Tenant’s Secret Love

Chapter 82: Straight to spring

After watching a movie, Daphne and I were walking on the street. She was holding a bucket of popcorn in her hands, and I was holding a can of Coke.

As we walked and talked, I drank my Coke while Daphne ate her popcorn.

I asked Daphne, “Do you think it would violate your company's rules if we were to work in the same company as a couple?”

Daphne shook her head and said, “No, we're an advertising company with an open culture. There are several couples working here!”

I stopped Daphne, who was walking ahead of me. She looked at me in confusion as I asked, with a ‘serious’ expression, ‘Daphne, can I take it that we are now a couple?”

Daphne was stunned before she said, ’Lucas, you just asked that on purpose, didn't you?”

“Yes, we can't be too direct about this. If you don't want to, I won't know what to say.”

“You are methodical in what you do and would make a good planner!“ Daphne laughed.

“You are good at changing the subject and would also make a good salesman!” I said with a smile in return.

Daphne, however, no longer had a joking expression on her face. She asked very seriously, “Lucas, do you really think we can live together and get married?”

I was silent for a long time, and then nodded and said, “Yes, at least I'm willing to work hard and fight for it... And this desire to fight has never been there in the past 20 years of my life.”

Daphne nodded and said, ”In fact, after so long of blind dates, I'm also very tired and I hope to get rid of my single life. Your appearance surprised me, but if I say that I like you after just a few meetings, that's not practical... Since both of our parents have the idea of letting us get together, I'm also willing to regard our encounter as an arrangement of heaven, so...”

“So, we can officially get together, right?”

Daphne smiled and said, “Well...but it depends on how you behave in the future. After all, I'm entrusting you with my life.”

“Your life is worth having a look at how I behave,” I said with joy.

Daphne nodded, and we continued walking. I was a little apprehensive and a little excited. On an autumn evening with falling leaves, I took Daphne's hand, just like the simplicity of first love.

Daphne instinctively pulled her hand away, but I held it tighter. Daphne looked at me uneasily, so I loosened my grip slightly, giving her a comfortable, non-invasive strength. Daphne's expression finally eased a little.

I smiled and said, “Walk a little further, to the end of this street, and maybe spring will come.”

“But winter hasn't passed yet?”

“Forget winter, let's go straight to spring.”

Daphne gave me a smile and said, “Let's go then.”

So we walked along the street in the night, illuminated by the street lamps, which cast our faces in a gentle yellow light.

...

When I got home, my parents were still sitting in the living room, watching some TV drama.

I was changing my shoes when my mother turned down the TV volume and asked me, ‘Lucas, how are things with Daphne?”

I smiled and said, ’Not bad.”

My mother was very happy to hear this and said, “That's good. Daphne's family is really nice and understanding. You have to get along with Daphne, okay?”

“Sure, Mom, don't worry.”

After I finished talking to my mother, I looked at my Stubborn-Father again, but his attention was on the TV show. It wasn't until I walked past him that he called out to me and asked, ”Have you settled on a job yet?”

“I'm looking for one, but Daphne said their advertising agency is hiring a planner, and they've already given my resume to their planning director. I should hear something soon.”

He nodded and said, “A man must keep his job in mind.”

“Dad, you're right, I will keep it in mind.”

“Don't just say it, remember it in your heart.”

I smiled and said I had already taken his words to heart, and then walked to my room.

I felt a little joy that night. Everything that had happened so far made me feel that returning to my hometown had been the right choice. Everything was going so well. Once I had settled the work matters, I would really be able to settle down. This feeling of contentment and anticipation for the future was something I had never felt in Suzhou.

After finishing my cup of hot tea, I went to the bathroom to wash up, then lay down on the bed again and quickly fell asleep.

...

I don't know what time it was when my phone, which had been set to silent, suddenly rang. I was awakened by the ringing and grumbled before answering the phone.

I said “hello” indistinctly and waited for the other person to speak.

“Lucas, have you already gone to bed?”

I suddenly felt alert. This voice took me by surprise. It was only one sentence, but I recognized Renee's voice.

I wiped my face and sat up in bed. I switched on the light and looked at the clock on the wall. It was already half past midnight.

I yawned again and asked Renee, “You're still not asleep?”

“I just got off work.”

“It's already this late and you've just got off work!” I exclaimed, but I felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort in my heart. This discomfort probably came from feeling sorry for Renee, who lives alone.

“The company has been a bit busy recently, but things should get better after a while,” Renee said to me in a flat tone of voice.

After a moment of silence, I said, “Then you should take care of your health, especially your diet. You can make some millet porridge, it's very nourishing.”

“Thanks for your concern.”

“Let's not say thank you to each other, it feels awkward!”

Renee smiled but didn't say anything. Maybe she also realized that it was really awkward for us, who used to be enemies, to say ‘thank you.”

After a short silence, I finally got to the point and asked, ’Is there something the matter that you're calling me so late?”

“The light bulb in my room seems to be broken, and I don't know how to change it,” Renee said to me with a hint of embarrassment.

“It's already so late, why don't you use the desk lamp for the night?”

Renee said even more embarrassedly, ‘The light bulb in the desk lamp also broke the other day, and I've been too busy to remember to change it lately.”

I was speechless for a while and said, ’Okay, changing the light bulb is very simple, but you have to be careful.”

“Okay, you tell me, I'll do it.”

“There is a storage box in the east corner of the balcony. It contains light bulbs and an emergency flashlight. Next to the storage box is a two-sided ladder. You can just climb up and change it. First remove the lampshade, then the light bulb has a screw cap, so you just unscrew it like a screw.”

“Oh.”

“Wait, first turn off the power supply, to be safe.”

“Okay.”

Renee seemed to have everything ready, but I was filled with nervousness, fearing that she might accidentally fall off the ladder. I kept asking her over the phone, but she didn't respond. I guess she had hung up the phone without turning on the amplifier.

In my anxiety, Renee's relieved voice finally sounded again in my ear: “It's done, the light is on.”

My heart, which had been hanging in the balance for a moment, finally settled down, and I said, “Then go to bed early, it's really not early anymore!”

“Well, I'll go to bed soon...by the way, how's your job search going?”

Renee's sudden concern made my mood complex. After thinking about it for a moment, I decided to tell her that I was doing pretty well in Xuzhou, so that she wouldn't feel too apologetic towards me.