Chapter 20: The Love Check-In Book

Chu Yao handed over his salary card and also told her the date each month when the salary arrives.

“The password is my Gregorian birthday,” he said, then took out his ID card. “Do you know my ID number?”

Jiang Beibei shook her head.

Chu Yao then saved the number in his phone and gave it to her.

Jiang Beibei didn’t understand his intention and asked, “Why do I need to remember all this?”

Chu Yao said straightforwardly, “...I’m handing over control of the finances to you.”

He thought, just giving the card wasn’t enough to really hand over financial control. He also needed to give her his ID card—anything he could give, he gave her, to show sincerity.

Jiang Beibei was simple-minded and didn’t think so deeply. She didn’t refuse and blushed, saying, “Then I’ll accept it properly.”

In today’s world, handing over a card doesn’t mean much since most payments are online, and online payments are tied to the card—she could swipe it whenever she wanted.

Jiang Beibei took it easily without feeling much pressure. She thought to herself that just symbolically accepting Chu Yao’s salary card was somewhat ceremonial, to prove that they were indeed entering a new stage of intimacy.

But Jiang Beibei teased him, “Yao-ge, suddenly giving me your salary card feels just like marriage…”

They had just confessed their feelings successfully, barely experienced the thrill of dating, and suddenly jumped straight to marriage?

Chu Yao, who was more thoughtful, worried that if she agreed too quickly, it would make him seem rash, frivolous, and unreliable. So he carefully said, “No rush, take it slow.”

“Take it slow, start with dating first?” Jiang Beibei giggled, “Then... I’ll start clocking in.”

Chu Yao took the wheel for the drive back. Passing by the laundromat, he said, “Wait for me here a moment.”

Most of the men in the apartment complex used this laundromat to dry-clean their suits, and would pick up their clothes on the way home.

Chu Yao pushed open the door and saw Qin Yuan there too.

“Hey?” Qin Yuan immediately slung his arm around him. “You’re off work?”

Chu Yao was silent. What should he say?

Qin Yuan complained, “I didn’t check the almanac today and got into a car accident... Did you see the group chat? You all are so busy today, Si-er too. He won’t finish work until midnight...”

Chu Yao saw that Qin Yuan was fine and asked, “Where’s your car?”

“Thrown in front of the court.” Qin Yuan lowered his head, lit a cigarette, and sighed when he exhaled. “Probably got towed.”

“You walked back?”

“Walked back from Si-er’s place.” Qin Yuan said, “You drove, right? Give me a ride later.”

Chu Yao was silent for a moment, then honestly answered, “I didn’t drive. I came with Beibei’s car.”

Qin Yuan squinted and stared at him, muttering a curse under his breath.

The laundromat owner came out carrying some clothes and frowned at the smoke smell. “Xiao Qin, no smoking here!”

Qin Yuan grabbed the clothes with one hand, put out the cigarette by the wall outside, and looked up. Sure enough, Beibei’s car was parked across the street, the headlights still on. Jiang Beibei opened the door and hurried out, running toward the back of the car.

“Er-ge!” Her tone was anxious.

Qin Yuan hadn’t had time to call her when he saw Tang Xizhou staggering over to the car. He panicked, jumped down the stairs, and ran across the street.

Jiang Beibei helped Tang Xizhou up and asked what was wrong. Tang Xizhou was dizzy, couldn’t speak, and just wanted to lie down. He was very weak.

Qin Yuan rushed over to help. Tang Xizhou was still conscious but pushed Jiang Beibei away and leaned on Qin Yuan.

Qin Yuan called out to Chu Yao, “Yao-er! Come quickly!”

In the building, if anyone knew medicine, it was Chu Yao and his father, since a forensic doctor also knows medical knowledge better than others.

A few of them helped put Tang Xizhou in the car. Qin Yuan didn’t think much now and waited for Chu Yao’s judgment.

“It’s probably hypoglycemia,” Chu Yao said, then turned Tang Xizhou’s clothes inside out looking for sugar.

Tang Xizhou was a workaholic—good at solving cases but bad at eating and resting on time. He was diagnosed with hypoglycemia by Yan Qingming and usually carried sugary snacks in his pocket for emergencies.

Tang Xizhou seemed to want to say something but was too weak and just waved his hand. Chu Yao didn’t find any sugar in his clothes and understood that he hadn’t brought any today.

Luckily, Jiang Beibei dug out a half-melted chocolate from her bag. Trembling, she tore it open and handed it to Tang Xizhou.

“Er-ge, how do you feel?”

After a while, Tang Xizhou regained his senses, found a comfortable position lying in the back seat, and said, “Some hot water would be even better...”

“Let’s go home first.” Chu Yao buckled his seatbelt and took the wheel.

Jiang Beibei sat in the back to watch over Tang Xizhou. Seeing he was okay now, she frowned and said, “Er-ge, you smell awful. You nearly made me want to throw you out just now.”

Tang Xizhou, sweating and weak, laughed faintly. His eyes were half-closed but he kept talking. He deliberately fanned himself with his jacket to let Jiang Beibei experience the “aroma” again and slowly said, “Haven’t had time to shower or brush my teeth for days. If I still smell good, then I must be the reincarnation of the fragrant concubine. Yao-er, is there a bottle of glucose at home? Can you hook it up? Big bro is on duty tonight...”

“Okay.”

“No wonder no one paid attention to me today!” Qin Yuan sat in the passenger seat, feeling something was off but couldn’t put his finger on it. Now he finally figured out why everyone had collectively ignored him. “Our whole family are workaholics.”

“Yuan-er, our overtime is different from yours.” Tang Xizhou said. “We sacrifice our small family for the big family... Didn’t you see how I almost died on the way home? This stuff knocks you out instantly. Luckily, the girl parked the car in a good spot. Girl, next time remember to lean on Er-ge’s back of the head first—don’t let Er-ge get stupid from falling.”

He slowly opened his eyes, looked at the expression on Jiang Beibei’s face, then glanced at Chu Yao in the rearview mirror. After looking back and forth for a while, he smiled knowingly and said to Jiang Beibei, “Are you happy now?”

Jiang Beibei realized what he meant and was amazed, “Er-ge, you’re really something!”

Tang Xizhou glanced again at Qin Yuan, closed his eyes, and laughed, “That guy’s still out of the loop, hahaha…”

Back home, Jiang Beibei rolled up her sleeves to cook for Tang Xizhou, while Chu Yao tried to give him a glucose drip.

Tang Xizhou watched Chu Yao calmly purge the air from the drip and said, “Steady your hand, just treat me like a corpse—best to get it done in one go.”

Chu Yao nodded, decisive and steady-handed like a nurse with decades of experience; before Tang Xizhou could even blink, the needle was already in.

“Good, good…” Tang Xizhou sighed in relief. “From now on, if the big brother’s not around, no worries about being sick in bed without anyone to care for me.”

Chu Yao suddenly asked, “How did you figure it out?”

“You and Beibei? Haven’t congratulated you yet—your luck’s better than San’er’s,” Tang Xizhou said.

Chu Yao asked, “Is it that obvious?”

Tang Xizhou replied, “Depends on the person. For me, it’s easy. Back in the day, I crawled out of the furnace of the Supreme Lord Laozi, swore brotherhood with Sun Wukong, and got a pair of identical fiery golden eyes—one look, and I know for sure… Are you two planning to tell everyone?”

Chu Yao nodded. “I’ll find time this week to let everyone know.”

“Don’t rush,” Tang Xizhou said while Jiang Beibei was cooking in the kitchen. “The Long March is just beginning. Wait until your relationship is stable before announcing it. Marriage is easy to get into but hard to get out of; same with love. So take your time and get to know each other better. Yao’er, I’m definitely thinking more about Beibei’s side. Don’t feel bad. Before and after falling in love, your feelings about someone change. If after a while you two find you don’t work out, it’s easier for Beibei to step away. If you announce it too early and everyone’s watching, if it doesn’t work out, I’m afraid with your personalities, you’ll both end up forcing yourselves to stay together.”

Chu Yao said nothing, seemingly considering it seriously.

Tang Xizhou added, “Don’t get too excited too soon, take it slow… and don’t mind me being naggy—I’m just worried about your life. A few days ago, when you hadn’t made a move, I was anxious. In the blink of an eye, it’s happened… Si’er was right; ultimately it depends on Beibei’s feelings. You’re luckier than San’er.”

Chu Yao smiled, “Yeah, very lucky.”

Jiang Beibei brought the food over, moved a stool, and sat down to feed Tang Xizhou. He sighed, “Living a retirement life early… Yao’er, help me take a photo to post on social media—I gotta show off.”

Chu Yao smiled slightly, took the phone, snapped a picture, and asked, “What should I write?”

“At year-end, cases pile up like mountains. Even though I got sick, I still don’t forget to serve the motherland—dash—after I finish this meal, I can fight for another five hundred years,” Tang Xizhou dictated.

Jiang Beibei said, “What about me? Why no thanks to me?”

Tang Xizhou proudly said, “The more you don’t say the main point, the more those guys notice it. Yao’er, just post it like this, haha!”

After leaving Tang Xizhou’s place and reaching the door of their own apartment on the second floor, Jiang Beibei opened the door and turned back to see Chu Yao still standing behind her, smiling at her.

Remembering the kiss, she suddenly felt a rush of excitement, her blood pumping like crazy, even more impulsive than Song Da Miao. She pounced on Chu Yao, wrapped her arms around his neck, and nipped him.

She had originally planned to kiss him quickly, then retreat inside and close the door to avoid any surprise attacks.

But plans couldn’t keep up with changes. The door, moved by the wind, slowly closed. After her “hungry wolf” bite, she turned to go inside but slammed into the door with a loud bang. Her head rang like a copper bell.

The pain wasn’t the problem—embarrassment was!

Jiang Beibei felt wronged, holding her head and almost crying on the spot.

Chu Yao rubbed her head, unlocked their door, and pulled her inside.

Jiang Beibei’s eyes were blurry with tears, full of shame and frustration, wishing she could dig a hole and disappear forever.

Chu Yao took her into the kitchen, asked his dad who was filleting a fish for some sesame oil, poured it into his hand, and rubbed her bump.

This was an old family remedy. When Jiang Beibei was little, she was naughty and once fell while hopping on one leg in front of their door. Her arms and legs were fine, but she got a big bump on her forehead. His dad came home, saw no serious injury, poured some sesame oil on it, and rubbed it while laughing. He thought it was funny and pitiful that such a small kid fell and cried so loudly from the bump.

Jiang Beibei suddenly laughed, looked up at Chu Yao.

Chu Yao gently massaged her forehead and whispered, “Why were you running so fast…”

Jiang Beibei thought, yeah, she deserved it.

She had planned to sneak the kiss and leave behind an elegant, reserved image—but now, she had embarrassed herself right at their front door.

“Do you still remember that nursery rhyme to soothe kids?” he said softly. “‘Pain pain go away.’”

Jiang Beibei burst out laughing. Just then, she caught a glimpse of Chu Yao’s mom holding the remote, mouth half open, staring blankly at them.

Jiang Beibei blushed, lost her chance to act cute, pushed Chu Yao’s hand away, and escaped again.

This time she didn’t hit the door, and safely made it inside, closing the door behind her. Inside, she screamed internally, “My Yao’er’s wrists are so beautiful!”

So satisfying!

Chu Yao withdrew his hand, closed the door, and faced the scrutinizing eyes of his parents. He admitted, “I told them today.”

Chu Yao’s mom was nervous. “You told them what?”

“…Just told Beibei,” he said shyly, unable to say exactly what he said to his parents, hoping they would understand.

Chu Yao’s dad asked, “She agreed?”

His tone was somewhat curious and doubtful.

Chu Yao nodded.

His mom frowned, clearly disbelieving, muttering to herself, “…You lucky dog. You’re usually so unlucky, never winning anything, yet you open your mouth and Beibei just agrees?”

“Maybe I saved all my luck for today,” Chu Yao smiled and nodded.

Jiang Beibei’s classmates were still childish.

She stayed up all night making a “love check-in” chart. Early the next morning, she heard a knock from the door opposite, immediately opened it.

Chu Yao retracted his hand, smiling.

“Yao’er, sign here.” Jiang Beibei handed him the chart.

“What’s this?” It looked like a calendar marked with this month’s dates, also like a task list.

Jiang Beibei stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek, replying, “A check-in chart.”

After her demonstration, Chu Yao quickly got the gist. He wrapped one arm around her waist, leaned down to kiss her, then pulled out a signature stamp from his pocket and stamped it under today’s date.

Day 1, Chu Yao.

“Yao’er, do you want one too?”

“Your kiss is here,” Chu Yao pointed to his chest and whispered, “I won’t forget.”

Even without experience, these words came naturally.

Chu Yao smiled, “I’m going to work now.”

“Okay, have a good day!” Jiang Beibei waved goodbye, closed the door holding the chart, teasing herself for being childish, while pink bubbles floated in her mind as she happily spun around in place.

“Jin Yuanbao!”

“My surname’s Huang!”

“I’m quitting the group!!” Jiang Beibei immediately attracted some backlash, “I’m quitting the group, hahaha! Yesterday! Not dreaming! Do you want proof?”

“...Damn, is it that dirty?” Huang Yuanbao thought the meaning had gone sideways.

“Get lost! It’s a check-in chart!”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Check-in chart!” Jiang Beibei said, “A daily kiss check-in chart!”

Huang Yuanbao rolled his eyes and shamelessly said, “Come on, you’re an adult, why don’t you make a daily tribute check-in chart instead? So childish.”