixue laughed.
“Pretty accurate guess.”
“So you really didn’t make it?”
“You got half of it right. Auntie made it.”
“Oh.”
Lin Jianqing picked up his chopsticks, feeling a little more at ease. That made sense. If Shen Huaixue had suddenly said she made it herself, he would’ve had to consider whether there was some weird ingredient in the food that would make his face turn red after eating.
Shen Huaixue obviously read his mind.
“Were you just now suspecting I put something strange in it?”
Lin Jianqing’s hand paused as he reached for a dish.
“No.”
“Every time you say ‘no,’ it sounds like you mean ‘yes.’”
“That’s your imagination.”
“Lin Jianqing.”
“Hm?”
“You’re getting better at lying.”
Lin Jianqing glanced at her.
“Learned it from you.”
Shen Huaixue was taken aback, then laughed even more.
“Good. Well learned.”
The meal started off normally enough. Lin Jianqing was genuinely hungry, and the food tasted good, so he quickly settled into eating in silence. Shen Huaixue sat across from him without speaking at first.
She just glanced at him occasionally. Lin Jianqing was much more well-behaved when eating than usual.
Head lowered, taking small bites but eating with focus. Occasionally, when he encountered a dish he liked, his chopsticks would unconsciously reach for it once more, but then he’d catch himself and rein it in. That little detail amused Shen Huaixue.
“If you like it, eat more.”
Lin Jianqing’s movements paused.
“I wasn’t being polite.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
Forget it, just eat. Lin Jianqing lowered his head and continued eating. Shen Huaixue propped her chin on her hand and watched him.
“Do you always eat this seriously?”
“If I’m not serious about eating, then how should I eat?”
“I usually like to chat while I eat.”
“I’m not used to that.”
“Didn’t your family chat during meals back then?”
The moment the question was asked, Lin Jianqing’s movements came to a very slight halt.
Just a brief instant. Then he quickly returned to normal.
“We did.”
Shen Huaixue watched him. She hadn’t missed that subtle reaction. She knew she had stepped on something. In the past, she probably would have pushed further, trying to provoke a more obvious reaction from Lin Jianqing.
But this time, she uncharacteristically paused for half a second. Just half a second.
Then, as if casually changing the subject, she said,
“I’m curious—have you ever been in a relationship before?”