My girlfriend isn't as cute as me.

Perhaps because Ye Yue was so outrageous, Xu Yufeng gradually came to accept that Lin Jiu's girlfriend was a glutton. It's just eating five bowls of rice in one meal, no big deal, nothing compared to what Ye Yue had mentioned.

She's been very listless lately.

Lin Jiu said somewhat listlessly.

Normally, Wang Yuting would accompany Lin Jiu to the Tea Cat Cafe regardless of wind, rain, or thunder. However, she was too tired today. She groggily tried to get out of bed, but fell asleep halfway through. Seeing that Wang Yuting could barely keep her eyes open, Lin Jiu helplessly pressed her back onto the bed, covered her with a blanket, and told her to rest at home.

With the Clow Card Book at home, Lin Jiu wasn't worried about Wang Yuting being in any danger while alone. Before leaving, Lin Jiu prepared lunch and afternoon tea desserts, making sure she wouldn't go hungry. To keep her spirits up, Lin Jiu even lifted the snack restriction, letting her do whatever made her happy. If she only focused on physical health and neglected her mental state, things could easily go wrong.

Lin Jiu had considered taking leave to stay home with Wang Yuting, but Wang Yuting would feel guilty and extremely frustrated about it.

Because of her, Lin Jiu was implicated.

To avoid giving Wang Yuting any unnecessary thoughts, Lin Jiu came to work after confirming that she was alright.

This is why Lin Jiu felt uneasy today; he had a vague premonition that things weren't so simple.

"Speaking of which, there's something else."

Lin Jiu's eyes were vacant as she muttered, "I was thinking that even just once in a while would be fine, so I allowed her to drink beer last night to cheer her up. But she didn't even take a sip. And that's Wang Yuting! The Wang Yuting who's addicted to alcohol! The Wang Yuting who secretly downed a whole can of beer in one gulp while I was showering! Even after I lectured her, she didn't learn her lesson. She's someone who can't live without alcohol for the rest of her life!" Lin Jiu grabbed Ye Yue's shoulders and shook her violently, truly astonished and at a loss for what to do.

"Ah wah wah wah no no..."

Ye Yue was so dizzy from being shaken by Lin Jiu that even her glasses fell off her nose.

If Lin Jiu keeps swaying like this, Ye Yue might throw up.

"Calm down."

Xu Yufeng held Lin Jiu down.

Hazuki barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit. She could feel how terrified and uneasy Lin Jiu was. She groggily put her glasses back on and began to reorganize her thoughts.

"Loss of appetite, lack of energy, drowsiness, and even refuses to drink alcohol..."

Ye Yue pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised her hand and said firmly, "I know! My thoughts were right after all, this is the cold period! Ying Yu is like this sometimes too. She seems fine most of the time, but when she throws a tantrum, she won't even say a word to me. She won't go to dinner when I ask her, she looks lifeless, and she even has dark circles under her eyes—it hurts!"

"It's all because some idiot miscalculated the store's entire year's revenue, forcing me to recalculate it all over again."

Tong Yingyu arrived in the lounge at some point, and upon hearing Ye Yue's confident words, she didn't hesitate to deliver a blow.

Hazuki crouched on the ground, clutching her head, which was faintly smoking, her body trembling with pain.

Tong Yingyu has learned her lesson this time. Trying to punch someone with a stubborn head like Ye Yue will only hurt your own hand.

Her choice to use a thick book instead of a stool was Tong Yingyu's final act of tenderness towards Ye Yue.

"manager."

Xu Yufeng awkwardly greeted Tong Yingyu.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to urge you to work. Anyway, there aren't many customers in the store right now, so it's fine to rest a little longer." Tong Yingyu waved her hand, telling Xu Yufeng not to be nervous and to relax.

Tong Yingyu was the complete opposite of Ye Yue. She always led by example and had an extremely upright work attitude. The store's employees subconsciously regarded Tong Yingyu as a role model, always trying to behave more proactively in front of her, subconsciously wanting to gain Manager Tong's approval. As for being in front of Ye Yue... the employees didn't want customers to think they were no different from her, so they had to work hard for that reason.

These two people are clearly two extremes, yet they can inspire employees to work hard, which is truly a match made in heaven.

"I roughly understand what happened."

Tong Yingyu rubbed her temples. No matter how you look at it, there's only one explanation for this situation, right?

It's definitely that one, absolutely that one!

"Girls always have those few days every month, right?"

Tong Yingyu didn't think much of it; she simply assumed it was Wang Yuting's period.

Ye Yue and Xu Yufeng both turned their gazes to Tong Yingyu. The former's playful smile faded, while the latter shook her head slightly, indicating that the situation might not be so simple.

Lin Jiu was stunned.

He thought about it carefully. The month was coming to an end, but Yuting showed no signs of having her period.

Excessive sleepiness, lack of appetite, dizziness, fatigue... amenorrhea.

In conclusion, the answer is self-evident.

My hands and feet seemed to become numb, I suddenly couldn't hear the sounds around me, and what I saw in front of me became blurry.

A surge of strong emotions welled up within me, a mixture of joy, unease, and anxiety.

Lin Jiu felt like she had done something wrong, but she didn't regret it.

And you must never regret it.

Lin Jiu clenched her hands.

The noisy auditory hallucinations shattered with the soft cracking of bones from the fingers, and all the confusion about the unknown vanished like smoke.

The life pressures facing Lin Jiu are like towering mountains: the age gap and the issue of marriage. These two things alone are enough to make him unsteady on his feet. Even so, he still has to take the first step and can't just stop there.

Lin Jiu's feelings for Wang Yuting were never a lie; he genuinely wanted to stay by her side forever.

"hiss……"

Lin Jiu took a gentle breath.

The entire staff break room was so quiet that you could hear him breathing.

Even though Tong Yingyu was clumsy, she noticed something was wrong and belatedly realized what was happening.

Ye Yue raised her hand and covered Tong Yingyu's mouth to stop her from exclaiming, then shook her head helplessly.

In fact, Ye Yue had realized what was going on from the start, but she wanted to give Lin Jiu some time to react, and also wanted to verify the situation before having a proper talk with Wang Yuting. Unexpectedly, Lin Jiu had already deduced it herself, not giving her the chance.

"Manager."

Lin Jiu slowly said, "Could you pay me my salary for this month in advance?"

"Sure, but what are you planning to do?" Ye Yue narrowed her eyes slightly. "Are you planning to run away with the bucket?"

"...How did you manage to refrain from hitting her?"

Lin Jiu turned to Tong Yingyu and asked.

"I have never tolerated it."

Tong Yingyu has always been one to fight without hesitation and never holds back, which is bad for her health.

To be precise, it's bad for Hazuki's health.

If she hadn't been beaten by Tong Yingyu, her body would have experienced withdrawal symptoms.

"Brother Feng, do you have some time after get off work today?" Lin Jiu asked Xu Yufeng. "I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"it is good."

Xu Yufeng agreed without even thinking.

Before Lin Jiu could even explain what it was about, he said it was no problem.

This shows Xu Yufeng's trust in Lin Jiu. During the time they worked together, he was quite clear about Lin Jiu's character.

"Thank you."

Lin Jiu breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he wanted to rush home right away, he still had things to do.

"I'm going to work now!"

Lin Jiu left the lounge and used work to dispel the lingering unease in her heart.

Xu Yufeng smiled slightly as he looked at Lin Jiu's excited expression.

"You see it too?"

Ye Yue looked at Xu Yufeng's emotional expression and smiled at him.

"Yes, to be honest, I'm quite envious of him." Xu Yufeng smiled slightly, a hint of envy in his smile.

"Then you and your wife should really try harder," Ye Yue said, giving him a thumbs up to encourage and support him.

"Hey, you idiot!" Tong Yingyu thought of Xu Yufeng's wife; the girl's health wasn't very good.

Xu Yufeng saw Tong Yingyu about to pick up a book and smash it on Ye Yue's head, and quickly went over to stop her.

When Ye Yue said those words, she meant no harm whatsoever, and Xu Yufeng could sense that.

"If I'm too gentle with my wife, she'll feel shy, which isn't good for her heart," Xu Yufeng said with some regret.

"Then you can use an unkind method to create a baby for your wife—Ouch! That hurts! Why did you hit me again!" Ye Yue covered her head, tears welling in her eyes, not understanding why she was being beaten. She was simply giving the shop assistant advice; what had she done wrong?

"Shut up and come with me."

Tong Yingyu, her face flushed, dragged Ye Yue away from the lounge.

Xu Yufeng stood there blankly, then raised his cup and took a sip of lukewarm tea.

"Is this even possible?"

Chapter 426 Not even once

"what……"

Wang Yuting opened her eyes groggily.

She instinctively lifted her leg to press it to the side, but missed.

If Wang Yuting woke up earlier than Lin Jiu, she would grab Lin Jiu and then hug him in her arms.

"Ok?"

Wang Yuting patted the empty bed beside her, and only after confirming that Lin Jiu wasn't there did she force herself to sit up. Even though she had slept for a long time, she still felt very sleepy and hungry.

"Jiu'er?"

Wang Yuting tried calling out.

No one responded to her.

Wang Yuting tilted her head slightly and looked towards the window.

The sunlight today is exceptionally bright, radiating an orange glow that casts a warm hue on the desk.

Looking at the sunlight outside the window, Wang Yuting vaguely felt that something was wrong. Sweat began to bead on her forehead, and she took out her phone to check.