Lend Me Your Shoulder - Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Xu Yeyu slept so comfortably and shamelessly that she couldn’t stop herself for more than half an hour.
The moment she opened her eyes, she barely had time to think about where exactly she had fallen asleep; her mind was filled with a row of big, bold exclamation marks.
She fell asleep?!
She sat up with a start, scared by herself and suddenly wide awake, even a little overly excited.
“Sorry, sorry, I accidentally fell asleep. Did I hold you up for too long? Anything else that needs fixing?”
Lu Yanbai motioned toward the computer screen: “Just change these two parts marked in red, and that’s all.”
“Okay, okay.”
She nodded repeatedly and leaned forward, about to reach for the computer, but noticed she was wearing a jacket.
Lifting the khaki jacket, Xu Yeyu hesitated for a long moment before finally squeezing out broken words from her throat: “…Is this your jacket?”
He didn’t raise his tone at all: “If not, did it fall from the ceiling?”
“Why is your jacket on me?” Her tongue tangled, and even her earlobes suspiciously flushed.
She parted her lips, her lips moving, her Adam’s apple bobbing slightly as if she wanted to say something.
He said nothing, just sat there in that position, blinking his eyelids.
Xu Yeyu looked at the jacket in her hands, then back at him, and finally awkwardly said, “Did I take your jacket off while I was asleep and cover myself with it? Am I that shameless??”
“……”
Lu Yanbai felt that sometimes, facing some of her weird behaviors and thought processes, he was starting to show signs of going crazy.
After so many years in education, he thought he would never have moments that drove him nuts, but ever since she appeared, she repeatedly tipped his balance.
He sincerely sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose: “I took off my jacket when I came in.”
Xu Yeyu touched her neck: “It’s pretty bad of me to pull your jacket off and cover myself without your permission. How come I didn’t know I was being so rude while asleep?”
“……”
“Let’s get back to editing the article,” he pulled the off-topic conversation back.
Xu Yeyu glanced at the time, it was almost midnight, then focused on fixing the article.
Finally, just before midnight struck, they finished the article successfully.
Lu Yanbai sent the document and furrowed his brows as he stood up.
Xu Yeyu followed him step by step, holding the laptop and his jacket as they left the café.
His car was parked outside.
The night breeze was cool; Xu Yeyu shivered and asked, “How did you know I was here before?”
Lu Yanbai pressed the car key; as the car started, he said, “Passing by, I saw you.”
At that moment, he was driving past, and with his peripheral vision, he caught sight of her figure holding her bag behind the glass door.
Xu Yeyu asked, “What if I didn’t answer your call or you didn’t see me on the road?”
Lu Yanbai replied, “I’d go to your apartment to find you.”
Xu Yeyu understood, “So you were planning to drive to my apartment?”
He nodded.
She sulked, “If I’d known, I would have gone home earlier…”
Maybe then she could have invited Lu Yanbai to her place.
Lu Yanbai opened the car door, turning his head to look at her: “Go rest early.”
Xu Yeyu nodded obediently and got in the car.
The café was close to her apartment; soon they arrived.
Before getting out, she hugged the jacket tightly: “I’ll take your jacket home to wash it properly and return it to you. After all, it’s kind of embarrassing…”
He said, “No need.”
Xu Yeyu held it like a treasure, shaking her head vigorously: “No, I’m shy, I’d feel awkward otherwise.”
“I’ll wash it and return it next Saturday, okay?”
“……”
Unable to refuse, he nodded.
Xu Yeyu closed the car door and gave him a soft salute: “Professor, sleep early, good night!”
Back at the apartment, Xiang Wei was standing at the door with a face mask on: “Why are you so late? I thought you were having a good time with Professor Lu.”
She winked ambiguously: “But tonight was indeed a good time.”
Xiang Wei pointed at the jacket in her hand: “What’s this?”
Xu Yeyu licked her lips: “Spoils of war.”
She lay down on the bed, arranging Lu Yanbai’s jacket like a worn coat, sighing: “So this counts as having ‘slept over.’”
Xiang Wei said, “You’re amazing — no real progress, but your infatuation for him is growing daily.”
Xu Yeyu squinted contentedly: “You don’t know how charming Professor Lu’s vague profile looked in the dark tonight. Ah, I want to write a poem—”
“Lu Yanbai is really handsome.”
Xiang Wei took off her mask and scrunched her face.
“That counts as a poem?”
The next morning, Xu Yeyu played love songs through Bluetooth speakers while washing clothes in the bathroom.
Xiang Wei woke up to the sound of bubbles and scrubbing.
She wore slippers, eyes squinted: “Why are you so diligent this early?”
“Washing Professor Lu’s jacket,” Xu Yeyu said happily, “He covered me with it for a long time last night, so I want to wash it clean and return it to him.”
“……”
Xiang Wei rolled her eyes while squeezing toothpaste on her brush.
Xu Yeyu turned to look at Xiang Wei, who was brushing her teeth and scrolling her phone at the same time.
“Are you inseparable from that thing? Watching it when bathing, eating, brushing teeth… You’re the phone’s owner now.”
“I don’t want to miss any important news, okay!” Xiang Wei said with a mouthful of foam.
Xu Yeyu was scared: “Okay, okay…”
She rinsed her mouth and Xiang Wei raised her phone: “See, I just said — the class president has big news. If I didn’t have the phone, you, who’s only obsessed with love, wouldn’t have known.”
“Okay, my bad,” Xu Yeyu pouted, “What did the class president say?”
Xiang Wei smugly said, “There’s a college reunion next month. The class president asked if we could make time to attend.”
“Next month?” Xu Yeyu wrung out the clothes and rinsed again, “Why ask so early?”
“Everyone’s busy. The class president wants to see everyone since it’s been a long time, so they want to fix the schedule early to avoid people being unavailable.”
Xu Yeyu thought for a moment: “I won’t go.”
Xiang Wei looked at her: “Why not? Is it too far? It’s only about 40 minutes by high-speed train.”
“It’s not the distance,” Xu Yeyu shook her head, “That kind of lively atmosphere is fun only if you’re into it. I don’t want to drink, don’t know what I’d do there, just sitting would be awkward and counterproductive.”
“Then just drink a little,” Xiang Wei said, “A little won’t hurt, you won’t get drunk.”
“That’s not the point.”
Xu Yeyu picked up Lu Yanbai’s jacket from the water, staring at the dripping water and ripples.
After a while, she said, “I won’t drink unless it’s really necessary.”
Xiang Wei saw her tone getting serious and nodded in understanding.
“Alright, you say no drinking, I obey, obey the sacred order.”
“I’ll tell the class president we’re uncertain and might not make it.”
“Okay.”
Xu Yeyu agreed, then put the jacket in the washing machine for spin-drying.
While waiting, she said casually, “If it dries tomorrow, I’ll return the jacket and find a chance…”
Xiang Wei understood: “To ‘bother’ Professor Lu, right?”
“Can you not make it sound so crude?” Xu Yeyu disliked that, “It’s a polite visit.”
Xiang Wei wiped her face and admired her.
“Damn… cultured rogue, but a rogue writer.”
As expected, the jacket was dry the next day.
When Xiang Wei came out, she saw Xu Yeyu sitting on the sofa holding the jacket.
Xiang Wei: “What are you doing again?”
Xu Yeyu looked at the jacket, hugged it tighter: “I’m letting it absorb my scent, so it can accompany Professor Lu when I’m not around.”
“……”
After holding it a while, Xu Yeyu stood up, found a bag, folded the jacket, and packed it.
Xiang Wei: “You’re leaving now?”
Xu Yeyu: “Not yet, I’ll buy Yakult first, then head to L University.”
Leaving the apartment, Xu Yeyu went straight to a convenience store.
Finding no Yakult there, after several tries, she went to a supermarket near downtown.
Since it was near the company Xiang Wei liked, and Xiang Wei had no plans today, she thought she could shop and also check out the company.
After buying Yakult at the supermarket, Xu Yeyu was about to look for Bojia when she glanced sideways and saw a familiar figure.
She stood still for a while, taking about ten seconds to confirm who it was.
She concluded — it really was Lu Yanbai.
After fully realizing, Lu Yanbai had already entered a five-star hotel nearby.
Without much thought, Xu Yeyu followed him inside.
Following him to the third floor, after a corner, she lost sight of him.
She sighed, thinking maybe she was mistaken.
She wandered around the stairs, and on her way down suddenly bumped into a chest—
Looking up, she froze for a few seconds and then awkwardly smiled: “Hi… Professor Lu, what a coincidence.”
The Lu Yanbai who was “such a coincidence” held the door handle, hesitated: “……”
Xu Yeyu looked around nervously and hugged the bag tighter.
“Didn’t expect to run into you here…”
He replied something indistinctly, then lowered his elbow and was about to open room 310’s door.
She teased, “Since we meet here, why not invite me for a meal or something?”
Lu Yanbai furrowed his brows, turned, and lifted his eyelids to look at her.
Xu Yeyu was just joking and didn’t really expect to be invited for a meal.
Before she could say “I’m just kidding, I’ll go now,” she was interrupted.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Yanbai spoke quietly, “I should bring you along. Come in with me.”
Xu Yeyu was stunned for a few seconds: “…”
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