Chu Jinhan’s fingers paused briefly over the keyboard, then resumed typing as if nothing had happened.
Without looking up, his voice carried no emotion. “You’re so concerned about other people… do you have nothing better to do?”
Hu Yao, however, seemed oblivious to the cold undertone. Instead, she leaned in slightly, her excitement barely contained.
“I’m serious! It’s been two days. By her usual checking-in habits, she’d have called the front desk a dozen times by now.”
True enough, Song Yunfei had been terrifying in the past.
When she couldn’t reach Chu Jinhan, she’d call the front desk to inquire about his whereabouts or have them transfer the call to him.
Though their voices were low, the other people in the office could hear them.
Everyone perked up, especially the single female colleagues, who immediately became extra alert.
Half of the single women in the office had had their eyes on him, but none had the nerve—or the proximity—of Hu Yao.
Finally, Chu Jinhan looked up, his gaze calm but cutting. “If you put even half as much thought into work, your client wouldn’t have ended up calling me yesterday.”
Hu Yao’s smile froze. She straightened up, slightly embarrassed. “I—I wasn’t paying attention. It’s no big deal. I’m just curious… did you two have a fight, or are you really broken up? Tell me!”
“Seems like your workload is still too light. Should I ask Mr. He to increase it for you?”
Hu Yao’s face turned pale with a mix of embarrassment and simmering anger.
“Never mind,” she muttered under her breath, sitting back down and pretending to type busily.
Chu Jinhan returned his attention to the computer screen, glancing at the flood of client messages in the chat window, though his mind was elsewhere.
After a moment, he pulled out his phone.
The messages were numerous—but none from Song Yunfei.
This woman… why the sudden change?
Later that afternoon, near the end of the workday, Song Yunfei finally sent her first message in two days.
She asked what time Chu Jinhan would finish work.
It took him ten minutes to reply. During that time, she didn’t bombard him with calls or demand to know why he hadn’t responded, as she used to.
When she saw his reply, her face lit up. She quickly sent him a voice message:
“Come meet me later. There’s a raffle at the mall across the street—first prize is an air conditioner!”
Earlier, while handing out flyers, she had noticed that spending over fifty yuan at the mall allowed entry into the raffle.
She and Chu Jinhan could enter multiple times, but they needed one person to buy the items.
Chu Jinhan didn’t respond immediately.
Song Yunfei frowned. Had he agreed? Was he going or not? A simple reply would suffice.
Half an hour later, she finally got his response.
Just three short words: [I’m here]
Song Yunfei froze for a second, then jumped up in delight, grabbed her bag, and ran out.
From afar, she spotted him at the edge of the plaza outside the mall, dressed in a white shirt.
He was sitting sideways on an electric delivery bike, staring at his phone.
The bike was the old, second-hand one he used for deliveries. Its battery was weak—usually only used for work.
Normally, he wouldn’t ride it to and from work, leaving it at the office to charge after deliveries, sometimes borrowing the neighbor Wang Yi’s bike to get home.
Today, however, he had ridden his battered bike all the way here.
Song Yunfei jogged up to him. “Chu Jinhan, I’m here! Why did you ride your delivery bike back?”
He put away his phone and glanced at her.
“Riding is more convenient.”
She considered it—carrying all those items on the bus would’ve been a nightmare.
She put her bag in the bike’s rear compartment and said, “Let’s go. If we’re late, someone else might win the grand prize.”
Chu Jinhan nodded, and the two of them walked shoulder to shoulder toward the mall. He couldn’t help but glance at her.
The woman who usually clung to him was keeping her distance today.
The mall was packed, especially around the raffle area—it was almost impossible to get through.
Song Yunfei struggled to squeeze inside. The crowd was huge, half of them probably just there to enjoy the air conditioning.
She headed straight for the supermarket, her target simple: spend at least one hundred yuan to qualify for the raffle.
“Out of rice at home?” she asked, glancing back at him.
Chu Jinhan responded with a simple nod.
Song Yunfei twisted her lips. Is this cold violence? Too much!
She pointed to a bag of rice nearby. “Then go get a bag!”
Chu Jinhan didn’t speak—he silently picked up a bag and tossed it into her shopping cart.
The more she looked at him, the more he seemed like a robot.
She handed the cart to him and went to the vegetables.
She bought twenty-five yuan worth of meat, ten yuan of eggs, and fifteen yuan of greens—total: 105 yuan.
“Later, you take the rice to the checkout. I’ll take these. Don’t forget the receipt.”
“Mm.”
They queued up, paid, and grabbed their receipts, then headed to the raffle area.
Chu Jinhan placed their items down first, then joined her.
They waited in line for over ten minutes.
Song Yunfei excitedly handed her receipt to the staff, rubbed her hands together, and plunged them into the box.
After a long moment, she pulled out a card.
It was a fifth-prize ticket. Her smile drooped—just a pack of tissues.
Still, better than nothing. Better than “thanks for participating.”
She tugged Chu Jinhan close. “Your turn!”
He said nothing, simply reached into the box, and pulled out a card.
Song Yunfei leaned eagerly to see—and her face lit up. “Second prize! You’re amazing!”
She hugged his arm, practically bouncing with excitement.
No air conditioner, but they won a small fridge—online, such a fridge would cost around eight hundred yuan.
With the heat, food would spoil in less than a day—this fridge was desperately needed.
Chu Jinhan’s gaze softened slightly as he watched her joy.
The staff smiled. “You’re lucky! Only five second-prize winners, and you got one.”
Song Yunfei looked at him and laughed. “It’s his luck. Should’ve let him draw both times.”
The staff brought out the fridge, drawing envious glances from bystanders.
It was small, roughly the size of a nightstand.
Song Yunfei could lift it alone.
But when they reached the electric bike, she frowned. “How are we supposed to get this home?”
No room in front; if they put it behind, she’d have nowhere to sit.
Chu Jinhan said, “You ride. I’ll take the bus.”
Song Yunfei’s eyes lit up. She stepped onto the front of the bike, smiling brightly. “No need to make it complicated. I can squat in the front.”
Chu Jinhan froze for a moment.
While he hesitated, she already settled in, looking back at him. “Hurry up and get on!”