Chapter 61: Men Can Be So Sweet-Talking

No one knew what Sister Li said to the short-haired woman, but after a moment’s hesitation and a scrutinizing look at Sister Li, the short-haired woman finally waved her over and called Xiao Ding to follow her.

Once they’d left, Sister Li turned to the elderly lady and said, “Sorry to trouble you today.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all,” the old lady replied with a cheerful smile. After a pause, she asked, “Reporter Xiao Li, Reporter Xiao Su, when will your article be published? I’d like to buy a copy of the newspaper that day.”

Sister Li couldn’t make any promises. The newspaper would usually reserve space for important breaking news, but if there wasn’t enough room, other articles would have to be pulled to make space for the big stories.

“How about this—if our interview gets published, I’ll bring you a copy, or have Xiao Su drop one off after work. Would that be okay?” Sister Li offered.

The old lady hesitated, then shook her head. “No, I’d better keep an eye on the newsstands nearby these next couple of days. That way it’s easier for you, and I can see it as soon as it comes out.”

Sister Li nodded, jotting down the approximate delivery time for the newspaper as she spoke. “That works too. I’ll write down the time for you, so you know when to check.”

Normally, Sister Li’s handwriting was wild and flamboyant, but today she took the trouble to print neatly. Once finished, she handed the note to the old lady with both hands.

The old lady smiled gently, exuding the elegance of a well-bred woman from the Republican era. She even invited them to visit her home when they had time.

The two politely agreed.

Once they were out of the old lady’s sight, Sister Li waved Su Qinghu along. “Hurry home, and don’t forget to bring two story ideas tomorrow morning.”

Su Qinghu grinned. “Got it!”

Sister Li looked at her, shaking her head with a smile. Young people really do have active minds and endless ideas. She’d just asked her to come up with two story pitches, and she seemed so cheerful about it, as if it was no big deal…

It was hot and crowded, with both the buses and taxis full, or else going the wrong way. By the time Su Qinghu walked home on her own two feet, it was completely dark.

Summer nights are short and days are long, and with streetlights, the darkness didn’t feel so oppressive.

But she was exhausted.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead and nose, Su Qinghu stood at the gate for a while before finally pushing it open.

Chen Lie was the one who opened the door.

Before he could say anything, Su Qinghu shoved her bag into his arms, looking wilted like a sun-baked seedling, and gazed up at him pitifully. “Chen Lie, I worked overtime today, and after that I had to walk all the way home~~~”

Chen Lie took her bag in one hand. “Tired?”

“Yeah.” Su Qinghu nodded, grabbing his arm. “Is there any cooled boiled water?”

Chen Lie paused. “Dinner’s ready. Can you have some porridge?”

Cooled boiled water… He hadn’t prepared any. There wasn’t any.

Su Qinghu paused in the middle of taking off her heels and looked up at him. “I’m thirsty.”

She wouldn’t drink raw tap water.

Maybe it was the courtyard lights, but Chen Lie thought Su Qinghu’s eyes were almost too beautiful—like the starry sky he’d seen during night drills: sparkling, delicate, mysterious, and serene.

“There’s hot water in the kettle,” Chen Lie started to say, about to suggest she add some cold water to it, but then stopped and tried, “Want me to cool a cup for you?”

Su Qinghu nodded vigorously, then flashed him a radiant smile. “Right now, you are just impossibly charming!”

Chen Lie was about to help her inside, but at her words, his hand trembled. If he hadn’t been so well-trained, his reflexes would’ve failed him and he would’ve stumbled right there.

He swallowed, glanced at the living room to make sure no one was around, and finally let out a silent sigh of relief.

“Try to talk more… normally in the future,” Chen Lie said with a slight frown, supporting her as they walked toward the living room.

Su Qinghu tightened her grip on his arm. “What do you mean, ‘more normally’? Which of my words wasn’t normal?”

“…That last one.”

“Which one?” Su Qinghu narrowed her eyes. Go on, say it if you dare.

Chen Lie opened his mouth, wanting to repeat what she’d said, but found he just couldn’t get the words out.

It was… a little embarrassing.

“No,” Chen Lie quickly changed tack, “Everything you say sounds… nice.”

Su Qinghu: “…”

This man really knew how to dodge a confrontation. If he’d said, “Everything you say is normal,” she would’ve immediately shot back, “Then why did you just tell me to talk more normally? Are you saying I’m usually not normal?” and given him a full performance of what it meant to be unreasonable.

But he’d changed his wording and even slipped in a compliment—how could she get mad at that?

Throw a tantrum? Not happening!

Su Qinghu praised him sincerely, “Comrade Chen Lie, you’re good with words too.”

Chen Lie let out a quiet breath and, as they walked, asked, “Did you have an assignment today?”

“Mm.” Su Qinghu finally gave up on taking off her heels and just walked barefoot into the house, leaning her weight on the arm Chen Lie was supporting, sharing her day with him. “I thought my first day would just be about getting familiar with the workflow and my new job, sitting in the office listening to the seniors explain things, not having to do anything. But in the morning I went out on assignment with Sister Li, then wrote up the article in the afternoon, and just as I was about to get off work, another urgent task came in…”

She spoke at an easy pace, but her tone was so infectious that it was hard not to be drawn in.

There was a soothing, comforting feeling to her words, like lying back in a chair on a warm spring afternoon, enjoying the gentle breeze.

“The director is an old classmate of Teacher Sun, and Sister Li must have gotten a heads-up from him, so she’s been looking out for me,” Su Qinghu continued, then seemed to remember something and turned to look at him. “And there’s another guy who said Teacher Sun was also his teacher. I even wrote an article for him…”

“So, in the end, who did Teacher Sun ask for help? The director? Or that senior who graduated a few years before you?”

They’d reached the living room. Chen Lie reminded her to watch the threshold, and once she was inside, he said, “I asked my parents for help. If I’m not mistaken, they went straight to your department director.”

Chen Lie spoke quietly, just loud enough for Su Qinghu to hear. “Teacher Sun was talking to his students about your job, and the director overheard.”

“No wonder,” Su Qinghu nodded. “Now that I know how everyone’s connected, things will be easier going forward.”

With that, she urged Chen Lie to go cool some boiled water for her.

Chen Lie didn’t move, hesitated, and finally said in a flat voice, “The kids got into a fight today and ruined the clothes you bought for them.”

Su Qinghu gave a half-smile. “A fight?”

Was that really a fight? More like they got robbed!

But from the way he said it, it seemed Chen Kenliang either didn’t mention the ruined clothes, or he hadn’t noticed."