It fell from his fingertips

Meeting Zhou Jinbai's deep and intense gaze, Tang Luoqing's long eyelashes trembled, and she tightened her grip on her phone.

Her throat tightened, and she couldn't utter a single word of refusal.

At the same time, she clearly understood that the excessively considerate care Zhou Jinbai had given her tonight was not meant for her in the first place.

If she softens and compromises or doesn't refuse outright at this point, it will inevitably lead to more complicated and tangled issues in the future, creating a lot of unnecessary trouble.

So, Tang Luoqing pursed her pale lips tightly, deliberately avoiding the other person's burning gaze. Her long eyelashes drooped down, concealing all the panic and turmoil in her eyes, and her tone became increasingly distant: "No need, thank you."

After she finished speaking, she didn't dare to look at Zhou Jinbai again, picked up her phone and opened the app.

Fortunately, the sky was clear tonight, and the destination wasn't far from the city center. In just over ten seconds, the system notified us that someone had accepted the order and the driver was nearby and on his way.

Inside the car, Zhou Jinbai sat upright in the driver's seat, his dark eyes fixed on the girl's slender back. His well-defined hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging from the effort.

A short while later, the taxi stopped in front of Tang Luoqing, and the driver got out to help Tang Luoqing lift her suitcase and put it in the trunk.

Then, Tang Luoqing bent down and got into the car, which started and drove towards the outskirts of the city.

Only when the taxi completely disappeared into the night did Zhou Jinbai turn his gaze away, his eyes swirling with complex and unreadable emotions.

Then, start the car.

Throughout the journey, Zhou Jinbai's car maintained a considerable distance from the taxi, ensuring it wouldn't be noticed and allowing him to arrive at Tang Luoqing's side immediately should she encounter any danger.

An hour and a half later, the taxi stopped at the intersection of a country road.

The night was deep, and a bright full moon hung high in the trees. The country lane was quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze.

Tang Luoqing opened the car door and got out. After paying the fare, she prepared to push her two suitcases forward.

He had only taken two steps when two elderly women from the village, who had been sitting at the crossroads enjoying the cool air, quickly came to greet him after seeing Tang Luoqing clearly.

One of the older women spoke first: "Luo Qing? Why are you back so late?"

Tang Luoqing politely gave a slight smile: "I'd like to come back and stay for a while."

"Oh, I see. Okay, okay."

The two elderly women beamed with joy and quickly stepped forward to take the heavy suitcase from Tang Luoqing's hands, saying, "Come on, let me help you push it. It's tiring for a young girl to drag so much stuff so late at night."

Tang Luoqing was slightly taken aback. Seeing the women's enthusiastic help, a warm feeling rose in her heart, and her tense heart, which had been taut all night, finally relaxed a little.

Meanwhile, in a secluded spot by the roadside not far away, Zhou Jinbai, inside his car, witnessed the entire scene.

Only after Tang Luoqing's figure disappeared around the corner of the village entrance with the two elderly women did he slowly withdraw his gaze and start the car again.

On the other side, in the village.

With the help of two kind-hearted elderly neighbors, Tang Luoqing returned home.

Pushing open the door, the large courtyard was quiet and empty, bathed in the bright moonlight.

The courtyard was clean and tidy. A cherry blossom tree stood in the center of the courtyard, and under the tree were two old wooden recliners. Next to it was a simple swing, which was one of Tang Luoqing's favorite things since childhood.

When Naitang returned to her familiar surroundings, she immediately broke free of her cat carrier, darted into the yard, jumped onto the swing, and wagged her little tail.

Tang Luoqing felt even warmer inside as she watched this scene.

She turned around and smiled at the two elderly women who came to help, saying, "Thank you, Aunt Song, thank you, Auntie Xie."

"Oh, you're welcome."

Aunt Song waved her hand, her eyes filled with warmth: "You suddenly came back so late at night, and the house has been uninhabited for so long, everything inside must be covered in dust. We're just sitting around anyway, so we'll tidy it up for you."

Before she could finish speaking, and before Tang Luoqing could stop her, the two older women had already busied themselves with their work.

Tang Luoqing was extremely grateful. Knowing that she couldn't refuse now, she thanked the two of them and joined in the packing.

The three people worked quickly and efficiently. In addition, Tang Luoqing would occasionally take some time to come back and clean and sit for a while, so the old house was not dirty or messy to begin with. In just over half an hour, the rooms, living room and other areas were cleaned up spotlessly.

Looking at the newly renovated house, Tang Luoqing was moved and opened her wallet, wanting to take out money to thank the two elderly women for their kind help.

Seeing this, the two waved their hands repeatedly, saying they absolutely refused to accept her money. They smiled and declined several times, and before Tang Luoqing could say anything more polite, they turned around and left the courtyard together with smiles.

Seeing this, Tang Luoqing thought that she would find a way to express her gratitude tomorrow no matter what.

Little did they know that after the two women left her courtyard and walked a distance away to make sure Tang Luoqing couldn't hear them, they huddled together and whispered among themselves.

"I never thought I could earn a thousand yuan just by doing some cleaning work. This money is too easy to earn."

Another person chimed in, "That's really generous. Luo Qing's boyfriend is incredibly wealthy."

"Shh... Keep your voice down. When that man sent someone over to explain, he didn't explicitly say that he was Luo Qing's boyfriend, did he?"

"Hey, is that even a question? If it weren't for her boyfriend, who would be so generous? They must have broken up, right? Otherwise, she wouldn't have specifically asked us to stand guard at the village entrance late at night to keep an eye on things, and even asked us to help tidy up the house and stuff."

"Too."

The two walked further and further away, whispering to each other, while the small courtyard behind them fell silent.

She quickly packed her belongings, washed up, and then lay down in her familiar bed.

Milk Candy nestled in her arms, the two of them gazing up at the moonlight outside the window.

Tang Luoqing thought that everything that had happened tonight was too chaotic and embarrassing, and that she would have a hard time falling asleep. But perhaps it was because the atmosphere of her hometown was so familiar and made her feel safe, or perhaps she was too tired from all the commotion tonight. In any case, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next day, the warm sunlight filled the room. Tang Luoqing opened her eyes groggily and heard a faint knocking sound coming from outside.

Tang Luoqing wondered who would come so early in the morning. She got out of bed, walked out of the room, crossed the courtyard, opened the door, and saw the two old women from last night.

"Luo Qing, you're awake? We've brought you breakfast."

Two elderly women stood smiling at the door, carrying a full load of things: homemade steamed buns, homemade soy milk, and a large plate of fragrant fried noodles.

Tang Luoqing felt even warmer inside. She thanked the two elderly women repeatedly and watched them leave before turning around, closing the door, and returning to her room.

I had just put breakfast on the table when my phone rang.

And what was displayed on the screen was Zhou Yanchen's name.