Chapter 67 "Call again."
When Lu Yu carried Lin Che all the way into the car, the dog slippers in the shopping bag were still shaking and hitting his knees.
The neon lights outside the car window cast flickering shadows on Lu Yu's profile. He held the steering wheel with one hand and kept his other hand on Lin Che's wrist, his thumb stroking the protruding wrist bone from time to time.
"Do you really want me to wear that?" Lu Yu suddenly spoke while waiting for the red light, his eyes sweeping over the khaki slippers with half of the ear exposed in the back seat.
Lin Che was scrolling through a recipe app on her phone. Upon hearing this, she immediately locked the screen, her ears blushing slightly. "...You don't have to wear it."
Lu Yu chuckled softly, and rubbed his hot earlobe with his fingertips: "You bought it, so of course I have to wear it."
The combination lock made a soft beep and the entrance sensor light automatically lit up.
Lin Che bent down to get her slippers when a warm palm suddenly touched the back of her neck.
In this position, Lu Yu pressed him against the shoe cabinet and kissed him. The shopping bags fell to the ground with a clatter, and the khaki slippers turned over, with the silly dog face facing up.
"Let's cook first..." Lin Che turned his head away, his voice softened by the kiss. Lu Yu bit his red earlobe and lowered his head in silence.
In the end, Lin Che struggled to escape into the kitchen.
When he was tying his apron, he found that Lu Yu had really changed into those slippers, and his furry dog ears were exposed under his suit pants, which was so awkward that it made people want to laugh.
The beef made a regular clattering sound on the chopping board, and the crisp sound of asparagus being broken mixed with the sizzling sound of the frying pan.
When Lu Yu hugged him from behind, Lin Che was pitting cherries. His fingertips, stained with juice, were caught and licked. He heard a vague sigh from the person behind him: "So good..."
"Stop it." Lin Che pushed back with his elbow, but the grip only tightened.
Lin Che's elbow rested on Lu Yu's chest, but he took advantage of the situation and grabbed her wrist and pressed her against the sink.
Lu Yu held the fingertips stained with cherry juice in his mouth again, and licked the gaps between the fingers slowly with his tongue, causing a slight tremor.
"Lu Yu!" Lin Che's ears were red as blood dripped out. While struggling, he knocked over the glass bowl, and the bright red cherries rolled all over the floor, making a crisp sound on the tiles.
Lu Yu chuckled softly and turned him around in this position. Lin Che's back rested against the cool marble countertop, Lu Yu's scorching heat in front of him. The dog ears on his khaki slippers swayed slightly with his movements, looking particularly absurd in such an ambiguous atmosphere.
Lin Che's wrist was held by Lu Yu. As she struggled, the cherry juice remaining on her fingertips rubbed against Lu Yu's cuffs, spreading a small dark red stain.
"Don't move." Lu Yu's voice was low and hoarse, and his fingertips gently stroked his wrist bones. Lin Che's white and slender fingertips were still soaked in the red juice of the cherry, which was extremely charming under the light.
Lin Che's breathing hitched, and before he could react, the cold metal had already slowly pushed into his ring finger.
The silver ring glowed coldly under the kitchen ceiling light, and a very fine line of words was engraved on the inner ring - "LY & LC".
The dimensions are exact.
"You..." His eyelashes trembled and his voice was stuck in his throat.
Lu Yu lowered his eyes to look at him, his thumb gently stroked the ring, and whispered: "I should have given it to you a long time ago."
Lin Che's ears felt hot and his heart was beating so fast it almost burst out of his chest. He subconsciously wanted to pull his hand back, but Lu Yu held it even tighter.
"When did you measure the size?" Lin Che's voice was weak, and his fingertips curled unconsciously.
Lu Yu chuckled softly, leaned over and nibbled in his ear: "Every time you fall asleep, your fingers will unconsciously hook around my collar."
He paused, his warm breath fanning the side of Lin Che's neck. He continued slowly, "I measured it three times, worried you wouldn't like it."
Lin Che's Adam's apple rolled, and his eyes unconsciously fell on the ring, and the corners of his eyes instantly became red. Lu Yu raised an eyebrow, suddenly grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him.
As their lips intertwined, Lin Che's hand was guided to touch Lu Yu's collar, and her fingertips touched the same metal texture - another ring, which had been worn on Lu Yu's ring finger at some point.
The warmth between his lips and teeth had not yet dissipated when Lu Yu took Lin Che's hand and gently pressed it on his chest.
The metal texture of the ring touched their skin, and their heartbeats almost overlapped in the silent kitchen.
"The food is getting cold..." Lin Che pushed him away, panting slightly, the blush on the tips of her ears still not fading.
Lu Yu chuckled, and rubbed his wet lips with his fingertips: "Well, let's eat first."
Lin Che's dishes were neatly laid out on the dining table—the asparagus was stir-fried to a vibrant green and tender texture, and the marbling beef was seared to perfection, slightly crispy around the edges and a tantalizing pink center. Next to it was a small bowl of cherry sauce, its bright red color particularly alluring under the light.
Lu Yu picked up a piece of beef and put it into his mouth. The meat was tender and juicy, and the aroma of black pepper instantly bloomed on his tongue.
He chewed the beef slowly and looked at Lin Che, who looked nervous, and frowned slightly in a pretentious manner.
"How's it?" Lin Che stared at him, her fingers unconsciously twisting together. "I made it according to the recipe on my phone. It's my first time, so maybe..."
"It's delicious." Lu Yu interrupted him and picked up another piece of asparagus with his chopsticks. "It's better than I thought."
Lin Che's eyes lit up slightly, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously raised: "Really?"
Lu Yu looked up at him with a smile in his eyes: "Well, it's just that the salt is a bit too much."
"......... "
Lin Che's expression instantly fell, and she reached out to grab his chopsticks, "Then don't eat."
Lu Yu dodged it easily, grabbed his wrist, and led him towards him: "Who said you don't want to eat?"
He lowered his head and kissed Lin Che's fingertips. "You did it, and I'll swallow the poison too."
Lin Che's ears felt hot, and he pulled his hand back: "Don't try that on me."
Lu Yu chuckled softly and continued to eat slowly. Lin Che glanced at him secretly, and the uneasiness in his heart was gradually replaced by satisfaction.
"How do you make cherry jam?" Lu Yu suddenly asked.
"Just... pit the cherries, mash them, add some sugar and cook them." Lin Che lowered his head and poked at the sauce in the bowl. "People online said it's delicious with beef."
Lu Yu scooped a spoonful and poured it over the beef. The crimson sauce flowed along the grain of the meat. He took a sip and raised his brow slightly. "Just the right sweetness."
Lin Che pursed her lips and smiled, her eyes curved into crescents. "Of course, I strictly follow the proportions—"
Before he finished speaking, Lu Yu suddenly scooped up some sauce with a spoon and handed it to his lips: "Try it?"
Lin Che subconsciously opened his mouth, and just as the tip of his tongue touched the sauce, Lu Yu's thumb rubbed across his lower lip, wiping away some of the overflowing red.
"...What are you doing?" Lin Che glared at him.
Lu Yu's eyes were deep. He took his thumb, which was covered with cherry jam, into his mouth and licked it slowly. "It's very sweet."
I don't know if he's talking about the sauce or the person.
Lin Che's face flushed red, and she lowered her head to eat, not daring to look at him again.
Lin Che's chopsticks unconsciously poked at the rice in the bowl, and the tips of his ears were red enough to drip blood.
Lu Yu chuckled and reached out to push his drooping hair behind his ears: "Are you so easily shy?"
"Who's shy?" Lin Che looked up suddenly, but when she met Lu Yu's smiling eyes, she quickly lowered her head again, "...the food is cold."
Lu Yu slowly put down his chopsticks, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table: "I'm full."
"So soon?" Lin Che looked up in surprise and found that Lu Yu's plate was indeed empty. "You..."
Before he could finish his words, Lu Yu suddenly stood up, his tall figure looming over him. He placed one hand on the table and lifted Lin Che's chin with the other: "Now, it's time for dessert."
Before Lin Che could react, Lu Yu lifted him up and carried him sideways. He exclaimed in surprise and subconsciously hugged Lu Yu's neck: "The dishes haven't been washed yet!"
"Let's talk about it tomorrow." Lu Yu carried him to the bedroom, and his khaki dog slippers made cute clicking sounds on the floor.
Lin Che then noticed that Lu Yu was still wearing those ridiculous slippers and couldn't help laughing: "Mr. Lu, where's your image?"
Lu Yu lowered his head and bit the tip of his nose: "Why should I show off in front of you?"
The bedroom door was gently kicked open. Lu Yu put Lin Che on the bed, but did not press on him immediately. Instead, he knelt on one knee beside the bed and picked up Lin Che's hand with the ring on it.
Under the light, the two rings shone brightly. Lu Yu's thumb gently stroked the ring on Lin Che's ring finger, and his voice was low: "Do you like it?"
Lin Che's heart warmed and she nodded, "Yeah."
"Just 'hmm'?" Lu Yu raised his eyebrows.
Lin Che pursed her lips, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Lu Yu's tie, pulling him towards her: "I like it very much...husband."
The last two words were so soft that they were almost inaudible, but they made Lu Yu's eyes darken instantly.
He leaned over and pressed Lin Che into the soft bed, kissing his red earlobe. "Scream again."
"Don't..." Lin Che turned her head away, but Lu Yu pinched her chin and turned her back.
"Be good," Lu Yu's lips almost touched his, "I want to listen."
Lin Che's eyelashes trembled slightly. Under Lu Yu's burning gaze, she finally called out softly again: "...Husband."
This sound seemed to turn on a switch, and Lu Yu's kiss instantly became fierce. Lin Che was kissed so hard that her head was spinning, and her fingers unconsciously gripped the bed sheet.
"Ring..." He whispered between breaths, "Don't lose it..."
Lu Yu chuckled and interlocked his fingers. The two rings made a crisp sound when they touched each other: "I can't lose it, just like you..."
———
It started to snow outside the window. Lu Yu carefully pulled out his arm that was resting under Lin Che's head, and lifted up the quilt that had slipped down to cover Lin Che's hand that was outside the quilt.
Lu Yu raised the temperature in the room by two degrees. He opened the bedside table, casually took out a pack of cigarettes, pushed open the glass door to the balcony and walked out.
The snow outside the window was falling heavier and heavier, and the cold wind was whistling. Lu Yu casually put on a bathrobe as if he was unaware of the cold, leaned against the railing and lit a cigarette.
The sparks of the fireworks flickered on Lu Yu's fingertips as the snowy wind blew. Lu Yu brought the cigarette to his lips, took a puff, and exhaled gently along with the light snow. He then slowly opened his phone and found the anonymous email address he had received that afternoon.
There were only a few photos when he opened the email. Lu Yu's slender fingers quickly slid across the screen to take a quick look at the photos.
Under the lights of the supermarket's fresh produce section, Zhou Xuran's fingers were stroking Lin Che's scarf, at a tricky angle that made it seem as if they were touching his cheek. In another photo, Lin Che tilted his head slightly, his neck tense, while Zhou Xuran leaned in as if for a kiss.
The most tricky one was the one where Zhou Xuran was holding Lin Che's wrist. The place where their fingers were intertwined was just blocked by the shopping cart, and at first glance it looked like their fingers were interlocked.
Lu Yu stared at the screen quietly, a long trail of cigarette ash covering his fingertips. Snowflakes landed on the screen, quickly melting into tiny droplets, blurring the carefully captured angles.
He brought the remaining half of the cigarette to his lips, took a deep puff and slowly exhaled. The white smoke quickly dissipated in the cold wind.
With a few taps of the screen by slender fingers, the photos completely disappeared into the digital abyss.
No backup, no forwarding, as if it never existed.
Lu Yu put out the cigarette butt in the thin snow accumulated on the railing, making a slight "hiss" sound.
The snow fell heavier, landing on his eyelashes and melting quickly. He turned to look at the bedroom and saw through the glass door that Lin Che had turned over and unconsciously hugged the pillow he had just used.
"Um...Lu Yu?" A vague mumbling came from the bedroom through the glass.
Lu Yu quickly locked the screen, took off his bathrobe that was wet with snow, and tiptoed back to bed.
Lin Che, who was sleeping, seemed to sense something and rolled into his arms automatically. The top of her head rubbed against his chin, and the quilt slid to her waist, revealing the fresh kiss mark on her collarbone.
"Did I wake you up?" Lu Yu lay back on the bed and hugged the person in his arms.
"Cold..." Lin Che complained with his eyes closed. His fingertips unconsciously fumbled with the ring on Lu Yu's ring finger. He rubbed it twice as if to confirm before falling asleep again.
Lu Yu stared at the defenseless sleeping face of the person in his arms, gently brushed his slightly swollen lips with his thumb, and gently rubbed the slightly wrinkled brows with his fingertips until Lin Che's brows relaxed again.
The two pairs of dog slippers were placed side by side under the bed, and Lu Yu deliberately pressed down the black corner of the khaki one.
Lu Yu looked down at the ring on his ring finger in the moonlight outside the window, then reverently placed a kiss on Lin Che's forehead, closed his eyes, hugged Lin Che and slowly fell asleep.
Outside the window, the snow gradually stopped.
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