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HMPS: Chapter 40

The leisure time in the morning came to an end with Chi Xueyan’s laughter in the ripples of a cup of coffee that was almost spilled.

However, it wasn’t the cup of coffee on He Qiao’s table.

Chi Xueyan quickly hung up the purposeful call, but it took a long time for the person downstairs to put down his phone and look back at the tablet on the coffee table.

Chi Xueyan no longer used the binoculars to observe the coffee store because his vague imagination was more interesting.

For example, at this moment, he couldn’t see clearly whether the pause on the screen had ended, so he didn’t know whether He Qiao was watching the advertising sample or looking at the screen.

Then at the same time, Chi Xueyan saw a somewhat familiar figure walking out of the coffee store with steady steps. He held a coffee cup in his hand, carrying something that looked like breakfast and carrying a bag on his shoulder.

It was Teacher Xiao Huang from the music department who spoke slowly.

He was looking for an empty seat outside. He looked ready to sit down for a leisurely and slow breakfast.

The combination of a cold winter day and hot coffee could always bring some ethereal inspiration to those engaged in art.

Then Teacher Xiao Huang was caught off guard by the boss of the company who suddenly appeared outside the coffee store today.

The coffee in his hand almost spilled. As he hurried to catch it, he probably reflexively called out to the boss.

Chi Xueyan on the inside of the glass window couldn’t hear it but he made a guess. It was because he saw He Qiao raise his head to look at Teacher Xiao Huang, probably giving a polite response.

He was very calm and composed.

He cared for the mood of his subordinates.

After greeting the company employee that he met by chance, He Qiao watched the other person sitting in the only vacant seat not far away. He slightly adjusted the direction of the seat, so that the eye direction of the two tables was completely staggered. This way, the employees wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

Then he looked down again at the tablet in his hand.

It seemed to be the same advertisement with similar bright colors.

…Sure enough, his mind was wandering.

The off-white sweater, the brown coffee, the gorgeous but still screen and the dark green parasol.

There was such a vivid and strong impression. Chi Xueyan turned around with a smile and started a new day’s work.

He received visiting patients, coaxed children and told stories.

The air was filled with the illusionary smell of coffee and ordinary days were no longer the same.

In the already blooming life, a strange and fresh branch suddenly grew.

For a long time in the past, Chi Xueyan always believed that love was a dispensable thing. In addition, he was a picky and troublesome person.

Therefore, he felt that he wouldn’t be like Su Yu, who was keen to experience different tastes of love with different people.

His curiosity about the world was never in terms of human relationships.

If there was one day when a vine really grew in his heart, Chi Xueyan only needed to blossom a flower.

His selection condition would naturally be more demanding.

Of course, once the flower became withered and was no longer suitable in the future, he wouldn’t hesitate to pluck it.

Now he hadn’t decided on the flower he wanted.

But He Qiao had cleverly found a flavor that would appeal to him.

As noon was approaching, Chi Xueyan took the time to pick up his phone and prepared to choose takeout as usual for today’s lunch.

The next second, this was dispelled by three unread messages on his lock screen.

[Little Eleven sent a photo.]

[Little Eleven: The company’s lunch menu today.]

[Little Eleven: Do you want to come over to eat?]

Chi Xueyan clicked on the top photo and instantly saw the name of a particularly familiar dish.

He couldn’t help laughing. He didn’t hesitate much and quickly replied with a yes.

This was probably Chi Xueyan’s most obvious weakness.

He didn’t like to cook and he was often casual when eating alone.

If He Qiao was chasing after him then he should start from this point.

However, it wasn’t a dumb method like putting bought breakfast on his desk. Chi Xueyan would just buy it himself and think it was wasteful.

It also shouldn’t be an approach that was too passionate, such as cooking for him. Chi Xueyan didn’t like to bother others and it didn’t necessarily suit his taste.

This time, the lunch was just right.

At noon, in the cafeteria of Wanjia Media, the employees finished their morning work and came to order food for their meal.

Media companies and the dental clinic had different morning hours but similar lunch breaks.

In today’s cafeteria, the atmosphere was somewhat special.

The small talk of the employees was deliberately lighter than usual. From time to time, some people would secretly look at the most striking table in the cafeteria.

It wasn’t because the boss of the company rarely came over. President He actually came to the cafeteria every day to eat. Everyone had long been accustomed to it.

It was due to the person sitting across from him.

Except for the day of the moving ceremony, this was the first time Mr Chi appeared in the company’s dining room.

His appearance was very good-looking. It was even better than the various celebrity artists that the employees had contact with from time to time, not to mention there were no filters and no makeup. He just sat in the same cafeteria and ate the same lunch as everyone.

Many employees watched them quietly, including Secretary Li who was sitting nearby.

There was a door to the president’s office but there was no door in the public cafeteria.

This made Li Feifei feel refreshed.

She didn’t know why Mr Chi came over for lunch today, but based on the impression he gave off, it didn’t seem strange for him to do anything.

The scene of the boss and his lover chatting and eating together was really pleasing to the eye. This caused Li Feifei to look at the dishes on her plate and feel that the meat and vegetables were really well matched.

Even the new dish that appeared in the cafeteria for the first time no longer seemed so bizarre.

Speaking of which, why was there a squirrel fish made of potatoes?

—Although it was quite delicious, sweet and sour and especially appetizing.

Li Feifei decided to add some more dishes.

As she passed by the dining tables, she subconsciously slowed down and listened to everyone’s conversation seriously.

President He asked, “Is it similar to what you ate in the cafeteria that day?”

Mr Chi replied, “Almost. Today seems to be a bit more delicious.”

“It seems that the recipe suits your taste more.” President He’s tone was very natural. “Do you want to eat real squirrel fish in the same way tomorrow at noon?”

Hearing this, Mr Chi raised his eyes and glanced at his lover. A clear smile flashed in his eyes, as if he saw through something.

However, he didn’t speak anymore. He just answered softly.

The sunlight outside the glass window fell on his fair cheeks. His hair color was even more dazzling and his arrogant temperament was unforgettable.

It turned out that this was why a new dish appeared in the company’s cafeteria.

She even knew in advance what new dish would be coming tomorrow.

Secretary Li was dazzled by his smile and involuntarily ordered the new potato squirrel fish.

It seemed to be sweeter and more sour than the one she ate a few minutes ago.

She watched her boss leave the cafeteria with his lover. Once he returned to the opposite clinic, she felt that she had been washed from the inside out by the sweet and sour squirrel fish.

She thought that President He and Mr Chi she saw just now seemed different in some way.

In fact, she had always felt that the relationship between the two of them was very good.

But today, there was the impromptu lunch together and President He, who had a regular schedule, also appeared at the company an hour earlier.

This was what Xiao Huang of the music department had said.

He said that he came out after buying breakfast and ran into the big boss head-on. He almost wasted a cup of coffee. Fortunately, it didn’t spill on the boss.

Listening to the slow-talking Teacher Xiao Huang talk about gossip really made people anxious. They couldn’t wait to enter his head.

Moreover, Li Feifei and the melon-eating masses listened for a long time but couldn’t understand why President He appeared in the cafe downstairs early in the morning and sat for an hour.

Was there any special scenery?

However, Xiao Huang came to this cafe every day for breakfast and didn’t find anything.

Secretary Li wondered curiously, ‘Will there be squirrel fish made of fish at the cafeteria tomorrow and will there be President He at the cafe tomorrow?’

As it turned out, there were both.

In the early morning, Teacher Xiao Huang once again witnessed President He handling work at the cafe table.

At noon, the hook of the squirrel fish successfully caught the second shared lunch.

It also made Chi Xueyan change the location of the lunch break.

Yesterday, he went back to the clinic directly after eating, closed the blinds as usual and took a nap in the office.

However, it couldn’t be as comfortable as the wide and soft bed.

So when they left the cafeteria at noon today and He Qiao asked if he wanted to go to the office for the lunch break, Chi Xueyan didn’t refuse.

In any case, he had already come over to eat. He could go back after the lunch break.

It was just the right menu and just the right questions.

Everything that was quietly changing was logical.

However, the bait for the real and fake squirrel fish had been used up and there was no opportunity to start a third shared lunch for the time being.

In fact, Chi Xueyan rarely thought about what he would eat tomorrow. It was either decided by the person who cooked or he casually ordered whatever he thought of.

Yet at this moment, sitting on the spacious sofa of the president’s office, he did imagine how he would spend noon time tomorrow.

Eat takeout in the clinic’s office or home-cooked food from the media company’s cafeteria?

What could’ve drawn him here?

While Chi Xueyan left the unknown chase to He Qiao, He Qiao also brought him the unknown of the chase.

It was a new One Thousand and One Nights game.

He grew more and more fond of this metaphor that suddenly appeared in his life.

Chi Xueyan thought like this and gently turned the pages in his hand.

After lunch, he walked around the company casually. It wasn’t suitable to go to sleep because he wasn’t too sleepy. He curled up on the sofa and started reading.

The book was taken casually from the bookshelf in the lounge. Previously when Sheng Xiaoyue came to see the two of them, she had brought a lot of books that she thought were worth reading.

They were basically books about how to manage a marriage.

Chi Xueyan usually thought that these books were like chicken soup without nutrients, but the books carefully selected by Sheng Xiaoyue weren’t annoying. At the very least, it was similar to his concept of love and marriage. It could be called healthy chicken soup.

For example, the theme of the book in his hand was to maintain independence and self after marriage, learning to enjoy the happiness of being alone.

This was the last thing Chi Xueyan needed to learn. He knew too well how to enjoy a person’s happiness.

He was just passing the time and flipping through it casually to brew sleepiness.

The winter sun was clear and the indoor temperature was just right. Chi Xueyan wasn’t wearing a coat and a small blanket covered his lap. It was as soft and warm as the sofa and the atmosphere was lazy.

He Qiao sat behind his desk and took care of the afternoon’s work in advance.

In the quiet room, the sound of pages turning and the pen tip moving was pervasive.

Chi Xueyan gradually started to feel drowsy and his thoughts wandered. He remembered that there was a similar scene in this office in the past autumn.

At that time, he was intently writing notes about the novel and didn’t think to look elsewhere.

Now he wasn’t planning to continue organizing those notes.

While closing the book in his hand, Chi Xueyan looked up at the person behind the desk.

As expected, he met He Qiao’s gaze.

It was just that in addition to the increasingly undisguised feelings, there seemed to be a bit more… helplessness?

Chi Xueyan suddenly thought of something and looked down at the cover of the book in his hand again.

‘Single Life After Marriage.’

The highly suggestive title of the book was aimed at the current stage of the relationship between the two of them.

Chi Xueyan was briefly stunned before he couldn’t help laughing.

He swore that he didn’t mean it. He just took a book randomly from the shelf.

Everything was just right.

Across the air, He Qiao saw the person wrapped in a blanket and smiling wantonly. Chi Xueyan raised the closed book in his hand and took the initiative to suggest, “Do you want to take a photo and send it to your mother?”

“It is a piece of her heart—you haven’t read the books yet, have you?”

He Qiao really hadn’t read them.

It was because they hadn’t reached the step of managing their marriage for the time being.

He really wanted to keep the moment that made him feel both melancholy and happy.

Chi Xueyan happened to allow this move.

Therefore, he put down the pile of papers and took a photo with his phone.

The focus of the photo was the pair of radiant eyes.

At the same time, He Qiao didn’t forget to take a very clear photo of the title of the book. Then he sent it to his mother suggestively.

The phone rang quickly.

Sheng Xiaoyue saw it and immediately called.

However, she didn’t notice her son’s silent accusation and instead asked happily, “Did you take a lunch break together today? Does Xiao Chi like this book? I think this book makes sense!”

“…He likes it very much.” He Qiao paused before saying, “Thank you, Mom.”

Sheng Xiaoyue heard a trace of insincerity and said in surprise, “Hey, why does your tone sound a bit reluctant?”

He Qiao didn’t speak like he didn’t know how to answer.

At her son’s silence, she suddenly realized and couldn’t help laughing.

“How can you even eat vinegar about the title of the book?”

His mother on the other end of the phone laughed and teased him. “You have been married for half a year and you are still in the hot period of love. You really like Xiao Chi…”

He Qiao replied, “Yes, I like it very much.”

It wasn’t yet the period of hot love.

Still, he liked Xiao Chi a lot.

The familiar laughter came from the phone but the specific sentences couldn’t be heard.

Chi Xueyan only heard He Qiao answer twice that he liked it. The first time should have been talking about the book but he didn’t know the second time.

It was probably because the title of the book made him laugh just now. His sleepiness had faded away and he didn’t want to enter the lounge.

He Qiao was talking on the phone, so he also put down the book and picked up the phone.

The latest news displayed in his friends’ Moments was Lawyer Su’s professional profile photo was full of an elite temperament.

Among all the friends that Chi Xueyan knew, this person was the most enthusiastic about dating and regarded love as the most interesting thing in the world.

Every day when it was time for a break, he would start to post fragmented thoughts with authority in his Moments. It was from dignified and decent sentences during the day to a long list of ‘cute, cute, cute, cute’ irrational statements at night.

Chi Xueyan generally ignored it. In any case, Su Yu would definitely bombard his private chat if something major changed in his relationship.

The one he read now was a fairly normal noon love sentiment. There were only two exclamation marks at the end of the sentence.

[Su Yu: Every stage of love is interesting!!]

In addition, Chi Xueyan was still listening to He Qiao’s voice on the phone.

The gentle, calm and slightly helpless magnetic voice wafted through the golden winter air like the aroma of coffee.

Therefore, he chuckled and moved his fingertips.

[Shahryar likes it.]


The author has something to say:

A kiss with the taste of squirrel fish *^3^*

TL: The last scene is also the cover of this novel.

Comment

  1. milui says:

    Ooh it’s great to see the cover after reading this chapter. Too bad I only get to see He Qiao’s chin in the reflection. Show me your pretty face too! Thank you for the translation 🤗

  2. Suzy says:

    All these everyday updates make waiting a couple days to read them in a single setting so nice! Thank you.

    I love the possible “this is what happened” to explain everything. My heart hurts for the two characters in that “book world.”

    This latest chapter was adorable too. 🙂

  3. Krista says:

    So cute! But in the cover art, it seems to be fall instead of winter.

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