CH 18

In the end, although he didn’t buy the melon, Fang Huaining still managed to eat it after returning to the company. The assistant at the switchboard lined up to buy it and generously shared it with Fang Huaining. Indeed, as everyone praised, the melon was rich in water, sweet in taste, high in quality and low in price.

Although quick profiteers are quite good at buying and selling to make money, they still have business ethics and a bottom line that they won’t cross.

So this afternoon, Fang Huaining continued to work surrounded by all kinds of melon scents indoors and outdoors, and at the same time he was accompanied by the busy stall downstairs at the main entrance.

When Fang Huaining walked out from the office after finishing his work, Li Ting’s melons were all sold out, but the person didn’t leave. He stayed there, bending to pick up the garbage on the ground.

A few coins fell out when Li Ting bent down, and rolled all the way over to him. Li Ting looked up and saw Fang Huaining standing in front of him.

Fang Huaining bent over to pick it up, walked over and handed the money back to the owner.

Li Ting took it and said “Thank you”.

Fang Huaining said: “Business was good.”

Li Ting said politely, “Just so-so.”

Li Ting: “Won’t sell for so cheap next time.”

Fang Huaining: “…”

Putting the money into his pocket, Li Ting dusted his clothes and walked in the direction of the bus stop, Fang Huaining watched the other party from behind and suddenly said, “There is a bus coming to pick us up today.”

Li Ting paused.

Fang Huaining added: “It’s free of cost.”

Li Ting turned back.

Hexin Industry was quite far away from the city, so of course the company has to arrange a shuttle bus to pick up the workers.

Since the staff management was quite chaotic during the trial operation, it wasn’t difficult for Li Ting to get onto the bus with him.

Even if some of the employees felt that this new colleague and the melon seller from downstairs looked a little similar, they won’t put too much thought into it in the end.

Fang Huaining chose to sit near the back and Li Ting followed him to sit in the back as well.

Once the bus got on the road successfully, Li Ting leaned back on the chair, and couldn’t help but move his buttocks sideways, then he moved again after a while.

Fang Huaining saw his movements, and when the vehicle was at a turning point, as Li Ting leaned towards him due to the centrifugal force, he crossed his body to the other side and pressed the button on the side of the seat, following his actions, the back of Li Ting’s chair was lowered.

Li Ting was startled, and turned his head.

Fang Huaining withdrew his hand expressionlessly and said, “Go to sleep.”

After all, Li Ting was not Iron-man, so how could Li Ting not be tired? He also knew that he was not as healthy as usual but decided to sell the melons all afternoon, and this combined with running back and forth all day, he’d really consumed a lot of energy. 

The uncomfortable feeling was relieved by the lowering of the chair, so, Li Ting listened to Fang Huaining’s words, and closed his eyes obediently.

It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep.

It wasn’t until he sensed that the person beside him was truly asleep that Fang Huaining turned his head to look at him.

Li Ting was sleeping peacefully, his thin chest rose and fell slightly as he breathed, and outside his clothes, the exposed limbs were thin and slender. It was impossible to imagine the infinite energy contained therein just by looking at them.

It was getting dark outside, the car was speeding away on the highway, and the street lights outside the window flickered brightly, illuminating Li Ting’s face.

Fang Huaiming looked at the contours of Li Ting’s eyes, nose and lips, and suddenly felt that he was a bit like fireworks.

Yes, the kind of thing that is wrapped in plain paper, light, and thinly covered, but once it is ignited by a little primer, it can instantly explode into a startling brilliance.

Unpredictable, dangerous and mysterious, one… couldn’t take his eyes off.

In the past, as long as he had spare time, Fang Huaining’s mind was always occupied by various pieces of theoretical knowledge and codes, but now he didn’t even realize what he had been thinking throughout such a long drive.

By the time he came back to his senses, Li Ting had woken up and was looking at him in confusion.

Li Ting blinked, slowly sat up and opened the window.

Fang Huaining thought that Li Ting wanted to take a breath of fresh air, but after looking outside for a while, he stood up.

Fang Huaining: “?”

Li Ting said, “I’m going to get off.”

Fang Huaining remembered that Li Ting got off with him in the urban area when they travelled this road last time, but now they were still quite far away from there. It was only about halfway through the drive.

Fang Huaining thought that perhaps he was confused due to sleepiness.

Seeing that he refused to let go, Li Ting wanted to squeeze out by himself, but at this moment the bus made a sharp turn, and one of Li Ting’s legs got caught between Fang Huaining’s legs, his knee suddenly bent and his entire body became unsteady, falling towards Fang Huaining!

Although Fang Huaining immediately reached out to catch the person to maintain his balance, Li Ting still fell onto Fang Huaining’s body, and even bumped his head.

Fang Huailing was stunned.

A very soft muffled groan came from next to his ear, making him react. He hurriedly supported Li Ting’s waist to distance himself from the person, then frowned and asked, “Are you all right?”

The fall didn’t directly hit Li Ting’s wound, but it still made him uncomfortably choked.

Li Ting put his hand on Fang Huaining’s shoulder and gasped lightly a couple times, then yanked his leg back, gritted his teeth and said: “I… I’m home, I want to get off.”

The bus had already arrived at a stop, and the driver turned his head, as if to indicate that he would drive if no one got off.

In such a situation, Fang Huaining had no choice but to stand up, grab Li Ting’s hand, and half help-half carry him down.

As soon as they got down, the gate closed and the shuttle bus roared away, while the two people who were left in the dark looked at each other, both speechless.

Fang Huaining didn’t know why he had also come down, while Li Ting was frustrated with whatever the hell was going on in the chaos just now.

A strange silence spread again…

But the bus had already left, and the matter had to be resolved. Thinking that Fang Huaining had helped him, Li Ting slowly calmed down and said, “There are no taxis or buses through here, we have to go further .”

After speaking, he stepped forward.

Seeing this, Fang Huaining could only follow, so the two of them stumbled ahead on a dark road with no street lights and no building in sight.

As Li Ting walked beside Fang Huaining, his steps had returned to the steady pace from before, as if the exhaustion just now was only Fang Huaining’s illusion.

In the silent summer night, except for the occasional cicadas, there were only the footsteps and light breathing of the two of them, interacting wordlessly.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, there were finally storefronts, street lights, and a bus station in front of them.

Fang Huaining slowed down, but did not stop completely, until Li Ting turned his head and said to him: “My house is here.”

Following Li Ting’s gaze, Fang Huaining found that there was indeed an unremarkable alley on the right side of the road , there seemed to be an old apartment building in the darkness at the end.

Did he really live here?

Fang Huaining stopped.

“Routes 12 and 28 will both go back to the urban area.” Li Ting said again.

Fang Huaining nodded and headed towards the station.

However, after standing there for a while, he found that Li Ting did not leave, but also came this way, finally stopping in front of a newsstand.

Fang Huaining watched him walk over, pick up a magazine and then pay for it.

When he turned around, his gaze collided with Fang Huaining again.

“Cosmic Science” magazine?

Fang Huaining was surprised that Li Ting would like this, and couldn’t help but say: “This magazine series is not very cost-effective. It used to be good some time back, but now there are a lot of advertisements, half of it is waste paper, and it is still quite expensive.”

A pragmatist like Li Ting should have liked his suggestion, but Li Ting just stared at him blankly, making Fang Huaining think that he had missed something just now.

Instead, Li Ting said: “I know, ‘Mysterious World’ was its previous name right?”

After saying that, Li Ting turned around to leave.

At that moment, Fang Huaiming suddenly felt that Li Ting’s back looked inexplicably lonely.

He had seen so many times when Li Ting was in distress, wet in the rain, tired and injured, but he never made Fang Huaining feel that he needed…to be comforted, the way he did right now. 

It was completely different from that cunning little profiteer during the day today, and Fang Huailing’s feeling of suffocation came back again.

Fang Huaining called softly: “Hey…”

Li Ting turned his head.

Fang Huaining raised his hand towards him and threw something.

Li Ting caught it, opening his fist to find a USB flash drive lying in the palm of his hand.

“I researched an accounting software for a client before. I think it is very convenient and can save a lot of calculation time. You can try it, the one with the yellow logo.”

Before Li Ting could answer, Fang Huaining waved at him, then got into an approaching taxi and left.

Don’t forget to rate this novel on NU so it gathers more readers : D

If you know Chinese please help me understand what this says, mtl makes no sense:

方槐柠瞥了眼栗亭挂在胸前的手：“是有点勉强。”  

栗亭毫不示弱：“所以下回再卖就没那么便宜了。”