Green plums cannot become lovers.

Akane Akasaka is already working.

She sat behind her desk, several documents and a laptop spread out in front of her, an empty mug beside her to her left. She wore a dark gray suit jacket over a black turtleneck, her hair casually pulled back, a few stray strands falling at her temples and swaying gently in the air conditioning.

The screen light shone on her face, illuminating her features clearly. There was a faint bluish ring under her eyes, probably from staying up late again last night.

An and Asuka walked over, placed the plastic bag on the desk, and pushed it to her side.

"Sister Zhu Yin, you're here so early. Haven't you had breakfast yet?"

Akane Akasaka shifted her gaze from the screen to the plastic bag, paused for a second, and then looked up at him.

"At least you have some conscience."

She took the bag without ceremony, untied the knot, and took out the contents one by one. The buns were still warm, with thin skins and generous fillings, the pleats neatly pinched, like an unsteamed flower. The pumpkin porridge was in a transparent plastic bowl, with a layer of fine water droplets condensing on the lid.

"After all, Sister Zhu Yin did it for me."

An and Feiniao pulled out chairs and sat down, placing their hands on the armrests as they watched the woman unpack the disposable chopsticks. She rubbed the two chopsticks together in her hands to remove any splinters.

"I knew it was for you, so why didn't you come to the meeting yesterday afternoon?"

Akane Akasaka broke her chopsticks apart, picked up a steamed bun, and took a bite. She glanced at him sideways and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I forgot."

An and Asuka rarely showed an embarrassed expression. He turned his face away, his gaze falling on the dying potted plant in the corner, as if studying how a leaf began to wither from the edge.

Yesterday, after leaving the dance studio, I went home with Ai Hoshino. Then it was dinner, the sofa, chatting, and those things that made him get out of bed this morning with his back aching. The meeting was completely forgotten.

"I'm sorry, Sister Zhu Yin."

His tone was so sincere that Akane Akane was taken aback.

The woman smiled slightly as she looked at him, who seemed to have done something wrong.

no surprise

Compared to the usual composed and thoughtful young man, this guilty guy who dared not look her in the eye and obediently admitted his mistake was much more interesting to her.

"You..."

She dragged out the last syllable of her sentence, swallowed the last bite of the steamed bun, picked up the pumpkin porridge, lifted the lid, and blew on it to cool it down.

"Never mind, let me tell you about yesterday's meeting first."

Anhe and the bird raised their heads and pricked up their ears.

Akane Akasaka ate her porridge while recounting the contents of yesterday's meeting.

She spoke slowly and clearly, detailing everything from game pricing and launch platforms to the timing of promotional materials and media reviews.

An and Asuka listened and nodded.

"Don't just nod, say what you think." Akane Akasaka put down her bowl of porridge, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and looked at him.

"No objections."

An and Asuka shook their heads, their gazes calm.

"I have always believed in Sister Zhu Yin."

This wasn't just polite talk; from the moment he met her, she had been constantly helping him. He was extremely grateful and willing to offer her his complete trust.

Akane Akane paused for a moment.

Then she lowered her head, put the lid back on the porridge bowl, and put it back in the plastic bag. Her movements were a little quick, as if she was trying to cover something up.

"...smooth-talking."

Her voice was a little lower than before, and her confidence and momentum were somewhat weaker.

The two chatted for a while longer, finalizing some details. Akane Akane jotted down a few notes in her notebook, while An and Asuka leaned back in their chairs, looking out at the sky. The clouds were thicker than in the morning, turning from orange-pink to grayish-white, but sunlight still managed to filter through the gaps, cutting bright spots across the distant skyscrapers.

Suddenly, Akane Akasaka frowned.

Her fingers pressed lightly on her stomach, but An and Asuka saw it.

Her complexion gradually lost its color, going from its normal paleness.

"Sister Zhu Yin, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Akane Akasaka released her grip, picked up her chopsticks again, took a piece of pickled vegetable, put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, "It's just a little..."

Before she could finish speaking, her brows furrowed again, this time even more deeply, and her fingers unconsciously pressed back down.

An and Asuka stood up, walked around the desk, and went to her side.

"Could the breakfast be poisoned?"

"You brat, be serious."

Akane Akane was almost laughing in anger, but halfway through her laughter, her stomach churned, and her smile turned into a muffled groan.

"It's your fault for always skipping breakfast."

An and Asuka bent down, supporting her arm with one hand and reaching behind her with the other to help her up from the chair. Akane Akane seemed to want to say something, her lips moved, but in the end she said nothing and stood up with his help.

He helped her to lie down on the sofa next to him.

Then An and Asuka turned around and walked to the cabinet, squatted down and opened the bottom drawer. After rummaging through it for more than ten seconds, they found what they wanted.

He took out the medicine box, checked the expiration date to make sure it wasn't expired, then walked to the water dispenser and filled a glass with warm water. The sound of the running water seemed a bit noisy in the quiet office.

He carried the water glass back to the sofa, squatted down, and handed over the pills and warm water together.

"Here, take your medicine first."

Akane Akane looked at the boy squatting by the sofa for two seconds, then reached out and took the pills, put them in her mouth, and took the water glass, tilting her head back to drink a sip.

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed the water and medicine together.

Are you feeling any better?

"...Hmm." She placed the water glass on the sofa armrest and leaned back against the cushion. "Much better."

An and Asuka sat down on the floor next to her and said helplessly, "You need to eat breakfast, Zhu Yin-nee."

"I don't eat breakfast, so won't you bring me some every day?"

Akane Akasaka's voice came through, slightly hoarse and with a hint of half-serious joking.

This guy, a few times he'd come to the company in the morning to bring himself breakfast, and he'd act like a grown-up and lecture her. He has no respect for elders and can't tell the difference between king and queen.

The key point is that she herself was quite moved.

An and Asuka pondered for a moment.

"okay."

“Hey, I was just kidding.” Akane Kousaka turned her head to look at him. From this angle, she could see his profile—his jawline, the bridge of his nose, and the small shadow cast by his eyelashes on his cheekbone.

"But I'm serious."

He spoke calmly, as if stating something perfectly natural. There was no emotional tone, no deliberate pauses; he simply stated a single sentence.

Akane Akasaka opened her mouth.

She tried to sit up and pat his head, but as soon as she propped herself up halfway, a hand pressed down on her shoulder.

"Please don't move."

Akane Akane stared at him for two seconds, then slowly lay back down.

The leather sofa beneath her let out a soft sigh.

She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Her fingers rested on her stomach, the warmth of her palms slowly seeping into her skin. The office was as quiet as if someone had pressed the pause button, with only the occasional rustling of papers on the desk from the air conditioner vents.

It took a while for Akane Akasaka's complexion to fully recover.

The pale complexion faded, replaced by a healthy white. She opened her eyes, rolled them around to adjust to the light from the ceiling, and then sat up, supporting herself on the sofa armrests.

Her hair slipped off her shoulders, a few stray strands clinging to her neck, which she tucked behind her ears with her fingers.

"Alright, you don't need to look at me anymore."

Her voice returned to its usual crispness, but the last syllable still carried a hint of languor from lying down.

An and Asuka turned their heads and carefully examined her. Their gaze swept across her face, then lingered on her eyes for a moment, as if trying to discern whether she was telling the truth or just putting on a brave face.

"You're not lying, are you?"

What good would it do me to lie to you?

Akane Akane met his gaze, her lips curving slightly in a hint of helplessness.

"That's true."

He stood up, took two steps to the side, and gave her room to get up.

Akane Akasaka stood up from the sofa, straightened her wrinkled coat, and sat down behind her desk. She picked up the mouse again, opened the document she hadn't finished reading, and tapped a few times on the keyboard. The cursor moved across the screen, making a soft clicking sound.

An and Asuka didn't leave.

He pulled over the chair he'd been using and sat down next to the desk. The chair was a bit lower than hers, so when he sat down, his line of sight was level with the edge of the desk. He rested his elbows on the desk, propped his chin on his hand, and watched her work.

Akane Akane typed a few lines, then glanced at the motionless head beside her and paused.

She endured it.

I typed a few more lines.

He paused again.

The cursor hovered in the middle of the screen, blinking as if expressing some kind of impatience on her behalf.

"What are you still doing here?" She finally turned her head to look at him, her eyebrows slightly raised.

"Keep me company with Sister Zhu Yin, I have nothing else to do anyway."

An and Asuka spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, their expressions showing no trace of flattery or deliberate effort; they simply felt that they should stay there at this moment.

Akane Akasaka opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

She turned back to the screen. Her fingers paused on the keyboard for two seconds, then continued typing.

The only sounds in the office were the alternating clicks of keyboards and mice, a rhythm that was neither too fast nor too slow, like a repetitive melody with only two notes.

Sunlight shifted slightly through the window, falling on the table and elongating the shadow of the potted plant, projecting it onto the cover of a folder. The shadow slowly rotated with the angle of the sunlight, like a clock hand without markings.

Akane Akasaka wrote a lot more, and by the time she stopped, almost an hour had passed.

She turned her stiff neck, and her cervical spine made a series of faint clicking sounds.

Just then, a concerned voice came from beside her.

"Is it over, Sister Zhu Yin?"

"It should have ended a long time ago."

Akane Akasaka glared at An and Asuka. If it weren't for their presence making her feel uncomfortable, she would have finished her work and rested long ago.

"It's time for lunch."

An and Asuka pretended not to notice the complaint in Akane's tone and asked to themselves, "What would you like to eat, Akane-nee? Takeout or dine-in?"

Only after hearing what the boy said did Akane Kurosaka realize that it was already noon.

I didn't realize how fast today went by.

"Wait, are you still planning to stay here?" Akane Akasaka looked at An and Asuka with suspicion.

“Yes.” An and Asuka nodded and said, “I plan to stay here all day today.”

Akane Hongsaka: "..."

That poor kid.

Volume 1: Chapter 285 Girlfriend

Despite her somewhat displeased expression, Akane Kousaka ultimately said nothing.

"Let's go eat."

The two emerged from the office and walked side by side down the corridor. The carpet absorbed most of their footsteps, and the corridor was quiet, save for the low hum of the air conditioner unit and the distant beeping of the elevator.

As she reached the company gate, Akane Akasaka suddenly turned her head, a half-smile playing on her lips.

"Not called 'Er,' but 'Umbrella without tears'?" "Is your little girlfriend coming along?"