Chapter 78 Confrontation
Lin Yan had just been called away by the company, and before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, there was a knock on the door.
It’s not Lin Heng’s style of just pushing the door open and walking in.
"Come in." My voice was still a little hoarse from just waking up.
The door opened, and Qin Zheng stood at the doorway, holding a tray with an impeccable, almost gentle smile on his face. "Brother Rui, I saw Brother Lin Yan went out, and I thought you should be awake, so I brought breakfast over."
All the hairs on my body stood up instantly, as if I was being scraped by the cold scales of a poisonous snake.
The twisted, strong, possessive face that appeared through the crack of the door last night and the humble, gentle, even slightly flattering face in front of me were tearing and overlapping wildly in my mind.
Painted Skin! This is definitely Painted Skin!
A strong feeling of nausea rushed into my throat.
After all, he is the nominal stepson of the Lin family. Does he need to take care of such things personally?
Are the servants just for show? Who is this humble and submissive attitude for? Or is it... a silent protest?
I suppressed the churning in my stomach and pulled my facial muscles stiffly into an arc: "Thank you, it's really troublesome for you."
I reached out to take the tray, and my fingertips touched the cold edge of the porcelain bowl, as if I had touched something dirty.
"It's not a bother." Qin Zheng's smile deepened, but there was no warmth in his eyes. Instead, there was an indescribable weirdness. "Sometimes Xiao Heng stays in bed, or... doesn't want to eat with us, so I'll bring it in for him."
There was even a strange tenderness in his tone, as if he was talking about something precious.
My throat tightened, and I couldn't utter a single word. The shock of last night was still fresh in my mind, and facing this utterly hypocritical face, any polite words seemed absurd.
I've never been one for socializing, and now even my basic facial expression management is on the verge of collapse.
No, what on earth does he want to do? Is it necessary to put on this show in front of me?
"Haha, Lin Heng has a very stubborn temper." I responded dryly, feeling that the air had become sticky and suffocating.
"But Brother Rui," Qin Zheng's eyes seemed to casually sweep across the bed behind me, then fell back on my face, his tone a little inquiring, "You and Xiao Heng have a really good relationship."
These words are like a thorn.
I raised my eyebrows, feeling that I had been with Lin Yan for too long and seemed to have picked up some of his silent harshness.
"Probably," I said, my voice cold and expressionless. "Maybe it's because we're both too lazy to beat around the bush and just say whatever comes to mind."
The smile on Qin Zheng's face froze for a moment, and a hint of gloom flashed across his eyes so quickly that it seemed like an illusion.
He quickly put on that gentle mask again: "Is that so? I didn't expect Xiao Heng... to like this."
The tone sounded like he was weighing an object.
I almost wanted to slam the tray in his face.
"I won't disturb Brother Rui from eating." He bowed slightly, his movements as standard as a well-trained waiter, and he was "thoughtful" enough to close the door gently for me.
The moment the door closed, I felt like all my strength was drained away and I put the tray heavily on the bedside table.
The nausea in my stomach was still churning. No, I had to pry open Lin Heng's mouth today, no matter what.
I ate a few mouthfuls of breakfast without appreciating the flavor. I walked straight to Lin Heng's room, not even bothering to knock on the door, and simply turned the handle.
The room was dimly lit and the curtains were drawn.
Lin Heng was still curled up in the quilt, with only his furry head exposed.
"Um...sister-in-law?" He rubbed his eyes drowsily and tried to sit up, but suddenly froze. He seemed to remember something and quickly pulled the quilt up to cover his shoulders. "Um...sister-in-law, I'm used to sleeping naked. You go out first and I'll change."
Seeing him trying to hide his true intentions, I lost the last bit of my patience.
The scene from last night and Qin Zheng’s hypocritical face this morning collided violently in his mind.
"Lin Heng," I said in a voice as cold as ice, "What the hell are you and Qin Zheng up to?"
Lin Heng froze completely, the sleepiness on his face instantly vanished, and his expression changed from astonishment to forced confusion, and then to a barely perceptible panic.
"Sister-in-law, what are you talking about?" He tried to cover up with his usual impatient and frivolous tone, "That bitch Qin Zheng? I wish I could stay eight hundred feet away from him..."
"Stop pretending." I interrupted him, my eyes fixed on his face sharply, "Last night, I went to the bathroom and passed by your door."
These words struck Lin Heng like a bolt of thunder.
The blood drained away from his face in an instant, his lips parted slightly, and his eyes widened, filled with incredible shame and panic.
The next second, he suddenly pulled up the quilt, covering his entire head with it, and let out a muffled, desperate growl: "Fuck!"
I walked over to the bed and looked down at the squirming blanket. "Tell me about it, the whole story. How far has it progressed?"
Thinking of the noise I heard through the crack in the door last night, I sneered, "Forget it, it's already like that, what's the point of talking about 'development'?"
Lin Heng was silent under the quilt for a long time before he muffled his voice, with a sense of despair: "...not together."
I almost laughed out of anger: "Not together? Lin Heng, are you kidding me?"
A corner of the quilt was suddenly lifted, revealing Lin Heng's pale and stubborn face. As if to embolden himself, he tried to put on a cynical and dandy expression: "We two... are just friends with benefits. Do you understand? It's just a purely physical relationship."
"Fuck buddy?!" My voice suddenly rose. "Lin Heng! What's wrong with you? Playing this with him? Aren't you afraid of getting yourself into trouble?!"
Thinking of Qin Zheng's attitude of controlling everything last night and his watertight disguise this morning, a chill rose from the bottom of my heart.
"Fuck!" Lin Heng sat up suddenly like a cat whose tail was stepped on. The quilt slipped off, revealing his smooth upper body. A few suspicious dark red marks on it were particularly glaring. "What do you mean by being played by him?! He was played by me!"
He stiffened his neck, trying to regain his confidence as a young master. "He is just my dog! He comes when I call him and leaves when I dismiss him! What's wrong with me playing with him? Is he worthy of having a relationship with me?"
Looking at his cowardly appearance, I just felt it was ridiculous and chilling.
Does he really think he is in control?
"Okay," I looked at him coldly, "then guess what your brother would think if he knew?"
"Don't!!" The arrogance on Lin Heng's face collapsed in an instant, leaving only pure fear.
He suddenly rushed over and grabbed my arm with such frightening force that my eyes instantly turned red. Tears welled up without warning and streamed down my pale cheeks. "Sister-in-law! Don't tell my brother! Please! Don't tell him! If he knew... If he knew..."
He choked and couldn't continue speaking, just shook his head desperately, and his tears fell on my arms, hot and cold at the same time.
He cried without any image, the corners of his eyes were red, the tip of his nose was also red, and his usual arrogance disappeared without a trace, leaving only a fragile and frightened beauty.
My heart softened, and I felt helpless and worried again.
No wonder Qin Zheng...
I sighed, pulled out a tissue and handed it to him: "Okay, okay, don't cry. I won't tell him."
Looking at him like this, I really can't be hard-hearted.
Lin Heng clutched the tissue tightly, but didn't wipe his tears. He just clutched my sleeve tightly, as if grasping at a lifeline. His voice was nasal: "I... I know that I'm disgusting... very despicable... so I can't let him know... He originally... originally thought that I was not up to the task..."
"Lin Heng," I looked into his red eyes, "your brother loves you very much, he just wants the best for you."
"No..." Lin Heng shook his head vigorously, tears welling up in his eyes again, "No... Sister-in-law, you must promise me that you must not tell him! Please!"
He was like a drowning man, his eyes filled with desperate pleading.
"I promise you." I nodded solemnly, "But you have to think it through yourself. Now, tell your sister-in-law what's going on. There has to be a beginning, right?"
Lin Heng sniffed, looking out the window with a somewhat empty look in his eyes. After a long silence, he whispered in an almost numb tone, "...Just once, I drank too much...I was confused...and then...it's been like this ever since."
He grabbed his hair in frustration, "Damn it, I can't shake it off..."
"...Did he take the initiative?" I asked.
"..." Lin Heng's lips were pressed into a pale line, his eyes flickering, and he finally said vaguely, "...He takes the initiative more often... Although... I didn't push him away..."
The latter part was so soft that it was almost inaudible.
"What about you?" I stared at him. "Lin Heng, tell me, what do you really think? About him, about this matter?"
"I don't know!" Lin Heng suddenly lowered his head and buried his face in the quilt. His voice was muffled, with a sense of escape and pain. "Sister-in-law, don't ask! I don't know! I really don't know!"
Looking at his back curled up like a wounded hedgehog, I sighed long and silently.
Lin Yan, Lin Yan, you are such a worrying brother...
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