“Is there any point discussing this?”
Ye Meng blurted out: “Women just like to discuss hypothetical questions, don’t you know? For instance, if your mother and I fell into water—”
“Save you.”
The answer came almost without hesitation, and afterward, a long silence fell, as if following the question, he had sunk into the boundless ocean floor. Ye Meng suddenly realized that this question was meaningless to him, and might even have poured salt on his wounds. He seemed to have fallen into self-doubt again.
She sincerely apologized, softly calling through the speaker: “Baby?”
Li Jin Yu mmmed, “Here.”
“Do you need me to come over and keep you company now?” Ye Meng coaxed.
“No need, go to sleep. I’m fine, just a bit tired,” he said.
“Then we won’t see a movie tomorrow,” Ye Meng said gently. “Tomorrow morning I’ll go to the hospital to check on your grandmother and come to your place in the afternoon. You sleep in a bit later, okay?”
“There’s no need—”
She interrupted him, “Or do you want me to come take care of you now?”
Li Jin Yu laughed helplessly; through the speaker, his voice truly had a youthful purity and magnetism, like clear sake in strong sunlight, so pleasant it made one clearheaded: “Mmm, I understand.”
After hanging up, Ye Meng sighed. Sometimes this man Li Jin Yu was so stubborn that she wanted to bully him, but when she did, it was her own heart that ached. What a mess—how did she end up with such an irresistible thing?
But then she thought of last night by the lake, how he had kissed her bit by bit with undivided attention, saying those words, that face… she couldn’t help but blush, her heart racing. It was like in the fine, drizzling rain mixed with snow and wind, the snow falling on her body, making her shiver unexpectedly, followed by a rush of warm blood, her heart pounding fiercely. Li Jin Yu seemed harmless but occasionally gave surprising delights.
Ye Meng felt like a girl experiencing first love, falling asleep thinking of him all night.
After showering, she felt much calmer. Setting aside her jumbled emotions, Ye Meng got herself together and drove to the hospital. The old lady was diligently following the doctor’s morning exercises. Seeing Ye Meng enter, she happily waved her hand to dismiss the doctor, blatantly starting to slack off: “No more, no more, my grandson’s wife is here.”
Ye Meng’s face reddened at the remark; she coughed once, then composed herself and said to the doctor: “Don’t mind me, I bought porridge. She can eat after you finish.”
The doctor said to the old lady with a pleasant smile: “Your grandson’s wife has spoken, finish your exercises before eating.”
The old lady hated these morning exercises. She could barely lift her hands and feet, yet they insisted she forcefully raise her legs and feet—an unreasonable demand, constantly reminding her that she was an invalid. She now glared at Ye Meng unhappily.
Ye Meng leaned against the doorframe, took out her phone, and recorded the old lady’s reluctant movements clearly, then sent it to Li Jin Yu. [Meng: Task 1/5, old lady’s morning exercises get√. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️]
Li Jin Yu had just woken up, sprawled under his carelessly placed blanket, still covering his head, coming to consciousness between half-sleep and half-wake. The room was dim, the curtains tightly closed, not allowing even a weak ray of light to enter, yet he could faintly hear the greetings of neighbors, the sounds of setting up stalls, hawking calls, mixed with occasional dog barks and kitten mewls.
Li Jin Yu’s phone vibrated. Although it had vibrated several times earlier, he had been too lazy to reach out. This time, instinctively feeling it might be Ye Meng, he finally extended his hand from under the blanket, drowsily opening his eyes to glance at it. Sure enough, it was her. He propped himself up to sit against the headboard and began to wake up properly. [Meng: Task 2/5, old lady eating banana get√. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️]
Li Jin Yu casually replied with a heart tossed the phone on the bed and started to get up to wash. [LJY: ❤️]
He replied with a heart! Ye Meng’s motivation soared, and she energetically completed all tasks, taking photos to send to Li Jin Yu. [Meng: Task 3/5, old lady using the toilet gets√. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️]
Seeing the startled expression of the old lady in the frame, Li Jin Yu replied with a black line over his head. [LJY: No need for photos!]
[Meng: Task 4/5, old lady walking get√. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️] [LJY: Mmm.]
[Meng: Task 5/5, old lady playing Candy Crush get√. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Baby, should I leave the phone with her? She’s begging me.]
[LJY: Don’t leave it, let her play for half an hour only. Otherwise, she’ll read our chat history.]
[Meng: She’s tugging at my clothes, so pitiful.]
[LJY: Ignore her.]
[Meng: ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I’m coming out now, took the phone away. The old lady pleaded with me for a long time but I didn’t give it to her.]
Li Jin Yu was just about to brush his teeth when his phone vibrated again.
[Meng: Remember to forcefully kiss me later. You promised last night.]
[LJY: ………]
[LJY: Mmm.]