The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

"I originally wanted to take you to visit some gardens in Suzhou," Lin Feng said. "The maple leaves in Lingering Garden should be starting to turn red this season."

Ye Qinghan put down her teacup, glanced at him, and said, "You even know about gardens?"

"I don't know, but I just think you'd like it." Lin Feng was telling the truth. He didn't know much about gardens, but he knew what kind of environment Ye Qinghan liked.

Quiet, refined, and elegant!

The gardens of Suzhou suited her temperament.

"Next time," Ye Qinghan said calmly. "Let's come again when we're not in a rush."

"it is good."

The dishes were served one after another.

The braised eel in hot oil was served last. The proprietress personally brought over a white porcelain bowl, the oil in the bowl still sizzling and bubbling. The eel shreds were cut into even pieces, coated with a layer of dark brown sauce, and sprinkled with ginger shreds and scallions. The moment the hot oil was poured over it, the aroma of the ginger and scallions and the freshness of the eel exploded at the same time.

Ye Qinghan picked up a piece with her chopsticks. The eel shreds were smooth and tender, and the sauce was salty and sweet, a standard Suzhou-style seasoning.

"How does it taste?" Lin Feng asked.

"Better than those other restaurants in Hehai." Ye Qinghan picked up another piece of food with his chopsticks, this time including the ginger slices. He chewed it a couple of times, nodded, and said, "The ginger slices are finely chopped; your knife skills are excellent."

The braised pork belly was made with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and had been stewed for at least four hours. When you picked it up with chopsticks, the pieces of meat trembled on the tips of the chopsticks, melting in your mouth. Ye Qinghan ate a piece without saying a word, but then reached for it again with her chopsticks.

As Lin Feng watched her eat, he recalled how she used to eat candied hawthorns and grilled gluten without any restraint on the snack street, and how she was now sitting in a private restaurant slowly savoring Suzhou cuisine. The two faces switched seamlessly.

This woman possesses a unique tension; every aspect of her is authentic, yet none of them conflict with each other.

It had gotten completely dark outside.

The lights on both sides of the river came on, and strings of warm yellow lights stretched out along the water's edge like a glowing necklace.

The window was half open, and the autumn evening breeze blew in from the river, carrying a little moisture and the faint fragrance of osmanthus blossoms in the distance.

Ye Qinghan put down her chopsticks, picked up her teacup to rinse her mouth, and then turned to look out the window. She rested her elbows on the windowsill and her chin on her forearm.

"It's raining," she suddenly said.

Lin Feng looked up and out.

The rain was light; fine, dense raindrops fell obliquely from the sky outside the window, hitting the surface of the river and creating tiny ripples.

A layer of water quickly shimmered on the roof tiles on the opposite bank, and when the light shone on them, the color of the tiles changed from grayish-black to a glossy dark black.

On the distant stone arch bridge, a pedestrian with a red umbrella walks by, looking like a moving flower in the gray rain.

"The rain in Jiangnan comes and goes without warning," Lin Feng said.

"That's good." Ye Qinghan didn't turn around, her voice lowered, "I've finally seen what the rain in Suzhou is like."

The rain fell heavier and heavier, making a soft, pattering sound as it hit the wooden window frame.

The river, stone bridge, white walls and gray tiles outside the window were all shrouded in rain, like an ink painting with its edges soaked by water.

The distant lights became hazy in the rain, and the reflections on the water were shattered by the raindrops, only to reassemble again, in an endless cycle.

Ye Qinghan stared at it for a long time, so long that the Biluochun tea on the table went completely cold.

Finally, she turned her head, looked at Lin Feng, and said, "So beautiful."

Lin Feng looked at her profile illuminated by the window light and then said, "Not as beautiful as Jing."

Ye Qinghan was stunned for a moment, then rolled her eyes at him.

"It just doesn't feel right coming from you to say something like that," she said.

"What's wrong?"

"You're not the type to say things like that." She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then put it back down, realizing the tea was cold. "But it's nice to say it once in a while."

Lin Feng smiled and didn't continue the topic.

I called the proprietress over to settle the bill, then took out my phone and dialed the hotel's number.

"Send a car to pick me up. The location is on Shantang Street." He gave Ye Qinghan the restaurant's address, then hung up and looked at her. "It'll take about twenty minutes. How about coming to my place tonight?"

Ye Qinghan nodded without hesitation.

They didn't just wait around in the restaurant.

When Lin Feng and Ye Qinghan walked out of the restaurant, it was still raining, not heavily, but a bit heavier than before. The proprietress chased after them and handed them an umbrella. Lin Feng took it and opened it; the umbrella wasn't large, just enough to cover the two of them when they squeezed together.

Ye Qinghan stood to his right, her shoulder against his arm. The faint scent of gardenias emanating from her was stronger than it had been in the afternoon, mixed with the dampness of the rain.

I stood under the eaves at the entrance of the alley, waiting for the bus.

The bluestone slabs in the alley were wet with rain, reflecting the red light of the lanterns on both sides, like a layer of dark red silk. Raindrops dripped from the eaves, hitting the bluestone slabs with a crisp pattering sound.

Ye Qinghan took a step closer to Lin Feng, her arm touching his. Lin Feng tilted the umbrella towards her, completely covering her shoulder, while his right sleeve was soaked by the rain.

Ye Qinghan noticed this and reached out to push the umbrella handle back a little, but Lin Feng didn't follow, and the umbrella still tilted towards her.

The car has arrived.

It was a black minivan, its body soaked by the rain, the streetlights casting flowing streaks of light on the hood. The driver got out, holding an umbrella, and opened the door for them. Lin Feng told Ye Qinghan to go in first, then folded the umbrella and returned it to the proprietress before following her inside.

The moment the car door closed, most of the sound of the rain outside was blocked out, leaving only the muffled sound of raindrops hitting the roof and the mechanical sound of the windshield wipers swinging back and forth.

The car's heater was on, making it five or six degrees warmer than outside. Ye Qinghan leaned back in the seat, a little rainwater clinging to her skirt. She reached out to brush it off, but it didn't come off, so she didn't care.

It takes about 20 minutes to drive from Shantang Street to the hotel.

The two barely spoke the rest of the way. Ye Qinghan leaned back in her seat, gazing out the window. Rain streamed down the glass, distorting the streetlights and neon signs outside into flowing ribbons of light.

The car soon stopped in front of the hotel.

A doorman came over with an umbrella to greet them. Lin Feng and Ye Qinghan got out of the car and walked through the revolving door into the lobby. The crystal chandelier in the lobby illuminated the entire space, and the marble floor was so polished that it reflected one's image. The receptionist at the front desk smiled and nodded in greeting.

As Ye Qinghan walked through the lobby, a man sitting in the lounge looked up at her, his gaze lingering on her for a couple of seconds before he looked away and continued looking at his phone.

There were only the two of them in the elevator.

The moment the elevator doors closed, Lin Feng pressed the button for the top floor.

The elevator began to ascend, the floor numbers ticking away, and neither of them spoke. Standing to his left front, her fingers unconsciously pinched the side seam of her skirt, pinching and releasing it repeatedly.

The elevator stopped at the top floor, and the moment the doors opened, the motion-sensor lights in the corridor turned on.

Lin Feng walked ahead, with Ye Qinghan following behind him. Their high heels made almost no sound on the carpet in the corridor. They stopped at the end of the corridor, and Lin Feng took out his room card and placed it on the sensor. The door clicked open.

He pushed open the door and let Ye Qinghan go in first.

The room was a presidential suite. The entrance led to a small living room with a sofa, coffee table, and TV cabinet made of dark solid wood. The curtains were half-drawn, and outside the window was the night view of Suzhou CBD, with the skyscrapers twinkling with lights in the rain.

Lin Feng closed the door, but before he could insert the room card to turn on the power, he felt a hand press on his chest in the darkness.

My palm rested on his left side of his chest, and through the fabric of his shirt, I could feel that hand was slightly warm. Then, with a little force, that hand pushed him back a step, and his back hit the door with a dull thud.

The light from the corridor wall lamp seeped in through the crack under the door, forming a narrow strip of light in the darkness. By that little bit of light, Lin Feng saw Ye Qinghan standing in front of him, less than twenty centimeters apart.

She had one hand on his chest and the other on the door panel next to his ear. She was about half a head shorter than him, so she looked up at him.

This position meant that her chest was inevitably pressed against his. Through two layers of clothing, Lin Feng could feel two soft and full breasts pressing against his ribs, warm and heavy, gently rolling against him with her breath.

Ye Qinghan pinned him against the wall.