This Time, She Confesses First - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The temperature in December was already at its lowest. Jing Huan’s head was wrapped in her down jacket hood, revealing only half her face. Her gaze slowly moved upwards. She saw Ke Qingyun wearing a wool coat, which was open, paired with a light gray sweater and a plaid skirt.

“Aren’t you cold?” This was the question that instinctively popped into Jing Huan’s head after seeing Ke Qingyun. But as soon as she said it, she realized the remark was inappropriate. She quickly stood up, her tone much more respectful than the last sentence: “Hello, Ms. Ke…”

That should be polite enough.

Ke Qingyun was amused and asked her, “Did HR hire me an assistant, or a g-r-e-e-t-e-r?”

Jing Huan’s face flushed slightly, feeling a bit silly herself. She secretly lowered her hands, which had been crossed over her abdomen, letting them hang at her sides. She answered honestly, “An assistant.”

“It is quite cold, though,” Ke Qingyun said. “Then come with me.”

After her tears dried, when the wind blew, her skin felt cold and stinging. Jing Huan felt the cold acutely and followed her. After walking a short distance, she realized something was amiss, “Where are we going?”

It was after work hours.

Ke Qingyun turned and glanced at her, “To my place.”

“Huh?” Jing Huan froze.

Ke Qingyun explained, “I need you to create a spreadsheet and handle a few other things.”

Working for a Fortune Global 500 company was clearly not easy, and she was still just an intern. She couldn’t possibly object to her boss’s request. Jing Huan could only follow closely behind Ke Qingyun, noticing that in her left hand, she was carrying a plastic bag filled with frozen food, along with a bunch of green vegetables and a few tomatoes.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay you overtime,” Ke Qingyun said with a smile once they were in the elevator.

Jing Huan lowered her head, feeling extremely awkward. Was my reluctance that obvious? She quickly changed her expression, making it much more gentle and friendly, “Ms. Ke, haven’t you eaten yet?”

“No.”

“I can cook,” Jing Huan remembered what Zhu Sisi had taught her—to provide every possible convenience to her superior. She eagerly offered, “If you’re busy with work, I can cook for you while you handle your work.”

Ke Qingyun’s brow furrowed slightly, seemingly in difficulty, “But it’s after work hours now. It’s my resting time.”

So you can squeeze my time.

Jing Huan pursed her lips, losing all desire to promote her cooking skills, “Oh, I see.”

Ke Qingyun lived on the seventeenth floor. The main colors of the house were light gray and plain white walls. Apart from necessary furniture and household items, there was nothing extra. Perhaps because the house was too refined and clean, it looked more like a show apartment, lacking any sense of lived-in warmth.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

Ke Qingyun separated the ingredients and put them into the fridge. She washed a plate of fruit and placed it on the coffee table. She took a strawberry for herself and then casually handed one to Jing Huan, “Try it, it’s very sweet.”

Jing Huan took it, feeling a little restrained, “Ms. Ke, what kind of spreadsheet do you need me to make?”

“No rush, have some fruit first.” Ke Qingyun turned on the TV and handed the remote control on the coffee table to Jing Huan, “Tune into whatever you want to watch.”

It was too much like entertaining a child guest.

Jing Huan instantly felt her scalp tingle. She opened her mouth to suggest that she should do the spreadsheet first, but she looked up and saw that Ke Qingyun had already tied on an apron and gone into the kitchen to cook.

It was clear she wasn’t going to deal with work right now.

So, Jing Huan had no choice but to sit in the living room and watch Boonie Bears for over half an hour. Suddenly, wafts of food aromas drifted out of the kitchen. Jing Huan turned her head and saw it was Ke Qingyun’s dinner. She inexplicably thought of the half-bowl of glutinous rice balls she had left over. She hadn’t finished her dinner and had been driven out by her neighbor’s noise. Now, smelling the aroma, her appetite was suddenly revived.

Jing Huan suspected that if she smelled it any longer, her stomach would rumble, which would be too embarrassing. So, she put down the remote control, intending to suggest to Ke Qingyun that she should go home to do the spreadsheet.

But just as she turned around, her gaze met Ke Qingyun’s. She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “Come eat. I’ll talk to you about the spreadsheet after dinner.”

Jing Huan swore she had absolutely no intention of shamelessly scrounging for food. It was only because Ke Qingyun asked her to do the spreadsheet after dinner that she reluctantly took a seat.

Stir-fried tomato and scrambled eggs, stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers, and a vinegar-dressed cabbage—all were simple home-cooked dishes. Ke Qingyun handed Jing Huan a pair of chopsticks. After sitting down, she rested her chin on one hand, looking across the table, “Tell me.”

Jing Huan’s hand paused. She looked up, slightly confused, “Tell you what?”

“Why were you crying earlier?” Ke Qingyun asked.

Jing Huan froze. She realized that Ke Qingyun always seemed to catch her during embarrassing moments. That year in high school, her math grades dropped, and her teacher called her parents. Jing’s mother came back from school and scolded her severely. Jing Huan ran downstairs, sat on a bench, and secretly wiped away her tears, only to be spotted by Ke Qingyun, who was there to tutor at the time.

It was the same this time.

“I miss home a little,” Jing Huan vaguely answered, not revealing the fundamental reason.

Ke Qingyun chuckled, “You’re a grown woman now, still crying because you miss home.”

“Y-yes…” Jing Huan felt embarrassed. She looked at Ke Qingyun defiantly, “But no one said you can’t miss home when you’re older.”

“Of course you can miss home when you’re older,” Ke Qingyun stated directly. “But I saw you scrolling through a rental app. What’s wrong? Is your place uncomfortable?”

Jing Huan pursed her lips. There was no hiding it now. She lowered her head and whispered, “My roommate is too noisy. I want to move somewhere else.”

“So that’s it,” Ke Qingyun asked, “Have you found a suitable place yet?”

“Not yet.”

Ke Qingyun nodded thoughtfully, pushed the plate closer to Jing Huan, “Eat first.”

Since she was already freeloading on dinner, Jing Huan immediately volunteered to do the dishes after eating. Ke Qingyun smiled faintly, “Then I’d appreciate it.”

“No trouble, not at all,” Jing Huan carried the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen.

Ke Qingyun sat for a moment, then got up and followed her in. She saw Jing Huan standing in front of the sink vigorously scrubbing dishes, still wearing her down jacket, completely disregarding the possibility of splashing stains onto her clothes. Seeing this sight, Ke Qingyun smiled helplessly, turned around, took an apron from the wall, raised her arm, and reached around in front of Jing Huan, “If your clothes get dirty, I won’t wash them.”

“…Clang!”

The bowl, just lathered with dish soap, slipped from Jing Huan’s hand and fell into the sink, hitting a plate. Both were damaged.

The sound of the breaking dishes made both of them freeze simultaneously.

This was unexpected for Ke Qingyun. She hadn’t anticipated such a strong reaction from Jing Huan. The moment her hand touched Jing Huan’s arm, the other’s body flinched violently forward as if she had received an electric shock, desperately trying to avoid her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Jing Huan quickly stepped away, looking at the broken bowl with a face full of guilt.

Ke Qingyun’s hand froze. She pointed to the apron half-draped over Jing Huan and explained, “I was just trying to tie the apron for you. I’m sorry, did I startle you?”

Jing Huan recovered, quickly smoothed out the apron, reached her hand behind her back, and quickly tied a knot, “It’s fine. I can do this myself.”

Ke Qingyun didn’t leave immediately. Thinking of Jing Huan’s immediate rejection earlier, her eyelids slightly lifted, her expression complex and hard to read. After standing for a moment, she finally asked, “Are you… very afraid of me?”

“No!” Jing Huan denied without thinking, explaining incoherently, “No, you appeared so suddenly, and I was spaced out, so I got startled.”

Ke Qingyun’s expression softened upon hearing this, and she smiled sweetly, “I thought you hated me.”

“No,” Jing Huan lowered her head, silently tidying up.

The small incident quickly passed. Jing Huan finished the dishes and returned to the living room. Wiping her hands, she saw Ke Qingyun sitting on the sofa with a laptop on her lap. She couldn’t help but think this was a good opportunity to bring up work.

“Ms. Ke, what kind of spreadsheet do you need?” Jing Huan walked over, “I can do it now.”

Ke Qingyun closed the laptop, “It’s already done.”

Jing Huan was slightly stunned, “It’s done?”

“Yes,” Ke Qingyun placed the laptop on the coffee table, stood up, and said to Jing Huan, “I’ll show you the room.”

Jing Huan was still reeling from the surprise that the spreadsheet was done. All the work had been completed by Ke Qingyun. What was the purpose of her coming over tonight then? To freeload on food and drink, and then break a bowl and a plate?

“What’s wrong?” Ke Qingyun asked, seeing Jing Huan standing still.

Jing Huan looked up, “Ms. Ke, if there’s any work in the future, could you just send it to me through WeChat for Work?”

Ke Qingyun thought for a moment, “Sure.”

“By the way, what house were you just talking about?”

Ke Qingyun said, “This is the only complex close to the company. Since the nearby mall opened and the subway started operating, life has become convenient, so very few tenants move out. It will be difficult for you to find a suitable place quickly. I happen to have two empty rooms here. Take a look. If you like it, you can rent it from me.”

Jing Huan thought she had misheard. Ke Qingyun wanted to rent a room to her. Wouldn’t that mean they would be eating and living together, seeing each other every day? This was different from meeting at the office. At the office, with other colleagues present, their thoughts were dominated by work, and they rarely had time for distractions. But living together would be different. Just the interaction tonight was enough to make Jing Huan restless. If this continued long-term, she was afraid she would start having inappropriate thoughts again.

“No need,” Jing Huan refused very cleanly. After saying it, she felt it was too abrupt, so she added an explanation, “The rent is too expensive. I don’t have that much money.”

Ke Qingyun smiled, “I haven’t even told you the rent yet.”

Jing Huan, “How much?”

Ke Qingyun, “I’ll charge you 600 yuan a month. Water, electricity, and property management fees are all included. Is that expensive?”

Jing Huan swallowed hard, “Expensive.”

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