He looked at the scene before him, but Yan Huaian was suddenly at a loss for words.
His mouth was dry, so he gulped hard, but he still could not move his gaze away from Yu Zi.
Yu Zi was wearing a large white T-shirt that did not cover anything at all right now.
She was a decent sleeper, but because she turned around when she was sleeping, the collar of her T-shirt had fallen askew, revealing one of her shoulders. The collar fell quite low, even revealing the softer parts of her body. Since it was thin and translucent, the white T-shirt could not hide that hint of cherry pink. Yan Huaian walked toward the couch like a man possessed, crouching down to look at Yu Zi. His gaze traveled from her face and moved downward, staring ever more intently.
Before he knew it, he was bending down…
By the time he regained his senses, he realized that he was barely inches away from her. The tip of his nose almost touched her, and a faint fragrance was wafting from her skin.
Yan Huaian hurriedly put some distance between them, his face turning completely red. All this time, Yu Zi was the one who blushed whenever he flirted with her.
Unfortunately, Yu Zi could not see him now. Yan Huaian’s face was beet red, like a shy girl. Besides, he was naturally fair, so the redness of his face could not be any more obvious.
Although he was reluctant to look away, he was also afraid that Yu Zi would wake up. If that happened, it would not matter what he said. Yu Zi would never look at him again, and his reputation will be in tatters.
Yan Huaian took a deep breath, got up, and left, turning around for a glance after every three steps. He did not forget to draw the curtains to a close, too.
After he went home, he returned with a cup of coffee, standing outside and knocking on her door.
After a few raps, Yu Zi finally woke up slightly, and she instinctively called out, “Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Yan Huaian,” Yan Huaian shouted from outside the door. The large glass door was thick and had two layers, so it was quite soundproof as well.
Yu Zi woke up completely the moment she heard it was him, and she also remembered that their balconies were connected now.
Looking down, she saw what she was wearing now, and she hurriedly crawled out of the sofa, terrified that Yan Huaian would just walk in. Running to the door, she grabbed the curtain to cover herself before finally opening the glass door a sliver.
“I’ll go change real quick. Just… just hold on a sec,” Yu Zi said, hastily running back to her room.
She had no time to choose what to wear today, so she just grabbed a simple white shirt from her closet and put it on. After that, she picked out a pair of plain-colored trousers.
Since there was not much time for her to match her clothes properly, she resorted to a white shirt. It was easy to match, and no matter what she wore it with, it would not go wrong.
Yu Zi may have woken up late, and she may not even be bothered to have a proper breakfast, but she was still a woman, which meant that she naturally loved to look pretty. She would rather use all her time spent preparing breakfast to pick her clothes, and she always ensured that she was neat and good-looking before she went out.
Although the balcony door was not closed, Yan Huaian did not push the door open and enter. Instead, he waited obediently outside.
That improved Yu Zi’s impression of Yan Huaian, making her think he really was a proper gentleman.
“A proper gentleman.” Mr. Yan Huaian was indeed standing straight outside the door right now, looking tidy and refreshing.
She had opened the door a sliver earlier, and Yu Zi did not close it when she left. Now she was back, and the crack in the door was exactly the same size.
Yu Zi hurriedly pulled the curtain aside and opened the door, letting Yan Huaian in.
Yan Huaian explained, “I thought that it was almost time, but you hadn’t come over yet. I know you were up late working at home last night, and I was worried that you’d be so tired that you’d oversleep, so I came to call you. To think that you really were still asleep.”
Yu Zi was embarrassed, but then she smelled the thick fragrance of the coffee. She had not even drunk it yet, but the smell was enough to wake her up slightly.
There were obvious black bags under her eyes, so Yan Huaian knew that she had really stayed up quite late. He handed her the coffee, saying, “Have some coffee to clear your mind for now. I know it’s not good to have coffee on an empty stomach, but once or twice occasionally should be fine. Just don’t keep doing it. Go clean yourself up after you finish the coffee, and then come over for food.”
Yu Zi was speechless for a bit. Yan Huaian was being so considerate now that only her mother Yan Hejing was a match for him.
Yu Gesheng was a famous advocate and busy with work. He cared for her and her brother, but his work meant that he could never be as careful and attentive with her as Yan Huaian was being now.
Like most fathers, Yu Gesheng was the central figure of the family, holding up the entire family. He gave his wife and children a high standard of living, and he worked hard to make their lives even better.
Usually, he was not good at expressing his feelings and concern. All he knew was to silently contribute to the family. Whenever there was something they needed, he would pay for it, but it was true that he was never as detailed and attentive as Yan Huaian was. After all, he was the parent of the household, so he was used to being strict.
At the same time, even though Yu Han was good to his sister, even though her older brother was nearly perfect, his only flaw was that he was not attentive enough. He was extremely attentive when it came to work, finding every detail of a case, even one as fine as a strand of hair. His detailed nature did not extend to his private life, though, so he did not consider many things, and he would never be able to be as attentive as Yan Huaian.
Yuan Hejing was a mother seemed to naturally pour her heart into raising her kids after she became their mother. However, Yuan Hejing was also working, and she had a high-ranking post too, so she was also quite busy with work. Since they had a domestic worker at home, it seemed that even she was not as detailed and considerate as Yan Huaian.
As for Yue Jingchen…
For some reason, she thought of Yue Jingchen, and she even compared him to Yan Huaian.
Perhaps it was because of his age. Yue Jingchen was about her age, which made him much younger than Yan Huaian.
Men tended to mature much slower than women did, after all, so when he was with her, Yue Jingchen was just like an overgrown boy. He may have a good temper, but he had no eye for the details.
For example, whenever her period came, her first day would always be very painful. If she did not take painkillers, she would not even be able to get out of bed. She would feel cold from her lower abdomen all the way to her feet, even in summer, and the base of her legs would be both painful and cold, resulting in her breaking into a cold sweat all over.
Even if she ate the painkiller, it would only reduce the pain and not eliminate it completely. Nevertheless, it allowed her to go to work because it was not as though she hurt so much she could not walk. Still, her whole body would feel cold, and her stomach would hurt so badly that she would not want to walk any more than necessary.
When that happened, Yue Jingchen would only ever have one multipurpose thing to say: drink more water.
If she had a cold, drink more water.
If she had a period, he would add a word and ask her to drink hot water.
Every time that happened, Yu Zi would be exasperated. If drinking hot water worked, Yu Zi would never have to suffer the pain again.
Yue Jingchen was a doctor, so he disapproved of her eating painkillers. She did not want to eat them either, but if she did not, she would not even be able to get out of bed.
He did not suffer that pain, so he did not understand her agony. It felt like almost like he was being sarcastic, and that made her feel very helpless. On the other hand, though, he was still watching out for her in another way, so Yu Zi could not even get angry at or argue with him about it.
At the end of the day, Yan Huaian was much older than them and much more mature to boot. That was why he considered more things too.
Now she wondered what Yan Huaian would do under those circumstances.
As soon as that thought came to mind, Yu Zi felt a sudden shock.
Why was she randomly comparing Yan Huaian to Yue Jingchen? She should never let Yan Huaian know about something as private as her period!
Yan Huaian noticed that Yu Zi’s expression had turned a little strange, but he had no idea what she was thinking.
The girl seemed to have something on her mind all the time, her thoughts running all over the place. As a result, her expression was always changing too, and he found that extremely interesting.
Yan Huaian smiled but did not ask, pointing at the coffee that Yu Zi had just accepted. “I’ll go make breakfast first, come over once you finish your coffee.”
With that, he left the balcony.
It really was very convenient.
Right now, however, Yu Zi did not feel awkward at all, as though it was pretty nice to have things so convenient for them.
It was not like they were living together, but it did feel like they were living in the same complex, so they could watch out for each other.
After all, she was living alone outside, so there were still loads of inconveniences for her.
If anything malfunctioned at home, she had to call someone over to fix it. Yue Jingchen was busy, so he often could not find the time to come over.
Since she was alone at home, she did not dare to call the maintenance workers over randomly either. If anything went wrong, she would rather be safe than sorry. That was why she usually waited until Yu Han or Yue Jingchen had the time, or sometimes she would simply call Yuan Hejing to stay with her before she dared to call maintenance over.
Now she had Yan Huaian staying next to her, though. The two of them were quite close to each other, and he could come in if he just pushed past the balcony door. That made her feel much more secure. If anything else malfunctioned in the future, she did not have to call anyone over. She could just push the balcony door, and she could easily call Yan Huaian over from his house.
Immediately after that, Yu Zi smiled again.
She remembered that Yan Huaian was the mighty president of Yan Hui, and everyone in the company did not even dare to breathe loudly in his presence. Now, however, she was ordering him around as she pleased. He woke her up in the morning and even made her breakfast, with no trace of his ego at all.
After merely two short days, she had somehow become so easygoing with him.
Yu Zi was quite stunned by this, and she had no idea how Yan Huaian managed it. She was not an easy person to get along with, but Yan Huaian had somehow grown closer to her without her noticing. He even made her put down all her defenses at a speed that she could barely believe now that she calmed down and thought about it.
The even more unbelievable part was that she had somehow become friends with Yan Huaian.
Before this, she only interacted with Yan Huaian over work. She may act casual around Yan Huaian, but in truth, she feared and respected him too. He carried himself with a stern dignity that inevitably made others nervous.
It was only when they interacted in private that she realized how warm and gentle he was. In private, she did not feel any pressure from him at all.
If she told anyone else about this, they probably would not believe her.
A subconscious smile played on her lips, and she lowered her head, taking in the refreshing fragrance of the coffee. Holding the cup, she took a sip.
The coffee was thick, aromatic, and smooth. The morning was slightly cold, and she had not put on a blanket while she slept, so her hands and feet were somewhat cold.
When the slightly scalding coffee flowed into her stomach, her whole body seemed to grow warm.
She temporarily put the coffee down, going to brush her teeth and wash her face. After that, she drank the tea as she did her skincare routine. By the time she put on all her make-up, she had finished drinking all the coffee.
After that, she picked up the coffee cup, grabbed her bag, and walked out via the balcony.
As she locked the balcony door, even Yu Zi found this vaguely funny.
In the past, she would lock the anti-theft hate outside the door, but now, she was locking the balcony door.
Yan Huaian had already prepared the sandwiches at home. Instead of using the usual sliced bread, he used a baguette. He baked it with some olive oil, adding pickled cucumbers, olives, lettuce, a baked sausage, fried bacon, and minced tuna in the middle.
He remembered that Yu Zi had once mentioned she liked to eat hot food for breakfast, so he paid special attention to make sure that the sandwich was warm to bite into and the perfect temperature to eat.
Yu Zi thought it was rude for her not to do anything, so she wanted to help, but Yan Huaian said with a laugh, “When we eat dinner at your place, you don’t let me help. Breakfast is even simpler, and I’ve already prepared everything. Just sit at the dining table and wait.”
Yan Huaian brought out the sandwiches and mixed salad.
After that, he served a cup of coffee and another cup of hot chocolate.
“I already gave you a cup of coffee earlier, and drinking too much coffee isn’t good for your health. I know you don’t like milk, so how about some hot chocolate?” Yan Huaian asked.
Yu Zi really liked the taste of cocoa, so she nodded profusely and accepted the cup, immediately taking a sip to warm herself up.
She already thought that Yan Huaian was considerate before, and that impression had only intensified further.
If it was Yue Jingchen, he never would have thought of all this. She was usually the one caring and thinking for him.
The worst thing someone could suffer was to be compared. Once someone was compared, all of their flaws would come to the surface.
Those who could not compare would fall further into the background. On the other hand, those who did well would seem even more perfect than before.
Yan Huaian watched Yu Zi take a large bite of the sandwich, putting on no airs of modesty in front of him at all. It left Yan Huaian feeling quite complicated for a bit.
He liked the way she did not pretend. Other women only took small bites of their food in front of him, so even after they had been eating for a long time, they still hardly made a dent in their food. They would even wipe their mouths after every few bites and try to avoid removing too much lipstick. All of that made him lose his appetite.
He looked at the scene before him, but Yan Huaian was suddenly at a loss for words.
His mouth was dry, so he gulped hard, but he still could not move his gaze away from Yu Zi.
Yu Zi was wearing a large white T-shirt that did not cover anything at all right now.
She was a decent sleeper, but because she turned around when she was sleeping, the collar of her T-shirt had fallen askew, revealing one of her shoulders. The collar fell quite low, even revealing the softer parts of her body. Since it was thin and translucent, the white T-shirt could not hide that hint of cherry pink. Yan Huaian walked toward the couch like a man possessed, crouching down to look at Yu Zi. His gaze traveled from her face and moved downward, staring ever more intently.
Before he knew it, he was bending down…
By the time he regained his senses, he realized that he was barely inches away from her. The tip of his nose almost touched her, and a faint fragrance was wafting from her skin.
Yan Huaian hurriedly put some distance between them, his face turning completely red. All this time, Yu Zi was the one who blushed whenever he flirted with her.
Unfortunately, Yu Zi could not see him now. Yan Huaian’s face was beet red, like a shy girl. Besides, he was naturally fair, so the redness of his face could not be any more obvious.
Although he was reluctant to look away, he was also afraid that Yu Zi would wake up. If that happened, it would not matter what he said. Yu Zi would never look at him again, and his reputation will be in tatters.
Yan Huaian took a deep breath, got up, and left, turning around for a glance after every three steps. He did not forget to draw the curtains to a close, too.
After he went home, he returned with a cup of coffee, standing outside and knocking on her door.
After a few raps, Yu Zi finally woke up slightly, and she instinctively called out, “Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Yan Huaian,” Yan Huaian shouted from outside the door. The large glass door was thick and had two layers, so it was quite soundproof as well.
Yu Zi woke up completely the moment she heard it was him, and she also remembered that their balconies were connected now.
Looking down, she saw what she was wearing now, and she hurriedly crawled out of the sofa, terrified that Yan Huaian would just walk in. Running to the door, she grabbed the curtain to cover herself before finally opening the glass door a sliver.
“I’ll go change real quick. Just… just hold on a sec,” Yu Zi said, hastily running back to her room.
She had no time to choose what to wear today, so she just grabbed a simple white shirt from her closet and put it on. After that, she picked out a pair of plain-colored trousers.
Since there was not much time for her to match her clothes properly, she resorted to a white shirt. It was easy to match, and no matter what she wore it with, it would not go wrong.
Yu Zi may have woken up late, and she may not even be bothered to have a proper breakfast, but she was still a woman, which meant that she naturally loved to look pretty. She would rather use all her time spent preparing breakfast to pick her clothes, and she always ensured that she was neat and good-looking before she went out.
Although the balcony door was not closed, Yan Huaian did not push the door open and enter. Instead, he waited obediently outside.
That improved Yu Zi’s impression of Yan Huaian, making her think he really was a proper gentleman.
“A proper gentleman.” Mr. Yan Huaian was indeed standing straight outside the door right now, looking tidy and refreshing.
She had opened the door a sliver earlier, and Yu Zi did not close it when she left. Now she was back, and the crack in the door was exactly the same size.
Yu Zi hurriedly pulled the curtain aside and opened the door, letting Yan Huaian in.
Yan Huaian explained, “I thought that it was almost time, but you hadn’t come over yet. I know you were up late working at home last night, and I was worried that you’d be so tired that you’d oversleep, so I came to call you. To think that you really were still asleep.”
Yu Zi was embarrassed, but then she smelled the thick fragrance of the coffee. She had not even drunk it yet, but the smell was enough to wake her up slightly.
There were obvious black bags under her eyes, so Yan Huaian knew that she had really stayed up quite late. He handed her the coffee, saying, “Have some coffee to clear your mind for now. I know it’s not good to have coffee on an empty stomach, but once or twice occasionally should be fine. Just don’t keep doing it. Go clean yourself up after you finish the coffee, and then come over for food.”
Yu Zi was speechless for a bit. Yan Huaian was being so considerate now that only her mother Yan Hejing was a match for him.
Yu Gesheng was a famous advocate and busy with work. He cared for her and her brother, but his work meant that he could never be as careful and attentive with her as Yan Huaian was being now.
Like most fathers, Yu Gesheng was the central figure of the family, holding up the entire family. He gave his wife and children a high standard of living, and he worked hard to make their lives even better.
Usually, he was not good at expressing his feelings and concern. All he knew was to silently contribute to the family. Whenever there was something they needed, he would pay for it, but it was true that he was never as detailed and attentive as Yan Huaian was. After all, he was the parent of the household, so he was used to being strict.
At the same time, even though Yu Han was good to his sister, even though her older brother was nearly perfect, his only flaw was that he was not attentive enough. He was extremely attentive when it came to work, finding every detail of a case, even one as fine as a strand of hair. His detailed nature did not extend to his private life, though, so he did not consider many things, and he would never be able to be as attentive as Yan Huaian.
Yuan Hejing was a mother seemed to naturally pour her heart into raising her kids after she became their mother. However, Yuan Hejing was also working, and she had a high-ranking post too, so she was also quite busy with work. Since they had a domestic worker at home, it seemed that even she was not as detailed and considerate as Yan Huaian.
As for Yue Jingchen…
For some reason, she thought of Yue Jingchen, and she even compared him to Yan Huaian.
Perhaps it was because of his age. Yue Jingchen was about her age, which made him much younger than Yan Huaian.
Men tended to mature much slower than women did, after all, so when he was with her, Yue Jingchen was just like an overgrown boy. He may have a good temper, but he had no eye for the details.
For example, whenever her period came, her first day would always be very painful. If she did not take painkillers, she would not even be able to get out of bed. She would feel cold from her lower abdomen all the way to her feet, even in summer, and the base of her legs would be both painful and cold, resulting in her breaking into a cold sweat all over.
Even if she ate the painkiller, it would only reduce the pain and not eliminate it completely. Nevertheless, it allowed her to go to work because it was not as though she hurt so much she could not walk. Still, her whole body would feel cold, and her stomach would hurt so badly that she would not want to walk any more than necessary.
When that happened, Yue Jingchen would only ever have one multipurpose thing to say: drink more water.
If she had a cold, drink more water.
If she had a period, he would add a word and ask her to drink hot water.
Every time that happened, Yu Zi would be exasperated. If drinking hot water worked, Yu Zi would never have to suffer the pain again.
Yue Jingchen was a doctor, so he disapproved of her eating painkillers. She did not want to eat them either, but if she did not, she would not even be able to get out of bed.
He did not suffer that pain, so he did not understand her agony. It felt like almost like he was being sarcastic, and that made her feel very helpless. On the other hand, though, he was still watching out for her in another way, so Yu Zi could not even get angry at or argue with him about it.
At the end of the day, Yan Huaian was much older than them and much more mature to boot. That was why he considered more things too.
Now she wondered what Yan Huaian would do under those circumstances.
As soon as that thought came to mind, Yu Zi felt a sudden shock.
Why was she randomly comparing Yan Huaian to Yue Jingchen? She should never let Yan Huaian know about something as private as her period!
Yan Huaian noticed that Yu Zi’s expression had turned a little strange, but he had no idea what she was thinking.
The girl seemed to have something on her mind all the time, her thoughts running all over the place. As a result, her expression was always changing too, and he found that extremely interesting.
Yan Huaian smiled but did not ask, pointing at the coffee that Yu Zi had just accepted. “I’ll go make breakfast first, come over once you finish your coffee.”
With that, he left the balcony.
It really was very convenient.
Right now, however, Yu Zi did not feel awkward at all, as though it was pretty nice to have things so convenient for them.
It was not like they were living together, but it did feel like they were living in the same complex, so they could watch out for each other.
After all, she was living alone outside, so there were still loads of inconveniences for her.
If anything malfunctioned at home, she had to call someone over to fix it. Yue Jingchen was busy, so he often could not find the time to come over.
Since she was alone at home, she did not dare to call the maintenance workers over randomly either. If anything went wrong, she would rather be safe than sorry. That was why she usually waited until Yu Han or Yue Jingchen had the time, or sometimes she would simply call Yuan Hejing to stay with her before she dared to call maintenance over.
Now she had Yan Huaian staying next to her, though. The two of them were quite close to each other, and he could come in if he just pushed past the balcony door. That made her feel much more secure. If anything else malfunctioned in the future, she did not have to call anyone over. She could just push the balcony door, and she could easily call Yan Huaian over from his house.
Immediately after that, Yu Zi smiled again.
She remembered that Yan Huaian was the mighty president of Yan Hui, and everyone in the company did not even dare to breathe loudly in his presence. Now, however, she was ordering him around as she pleased. He woke her up in the morning and even made her breakfast, with no trace of his ego at all.
After merely two short days, she had somehow become so easygoing with him.
Yu Zi was quite stunned by this, and she had no idea how Yan Huaian managed it. She was not an easy person to get along with, but Yan Huaian had somehow grown closer to her without her noticing. He even made her put down all her defenses at a speed that she could barely believe now that she calmed down and thought about it.
The even more unbelievable part was that she had somehow become friends with Yan Huaian.
Before this, she only interacted with Yan Huaian over work. She may act casual around Yan Huaian, but in truth, she feared and respected him too. He carried himself with a stern dignity that inevitably made others nervous.
It was only when they interacted in private that she realized how warm and gentle he was. In private, she did not feel any pressure from him at all.
If she told anyone else about this, they probably would not believe her.
A subconscious smile played on her lips, and she lowered her head, taking in the refreshing fragrance of the coffee. Holding the cup, she took a sip.
The coffee was thick, aromatic, and smooth. The morning was slightly cold, and she had not put on a blanket while she slept, so her hands and feet were somewhat cold.
When the slightly scalding coffee flowed into her stomach, her whole body seemed to grow warm.
She temporarily put the coffee down, going to brush her teeth and wash her face. After that, she drank the tea as she did her skincare routine. By the time she put on all her make-up, she had finished drinking all the coffee.
After that, she picked up the coffee cup, grabbed her bag, and walked out via the balcony.
As she locked the balcony door, even Yu Zi found this vaguely funny.
In the past, she would lock the anti-theft hate outside the door, but now, she was locking the balcony door.
Yan Huaian had already prepared the sandwiches at home. Instead of using the usual sliced bread, he used a baguette. He baked it with some olive oil, adding pickled cucumbers, olives, lettuce, a baked sausage, fried bacon, and minced tuna in the middle.
He remembered that Yu Zi had once mentioned she liked to eat hot food for breakfast, so he paid special attention to make sure that the sandwich was warm to bite into and the perfect temperature to eat.
Yu Zi thought it was rude for her not to do anything, so she wanted to help, but Yan Huaian said with a laugh, “When we eat dinner at your place, you don’t let me help. Breakfast is even simpler, and I’ve already prepared everything. Just sit at the dining table and wait.”
Yan Huaian brought out the sandwiches and mixed salad.
After that, he served a cup of coffee and another cup of hot chocolate.
“I already gave you a cup of coffee earlier, and drinking too much coffee isn’t good for your health. I know you don’t like milk, so how about some hot chocolate?” Yan Huaian asked.
Yu Zi really liked the taste of cocoa, so she nodded profusely and accepted the cup, immediately taking a sip to warm herself up.
She already thought that Yan Huaian was considerate before, and that impression had only intensified further.
If it was Yue Jingchen, he never would have thought of all this. She was usually the one caring and thinking for him.
The worst thing someone could suffer was to be compared. Once someone was compared, all of their flaws would come to the surface.
Those who could not compare would fall further into the background. On the other hand, those who did well would seem even more perfect than before.
Yan Huaian watched Yu Zi take a large bite of the sandwich, putting on no airs of modesty in front of him at all. It left Yan Huaian feeling quite complicated for a bit.
He liked the way she did not pretend. Other women only took small bites of their food in front of him, so even after they had been eating for a long time, they still hardly made a dent in their food. They would even wipe their mouths after every few bites and try to avoid removing too much lipstick. All of that made him lose his appetite.
