Chapter 109 "Lu Yu, am I your weak spot?"
At ten o'clock in the morning, sunlight streamed in through the French windows of the medical school corridor. Lin Che hurried across the corridor carrying a stack of student papers.
He was wearing a light grey sweater today, which made his skin look even whiter. Lin Che wore glasses today because he had to attend class, and his eyes behind the lenses were clear and bright.
Suddenly, there were footsteps and conversations around the corner. Lin Che subconsciously leaned against the wall, but when he looked up, he was met with a pair of familiar peach blossom eyes that looked exactly like An An's.
Jiang Tingyun was wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit and his tie was tied meticulously below his Adam's apple.
Three years had sharpened his features, and the gloom of the past had been replaced by a calm and reserved expression. Behind him were seven or eight school leaders and project leaders, respectfully introducing something to him.
The moment he saw Lin Che's face clearly, Jiang Tingyun paused imperceptibly. The people accompanying him also stopped, and the corridor suddenly became quiet for a few seconds.
Lin Che noticed that Jiang Tingyun's gaze lingered on the professor nameplate on his chest for a moment, and a complex emotion flashed in those eyes that always carried a hint of sharpness.
"Mr. Jiang, long time no see." Lin Che spoke first, his voice gentle and polite, as if he was just greeting an ordinary friend.
The school leaders behind Jiang Tingyun showed surprise, their eyes flicking back and forth between the two men. Jiang Tingyun quickly adjusted his expression and nodded slightly: "Hello, Professor Lin."
His voice was deeper than it had been three years ago, carrying the calmness typical of someone who had long held a high position, but Lin Che still keenly detected the subtle tension within it.
The sunlight cast a crisscross of light and shadow on the floor between them.
"I heard the medical school is planning to build a new laboratory recently?" Jiang Tingyun suddenly spoke, his eyes falling on the paper in Lin Che's arms. "If you need sponsorship, Jiang's company would be happy to support you."
The school leaders' faces immediately lit up with smiles, but Lin Che merely smiled politely. "Thank you, Mr. Jiang, for your kindness. However, the project funds have already been secured."
Lin Che slightly moved aside to make way, his eyes behind his glasses as calm as water: "I won't disturb you all anymore."
When they passed each other, Lin Che noticed that Jiang Tingyun's gaze lingered on the side of his neck for a moment.
In fact, the scar there could not be seen clearly unless you looked closely. Lu Yu spent a lot of effort to erase the scar for Lin Che.
This time, there was no more cold feeling of a needle tip against the neck, only the tacit understanding between two smart people.
After taking a few steps, Lin Che heard someone whisper behind him, "Does President Jiang know Professor Lin?"
Jiang Tingyun's answer drifted in the wind: "We're friends, I guess."
In fact, after answering this question, Jiang Tingyun was also confused. He didn't know whether he was qualified to be this so-called "friend".
"The world is really small. Professor Lin is the youngest new professor in our college." The people behind him hurriedly complimented him.
Lin Che's figure completely disappeared around the corner. Jiang Tingyun withdrew his gaze and said indifferently, "The funding for the laboratory was provided by Lu's company, right?"
"Mr. Jiang, how...did you know?" The people around him were very surprised. After all, this news was deliberately blocked by Lu Yu and not announced to the public, including Lin Che.
"I guessed it when I saw Professor Lin." Jiang Tingyun said this in confusion and walked to the front with his hands in his pockets.
In fact, in the past three years, Lin Che had not asked anything about Jiang Tingyun during his conversations with Lu Jinshu.
I don’t know whether Lu Yu let him go in the end.
But now it seems that Lu Yu is also very merciful.
Lu Jinshu never mentioned it in front of him. Their communication was limited to Lu Yu's illness, Lu Yu'an's studies and health. They both tacitly avoided other things.
Dusk gradually deepened outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, and warm yellow light enveloped the living room.
Lin Che wore a loose-fitting white slub cotton sweatshirt, his long, white legs exposed from beneath his black shorts. He casually sat cross-legged on the carpet. Silver, half-framed glasses perched on his high nose. The lenses reflected the blue light from the computer screen, making his focused expression look particularly cool and clear.
The sound of keyboard tapping was as dense as raindrops. Lin Che's fingers danced across the keyboard, his eyes quickly scanning the medical literature on the screen. He frowned slightly and unconsciously bit his lower lip, completely immersed in the world of academia.
"Oh, by the way, Lu Yu," he suddenly said, his eyes still fixed on the screen, his fingers typing at an undiminished speed, "I ran into Jiang Tingyun today."
Across the room, Lu Yu, folding clothes, suddenly paused. His slender fingers rested on the cuffs of Lin Che's light gray sweater, their knuckles tinging slightly. The light from the floor lamp highlighted his taut jawline, and the slight movement of his Adam's apple.
"Yeah." He responded softly, his voice so calm that no emotion could be heard.
Lin Che finally raised his head from his computer, slid his legs back, and sat down on the edge of the sofa. He took off his glasses and rubbed his sore eyes. The collar of his sweatshirt tilted slightly with the movement, revealing a delicate collarbone.
"I never asked you," his voice was slightly hoarse from work, "but I just found out today that three years ago you actually let Jiang Tingyun go and exonerated him."
The only sound in the room was the clacking of keyboards. Lu Yu continued to fold clothes silently, folding Lin Che's sweater in half and smoothing it out with meticulous precision. In the warm light, his drooping eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, making it difficult to discern his expression.
After a long moment, Lu Yu spoke slowly, "No, my first thought was to kill them all. But... when I thought about how you definitely wouldn't want to do that, I softened my stance." His fingers gently stroked the non-existent wrinkles on his sweater. "That was my first thought."
Lin Che was stunned for a moment, then chuckled softly. He put his glasses back on and continued typing, a smile still lingering on his lips. "Indeed, I will let him go."
The keyboard clatter continued, but Lin Che's gaze gradually lost focus. The words on the screen grew blurry, and his thoughts drifted back to that cold parking lot three years ago, the needle point pressed against Jiang Tingyun's neck, the despair and madness mingling in his bloodshot eyes.
Lin Che never figured out what Lu Chi had used to threaten Jiang Tingyun that made him kidnap him even at the cost of offending Lu Yu.
In the halo of the floor lamp, Lu Yu had already folded the last piece of clothing. He turned around, his eyes falling on Lin Che's slightly absent-minded profile, and a deep voice sounded, pulling Lin Che back to his thoughts.
"His mother's life." Lu Yu said this calmly. Under the gaze of Lin Che's suddenly shrinking pupils, he slowly walked to sit opposite him.
The warm yellow light cast a soft halo on Lu Yu's outline, and his slender fingers fiddled with the puzzle pieces scattered on the carpet.
"The Jiang family's relationships are very complicated," Lu Yu's voice was low and steady. "Jiang Tingyun is just the most insignificant illegitimate child in the fourth branch. It's really not easy to get to where he is today."
Lin Che's computer screen dimmed automatically, leaving only the warm glow of the floor lamp in the room. He took off his glasses and stared quietly at Lu Yu, who was sorting through a puzzle across from him.
"His mother was a maidservant who came with Mr. Jiang's fourth wife," Lu Yu said, accurately placing a puzzle piece into the blank. "After she became pregnant, the mistress discovered her and she was nearly beaten to death. It was the fourth wife who showed mercy and saved them."
Lin Che's fingertips unconsciously stroked the dial of his watch, imagining the young man Jiang Tingyun who was struggling to survive in the mansion of a wealthy family.
"Lu Chi threatened him with his mother's life because he knew the Jiang family wouldn't care about the life or death of an unmarried woman." Lu Yu's voice turned colder. "The only one who can save his mother is Jiang Tingyun himself."
"You let him go out of pity?" Lin Che asked softly.
Lu Yu paused, his deep gaze piercing through the scattered puzzle pieces and looking directly into Lin Che's eyes: "Yes, but not entirely."
He picked up a puzzle piece with a unique shape and gently turned it between his fingers. "I found out that his mother wrote a letter to Jinshu before she committed suicide."
Lin Che's breath hitched, "His mother committed suicide?"
"Well, it was the winter of the year before last. I think... maybe he didn't want to hold his son back. If Jiang Tingyun wanted to climb higher in that environment, isolated and helpless... he couldn't have any weaknesses." Lu Yu's fingers gently stroked the edge of the puzzle, and he spoke in a low voice, as if recounting the story of an old friend.
"The letter said that what she felt most sorry for in her life was letting her son hurt innocent people." Lu Yu's voice was unusually warm. "She also said that she hoped Jinshu... wouldn't hate him."
Outside the window, a leaf gently tapped against the glass, making a subtle sound. Lin Che looked at the puzzle piece in Lu Yu's hand that he couldn't find its place, and suddenly understood something.
"So you let him go, not just out of pity," Lin Che said softly, "but also because... it was a mother's last request."
Lu Yu didn't answer, but suddenly reached out and placed the puzzle piece exactly where Lin Che had been unable to find it. When the puzzle was complete, a snow-capped mountain illuminated by a full moon appeared.
"Jinshu doesn't know about this." Lu Yu suddenly said, "I don't plan to tell her either."
"He seems to be having a good day today." Lin Che said softly.
Lu Yu held his fingers with his backhand and squeezed them gently: "Well, he is now the actual controller of the Jiang family."
Lin Che looked down at the puzzle piece Lu Yu had put together and blurted out, "Lu Yu, am I your weak spot?"
Lu Yu's fingers suddenly stopped in mid-air, and the puzzle pieces slipped from his fingertips, making a slight sound on the carpet. The room suddenly became so quiet that only the breathing of the two people could be heard.
Under the warm yellow light, Lu Yu slowly raised his eyes. His always unfathomable eyes now clearly reflected Lin Che's figure. He reached out and took off Lin Che's glasses, his movements as gentle as if he were handling something fragile.
"No." His voice was low and firm, and his fingers gently stroked the side of Lin Che's face. "You are my armor."
Lin Che's eyelashes trembled slightly, casting a small shadow under her eyes.
"That day..." Lu Yu's thumb stroked the watch strap on Lin Che's wrist, "I really thought about killing everyone." His voice was very soft, but it made Lin Che's heart tighten.
Outside the window, the night wind suddenly grew fiercer, and the sound of branches hitting the glass was like some kind of uneasy agitation. Lu Yu's hand slid down Lin Che's arm, finally interlocking his fingers.
"Weakness can make people afraid," he said, looking down at their clasped hands. "But you make me stronger."
"So..." Lin Che gently shook Lu Yu's hand back, "Jiang Tingyun's mother's choice was wrong?"
Lu Yu was silent for a moment, then suddenly leaned forward, resting his forehead against Lin Che's. This intimate position allowed their breaths to blend, and Lin Che could clearly see his reflection in Lu Yu's pupils.
"Not everyone thinks the same way she does, but I respect her opinion." Lu Yu's voice was as light as a sigh. "Some love is not a burden to the other person, but a reason for the other person to keep moving forward."
Lin Che suddenly understood the deep meaning behind Lu Yu's words.
He closed his eyes and felt Lu Yu's warm breath brushing his cheek.
On this quiet night, in this small world shrouded in warm light, all questions were answered.
"Next time you see Jiang Tingyun," Lu Yu suddenly said, "you can tell him that An An has recently started learning the piano."
Lin Che suddenly opened his eyes and met Lu Yu's deep gaze.
"Okay." Lin Che replied softly, a gentle smile on his lips.
Lu Yu reached out to turn off the floor lamp, and kissed Lin Che's lips accurately in the darkness.
——You are not my weakness, but the reason that makes me fearless.
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