10

Early in the morning, with good weather, blue skies, white clouds, and a gentle spring breeze that made one drowsy, Ye Linghua was stunned by the bank card placed on the table.

　　She turned to look at Lin Xin beside her.

　　Lin Xin looked a little embarrassed. Seeing Ye Linghua staring at her, she could only explain, "You'll need to go out and buy things for the household, so keep this card and just swipe it whenever necessary."

　　Ye Linghua had always thought Lin Xin was a naive person—after all, to have liked someone like Zheng Lanwen, if she didn't have a heart pure as crystal, it wouldn't have been possible.

　　But she didn't expect… she was this naivety?

　　"You're just giving me the card?" Ye Linghua asked.

　　Lin Xin chuckled. "I trust you."

　　Ye Linghua: "...I'm honored." But was this really just a matter of trust?!

　　Despite saying that, Ye Linghua still pondered how to make Lin Xin understand that trust wasn't something to be handled like this.

　　After much thought, she finally attempted to say, "But for things like this, wouldn't giving some cash directly…" be better?

　　Lin Xin looked worried. "What if it's not enough? Nobody really uses cash to buy groceries anymore. It wouldn't be convenient if you were the only one carrying cash."

　　Ye Linghua pursed her lips. "...Bank transfers work too."

　　Lin Xin was even more puzzled. "So I should let people run a tab first?"

　　Ye Linghua was out of options and had to ask, "How did your previous housekeeper handle household expenses?"

　　Lin Xin looked equally lost. "Auntie Wang? She always settled it with my mom."

　　Ye Linghua: "...Oh."

　　At this moment, the card on the table symbolized Lin Xin's trust and singular favor, making it feel unbearably heavy.

　　Ye Linghua reached out, picked up the card, flipped it over a couple of times, and jokingly asked, "There wouldn't happen to be a million in here, would there?"

　　Lin Xin: "...That's too much."

　　Ye Linghua burst out laughing, propping her chin up with one hand while toying with the card in the other. "Aren't rich people always like this? Casually throwing around millions, calling it pocket money."

　　Lin Xin: "...Then should I transfer a million in?" She couldn't be outdone! It was just pocket money, after all!

　　Ye Linghua laughed out loud. "I was joking. If you really transferred it, I'd take the money and run."

　　Lin Xin couldn't help but laugh and scold, "You'd run away over just that little bit?"

　　Ye Linghua simply smiled without responding. It seemed like Lin Xin had really spent a lot on Zheng Lanwen. But thinking about it, it didn't really matter—Lin Xin was the main character, after all. In the future, they would be like family, and who would even care about whose money was whose? With that thought, Ye Linghua finally put the card away.

　　Seeing her accept it, Lin Xin moved on to discussing work.

　　"To be honest, I haven't worked much these past few years."

　　Ye Linghua nodded without asking why.

　　Lin Xin let out a sigh of relief and continued, "Over the past couple of days, sister Meng has been helping me look at potential jobs. I'll probably attempt a comeback with a new song."

　　Ye Linghua thought for a moment—this was exactly how it happened in the novel. Lin Xin had also made a comeback with a new song, but due to the controversy surrounding Lin Wan, she was being heavily cyberbullied at the time, leading to the outcome of the song being popular, but not the singer.

　　In other words, the song was really good.

　　If it was a good song, then they had to secure it.

　　Lin Xin continued, "sister Meng suggested that I meet the composer of the song. They're a newcomer, and they should be coming over tomorrow."

　　Ye Linghua nodded. "That's great."

　　Lin Xin hadn't expected her to comment. Hearing Ye Linghua support her comeback plan, she looked up in surprise. "Really?"

Ye Linghua smiled. "Mm, it's a good plan. Since we have a guest coming tomorrow, I'll go to the market. The fridge has been empty these past few days—it's time to stock up."

　　Hearing this, Lin Xin quickly got up, grabbed a light jacket, and said, "I'll go with you!"

　　Ye Linghua: "Alright, but wear a mask."

　　Lin Xin: "...Okay."

* * * *

　　The two drove to a nearby large supermarket. Ye Linghua wasn't familiar with the area, so Lin Xin led the way.

　　Lin Xin explained, "This supermarket has everything, and because they sell in bulk, the prices are lower, so business is always great."

　　Ye Linghua nodded while observing the surroundings.

　　The villa area where Lin Xin lived was expensive but not exactly in the city center. It wasn't too far from downtown, but it definitely wasn't within walking distance.

　　Likewise, this supermarket wasn't close to the city center either. Probably for the sake of having such a massive parking lot, it was located at the outskirts of town. Yet, business was still booming—just looking at how hard it was to find a parking spot was proof of that.

　　After circling the lot, Lin Xin finally found a parking space in a rather inconvenient spot. She carefully maneuvered the steering wheel while watching the rearview camera, slowly adjusting.

　　Ye Linghua twitched her lips, about to speak, when the sound of the rear tires scraping against something reached their ears.

　　Lin Xin's head shot up, looking at the side mirror—but she couldn't see anything. So, she pulled forward a little and tried backing in again.

　　Ye Linghua had no choice but to remind her, "The rearview camera has a flaw—it's hard to judge distances properly."

　　Lin Xin blinked her big eyes at Ye Linghua with an innocent look and said, "That's not true. If I get too close, it beeps."

　　Ye Linghua couldn't help but laugh. "But the curb is too low for the sensors to detect."

　　As soon as she said that, the sound of the front tires getting squeezed came next. Lin Xin froze and said, "The main problem is that this parking spot is really small, and there's a curb right next to it."

　　Ye Linghua: "I know. Don't rush—your rear tires are already in. Just pull out a little to adjust, and then the front ones will go in smoothly."

　　Lin Xin's driving skills weren't the best, but they weren't terrible either. She took a deep breath, adjusted again, and finally parked safely.

　　The parking spot was so tight that even getting out of the car was a hassle.

　　The two of them squeezed their way out before finally walking side by side toward the supermarket.

　　The distance wasn't short, and along the way, Lin Xin brought up another topic. "If negotiations for the song go well, I might have to go on a business trip soon."

　　Ye Linghua responded with a simple "Mm" before saying, "I'll go with you." After all, she was now also working as a personal assistant.

Lin Xin smiled, glanced at her, and didn't argue. She continued, "sister Meng said that the composer is a newcomer. Actually, the boss wasn't interested in his song—it was sister Meng who thought it was good and reached out. If the song turns out well, sister Meng plans to hire a top lyricist."

Ye Linghua nodded. "That's as it should be."

She wasn't particularly interested in the entertainment industry. It was only because Lin Xin was in this field that she occasionally listened in. Not being interested was one thing, but lacking experience was another.

All she knew was that, according to the novel, this song was excellent. So, she would fully support Lin Xin.

The walk from the parking lot wasn't short, and cars were constantly moving in and out. Lin Xin, easily distracted while talking, didn't notice that cars were passing dangerously close to her several times.

She herself was oblivious, but Ye Linghua was startled more than once.

Seeing that Lin Xin was still engrossed in conversation about the industry, Ye Linghua couldn't hold back any longer. She reached out, took Lin Xin's hand, and pulled her to her right side.

Their clasped hands radiated warmth.

Lin Xin, caught off guard, hadn't even had time to react before she felt a gentle tug. Her feet instinctively followed the force, and as she passed in front of Ye Linghua, the faint, fresh scent unique to her drifted along the breeze.

Lin Xin blinked. The fragrance was unexpectedly pleasant.

By the time she stood on Ye Linghua's other side, she finally realized what had happened.

A soft pink hue crept up her face as she grew a bit embarrassed. "Walking on the outside causes trouble for you."

So, she was aware of her habit of not paying attention while walking.

Ye Linghua answered straightforwardly, "It's not trouble. But if you walk on the inside, I won't have to keep worrying about you."

Lin Xin's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly understood—this woman always meant things exactly as she said them. There were no hidden implications. But even so…

Lin Xin turned to Ye Linghua with a bright smile and sincerely said, "Thank you."

Having someone who cares about you—was a nice feeling.