Chapter 13

The car stopped downstairs from Zheng Lexin’s apartment building.

It was an older residential complex, and both the surroundings and the building facade looked a little worn.

People came and went outside, giving the place a very lived-in feel.

Yan Zhenzhen’s car was a little behind them.

When she saw the two of them still standing downstairs, she thought they must not know the apartment number and hurried over to lead the way.

Li Lan looked at Tang Yiling. “Going up?”

Tang Yiling blinked and looked at her pitifully. “Didn’t you tell me to wait for Zheng Lexin?”

She had even changed the way she addressed her; clearly, she really did want to wait.

Li Lan’s expression darkened slightly. “Then stay here.”

Ten minutes later, Zheng Lexin came walking over from a distance.

Tang Yiling waved at her and handed over the moving-in gift. “Welcome home.”

Zheng Lexin’s nerves peaked the moment she inserted the key.

She took the initiative to hook her arm through Tang Yiling’s, as if looking for support.

With a pop, the confetti cannon went off.

Brilliant scraps of colored paper drifted down through the air.

The room gradually came into clear view.

The dim, dull space from before was now bright and crisp.

The worn flooring had been replaced; the dark-yellow wardrobe had turned pure white.

Pink-and-white wainscoting had been added beside the bed, and sheer curtains hung overhead to make the room feel more dreamlike.

A low cabinet stood against the wall, with room inside to display a lot of manga.

The desk was placed under the window, with an easel beside it, both of them gilded gold by the setting sun.

Two adorable irregular-shaped rugs were laid by the bed and beneath the chair.

They looked soft and fluffy; they had to feel wonderful underfoot.

The whole room was brightly colored, yet surprisingly harmonious.

Zheng Lexin stood in the center of it all and somehow started crying.

Tang Yiling stood beside her and asked softly, “How is it? Do you like it?”

“If there’s anything that needs adjusting, you can tell us.”

Maybe because she had come upstairs with Zheng Lexin and had also been hit by the visual impact of the new room, she felt a little like crying too. She deliberately looked away, only to catch sight of Yan Zhenzhen, whose nose was scrunched up.

Zheng Lexin turned around and gave Li Lan’s side a deep bow.

“Thank you all, especially, for giving me the feeling of having a home.”

“I’ve found my own safe harbor in this city.”

Zheng Lexin wiped at her tears, not expecting herself to cry even harder.

Tang Yiling held out as long as she could, but in the end she gave in and started crying along with her.

“Actually, while I was at work today, I made a mistake and got criticized by my supervisor.”

“I also felt like I couldn’t do anything right; I was so useless.”

“But after I came home and saw the room, I suddenly found the beauty in life again.”

“And I felt like I could work hard to become better.”

Tang Yiling understood that feeling too well.

Being tormented at work until she was frantically overthinking everything; only by leaning on a little home she genuinely liked could she recover some of her energy.

She turned slightly and hugged Zheng Lexin gently.

“Lexin, you’re still just a little kid when it comes to the workplace!”

“Little kids will definitely grow up and become amazing people who can hold up an entire sky.”

Tang Yiling paused. “But I’ll be the one who can always give you a hug whenever you need one.”

She let go of Zheng Lexin and reached up to wipe the tears from her face.

“Lexin, you’re really incredible.”

As soon as she finished, a suppressed gasp suddenly sounded from beside her, from Yan Zhenzhen.

Tang Yiling turned to look and found that everyone’s eyes had landed on her, including Li Lan’s.

She frowned at Yan Zhenzhen.

Yan Zhenzhen shook her head slightly, but her expression had already betrayed what she was really thinking.

This was way too shippable!

It felt as if a sincere relationship was about to begin right here.

Tang Yiling was helpless.

She furtively glanced at Li Lan, signaling Yan Zhenzhen to control that sweet, auntie-style grin of hers.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Lexin hugged her back again.

“Yiling, you’re younger than me; how do you understand the workplace so well?”

Tang Yiling looked toward Li Lan again.

This time, Li Lan didn’t look over. She was looking down, searching for something on her phone.

Relieved, Tang Yiling leaned close to Zheng Lexin’s ear and lowered her voice.

“Because I’m also in the workplace right now, aren’t I?”

Zheng Lexin was amused by her, and her emotions settled down too.

“Oh, right—can I hug everyone?”

She hugged Tang Yiling again. “We’ve got to go out for meals together often in the future too!”

Tang Yiling nodded. “Of course.”

After that, Zheng Lexin hugged Yan Zhenzhen, Xia Xin, and the designer one by one.

In the end, she stood in front of Li Lan, but because of the other woman’s cold, distant face, she hesitated for a long time without moving.

Li Lan curved her lips; it counted as a smile.

She lifted her eyes, and those jade-like brows rose with them; her gaze brushed lightly over Tang Yiling.

Taking the initiative, Li Lan stepped forward and gently hugged Zheng Lexin.

“Wishing you even better days ahead.”

Tang Yiling’s gaze fell on Li Lan’s hand resting against Zheng Lexin’s back.

Even though the hug was short, less than three seconds, she kept staring at that slightly eye-catching place.

Then she turned to look again, trying to figure out what Li Lan’s expression was now.

Come to think of it, she and Li Lan had clearly kissed.

And yet they had never held hands or hugged.

It was like a construction project missing the crucial foundation work.

No matter how gorgeous the structure built on top was, it still felt precarious.

After the handover ceremony was over, everyone didn’t linger at Zheng Lexin’s place for long.

A few of them went back downstairs together.

Yan Zhenzhen lived nearby and said she’d walk home.

Xia Xin had driven and wanted to send Li Lan part of the way, but Li Lan refused.

One colleague after another dispersed.

In the end, only Tang Yiling and Li Lan were still standing downstairs.

Seeing that the other still hadn’t made a move, Li Lan reminded her, “Call a car.”

It wasn’t that Tang Yiling didn’t know how to call one; it was just that—“I’m the one who calls it?”

Li Lan looked at her expressionlessly; the answer was obvious.

Tang Yiling held her phone in her pocket and didn’t move.

That sum she’d been given before had clearly been said to be living expenses.

Taking a taxi home today counted as work expenses; the two couldn’t be mixed together.

Tang Yiling stood firm in her logic.

Since she was the one being asked to arrange it, she had a better idea: “There’s a subway station right outside the complex. Let’s take the subway?”

She had thought she’d have to use a few more words to persuade her, but unexpectedly Li Lan agreed immediately.

The two walked out of the complex side by side.

There weren’t many people on this subway line, so it really was a good choice.

They had been walking at an unhurried pace, when Tang Yiling suddenly broke into a run.

After she’d taken only two steps, she remembered there was still someone beside her.

With a long stride, Tang Yiling grabbed Li Lan’s hand.

She tugged her forward. “Sister, run; the train’s here, we can make it.”

They were still half a flight of stairs away from the platform.

Tang Yiling’s legs pumped furiously; her simple ponytail bounced on the back of her head.

Li Lan let herself be dragged along, moving mechanically forward.

Her gaze dropped, landing on Tang Yiling’s hand.

Tang Yiling’s hand was soft; as if afraid Li Lan might be lost, she held on especially tightly.

Li Lan looked at the stairs underfoot, but her own hand unconsciously squeezed back.

There really weren’t many people on the subway, but there were no empty seats either.

Afraid Li Lan might not be used to it, Tang Yiling found her a prime spot near the connection between cars.

“This is the most comfortable place, sister.”

Holding Li Lan’s hand, Tang Yiling settled her in.

This was years of subway-riding experience.

There weren’t many people, she could lean there, and it wasn’t far from the doors.

The car was very quiet.

Facing Li Lan, Tang Yiling realized they were still holding hands and hurriedly let go.

Neither of them spoke.

A long-missed awkwardness began to spread.

Tang Yiling looked left and right, unable to find a suitable topic.

She took out her phone; maybe they should just talk about work.

The subway stopped at the next station.

The moment the doors opened, it seemed as if hundreds of people surged in at once.

The spacious car from just a moment ago became tightly packed in an instant.

Tang Yiling tightened her grip on her phone so it wouldn’t slip and fall.

But her whole body had already been pressed against Li Lan’s front.

One could say they were inseparable.

A passenger beside them was carrying quite a few things and chatting excitedly.

Only then did they learn that a nearby shopping mall was running a promotion, with huge discounts and lots of customers.

Tang Yiling helplessly raised her head; her beautiful peach blossom eyes reflected Li Lan’s face.

“Sister, I didn’t mean to crowd you; there are just too many people.”

Li Lan laughed, the corners of her eyes curving slightly.

She lifted a hand, wrapped it around Tang Yiling’s waist, and drew her even closer. “I know.”

Tang Yiling froze.

She could even feel the rise and fall of Li Lan’s breathing.

The action was too much like an embrace.

Or rather, it was an embrace.

Just moments ago she had been lamenting the lack of this kind of contact.

And now, in less than an hour, both hand-holding and hugging had happened.

Li Lan lowered her eyes, and her lashes fell with them.

She pinched Tang Yiling’s side waist. “What were you going to say just now?”

“I…” Tang Yiling didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere, but she also didn’t want to miss her chance.

She awkwardly lifted her phone. “I wanted to file expenses for you.”

“File expenses?”

Li Lan’s brows knitted; the smile faded. “Go on, then.”

Tang Yiling opened her ledger app.

“Beef, 35 yuan; shrimp, 50 yuan; vegetables…”

The ledger recorded everything in meticulous detail.

After she finished reading the bill on her phone, she added, “And the bottle of mineral water I bought today, 3 yuan.”

Li Lan pressed her lips together. “Even the mineral water counts?”

Tang Yiling nodded. “That bottle was bought for you; I picked the expensive one.”

“The one for me, and the one I bought for Zheng Lexin, I didn’t count those.”

She blinked her innocent, wide eyes, as if to say she was already being very conscientious.

“Why can you buy water for Zheng Lexin, but not for me?”

Faced with the question, Tang Yiling answered smoothly, “Because Zheng Lexin counts as a friend; you’re the boss.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but the passengers nearby still heard it.

They all turned to look in an understated way, as if guessing at the relationship between them.

Tang Yiling snapped her mouth shut, almost biting her tongue.

Then she quickly changed tack. “Besides, even between family members, you’ve got to separate public and private matters; buying water is a work matter.”

“And I just treated you to the subway fare too.”

Tang Yiling herself sounded a little wronged now. “I didn’t even count that in.”

Li Lan gave a soft “Mm,” which counted as acknowledging her explanation.

But as a boss, after all, she asked, “What do you want?”

Tang Yiling’s eyes lit up like a beautiful little fox.

It made people want to reach out and smooth down her fur.

“Sister, could the living allowance be raised just a little?”

Tang Yiling blinked, trying to get away with it by acting cute. “I mean, the two of us’ living allowance.”

Li Lan looked at her helplessly and shook her head.

A smile appeared at the corners of her mouth again. “I’ll raise it by one thousand. Is that enough?”

“Enough!” Tang Yiling was so happy she almost kissed Li Lan on the cheek.

Li Lan reminded her, “Plan it properly. I don’t want to end up eating instant noodles with you at the end of the month.”

“That definitely won’t happen.”

Tang Yiling promised, “Even if we really do end up eating instant noodles, I’ll definitely add a ham sausage for you.”

Before she could finish speaking, the steady subway suddenly jolted.

Tang Yiling failed to keep her footing and, by reflex, put a hand on Li Lan’s waist.

Now, it was completely an embrace.

Even worse, there was still a patch of warm sensation lingering on her lips.

In the accident just now, Tang Yiling had kissed the corner of Li Lan’s lips.