Rebirth: Starting as a Mature Female Counselor

"Sleep together?" Yu Heng asked quite naturally.

Shen Yueling didn't answer immediately; sleeping in the same bed with him wasn't out of the question.

Anyway, we've done even more intimate things, let alone in our current relationship.

but……

"How are you going to explain this tomorrow morning?" she asked.

This is a very practical issue. Two people leaving the same room early in the morning and being seen entering the same room late at night are two different things.

However, either way seems to raise eyebrows, and she doesn't really want to expose this private relationship to everyone.

Yu Heng didn't really care, but Shen Yueling did, so he let it go. He didn't want to force her on such a trivial matter.

"Okay," Yu Heng nodded, "Ask Yu Tong which room she's in, and maybe we can squeeze in with her?"

"Hmm." Shen Yueling nodded. "Let me ask."

Yu Heng walked into the empty room and closed the door behind him.

He was too lazy to turn on the main light, so he just turned on the bedside lamp.

The room was small and dimly lit. He lay on the bed and let out a long sigh. Had he finally had a proper chat with Shen Yueling?

Just as I was pondering this, my phone vibrated. It was a WeChat message from Bai Xinran: "Are you asleep?"

Yu Heng: "No, it's the innermost room on the third floor. Come on over."

A few minutes later, footsteps stopped outside the door, followed by a cautious knock.

"Come in." Yu Heng didn't get up, and his voice was low.

The door was pushed open a crack, and Bai Xinran slipped in, then quickly closed the door again.

She changed into her pajamas, a light-colored long-sleeved shirt and pants, her hair loose, as if she had just washed up.

Only a small lamp was on in the room, casting a dim light. She stood at the door, looking somewhat awkward. Yu Heng got up and leaned against the headboard, watching her.

"Come here," he said.

Bai Xinran walked over and stopped a step away from the bed.

Yu Heng didn't speak, but simply raised his right hand and pointed his index finger at the floor in front of him.

Bai Xinran understood. She bit her lip and knelt down on the small rug laid out beside the bed.

The carpet wasn't thick, and you could feel the hardness of the wooden floor underneath. She straightened her back, placed her hands on her knees, and looked up at Yu Heng.

From this angle, she needs to look up slightly.

Yu Heng looked down at her. Her eyes held tension, obedience, and a hint of barely perceptible expectation.

"You did a great job today," Yu Heng said. "You kept it up for a long time."

The feeling of being recognized made her heart skip a beat.

"What kind of reward do you want?" Yu Heng asked.

A reward? Bai Xinran was taken aback; she hadn't thought about that.

"I don't know..." she said softly, and it was the truth.

Material rewards? She didn't particularly want any.

Further contact?

She felt that she might not be ready yet, and Yu Heng didn't seem to have that intention either.

Yu Heng didn't urge her, and just waited.

She recalled what Yu Heng had said before, and realized that she actually only vaguely understood these concepts.

Yu Heng patted her head a few times: "Good girl, go back now."

"Okay, but may I ask you a question?" Bai Xinran did not get up.

"What's the problem?"

"When are you going to accept me as your wife?" Bai Xinran asked.

"Actually, I can do it anytime, but I want to wait a little longer," Yu Heng said.

"Why?" Bai Xinran asked instinctively, then quickly added, "Sorry, I asked you a question again..."

"Because what I want is a long-term, stable relationship. This is different from dating, where you're just infatuated and decide to be together. This kind of relationship actually requires a long period of getting to know each other because it's different from dating. The relationship before and after is two different concepts." Yu Heng paused and continued, "I need to confirm that you can become the person I want you to be, and you also need to confirm that I am a person with an independent personality in real life who can take responsibility for my words and actions, and that I won't let things get out of control. I will guide and maintain this relationship in a state of mutual agreement, so you can really entrust everything to me."

Yu Heng looked at her and asked earnestly, "Are you ready?"

"Hmm..." Bai Xinran looked up, "Thank you for giving me time..."

Yu Heng ruffled Bai Xinran's hair again: "Shall we go back?"

Bai Xinran nodded and stood up, using the carpet for support.

Her knees were a little numb, so she rubbed them gently. As she walked to the door, she glanced back at Yu Heng.

Yu Heng had already lay down again and waved to her.

The door was gently closed, and Yu Heng lay down with his eyes closed for a while, but he wasn't sleepy.

I probably talked too much tonight, and my mind is a bit excited. I want to have a cigarette.

Yu Heng sat up and reached into his hoodie pocket; it was empty. The cigarette pack should still be on the coffee table.

He put on a hoodie, opened the door, and quietly went downstairs.

Only one floor lamp was on in the corner of the living room. The coffee table was clean and tidy, and his cigarette case was not on it.

Yu Heng bent down and looked under the coffee table, but there was nothing there.

It might have been taken away by someone, or thrown in the trash.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a figure on the balcony out of the corner of his eye.

The floor-to-ceiling glass door wasn't fully closed; a gap remained.

The balcony light wasn't on, but the light from the streetlights in the neighborhood shone through, revealing the silhouette of a woman.

Is it Qin Lu?

She wasn't wearing a coat, just a cardigan, and was standing with her back to the living room.

Yu Heng walked over and opened the glass door.

Qin Lu heard the noise and turned around. When she saw it was Yu Heng, she turned back around.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Yu Heng walked over to her and leaned against the railing as well.

Qin Lu had a cigarette between her fingers, which she had already smoked half of.

"You smoke?" Yu Heng was a little surprised.

"Occasionally, very rarely," Qin Lu said softly. "I smoke one when I'm feeling down."

She brought the cigarette to her lips, took a drag, and slowly exhaled.

Yu Heng asked, "Are there any more? Give me one."

"That's it, the last one on the coffee table," Qin Lu said.

Yu Heng pursed his lips, took the cigarette from her hand, and took a drag: "What's bothering you?"