Chapter 81 "Do you still dare to... run away?"

Lu Yu'an was held in Lin Che's arms, his little head resting on his shoulder. One hand tightly grasped the string of precious candied haws that he had only licked twice, while the other hand was still reluctantly pinching the soft, sweet and fragrant inside of the roasted sweet potato, his little mouth shiny with grease.

The excitement wore off, and the bumpy ride and the warmth made him start to feel sleepy. His big eyes tried hard to open, but his long eyelashes fluttered like small fans, becoming heavier and heavier.

"Um... Uncle..." He mumbled vaguely, burying his little face deeper into Lin Che's neck, his breath with the sweet scent of sweet potatoes sprayed on his skin, warm and itchy.

"If you're sleepy, take a nap, An An." Lin Che adjusted his posture to make him lean more comfortably, and gently patted his back.

The little guy hummed, and his eyelids finally closed completely. Soon, the sound of even and small snoring could be heard beside Lin Che's ears.

Lu Yu sat beside them, his eyes fixed on Lin Che and the child.

He reached out his hand and gently rubbed away the sweet potato crumbs on the corner of An An's mouth with his fingertips.

As he moved, his fingers inevitably touched Lin Che's arm, which was holding the child.

Lin Che looked up at him and met Lu Yu's deep, focused eyes, which reflected his figure clearly. Lin Che's heart skipped a beat, and the corners of his mouth curved silently.

Back home, Lin Che carefully carried the sleeping Lu Yu'an into the room and laid him on the soft bed. The little guy was sleeping soundly, his hand still unconsciously clutching the candied haws stick.

Lin Che took some effort to gently pry open his little fingers, freeing the candied haws and placing it on the bedside table.

Looking at An An's rosy little face as she slept, like a ripe apple, Lin Che's heart softened.

"Let him sleep for a while first, and wake him up later to give him a bath and eat something?" Lin Che asked softly to Lu Yu who followed in.

Lu Yu approached, looked down at the sleeping Lu Yu'an, then looked at the light red marks on Lin Che's arm from being pressed, raised his hand to rub it for him, "He just had some snacks and sweet potatoes in the office, so he probably isn't very hungry. Let him sleep, and we'll clean up after he wakes up. I'll go get something simple first."

Lin Che nodded and looked at Lu Yu's back as he turned and went to the kitchen. He seemed to feel a little more at ease.

He knew that Lin Yao was right and some things had to be said as soon as possible.

——

Lin Che covered Lu Yu'an with a blanket, adjusted the air conditioner temperature, and gently closed the door, leaving a gap so that she could hear any movement inside.

As soon as he walked into the living room, he saw the "equipment" that Lu Yu'an brought to the company during the day scattered all over the floor - a small dinosaur-shaped backpack, which was now lying crookedly on the carpet next to the sofa, with the zipper open, revealing the bulging contents inside.

Lin Che walked over and bent down to pick up the small backpack. It felt heavy in the hand, obviously the little guy had stuffed it full of his "treasures".

He sat cross-legged on the carpet and took out the things in his backpack one by one.

The first thing she pulled out was Lu Yu'an's favorite, a fluffy little gray rabbit with droopy ears. There was a little brown stain on the rabbit's face that looked like chocolate sauce. Lin Che smiled helplessly and put the rabbit aside, preparing to clean it later.

Next came several brightly colored picture books with slightly curled corners. One of them contained a crumpled piece of doodles with three crooked little figures drawn on it, which could barely be identified as his uncle, his younger uncle, and himself. Next to them was a large circle painted with colored pencils to represent the sun.

Lin Che carefully smoothed out the scribbles and put them back into the book.

Then there was an almost empty snack bag with only a few crumbs left; a small box of crayons with the lid not closed tightly and a few of them rolling to the bottom of the bag; and a small water bottle with a cartoon pattern printed on it, the water in it had also been drunk.

At the very bottom was a small, untidy jacket, probably folded by Lu Yuan because he felt hot and took it off and stuffed it in. Lin Che took out the jacket and shook it out, noticing a small oil stain on the cuff, probably from the "medal" left behind when he "helped out" in the office that afternoon.

Lin Che put the laundry into the laundry basket and put all the toys that Lu Yuan had played with scattered around the living room into the storage box.

In the kitchen, Lu Yu took off his suit jacket and wore only a soft dark gray cashmere sweater. His sleeves were casually rolled up to his elbows, revealing the strong lines of his forearms.

A dark apron tied around his waist neutralized his usual cold aura and added a touch of homely atmosphere.

Lin Che finished cleaning the living room and walked into the kitchen with an empty kettle and a bag of snacks. He didn't bother her, but quietly walked to the sink, turned on the faucet, and began to wash.

Lu Yu seemed to have known that he was behind him. He didn't even turn his head. He just naturally used chopsticks to pick up a piece of cut cantaloupe from the fruit salad on the plate next to him, stretched his arm back, and accurately placed it in front of Lin Che's mouth.

Lin Che was stunned for a moment, then obediently opened her mouth to take it.

"Is it sweet?" Lu Yu's voice came along with the sizzling sound of frying fish, with a barely perceptible smile.

"Yeah, very sweet." Lin Che replied vaguely, holding a piece of honeydew melon in his mouth. He washed the kettle and bag, dried his hands, and did not leave immediately. Instead, he leaned against the kitchen counter and watched Lu Yu cook.

Lu Yu placed the fried salmon into a warm plate, then began to stir-fry the side dishes and heat the oil in the pan.

Lin Che's eyes unconsciously fell on Lu Yu's busy hands. Those hands were slender and powerful with distinct joints. At the moment, they were holding a spatula, stained with the smell of oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, but still carried a sense of power that controlled everything.

His gaze shifted to Lu Yu's profile again, looking at his focused eyebrows, straight nose, and slightly pursed thin lips...an indescribable sense of satisfaction filled his chest.

At this moment, Lu Yu seemed to sense his gaze and turned his head to look at him.

Their eyes met in the air.

Lin Che's heartbeat quickened slightly, and he subconsciously wanted to look away.

Before he could even react, he felt the light in front of him being shrouded by a tall figure, and then he felt a warm and soft touch on his lips.

A kiss fell unexpectedly.

Lu Yu had stood up again, as if nothing had happened. His gaze calmly turned back to the diced vegetables in the pot that were collecting juice, the spatula in his hand still steady.

“…”

Lin Che froze in place, leaning against the countertop, his mind blank.

"Aren't you tired of standing?" Lu Yu's low voice sounded, breaking Lin Che's dull state.

He still didn't look at Lin Che, as if the sneak kiss just now was just an illusion of Lin Che. "Go get the dishes and chopsticks, and prepare to eat."

Lin Che took a deep breath, trying to suppress his rapid heartbeat and the heat on his face.

He raised his eyes and looked at Lu Yu's profile, which was still focused on stir-frying, with cold and perfect lines. His calm and composed look was simply... asking for help.

An impulse suddenly seized Lin Che without warning.

Instead of obediently picking up the dishes and chopsticks, he leaned forward slightly and stood on tiptoe in the direction of Lu Yu very naturally.

The movement was gentle and small, almost like an unconscious adjustment of stance.

But it was this subtle change that instantly brought the two closer together.

Lin Che's gaze was no longer on Lu Yu's profile, but instead fell directly on Lu Yu's lips with a sense of inquiry and provocation.

The air in the kitchen seemed to be stagnant.

The sizzling of vegetables in the frying pan and the bubbling of the soup pot became distant background sounds.

Lin Che could clearly see that Lu Yu's fingers holding the spatula tightened slightly, and the joints turned slightly white.

His thick eyelashes seemed to be pressed down, covering up the dark current that flashed in his eyes.

Lin Che's gaze slowly moved down an inch, firmly locking onto Lu Yu's Adam's apple.

Under Lin Che's silent gaze, Lu Yu's Adam's apple obviously and uncontrollably rolled up and down.

The corners of Lin Che's mouth curled up in a cunning arc.

He succeeded, he broke Lu Yu's damn ease.

The second after Lu Yu's Adam's apple finished rolling, when Lin Che felt that Lu Yu's body seemed to be turning around, he suddenly bent down like a cat ready to pounce, and with incredible flexibility, he slipped out from the narrow gap between Lu Yu's arm and the cooking table!

Lu Yu could even feel Lin Che's soft hair brushing against the skin of his rolled-up forearm, leaving a slightly itchy sensation.

He subconsciously tightened his arms to try to grab it, but he only caught empty space.

"I'll go wake An An up!"

Lin Che had quickly retreated to a safe distance from the kitchen door. He dropped these words, not even daring to glance back at Lu Yu's expression. He turned and hurried toward the children's room, his back akin to someone fleeing in despair, his ears reddened to the point of bleeding.

Lu Yu was the only one left in the kitchen.

The sizzling sound of the vegetables in the pot was particularly loud, the soup seemed to be almost dried up, and the edges were slightly burnt.

Lu Yu maintained the same posture of slightly sideways leaning with his arms half-raised, and remained frozen in place for a full two seconds.

He looked in the direction where Lin Che disappeared, and slowly pressed the tip of his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"Oh……"

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at the vegetables in the pot that were almost burnt. He turned off the heat and put them on a plate with quick movements.

Lu Yu brought the last dish to the table, and the tempting aroma filled the entire restaurant. He had just untied the apron and casually draped the dark fabric over the back of the chair when he heard soft footsteps coming up the stairs.

Lin Che appeared at the corner of the stairs, walking down step by step.

"Let's eat first," Lin Che's voice sounded relatively calm. He stepped down the last step, his eyes fixed on the dining table, and tried to appear as natural as possible. "Looking at An An's attitude, I think she needs to sleep for a while..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Just when his feet had just stepped firmly on the soft carpet in the living room and he was still a few steps away from Lu Yu——

Lu Yu didn't give Lin Che any chance to react or dodge.

The tall figure approached silently and swiftly like a cheetah.

A large, warm hand suddenly covered Lin Che's mouth!

"Hmm!" Lin Che's muffled groan of surprise was firmly suppressed by the hand, leaving only a vague tail sound.

He could even clearly feel the lines on Lu Yu's palm and the heat slightly higher than body temperature.

At the same time, Lu Yu's other hand had already grabbed Lin Che's wrist and pulled it hard.

The enormous force caused Lin Che to lose his balance instantly, and he was involuntarily pulled by the force and fell backwards.

The expected pain did not come, because at the moment of falling, Lu Yu's hand that was covering his mouth was placed between the back of his head and the back of the sofa in a very natural and protective manner!

"Bang!" There was a muffled sound, accompanied by the soft sound of a sofa cushion being compacted.

Lin Che felt dizzy and her back sank heavily into the large, soft fabric sofa in the living room.

The soft cushion wrapped around him, absorbing most of the impact. Lu Yu's tall body followed closely, almost completely covering him.

Lu Yu's knee was forced between Lin Che's legs. His upper body was lowered, his chest pressed against Lin Che's chest. Through the thin clothes, they could clearly feel each other's violent heartbeats.

Lin Che's was filled with shock and panic, while Lu Yu's was filled with boiling, ready-to-explode aggression.

Lin Che was completely stunned by this sudden attack. His mind went blank and only instinct drove him to struggle.

The handcuffed wrist twisted hard, the covered mouth made more rapid "Mmm" sounds, and the other free hand tried to push Lu Yu's heavy shoulders, but all resistance was easily suppressed by Lu Yu's absolute strength advantage.

He was forced to lie on his back on the sofa, his sight completely occupied by Lu Yu's face so close to him.

Lu Yu lowered his head, his deep eyes calmly fixed on Lin Che's eyes which were wide open in astonishment.

There is no joking in it... only a kind of possessiveness that has been suppressed for a long time and needs to be released.

Lin Che could feel the hand covering her mouth, the fingertips exerting a slight pressure, with a warning tone.

Lu Yu's breathing was a little heavy, and his warm breath sprayed on Lin Che's nostrils and cheeks which were pressed by the edge of his palm, with a strong sense of presence.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The only sounds in the living room were the two people's rapid, intertwined breathing and Lin Che's futile sobs after her mouth was blocked.

Lu Yu's gaze fell heavily on Lin Che's face, which was slightly red due to his struggle and lack of oxygen. He swept across his panicked eyes and finally fixed on his lips covered by his palm.

"Do you still dare to... run away?"