Ye Yunchen had already prepared breakfast when he arrived. She wanted to help tidy things up, but he stopped her, so she had no choice but to return to her room alone to change clothes, wash her face, brush her teeth, and put on makeup. By the time she was ready and came out, a rich aroma was already wafting through the living room.
"Xia Yan, come eat something when you're done. Oh, I bought some of your favorite things and put them in the fridge." Ye Yunchen said gently, lowering his head as he arranged the bowls and chopsticks on the table.
Xia Yan furrowed her brow, walked over to the table absentmindedly, and pulled out a chair without paying attention. The chair leg caught her ankle, and a sharp pain shot through her. She lifted her foot abruptly, her face scrunching up in discomfort.
Seeing this, Ye Yunchen quickly set down what he was holding, strode over to Xia Yan with concern, and reached out to support her arm. "How could you be so careless? Did you hurt yourself anywhere?"
"It's nothing. I'll be fine after resting a bit."
Ye Yunchen pulled the chair out and helped Xia Yan sit down before taking the seat across from her. He pushed everything in front of her toward her. "Try this. Back in school, you loved this place's food. I went out of my way to buy it."
"..." Xia Yan had just picked up her chopsticks, but after he said that, she felt extremely awkward inside. She didn't like this oppressive atmosphere, and she couldn't pretend everything was fine. After hesitating inwardly for a long time, she lowered her head and stared at the food Ye Yunchen had placed in her bowl.
Ye Yunchen smiled nonchalantly. "Don't like it anymore?"
"No," Xia Yan replied reflexively. Then, feeling too uncomfortable, she set down her chopsticks, looked up, and stared intently at Ye Yunchen. "Brother Ye, I've always felt our relationship was pretty good. If we could keep it that way... or let me put it another way, I'm not sure if you've misunderstood something?"
Ye Yunchen smiled faintly. "What misunderstanding?"
Hearing this, Xia Yan's expression shifted slightly. Had she been too vague? After a pause, she frowned. "My feelings for you, Brother Ye, have always remained as they were from the start..."
Ye Yunchen probably hadn't expected Xia Yan to reject him so thoroughly before he even formally confessed. He seemed to have underestimated her decisiveness in handling emotions. As soon as she finished speaking, the smile on his face froze instantly.
"Xia Yan, my feelings for you have never changed." Ye Yunchen looked at her with deep affection and said directly, "Xia Yan, I've always liked you."
The moment he said that, Xia Yan was completely stunned. Such a blunt confession left her at a loss, even making her want to escape. Her first thought upon hearing it was of Lin Xujia's feelings for Ye Yunchen.
Xia Yan stared at him blankly, her lips parting slightly as she murmured, "But my feelings for you aren't romantic."
"That's okay. I can wait for you to like me."
"..." Being confessed to should be a happy thing, but in Xia Yan's view, she didn't enjoy it or feel happy. On the contrary, she felt a bit heavy-hearted now. If she had even a shred of romantic feelings for Ye Yunchen, she might have felt delighted, but the truth was, she didn't.
She believed in the possibility of feelings growing over time, but facing Ye Yunchen, she knew clearly that after years of acquaintance without developing romantic feelings, this short period probably wouldn't change that.
Xia Yan's silence hurt Ye Yunchen. To avoid making the atmosphere even more awkward, he smiled gently and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Xia Yan, don't feel any pressure. I'll respect your thoughts and feelings, and I won't put you in a difficult position."
That's what he said, but now she couldn't pretend nothing had happened. Since she knew she wouldn't like him back, she wouldn't give him any false hope.
Xia Yan wanted to say more, but Ye Yunchen seemed to guess her intent and suddenly spoke up. "I know what you want to say, so don't voice your thoughts so quickly, okay?"
"But..."
"Xia Yan, in matters of the heart, anything can happen at unknown times and events, leading to different outcomes. Don't dismiss yourself or me so soon."
Ye Yunchen's words left Xia Yan momentarily stunned. She let out a soft sigh, lowered her head, and silently ate her food. But some things were simply destined to have no conclusion.
After breakfast, Ye Yunchen and Xia Yan headed to the company together. She had planned to take a taxi, but it turned out Ye Yunchen had driven.
Xia Yan remained very quiet in the car. Ye Yunchen didn't say much either, occasionally bringing up funny stories from their school days to break the silence. When something was amusing, Xia Yan would chime in with a few words, then fall silent again, leading to awkward pauses.
Fortunately, her place wasn't far from the company. Ye Yunchen drove into the company's private parking lot. Xia Yan got out of the car casually, but before she could steady herself, a hand landed on her shoulder, startling her so much she almost cursed.
Li Ru smiled brightly as she patted Xia Yan's shoulder, winking at Ye Yunchen as he got out of the car. She leaned in close to Xia Yan's ear and whispered teasingly, "Isn't that Ye Yunchen from our company's project department? When did you two get together?"
Xia Yan gently pushed Li Ru away and looked at her seriously. "Don't talk nonsense. Brother Ye was my senior in college."
"Senior? He seems pretty good. Isn't it trendy now for seniors to chase juniors and senior girls to go for junior guys? I can tell he has ideas about you. Aren't you going to..."
Before Li Ru could finish, Xia Yan quickly covered her mouth and turned to Ye Yunchen with an awkward smile. "Brother Ye, don't mind her. I just remembered I have something to deal with, so I'll go first."
Xia Yan kept her hand over Li Ru's mouth to stop her from talking. A flicker of hurt passed through Ye Yunchen's eyes, but he smiled lightly. "Okay, go ahead with your work. How about lunch together?"
"I'll let you know about lunch later."
Xia Yan dragged Li Ru straight into the elevator. If it weren't for Li Ru being around her age and generally friendly, she wouldn't have been able to handle her gossipy nature. She let go of Li Ru's mouth, and the woman gasped for air.
Li Ru glared at Xia Yan, her face flushed. "If you hadn't let go, I would have suffocated!"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to. But you shouldn't have been spouting nonsense without thinking."
"I wasn't spouting nonsense! Seriously, Xia Yan, I remember Ye Yunchen was a direct hire for the company. Word is, Manager Ke recruited him from abroad with a hefty offer." Li Ru rubbed her mouth and added, "He was the one who sent flowers to the office a few days ago, right? Don't deny it—I could see from his eyes that his feelings for you are way more than just senior and junior."
"So?"
"So I'm telling you, men like Lu Zhengting are way out of our league—we ordinary folks shouldn't even think about them. But someone like Ye Yunchen is much more realistic. You get what I mean?"
Xia Yan raised an eyebrow indifferently. "No, I don't."
"You're so stubborn! Ye Yunchen is the object of many women's fantasies at the company. Don't you know the saying, 'A water tower is the first to get the moonlight'?"
Hearing this, Xia Yan curled her lip dismissively.
The whole morning, Xia Yan seemed to be busy with nothing in particular. At noon, with nearly two hours of break time, she unsurprisingly received a call from Ye Yunchen, repeating his earlier invitation for lunch.
Unable to find a reason to refuse, she reluctantly agreed, though she felt resistant inside. When it was time to leave, she grabbed her bag and walked out from her seat under Li Ru's intense gaze.
The restaurant was close to the company. Lu Group was the leading enterprise in Jiangcheng, and its status was undeniable. The headquarters stood in the city's most prosperous area, a tall building towering prominently.
The surrounding architecture was also distinctive, with a high concentration of white-collar workers, so the restaurants in the area were upscale. The one Ye Yunchen chose stood out among them, not just for its unique flavors but also for its interior design, which exuded a European vintage artistic vibe.
Xia Yan sat across from Ye Yunchen, looking very quiet and well-behaved. He did most of the talking, and she became the listener.
"Zhengting, I heard Xiaoxiao is back?"
"Yeah."
That low voice instantly jolted Xia Yan to attention. She frowned, pausing her movements. The voice was very close. She had only heard the name "Zhengting" from Ke Yaru. So, she was running into these two even while eating?
With such high odds, maybe she'd have better luck buying a lottery ticket?
Ye Yunchen seemed to notice Xia Yan's unease and looked at her tenderly. "What's wrong?"
"I'm going to the restroom." Xia Yan wiped her mouth and said casually.
As she came out of the restroom, her foot caught on something, and she lost her balance, lurching forward. Just as she thought she was about to have a close encounter with the floor tiles, a strong hand grabbed her and pulled her upright.
Once steady, Xia Yan was about to thank the person when she looked up and saw Lu Zhengting smirking at her. She instinctively stepped back, pressing herself against the wall. "What are you doing here?"
Lu Zhengting raised an eyebrow at her surprised face. "What are you doing here?"
"No kidding! This is the women's restroom!" Xia Yan knew he was asking why she was eating there, but she was more shocked that he was in the women's restroom.
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting squinted, then suddenly reached out and placed his hand on the wall, leaning in slightly as if pressing against her. The corner of his mouth lifted in a sly smile. "Is work too easy?"
"No, I think you're too idle!" Xia Yan glared at him fiercely.