CS - 68

Why was the elevator descending so slowly?

Was it always this slow?

...

Lin Zhe Xia stared at the floor numbers displayed above the buttons, lost in thought.

When she didn’t respond for a while, the hand that had been resting on her head suddenly loosened, then moved down slightly to tug gently at her earlobe. “…Say something.”

“It’s too windy,” Lin Zhe Xia finally pursed her lips, deciding to avoid the topic forcefully. “I can’t hear clearly.”

Chi Yao: “Where’s the wind coming from in an elevator?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “My brain has sprung a leak.”

“…”

She added another sentence: “There’s something wrong with my brain. Take me to the hospital for a check-up.”

Chi Yao fell silent.

Just then, someone entered the elevator, and Lin Zhe Xia quickly took two steps forward, shaking off the person clinging to her.

The residents of this building were all familiar faces.

The entering aunt greeted warmly: “Oh, it’s Zhe Xia! Back home for the holidays?”

Lin Zhe Xia nodded: “Yes, Aunt Liu.”

The aunt turned her head and saw the person standing behind her. Although they stood at a distance, there seemed to be an invisible magnetic field between them.

Lin Zhe Xia’s feeling of secretly “fooling around” with Chi Yao persisted throughout the day.

When they went to the grocery store to buy soy sauce, after she paid, Chi Yao habitually reached out to take it, but she clutched the bottle tightly: “Thank you, kind Mr. Chi, but no need—I can carry it myself.”

Chi Yao’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

In just half a day, his title had changed from boyfriend to “Mr. Chi.”

Chi Yao: “It’s just soy sauce. Are you overthinking things?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Mr. Chi, please mind your words and actions. Don’t talk to me too much.”

As she walked, she suddenly remembered something: “Oh, right. I need to tell He Yang not to let anything slip.”

“…”

At first, Chi Yao firmly believed that she was overthinking things and that making their relationship public wouldn’t have much impact.

Midway through their walk, Lin Zhe Xia, seeing that no one was around, shoved the soy sauce bottle into his hands: “Here, hold it.”

Chi Yao accepted it.

Right in front of him, she pulled out her phone and opened the chat window with Tang Shuxuan.

Then, without changing her expression, she sent two messages:

• Let me tell you something secretly.

• Chi Yao and I are dating.

Since it was a holiday, Tang Shuxuan replied quickly.

Tang Shuxuan: Let me tell you something secretly—Shu Chen and I have been dating too.

Tang Shuxuan: Actually, we’ve been together behind your backs for a long time.

Chi Yao: “….”

“Mom—soy sauce.”

After returning home, Lin Zhe Xia rushed into the kitchen.

“How could buying soy sauce take so long? I’m almost done cooking.” Lin He grumbled.

Lin Zhe Xia made up an excuse: “I’m rarely back as the notorious bully of Nanxiang Street. Even the grocery store owner missed me, so I caught up with them.”

Lin He saw through her immediately: “If anyone actually missed you, I’d be shocked.”

Because both Chi Yao and Lin Zhe Xia were home, the Lin household was unusually lively.

Lin Zhe Xia hid in the kitchen, chatting with Lin He while sneaking bites of food.

Lin He: “Stop eating—it’s unbecoming.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “It’s all family. No one will care.”

In the living room, Wei Ping and Chi Yao sat chatting as usual.

Wei Ping, wearing glasses, read the newspaper: “The current international situation…”

Compared to that home in Jing City a year ago, Chi Yao sitting here now truly felt like “coming home.” Countless familiar details softly surrounded him. For years, his impression of “home” had always been here.

This place where Lin Zhe Xia was.

Nothing particularly unexpected happened during dinner.

All the delicious dishes were placed in Chi Yao’s bowl by Lin He. Noticing her gaze, he passed some back to her.

In the past, he wouldn’t even need to pass them; she would have grabbed them herself.

But today was different. She constantly reminded herself to keep her distance from Chi Yao. Holding her bowl, she politely declined: “No need. You eat. In this house, plain rice is enough for me.”

Lin He didn’t pay much attention and casually asked: “Do you two often see each other at school?”

Their responses were mismatched—

Chi Yao: “Mm.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “No.”

Lin He became suspicious: “So, do you see each other or not?”

Lin Zhe Xia firmly said: “No. The campus is too big, and we’re in different majors. How could we possibly see each other often? He’s lying.”

Chi Yao put down his chopsticks and lightly pinched her hand under the table.

Sometimes, their communication didn’t require words.

Lin Zhe Xia could interpret his meaning from this small gesture: You’ll pay for this later.

And this “later” didn’t take long to arrive.

After the meal, Lin Zhe Xia volunteered to wash dishes in the kitchen.

Of course, Lin He wouldn’t miss any opportunity to put her to work. Sitting with Wei Ping watching TV, she reminded her: “Don’t forget to wash the pot on the stove—”

Lin Zhe Xia put on dishwashing gloves. Halfway through washing, she felt her bra strap slipping down.

With gloves on her hands and a dish halfway washed, she couldn’t use her hands, so she tilted her head awkwardly, trying to fix it.

When Chi Yao entered the kitchen, he saw her shrugging and tilting her head.

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Zhe Xia was startled: “Why are you here?”

Chi Yao closed the kitchen door: “Don’t worry—they’re watching TV.”

Too embarrassed to admit her bra strap was slipping, Lin Zhe Xia continued washing dishes.

Chi Yao circled behind her: “Where does it itch?”

“…”

Big brother.

It wasn’t an itch.

Even if they were the best of brothers before, he wouldn’t understand the pain of a suddenly slipping bra strap.

But before she could come up with another excuse, Chi Yao “helpfully” placed his hand on her shoulder: “…Here?”

Her shoulder was now extra sensitive. His fingers touched her through the fabric, intensifying the unsettling feeling of something about to fall.

“No,” she tried to dodge, but the kitchen was too small, so she could only say, “Don’t touch it—it doesn’t itch anymore.”

Chi Yao curled his fingers, and before making any movement, he faintly felt a thin strap beneath the fabric.

The strap was positioned awkwardly.

Curious, he fiddled with it through the fabric, and the already loose strap completely slipped off.

Lin Zhe Xia paused in her dishwashing, feeling a bit overwhelmed: “…I told you not to touch it.”

Chi Yao’s bony fingers on her shoulder also paused.

“You were just dealing with this thing?”

“…Yeah, it suddenly slipped down.”

For a moment, the atmosphere in the kitchen became ambiguous.

The only sound was the running water.

The two of them had acted like “good friends” in front of Lin He and Wei Ping all day. In this moment, the constraints of being “good friends” were unexpectedly broken.

As if wanting to tear apart those constraints even more thoroughly, Chi Yao hesitated briefly, then lifted the girl’s loose collar and inserted two fingers inside. His long fingers easily found the fallen strap, hooking it with two fingers and pulling it back up.

Facing away from him, Lin Zhe Xia’s entire face flushed red.

This action felt more intimate than kissing.

His fingers were scorching hot, leaving tingling sensations wherever they touched.

“Done,” Chi Yao withdrew his fingers. “…Does the other side need fixing?”

Lin Zhe Xia sped up her dishwashing and quietly said: “No, hurry and leave.”

“I’ll help you wash,” he said.

“No,” Lin Zhe Xia continued to refuse.

Chi Yao still didn’t leave.

He lowered his eyes, staring at the girl’s slender neck and the white strap faintly visible beneath her collar.

“Girlfriend, I just helped you,” he said. “Isn’t it fair to ask for a little reward?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “You call that helping me?”

Chi Yao countered: “Doesn’t it count?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “That’s called taking matters into your own hands.”

Chi Yao hummed: “Since you don’t need it, I’ll pull it down again and restore it.”

“…”

Once was enough.

Lin Zhe Xia conceded: “What reward do you want?”

Chi Yao didn’t answer. Instead, he told her not to move. She maintained her position of washing dishes with her back to him, watching the water flow. The next second, the person behind her leaned down and pressed close, placing a burning kiss on the side of her neck.

Even without seeing it, they both knew their current posture was highly suggestive.

This kiss reminded her of the strap he had just pulled up. She zoned out for a moment.

Within these few seconds, something unexpected happened—

The kitchen door was suddenly pulled open.

Lin He entered, holding two bowls: “Xia Xia, I forgot earlier. There are still two bowls that need…”

Her words abruptly stopped.

She stared at the scene before her: the two of them entwined, necks pressed together. She was momentarily stunned.

Wei Ping, sensing something was off, got up and walked over, asking: “What’s wrong?”

Chi Yao hadn’t expected to get caught.

He had just come in to tease her a bit. Since she wasn’t ready to go public yet, he hadn’t planned to reveal their relationship either.

“Uncle Wei, Aunt He.”

Before he could explain, Lin Zhe Xia interrupted him.

In a moment of panic, Lin Zhe Xia somehow found the courage. She first turned off the faucet, removed her rubber gloves, and then calmly addressed Lin He and Wei Ping: “It’s exactly what you see. Since you’ve always treated him like a son, treating him as a son-in-law shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?”

“…”

Ten minutes later.

The four of them sat facing each other, holding a family meeting.

Lin He was unusually serious: “When did this start?”

Before Lin Zhe Xia could speak, Chi Yao pressed her hand under the table to stop her: “We just started dating recently. We intended to tell you this time, but we couldn’t find the right moment. It’s my fault.”

Lin He recalled the subtle oddities during their visit this time.

For instance, Lin Zhe Xia had asked her, “What do you think of Chi Yao?” These details had been overlooked at the time, but upon reflection, they now made sense.

Before Lin Zhe Xia went to university, Lin He had occasionally thought about her daughter’s romantic prospects.

Privately, she and Wei Ping had imagined whether Lin Zhe Xia would date anyone.

And if she did, what kind of boy would she choose?

…

They never expected this day to come so soon.

And the person she brought back was Chi Yao.

The Chi Yao they had watched grow up since childhood.

The two children had been inseparable from a young age, growing up together through countless arguments without regard for gender.

Though shocked, Lin He wasn’t unable to accept it. Instead, she considered the matter deeply: “Have you thought this through? You’ve known each other since childhood. Are you sure your feelings for each other are love? Dating isn’t child’s play—it’s a serious matter. You can’t be careless.”

“Aunt He,” Chi Yao looked at her as he spoke, “I’ve liked her for a long time.”

Lin He was momentarily speechless.

These words coming from Chi Yao weren’t without conviction.

She had seen how close their relationship was and how much Chi Yao cared for Lin Zhe Xia.

Lin He: “One last question.”

She extended a finger and pointed at her daughter: “How could you possibly fall for her?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “…?”

“That’s unfair,” Lin Zhe Xia raised her voice. “What do you mean, ‘how could you fall for me’?”

Lin He: “Anyone with eyes wouldn’t easily fall for you.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “….”

Finally, Wei Ping stepped in to smooth things over: “Love grows over time. I think it’s great. And it’s better to keep things within the family. Rather than dating someone unfamiliar outside, why not choose someone you know well…”

Lin Zhe Xia hadn’t expected her and Chi Yao’s romance to be revealed in this manner.

In the end, Lin He and Wei Ping sat in the dining room for a long time, telling them: “Since you’ve made your decision, we won’t interfere. If you’re together, cherish each other. We hope for your happiness more than anyone else.”

On the way to send Chi Yao to He Yang’s house, she still felt like she was dreaming.

“So… we’re officially out?”

Lin He didn’t collapse, nor did she scold her.

She even blessed them.

Lin Zhe Xia asked again: “Do Uncle Chi and Aunt Bai know about us? Should I meet them too?”

In her imagination, Chi Hanshan and Bai Qin definitely didn’t know.

However, Chi Yao said: “They know about you.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Huh?”

“They’ve known for a long time,” he pulled up his chat history with Bai Qin to show her. “A while ago, they even asked if I had succeeded in pursuing you.”

On the phone screen, Bai Qin’s profile picture was a picture of a wealth-bringing cat.

-Son

-If you haven’t succeeded in over a month, don’t say you’re my son when you go out.

Lin Zhe Xia asked: “How did they find out? Did you tell them long ago?”

Chi Yao exited the WeChat interface and tapped the screen protector with his finger.

Lin Zhe Xia saw the scenic photo that included her.

Before today, she had thought Chi Hanshan and Bai Qin seemed difficult to approach and might not like her.

Moreover… she had once talked back to them when she was a child.

She had never imagined that, without her knowing, she had already been accepted.

Then Chi Yao pushed Bai Qin and Chi Hanshan’s WeChat contact cards to her.

After sending Chi Yao off, she carefully added them.

Before she could decide what to say, Chi Hanshan and Bai Qin messaged her first.

Chi Hanshan’s message was straightforward—a transfer with the note: A gift for my future daughter-in-law.

Bai Qin sent a smiley face.

Lin Zhe Xia hesitated for a moment and replied with a rose emoji favored by middle-aged people.

Surely this rose—

Elders would find it very friendly, right?

Even though she knew Chi Hanshan and Bai Qin had a good impression of her, she was still cautious when facing the parents of the person she liked, fearing any misstep.

She continued typing on the screen: Aunt Bai, hello, I…

Her essay had barely begun.

Bai Qin sent the next message: Thank you for growing up with him.