Dating My Ex After Breaking Up - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

On the other side, Lu Yao went to the company in the morning, ate a quick meal, and then attended three consecutive meetings all morning. Finally, at noon, she returned to her office’s small lounge and slept for half an hour before getting up again. She saw a WeChat message from Shen Zhirou but only glanced at it briefly and didn’t reply.

To her, such greetings were meaningless and a waste of time. She had told Shen Zhirou that her purpose in being with her was for marriage, not for some ridiculous romance, and she had no time to deal with these empty pleasantries. So, she turned off her phone and didn’t respond.

She got up, left the lounge, sat in her chair, and called her secretary. “Qingqing, bring in my lunch.”

“Okay, President Lu.” Chen Qingqing heard her boss’s call and quickly brought in the lunch that had already been delivered.

“President Lu, your lunch is on the coffee table,” Chen Qingqing said after setting it down.

“Okay, thank you,” Lu Yao replied, her voice almost flat. She lingered in her seat for a bit before going to the sofa to eat lunch, her face showing unmistakable fatigue from start to finish.

The project was nearing its end, but the final tasks were progressing slowly. Lately, she could only push through with high-intensity work, leading her team to work overtime.

In the afternoon, the slackers in Shen Zhirou’s office gradually woke up and started their day’s work. Seeing that Lu Yao still hadn’t replied to her WeChat, Shen Zhirou simply began writing a report.

Their department leader, Wang Qi, was only nominally in charge and rarely managed them. She usually just stopped by in the afternoon, sometimes not showing up for days. Coming from a wealthy family, she didn’t care much about the salary the company paid.

Sure enough, it was almost four o’clock when Wang Qi finally showed up at the office, planning to leave by five. Seeing everyone still working at their desks, she even showed a hint of satisfaction.

Zhao Tongtong gave Shen Zhirou a knowing look, signaling that their leader was, as expected, just making a brief appearance before leaving. Shen Zhirou smiled lightly and shook her head, focusing on finishing the last part of her report.

After work, Shen Zhirou sent Lu Yao another WeChat message, but it went unanswered, like a stone sinking into the sea. She waited a bit, and seeing no reply, went home. Thinking about when Lu Yao came home the previous night, Shen Zhirou made herself some food, took a shower, and waited in the living room for Lu Yao. She ended up waiting until around 11 p.m.

When Lu Yao opened the door and saw the lights still on, she paused for a moment. Seeing Shen Zhirou on the sofa, nearly asleep, she remembered that since yesterday, she had a fiancée who was now living in her home.

Lu Yao’s brow furrowed slightly. She had clearly told Shen Zhirou not to wait for her at night, yet here she was, waiting so late. This made Lu Yao uncomfortable, feeling her routine was disrupted.

The sound of the door woke Shen Zhirou. Her slightly squinted eyes slowly opened, focusing as she saw Lu Yao. A smile spread across her face. “You’re back? Did you work late again today?”

“Hmm, didn’t I tell you? You don’t need to wait for me. I’ll be working late recently,” Lu Yao said, looking at Shen Zhirou’s watery eyes, her voice softening.

“I couldn’t sleep and wanted to wait for you. Have you eaten? Should I make you something?” Shen Zhirou said, standing to take Lu Yao’s bag.

“No need, I’ve eaten. Next time, sleep earlier. Don’t wait so late. Sleeping on the sofa isn’t comfortable.” Lu Yao’s gaze lingered on Shen Zhirou’s glistening eyes, but she didn’t say anything more to push her away.

Hearing the softening in Lu Yao’s tone, Shen Zhirou leaned closer and smiled. Her eyelashes, delicate as cicada wings, trembled slightly as she looked at Lu Yao and said softly, “I want to wait for you.”

With that, Shen Zhirou gathered her courage, ignoring her pounding heart, and leaned in to lightly kiss Lu Yao’s lips.

Lu Yao’s heart warmed, and she let herself fall into Shen Zhirou’s arms, leaning softly against her, wanting Shen Zhirou to kiss her again.

Shen Zhirou lowered her gaze, her arms around Lu Yao tightening gently, careful not to make her uncomfortable, before softly pressing her lips to Lu Yao’s again.

Lu Yao lazily let Shen Zhirou hold and kiss her, as if it could relax her mind and body. When Shen Zhirou pulled back, Lu Yao rested her face near Shen Zhirou’s ear, her breath brushing against Shen Zhirou’s ear.

Seeing Shen Zhirou’s fair ear turn slightly pink, Lu Yao smiled lightly and curled her lips, speaking softly and playfully in Shen Zhirou’s arms, showing none of the coldness she had when she first walked in.

“Sister, I had so many meetings today. I’m so tired. Will you help me take a bath?” Lu Yao’s body warmth passed through her thin summer clothes to Shen Zhirou.

When Shen Zhirou looked down at Lu Yao, her gaze instinctively fell on the small red mole, her heart feeling like it was scratched by a kitten’s claw. Even though she had already bathed, how could Shen Zhirou really refuse?

“Okay, I’ll help,” Shen Zhirou said, leaning down to kiss the corner of Lu Yao’s lips before guiding Lu Yao, who had just changed her shoes, into the bathroom.

Some things, once tasted, are hard to resist a second or third time. Later, Shen Zhirou carried Lu Yao out of the bathroom. Lu Yao’s slightly curled brown hair tangled with Shen Zhirou’s dark hair, creating an unexpectedly beautiful contrast.

Shen Zhirou gently placed Lu Yao on the soft bed. The mattress was so soft that Lu Yao sank into it immediately. Her arms instinctively wrapped around Shen Zhirou’s neck, pulling her down into the soft bed together. Yet Lu Yao playfully teased, “Sister, do you think that wasn’t enough and want to kiss me again?”

Shen Zhirou had slightly propped herself up, but the soft mattress made it hard to get up, especially with Lu Yao’s arm lazily around her neck. Lu Yao’s other hand was gently circling the small red mole below her collarbone with her index finger, making Shen Zhirou freeze, forgetting to get up.

Seeing Shen Zhirou’s reaction, Lu Yao’s soft, pink lips curled slightly upward. Honestly, the earlier kiss was just a tease, and she felt it wasn’t enough. Seeing Shen Zhirou still hadn’t reacted, Lu Yao propped herself up slightly from the soft bed and lightly kissed the corner of Shen Zhirou’s lips, her eyes fixed on Shen Zhirou’s. After a moment, she slowly pulled back.

“Sister? Don’t you want to?” Her voice was soft and alluring, her eyes shimmering like autumn water—something Shen Zhirou had never seen in her before. Without waiting for Lu Yao to say more, Shen Zhirou leaned down and kissed her. Being newly together, they were naturally caught up in such moments, especially since their compatibility was high, giving them a sense of meeting too late.

Normally cold and distant, Lu Yao now seemed as docile as a cat, her dark eyelashes fluttering lightly, her eyes full of Shen Zhirou’s reflection.

An hour later, Shen Zhirou, feeling sorry for Lu Yao’s busy work, held her as they fell deeply asleep.

The next morning, Shen Zhirou looked at Lu Yao in her arms, feeling their relationship had grown closer. After all, familiarity comes with repetition, and the way Lu Yao looked at her last night—surely she liked her a little, right?

Not wanting to wake Lu Yao, Shen Zhirou carefully got up, put on her pajamas, and, as usual, washed up before starting breakfast.

She hand-rolled some noodles, took shrimp from the fridge, chopped green onions and garlic, and prepared to stir-fry them for a simple seafood noodle breakfast.

When everything was ready, Shen Zhirou went to the bedroom to wake Lu Yao. She always felt home-cooked food was cleaner than outside food and wanted to do something small for Lu Yao.

Shen Zhirou watched the sleeping Lu Yao for a moment, then smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek, ear, and the corner of her lips. The ticklish sensation woke Lu Yao, who was about to get upset but met Shen Zhirou’s clear eyes.

Lu Yao’s anger faded, and she frowned at Shen Zhirou, asking, “It’s not even time yet. Why are you waking me so early? I want to sleep more.”

“I’m waking you for breakfast. Eating out isn’t clean. I’ve already prepared everything. Just wash up, and you can eat, okay?” Shen Zhirou saw her frown and coaxed her gently.

Lu Yao pursed her lips, thinking about last night. She felt she couldn’t justify getting upset, especially since she was the one clinging to Shen Zhirou last night. So, she nodded grudgingly and sat up to reach for her pajamas.

“Then I’ll go wash up,” Lu Yao said lazily, her voice carrying a good deal of reluctance as she shuffled to the bathroom, clearly still half-asleep.

Shen Zhirou suddenly noticed that Lu Yao only called her “Sister” in bed or when she wanted something. Other times, she called her Zhirou or nothing at all.

Thinking it was just their playful dynamic, Shen Zhirou didn’t mind much. She smiled, shook her head, and went to the kitchen to cook the noodles.

Lu Yao put on light makeup, changed into a moon-white long dress, and applied a touch of lip gloss. After getting ready, she left the bedroom and immediately smelled a delicious aroma at the door, feeling a bit hungry.

Shen Zhirou had already cooked a bowl of noodles and placed it in front of Lu Yao. “Try my hand-rolled noodles. How’s the taste?”

Lu Yao’s slender fingers picked up a few noodles and put them in her mouth. She paused, nodded repeatedly, and her eyes lit up slightly. She had tasted Shen Zhirou’s cooking before and knew it was good, but she didn’t expect even a bowl of noodles to be this delicious. She nodded. “It’s good.”

Shen Zhirou smiled and said softly, “If it’s good, eat at home from now on. I’ll cook for you.”

With that, Shen Zhirou went to get her own bowl of noodles. They ate quietly, not talking much, until Jiang Chen came to pick Lu Yao up for work, and she left in a hurry.

Shen Zhirou cleaned up the dishes and took them to the kitchen before leaving. The housekeeper came every morning to clean, so Shen Zhirou didn’t need to worry about it.