In the new week, Bai Sijun once again immersed himself in work, gradually diminishing Mei Yuchen’s presence in his mind.
Qi Yun sent him a thirty-thousand-word document, and he carefully provided feedback. Afterward, he searched for novels with publishing potential on various fiction websites and completed a proposal.
He enjoyed the focus on work because it allowed him to be completely absorbed.
However, during lunch breaks, his thoughts inevitably drifted to the outskirts, wondering if that person was eating well.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He set down the disposable chopsticks from the takeout and picked up his phone, glancing at the screen. A smile unconsciously formed on his lips.
[Mei Rain: What are you doing?]
Bai Sijun instinctively typed, “Thinking of you,” but then quickly deleted it.
[Bai: Eating]
[Bai: How about you?]
The screen displayed “Typing,” and Mei Yuchen’s message quickly arrived.
[Mei Rain: Thinking of you.]
Bai Sijun looked at those three words and felt his ears heating up. He thought he was already not firm enough, so why did this person enjoy teasing him so much?
He tightened his lips, not wanting to show an overly exaggerated smile on his face.
[Bai: Are you writing well?]
[Mei Rain: Yes.]
[Mei Rain: I’ve almost finished revising, just the ending left. Will you come to see it?]
Before Bai Sijun could reply, Mei Yuchen added: Today.
It was Wednesday, and Bai Sijun could go, but he would likely have to stay overnight. He couldn’t help but recall the “mutual assistance” activity from last Sunday morning, and he suddenly felt a warmth in his lower abdomen. He quickly bit down on his lip, suppressing the inappropriate scenes in his mind.
[Bai: I’ll come on Saturday]
After sending the message, Mei Yuchen didn’t reply for a long time. Bai Sijun knew he was sulking again, and he could almost imagine the dissatisfaction in those phoenix-like eyes staring at the phone screen.
He lightly hooked the corner of his mouth and locked his phone.
At this moment, Liang Ru’s voice suddenly came from above: “Bai ge, chatting with your boss Mei at lunch?”
Bai Sijun looked up, seeing Liang Ru looking at him with a curious expression. He awkwardly cleared his throat and casually asked, “How did you know?”
Liang Ru giggled twice, lowered her voice like a secret agent, and said, “Only he can make you smile so lasciviously, right?”
Bai Sijun was taken aback, touched his own cheek, and instinctively retorted, “No way.”
“Your mouth is curved up to your ears, and you say it’s not.” Liang Ru pointed a few times toward Bai Sijun, as if saying, “I understand everything.”
Bai Sijun assumed an authoritative posture and said seriously, “You’re mistaken.”
He intended to scare Liang Ru with his imposing manner to make her stop talking nonsense, but unexpectedly, since becoming acquainted with him, Liang Ru hadn’t been afraid of him at all. She continued to smile and said, “I saw through you the first time I met you. Can’t be wrong, right?”
Bai Sijun was momentarily speechless. However, he became curious and asked vaguely, “Um, how did you figure out that I and Mei Yuchen…?”
“Hmm?” Liang Ru seemed surprised that Bai Sijun would ask this question. After thinking for a while, she replied, “Bai ge, do you remember my first impression of Boss Mei as ‘fierce’?”
Bai Sijun nodded; he remembered Liang Ru praising Mei Yuchen at the entrance, but Mei Yuchen didn’t bother to respond and just went back to the living room. However, Bai Sijun’s first meeting with Mei Yuchen was similarly grim, so there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy about it.
Liang Ru continued, “At first, I thought it was an illusion, but later, I found out he was glaring at me, using his eyes.”
Liang Ru made a gesture of gouging her eyes and poked her own eyes a few times.
Bai Sijun found it amusing and said, “He doesn’t even know you, why would he glare at you? Besides, despite his cold appearance, in reality…”
Affectionate and flirtatious, he also liked to act cute and be willful.
He refrained from saying the last part.
Liang Ru kept shaking her head, swaying her index fingers, and after Bai Sijun fell silent, she solemnly said, “He doesn’t know me, but he sees me as a threat and warned me not to have any ideas about you.”
Bai Sijun’s lips twitched. “I didn’t notice.”
In Bai Sijun’s memory, Mei Yuchen didn’t say much that day, just played around during lunch, and he couldn’t see any tension in the atmosphere.
“He looks at you differently than he looks at me.” Liang Ru said.
Bai Sijun looked puzzled. “How does he look at me?”
“Just…” Liang Ru hugged her arms and reminisced, saying, “As if he wishes you would gaze at him with affection every minute and second.”
Liang Ru made a quick motion, as if getting goosebumps all over, and exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, I’m getting sick of it.”
Bai Sijun: “…”
Now, Bai Sijun could more or less see that Mei Yuchen had feelings for him. Although he occasionally teased him, like challenging him to compare sizes by pressing him to the floor, Bai Sijun knew Mei Yuchen wasn’t someone who casually spoke without reason.
So when Mei Yuchen said he was thinking of him, he must be.
Bai Sijun pursed his lips, suppressing the bubbling rainbow bubbles of excitement in his heart. Following Liang Ru’s words, he said, “He really doesn’t know how to hide…”
“???” Liang Ru suddenly had the expression of an old person trying to figure out a smartphone, looking at Bai Sijun seriously, “Bai ge, do you have some misunderstanding about yourself?”
Bai Sijun looked at her in confusion.
“What do you mean he doesn’t know how to hide?” Liang Ru complained, “You are even worse at hiding. Seriously.”
Bai Sijun: “I don’t.”
Liang Ru clicked her tongue and pointed out accurately, “I see you treating him like a precious treasure, afraid of dropping him, and holding him in your mouth, afraid of melting him. You’re practically spoiling this big baby of yours to the heavens.”
Bai Sijun was silent for a second, then quickly denied, “No, I’m not. You’re thinking too much.”
Liang Ru flipped her hair, feeling quite pleased, and said, “You don’t need to deny it. I’m accurate in judging people in matters of love.”
The corner of Bai Sijun’s mouth twitched, and he deliberately said, “Then why don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“You!” Liang Ru raised her delicate finger, trembling as she pointed at Bai Sijun, “You’re treating your good sister like this!”
Bai Sijun couldn’t help but burst into laughter, soothingly saying, “Okay, okay, don’t be angry. I’ll introduce a boyfriend to my good sister when there’s a chance.”
“Hmph, that’ll do.”
After Liang Ru left, Bai Sijun suddenly realized that he had become good “sisters” with Liang Ru. He shook his head helplessly and took out his phone, opening the chat with Mei Yuchen.
[Bai: I’ll come over on Friday after work]
This time, Mei Yuchen replied with a message in just a few seconds.
[Mei Rain: Okay]
Usually, Mei Yuchen liked to end his messages with a period. Bai Sijun always felt it was a writer’s persistence, wanting to complete a sentence with a period to make it a full and complete thought.
But this time, Mei Yuchen didn’t use a period. The lone “Okay” lacked some calmness and carried a sense of impatience.
The next moment, Mei Yuchen sent another message.
[Mei Rain: ^_^]
Bai Sijun squinted his eyes slightly, for the first time in his life feeling an unwillingness to go to work.
What to do? He really wanted to go see him right now.
