ticking sound

Lin Luo's hands tightly grasped the bed sheet, and she kept telling herself not to be afraid and just enjoy it.

But when Fu Xingchuan's lips brushed against a certain spot, Lin Luo was still startled. Fu Xingchuan stopped and noticed her blushing. "Didn't you say I'd serve you? Why are you still shy?"

Lin Xiao felt her body temperature was unusually high, and her face was burning, obviously from being naked, but she stubbornly said, "I'm hot."

She reached for the air conditioner remote control on the bedside table. Fu Xingchuan was dissatisfied and clasped her hand in his palm, "Focus."

There was a dripping sound outside the window, and the raindrops fell into the window grooves, splashing water.

Lin Luo didn't hear any sound of rain. Her ears were filled with the sound of her uncontrollable breathing.

Her defenses were almost broken, and Fu Xingchuan released her ear and said, "The phone is ringing."

Lin Qiao turned her head and saw him wrapped in a bathrobe, going out to answer the phone, and breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn't hear the phone ring! That's crazy.

Her body was full of his smell, sticky and greasy. Lin Luo felt uncomfortable and went to the bathroom to wash.

Wiping off the mist on the surface of the mirror with her hand, Lin Luo saw clearly the traces of ambiguity remaining on her body. She splashed cold water on her face, relaxed for a while, and turned on the shower again.

Today is over, take another shower!

Just as the hot water poured over my shoulders, Fu Xingchuan's voice came, "Can I come in?"

She made a "hmm" sound for some unknown reason, and the door opened. Fu Xingchuan untied the belt of his bathrobe, and the water wet his hair. He put Lin Luo on the sink.

The bathroom was filled with steam, like a big steamer. Lin Luo was almost steamed to death and had difficulty breathing.

She buried her head in the crook of Fu Xingchuan's neck and gasped for breath. He carried her back to the bed. The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and water splashed all over the glass windows.

Fu Xingchuan held her up, and Lin Luo pulled his hair in a state of confusion and passion. Fu Xingchuan noticed it and asked her in a low voice, "Is it too heavy or too light?"

Lin Xiao didn't say anything. Fu Xingchuan suddenly laughed, "Why are you so shy and silent?"

Lin Luo still pursed her lips and refused to answer him.

"Just scream if you want." Fu Xingchuan raised his eyebrows. Looking at his teasing expression, Lin Luo felt shy and angry, so she pinched his arm hard.

Fu Xingchuan glanced at the pinch marks. She had pinched him really hard. It didn't look like she was joking with him. So he stopped laughing and tied up her hair that was in the way. "If you don't agree, just bear with it."

…

At some point, only the sound of dripping water could be heard, the rain stopped, and the room returned to silence.

"Are you still hungry? I'll make you a bowl of noodles." Fu Xingchuan kissed her hair, his hands still around Lin Luo's waist.

She half opened her eyes and asked, "Can you cook noodles?"

"Wait." His hand left, and Lin Luo turned over and looked at the ceiling with mixed feelings.

Her stomach growled, so Lin Luo got up, took out a nightgown from the closet, put it on, and went downstairs.

Her cell phone was on the first floor. Lin Luo picked it up and found that it was fully charged. She looked towards the kitchen. The light was on inside and there was faint heat coming out.

The phone rang, and Lin Xiao picked it up. "Aunt Li, is there something you want to talk to me about so late at night?"

As she spoke, she walked into the kitchen, where Fu Xingchuan was cooking noodles and seasoning them with skillful movements.

She stood aside, and Aunt Li's voice came, "Nothing, I just saw the news that you and Fu Xingchuan got married."

What news?

"Xiaoxiao, why didn't you tell Auntie? Aren't we good friends?" She said in a cheerful voice, "I remember it was you who brought Fu Xingchuan to our house for dinner!"

Lin Qiao put the call on speakerphone and searched for the news Aunt Li had mentioned. Immediately, a slew of content popped up. At the top was an official announcement from Fu Xingchuan. It had no text, just two photos.

One is the ID photo on their marriage certificate, and the other is a photo of her and the villa taken secretly when she was sleeping in the car. Her hair blocked her face, so her face was not captured. It was taken at sunset, and the atmosphere was pretty good.

She has been very popular recently, and his official announcement directly sent her to the hot search, and the comment section was full of blessings. The number of likes and comments on the two advertisements announced by Fu's company today also increased several times compared to before.

He moved quite quickly. No wonder he was so active just now. It was just for the benefits he could get.

Aunt Li continued, "I didn't expect that in the end it was you and Fu Xingchuan who got together, and our Ruan Ye married his sister."

Lin Luo said calmly, "Yeah, I didn't expect that either."

After a pause, Aunt Li realized, "It's so late, did I disturb you and your wife's rest?"

"No." Lin Luo came back to her senses and returned to her normal tone, "When will Ruan Ye and Sui An come back?"

"This weekend."

"Okay, I'll go with you to the airport to pick them up then."

"OK."

After hanging up the phone, Fu Xingchuan's noodles were ready.

Lin Qi asked him, "I see there are clothes in that closet. Has anyone lived here before?"

"No, I just bought it." Fu Xingchuan said as he walked out of the kitchen, "If you don't like it, throw it away and put your clothes on it."

"No need. I don't usually stay here." She sat down opposite Fu Xingchuan.

"Then where will you live? They will be suspicious if you still live with your parents after getting married." Fu Xingchuan reminded her.

When Lin Luo first returned to Nan'an, she used the money she had earned from tutoring and working part-time to buy a small house. "I have a house in Nan'an."

"That's fine." Fu Xingchuan picked up the chopsticks and started eating noodles. Lin Qiao suddenly had a vision of eating noodles with him in a noodle shop when she was seventeen years old.

Who would have thought that the small noodle shop with poor business has now become a well-known chain brand, and that young man has become her husband.

Lin Luo took a bite and found it tasted okay.

He is no longer the boy who would break dishes when he entered the kitchen. Many things have changed, and the relationship between them is no longer as pure as before.

"Is it tasty?"

"Well, studying abroad isn't easy, is it?"

Fu Xingchuan pursed his lips and said, "Not bad."

"oh."

Lin Qi: "When can I go meet your parents?"

Fu Xingchuan: "Wait until they return to Nan'an to see you."

Lin Qi: Are the elders of your Fu family easy to get along with?

Fu Xingchuan: "They are also a group of people who are two-faced."

Lin Xiao: "Are grandma and grandpa in good health?"

Fu Xingchuan: "Well, looking at his physique, he's more than capable of traveling around the world a few more times."

Lin Qi: "What's the door code?"

Fu Xingchuan: “230629”

Oh, you’re doing the whole act.

Lin Luo's thoughts raced as she suddenly remembered, "I heard your brother is a doctor. Why did you give up your dream in the first place?"

Fu Xingchuan put down his chopsticks and said, "Because I value profit, don't you know that?"

"Are you done eating? I'll wash the dishes."

"Let me do it." Lin Luo reached out to take the bowl, but he dodged. "If you have time, pick out the right rings."

"Oh." The wedding rings all looked pretty much the same, and she didn't often wear jewelry, so she just picked a pair at random.

After turning off the phone, Lin Lu watched Fu Xingchuan washing dishes. He really looked like a househusband. She touched the necklace around her neck and said to herself, "Don't be greedy."

It was late at night, and when they went upstairs to rest, Lin Qi said to Fu Xingchuan, "You sleep in the second bedroom."

Fu Xingchuan stood on a step lower than her and looked up at her, his eyes dark and unclear.

"Should I sleep in the second bedroom?" Lin Luo also stopped.

Fu Xingchuan suddenly laughed, "You really have changed a lot."

"Why am I not so easy to bully? Are you disappointed?"

Little ungrateful bastard, he was the one who cooked the meal just now! Now that she's full, she's still sharp-tongued and retorts to everything he says. Fu Xingchuan really can't argue with her now, but he's not willing to admit defeat. "Lin Xiao, do you know what's changed the most about you?"

She walked in front, her hand on the master bedroom door. She didn't open the door when she heard him, but turned back curiously. Fu Xingchuan approached and pressed her against the door. Lin Luo swallowed and met his gaze. "Where?"

"You've gained weight." He pinched her face.

Lin Luo slapped his hand away, "That's because I've grown taller."

"I'm not talking about height." He raised the corners of his lips, put his hands in his pockets, and moved forward. "I'm going to sleep. Think about it yourself."

Perhaps a window was not closed properly, and the wind blew in, causing the lace at the bottom of her nightgown to flutter. Lin Luo lowered her head slightly.

He wasn't talking about... breasts, was he?

Her face quickly turned red as she noticed that the door to the second bedroom was not closed properly and the wind had blown in.

She walked to the door and saw Fu Xingchuan lying on the bed, his head supported by his hands, looking at her, "Is there something wrong?"

"Lock the door. Although your service is not very good and I can only give you three stars, I am not strong-willed. It would be bad if I took the wrong path and took advantage of you." Lin Luo said calmly, but quickly closed the door.

Back in her room, she lay on the bed, completely unable to sleep. The rain had stopped, and the sheets had been changed, but there still seemed to be a lingering dampness in the air. Lin Luo's eyes were wide open, rolling back and forth.

She didn't stop until the quilt completely wrapped around her body and she couldn't move.

Still can't sleep.

"One sheep, two sheep, a sheepdog, a little snowflake, a snowflake, two snowflakes... three hundred and sixteen snowflakes..."

The sound became quieter and quieter, and Lin Luo gradually fell asleep.

In her dream, she returned to the summer of her seventeenth year, when Changlin Lane and the old house still stood. The sweet-scented osmanthus trees wafted in fragrance, and the lush leaves of the sycamore trees shielded her from the scorching sun. A gentle breeze blew, and everything was beautiful.

She saw Fu Xingchuan, wearing a clean white school uniform, walking towards the alley. Lin Luo was holding a love letter in her hand, her face slightly red, and she handed it to him as he approached.

She said, "Fu Xingchuan, I like you."

But Fu Xingchuan didn't take his hands out of his pockets. He pulled the corner of his lip lightly and said in a clear voice, "Sorry, I don't like you."

"Is that so?" Lin Luo murmured softly, unable to hide her disappointment.

Fu Xingchuan smiled at her and said, "I'll pretend I didn't hear your confession. We're still friends and we get along just like before. Tong Yun is looking for me! I'll go in first. Bye."

"goodbye!"

Should she be glad that they were still friends?

The bronze door of the old house slammed shut with a clang, like the sound of Lin Luo's heart breaking. At this moment, the cicadas in the sycamore tree chirped at an inopportune moment, their chirping sound particularly piercing.

Lin Luo's eyes were wet. She stood in the sun to dry herself, but the sun was too strong and she couldn't open her eyes at all.

When Lin Luo opened her eyes again, it was already the end of August.

This year's summer is particularly hot, and it is already the end of summer and the weather still shows no signs of cooling down.

Outside the window, the sound of cicadas chirped one after another. The scorching sun shone through the gaps in the trees, shining on the bottles and tubes on the laboratory table, and when it fell on the undried water marks, it reflected a colorful world.

Lin Luo, wearing a white coat and goggles, sat in front of the laboratory table, holding a little white mouse in her hand and giving it an intraperitoneal injection.

Maybe it was because of the hot weather, the little white mouse became irritable and kept moving around. A little sweat appeared on Lin Luo's forehead, and the sweat flowed into his eyes through his hair.

"It's so unlucky that the air conditioner breaks down at this time." Wu Yun complained.

Lin continued the injection despite the pain, leaving the lab only after she finished. Her left eye was so painful she couldn't open it. She quickly went to the bathroom, removed her lab coat, washed her hands, and rinsed her eyes with water.

Only after the pain subsided did Lin Luo raise her head and look at herself in the mirror: her left eye was still red and her neck was sweaty.

After work, Lin Luo and Wu Yun walked out of the research institute together. She had fair skin and delicate features. The sweat on her face was a highlight, and the red at the corner of her eye was even more charming. Wu Yun stared at her. Lin Luo noticed her gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Xiaoxiao, you are so beautiful."

"Thank you." She wouldn't deny herself now.

"Your husband is so lucky!" Wu Yun sighed, and Lin Luo smiled faintly.

As soon as I walked out of the institute, a purple Lamborghini stopped at the door. A young man with blond hair and sunglasses, about twenty years old, stood next to the car. His name was Wu Yun.

"How about my new younger guy?" Wu Yun raised her eyebrows proudly.

Lin Xiao spoke frankly, "He's quite handsome."

"He's a far cry from Fu Xingchuan." Wu Yun took out her phone, turned on the front camera, and looked at herself. "But the biggest advantage of younger men is that they're clingy. The one in your family is busy with work, always on business trips! But this younger brother is different. He'll send you a message saying he misses you after not contacting you for 20 minutes."

She enjoyed it, and Lin Xiao helped her comb her hair. "I like it to be non-sticky."

"Yes, yes, otherwise how could you marry Fu Xingchuan!" Wu Yun said casually, "I'll leave first."

"Um."

Lin Luo did not leave immediately. She watched the man considerately open the car door for Wu Yun and kept saying that he missed her. She truly felt that it was a very happy scene.

She unconsciously touched the ring finger of her left hand, and her heart skipped a beat when she found there was no ring. She breathed a sigh of relief when she remembered that she had taken it off before entering the laboratory.

"Xiao Lin, since you don't have a boyfriend to pick me up, I've already told you that I have a student who's quite good..." I ran into Deputy Director An again.

"Director, I'm married."

"Oh, Wu Yun has had three boyfriends. I've never met your husband, so I forgot about him. So... go home early!"

Why go home so early? There's no one home. She didn't even drive because she didn't want to go home so soon, Lin Luo thought to herself, but she kept agreeing.

Exhausted after a long day of work, Lin Luo didn't want to walk to the subway station anymore, so she didn't move. The institute was remote, making taxis difficult to get, so Lin Luo and Deputy Director An stood at the entrance, waiting for a ride.

"Director An, why didn't you drive here today?" She wanted to chat with someone. Deputy Director An was very easy to get along with and always loved to tell jokes.

"I'd like to have a drink tonight." The old man chuckled, "Xiao Lin, you keep calling me director. If someone didn't know me, they'd think I was planning to usurp the throne!"

After hearing Wu Yun say that he had been eyeing the position of director for a long time, Lin Qi asked, "Don't you want it?"

"How can you ask so directly? I'd rather drink than that. My wife's always very strict." Deputy Director An pursed his lips and looked down at his phone. "This place is very remote. It's very difficult to get a taxi. Xiaolin, did you get a taxi? You're not in a hurry to go home! Can you let me go first?"

Lin Luo looked at the words "Driver is on the way" on the screen, and thought about how lonely and desolate she was living alone. She nodded, "Okay."

She accidentally pressed the switch and the screen went off. The phone vibrated and she received a message. Lin Luo opened it slowly and saw that it was from Fu Xingchuan.

【I'm back. 】

Just then, the car she had called stopped at the door. Deputy Director An, thinking of his drink, immediately opened the door. Just as he was about to get in, Lin Qiao called out to him, "Director, Director, let me go first!"

"Xiao Lin, didn't we just agree on this?" The old man didn't care about anything else in front of the wine and just sat down on it.

Lin Luo refused to close the door and said coquettishly, "How about this, I will help you organize the information and collect data later, please let me go."

The old man swallowed, and Lin continued, "I also wish you a promotion and a raise, and that you become director soon."

Deputy Director An was shaken. Lin Luo blinked at him. He got out of the car. Lin Luo quickly got in, closed the door, and forgot to say thank you or goodbye before letting the driver go.

Deputy Director An, who had stopped to catch some fresh air, looked at the vanishing car and wondered, "What is this kid doing in such a hurry?"

The phone rang, and he picked it up. A woman's voice rushed out, "An Zhengtai, where are you? Are you going out drinking again?"

Deputy Director An looked at the empty street, wanting to cry but unable to, and groveled, "No, no, honey, I'll be right back."