Chapter 86: A Gift

The parking lot fell into a hush, filled with the damp scent of rainy weather.

After uttering those final words, both of them lapsed into silence.

The car door stood open, with Bai Jin steadying herself against it, while Lu Huan, seated in the driver’s position, turned her head aside to keep her current expression hidden from view.

Of all the moments for her emotions to spiral out of control, this was when Bai Jin had to show up—witnessing her in such a disheveled state.

Lu Huan could imagine exactly how pathetic she must look right now: eyes swollen and red from crying, tears pooling in her sockets, strands of hair plastered messily to her face. She had to appear utterly ridiculous.

How humiliating.

Truly humiliating.

Gradually regaining her composure, Lu Huan gripped the steering wheel tightly and waited for her tears to dry.

After a long silence, Bai Jin snapped out of her daze and broke the quiet with her voice.

“This is some burn ointment.”

She had grabbed it from the medical kit in the office before coming down.

After handing over the tube and murmuring those soft words, Bai Jin closed the car door for her and turned to leave.

Letting out a slow breath, Lu Huan glanced at the ointment.

So that was it—just delivering the ointment.

Not here to pester her, nor to deliberately catch her looking so wretched.

With that realization, Lu Huan’s expression smoothed out, the dryness returning to her eyes.

Her gaze lingered on the ointment for a few seconds before she looked away and refused to glance at it again.

…

Some time passed, and the thunder finally began to subside.

Lu Huan had composed herself by then, straightened her collar and appearance, and headed back upstairs.

The people from Huanzhou spotted her immediately and asked with concern about the burn on her hand.

“It’s all right now. Thank you for the ointment President Yan sent over.”

Lu Huan curved her lips in a polite smile, her demeanor flawless and betraying nothing.

A faint redness lingered at the corners of her eyes—nothing obvious unless someone looked very closely. No one could have guessed that she had just weathered an emotional collapse.

A quick glance at her hand revealed it looked even redder than before.

She hadn’t used the ointment.

Bai Jin quietly withdrew her gaze.

Soon, the morning’s negotiations wrapped up. Further contract details were still in discussion, but everything was more or less settled.

They had planned to stay through the end of the day, but since things had gone more smoothly than expected, they finished lunch and could pack up to head back.

“Pleasant cooperation.”

At the conclusion of the trip, the two sides shook hands.

Lu Huan made no show of resistance. She shook Bai Jin’s hand naturally, though their eyes never met.

Bai Jin kept her gaze slightly lowered, feeling the chill radiating from the other’s grasp.

“Wear a few more layers,” she murmured, her voice low enough for only the two of them to hear. “Your hand feels so cold.”

But Lu Huan replied in a distant, formal tone.

“Thank you for your concern, President Yan.”

When the time came, they boarded the car and set off for home.

Lu Huan sat by the window, staring out at the desolate aftermath of the downpour. Her cool eyes were shadowed and unreadable.

Along the way, Yi Ming shared some thoughts and suggestions about the collaboration.

Toward the end, Lu Huan said, “Handle the follow-up with Huanzhou from here on out.”

Even without being told outright, Yi Ming had picked up on the strained, repelling tension between them and could guess at the rest.

Lu Huan wanted nothing more to do with Huanzhou matters, which came as no surprise to Yi Ming.

She agreed readily.

“Sure.”

…

After the long drive, they arrived back in Jinning.

Though utterly exhausted upon reaching home, Lu Huan chose to drive to the gym anyway.

She changed into workout clothes and methodically cycled through the equipment.

As sweat poured out and her body fatigued, the stress eased, and her swirling thoughts receded for a blessed while.

Lu Huan didn’t fool herself into thinking she’d cleared few obstacles in life.

This one wouldn’t be any different.

…

On the weekday, Lu Huan plunged back into the company’s demanding routine.

She had little further involvement with Huanzhou, delegating most of it to Yi Ming. Lu Huan trusted her work ethic and only needed to review the outcomes, freeing up her focus for other priorities.

She was accustomed to—and even relished—her solitary lifestyle, her packed schedule keeping her mindset even-keeled.

Come the weekend, Zhong Ruo dragged her off to book out Tide Toy City for some fun.

The group wasn’t limited to their close circle; Zhong Ruo had roped in a few acquaintances and, spotting Xi Hangyu with some free time, hauled her along too.

Tide Toy City featured dozens of attractions, including a racing game at which Lu Huan excelled.

After racing a few rounds with Lu Huan, Xi Hangyu stared at yet another defeat screen and threw up her hands in exasperation.

“All right, all right—I get it, you’re amazing. But could you go easy on me just a little? Let me win once? You know I never touch these games normally.”

Lu Huan shrugged it off. “What’s the point of games if you’re just letting the other person win?”

Xi Hangyu: “…”

Meanwhile, Zhong Ruo stood chatting with two other girls.

Mu Yuanxin clicked her tongue. “Think Shan’s got this? All that height and cool-guy vibe, but one little flirt and she turns beet red.”

“You’ve known Little Shan forever—first day on the job?” Zhong Ruo said, seeing right through it. “She only acts tough around us familiars to keep up her cool big sis rep. Out in the world? Total puppy. Gets totally owned by any big sis type~”

Noticing one friend’s gaze fixed on the distant Lu Huan, Zhong Ruo nudged her with an elbow. “Got a crush? Hold tight—your sis here’s got you covered. I’ll ask.”

“Hey, Ruo Ruo!”

Zhong Ruo didn’t hesitate and strode straight toward Lu Huan.

“You two hiding over here again? Go mingle and play already.”

Lu Huan shot her a sidelong glance. “The social butterfly’s got time for little old us?”

“What kind of talk is that?” Zhong Ruo slung an arm around her shoulders and pointed toward the girls. Straight to the point, she asked, “Cute, right? Total little sister vibe.”

Lu Huan neither nodded nor shook her head. Undeterred, Zhong Ruo pressed, “Not interested?”

“A bit busy lately. Not thinking about that stuff.”

“Oh… all right then.” Zhong Ruo slung her arm around Lu Huan’s shoulders again.

“Come on, President Lu. Life can’t be all work. You need some flavor—love, travel, fun stuff. Otherwise, you’re just grinding yourself down.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re the one living free and easy.” Lu Huan nodded along.

Seeing she still wasn’t biting, Zhong Ruo lost her enthusiasm for matchmaking and released her.

“Ugh, no fun. Fine, you two keep chilling. I’m off to play.”

Zhong Ruo bounded back to the others, leaving Xi Hangyu and Lu Huan at the racing setup.

Watching her lively retreating figure, Xi Hangyu remarked, “She really does live carefree.”

Lu Huan agreed. “Yeah. Like she’s got endless energy.”

They hadn’t chatted long when Lu Huan’s phone rang.

She answered without moving or stepping away.

“The house? Already?”

“Sure, tomorrow’s the weekend, works fine.”

“Mm, good.”

From the brief exchange, Xi Hangyu pieced it together. “Selling a house?”

Lu Huan confirmed. “Yeah, the one next to the company. Already moved to the new place.”

“That spot…” Xi Hangyu pondered briefly. “I’d suggest holding off. You’re not short on cash anyway, right?”

Lu Huan paused before replying, “Just want to sell it.”

Xi Hangyu got the picture and nodded. “Fair enough.”

…

The day she went to meet the client the agent had lined up, Lu Huan arrived to find none other than Bai Jin across from her.

It was Bai Jin again.

By now, seeing her didn’t stir the intense emotions from before. Though it was unexpected, Lu Huan somehow wasn’t all that surprised.

She must have accepted her fate by this point—this lifetime destined to stay hopelessly tangled with Bai Jin.

Bai Jin wasn’t dressed in her usual professional suit like in Huanzhou. Instead, she wore a relaxed white sweater, perfectly suited to Jinning’s autumn chill.

And cradled in her arms was a cat.

Momo lay contentedly against her, its blue pupils dilating at the sight of Lu Huan—clearly recognizing her.

It leaped from Bai Jin’s hold and rubbed eagerly against Lu Huan’s legs.

Lu Huan clenched her fingers, forcing herself not to look at it as she turned away.

In that instant of turning, Bai Jin took a step forward.

“So because it’s me, you’re backing out of the sale?”

As if she wouldn’t sell—who said she wouldn’t, and why not?

The words made it sound like Lu Huan was still too hung up on their shared past.

Lu Huan fell silent for a beat before responding. “You’re overthinking it.”

“It wouldn’t matter who it was.”

With those detached words, she strode forward.

The implication was clear: follow along. Bai Jin understood and trailed after her with Momo in tow.

They reached the elevator once more, though this time with a cat in addition—and very different expressions in their eyes.

Unlocking the door, they stepped inside. The faint, refined fragrance still permeated the space.

Most furnishings had been cleared out by now, but the major pieces of furniture remained intact. The cat bed and scratching post hadn’t been taken.

Lu Huan had no plans to get a pet in her new place, so she’d left the cat supplies behind in case the next owner might need them. Worst case, she’d toss them later.

But who could have foreseen this turn.

The moment Momo spotted its familiar bed, it bolted over and rolled around ecstatically.

Lu Huan’s lips parted as if to speak, but seeing Momo so blissfully happy, the words died in her throat.

“Take a look around the place.”

With that, she left the room and headed to the balcony to gaze outside.

She was back in this house again.

Memories flooded in unbidden.

On that living room sofa, Lu Huan had often sat working on her laptop. Just a few months ago, when Bai Jin woke from a nap, she would nestle into Lu Huan’s embrace and lean against her there.

Those fabricated days had probably been the calmest stretch since they’d met.

But fabrications remained just that—false.

A soft sound nearby pulled Lu Huan from her reverie.

Glancing over, she saw Momo had hopped up beside her.

Lu Huan crouched down and stroked it.

Its body was plump and round, eyes bright and alert. Someone had taken excellent care of it.

“You mutt—haven’t seen you in a bit, and you’ve packed on the pounds.”

“Meow.”

For once, Momo didn’t hiss or bare its teeth at her. Instead, it let out a soft, mellow meow.

She ran her hand over its sleek, well-groomed fur.

It had thrown a tantrum upon not seeing her right away. Clearly, after their time apart, it had missed her a little. Unbeknownst to herself, Lu Huan’s lips curved into a faint smile.

A moment later, she noticed a new shadow fall across the floor and quickly smoothed her expression.

She stopped petting it, rose to her feet, brushed off her hands, and turned around.

“Have you seen enough?” Lu Huan gazed at the room’s interior without glancing at Bai Jin. “It’s exactly the same as before. I haven’t stayed here once since you left.”

Bai Jin shook her head gently. “I’m not inspecting the place for defects.”

She offered no further explanation before adding, “Everything checks out perfectly. We can handle the handover procedures anytime.”

“That’s for the best,” Lu Huan replied.

She turned to leave, but Bai Jin caught her sleeve.

“There’s something I’d like to ask,” Bai Jin said. “Could I stay here just one night?”

Lu Huan narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to study her. “What are you planning?”

“I took a cab to get here. It would be too late to head back now.” Bai Jin kept her gaze lowered. “And hotels won’t let you bring cats.”

Then why bring the cat in the first place? Lu Huan wondered silently. She tugged her sleeve free and strode toward the door.

“Suit yourself.”

By the time Lu Huan reached the outer door, Bai Jin had hurried after her a couple of steps. “Wait…”

“I haven’t changed the locks,” Lu Huan said, cutting her off with a look.

Most people swapped out the locks right after a house sale, but Lu Huan had decided to leave that for the new owners.

The lock was still the original one.

Lu Huan knew Bai Jin had a key. Otherwise, how had she managed to take Momo away back then?

Bai Jin froze for a second. That reaction confirmed Lu Huan’s suspicions.

She turned and walked away.

“…”

Once Lu Huan had gone, Bai Jin surveyed the now-empty room. She stood and went to stroke Momo.

“I might need to stick around here a bit longer,” she murmured to it. “You can stay too, for a while.”

Because—

Bai Jin had one more gift to give Lu Huan.

And she was certain Lu Huan would like it.

“…”