My Boss Always Wants to Join My Family - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Mint Leaves (1)

There are so many people with the surname Zhou in the world, and Mother Lu knows at least hundreds of wealthy socialites. Lu Yue truly never expected that she would run into Zhou Ran here.

…Especially under the awkward circumstances of having just slept together and then parting on bad terms after Lu Yue had given her the cold shoulder.

Honestly, how could a woman as gentle and soft-spoken as Auntie Zhou have a daughter who is so expressionless she could freeze someone to death?

Lu Yue rested her fingers on her waist, her pads rubbing against the fabric of her clothes. Feeling as if something were stuck in her chest, she turned her head away uncomfortably, wanting to avoid any eye contact with Zhou Ran.

The atmosphere between the two was incredibly awkward, yet the two mothers were completely oblivious, chatting away enthusiastically. They went from current events to family gossip, then to fashion, looking as if they could talk until the end of time.

Lu Yue remained silent. Zhou Ran stood to the side, and after a moment of silence, she held out the hot drink she was carrying and said briefly: “Brown rice tea.”

She had bought three cups of hot tea; two were naturally for the mothers, and the remaining one was, quite logically, given to Lu Yue.

Lu Yue couldn’t exactly act stubborn and ignore her completely in front of their parents. Her expression stiffened slightly as she turned her head back uncomfortably.

Zhou Ran seemed to have a preference for white. Her white shirt was buttoned meticulously to the very top, and even her skin was pale—pale enough that the blue veins on her wrists were faintly visible.

Her black hair fell from her shoulders, casting sparse shadows against her shirt. She didn’t speak, simply cradling the white paper cup with her long fingers, watching Lu Yue in silence.

To take it, or not to take it?

Lu Yue was conflicted to the extreme. But considering both mothers were right there, she realized she had to give the other woman a way out; otherwise, it would be far too rude.

She gave a small nod, forced a smile, and reached out to take the paper cup, whispering: “Thank you, sorry for the trouble.”

Polite, courteous, and strictly maintaining boundaries.

Like a stranger who had just met for the first time.

Zhou Ran’s fingers paused in the air for a second before she slowly retracted them to her side. “It’s a bit hot. Let it sit for a while.”

These were only minor gestures, but they caught the attention of the two mothers nearby. Mother Lu leaned in with a beaming smile, hooking her arm through Lu Yue’s, her voice affectionate: “Oh my, you two really do have a great relationship.”

Lu Yue’s hand jerked, nearly spilling the tea.

This eerie atmosphere, this stiff interaction—how on earth does this look like a “great relationship” to Mom?!

“Look at this,” Mother Lu said excitedly, rambling on. “My Yueyue has always had a fiery temper. Last time, she wrote a three-thousand-word essay just to troll her tutor—seeing her so soft-spoken today, could she be shy?”

Lu Yue was dumbfounded: “Huh?”

Wait a minute, how am I shy?!

Auntie Zhou nodded in agreement and remarked sentimentally: “Mrs. Lu, you’re right. I thought Yueyue looked familiar the moment I saw her. A girl this beautiful, I must have seen her somewhere before.”

She smiled gently, her voice loving and warm as she spoke slowly: “Ranran, when I was tidying your bookshelf earlier, I found a lot of things from high school—”

“Mom,” Zhou Ran interrupted her coldly and abruptly before she could finish. “Are we shopping or not?”

Zhou Ran remained expressionless, her lips pressed together slightly. Her fingers were gripped so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the effort.

“We are, of course we are,” Mother Lu laughed and stepped forward, patting Auntie Zhou on the shoulder. “We old ladies will head off first. You young girls go ahead and shop on your own.”

She was always the type to act decisively—grabbing Auntie Zhou and leaving immediately, completely ignoring Lu Yue’s protesting gaze and heartlessly leaving her behind with Zhou Ran.

Lu Yue: “…”

Am I actually her biological daughter??

As the mothers walked further and further away, the two remained standing awkwardly in place. After a moment of silence, Zhou Ran turned to look at Lu Yue.

Her pupils were extremely dark and clean, so clear that one could seemingly see right to the bottom—as beautiful as gems submerged in water.

In high school, Lu Yue didn’t understand. She only thought the gems were stunning and spent a long time chasing them with all her might, only to end up cut and bleeding by the sharp edges, too pained to speak.

A child who touches fire learns the meaning of pain; a child who touches a knife will never make the same mistake again. Lu Yue understood perfectly now—so what if the gems were beautiful? So what if they were clear?

Behind that ink-like darkness lay nothing but a cold indifference that wounded people deeply.

Lu Yue cradled the warm cup of tea. As the white mist rose bit by bit, it seemed to seep into her eyes. Feeling a bit of an itch, she raised a hand to rub the corner of her eye.

“Lu Yue.” Zhou Ran called her name, her voice sounding a bit muffled behind the white mist. “Shall I leave first?”

Lu Yue pursed her lips and said: “Oh? And where would you go?”

With the mothers gone, Lu Yue naturally lost her inhibitions. Her previous politeness vanished, replaced by a tone that sounded somewhat sharp.

“Auntie Zhou said you were off work today and didn’t have to go to the company, yet now you suddenly say you’re leaving,” Lu Yue said coldly. “Going back on your word—is that fun?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she immediately regretted them.

What am I doing? Lu Yue wanted to find a wall to bash her head against. She cursed her own muddled brain for saying such a thing.

She should have wanted Zhou Ran to get lost immediately so she could shop comfortably by herself. This was a win-win situation for everyone, yet in a moment of impulse, she had ruined it all.

Zhou Ran blinked, not replying immediately.

After a long pause, she spoke hesitantly, her voice so low it was almost hard to hear: “I thought… you didn’t want to see me.”

Lu Yue thought to herself, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to see you,’ but on the surface, she had to force a smile and pretend she didn’t care.

She sighed and followed up on her previous words: “Since you’re already here, there’s no need for me to chase you away.”

Five minutes later.

If you dig a hole for yourself, you have to fill it even if it kills you—Lu Yue gained a fresh level of understanding and insight into this truth today.

Zhou Ran actually stayed. Wherever Lu Yue went, she went too, following silently behind. She kept a distance that was neither too far nor too close, maintaining about one step’s length.

Feeling irritated, Lu Yue deliberately walked faster. Zhou Ran followed suit; she was tall with long legs and kept up effortlessly.

How did my happy solo shopping trip turn into this? Lu Yue sighed inwardly. She decided to simply ignore Zhou Ran and began shopping for herself out of spite.

Nords Mall was very large, but due to its high prices, the foot traffic was quite low. It was divided into various small sections by brand.

Lu Yue hadn’t been back in a long while, and every style looked novel to her. After browsing for a bit, she had already thrown her unpleasant emotions to the back of her mind.

“Hey, hey, look at that one.”

Lu Yue reached out to pull the person next to her, shaking her arm: “That style is so pretty.”

It wasn’t until she heard a soft “mm” by her ear that Lu Yue realized she had gotten carried away and had habitually grabbed Zhou Ran’s arm.

She hurriedly retracted her hand and even patted Zhou Ran’s sleeve, apologizing sincerely: “Sorry, sorry. I forgot for a moment.”

Zhou Ran shook her head, indicating it was fine. Her gaze fell on the spot Lu Yue had pointed to, and she suggested: “Why don’t you try it on?”

This was exactly what Lu Yue had been waiting for. With a beaming smile, she thrust the half-finished tea into Zhou Ran’s hand and vanished.

Zhou Ran didn’t have much interest in this sort of thing. She calmly held the tea and, after wandering around for a bit, found a sofa in the store and sat down silently.

Lu Yue moved quite fast. In the blink of an eye, she had picked out two or three styles she liked and headed toward the fitting room.

Zhou Ran waited outside. Her phone was flooded with messages, and there were dozens of unread emails. She replied to a few urgent ones and even made a phone call.

After handling her business, Zhou Ran realized belatedly that there had been no movement from Lu Yue for quite a while.

She sat there for a bit, her eyes fixed on the closed fitting room door. After a moment of restless hesitation, she stood up and walked over.

Standing before the door, she rapped lightly twice. From inside came a weak, listless voice: “Sorry, sorry, I’ll be out very soon.”

Zhou Ran paused: “It’s me.”

Lu Yue’s voice rose immediately, tinged with a questioning tone: “Why is it you? Why are you knocking on my door?”

Zhou Ran said: “You’ve been in there for a long time.”

“…” Lu Yue was silent for a moment, then suddenly let out an aggrieved sigh, her voice very small. “Step back a bit.”

Zhou Ran did as she was told. With a soft “click,” Lu Yue unlocked the door. Gripping the edge of the door, she cautiously poked out half her head.

The indoor light fell quietly on her hair, sliding like water droplets down her jade-white neck and into the shallow hollow of her collarbone, disappearing into the darkness.

Most of her body was hidden behind the door. Her lashes were weighed down by moisture, and her breathing was soft. As her shoulder moved slightly, a slender strap slid down and slumped against her arm.

Yet Lu Yue herself seemed completely unaware. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and she peeked at Zhou Ran through the gaps in her hair, looking a bit aggrieved—like someone who had been bullied into a bad mood.

Zhou Ran froze for two seconds and quickly averted her gaze. Looking at the wardrobe in the distance, her voice lost its stability: “What happened?”

“Help me with something,” Lu Yue said, gripping the edge of the door. It was almost through gritted teeth that she managed to squeeze out: “The zipper is stuck.”

With that, she pushed the door open a little wider to leave enough room for Zhou Ran to enter, then quickly turned around to face the wall.

There was a soft “click” behind her. The door closed, the lock was engaged, and the cramped fitting room suddenly held another person.

Lu Yue faced the wall, her neck lowered slightly. She brushed her curls forward, exposing the zipper at the back of her dress.

The fitting room was so quiet that one could hear the sound of breathing. A minty fragrance quietly surged forth—chilly and clean. Strand by strand, it slowly and sluggishly wound around her nose.

But when Lu Yue tried to find the source, the faint scent became elusive, vanishing the moment it was touched, leaving only the stagnant air.

Her skin held a faint flush, and her shoulder blades were drawn slightly together as she let her hair entwine around her neck. Her voice grew weaker and weaker as she made a tiny plea: “Help me undo it.”

Zhou Ran gave an “mm.” Her fingertips touched Lu Yue’s back, carefully untangling several strands of hair that were caught in the zipper.

Her movements were incredibly light and gentle. Her fingertips were like delicate butterflies, fluttering past the spine and spreading a dense, subtle itch.

Lu Yue’s head was lowered. As the warm breath hit her neck, the heat made her body tremble, and she instinctively shrank inward.

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