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How do you deliver a carefully prepared gift to the person you like without accidentally exposing your feelings? It was a good question.
And Lu Yunshu’s solution was—just do it.
Yes, just do it.
Face-to-face, in the most straightforward way possible.
And that’s exactly what she did.
Determined to act as naturally as possible, she deliberately waited another day, letting the tension build beneath her skin. Then, in the evening, she arranged a meeting with Jin Hanshuang.
Since she always had work, she didn’t have time to visit Jin Hanshuang during the day. She was also unwilling to let someone else deliver the gift for her.
Not far from Jin Hanshuang’s neighborhood, there was a park.
Jin Hanshuang was taking a stroll around the park, enjoying the night breeze on her skin. Or rather, she only came out for a walk because Lu Yunshu was coming.
“Mm, I’m at the park, close to the entrance, next to the streetlamp. You’ll see me as soon as you arrive,” she said. “What? The back gate? What are you doing at the back gate? The lights over there are broken and no one has fixed them yet. There’s a lot of trees, and it’s pitch black.”
Holding her phone, Jin Hanshuang turned in the direction of the park’s back gate. The next second, she was already on the move. “Don’t take the long way around. Just stay where you are. I’ll come find you. Aren’t you afraid of the dark?”
—Aren’t you afraid of the dark?
This soft, gentle question reached Lu Yunshu’s ears, flooding her with warmth.
She stopped in her tracks.
So Jin Hanshuang even remembered she was afraid of the dark.
Beneath the dense canopy of the trees, shadows wrapped around Li Yunshu like a shroud, concealing all but the faint gleam in her eyes. She stood at the park’s back gate, where the path was barely visible under a single silver thread of moonlight.
The dim light—far from bright enough—cast a thin and eerie ambiance. For people who were afraid of the dark, it really did feel like a scene straight from a horror movie. But she was very calm, not panicked at all. The current Lu Yunshu was no longer afraid of the dark.
Then, she turned and stepped back, retreating from the darkness. She moved swiftly toward her parked car, the warm glow of the streetlamp above it bathing her in a pool of light. Holding her phone in one hand and the gift in the other, she obediently waited for her sweetheart to come.
When Jin Hanshuang arrived, she saw a very well-behaved girl.
Lu Yunshu wore a gray striped short-sleeved top with black bell-bottom jeans and casual white shoes. A silver necklace hung around her neck, paired with a black watch on her wrist. Those gold-rimmed glasses perched delicately on the bridge of her nose as her long black hair flowed in the wind, soft and shiny, as if it had just been dried to perfection.
The younger woman stood primly beneath the streetlamp, like a child waiting for a parent to pick them up after school. At that moment, she exuded an air of obedience, her expression just as well-behaved. And those gold-rimmed glasses on her nose…made her very endearing.
Jin Hanshuang liked this pair of glasses very much.
As Jin Hanshuang approached with slightly hurried steps, her expression laced with a hint of nervousness, Lu Yunshu felt a surge of happiness swell within her. Her heart fluttered with joy.
She spoke first, “I found the parking lot, but I didn’t know the lights were broken.”
Jin Hanshuang didn’t care. “You don’t live here, so it’s normal not to know.”
She walked closer, catching a faint scent of shampoo. Her voice as soft as ever, she said with a smile, “Did you come out right after taking a shower?”
“Yes,” Lu Yunshu said, “I got ready to meet someone.”
To meet the person she liked.
Jin Hanshuang chuckled. “You look pretty in your work clothes too.”
She wasn’t exaggerating. Lu Yunshu really did look good in formal attire. Mature and composed, distant and beautiful, with a sort of…alluring charm that attracted a certain group of people.
People…like her.
“Do I look good?” Lu Yunshu suddenly asked.
“Yeah,” Jin Hanshuang said with a smile.
A beam of joy spread across Lu Yunshu’s face, lighting up her features.
Jin Hanshuang was stunned.
How could she describe Lu Yunshu’s smile? It was a pure, genuine expression that screamed, I like to be praised.
Jin Hanshuang couldn’t help but attach this light-hearted mental note to Lu Yunshu.
Then she remembered Lu Yunshu’s serious look and couldn’t help but laugh. “What is it? Are you so happy just because jiejie praised you?”
“Yes.” The smile on Lu Yunshu’s face deepened.
She was happy jiejie praised her.
She was happy and Jiejie remembered she was afraid of the dark.
She was very, very, happy.
Jin Hanshuang said, “What about my praise is valuable? You should have the person you like praise you. Now that would be even more worth celebrating.”
Lu Yunshu responded, “Yes, what jiejie says makes sense, but I am still happy.”
She looked very receptive to learning, so well-behaved Jin Hanshuang wanted to pinch her face. But Jin Hanshuang resisted and asked, “What’s the occasion for President Lu to come all the way here to see me?”
As soon as she asked, a small white bag appeared in her vision.
“A gift.”
“?”
Jin Hanshuang was caught off guard by these four words.
She didn’t take the bag right away.
“Why are you giving me a gift?”
Lu Yunshu calmly recited the statement she prepared, “As a thank you for agreeing to help me when I was at a loss, and for giving me advice on what to do and what to give.”
Jin Hanshuang smiled again. “Ah~ Just because of this?”
With a serious face, Lu Yunshu said, “Yes, just because of this.”
Jin Hanshuang asked, “Have you given her the gift yet?”
Lu Yunshu said, “Not yet. She’s out of the city for a few days. I’ll wait until she gets back.”
“Oh~ Gifts are only meaningful when delivered in person.”
“I agree.”
After a while, Lu Yunshu softly called out, “Jiejie.”
She said, “My hands are a little sore.”
Jin Hanshuang thought, What a pitiful child.
“Okay then.” She took the gift.
Then she asked casually, “What did you give me, to even come all this way just to deliver it?”
“If you’re curious, you can take a look now,” Lu Yunshu said.
“Really?” In that case, Jin Hanshuang wouldn’t be polite. She unwrapped the exquisite packaging right in front of Lu Yunshu, finally opening the white velvet box inside.
She gasped in surprise, her eyes wide with disbelief.
The earrings! The pair of earrings she had liked so much yesterday!
“How did—you made a mistake!”
“No.” Lu Yunshu’s eyes curved. “This is the gift I picked for jiejie.”
“For me?”
“Yes, I picked two gifts yesterday. One for you, and one for her. The one I sent on WeChat was for you.”
“But weren’t you asking me for advice??”
“That’s right.”
“Huh?”
Seeing Jin Hanshuang’s astonished expression, Lu Yunshu’s gaze softened. When she spoke, her tone was serious, “I really didn’t know what to get her, so I came to ask you. After your answer, I knew what I needed to get.
“Then, when I was picking out a gift, I thought of you and remembered that you often wear these kinds of accessories, so I chose a gift for you as well…
“So how about it? Is my relationship consultation fee acceptable, Teacher Jin?”
Relationship consultation fee?
Jin Hanshuang looked down at the glittering earrings in her hand, which suited all of her preferences, then at the beautiful and earnest student in front of her.
She suddenly chuckled, “If that’s the case, what if I don’t help you win her over? Wouldn’t I become a sinner?”
Lu Yunshu said, “The master may lead you to the door, but it’s up to you to practice.”
“Heh,” Jin Hanshuang said.
Lu Yunshu asked, “Right?”
“Yes, that’s right~”
Snap.
Teacher Jin gently closed the gift box with the earrings. Her eyes crinkled, and a beautiful smile spread across her lips. Her voice became even sweeter, “This teacher will accept the gift~”
Then she opened the box again, asking Lu Yunshu to help hold it.
“Wait, I want to wear them now.”
Such beautiful earrings—it would be disrespectful to put them on even a second later.
Lu Yunshu was stunned. Then she curled the corners of her lips and obediently served as a human dressing table for Jin Hanshuang.
She watched as Jin Hanshuang first tidied her long black hair with a large clip, then carefully put on the earrings one after the other. She couldn’t help but look at Jin Hanshuang’s hands—long and white, with delicate joints—as her glistening fingertips gently stroked along the tassels.
Even her casual movements were so graceful.
Lu Yunshu’s gaze unconsciously drifted to Jin Hanshuang’s lips, which were naturally red and alluring, the slightly curved corners and full lips…so tempting that it made her want to take a bite.
Her thoughts snapped back to reality.
She was being impolite.
She discreetly averted her gaze, redirecting her attention as if nothing had happened.
Jin Hanshuang had finished putting on her earrings. She asked, “How is it?”
Lu Yunshu quickly responded, “Looks good.”
Jin Hanshuang took out her phone and swiped to the front camera. She turned her head twice, the tassels swaying gently, their shine glimmering in the light.
Her eyes curved in satisfaction. “They are really beautiful.”
Xiao Lu had a good eye.
The earrings were beautiful.
And she looked glamorous too.
Very pleasing to the senses.
She decided to keep the earrings and wear them all the way home. The only problem was that her outfit didn’t match. It was too casual, a loose short-sleeve shirt and baggy long pants. Next time, she would pair it with something more suitable.
“Thank you, our President Lu~”
As she smiled, her head tilted slightly, making the earrings sway gently in the wind.
Lu Yunshu’s mood also swayed with it, like the rising inflection of Jin Hanshuang’s voice—soft, floating, and very happy.
The gift she had prepared was well received by the person she liked.
“As long as jiejie likes it.”
“Yeah~” Jin Hanshuang crooned. “Jiejie likes it very much.”
Then she asked, “Are you busy? If not, do you want to take a walk in the park?”
Lu Yunshu had just given her such a beautiful gift. So if she accepted the earrings and dismissed Lu Yunshu right away, wouldn’t that be too inconsiderate?
She had no grudge against Lu Yunshu.
“I’m not busy. Let’s take a walk,” Lu Yunshu said. “Show me around.”
“Does President Lu mind going in from here? It’s a bit far from here to the front gate.” Jin Hanshuang pointed to the dimly lit back entrance of the park. “I remember that you’re afraid of the dark but is it okay if someone takes you?”
Lu Yunshu glanced at her. “Yeah.”
Jin Hanshuang turned around. “Okay, let’s go. Don’t be afraid, it’ll be okay.”
But when Lu Yunshu prepared to follow her, Jin Hanshuang turned around after just two steps.
“Wait a minute.”
Lu Yunshu almost bumped into the older woman. “Hm?”
Jin Hanshuang’s beautiful eyes swept across Lu Yunshu. She gently cupped her face with her hand, her mouth shifting into a frown as she asked, “I remember you being afraid of the dark when you were in high school. But now that you’ve grown up, are you still frightened?”
Her understanding of Lu Yunshu mostly came from the younger girl’s school days, an information bank that hadn’t been updated for a long time. What if Lu Yunshu had outgrown her fear of the dark?
Then wouldn’t she be worrying in vain, which was very funny?
After asking her question, Jin Hanshuang saw Lu Yunshu take a single step closer, the subtle and pleasant scent of her fragrance drifting over as she approached.
“Yes,” Lu Yunshu said, raising her hand. Her slender fingers reached out for Jin Hanshuang’s hand, then hesitated. Instead, she gently pinched the corner of Jin Hanshuang’s clothes.
She looked into Jin Hanshuang’s eyes with a gentle, pleading expression, like a harmless puppy. “I am very afraid.”
An arrow struck Jin Hanshuang’s heart.
How pitiful.
How was Lu Yunshu so pitiful?
Why hadn’t she realized that this little kid was so pitiful before?
“Okay, okay,” Jin Hanshuang said. “Just follow me. Jiejie will protect you.”
She took the initiative to hold Lu Yunshu’s wrist, leading her toward the back entrance of the park bathed in moonlight.
Lu Yunshu gazed down at their joined hands. She smiled as she pulled her gaze away.
Well, she was a little mean.
The author (热到昏厥) has something to say:
Sincerity is always the ultimate weapon (x
