Chapter 16: Upon encountering the woman, she fell steadily into Zhou Ke's arms...

The day after her tooth extraction, Lin Yu's right cheek swelled up as expected. She rested at home for two days, during which time she even suspended her tutoring of Lili and declined Jia Yi's invitation to go out for a manicure.

The afternoon sun shone through the dense foliage of the old locust tree in the community, casting dappled light. A restless heat permeated the air, and the distant chirping of cicadas was intermittent.

After Zhou Ke left, Lin Yu was left alone at home. Feeling bored, she randomly picked a TV to pass the time.

The old apartment building was dilapidated, and the soundproofing was terrible. A child was practicing piano at home, the soft notes blending with the background noise from the television. Lin Yu had to turn up the volume. It was a contemporary romance drama set in a university. She watched two episodes on the sofa, gradually becoming sleepy. The tender piano music drifted in the sweltering air, so Lin Yu simply turned off the TV, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep to the piano music.

As evening fell and the sun set, a magnificent fiery cloud appeared on the horizon, its orange-yellow afterglow painting half the sky.

When Zhou Ke returned home and opened the door, he found the house quiet. He looked up and saw this scene.

The evening sun streamed in through the balcony window, casting a golden glow on the flower stand in the corner and the wooden floor of the living room. The living room was filled with cool air, and a thin gray blanket was spread on the light-colored fabric sofa. The person under the blanket was curled up on their side, fast asleep.

Zhou Ke changed his shoes and tiptoed over until he stopped in front of the sofa. He stood quietly to the side, scrutinizing her intently, his gaze moving from her smooth, full forehead to the tip of her straight nose, and then to her slightly puffed cheeks.

Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, Zhou Ke stared at her for a while but couldn't wake her. He stood quietly for a while, then bent down, stretched out his arms, and carefully approached the sleeping person. He put one hand under her knees and the other under the back of her neck, and placed his broad palms on her shoulders, picking her up along with the blanket.

His younger sister's body was curled up in his arms, almost weightless. Zhou Ke lowered his eyes and carried her towards the room. As they walked, he couldn't help but wonder how she had managed to get so thin over the past few years. He wondered if her so-called 'boyfriend' had actually treated her well.

As his thoughts raced to the very end, a cold melancholy appeared on Zhou Ke's face that even he himself noticed.

He gently placed her on the soft mattress, and Zhou Ke bent over, about to pull his arm away. However, Lin Yu's eyelids suddenly twitched, a sign that she was about to wake up. Zhou Ke noticed this and immediately dared not move, afraid of waking her up completely. He maintained his current position, his broad body firmly covering her beneath him.

The distance between them was so close that he could even see Lin Yu's individual eyelashes. The summer air was sweltering, and the window behind them hadn't been closed yet, so it was wide open. The heat from outside flowed through the bedroom, which was less than 20 square meters, making the room so hot that even Zhou Ke felt uncomfortable.

He was about to look away when Lin Yu suddenly opened her eyes.

"elder brother...."

Lin Yu squinted her eyes slightly. The light and shadows in her eyes were still somewhat overlapping, so Zhou Ke's features were blurred in her eyes like an old movie. She blinked her eyelashes lightly, her voice still soft and sweet from just waking up.

They were so close that her warm breath sprayed onto his neck without any barrier, like countless tiny ants nibbling deep into his skin, causing a tingling, itchy sensation.

Zhou Ke's body stiffened, his Adam's apple bobbing silently. His hunched back made him look flustered. He hurriedly tried to pull his hand away, but the next second, Lin Yu turned to the side and nestled her waist and abdomen in the crook of his arm.

This intimate gesture reminded him of the countless times he had hugged her like this when he was a child.

In the summer, clothes are thin, and as he turns, the hem of his clothes inadvertently lifts up, revealing a slender waist that can be encircled with one hand. At this moment, this fair and slightly cool skin is pressed against his bulging forearm without any obstruction.

A mixture of hot and cold, a fusion of body temperatures.

Zhou Ke swallowed hard. Suddenly, it felt as if someone had added fuel to a fire in his heart, creating a raging inferno in the sweltering summer heat.

His throat tightened. He looked at his sister, who had just woken up, her eyes still glistening with a hazy, watery light. He closed his eyes briefly, his heart stirred, and after a long while, he finally dared to look directly into her eyes.

His gaze fell on her cheeks, which had already lost their redness and swelling, and Zhou Ke's voice became hoarse, "Does it still hurt?"

Lin Yu blinked very lightly with her long, thick eyelashes and murmured, "It doesn't hurt anymore, brother. I had a really long nightmare."

A faint glint of water appeared in her eyes, and her brows furrowed.

Zhou Ke couldn't help but ask, "What did you dream about?"

Lin Yu recalled the scene in her dream and still felt a lingering sense of fear: "I dreamt of my uncle and grandmother, and I dreamt that they were both gone, and that you didn't want me anymore either."

Zhou Ke looked down at him, his eyes filled with intense heartache: "What nonsense are you talking about? How could your brother not want you?"

Lin Yu pursed her lips, her gaze slowly shifting away from his face. Desire surged within her, finding no outlet. The heat burned her earlobes, stirring her pounding heartbeat.

She couldn't help but smile bitterly, silently thinking to herself: This is not what that is meant to be.

...

The next day.

The high temperatures in Tongcheng lasted from early June until yesterday, and only today did it finally see a brief drop in temperature.

After Lin Yu finished tutoring Lili, she was about to go downstairs when the originally clear sky suddenly turned gray. The wind outside the window picked up, and the leaves of the old locust tree rustled in the wind, signaling that it was about to rain.

Because of the billiards hall, Yan Yadong and Zhou Ke have been extremely busy lately. The storefront has been secured and the contract has been finalized. Next comes the renovation and promotion. Zhou Ke is no longer working day and night as before, but is now leaving early and returning late.

For several days in a row, there was only one person at home.

As soon as she arrived home, a familiar, sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen. Lin Yu immediately stopped, took out her phone to check the date, and realized that her period was indeed approaching.

Having been away from home for so long, Lin Yu noticed there were no sanitary napkins on hand. She glanced out the window at the sky, which was slowly darkening, but thankfully it hadn't started raining yet.

There was a supermarket not far from the neighborhood. With that in mind, Lin Yu didn't linger any longer. She changed her shoes, grabbed her keys, and went out.

After hurrying to the supermarket, a rumble of thunder suddenly sounded in the sky. Lin Yu walked to the shelf, found her most frequently used brand among a pile of pink, blue, white and black packaging, and then picked up two packs and threw them into the basket.

After paying, Lin Yu lifted the heavy curtain at the supermarket entrance. A gust of wind blew in, whipping her hair back into the air. Seeing this, Lin Yu quickly left the supermarket and headed home. She had only gone halfway when the rain started to drizzle. Summer rain comes quickly and suddenly, and Lin Yu couldn't avoid it in time. By the time she reached her apartment building, her clothes were soaked through, and her hair was sticky and wet on her neck. Looking at her disheveled appearance, Lin Yu didn't think much of it. After putting her things down at home, she picked up her clothes, took a shower, and changed into a refreshing set of pajamas.

Once outside, the rain seemed to have stopped, and dusk was falling. Lights were already on in the buildings across the street. The house was quiet, with only the faint sounds of pots and pans clattering. The balcony door was ajar, and the air still carried the faint aroma of food. Lin Yu put down the towel she was holding, her hair still slightly damp, and walked into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator, took out an unopened bag of dumplings from the freezer, and started cooking.

Frozen food cooks very quickly; just put it in cold water and wait until all the dumplings float to the surface.

When Zhou Ke called her, she happened to be bringing a plate of dumplings to the dining table.

The dumplings were too hot, so she took a bite. When she answered the phone, her speech was a little slurred, "Hello, brother."

Zhou Ke could tell from her voice that she was eating, "She's having dinner."

"Hmm," she replied, then asked, "Brother, why are you calling me at this hour?"

Zhou Ke didn't explain the reason, but instead asked, "Do you have time later?"

"Yes, I have."

Zhou Ke said gently, "There's a document in my drawer. Could you take it to the bar and give it to someone named Sister Qin? I'm on my way back to Tongcheng right now, and Sister Qin needs it urgently. I can't get home right away."

After listening, Lin Yu swallowed the dumpling in her mouth and agreed without hesitation: "Okay, I'll send it over in a bit."

"Okay." The voice on the phone paused slightly, then came through again in a deep, magnetic tone: "Take your time eating, don't rush. I'll send a message to Sister Qin and tell her to wait for you at the bar."

Lin Yu gave a soft "hmm," and after finishing the dumplings, she put down her chopsticks, slipped on her slippers, and walked towards Zhou Ke's room. As she pushed open the door, a familiar scent wafted towards her, like cedar mixed with a touch of mint, clean and calm, the same scent her brother always had.

Following Zhou Ke's directions, she found a contract with the word "transfer" written on it in the drawer, took out her phone, took a picture of the contract, and showed it to her brother.

Zhou Ke replied quickly, saying, "It's this one."

After receiving a reply, Lin Yu changed her clothes, put the contract in her bag, and went out.

The night breeze was cool, and the heat of the day gradually dissipated. The air still carried the scent of earth after the rain. The orange streetlights cast circles of light in the twilight, which looked like lines when viewed from afar. The occasional chirping of cicadas from the grass nearby made the night even more tranquil. Lin Yu took out her phone to hail a taxi as she walked.

Because of the rain, there weren't many customers in the bar. Lin Yu walked to the door, pushed open the light gold bar door, and the cold air blowing in made her long hair behind her shoulders flutter slightly. She looked around.

As luck would have it, neither of the bar owners were there today. Lin Yu didn't know any Sister Qin, so in order to successfully hand over the items to her phone, she could only walk forward slowly.

"Hello, I'm looking for Sister Qin. Is she in?"

Lin Yu's voice sounded soft amidst the slightly noisy background music of the bar. Hearing her voice, the young man who was diligently wiping glasses behind the bar slowly looked up. His gaze lingered on Lin Yu's face for a moment. The girl in front of him wore a simple white short-sleeved T-shirt, the fitted design accentuating her slender waist. She paired it with light-colored jeans and carried a white tote bag on her shoulder, with a light blue dolphin plush toy hanging from the chain. Her long, smooth hair was tied in a low bun, and a few wisps of hair clung to her fair and slender neck. After looking at her for a while, the young man suddenly realized, "You're the boss's sister?"

Lin Yu was slightly taken aback. There were only two owners in the bar, Yan Yadong and Zhou Ke. Although she didn't know who the boss was referring to, Lin Yu didn't explain: "You know me?"

"I saw you here last time." The boy smiled at her, then hung the cleaned cup back on the cup rack. Only then did he remember why she had come to talk to him: "By the way, is there something you need from Sister Qin?"

Lin Yu took out the documents she was going to give to the other party from her bag and said, "I'm here to deliver something to her."

"Sister Qin should still be in her office on the second floor." After wiping his hands with a towel, the boy looked at her again and said, "Why don't you give me your things and I'll take them to you, or I can take you there."

Before Lin Yu could make a choice, she saw that the other party had stopped what they were doing. She thought that she was not familiar with the layout of the bar, and she did not know Sister Qin. She was afraid that she would waste more time not being able to find someone. So she said, "Then please take me there."

“Okay, follow me.” The boy readily agreed, turned around and walked around the bar, leading Lin Yu toward the stairs.

A narrow black iron staircase leads to the second floor. Two vintage black and white photos hang on the wall. The two walk up one after the other, and the warm yellow light from above shines down, bathing Lin Yu's black hair in a soft amber color.

Stepping onto the second floor, the environment became much quieter, and the somber music was completely shut out.

"Look, that's the one up ahead." The boy stood there, pointing to a dark wooden door in the corridor that was soaked with sweat, and told her, "That's Sister Qin's office."

Lin Yu nodded, glanced at him and thanked him, then walked towards the end of the road. She raised her hand and knocked on the door, and after a moment, a clear female voice came from inside: "Come in."

With permission granted, Lin Yu opened the door. Zhou Ke had already spoken with her on the phone, and the two didn't exchange many pleasantries. After delivering the documents, Lin Yu walked out of the office, while the young man had already gone downstairs.

After going downstairs, Lin Yu took out her phone and sent a message to Zhou Ke, saying that the document had been delivered.

Seeing that she was about to leave, the boy quickly spoke up to stop her: "Are you leaving right after dropping her off? Want to grab a drink?"

Lin Yu remembered that she was menstruating and shouldn't drink alcohol, so she shook her head and politely declined, saying, "No, maybe next time." She then gave the other person a slight smile, "Thank you for today, I'll be going now."

Stepping out of the bar, the cool moonlight shone down, bathing the neon-lit summer night. The evening breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead and temples. Lin Yu walked to the roadside and hailed a taxi.

Once inside the car, she leaned against the corner. The rear window was half-open and half-lowered. Lin Yu casually raised her eyes, her gaze landing squarely on the right-side rearview mirror. In that single glance, her pupils contracted sharply, and her blood seemed to freeze in the sweltering summer night.

"Master, stop!" she said hurriedly, her tone changing.

The car suddenly braked and stopped at the side of the road. Lin Yu pushed open the car door and jumped out of the car.

Under the warm yellow streetlights, Zhou Ke stood tall and straight beside the clump of bamboo at the entrance of the bar. Beside him stood a woman wearing a dark purple bodycon dress. The woman had thick, long curly hair, and the dress hugged her graceful figure. She wore a pair of high heels.

Lin Yu stared intently at the scene. They were too far apart to hear what the two were saying. Suddenly, the girl clenched her fists and punched Zhou Ke in the chest without hesitation. The girl stood in front of Zhou Ke, and Lin Yu couldn't see his expression. But after a while, the girl stumbled in front of him. Zhou Ke reached out and supported her arm. The next second, the girl fell steadily into Zhou Ke's arms.