Chapter 15: A Blinding Crush part 4

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, she got ready to head to RanYe for work. She’d stayed up drawing until after two in the morning to meet a deadline. By the time Lin Yuran finally collapsed into bed, her desk was still a mess of scattered tools and sketches.

Shouldering her backpack, Lin Yuran began tidying her things into it. Her eyes landed on a Mr. Night figurine sitting on the desk. Without thinking, she tossed it into her bag too.

Lin Yuran had a habit of keeping one of these figurines on her desk at work. It felt like a small companion. Without it at RanYe, something just felt… off.

Once in Chi Ye’s car, Lin Yuran, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn’t stop herself from yawning twice.

“You stayed up drawing again last night, didn’t you?” Chi Ye asked.

“Yeah, just for a little while.”

“A little while? You’ve got serious dark circles.”

There it was again, that same nagging tone, like he was trying to manage her. Afraid he’d launch into another ‘sudden death’ lecture, Lin Yuran quickly deflected. “Just a bit, really. My skin’s pale, so even a little shows up easily.”

Clearly, Chi Ye didn’t buy it. He studied her for a moment and said, “If the deadline before next week is too tight, our company can give you an extension. After all, if you suddenly drop dead, not only would the collaboration fall through, we’d have to pay out compensation. And more importantly, it would hurt our reputation.”

Here we go again. Seriously?

“I’m fine. The deadline’s not tight, and I won’t suddenly drop dead. I’ve had my fortune told before, you know. The fortune teller said I’d live to a hundred. No way I’m dying that easily.”

Lin Yuran rambled nonsense, but mentally reminded herself to cover up her dark circles better in the future. After so many years of no one nagging her, suddenly having someone like this around felt… strange.

Still, Lin Yuran could feel that his concern, however blunt, was genuine.

Later that morning, Chi Ye returned from a trip outside and, passing by Lin Yuran’s desk, placed a cup of Blue Mountain coffee down for her. Then his eyes landed on the Mr. Night figurine sitting in front of her monitor. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand.

It was a figurine of a clean-cut young man in a white shirt and silver-rimmed glasses, twirling a pen in his hand while reading a book. At a glance, he looked refined. But with a closer look, there was something mischievous about him.

The way he spun the pen, the smirk tugging at his lips, the glint in his eyes behind the lenses – it all gave off a subtle arrogance and charm.

“This model’s not on the market,” Chi Ye said flatly.

How did he know?

Lin Yuran was a little surprised, but answered honestly, “Yeah, it’s a custom piece. I made it for myself. Never released it.”

Chi Ye kept holding the figurine. “Doesn’t match our company’s minimal dark aesthetic. It’s jarring. I’m confiscating it.”

“…Huh?” Lin Yuran was stunned.

What kind of weird rule was that? But the way Chi Ye said it didn’t leave room for argument.

Then Lin Yuran remembered, this was just like him. Chi Ye wasn’t just a clean freak; he was picky about color schemes and style down to the tiniest detail. From clothes to personal items, everything matched.

Even when they went to an internet café once, Chi Ye complained about the wooden desktop clashing with the overall vibe. He asked what color she preferred. Lin Yuran, thinking all the equipment there was black and wanting visual consistency, said black. The next day, the desk was replaced with a matte black one.

“Then at least give it back to me. I’ll take it home tonight,” Lin Yuran offered, compromising.

Chi Ye ignored her and took the figurine into his office.

Seriously confiscated?

“Just don’t throw it away! I put a lot of work into that!” Lin Yuran called after him.

The only response was the heavy slam of his office door.

“…!”

Inside, Chi Ye stared at the bespectacled figurine for half a minute, brow furrowed, then, with a thunk, tossed it into the trash.

Chi Ye sat back in his leather chair, unmoving for a while. Then he remembered what she’d said: “I put a lot of work into that.” With an unhappy look, he fished the figurine out of the bin and tossed it into the bottom drawer of his desk.

That entire day, Chi Ye didn’t say another word to Lin Yuran.

Lin Yuran could tell he seemed a little mad, but couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. And frankly, she didn’t care. She was the one who should be upset. Chi Ye took her stuff without asking and had the audacity to be mad?

That evening, Lin Yuran stayed a bit late. As she was getting ready to leave, Chi Ye showed up carrying a bunch of health supplements.

“Lin Yuran.”

Chi Ye lifted the gift box in his hand. “Come with me to visit your mom.”

…Wasn’t he just mad at her? And now he was acting like nothing happened?

Seeing the box of gifts already prepared, Lin Yuran felt awkward refusing. “Um… visiting is fine, but you didn’t need to bring gifts. My mom’s only able to take enteral nutrition.”

“I already bought them,” Chi Ye replied. “It’s the thought that counts.”

Lin Yuran wanted to say that they were just classmates, and even showing up was enough, no need for gifts. But she held her tongue.

Lin Yuran brought Chi Ye to Yao A-ping’s hospital room. Aunt Chen, who was inside, lit up the moment she saw him. Beaming, she asked, “Xiao Ran, is this your new boyfriend?”

Aunt Chen had had a rough life. Her daughter and husband were both killed in a car crash. Her elderly mother, worried about her being alone and unemployed, had brought her to the city to help care for Lin Yuran’s mom. She’d stayed all these years, and become like family. In her heart, she saw Lin Yuran as her own daughter.

Now, seeing the handsome and refined Chi Ye, her eyes sparkled like she was looking at her future son-in-law.

Before Lin Yuran could deny it, Chi Ye caught the key phrase in Aunt Chen’s question and repeated it slowly, “New boyfriend?”

Chi Ye turned to Lin Yuran. “So you’ve had a few over the years, huh?”

How did he even get that interpretation? Lin Yuran was amazed at how his brain worked.

Lin Yuran didn’t feel like answering seriously. “Of course. Isn’t it normal to date around a bit? With a face like mine, it’d be a waste not to be the queen of the sea.”

Chi Ye’s lips tightened into a line. His eyes studied her, thoughtful.

Aunt Chen gave her a light smack on the arm and laughed at Chi Ye. “Don’t listen to her nonsense. I misspoke. She hasn’t dated anyone. These past few years, I’ve only seen her bring one boy around, and that’s you.”

Worried Aunt Chen might misunderstand further, Lin Yuran quickly explained, “Auntie, he’s not my boyfriend. We’re just classmates.”

“Classmates?” Aunt Chen looked a little disappointed. “Well, classmate, do you have a girlfriend? If not, consider our Xiao Ran. She’s pretty, smart, hardworking, and makes her own money. She’s a real catch…”

Lin Yuran’s ears turned warm at her words. She quickly stopped her, “Aunt Chen, enough, I don’t have time for dating right now.”

Aunt Chen pouted. “Can’t I just ask your classmate?”

Chi Ye looked at Lin Yuran, then replied to Aunt Chen, “No girlfriend. But it’s not just up to me, is it?”

Before Lin Yuran could make sense of that, the air was suddenly filled with a terrible stench.