With Aunt Qian at home, practically nothing could be kept from He Yuan.
If Aunt Luo’s husband weren’t deaf-mute and an honest, straightforward person, He Yuan would have long asked them to leave.
The next day at work, Secretary Lin’s mood was noticeably brighter than usual, and He Yuan guessed it was because of the move.
After work, the two returned to Yuelan Cloud Residence. Seeing her cheerful expression, He Yuan couldn’t help but say, “Secretary Lin, shall I drive you to Block 3?”
Lin Yue shook her head and reminded him, “Thank you, President He, but there’s no need to trouble you. My friend is coming to help me, and besides, the staff there all know you.”
He Yuan: “…”
“Alright then, I’ll have someone else drive you over.”
“That won’t be necessary either,” Lin Yue quickly declined. “The roads here are so convenient, and I can manage these two suitcases just fine. My friend just called and said she’s already waiting outside. We’ll take a taxi ourselves. I’ve troubled you enough these past two days, President He.”
He Yuan: “…”
There was no further excuse to keep her.
Pressing his thin lips together, he could only nod. He had originally thought of asking her to stay for dinner, but since she mentioned her friend was waiting outside, that possibility vanished entirely.
Even after Lin Yue said goodbye, he seemed unable to process it, standing frozen in place for a good ten seconds.
Noticing this, Aunt Qian prompted, “Sir?”
Only then did He Yuan snap out of it and say to Aunt Qian, “I’m going upstairs first. There are still matters to attend to.”
Watching He Yuan’s retreating figure as he went upstairs, Aunt Qian suddenly had an epiphany and revealed an expression of sudden understanding.
Oh my! Slapping her thigh in realization, Aunt Qian chided herself for being so slow—how had she only just caught on? Even if the young master couldn’t bring himself to say it, she had a hundred excuses to keep her for dinner.
But then it occurred to her: Secretary Lin would be coming over every day anyway—was there any fear of missing opportunities?
It must be said, Aunt Qian was someone you could count on.
She had been working for the He Family since He Yuan was in high school. When He Yuan returned from abroad, his mother directly assigned her to take care of his daily life. Aunt Qian loved the family atmosphere of the He Family and had stayed on for many years.
She was the kind of loyal employee no one could poach.
Meanwhile, Lin Yue, still on her way, had no idea that Aunt Qian was already “coveting” her.
Qin Yan knew Lin Yue was very frugal and had suggested taking the bus, but Lin Yue flatly refused. Her friend was helping her move and carrying such heavy suitcases; with the bus stopping and starting frequently and Qin Yan prone to motion sickness, she couldn’t possibly put her through that.
The apartment was naturally close to the company, so the two soon arrived at Block 3.
She lived on the 11th floor, in room 1101.
Qin Yan couldn’t help but laugh when she saw the number. “No wonder you always run into weirdos on blind dates. Just look at this number—and I’m not being superstitious or anything!”
Lin Yue took out her keys to unlock the door and said, “Superstition is no good. I’m aiming to succeed in both family and career.”
Qin Yan was amused by her response. The moment the door opened, her mouth fell slightly agape, her eyes widening in clear surprise.
“Goodness, as expected of a big company! This is practically a one-bedroom apartment, right? Why is it so cheap? And it even has a small balcony?”
Lin Yue was also stunned. She had always known that Stellar was famous for its excellent accommodation and meals, but she never expected it to be this good.
This one-bedroom apartment under 60 square meters appeared compact yet well-organized. Upon entering, there was a shoe cabinet with a full-length mirror embedded inside. Further in, the bathroom and kitchen stood on opposite sides with staggered entrances. Next to the bathroom was the bedroom connected to the living room, while adjacent to the kitchen was a tiny dining area barely fitting two people. At the far end was a narrow balcony where one could easily bump into someone while turning around. Beside the balcony, connected to the living room, was a small utility space for the washing machine and drying clothes.
With a monthly rent of 3000, Lin Yue was quite satisfied.
She even felt somewhat excited—what would it be like to have her own little nest? Pure bliss.
Though the place was already clean, Lin Yue dragged Qin Yan to wipe down all the cabinets. Tidying up went quickly, and it only took an hour to unpack everything from her boxes.
Qin Yan surveyed the space approvingly. “Hmm, it just needs some decorations and greenery. When you have time off or finish work early, we can visit that wholesale market we went to before. Didn’t you always love flowers?”
Lin Yue nodded. She did love flowers—more precisely, the art of flower arrangement. She adored the process of placing fresh blooms into different containers, though shop-bought flowers were expensive, and Lin Yue never purchased them.
After all, flower arranging was an ideal, while she had to compromise with reality.
As Lin Yue’s close friend, Qin Yan knew about her dream, but dreams were just dreams.
By the time they finished, the sky had only just begun to darken.
Lin Yue took Qin Yan out for dinner while familiarizing herself with the neighborhood. Since this was a company-developed employee apartment, it was naturally close to work. Plus, He Yuan also lived downtown.
Lin Yue delightedly realized she could sleep in a bit longer in the mornings.
The two found a small restaurant on Third Court’s backstreet and settled in. To thank Qin Yan, Lin Yue ordered her favorite crayfish and grabbed two cans of beer.
As they ate and chatted, the conversation eventually turned to Qing Jing.
Qin Yan sighed. “I might move out too. A colleague also finds her current place too far, so we’re considering sharing a rental.”
Lin Yue: “Sounds good. It’s your decision.”
Qin Yan: “Actually, Qing Jing wasn’t like this before. I don’t know how she became this way.”
Lin Yue smiled wryly. “Yanzi, people wish everyone well—just not better than themselves. Being better than others becomes the original sin. Truthfully, I’ve kept some face for Qing Jing by not mentioning certain things. When we were job hunting together, she clearly had no intention of applying to Stellar, yet showed up at the same interview right after I mentioned it. I couldn’t help but suspect she rushed to submit her resume overnight.”
Qin Yan: “I had my doubts too, but didn’t want to affect our friendship with baseless assumptions.”
Lin Yue: “See? There were always signs. We treated her as a friend; she treated us as fools.”
“Screw that fool business. Come, let’s cheers.”
Lin Yue clinked her beer can against Qin Yan’s. “Here’s to a brand new start. May this year mark the end of us being fools.”
Lin Yue was a person with human emotions and desires. Although she remained calm and composed in front of Qing Jing, the thought of experiencing her first-ever friendship breakup still left her feeling somewhat unsettled.
In the beginning, she even questioned whether she had done something wrong.
Fortunately, she was able to come to her senses in time and refrained from tormenting herself over such matters.