Chapter 39#
Entering the bedroom, Lu Lin went straight to the walk-in closet.
He pushed open the section of the wardrobe where loungewear was hung, searched for a while, and finally found a set in a slightly smaller size.
A thin white V-neck short-sleeved shirt, a pair of smoke-gray trousers, and he also took a box of unopened disposable underwear.
Coming out of the walk-in closet, Lu Lin went to the bedside table, opened the drawer, which contained several jars of herbal balm brought back from abroad. He took out an opened jar and then left the room.
In the living room, even through the wool carpet, Yan Heqing could feel the warmth on the soles of his feet.
The room temperature was about 25 degrees, and the floor was a few degrees warmer.
Click.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, Yan Heqing looked towards the sound. Lu Lin came out holding clothes.
Seeing Yan Heqing standing straight, Lu Lin’s eyebrows moved slightly. He walked to the sofa and handed the clothes to him, “The second door on the left is the bathroom. White bottle for shampoo, black bottle for body wash.”
Yan Heqing nodded and took them, picked up the bag of toiletries on the coffee table, and walked to the left.
Walking through the hallway, on top of the black walnut sideboard against the wall was a photo frame. In the photo were Lu Lin and a woman. The woman was sitting in a wheelchair, and behind her was a cluster of beautifully blooming pink Pierre de Ronsard roses.
The woman’s features were deeply sunken, but one could still vaguely see the resemblance to Lu Lin’s eyebrows and nose bridge.
It was conceivable that when she was young, she must have been a peerless beauty.
Yan Heqing withdrew his gaze and pushed open the door to the bathroom.
The bathroom also had a simple black and white decoration. The tiles were warm, and the bathroom also had underfloor heating. The temperature was suitable, so there was no need to turn on the heater.
It had a separation of wet and dry areas. The separate washroom alone was over ten square meters. Walking further in, there was a separate shower room separated by a half-wall, with a black bath towel hanging there. To the lower left of the showerhead were two bottles of bath products, one white and one black.
There was a faint scent of cedar in the air, like the smell of melting snow, exactly the same as the scent on Lu Lin.
At the entrance of the shower room, there was a changing cabinet for clothes, several sets of bath towels in plastic packaging, and a pair of black slippers for bathing. Yan Heqing put his change of clothes on the left side, took off his clothes, folded them, and put them on the right side. He took off the disposable slippers, didn’t wear the black slippers, and stepped into the shower room barefoot.
The floor tiles were cement-gray with a fine gritty texture, very non-slip.
Turning on the shower, without waiting, hot water suitable for bathing poured down from overhead.
When squeezing the shampoo, Yan Heqing realized that the cedar scent was the smell of the shampoo. The white bottle had no logo, just a simple white bottle.
After Yan Heqing finished showering, he didn’t use the bath towel. He carefully washed the new towel he bought with hot water several times, wrung it very dry, and wiped the water droplets from his hair and body.
Wiping his hair until it was half-dry and no longer dripping, Yan Heqing came out of the shower room and took his change of clothes to put on. Thud, something rolled out and fell to the floor.
Yan Heqing squatted down to pick it up. Under the warm light, it was a round jar, not new. Yan Heqing then unscrewed it. Inside was a pale green paste emitting a faint herbal smell. Yan Heqing’s eyebrows moved. He put on the slippers and walked to the sink.
In the smooth mirror, there were several obvious purple bruises on his neck.
Yan Heqing’s gaze darkened.
His back was also still hurting. He turned sideways. In the mirror, below his shoulder blade, was a large patch of deep purple.
Quiet for a few seconds, Yan Heqing scooped out a dollop of pale green ointment and applied it while looking in the mirror. It felt very cool on the skin. It only took two minutes for Yan Heqing to finish applying it.
The bathroom temperature was high, and the ointment quickly soaked into the skin. Yan Heqing walked back to the changing cabinet, unfolded the soft T-shirt, and put it on. It was so big it felt empty, reaching down to his thighs. The material was very soft and skin-friendly.
Then he opened the disposable underwear. The waistband was elastic, so he could barely wear it. But when it came to the sweatpants, there was somewhat no way.
Yan Heqing’s waist was really too thin. Even after tightening the drawstring, there were still large bunches of fabric at the sides of his waist. The pant legs were also too long, so Yan Heqing squatted down and rolled them up twice.
After rinsing his mouth, Yan Heqing cleaned up the bathroom. Not finding a laundry basin, he put his clothes into a plastic bag, tied a knot, and then left the bathroom.
When he came out, the living room was empty. Yan Heqing was a bit puzzled. Just as he turned his head, he saw Lu Lin coming out of the kitchen carrying two bowls, still steaming. Seeing Yan Heqing come out, he glanced at the living room.
Yan Heqing wasn’t short, 181cm tall, 8cm shorter than him, but wearing his clothes, he looked a bit like a child wearing an adult’s clothes.
The wide pant legs were rolled up, revealing a small section of thin white ankles. His thick black hair wasn’t fully dry, with strands sticking out in all directions.
Just having bathed, his cheeks had a layer of faint crimson, and his eyes looked clear and bright as if washed by water. He stood under the light, looking at him quietly.
This process only lasted for a brief second before Lu Lin withdrew his gaze and walked to the dining room, “Come have some porridge.”
Yan Heqing pulled up the pants under his shirt and walked over gently.
Lu Lin went back to the kitchen and came out again with a glass of water in his hand, bubbling with fizz, probably from an effervescent tablet.
Placing the water glass in front of Yan Heqing, Lu Lin sat down opposite him.
There were no other greasy things, just two bowls of beef and egg porridge. The rice and beef were stewed very soft. Yan Heqing took a sip; the porridge was very easy to swallow. He lowered his head slightly, eating very quietly. In the dining room, only the occasional sound of the spoon touching the bowl could be heard.
Lu Lin soon finished his bowl. He looked at Yan Heqing. Because the boy didn’t have much appetite, he ate a bit slower. With his head down, the top of his fluffy head looked like exploded popcorn, emitting the scent of cedar. The bruises on his neck seemed to have faded a little.
When Yan Heqing was about to finish the porridge, Lu Lin spoke, “Got into a fight?”
Yan Heqing’s movements paused slightly. He swallowed the last mouthful of porridge, put down the spoon, looked up, and nodded, “Yeah.”
“Lost?”
“No.” Yan Heqing shook his head, “Won.”
Yan Heqing picked up the water glass and took a sip. It had a strong orange flavor, not that cheap artificial essence taste, but like a freshly peeled big orange, fresh and enticing.
Lu Lin looked at him deeply, “Your phone doesn’t have other people’s contact information.”
“It does.” Yan Heqing drank the rest of the orange water in one go, put down the glass, and the corners of his mouth tilted up slightly, “Blocked them. All creditors, don’t want to answer their calls.”
Lu Lin asked again, “Grew up in an orphanage all along?”
His long eyelashes fluttered slightly. Yan Heqing looked up, a faint glimmer in his eyes, “No, not long after I arrived at the orphanage, I was adopted by a couple who couldn’t conceive. But the second year, they had a son. A few months ago—”
He paused, then continued, “Around the time I met you, I had just cut ties with them.”
His gaze was clean and transparent. Lu Lin’s pupils contracted slightly. He didn’t continue. He stood up to clear the dishes. Seeing Yan Heqing stand up as well, he said indifferently, “You are a guest.”
“Last time at my house, you washed the dishes too.”
“I wasn’t a patient then.” Two bowls, one glass, Lu Lin cleared them quickly. “Besides, the kitchen has a dishwasher. The housekeeper will handle it tomorrow.”
Yan Heqing then stopped.
Lu Lin returned to the kitchen, rinsed the bowls and glass in the sink, and poured another glass of warm water, this time without an effervescent tablet.
He brought the water out. Yan Heqing was at the entrance organizing his shoes. Hearing the movement, he ran over carrying his shoes and asked seriously, “Mr. Lu, where can I wash my shoes?”
Lu Lin was stumped by the question.
He didn’t need to wash shoes.
Yan Heqing seemed to have realized this too. He asked again, “Do you have a basin?”
Lu Lin put the water glass on the coffee table and walked towards the storage room, “Should have.”
After rummaging in the storage room for quite a while, he finally found a set of brand-new stainless steel bowls, for cooking.
Lu Lin took out the largest mixing bowl and took it out.
This mixing bowl was expensive, brand new and shiny, reflecting a halo of light. Yan Heqing hesitated slightly.
Lu Lin noticed his expression and handed it over, saying, “Its value is to be used. No matter how it’s used, leaving it in the storage room is actually wasting its value.”
Yan Heqing then took it, “Thank you.”
In the washroom, Yan Heqing filled the water to soak the shoes and applied soap. The glaring marks on the shoe surface were so conspicuous. His eyes were cold as he vigorously scrubbed away the footprint left by Lu Muchi.
The shoes were scrubbed as good as new, without any trace. The shower room had 24-hour exhaust ventilation. He placed them under the vent. Coupled with the bathroom temperature, they should be dry by tomorrow.
Putting the mixing bowl away, Yan Heqing washed his hands clean and went out.
Lu Lin had prepared the bedding in the guest bedroom. That room was prepared for Lu Ruchan, but Lu Ruchan had not visited yet. He came out of the guest bedroom just as Yan Heqing came out of the bathroom. Lu Lin instructed him, “Take the medicine and rest early.”
Yan Heqing nodded, “Goodnight, Mr. Lu.”
Lu Lin, “Goodnight.” He still had work to deal with and walked towards the study. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned back and asked, “The story you told last time, how do you think that injured whale will win the final victory?”
Yan Heqing was a bit surprised, but he still answered, “Wait.”
The corners of his lips raised in a shallow arc, “As long as the supply ship doesn’t arrive, the sailors’ strength will weaken. The whale just needs to be patient enough, wait for the opportunity, and it can catch all the enemies in one net.”
——
In the study, Lu Lin was dealing with documents. After a while, he put down the documents, unable to concentrate.
He opened the desk drawer, which contained a pack of cigarettes. He took one out, just about to light it, then looked up at the closed door, and put the cigarette back.
Separated by a few walls, Yan Heqing took the medicine but didn’t touch the pack of candy.
He wasn’t afraid of bitterness. Sweet things make people too easily addicted, and then they would fear bitterness.
Lifting the quilt and lying on the bed, it was soft as if lying in cotton. The quilt also had a faint cedar scent, the same as the scent on him. The medicine contained sleeping pill ingredients, but Yan Heqing’s consciousness was incredibly clear.
He could already confirm.
Lu Lin didn’t investigate him.
Even though it would be as easy as turning over a hand for Lu Lin.
Yan Heqing’s gaze became distant. He turned over, lying flat and looking at the ceiling.
The room lighting was designed without a main light. The ceiling on all four sides emitted a faint warm light, very suitable for sleeping.
Unknown how much time passed, Yan Heqing’s eyelids gradually began to droop.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, his phone suddenly vibrated several times in a row.
The light sleep vanished instantly, and Yan Heqing’s consciousness became clear again.
He picked up the phone. The notification showed that sep12 sent a message.
sep12 was Lin Fengzhi’s WeChat name. Sep, September, September 12th, was the date Lin Fengzhi first met Lu Lin.
Yan Heqing clicked it open.
Lin Fengzhi sent four messages in a row.
[Brother, why is your line always busy?]
[Brother, are you busy?]
[I’m going to buy a New Year’s gift for the person I like tomorrow, come with me!]
[Reply when you’re done! Urgent urgent urgent, very urgent!]