Lend Me Your Shoulder - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Borrowing Four Times

Lu Yanbai was silent for a moment.

Then, he pushed the Yakult forward: “Do you want to drink it?”

Xu Yeyu shook her head and declined, “I’m not drinking. I’m just asking… Do I look like someone who would steal Yakult?”

“No,” Lu Yanbai said, “Having this here would affect me handing you the papers.”

She licked her lips again and still asked, “So… the first time you saw me, were you…?”

Carefully choosing her words, Xu Yeyu said, “Were you afraid I’d rush onto the podium and grab the Yakult?”

Lu Yanbai: “…”

Not really. It’s just that when he saw her, he thought about poking the Yakult, worried something might happen and he wouldn’t be able to explain it.

It had nothing to do with her — it was just a natural conditioned reflex.

Under Xu Yeyu’s earnest gaze, Lu Yanbai shook his head, “I didn’t suspect you. If I did, I wouldn’t have left the door open and let you be alone in here.”

What happened at the convenience store wasn’t worth mentioning now; given their current relationship, there was no need to bring it up.

Xu Yeyu didn’t suspect anything. Seeing him clear his connection with the Yakult, she agreed, “Also, this office seems to have quite a few valuable things.”

Not far away, there was a coffee machine and a computer, and the antiques displayed in the bookshelf looked quite expensive.

Following her gaze, Lu Yanbai said, “Yeah, many of the professional books in the bookshelf are out of print, but the content is classic. You can’t buy them even if you pay money.”

Speaking of professional stuff… Xu Yeyu thought again of her mission here.

She looked down at the outline Lu Yanbai had prepared for her and thought that once she finished reading it, she would tell him about her own matter.

Just as she was about to finish reading the knowledge outline, Lu Yanbai’s phone rang again.

He really seemed quite busy.

He glanced at the caller ID, then looked over at Xu Yeyu, who was reading, and to avoid disturbing her, he stood up and took the call in a separate office partition.

Xu Yeyu’s ears were good; even through the thin curtain, she could hear the conversation.

The man’s voice on the other side was joking and exaggerating, then continued: “How have you been lately? Still busy… Someone asked me through a friend if your psychological clinic is still taking patients? Seems like a lot of people trust you.”

Lu Yanbai: “No time, not taking any.”

The man continued, “The prices you set are super high, really, thirty times above the market rate.”

Lu Yanbai remained calm: “You know I don’t care about those.”

“I know, I know, but others asked me, so I want to do my best. Okay, I won’t bother you anymore. I know you basically don’t take patients now. Being a psychologist is exhausting anyway, only taking friends out of goodwill is something I admire about you,” the man said, “The problem is you did so well on that last case; your reputation in treating depressed teenagers is huge now. So many people want to find you.”

“It’s exhausting,” Lu Yanbai stated calmly, “It’s just too mentally draining.”

“Alright,” the other side joked again, “I’m curious what kind of case would bring Professor Lu back to see patients.”

Lu Yanbai ignored it, flipping through a notebook: “Are you asking about youth depression? I know a doctor who’s very effective. If you want, I can send you their contact info.”

“Great, just send it to me. If it’s your recommendation, I trust it.”

After hanging up, Lu Yanbai didn’t come out immediately.

Xu Yeyu sat quietly for a while, then glanced at his bookshelf again.

He must be a very accomplished psychology professor, right?

And judging by the call, he’s not just good in theory but has treated many patients, even some phenomenal success stories.

If she told him she’s not really a student at this school, he might coldly cut off all contact with her.

But if she doesn’t say anything, learning from such a great man — even if just this short tutoring — she could gain really refined professional knowledge.

Professional knowledge was extremely important for her next book, which meant more to her than just the work itself. Xu Yeyu knew she needed professional guidance.

Looking around, in the entire L City, only Lu Yanbai could best help her.

Moreover, here was a ready-made tutoring opportunity, with the dedicated Lu Yanbai helping organize all the knowledge points for her.

She wouldn’t have to waste effort finding other teachers, scheduling lessons, and taking notes.

After weighing everything quickly, Xu Yeyu decided—not to tell him. The situation started with her, and 1012 (probably her group or code name) didn’t want to be investigated either. The tutoring was beneficial for her, so she’d let it run its course properly.

Right now, she felt the subject wasn’t too difficult to learn.

And if it really became hard later, she could always find a solution.

Many people wanted to learn from Lu Yanbai, but couldn’t. How could she waste this chance?

Besides, just being alone with him in a room, hearing his low, husky voice explaining knowledge points…

Xu Yeyu’s cheeks grew warm. No, she couldn’t think like that anymore.

“It’s not just good for me staying here,” she murmured thoughtfully, “If I can’t continue, someone else has to take over, maybe get re-examined, causing trouble for teachers and students — time-consuming and troublesome.”

As long as she didn’t clarify the misunderstanding, and things stayed as they were, it could be a win-win.

Lu Yanbai came out of the partition and saw Xu Yeyu propping her head with her hand, her eyes wandering, lost in thought.

“Finished reading?”

She startled and withdrew her distracted gaze, replying, “…Almost.”

He nodded, took the professional book from her, and was about to continue from the previous lesson when his fingers pressed the book’s spine.

“By the way, yesterday afternoon, didn’t you have something to tell me?”

Yesterday afternoon after class, Xu Yeyu was ready to come clean with him but was interrupted by a pressing phone call.

His question was so sudden she hadn’t prepared a response, so she tried to bluff: “Huh? Really?”

He reminded her: “You said you had something to tell me but didn’t get to, so you’d tell me today.”

…How did he remember so clearly?

Xu Yeyu cleared her throat and absentmindedly fiddled with her earring.

“Yesterday afternoon? I don’t quite remember.”

Lu Yanbai looked into her eyes; his dark pupils were still and deep like a planet in the storm’s eye, calm despite raging winds outside.

They locked eyes for a moment, and she immediately looked away, feeling heat creeping up from the back of her hand to her face.

This guy, why couldn’t he just talk normally? He had to stare like that? Didn’t he know how lethal his gaze was?

“I—I’ll think about it.”

Xu Yeyu pulled the book closer and carefully reread yesterday’s lesson, trying to find some point to craft a reason.

Her eyelids drooped, a faint shadow cast beneath her eyes.

Her pale fingers pressed the corner of the book so hard the nails turned slightly pale. She bit her lip slightly, looking a bit worried and self-reproachful.

While waiting for her to recall, Lu Yanbai suddenly remembered overhearing some male students discussing her when she came to audit the class:

“Our school girls have really improved in quality. They dress up so exquisitely it looks like they’re going for a photoshoot. That new girl — which department is she from? I never saw her before.”

“You said she’s a fairy, but if she hasn’t come down to earth, how can you see her?”

Snapping back to the present, he saw her still with a furrowed brow, hesitant.

Following her gaze was the lesson material and exercises from yesterday.

After thinking a while, though no excuse had been formed, she felt she had thought long enough and it was time to say something.

“Well, it’s just… yesterday’s lesson…”

Whatever, better to start and improvise later.

Her gaze stayed fixed on a particular exercise.

Lu Yanbai’s voice suddenly deepened: “I understand.”

Xu Yeyu’s heart skipped a beat: “You understand?”

How could he know before she even made something up?

He was silent for a moment, as if considering, then said: “For things like this, just tell me directly next time. I won’t hold it against you, no need to hide it.”

Xu Yeyu had been worried, but hearing this, her heart almost leapt out of her throat.

He had already noticed she was hiding something?

And he said he wouldn’t hold it against her, meaning he was giving her a way to confess?

After saying this, Lu Yanbai turned to grab something.

Xu Yeyu thought he was going for the roster to check if she was his student.

She immediately reached out and grabbed his arm through his thin shirt fabric.

“Wait!”

She felt it necessary to explain to him; not exposing the truth was better for both.

Lu Yanbai pulled a dark blue pen from the pen cup and turned to look at her, his eyes showing a flicker of surprise but quickly returning to calm.

The atmosphere froze for a second before he spoke, trying to reassure her: “It’s okay, nothing embarrassing.”

Xu Yeyu broke out in a cold sweat, fingers nervously twisting.

Lu Yanbai uncapped the pen: “It’s just that you didn’t understand yesterday’s lesson. No problem, I’ll explain it again.”

Xu Yeyu opened her mouth but no sound came out.

She was so scared she almost had a brain hemorrhage — and it turned out he was talking about something totally different!

Lu Yanbai: “Any other questions?”

She shook her head, her bangs swaying: “No, no more.”

He softly hummed in acknowledgment, the breath he exhaled almost brushing her ear.

Then he lowered his eyelids, eyes falling on his own arm.

Xu Yeyu’s five pale fingers were still tightly gripping it.