Lend Me Your Shoulder - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lu Yanbai lowered his eyes to glance at her hand, which was still tightly gripping the fabric of his sleeve. The wrinkles she’d created were like ripples in water.

Soon, Xu Yeyu felt the sleeve shift slightly in her hand, and his deep voice drifted into her ear.

“Let go of me first.”

No matter how much she wanted to play dumb, she knew exactly what those five words meant.

She wrinkled her nose and gave a soft “oh,” then slowly, reluctantly released his sleeve, inch by inch.

It felt like dropping a Mentos into soda—her emotions burst out in a fizzing rush, a bittersweet mix flooding her chest in an instant.

Her heart sank heavily, like someone pressing down on it.

The group of street thugs was still behind her. She hadn’t dared to say it outright, but she was scared. When she saw Lu Yanbai, she thought she’d be safe…

Forget it. If he didn’t want her tagging along, then so be it.

She tried to convince herself, forcing down the sudden wave of inexplicable disappointment. Just as she turned to leave—

Lu Yanbai took two steps back, then politely placed his hands on her shoulders and gently guided her to stand in front of him.

“Walk in front of me.”

All the small grievances in her heart vanished in an instant. Xu Yeyu froze in place as he stepped behind her, his presence steady and reassuring.

He hadn’t rejected her. In fact, he had stayed behind her—silently, but clearly—shielding her from everything that had frightened her.

Maybe his body temperature wasn’t scorching, but in that moment, it felt like he had been given some magical power. Xu Yeyu could feel her frozen body gradually warming up again.

The endless wind in front of her took shape like a painting, sweeping across a barren land. The air was still chilly, but signs of life were beginning to emerge.

There was a deer in her chest — wild and restless.

Lu Yanbai, of course, had no idea about the entire epic fantasy unfolding in Xu Yeyu’s mind. After naturally stepping behind her, he just as naturally tilted his head slightly and looked back.

The group of guys had followed a few more steps but, seeing the two of them clearly knew each other, didn’t come any closer.

And with Lu Yanbai’s height and the commanding presence he had honed over years as a professor, the thugs sensed trouble. After a hushed discussion, they left.

Xu Yeyu, walking ahead, had no idea what was happening behind her. But just knowing that Lu Yanbai was there gave her a strange sense of peace. Combined with the fantasy she’d just imagined…

Her brain overheated, and she lowered her head and kept walking forward, quickly and wordlessly.

It wasn’t until only her footsteps echoed in the parking garage that she realized something was off. She turned around—

Lu Yanbai was resting his hand on the front passenger door, looking up at her:
“Were you planning to smash my car?”

Xu Yeyu looked in the direction she had been walking, and sure enough, there in the corner was a pile of rusty metal rods.

…

“You didn’t have to say all that,” she said, walking over. “The fact that you helped me at all—I’m already really grateful.”

Of course she understood why he had said those things—he just wanted her to relax, not stay stuck in fear.

He really was someone with high emotional intelligence. He knew exactly how to care for someone without making a fuss.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Lu Yanbai’s eyes, as calm and gentle as always.

“If you know that, then hurry up and get in. I’ll only feel at ease once I get you home safely.”

After repeating to herself a hundred times, “He’s just being a responsible teacher,” Xu Yeyu’s throat was still dry as she replied,
“You’re giving me a ride? That’s… I can’t trouble you like that.”

Then she lifted her leg and climbed right in.

Lu Yanbai: “…”

He closed the passenger door, walked around to the driver’s seat, and got in.

Once they were both seated, he started the engine and asked, “Where do you live?”

Xu Yeyu stared at his nearly flawless side profile and blurted out without thinking,
“Building 8, 5th floor, Room 505, Ronghe Apartments.”

The car fell into silence for a few seconds after she said it.

Lu Yanbai’s hand paused on the gear shift. He blinked slowly and turned to look at her.

She was doomed.

Students at L University either lived in the campus dorms or in student housing off-campus.

When he asked where she lived, he obviously meant which dorm. But she—how sweet of her—just gave her full residential address.

Xu Yeyu avoided his gaze and looked up at the car ceiling.

Great. Now she couldn’t even claim she misunderstood.

Lu Yanbai’s low voice echoed softly in the car:
“Why don’t you live on campus?”

Xu Yeyu quickly composed herself:
“The dorms are too cramped, too many people. And since I write, I need quiet. So I moved out with a roommate—it’s better for writing.”

He nodded, sensing that she might not want to go into more detail, so he didn’t press the issue.

As the car pulled out of the parking space, he tapped the steering wheel with his fingertips.
“You’re still writing now?”

Xu Yeyu was momentarily confused. “Still writing? You mean… fiction?”

He nodded.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve been writing since first year of high school. I took a break during senior year for college entrance exams, but after that, I’ve been writing nonstop.”

He seemed to think of something and said softly,
“Being your reader must be a blessing.”

Unlike Lu Wanyi’s favorite author—who reportedly could go years without posting a single update—she cried about it constantly at home.

Xu Yeyu blushed, feeling both embarrassed and a bit proud. “Y-Yeah… I guess they’re pretty lucky…”

If you were talking about two years ago, that is.

…

When she got home, Xiang Wei hadn’t even had time to ask what had happened—she was woken up by the sound of Xu Yeyu bouncing around the apartment.

With her hair a mess and a blanket slung over her shoulders, Xiang Wei walked out of the bedroom.
“Excuse me, is it New Year’s or something?”

“I bloomed,” Xu Yeyu replied.

Xiang Wei: ?

“I bloomed,” she repeated with a smile.

“I think you hit your head on the door,” Xiang Wei muttered, flopping into a chair.
“What’s got you so happy? You’re in a better mood than I am after a nap.”

“A nap?” Xu Yeyu rolled up her sleeve to check. “What time is it? You’re calling this a nap?”

“Why not? Six or seven o’clock — prime napping hours.”

She squinted at Xu Yeyu.
“Also, why did you roll up your sleeve? You don’t even wear a watch.”

Xu Yeyu laughed awkwardly and rubbed her nose. “Oh, I was just pretending. Makes me look elegant.”

Xiang Wei: “…”

Cross-legged on the chair, Xiang Wei listened to Xu Yeyu passionately and dramatically recount the entire series of events. When she finished, Xiang Wei clicked her tongue.
“No wonder they say female students easily fall for their male professors. Anyone would catch feelings in that situation.”

“Right?” Xu Yeyu said.
“Especially when he stood behind me… and when he said he wouldn’t feel at ease until I got home safely. It gave me so much security. I know it’s just a teacher-student thing, that kind of protective concern… but I still couldn’t stop myself from imagining things.”

Xiang Wei looked at her playfully.
“But Lu Yanbai really is such a gentleman. Gentle and considerate — that kind of upbringing and character isn’t something you can fake.”

He always struck the perfect balance. His concern was sincere, never too smooth or too ambiguous. He made you feel warm, but also kept a respectful distance.

He didn’t even give her enough room to overthink.

“I’m done for,” Xu Yeyu groaned, grabbing a book and slapping it over her face.
“Xiaowei, I’ve fallen in love.”

Saying her friend’s name like that cracked her up, and she started tapping a beat on her leg, breaking into a wildly off-key version of that strange old song Xiao Wei:
“Xiao Wei ah / Do you know that I love you / I want to take you up to the sky…”

Xiang Wei clapped her hands over her ears.
“Please, spare me. What is this? Are we starring in some dramatic rural romance now?”

Xu Yeyu paused.
“No.”

“It’s me and Lu Yanbai — love.”

Xiang Wei: …?

Xu Yeyu: “You handle the rural part.”

Xiang Wei: “Let’s just end this friendship. You pick the date.”

After a perfectly normal night’s sleep, Xu Yeyu woke up the next morning to faint sunlight peeking through the curtains — and felt an odd sense of peace.

Like she’d finished something. Like something had shifted.

But if you asked her to say what, exactly, she couldn’t put her finger on it.

She left the room to wash up. As she looked at herself in the mirror, Xiang Wei passed by, now awake.
“What are you doing?”

“Do you notice anything different about me?” Xu Yeyu asked.

“Ohhh,” Xiang Wei said. “We playing ‘spot the difference’ now?”

“…”

“Hm… what’s different…” She squinted for a long time, then suddenly lit up.
“You drank too much water last night — are you swollen?”

Xu Yeyu:
“Is that really what I want to hear first thing in the morning?”

She checked her cheeks and eyes in the mirror. Nope — no puffiness at all.

Xiang Wei: “Then I don’t know. What is it?”

Xu Yeyu touched her soft, flawless cheek. “I’m not sure. Maybe I just got prettier again.”

“…”

Xiang Wei: “Can we go one day without this nonsense? My ears are bleeding.”

After chatting through brunch, Xu Yeyu pulled a pepper spray out of the drawer.

Her mom had given her a bunch of self-defense gear when she moved into the apartment with Xiang Wei — pepper sprays, stun guns, etc. She’d thought she’d never need them… but after yesterday, she figured better safe than sorry.

She tucked it into her bag and headed to L University to find Lu Yanbai.

When she arrived, he had just finished a phone call. He was leaning against the sofa, hand against his forehead, eyes closed — clearly exhausted.

She instinctively tiptoed, carefully nudging the door shut behind her.

He seemed to be working on some kind of project lately.

Always on the phone, always busy. He looked completely drained.

Despite her quiet steps, he heard her and opened his eyes. They were ringed with fatigue.

Xu Yeyu felt her heart squeeze.

When he saw her, Lu Yanbai paused for a few seconds, as if trying to remember what he needed to tell her.

She spoke lightly to start the conversation:
“Good afternoon! Have you eaten?”

He nodded, picked up his constantly pinging phone, and spoke wearily:
“About yesterday — I reported it to the school.”

“Yesterday…?” She realized he meant the street thugs. “Oh, I see. What did they say?”

“They’ll increase security patrols, install more cameras, do routine sweeps,” he said, pressing his fingers to his temple.
“In short, they’re taking your safety seriously.”

But all she could focus on was that motion — his fingers pressing against his temple. Distracted, she replied,
“Yeah… that’s good.”

“If something like that ever happens again and there’s no teacher or classmate nearby,” he said, his Adam’s apple bobbing in shadow,
“Head straight for the nearest police station.”

He dropped his hand and looked straight at her.
“Do you know where it is?”

Xu Yeyu looked at the red veins in his eyes and shook her head.

“The place where we ran into each other yesterday — take a left, go 300 meters, then turn right and go another 100…” He paused.
“Forget it. Directions are hard to explain. I’ll take you there sometime after class.”

Xu Yeyu nodded.
“Okay, next week then…”

He was too busy this week — she didn’t want to add to it.

A while later, she received a message from Lu Yanbai — a photo.

She opened it. It was a map of the area nearby.

“Be aware of your surroundings,” he said.
“Don’t walk into dead ends.”

Maybe it was because he had a younger sister — he seemed to care more about female students’ safety than most teachers.

Xu Yeyu nodded. When she saw him pushing off the armrest to get up, she quickly said,
“Where are you going?”

“It’s time,” he replied, checking his watch.
“Time for tutoring.”

“No, no—there’s no need. I already know what I need to do today. Let me finish the exercises first, and then you can check them. Just sit there and rest.”

She added quickly, trying to hide how obvious her concern was,
“Having you next to me makes me nervous. I relax better when you’re far away.”

“…”

Lu Yanbai nodded and sat back down on the sofa.
“Call me when you’re done.”

She bit her pen and nodded obediently, then resumed her work.

Toward the end, she glanced over.

He was leaning back, eyes closed, breathing evenly — asleep.

From the side, his profile was sharp: high nose bridge, lightly pursed lips.

She had never seen him like this before. Who would’ve thought that a usually cold and composed man would look so… soft when he slept?

He must really be exhausted — sleeping like that on a sofa.

She sighed.

When Lu Yanbai woke up, the office was empty.

Outside, the wind stirred the curtains. Sunlight flickered through them, tapping against the windowpane.

He checked the time — he’d only slept for half an hour. On the desk, everything was neatly organized. Only one sticky note remained.

He walked over and peeled it off.

Xu Yeyu’s handwriting was neat and lively, with some light curves — adorable overall.

“Professor, make sure you get some sleep!
I’ve already finished today’s exercises. I also checked the answers — went over the ones I got wrong, and I understand most of them now.
Only two are still unclear — we can go over those next time.
Let’s end class early today, I’m heading out!
Please get some rest when you go home — sleep is important!”

She even added a little starry-eyed emoji at the end.

Just a few short lines, but she reminded him twice to rest, as if afraid he’d ignore it.

He was a light sleeper — he could almost picture it: her quietly finishing the work, tiptoeing to retrieve the answer key, holding her breath flipping pages, and carefully closing the door as she left — just so she wouldn’t wake him.

That kind of attentive, slightly clumsy care made him want to laugh and sigh all at once.

The breeze lifted the curtain. Warm air swept in, carrying with it a subtle and boundless tenderness.

Standing there, Lu Yanbai suddenly felt a little dazed.