481 The Secret About the Past 99 (1/2)

Ling Ciye placed the umbrella by the door of the living room.

He then changed into a pair of home slippers before walking towards the corridor where the guest room was located.

The corridor was dimly lit with a warm, yellow light.

When he arrived at the door of Jin Qingyue's room, he stopped in his tracks and headed inside the guest room next to hers instead.

He did not quite know how to put it across to her.

Auntie Chen entered Jin Qingyue's room with a glass of milk and said, ”I saw Mr. Ling walking towards here just now. Seems like he's staying here tonight.”

Jin Qingyue raised her brows in surprise and asked, ”Who? You mean Brother Ciye?”

”Yes, I just saw him.”

”Got it.” Jin Qingyue finished the glass of milk and left the door slightly ajar before heading to the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth.

She came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her body and found that Ling Ciye was not in her room.

She smiled and put on her clothes before switching the lights off as she exited the room.

Noticing that the lights were on in the room adjacent to hers, she stepped forward and pushed the door open gently.

They made eye contact with each other, both feeling a little awkward.

”Brother Ciye, didn't you already go home? I saw you driving away. Why did you come back again?” asked Jin Qingyue, who stood by the door to watch him leave before entering the house earlier on.

”I'm here to tell you something.” Ling Ciye patted the seat next to him and said, ”Come here.”

Jin Qingyue walked towards him slowly and sat down.

Noticing how shy she had gotten, he chuckled and said, ”You were much bolder than this when we were in the car this evening. Why have you become like a shy teenage girl again?”

”I was so bold because I mustered up the courage to do it. I know you don't have any designs on me since we've known each other for ages already. Thus, I realized that the only way to close the gap between us is for me to take the initiative and make the first move. You said you wanted to tell me something. What was it?” Jin Qingyue asked, rather surprised by his words.

”Let's give it a try. What do you think?” Ling Ciye asked, turning to face her.

”Are… are you for real?” Jin Qingyue spluttered in bewilderment.

Ling Ciye held her hand and said, ”Of course I am. But I have two boundaries. I hope you'll understand from now onwards.”

”Speak.”

”Firstly, I'm not ready to be a stepfather yet. So, I hope we'll only be giving dating each other a try, don't get Bao'er involved. Secondly, I hope we can keep our relationship secret for now and just see if we're compatible in terms of personality. We'll then announce our relationship to everyone if we can get along well with each other in a relaxed manner. What do you think?”

Jin Qingyue nodded and agreed, ”Sure, I agree. But, I think you're usually busier than I am in the day, so we'd have to live together in order to find out if we're truly suitable for each other. Brother Ciye, what are your thoughts on this?”

”Are you suggesting that we start cohabiting?”

”Um… if you don't like that idea, we can put it on hold for now. We'll just continue staying in adjacent rooms. But of course, if you have any physical needs, I'll be there to fulfill them,” said Jin Qingyue, her candidness making Ling Ciye a little awkward.

”Well… I have a three-bedder in Wei Ni Estate. Shall we try living there together for a period of time?”

”Oh, turns out you have a house here too. Sure, I'll go tidy the house in the next few days,” Jin Qingyue said excitedly, her heart ricocheting vigorously against her chest.

”Alright, go back to bed.”

Jin Qingyue stood up and let go of his hand.

That night, neither of them could sleep well.