Chapter 118#

A person’s breakdown often happens in an instant.

Yan Heqing couldn’t control it, nor did he want to control it anymore. On this most ordinary day on the calendar, he vented all his emotions on the roadside where people and cars came and went.

Just this day, just now, he no longer suppressed his emotions.

Longing, pain, resentment, pressure, touched…

It was a cry from the depths of his soul.

He clutched his arm tightly, and in the next instant, he was turned around and pressed into an embrace.

The familiar embrace had the scent that reassured him the most. Lu Lin pulled him completely into his arms, his warm and dry palm stroking Yan Heqing’s hair.

“Cry, let it all out.”

Yan Heqing cried out.

He thought of many things, but in the end, everything became blurred, leaving nothing behind.

He couldn’t control his thoughts, only repeating incessantly: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Lu Lin lowered his head and kissed the top of his head. “What you did was just coming to my side, no need to be sorry.”

Yan Heqing shook his head in Lu Lin’s arms. He wanted to say something, but didn’t know what he wanted to say, so he just tightened his arms, hugging Lu Lin back tightly, not wanting to let go, not even an inch.

Occasionally, pedestrians passed by and looked over curiously hearing the crying. Lu Lin didn’t care at all; his eyes were only on Yan Heqing. He comforted him softly until Yan Heqing’s crying became lower and lower, and he fell asleep in his arms. Only then did he pick Yan Heqing up by the waist, and when the driver arrived with the car, he carried him into the car.

Yan Heqing was still sobbing in his sleep. Lu Lin looked up and signaled the driver. The driver understood and drove to the best five-star hotel in the city.

In the past, Lu Lin would spend a day or two in a hotel, doing nothing but staying in the room reading novels. This was another way for him to relieve stress besides fishing.

It wasn’t suitable for Yan Heqing to return to their residence tonight.

Yan Heqing slept for a long time and was woken up by the sound of rain. He opened his eyes to a completely unfamiliar environment.

The light in the room was dim. The curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows were not drawn. Outside was pitch black, heavy rain beat against the glass, and thunder rumbled.

Yan Heqing listened to the sound of the thunderstorm for a while before gradually waking up.

He lifted the quilt and got out of bed. The floor was covered with a fine and soft wool carpet. He walked out barefoot.

Opening the door, the light in the outer room was also very dim, with only a floor lamp on. Lu Lin was sitting on the sofa reading a book.

Despite the pouring rain outside, his movement of turning the pages was silent.

Yan Heqing closed the door silently.

He realized this was a hotel. He looked around, found the bathroom, and went in.

After taking a shower, Yan Heqing felt very light all over. He tied his bathrobe and walked to the sink. In the mirror, his eyes were red and swollen, the aftereffect of crying too hard.

Yan Heqing rinsed his mouth again before going out.

Lu Lin was still reading.

Just as he turned a page, he heard footsteps. He put down the book and looked up, seeing Yan Heqing with his hair curled in different directions, staring straight at him.

Lu Lin closed the book and asked with a smile, “Hungry?”

Yan Heqing wasn’t hungry at first, but when Lu Lin asked, he suddenly felt hungry. He nodded, walked to sit next to Lu Lin. Lu Lin had also bathed, and there was a faint scent of body wash on him.

Lu Lin must have been prepared. He took his phone and made a call. Soon, room service delivered a late-night snack.

There was a dining area in the suite. The table was full of fresh ingredients: beef, beef brisket fat, razor clams, white clams, dried scallops, pork offal, choy sum, fried dough sticks…

The soup base was plain congee, with a rich rice fragrance and a faint scent of dried tangerine peel.

They were all common ingredients, and the seasoning was very light, but on such a rainy late night, looking at the bubbling congee hot pot, Yan Heqing had a great appetite.

Knowing he liked beef, Lu Lin beat two sterile eggs to mix with the beef, picked up a slice and put it into the congee, blanched it for a while, and gave it to him. “Eat more meat, you’ve lost weight again.”

Yan Heqing had no memory after crying himself to sleep, but he could guess that Lu Lin carried him upstairs.

Still chewing on the beef, he said, “Want fried dough sticks.”

Lu Lin put down his chopsticks, put on disposable gloves, tore the golden and crispy fried dough sticks into small pieces, and put them into the congee to cook.

After cooking for a bit, Lu Lin picked out the fried dough sticks and placed them in front of Yan Heqing. “It’s hot, let it cool for a while before eating.”

But he saw Yan Heqing take a few sips of congee, then put down the bowl and look straight at him.

Lu Lin’s brow twitched slightly, avoiding Yan Heqing’s gaze. Then he acted as if nothing happened, picked up the wooden spoon, and slowly stirred the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking. “Don’t say I’m a good person, I don’t accept the good person card.”

“But I like good people.”

The wooden spoon stopped.

Lu Lin looked at Yan Heqing again, his deep black eyes fixed on him, his Adam’s apple rolling a few times. “Say it again.”

Yan Heqing didn’t avoid it. He looked into Lu Lin’s eyes and said it again, “I like you.”

The grip was so strong it almost broke the spoon handle. In the end, Lu Lin looked away first and poured a plate of dried scallops into the pot. “Eat first—”

Before finishing, he put down the plate, turned off the heat, got up, picked up Yan Heqing, and returned to the bedroom. The light in the room was still as it was when Yan Heqing left, dim, only able to see each other clearly when close.

Lu Lin put Yan Heqing on the bed, lowered his head and kissed Yan Heqing’s eyes closely, one hand undoing the tie at his waist. Yan Heqing’s gaze became distant. He looked at Lu Lin, wrapped his arms around his neck, and closed his eyes extremely cooperatively.

At this moment, Lu Lin suddenly stopped.

Yan Heqing lifted his eyelids. Lu Lin was above him, his voice extremely hoarse. “The four words just now, say them again.”

Yan Heqing let go, caressed Lu Lin’s face, his fingertips delicately and slowly tracing Lu Lin’s contours. He raised his head slightly, kissed Lu Lin’s slightly rolling Adam’s apple, and actively hugged Lu Lin tightly. “I like you, like Lu Lin…”

Lu Lin lowered his head and sealed his lips, holding the back of his head, more lingering than ever before. Then he opened Yan Heqing’s already loosened bathrobe and pressed him completely into the soft bed.

…

The heavy rain stopped at dawn, and the room returned to silence.

Yan Heqing slept until the next evening before waking up in Lu Lin’s arms. Lu Lin hadn’t woken up yet. His features were three-dimensional. Yan Heqing looked at him for a long time before leaving his embrace and getting out of bed silently.

After the heavy rain, the sunset glow this evening was dazzlingly beautiful. The floor they lived on was very high, offering an unobstructed view of the sunset glow.

In the morning, Lu Lin carried Yan Heqing to the bathroom to clean up. He was very dry and comfortable now. He put on clothes and went to the living room.

He picked up the book Lu Lin was reading yesterday.

It was a newly released mystery novel. Yan Heqing started reading again from where Lu Lin had read.

With no one in his arms, Lu Lin woke up quickly. He opened his eyes and looked into his arms first. Not seeing anyone, he got up immediately. The movement of opening the door was large, and the noise was loud enough that Yan Heqing immediately withdrew his thoughts from the case.

Before he could look up, he was pulled into an embrace by Lu Lin along with the book, reading down together.

“Guessed the murderer?”

Yan Heqing’s eyelashes fluttered. “No, I only read five pages.”

Lu Lin pulled him closer into his arms again. “I can’t guess either.”

Yan Heqing initially thought Lu Lin was talking about the novel, but his mind was so sharp that after a while, he heard the hidden meaning in Lu Lin’s words.

Lu Lin wanted to know what he was going to do next.

Yan Heqing used his index finger as a bookmark, closed the book, and looked back at Lu Lin. Lu Lin also looked down at him.

Their eyes met. Lu Lin knew Yan Heqing understood. He looked at Yan Heqing seriously. “Occasionally rely on me, okay?”

Yan Heqing chose to lay his cards on the table yesterday, so he didn’t intend to hide anything from Lu Lin anymore.

He stated his plan in a detached, calm tone.

“I told Zhao Weifang that I was the one who exposed the video. As long as he is expelled, he will definitely try every means to retaliate against me. He is afraid of Lu Muchi, so the only way is to find someone else.”

Lu Lin quickly thought of the identity of “someone else”. “Cheng Jian?”

Yan Heqing nodded. “Cheng Jian holds a grudge against Lu Muchi. Once he knows Lu Muchi cares about me, he will retaliate against me as well.”

“I plan to lead Cheng Jian to notice my adoptive parents’ family. Yan Shengbing is lazy and owes usury, and is a madman when drunk…”

Yan Heqing stopped. He noticed Lu Lin’s silence.

“What’s wrong?”

Lu Lin looked at him and chuckled. “Those creditors of yours don’t know of my existence.”

Yan Heqing realized Lu Lin was jealous. He immediately hugged Lu Lin. “Lu Lin.”

His voice was very soft, with a hint of pleading for mercy.

Lu Lin stroked the back of his head. “Alright, not teasing you. Rest well today, I’ll take you to see the sunrise tomorrow.”

He changed the subject quickly. Yan Heqing didn’t keep up for a moment. It took a while to come back to his senses and check the weather on his phone.

Tomorrow is cloudy.

Yan Heqing was puzzled. Lu Lin wouldn’t take him to see the sunrise without checking the weather beforehand.

He turned his head and looked at Lu Lin inquiringly, but Lu Lin had no intention of explaining and shifted the topic to dinner.

They were going to stay in the hotel for another night.

A few hours later, Lu Muchi received a report.

The report contained Yan Heqing’s itinerary outside the campus.

Five days and five nights at Twenty-Four Bridges, two days and two nights at the hot spring…

Lu Muchi threw his phone.

He knew too well what this meant.

“What’s the use of checking these! I fucking want to know the identity of this adulterer!” He kicked the table.

Wine bottles fell to the ground one after another, spilling wine all over the floor.

The man opposite was trembling with fear. “Can’t find out.”

“Useless trash!” Lu Muchi’s eyes were red. “One day, I’ll give you one more day. If you can’t find out, you go die for him!”

The man wiped his cold sweat and left the private room. His expression changed instantly. He walked quickly back to the car, drove out of the bar, and then dialed a number to report Lu Muchi’s situation.

Yan Heqing was taking a shower in the bathroom. Listening to the sound of water, Lu Lin took out a jewelry box from his trouser pocket.

He didn’t open it, his thumb stroking it gently, and hung up the phone.