Chapter 10

Lin Yu was debating whether or not to ride in Yue Qianwen's car tonight.

He was the one who kept people at arm's length first, and now he's shamelessly begging them to come back, even asking them to take a car... Isn't that a bit too shameless?

If they've already begged for braised beef brisket, what else does Xiao Pa care about?

Thinking about it that way, he stopped worrying and followed Yue Qianwen with his neck stiff, taking the elevator to the second basement level. Standing next to him was a female colleague he was very close to. She suddenly looked him up and down and said with a smile, "It feels like it's been a long time since you walked with Xiao Yue."

Lin Yu gave an awkward laugh, "I've been taking the subway a lot lately."

Just as she finished speaking, her female colleague's phone rang, and the elevator reached the first floor. As she walked out, she answered the phone, saying, "Mom's off work. What do you want to eat? Still congee with preserved egg and lean pork?"

She turned around and waved to Lin Yu, who nodded and smiled.

When Lin Yu caught Yue Qianwen's gaze out of the corner of his eye, his smile froze instantly. He subconsciously turned away and blurted out, "I want to eat congee with preserved egg and lean pork tomorrow morning."

Yue Qianwen said, "We can order takeout."

Lin Yu's expression changed instantly. The elevator doors opened, and Yue Qianwen stepped out first. Lin Yu followed behind and asked, "You...you're not staying at my place tonight? You're going on your date tomorrow night, what's the rush?"

Yue Qianwen walked straight to the car and answered the previous question: "You want me to stay at your place tonight?"

Lin Yu was speechless and silently opened the passenger door.

After Yue Qianwen got in and started the car, he said, "It's quite late after we finished eating and cleaning up. You've had a hard day at work. What I mean is, if you're tired, you don't have to leave tonight."

"You don't mind my orientation?"

His abrupt remark startled Lin Yu so much that he almost choked on his own saliva, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond. He silently shrank into the car seat, his hands clutching his sleeves, fidgeting helplessly.

Yue Qian chuckled and drove the car out of the underground parking garage.

It was still rush hour, and the traffic was still heavy.

He used to pass the time by listening to a few English songs and snacking, but today time and air seemed to stand still. Lin Yu's mind was filled with embarrassment, so he could only try to start a conversation: "You... will you stay here from now on?"

"Not necessarily, it depends on the company's arrangements."

Lin Yu was stunned.

In other words, Yue Qianwen could return to the United States at any time.

"What do you mean 'not necessarily'?" He suddenly became angry, looking out the car window and said, "You're almost thirty, haven't you even considered the most basic question of where to settle down?"

"I've thought about it. It depends on who I'm dating in the future."

After a long pause, Lin Yu finally managed to say, "You're so casual. If he wants to settle in Africa, you'll go with him?"

"No problem."

Lin Yu was speechless again.

Finally off the elevated highway, the car picked up speed, and time didn't seem so unbearable anymore. Lin Yu couldn't help but ask Yue Qianwen, "When did you find out... about your orientation...?"

"In high school," Yue Qianwen said frankly, "I discovered that I wasn't interested in girls."

“I thought it was,” Lin Yu paused, “that you’ve realized you’ve fallen for a boy.”

"I do have feelings for boys."

Alarm bells rang in Lin Yu's mind, and he immediately asked, "Is it a boy, or a particular boy?"

Instead of answering, Yue Qian asked, "Are you curious about our group, or about me?"

Lin Yu was stunned. Yue Qianwen smiled at him, and his eyes also lifted slightly.

Lin Yu felt an uncontrollable pounding in his heart.

He couldn't help but look at Yue Qianwen's profile, his Adam's apple and neck, and his hand resting on the steering wheel. Yue Qianwen's hands were very beautiful, long and slender with distinct knuckles; he had held them once.

It is warm.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived home.

Yue Qianwen knew his home better than Lin Yu. He quickly unlocked the keypad, picked up the supermarket takeout from the hook by the door, and went inside.

There were two boxes of fresh beef brisket in the insulated bag.

Lin Yu loves beef the most. Yue Qianwen has tried more than a dozen ways to cook beef, and spicy beef brisket stew is Lin Yu's favorite dish.

The last time I ate it was a month ago.

Lin Yu silently changed into slippers and went to the sofa alone, while Yue Qianwen rolled up his shirt sleeves and went to the kitchen.

Soon, the sounds of water and pots and pans could be heard. Lin Yu looked over and saw Yue Qianwen standing by the pool, his head slightly bowed. When he raised his hand, his shoulders appeared very broad, just like a... husband.

And he was her husband, whom she had only been married to for a short time.

This thought startled Lin Yu.

He felt he could no longer boss Yue Qianwen around like before, so he stood up and stood silently beside Yue Qianwen.

"what can I do?"

Yue Qianwen was washing vegetables when he heard the noise and turned around. Lin Yu was caught off guard and stood very close to him, so close that Yue Qianwen could see him swallowing. Yue Qianwen said, "Don't make things worse, little one."

Lin Yu's kitchen was developed by Yue Qianwen. Before Yue Qianwen came, Lin Yu would only go into the kitchen to boil water and cook instant noodles.

Lin Yu is a kitchen freak, so Yue Qianwen doesn't let him touch the gas stove.

"I know how to wash vegetables," Lin Yu retorted.

Yue Qianwen then gave him the pool, turned to the side, took out a tissue to wipe his hands, and Lin Yu subconsciously put his arm in front of him. A few seconds later, he realized what was happening and was about to pull it back when Yue Qianwen had already grasped his wrist, gently circled it, slid it to the cuff, and slowly and methodically folded his sleeve to his elbow.

She then took an apron and helped him tie it on.

Lin Yu kept staring at his face, but Yue Qianwen didn't look at him.

"Pick off the yellowed leaves," Yue Qianwen said.

Lin Yu stood there stunned for a while before coming to his senses. After picking the fruit, he finally got to the point, "Are you really going on a date tomorrow?"

"I'd call it a meeting."

"Is it the guy I recommended to you?"

"yes."

"How did your chat go?"

"not bad."

Lin Yu stared at the celery leaves in his hand, then plucked one and threw it into the sink. "What do you and he talk about?"

"Work, hobbies, many topics."

Lin Yu sneered, "Many topics? I really can't imagine you having a long chat with others."

"When you're dating, you always have to talk."

Lin Yu felt his chest tighten, like a volcano about to erupt, and gritted his teeth as he asked, "You've seen his picture?"

"I've seen it."

"How about it?"

"She's quite cute, tall and slim, which is my type."

Lin Yu plucked a handful of celery leaves and angrily rebuked, "How shallow! You're swayed by just one photo? I thought you were so insightful, so kind of soul-stirring. It's hilarious!"

Despite his barrage of criticism, Yue Qianwen remained unperturbed, simply stating, "I have never claimed to need a soulmate, Mu Mu, you have too high expectations of me."

Yes, Lin Yu then realized how high his expectations were for Yue Qianwen: he wanted him to be gentle, to be considerate, to be abstinent, to be free from worldly distractions, to only go to work and come home every day, and to be his brother and friend.

That's so selfish.

He suddenly felt a pang of sadness, sniffled, and asked, "Does he like you?"

Yue Qianwen did not answer immediately, but looked at Lin Yu and stared at him intently until Lin Yu lowered his head before saying, "He should like it."

Do his family members know about his sexual orientation?

"You should know that, right?"

Do his family members agree?

"I don't know."

Lin Yu's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. He turned his head away and muttered softly, "My dad will break my legs..."

Yue Qianwen didn't hear clearly, "What?"

Lin Yu washed his hands and turned to go to the bedroom.

Yue Qianwen prepared the dishes, put the beef brisket into a clay pot and simmered it over low heat for about half an hour. He wiped his hands and walked into the bedroom, his steps very light. The person curled up in the corner of the bed, sulking, did not notice him, and kept fiddling with the latest figurine that Yue Qianwen had given him.

"It'll break if you break it any more." Yue Qianwen sat down next to him.

Lin Yu was stunned, then became even angrier, and turned his back to him.

Yue Qianwen turned his head and saw Lin Yu's body. He had taken off his loose sportswear, and was wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt and shorts, which were clinging to his body because he was sleeping on his side. You could easily see his thin and narrow waist.

Their first encounter was at a department karaoke party. Yue Qianwen had never been interested in such occasions, so he sat in a corner drinking. Lin Yu, a new graduate, wanted to join in but was too shy. He was encouraged to go up and sing a song, then hurriedly squeezed through the crowd back to his seat. But the lighting was dim, and he couldn't see anything clearly, so he plopped down on Yue Qianwen's lap. Yue Qianwen was also a little drunk, and instinctively reached out and put his arm around Lin Yu's waist. It was slender, but not bony.

I looked up and saw a youthful and bewildered face.

Under the dim spotlight, the lines between innocence and allure blurred.

Yue Qianwen originally did not believe in love at first sight, but he knew very well that he had fallen for her.

Originally, he wanted to pursue the guy intensely, but the little guy was straight. He looked soft, but his sexual orientation was very clear and firm. Yue Qianwen even thought about giving up and going back to being friends. But the little guy came back to him, carrying a strawberry cake and asking him with a smile, "Brother, do you want to come to my house for cake?"

He had ulterior motives, but Lin Yu was caught off guard.

Step by step, we've arrived at today.

Yue Qianwen bent down, grabbed Lin Yu by the waist, turned him over, and asked knowingly, "What are you angry about now?"

Lin Yu glared at him but didn't say anything.

"That's so unreasonable! You said you didn't want to ride in my car, so I stopped picking you up and dropping you off. You said you were just colleagues, so I stopped contacting you. You said you wanted to eat braised beef brisket, so I came. What more do you want from me?"

Lin Yu puffed out his cheeks in anger, but was too ashamed to say anything.

"Mumu".

Lin Yu blocked his way: "You're not allowed to call me by my nickname."

Yue Qian chuckled, resting his left hand on Lin Yu's cheek as they met eyes. "What are you really thinking?"

Lin Yu had no idea what he was thinking.

Everything is a mess.

"Are you staying at my place tonight?" he asked indirectly.

"No, thank you."

What time did you arrange to meet him tomorrow?

Looking at Lin Yu's ever-changing expression, Yue Qianwen smiled and said, "Around six o'clock in the evening."

"What are you going to do after you finish eating?"

Yue Qianwen raised an eyebrow, but before he could speak, Lin Yu suddenly raised his hand and covered his eyes, seemingly angrily yelling at someone else: "I can't stand it! Don't even mention it, it's so annoying, so annoying, so annoying!"

He never knew that the way he spoke to Yue Qianwen always had a slight lilt at the end of his voice; it was less like he was angry and more like he was being coquettish.

Yue Qianwen almost tensed his back to resist kissing him.

After a long while, Lin Yu slowly withdrew his hand and looked into Yue Qianwen's eyes again.

He whispered, "You should stay here tonight."

He didn't forget to add a disclaimer, "My air conditioner suddenly stopped working properly, can you take a look?"

Yue Qianwen said, "Okay."