Burn Out - Chapter 60

At 5:30 in the afternoon.

Ji Ting was about to order food when three chefs from the private kitchen arrived upstairs. They brought the food inside and handed Ji Ting a receipt for her signature. Seeing the familiar number on the receipt, Ji Ting glanced at the food, which wasn’t just for one person.

The chef smiled and said, “Mr. Tan said to invite your staff to eat with you.”

Xiao Wan and Zhang Yang gathered around. Xiao Wan blinked, and Zhang Yang clicked his tongue twice.

Ji Ting paused for a moment with the pen before signing the receipt.

The chef took the receipt and left with his team.

Ji Ting looked up.

Xiao Wan cheerfully carried the food away, and Zhang Yang opened the chopsticks and handed them to Ji Ting. She walked over to join them. Although the meal was enough for three or four people, it was clear that some dishes were specifically ordered for Ji Ting, such as a separate portion of stewed soup, beautifully packaged and cut fruit salad, eel rice, and blanched vegetables.

Xiao Wan and Zhang Yang’s dishes looked like they were just enough to fill them up, but even a dish of steamed eggs from this private kitchen wasn’t cheap.

Usually, they wouldn’t dare order such expensive dishes.

Xiao Wan picked up her chopsticks and happily imagined, “Sister Ting, does this mean we’ll have big meals every day in the future?”

Ji Ting was replying to a customer’s message and glanced at Xiao Wan. “Just eat your food.”

Xiao Wan chuckled.

She exchanged glances with Zhang Yang, who was also smiling.

After dinner.

There were quite a few customers in the store, with the shelves fully occupied. Today, there were more customers than usual. Ji Ting was busy behind the counter, wearing a loose off-shoulder sweater and jeans, looking so beautiful. The customers were mostly office workers from nearby, coming to see what the fuss was about.

Given Ji Ting’s appearance, it was very normal for someone to spend a lot of money to pursue her.

Xiao Wan was washing cups and said, “Sister Ting, it seems like they’re here to see you.”

Ji Ting glanced at the customers, who all greeted her. She smiled and then shifted her focus back to Xiao Wan, signaling her to concentrate on her work. Tonight, they will be closing the store later than usual.

Around 10:30 PM.

As Ji Ting left, she looked at the bouquet of 999 roses. The window was open, and the wind had blown the ribbons away. Before finishing her shift, Xiao Wan had sprayed a bit of water on the roses.

The flowers stood there quietly, blooming, vibrant, and beautiful.

Ji Ting left the break room and locked the store door.

She then went upstairs to her apartment. Since her college days, she had received many flowers from admirers, but it was indeed her first time receiving the legendary 999 roses.

And these flowers were from Tan Yucheng.

After taking a shower, it was already 11:30 PM. Ji Ting dried her hair and went to bed. She was a bit tired and fell asleep quickly, but her dreams were unsettled. She dreamt of relentless rain, staring at the gray sky and the continuous downpour from the windowsill. Ji Ting woke up in a daze, staring at the ceiling, and the room was quiet.

The anxious feeling from her dream lingered into reality. She turned over, hugged her soft pillow, and looked at her phone on the side. She picked it up.

Without checking the time, she dialed Tan Yucheng’s number.

Beep beep beep.

In the dead of night, even the slightest sound seemed amplified.

Two seconds later, the call was answered.

Tan Yucheng was still at the office, where the lights were brightly lit. He let go of the keyboard, his voice sounding lazy and low. “Hmm? Still not asleep?”

Ji Ting heard the typing sounds on the other end. She paused for a few seconds before replying, “I slept for a bit but woke up. You’re still at the office?”

“Yeah, there’s a project that needs revisions tonight.” He held the phone with one hand while the other was busy with open files. Outside the blinds, many people were still working late, all with neck pillows around their necks, fingers flying over their keyboards, with the dim glow of screens casting light.

Ji Ting responded with an “oh.”

In the late night, one could sense the fatigue in his voice. From the end of the year to the beginning of the new one, with Fu Yan not at the office, everything fell on him, making overtime a regular occurrence. Ji Ting thought idly about this but also about her own concerns. She softly asked, “When did you start liking me?”

Tan Yucheng fell silent for a moment before answering, “The exact time is uncertain.”

“It might have been during university, at every gathering, or it might have been in the past two years.”

Ji Ting lay on her pillow, silent. Her voice was still very soft, but her heart felt uplifted. “You don’t even have a clear time?”

Tan Yucheng set down his pen and responded lazily, “If you count the feelings of affection, then it started from many points.”

“Points?”

Ji Ting’s voice was puzzled.

“When you wore my clothes.”

Ji Ting’s heart skipped a beat.

Tan Yucheng leaned back, thinking, and said, “During the New Year’s Eve of our junior year, when you turned around and asked me if I had slept, I saw you with my eyes open.”

Ji Ting’s heart raced.

“And when you left Lu Hai and threw yourself into my arms.”

Ji Ting felt a tingling sensation spread through her fingers from Tan Yucheng’s words. She buried half her face in the pillow, tightly gripping her phone. Tan Yucheng unbuttoned a couple of buttons on his collar, which had been tight all day due to his busy schedule. He loosened them and said, “I have countless affection feelings, but because we were friends, I never gave it much thought. It all culminates in today’s liking.”

After unbuttoning, Tan Yucheng rested his hand on the armrest. “Is this answer satisfactory?”

In that moment, Ji Ting felt a bit of reality sink in.

She remained silent.

Tan Yucheng asked, “Hmm?”

Ji Ting paused and said, “Somewhat satisfactory.”

“Even if you’re satisfied, please reflect on your feelings for me,” Tan Yucheng hoped she would find some points of affection for him from their past interactions. Ji Ting buried her face in the pillow, her lips curving into a slight smile.

She thought to herself, ‘What do you know?’

But she replied, “Hmm.”

“What would you like to eat tomorrow morning?” Tan Yucheng, relieved by her soft response, asked lazily.

Ji Ting immediately replied, “No need to order. Xiao Zhou said she would make something and bring it over.”

Tan Yucheng raised an eyebrow, “Is her cooking edible?”

Ji Ting: “…..”

“She’s actually quite good at it.”

Ji Ting finished speaking and said, “Alright, I need to sleep. You finish up your work early and rest.”

“Hmm.”

Tan Yucheng responded, “Goodnight.”

Ji Ting replied, “Goodnight.”

As the call ended, she heard Chen Fei’s voice calling Tan Yucheng in the background. Ji Ting glanced at her phone. It was 12:30AM, and Tan Yucheng was still at the office.

She hadn’t slept long herself. She put her phone down, maintaining her prone position, and felt somewhat reassured. What they had to show for their relationship was probably their years of interaction and their families’ connections.

If this had developed from their relationship, she felt some confidence.

Thinking of this, Ji Ting buried her face in the pillow with a hint of helplessness. She felt a bit disoriented, like someone who had walked in the darkness for too long and was trying to adjust to the daylight, with a touch of anxiety.

She lay there and lost in thought.

Gradually falling into a deep sleep in the soft bedding, Ji Ting slept soundly until dawn.

She pushed open the window to find the sky was still dim; the weather had been bad since returning from the New Year, often feeling like rain was imminent.

Ji Ting gathered the clothes she had hung up to dry last night, changed her clothes, and went downstairs. As she opened the shop door, Xiao Zhou greeted her with a bright smile, winking mischievously at Ji Ting.

“Good morning, Sister Ting. The roses are really beautiful,” she teased on purpose.

Ji Ting shook her head in amusement, glanced at her, and walked forward. Xiao Zhou had made pancakes and homemade soy milk, serving a portion to Ji Ting, who smiled and said, “Thank you.”

The three of them sat on the sofa to eat. Xiao Zhou sat next to Ji Ting, glancing at her. Ji Ting, who hadn’t applied makeup today, looked good nonetheless, with naturally great skin.

Xiao Zhou thought to herself, Tan Yucheng must have good taste; he finally recognized how great Sister Ting is.

“Oh, it’s raining today.”

Zhang Yang, eating while peeking outside, saw the light, steady rain.

Xiao Zhou said, “It’s probably going to rain for a while. The delivery guys will have a hard time.”

Ji Ting looked at the weather outside. The entire central area was covered in a grayish haze. Because Sunset Cafe was right across from the sky bridge, with vines climbing on the railing, the nearby buildings were enveloped in the rain, and some had their lights on.

At noon, a seafood noodle restaurant nearby delivered a meal for three, ordered by Tan Yucheng. Xiao Zhou happily carried the takeout over and looked at Ji Ting with a grin.

Ji Ting checked the phone number and signed for the order.

Zhang Yang laughed, “We really don’t need to order food ourselves lately. Sister Ting, don’t agree with Tan Yucheng too quickly. Let us enjoy some free meals.”

Xiao Zhou nodded in agreement.

Ji Ting shot them a look, saying, “Have some shame.”

Zhang Yang laughed heartily.

After finishing up, Ji Ting went to join Xiao Zhou and Zhang Yang for lunch. Since it was raining, dine-in was usually slow, and most people preferred takeout due to work.

Ji Ting placed the dinner order first.

She sent a message with the black profile picture, informing him that she was already eating.

Tan Yucheng responded with: “Well done.”

Ji Ting sent him a tongue-out emoji in reply.

Soon, there was no reply from his end, probably because he was busy. Dinner at the shop was served early, just after five, but the sky was already dark enough to press down on the ground, with occasional flashes in the distance.

Ji Ting, fearing thunder, was a bit tense.

Fortunately, the thunder didn’t arrive. By eight in the evening, Ji Ting decided to close the shop early and returned to her apartment. She took a shower, changed into pajamas, and wrapped herself in the comforter.

Afraid of the thunder, she felt safer under the blanket, using her phone and listening to music. Outside, the rain pattered continuously, dripping on the window, and water droplets slid down the glass walls.

Neon lights flickered below.

Cars merged into the rain, and the entire city was shrouded in darkness.

A black SUV drove out of the Yanchun Building and headed towards the residential area. With black headphones in his ears, Tan Yucheng drove through the rainy night while discussing matters with someone. Having returned home late last night, he was trying to get some work done earlier tonight. The black SUV entered the underground parking garage.

He carried his laptop upstairs, still wearing the headphones, while the person on the other end continued discussing his needs.

Once inside his home, he hung up the phone, took off the headphones, put the laptop away, grabbed his pajamas, and went into the bathroom to take a shower. After drying his hair and opening the bathroom door, a loud rumble and a flash of light appeared outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows. He glanced out at the view.

Thinking of Ji Ting’s face, he draped the towel over the armrest, grabbed his coat, took the car keys from the table, and stepped out with a bang.

The rain accompanied by thunder crashed loudly, causing Ji Ting’s tablet to fall from the bedside. She pulled the blanket over herself and hid under it. Her phone started beeping with messages from Yu Xi and Long Kong.

Yu Xi: Tingting, baby, are you hiding under the blanket?

Long Kong: It’s thundering. How are you?

Ji Ting saw the messages and replied to Yu Xi that she was fine and hiding, and to Long Kong that everything was okay. Yu Xi advised her to stay safe. Long Kong did not reply. He had also seen the bouquet of 999 roses and didn’t dare ask who sent it. Compared to that, his own gesture seemed insignificant, making him feel a bit frustrated.

After Ji Ting replied to the messages, the thunder outside continued to annoy her. Even with headphones on, she was still scared. At that moment, the doorbell rang loudly and persistently. Ji Ting, who had barely heard it, jumped out of bed, threw off the blanket, and went to open the door barefoot.

When she opened the door, Tan Yucheng stood outside in a black coat with a chill about him. His hair was still damp, and he looked at her.

Ji Ting was taken aback.

“What are you doing here?”

Tan Yucheng glanced at her bare feet, painted with pink nail polish, and her soft, three-quarter pants revealing her pale little feet. He looked up with a lazy voice, “I came to keep you company.”

With a thunderous crash, Ji Ting wanted to respond, but the noise overwhelmed her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she stepped aside, saying, “I’ll go back to my room then. If you want water, help yourself.”

She quickly turned and ran back to her room, climbed into bed, and pulled the blanket over herself.

Tan Yucheng raised an eyebrow.

During the summer break of their sophomore year, Xiao Xi invited Ji Ting to her home. She wanted Ji Ting to take some things back to Li City for Qiu Dan. Tan Yucheng happened to be on vacation and returned home as well. Ji Ting and Tan Yucheng were playing games on the sofa in the lounge when a sudden, deafening clap of thunder burst into their ears. Ji Ting was startled and reflexively jumped into Tan Yucheng’s arms.

It was then that Tan Yucheng realized how scared she was of thunder, and that she was quite seriously frightened.

After changing his shoes, Tan Yucheng took off his coat and hung it on the rack. He washed his hands, poured a glass of water, and entered her master bedroom. Only a bedside lamp was on, and the blanket was pulled up. Ji Ting was in bed, listening to music with headphones.

Tan Yucheng sat down by the bed.

Noticing his presence, Ji Ting pulled the blanket aside a bit.

Tan Yucheng, with one long leg bent, looked down at his phone. When Ji Ting revealed herself, Tan Yucheng glanced up. Their eyes met in the dim light. Ji Ting noticed he had showered and was wearing white pajama-style sleepwear and black casual pants. He had come from home. After a few seconds of eye contact, Tan Yucheng lazily asked, “Can’t sleep?”

Ji Ting couldn’t hear him clearly and took off her headphones, responding with a soft “Ah.”

Tan Yucheng, with his dark eyes and gentle voice, repeated his question.

Ji Ting shook her head and replied, “I’ll be fine once the thunder stops.”

“You’re not working late tonight?”

Tan Yucheng’s voice was low and lazy, “I am, but I left early.”

Ji Ting responded with an “Oh” and asked, “Did you sleep very late last night?”

“Past three.”

Ji Ting responded with another “Oh.” At that moment, the thunder roared again, and the wind and rain outside were overwhelming, almost crushing the city. Ji Ting let out a sigh and quickly pulled the blanket up. Seeing her like this, with her slender fingers exposed and beautifully shaped like jade, Tan Yucheng played with his phone for a while before setting it on the bedside table.

Amidst the loudest thunderclaps, he took her hand and lifted the blanket, lying down beside her. Ji Ting was momentarily stunned as she watched him settle in, his large hand wrapping around her waist. He buried his face in her neck and asked in a very low voice, “Can you sleep like this?”

Ji Ting’s heart skipped a beat. The man beside her had a hint of fatigue in his voice, but his body was warm. She looked at his thick hair.

Her heartbeat quickened, and the thunder outside seemed to diminish.

Her fear of thunder was mainly due to the building she lived in; the windowsill was too close to the rain. As a child, she wasn’t afraid of anything, and she loved playing with water on the windowsill during rain. In the summer of her second year of junior high, while she was scooping water from the windowsill, a lightning bolt struck the power pole across the street, turning it black before her eyes.

The people inside the house screamed because the power went out.

Her hand was still outside, reaching for water, and she quickly pulled it back. From that moment on, she became afraid of thunder.

Returning to her senses, Ji Ting could still faintly hear the thunder, but the rain was more prominent, like a lullaby. She glanced at him and suddenly remembered something. Shu Xiao was also afraid of thunder. During the summer vacation of their sophomore year, when Ji Ting was hiding from the thunder in her room, she heard Shu Xiao crying next door. She also heard Shu Xiao’s grandmother calling her mother, saying that Shu Xiao was very scared of the thunder.

Tan Yucheng should have known that Shu Xiao was afraid of thunder.

That year, because of the heavy rains, after school started, during a thunderstorm, several girls were trapped in the classroom. The boys had to come in and deliver umbrellas. Due to the thunder, everyone left very late.

Ji Ting lowered her gaze and looked at him.

For some reason, she spoke up deliberately in a soft voice, “Shu Xiao is also afraid of thunder.”

The man buried in her neck didn’t move. After a few seconds, his lazy voice responded, “What does that have to do with me?”

His voice sounded a bit drowsy.

Ji Ting: “…..”

Alright then.

She admitted to herself that she was indeed petty. She stopped speaking, and as she lost herself in thoughts, the thunder seemed to fade away, but the sound of the rain persisted, drizzling like a lullaby. Ji Ting felt drowsy and on the verge of falling asleep.

Meanwhile, Tan Yucheng’s hand slid down her waist, and in a very low voice, he asked, “Want to do it?”