Free Web NovelChapter 228: Chapter 228: The Effort Behind the Scenes
After putting things to rest with Tang Yuanxiao, Su Li felt a sense of relief she’d never known before.
That night, she slept incredibly soundly.
A dreamless night. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
This feeling of ease made Su Li even more certain she had done the right thing.
She had missed another week of classes, but thankfully, the school was on break anyway.
After Su Li got up, washed her face, and tidied up the house, she hurried to the bookstore.
The renovations had just begun when she’d left, so she had no idea what condition the bookstore was in now.
Su Li arrived at the bookstore feeling anxious, but what she found was a complete surprise.
The bookstore was securely locked with a brand-new lock.
Through the glass, she could see the renovations were finished. And not only that—the place had been cleaned, and the bookshelves and desks were all neatly arranged inside.
Other than the books not having arrived yet, it was as if she had been there all along.
Staring at the scene, Su Li suddenly broke into a smile.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the first person Su Li thought of was Wu Sheng.
Only Wu Sheng would do all this for her.
’It has to be Wu Sheng!’
Su Li looked down at the new lock.
She turned the lock over and couldn’t help but smile again.
On the back of the lock, an arrow was painted, pointing upward.
Su Li looked up, and after a careful search, she spotted a small protrusion behind the top of the doorframe.
Su Li stood on her tiptoes, reached for it, and pulled it down. Sure enough, it was a key.
"Not worried someone else might have spotted this..." Su Li muttered as she tried the lock.
With a CLICK, the lock opened.
Su Li went inside and looked around, the smile on her face growing wider and wider.
The newly renovated bookstore was completely transformed, and Su Li was truly satisfied with what she saw.
The result was even better than she had expected.
Beyond the renovations, the bookshelves and other furniture were all in place. Su Li had never told Wu Sheng how she wanted them arranged, yet the bookshelves, desks, and everything else were set up exactly as she had imagined, without a single thing out of place.
Not only that, but the entire store, upstairs and down, inside and out, had been swept spotlessly clean.
The lightbulbs and plumbing were all working perfectly. He’d even placed green plants around the store.
There were plants on both the first and second floors—a mix of large and small pots that made the entire bookstore look vibrant and full of life.
Everything was ready.
It was completely turn-key.
What did this feel like? It was as if she’d bought an empty shell of a house to renovate herself, only to arrive and find it fully decorated and furnished, ready for her to move right in.
How could she not be surprised? How could she not be touched?
Su Li sat in the chair behind the checkout counter. Looking at the small flowerpot on the desk, she reached out and tapped it twice with her finger.
"This is so nice."
In the quiet bookstore, Su Li once again felt a long-lost sense of comfort and ease.
According to her original schedule, the books were set to be delivered this afternoon.
It was still early in the day, but Su Li didn’t stay idle. She used the time before the books arrived to do some preliminary planning.
She decided which types of books would go on the first and second floors, planning out the categories for the books and the shelves.
Su Li took a notebook from her bag and started labeling the shelves with categories based on the book orders she had already placed.
Then, a few minutes before the scheduled time, the book delivery arrived as planned.
Box after box of books filled the entire bookstore. It took Su Li half an hour to receive the whole shipment. After confirming she would sort and count everything herself, she saw the delivery person off.
"Time to count, sort, and log everything."
Counting, sorting, and logging thousands of books was no easy task, but there wasn’t a trace of worry on Su Li’s face.
After all, Su Li loved books. Just seeing them and smelling their unique fragrance put her at ease.
"Let’s get started!" Su Li began, full of energy.
She logged them one by one, sorted them, and placed them on the shelves, occasionally getting so engrossed in a book that she’d stop to read.
Su Li worked single-mindedly all afternoon, only realizing it was time to head home when the sky began to darken.
"It’s gotten so late." Su Li stood up and stretched, feeling a great sense of accomplishment as she looked at the books she had organized.
’I’ll finish organizing everything this week, and I can open for business next weekend.’
Su Li locked up the bookstore and left.
Not long after she left, Wu Sheng appeared from out of nowhere and pressed himself against the door to peer inside.
After watching for a moment, he looked down and fiddled with the lock. ’That’s what I call a connection.’
His eyes crinkled with a smile.
Wu Sheng had come straight to the bookstore after work. Unseen by Su Li, he had stood outside, leaning against a street-side tree and watching her for a very long time.
Wu Sheng knew Su Li was back.
He knew everything about her situation.
Ever since he’d seen Su Li off that day, he had been keeping a close watch on the situation where she went.
The very night of the television broadcast, he had gone down there himself.
Though he was there, he never once appeared before Su Li or contacted her, acting just like a stranger.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t worried about Su Li; he simply had to do it this way.
He was afraid that if he saw her, he wouldn’t be able to act indifferent or hide his emotions. He feared that his worry would compel him to intervene, which would in turn reveal his true feelings for her.
That would undoubtedly cause trouble for Su Li, so no matter how agonizing it was, he held back.
Only after doing everything he could and learning that Su Li hadn’t been infected did he return to the Imperial City, his mind finally at ease.
Back in the Imperial City, Wu Sheng continued as before, silently taking care of all the step-by-step tasks in Su Li’s place.
There was no way Wu Sheng could have known how to arrange the bookshelves at first. After they were delivered, his initial attempt at placing them was a complete mess.
He had spent half the night tinkering, trying different arrangements bit by bit, until he finally got them into the perfect, most suitable positions—exactly where Su Li had imagined them.
Wu Sheng knew Su Li was back, and he knew she would come to the bookstore. That’s why he had headed straight there after work.
Seeing Su Li again filled Wu Sheng with contentment.
Smiling, Wu Sheng toyed with the lock for a moment before following Su Li from a distance.
Only after seeing her safely home did he leisurely walk away.
The next day, Su Li spent another full day organizing and logging books.
Finishing a little earlier than the day before, Su Li closed up the shop in the early evening. Just as she locked the door, she heard a pleasantly surprised voice call out from behind her.
"Su Li! Is that you, Su Li?"
Su Li turned to see Yu Zhengqing leaning his head out of a car window.
Yu Zhengqing and his team had just returned from the military base that day.
Yu Zhengqing, who had been busy with follow-up reports, had stubble on his face, but his eyes were bright with energy. He hopped out of the car as soon as it came to a complete stop.
"I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I wasn’t mistaken."
Yu Zhengqing was beaming. Although they had both been at the military base, they had been so busy with their respective duties that he and Su Li never had a chance to properly say hello.
Seeing the driver’s-side door open, Yu Zhengqing grinned and introduced his senior to Su Li.
"Su Li, this is my senior, Ling Zhen."
"Senior Ling Zhen, this is Su Li. She’s a freshman this year, which makes her our junior."
There was a look of admiration and respect in Yu Zhengqing’s eyes as he introduced Ling Zhen.
Ling Zhen nodded at Su Li. "The new generation truly surpasses the old. You’re very impressive, junior. I’ve wanted to meet you for a while but never had the chance with everything going on. I’m glad to finally put a face to the name."
Ling Zhen was tall with striking features and a neat, short haircut. Her speech was just as crisp and powerful as her appearance.
"Sister Ling Zhen." Seeing Ling Zhen again, Su Li’s eyes filled with a mix of complex emotions, and she felt a wave of sentiment wash over her.
