Chapter 41
Cheng Yanjin felt that he had really been driven crazy by being locked up. He had never paid attention to the time when he was having fun before, but after suffering in Laoshan Temple, he actually developed a sense of time and managed to return on time before 4:30 in the morning.
When he returned, he should have gone straight to Yuan Chuyu's room, changed into his Haiqing clothes, and then gone directly to his morning class.
But after opening the door and entering the room, as he took off his clothes and walked towards the bed, he was shocked to find that only the bare mattress remained on the bed, and all the bedding had been removed.
He was confused, assuming it was Yuan Chuyu's OCD acting up, as he brought his own toiletries even when going out. But after changing into his Haiqing clothes, he suddenly realized something was wrong—Yu-ge had clearly stayed in his room that night!
With about ten minutes to spare, Cheng Yanjin changed his clothes and went to check on his room. He thought Yuan Chuyu should already be asleep, but when he got to the door, a warm light was shining through the crack.
Yu-ge didn't sleep? Or did he get up early?
Cheng Yanjin raised his hand and knocked on the door, then lowered his voice and called out, "Brother Yu, it's me."
The door opened quickly, and the window and door faced each other for ventilation. As soon as it was opened, the scent of sandalwood and candles filled the room.
Cheng Yanjin craned his neck to take a look, and when he saw the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone on the table, he became solemn and respectful: "Brother, are you being punished by copying this so early in the morning instead of sleeping?"
Yuan Chuyu nodded, returned to the table, and casually closed the scroll with the name half-obscured. He then stepped aside, blocking the table, and asked casually, "Having fun?"
Cheng Yanjin clicked his tongue and shook his hand: "I wasn't feeling well today, I slipped on the steps."
Yuan Chuyu looked at his legs, and Cheng Yanjin pouted and added, "It must be because when I was carrying the drunk Lin Xiaozhu back to the room, I missed a step and almost twisted my ankle... Anyway, I wasn't in a good mood tonight, things didn't go smoothly, and my movements were just average."
When Yuan Chuyu heard the name "Lin Langyi", his eyelids twitched slightly. He looked away and said, "It might be because I haven't played for a while. After practicing a few more times, I'll get the hang of it again."
“Yes!” Cheng Yanjin clenched his fist in pain, hissing as he pulled at his injury. “The thought of having to stay here for so long makes me want to break down.”
He chatted for a couple of minutes and was about to leave when he turned around and saw his bed made up neatly and meticulously. He finally remembered why he had come and asked, "Hey, what's going on with your bed? When I came in, I thought there was a bed sheet thief in addition to the underwear thief."
“I accidentally spilled some wine,” Yuan Chuyu said calmly, raising his chin slightly. “It’s in the water. I’ll pay for it when it gets light.”
Cheng Yanjin turned to look at him with some surprise, and punched his brother with the back of his hand: "You guys went back inside to drink? You seem to be having a lot of fun."
Yuan Chuyu's gaze fell on Cheng Yanjin's hand with a huge bandage on it. He paused for a moment, then nodded slowly: "Yes, I'm very happy."
Cheng Yanjin nudged him with his elbow in a friendly gesture: "I'm off, I'm going to go chant some sutras for my grandpa, see you later."
He walked straight out the door, closing it behind him. He glanced at the wet sheets in the wooden basin beside him and suddenly remembered that he had done this many times before.
Everyday housework involves washing things, including the bed, which has been rinsed countless times...
He thought that if this item was included today, he could just casually skip it later, thus avoiding Yuan Pingran's nitpicking accusations that Yuan Chuyu was drinking in the room.
...
As the saying goes, what you wish for comes true. Today's official duty was to wash the lay Buddhist robes. Cheng Yanjin didn't even greet Yuan Chuyu, but took the initiative to take the bed sheet soaking in the water along with it, thinking it was just something he could do.
He was careless in his work, always trying to slack off whenever possible. He sat in the yard pretending to be serious, casually swiping the sheets a few times, and didn't notice any wine stains.
Just as he was dawdling here, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, and a soft voice came from behind: "Cheng Yanjin, can we eat breakfast in the room... I'm so sleepy and tired."
Cheng Yanjin turned his head and saw Lin Langyi yawning and looking so sleepy that she couldn't even open her eyes. Remembering that she was drunk yesterday, he finally got the upper hand and acted innocent: "You got so drunk that you couldn't get up, right?"
Lin Langyi had a really great time yesterday, so even a pig would look pleasing to the eye now: "Is it because you're drunk?"
Cheng Yanjin: "Otherwise what?"
Lin Langyi thought this little kid was eating like crazy again, and that he would feel ashamed after he finished. She glanced at the band-aid on the back of his hand and asked, "Does your hand still hurt?"
Cheng Yanjin's wet hand was still soaking in the water when he heard this, and he was stunned for a moment.
He didn't expect Lin Langyi to care about him so much. He had loved all kinds of sports since he was a child and had fallen and scraped his skin countless times. Because of his bad temper, his family could not control him since Qiao Wan passed away. Few people would pay such close attention to whether he had a scar or a scrape.
"The bandage on the back of your hand isn't waterproof, is it?" Lin Langyi asked again.
"Hmm...it's nothing, just a minor injury." Cheng Yanjin suddenly became a little flustered, shifting uncomfortably on the low stool. Then, realizing his affected manner was embarrassing, he put on his usual intimidating act and threatened her, "It's all your fault!"
I accidentally missed a step while carrying her, so my ankle was in bad shape, which is why I made a mistake when I was rushing down the stairs.
Lin Langyi actually smiled and gently pinched his earlobe: "It's my fault, but you also have to take half the responsibility."
Cheng Yanjin's earlobe burned instantly from being pinched by her. He touched it with his wet hand, thinking that what she said was true, and that he had been so focused on watching her sleep that he hadn't paid attention to his feet.
“You can’t bring breakfast out,” he replied, speaking in a serious tone. “We have strict rules here; you can only eat in the dining hall.”
Lin Langyi gave a disappointed "Oh".
Looking at her adorable face with red marks on her cheeks as she slept, he suddenly changed the subject: "I'll see if I can sneak some out for you later?"
Lin Langyi was amused by him and patted him on the shoulder meaningfully: "Never mind, just in case it spills, so you don't have to wash the sheets again."
Cheng Yanjin originally planned to ask her to wait for him to go eat together, but Lin Langyi was too sleepy and waved her hand to indicate that she would finish quickly and go back to catch up on sleep after eating.
When she arrived at the vegetarian hall, there were already quite a few people eating. The free vegetarian meals offered over the past month have attracted many tourists to try them.
She held the plate and waited in line. Even while standing in line, she still felt a bit weak, like when she was a child and had played wildly during the Lunar New Year and then collapsed from exhaustion when she got home.
"Would you like some peanut milk?" Someone suddenly approached her, placing a cup of light pink, fragrant, thick peanut milk in front of her and lifting the lid. "Soybeans, peanuts, red dates, lily bulbs, and it's still hot."
Lin Langyi's attention was immediately drawn to the peanut milk. She looked at the rich peanut milk, then looked up at Yuan Chuyu in surprise: "Where did this peanut milk come from? Isn't it all just congee, noodles, and side dishes?"
Some tourists in line were drawn back by the aroma, and Yuan Chuyu explained in a low voice, "I bought it down the mountain. I bought quite a lot. Everyone has some. Do you want some?"
When Lin Langyi heard that everyone else had some, she suddenly didn't want to wait in line anymore. She just wanted to go back to her room, lie down, and drink a cup of peanut milk for breakfast.
Seeing that she was tempted, Yuan Chuyu suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear, "It's not good to bring food out. Let's not eat here. It's not appropriate. Why don't we go back to our room?"
His warm breath tickled her earlobe as he spoke. When she looked up, he had already finished speaking and stepped back, only giving her a light wink and mouthing, "There's another breakfast."
Lin Langyi followed him, completely captivated.
Yuan Chuyu bought a lot of different kinds of food and personally delivered them to her room, placing them one by one on the table. Lin Langyi held the chopsticks reverently and exclaimed, "I feel like I'm a child who never returned to China, and now I can eat a whole cow."
Yuan Chuyu smiled, his lips were unusually red today, slightly swollen, like a gorgeous rose moistened by dew, which made his fair and beautiful face even more alluring.
He sat down opposite them and casually took apart a pair of chopsticks: "Everyone else's food has been delivered, we can eat slowly."
The door was closed early because he claimed it was "not good to bring things out and get caught." Lin Langyi was quietly eating a soup dumpling while breathing out hot air, and said, "Leave some for Cheng Yanjin too, he might still be washing things."
Yuan Chuyu paused in his motion of pushing the cup towards him, then casually withdrew his hand and placed the other hand on the cup: "Washing things?"
"Hmm, bed sheets—Buddhist robes, Buddhist robes," Lin Langyi quickly corrected herself.
Yuan Chuyu glanced at her, his bright eyes sparkling, and slowly pushed the cup of peanut milk in front of her, saying absentmindedly, "Really?"
Lin Langyi was swallowing a xiaolongbao (soup dumpling) and was about to take it from him when he suddenly noticed that there was also a band-aid on the back of his right hand, which was pushing the cup towards him.
The band-aid wasn't applied properly, or perhaps the wound was too large, leaving fresh, bright red marks of broken skin visible at both ends, like scratches from a cat or dog.
She was suddenly startled, fragmented and chaotic memories flashing through her mind, and she felt that the hand was very familiar.
Fair-skinned, with well-proportioned bones and flesh, and bluish-green veins spreading under the skin.
Before I could take another look, Yuan Chuyu had already naturally reached his hand back and casually picked up a small steamed bun with his chopsticks, eating with a refined and elegant posture.
Lin Langyi slowly began to chew again, but her thoughts had already drifted far away.
Her memory was actually very vague. Last night was almost a blackout. She only knew that she was so happy that she was completely disoriented. At first, the other person was very patient and gentle, completely respecting her. But later, it was deep and heavy, and it could be described as a fierce plunder and invasion.
She changed into a long-sleeved and long-legged sun protection outfit today, not just for sun protection, but because...
She secretly raised her eyes again to observe the person opposite her, hoping to find the same answer in the glimpse of his fair skin.
He was dressed impeccably, neatly, appropriately, and asceticly, with the top button fastened, leaving no trace of his attire.
Lin Langyi bit the straw and gulped down half a cup of warm peanut milk in one go, breaking out in a light sweat on her back.
Her attention remained fixed on the man opposite her, from his high nose bridge to the Adam's apple moving up and down as he swallowed, and then to his straight, pine-like back and broad, flowing shoulder and neck lines.
When it was dark, I couldn't see the person's figure clearly. I only remember that the waist and abdomen were narrow, and the muscles were firm and tight when the legs were hooked up. When the muscles were tensed, I could feel the bulging blue veins in the abdomen, as if it could breathe.
Blue veins?
Lin Langyi felt as if she had grasped a glimmer of light, but upon further reflection, she was completely lost.
She couldn't very well say, "Brother, could you take off your shirt so I can examine you?"
Lin Langyi fell into deep thought, and as she was thinking, the cup in her hand made a "glug" sound. She suddenly woke up, raised the cup and swirled it, and realized that she had unknowingly finished the whole cup.
"Want some more? Soybeans, peanuts, red dates, and lily bulbs are good for replenishing qi and blood." Yuan Chuyu pushed another cup of peanut milk over. The red mark on his well-defined hand, like a foxtail grass used to tease a kitten, once again attracted all of Lin Langyi's attention.
"What happened to your hand?" she asked directly.
Yuan Chuyu slowly withdrew his hand, gently placing his other hand on the back of his right hand, rubbing it back and forth with his fingertips, and lifting his eyelids to gaze at her as if holding autumn water: "I accidentally scratched it."
"It got scratched?" Lin Langyi seemed to transform into a bookish scholar at this moment. Upon hearing this, she immediately sat up straight and leaned forward to ask, "What scratched it? Was it a cat? There are many cats around the temple."
He didn't answer directly, but smiled slightly, rummaged through his phone for a bit, and then pushed over a video of a kitten.
"Speaking of cats, I forgot to tell you, the kitten we rescued together before is very resilient and can be discharged from the hospital."
Lin Langyi could only change the subject. In the video, the little black kitten was already lying down and scratching the cat toy with its hind legs, looking very energetic.
She asked, "What's your name?"
"I haven't decided yet..." Yuan Chuyu hesitated, resting his chin on his fist. "I originally wanted to call her Little Jellyfish, but..."
Lin Langyi: ?
She couldn't figure out the connection between the two, thinking it was because of her lack of knowledge, and could only stare at the other person with eager eyes.
Yuan Chuyu seemed a little embarrassed by her gaze, and asked good-naturedly, "What do you think should be called?"
Lin Langyi blurted out: "Coal ball, Little Black, Blackie, real estate agent, hey, not bad, real estate agent it is..."
Yuan Chuyu: ?
She looked at the other person honestly, her eyes clear: "A real estate agent, that sounds like a shady business."
He pursed his lips, looking very dissatisfied. He had only raised her for a few days and he was already showing signs of protecting her: "It doesn't sound good. She clearly has a patch of white fur on her leg, not black at all."
Lin Langyi retorted, "Then you take it."
"I later came to prefer the black-lipped oyster."
Upon hearing the name, she paused for a moment, then immediately understood its meaning: "Tahitian black pearl, is it? The queen of pearls, produced in Tahiti, the place closest to paradise. The black-lipped oyster is the mother oyster that nurtures black pearls."
The more she talked, the better she felt about the shape, color, and artistic conception. In particular, although the black pearl was completely black, it reflected a beautiful mirror-like luster, just like the white patch on a kitten's leg. She couldn't help but praise, "It sounds beautiful! As expected of your father, he really put his heart into it."
He glanced at her, his eyes gleaming with a hint of reproach: "It's all because... you don't care."
The two chatted amiably, and Lin Langyi pushed a cup of still-hot soy milk to him while laughing. Yuan Chuyu didn't refuse, took a couple of sips, and quickly fanned himself with his hand.
The air conditioning in the room was set high, and he probably felt a bit hot too. As she kept trying to distract him with the kitten, he unconsciously loosened the buttons on his shirt with one hand.
She smiled at him with her eyes crinkling, and they continued chatting.
He leaned back with his shoulders relaxed, watching her smile gently, looking quite pleased with herself. As a result, the unbuttoned collar opened slightly, revealing the clear and smooth lines of her neck, her Adam's apple bobbing, and below it a shimmering, fresh red mark.
It looks like a hickey.
Lin Langyi's eyelashes curved as she silently looked away, took another sip of peanut milk, and her smile remained unchanged.
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