Chapter 63
Now that everything had been laid out plainly, Wei Xiaolu thought they could finally pick up where they’d left off. But Shen Siyan was far too considerate of her. After kissing her twice and stroking her hair, she sat up and said she wanted to help her submit her resume.
“I just thought of something,” Shen Siyan said as she took out her laptop. “It doesn’t have to be a big company. Some startups are good too. They’re smaller, but they’ve got real growth potential.”
As she spoke, she started searching. “They’re a little hard to find, but I know a few. Submit to them first and give it a try.”
Wei Xiaolu: “……”
Could someone please rein her in? Wei Xiaolu was still floating in the afterglow of their kiss, and Shen Siyan had already started sending her links.
“This one is pretty good,” Shen Siyan said, setting the computer in front of her. “It was founded by a research team from T University’s medical school. They mainly produce medical devices, and they also have data processing positions. It suits you well.”
“Then I’ll give it a try.” Wei Xiaolu pulled herself together, went back to her room for her own laptop, and sat down beside Shen Siyan to start another round of applications.
Back on Christmas Eve, they had even agreed to spend New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day together.
Now it had actually happened, but the thing was—
Looking at the two laptops in front of her, Wei Xiaolu felt a little out of her mind. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, she was really submitting resumes with Shen Siyan.
Still, it was all in the name of getting things done early so they’d have more time for skiing.
Since it was New Year’s, after Wei Xiaolu sent her holiday greetings in the family group chat, she turned her attention to Shen Siyan.
But Shen Siyan was also replying to messages; she’d probably been flooded with New Year’s wishes. Wei Xiaolu gave her some space and quietly slipped back into the bedroom.
Shen Siyan noticed immediately, set her phone down, and followed her. “Baby, happy New Year.”
“Don’t know if that’s the nth time you’ve said happy New Year already,” Wei Xiaolu said, trying to shut her out at the door.
“The first time I’ve said it to my girlfriend,” Shen Siyan replied at once.
Wei Xiaolu couldn’t hold it in and laughed. Then, in a childish mood, she opened the door and let Shen Siyan in.
“Jiejie,” she pulled a bottle of perfume from under her pillow and shoved it into Shen Siyan’s hands. “Happy New Year!”
Seeing the smile bloom on Shen Siyan’s face made Wei Xiaolu happy too. Even if the bottle of perfume had cost half a month of her internship pay.
“What scent is it?” Shen Siyan kissed her first, then opened it to smell.
“Well?” Wei Xiaolu was a little nervous. “I don’t really know much about perfume either. I asked a friend to recommend it. Do you like it?”
“I like it,” Shen Siyan said, the corner of her mouth lifting. “Do you like this scent?”
“Mm.” Wei Xiaolu nodded. “I bought it because I thought it smelled pretty good.”
“Then I’m honored.” Shen Siyan sprayed a little into the air and turned with a smooth spin. “From now on, I’ll always smell like the scent you like.”
Wei Xiaolu was coaxed into such a good mood that she stood there grinning stupidly for a long time before she remembered, “Do I get a New Year’s gift?”
“I ordered you a necklace online,” Shen Siyan said. “It’s still on the way.”
Wei Xiaolu put her hands on her hips. “What if it arrives late?”
“Then tomorrow, after we finish the resumes, I’ll take you out for a big meal.” Shen Siyan settled it in one move.
The shopping malls were packed during the New Year holiday. Wei Xiaolu had even been thinking of playing a game while waiting for their food, but only after they got there did she realize that the “big” in “big meal” meant expensive, not a large portion.
The place wasn’t very crowded, but every bite made Wei Xiaolu’s heart ache at the price. Shen Siyan even wanted to order more dishes, and Wei Xiaolu stopped her at once.
“Forget it, forget it. I still want to wander the market a bit this afternoon. Save some room for snacks over there.”
Shen Siyan could tell she was eating uncomfortably, so she didn’t insist on turning it into a feast. After five dishes, they were done.
It was still more comfortable to blend in with the crowd. Fine dining and Wei Xiaolu’s all-purpose stomach really weren’t a match; the fragrant, spicy street food suited her much better.
“Do you want some?” Wei Xiaolu asked, turning to Shen Siyan while they waited for the fried potato tower.
Shen Siyan was holding up her phone to record her. “One bite.”
“What were you filming just now?” Wei Xiaolu asked after chewing on her potato tower and walking back to Shen Siyan’s side.
“A sleep video for before bed,” Shen Siyan said.
“Ooh,” Wei Xiaolu flirted openly in the street, grabbing Shen Siyan’s hand. “In that case, I’d suggest switching to a person. I offer a free sleep service.”
Shen Siyan gave her a half-smile and looked at her suspiciously. “Why do I feel like that would have the opposite effect? I’d sleep even less.”
“Who knows?” Wei Xiaolu said smugly. “Maybe someone just doesn’t want to sleep in the first place.”
They were teasing each other when a sudden “CEO Shen” rang out. Wei Xiaolu jumped and scanned the area warily.
Then she saw Chen Yuran waving at them.
“Xiaolu?” Seeing her, Chen Yuran looked utterly stunned.
“Uh...” Wei Xiaolu glanced at Shen Siyan. “Sister Chen, what a coincidence. You’re out shopping too?”
“Yeah, with my boyfriend.” Chen Yuran pointed to the young man behind her. “CEO Shen, I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Shen Siyan smiled and nodded in greeting. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it shocked the other three all at once: “It’s lively today, so I came out shopping with my girlfriend too.”
Chen Yuran hadn’t reacted yet, but her boyfriend understood instantly. He let out a low, “Holy shit,” and only then did Chen Yuran catch on. She pushed her boyfriend back a little and forced herself to stay calm. “Then, CEO Shen, we won’t disturb your shopping. I’ll report the special team’s progress to you after the holiday.”
“No rush,” Shen Siyan said with a wave. “Two more days is fine. You’ve been under too much pressure lately; take some time to relax.”
“Right, right.” Chen Yuran hurriedly agreed, said goodbye, and dragged her boyfriend away in a rush.
“Uh...” Wei Xiaolu was still three miles from her soul. She scratched her forehead and managed a strained note of concern through the embarrassment. “Would it be bad if coworkers knew?”
“It’s fine,” Shen Siyan said, her hand settling at Wei Xiaolu’s waist. “Chen Yuran’s mouth is very tight. She won’t spread it around.”
“But you didn’t have to tell her.” Wei Xiaolu was sweating from the fright.
“Then how would we explain why we were shopping together?” Shen Siyan said with a smile, “and holding hands?”
“Just say we ran into each other,” Wei Xiaolu said, though even she laughed at how unbelievable it sounded for a boss and former subordinate to be holding hands. “That doesn’t seem very convincing.”
“It’s still most convincing if we say it directly.”
“But,” Wei Xiaolu worried, “then Sister Chen would know your secret.”
“We’ve always been the ones who knew her secret,” Shen Siyan said. “So she’s always been a little afraid of me. Letting her know about our relationship balances that out a bit.”
“Oh, I get it.” Wei Xiaolu grabbed Shen Siyan’s hand again. “Our CEO Shen is really something—so thoughtful and considerate of her subordinates.”
Shen Siyan smiled and kept eating her potato tower.
“Such an amazing CEO Shen. Shouldn’t there be some kind of reward?” Wei Xiaolu leaned close to her ear. “Want a sleep service?”
Shen Siyan’s hand paused.
“Baby,” she turned to look at Wei Xiaolu, smiling, “don’t hand out empty prizes.”
Wei Xiaolu moved to stand across from her and winked. “I’m serious. I’ll go to your room tonight.”
Shen Siyan said okay, then opened her mouth to take another bite of the potato tower; even so, she still didn’t manage it. She pressed her lips together and turned her face away, holding the tower horizontally to cover the lower half of her face.
“Oho! Oho! You’re embarrassed already?” Wei Xiaolu loved seeing Shen Siyan blush and made a scene without the slightest hesitation.
Shen Siyan lightly pinched her nose. “Keep stirring trouble.”
“So what?” Wei Xiaolu lifted her chin fearlessly.
“Nothing,” Shen Siyan said with a smile. Then she added, “I like it.”
Her appetite for the potato tower was already long gone. After finishing one stick, Wei Xiaolu drank water furiously, and when Shen Siyan caught her and teased, “Rinsing your mouth?”, her face heated up. She glared at Shen Siyan and snapped, “If you want to kiss a mouth full of potato flavor, I don’t have to rinse.”
“What flavor does potato even have?” Shen Siyan touched her belly. “No need to drink that much. There’s mouthwash in my bag.”
Wei Xiaolu glared at her. “You should’ve said so earlier.”
“I only thought of it just now,” Shen Siyan said with a smile as she handed it over. “I thought baby was really thirsty.”
“Yeah, I am thirsty,” Wei Xiaolu shot back, cheeks puffed. “Looking at you makes my mouth dry.”
Shen Siyan smiled helplessly and tapped her forehead.
They were still flirting when Wei Xiaolu’s phone rang. A glance showed it was Wei Jialuo; even without answering, she knew how awkward it would be. Not wanting to reveal any cracks in her front in front of Shen Siyan, she silenced the phone and waved it off. “A nuisance call.”
Fortunately, Shen Siyan didn’t pay much attention. More accurately, she didn’t seem to have the mind for it anymore. As soon as the car pulled into the garage, she turned around, wrapped an arm around Wei Xiaolu’s neck, and kissed those still-mischievous lips.
“Wait...” Wei Xiaolu punched Shen Siyan’s shoulder.
Shen Siyan kissed her until she went limp, and only then let go, leaning back slightly to smile at her. “Still planning to fool around?”
“I wasn’t fooling around.” Wei Xiaolu was weak all over, her legs soft.
“Oh?” Shen Siyan leaned forward, and Wei Xiaolu tilted her head up to ask for more. But Shen Siyan didn’t give it to her, and instead asked, “Then who was fooling around?”
Wei Xiaolu shot out of the car, covered her face, and complained that she was about to die. When Shen Siyan got out too, she couldn’t resist rushing over to throw caution to the wind again. “Jiejie, it was me. I just wanted to tease you.”
Shen Siyan was no longer quite as composed because of her either. When she entered the door code, her breathing was still steady; but once she opened the door and set down her bag, she shoved Wei Xiaolu against the wall and pressed down on her in one smooth motion.
She’d thought about it all the way home, and Wei Xiaolu finally got what she wanted. She kissed with complete abandon, learning from Shen Siyan’s example last time and slipping her restless hands under her clothes.
She heard a faint laugh from Shen Siyan, and so she laughed too between kisses, her breathing quick and uneven as she murmured weakly, “Jiejie.”
Shen Siyan answered, about to cover her lips again, but stopped abruptly just inches away.
Wei Xiaolu looked up in confusion and was just about to rise onto her tiptoes when she suddenly noticed that Shen Siyan had already gone still, her gaze sliding to the side with a kind of terrifying calm.
In that instant, Wei Xiaolu felt her breath catch in her throat. Slowly, she turned her head toward the living room.
The moment she met Wei Jialuo’s eyes, Wei Xiaolu felt as if she might already have died once.
She could only stare blankly at Wei Jialuo as he recognized her, then erupted all at once; he jumped up cursing, racing around the room like a firecracker.
“Holy shit, holy shit, it really is you! This world is crazy, everything’s gone crazy!” Wei Jialuo kicked over the fruit he’d brought. A box of blueberries was knocked aside, and the blue berries scattered all over the floor.
Wei Xiaolu didn’t even dare breathe. “Bro, why are you here...?”
“Wei Xiaolu, you—” Wei Jialuo looked at Shen Siyan, and his eyes rolled up with rage. “Have you gotten so weird from job hunting that you’re not normal anymore?”
Shen Siyan shielded Wei Xiaolu behind her and tried to explain for her. “No, you’ve misunderstood. We—”
“Get the fuck out of here. What did you do to my sister? Stay away from her!”
As he spoke, Wei Jialuo threw a punch, scaring Wei Xiaolu so badly that she burst into tears.
Her crying stunned Wei Jialuo. He let go of Shen Siyan’s collar and stumbled back two steps, dazed.
After a moment, as if he’d confirmed something, he suddenly grabbed Wei Xiaolu’s wrist and dragged her toward the door. “Come on, go home with me.”
“I’m not going back!” Wei Xiaolu struggled desperately, grabbing the corner of the wall to hide behind it. “Let go!”
Wei Jialuo couldn’t drag her away, and then he saw the woman who had tried to do something improper to Wei Xiaolu still trying to protect her. Fury surged through him all at once. “Are you going or not!”
“No!” Wei Xiaolu cried back.
“Fine, fine.” Wei Jialuo spun around in the entryway like a madman twice, then suddenly picked up his phone and started calling as he stormed out the door. “Mom! Come on, let’s hurry and bring Wei Xiaolu home. Don’t let her go job hunting anymore; she’s been tortured by job hunting so badly that she’s even gone and become a lesbian!”
Hearing the sound from the hallway outside, Wei Xiaolu almost choked to death on the spot.