Chapter 89 "My wife was hurt by the beating, but she didn't dare to tell me it hurt."
Lu Yu was just about to say a few more words to comfort Song Wanzhi when he looked up and saw Lin Che standing on the spiral staircase, rubbing his eyes with a confused look on his face.
He had obviously just been woken up by the noise downstairs. His hair was still in a messy shape from being pressed by the pillow, with a few unruly strands sticking up. His eyes were a little sleepy, and there were still clear red marks on his cheeks, which looked particularly soft under the warm light.
He was wearing a loose pullover sweater, with the collar slightly open, revealing a small piece of white collarbone, which made his figure look even thinner, and he had an unguarded softness and laziness, as if he had just crawled out of a warm bed.
Lin Che held the stair railing with one hand, leaning forward slightly, and looked blankly at the two people in the living room who were in a clearly tense atmosphere. His gaze finally landed precisely on Song Wanzhi, whose eyes were slightly red and clearly in a bad mood.
Lu Yu's deep gaze softened instantly, his once stern features replaced by an almost instinctive gentleness. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately stood up from the sofa and, with a few strides of his long legs, reached the stairs.
“Awake?” Lu Yu was standing on a step lower than Lin Che, just able to look Lin Che in the eye. His tall figure almost covered the other person.
Lin Che hadn't fully recovered yet, and nodded subconsciously. Her eyes were filled with the confusion of someone who had just woken up, and she was worried about Song Wanzhi. "Um... what's wrong with Mom?"
Lu Yu did not explain immediately. He raised his hand and placed his warm and broad palm directly on the back of Lin Che's hand, which was slightly cold and was holding the stair handrail. He wrapped it firmly and gently lifted his hand away from the cold wooden handrail.
Immediately afterwards, Lu Yu extended his other hand, but instead of holding Lin Che's other hand, he placed it gently on Lin Che's lower back with great familiarity.
Lin Che was almost completely passive. He raised his feet in a daze and followed Lu Yu downstairs.
His steps were still a little shaky, with the softness of someone who had just woken up. The loose legs of his trousers swayed slightly with his steps, revealing his ankles, which were also covered in soft home socks.
Lu Yu's pace was extremely slow, each step steady and composed, ensuring Lin Che could keep up. He placed his hand on Lin Che's lower back, applying slight pressure to prevent him from losing his balance and stepping into empty space.
It was not until their feet stepped on the thick carpet on the first floor that Lu Yu released the hand on his lower back, but the big palm holding his hand still did not let go, but just relaxed the strength a little, and naturally turned into a hand-holding posture.
Song Wanzhi lowered her head, trying to gather her emotions. Seeing Lin Che coming down, she quickly wiped her tears with her shawl, gathered all her emotions, and put on a perfectly composed smile again. "Xiao Che, wake up."
Lin Che noticed Song Wanzhi's red eyes, "What's wrong, Mom?"
Lin Che's voice was hoarse from just waking up. After he finished speaking, he subconsciously turned to look at Lu Yu, frowning slightly.
His reaction was incredibly fast, almost in a split second. Without a second's hesitation, he raised his hand and, with a soft "snap," struck Lu Yu's sturdy forearm. The action was filled with a touch of eagerness to protect a shortcoming, and a bit of the recklessness of someone who had just woken up.
"Did you say something unpleasant?" Lin Che glared at Lu Yu, pretending to slap him again, and asked in a questioning tone, "Why does Mom look like she's about to cry?"
This sudden change caused the living room to fall into an instantaneous silence. Song Wanzhi was stunned, watching Lin Che, like a small animal protecting its cubs, blocking her way and fiercely "teaching" Lu Yu a lesson. Her previous anxiety was completely alleviated by this sudden scene.
Lu Yu took the hit, but his sturdy arm muscles didn't move at all, and he didn't even frown. He just looked at Lin Che, his deep eyes not even a hint of displeasure at being offended.
"Xiao Che!" Song Wanzhi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. She quickly spoke out to stop Lin Che from raising his "Palm of Justice" again. "Stop it, it's none of A Yu's business!"
Lin Che's hand paused in mid-air as he looked suspiciously at Lu Yu, then at Song Wanzhi, his face a look that said, "Really? I don't believe it." His sleepy, half-awakened drowsiness hadn't completely dissipated, and his protective yet bewildered expression made it seem particularly vivid.
Lu Yu did not argue, but simply reached out and naturally grasped Lin Che's wrist, which was suspended in mid-air. He gently pulled down his "vicious" hand and wrapped it in his warm and broad palm.
"Drink some water." Lu Yu's voice was low and steady, as if nothing had happened just now. With his other hand, he picked up the cup of warm water that had been prepared on the coffee table and stuffed it into Lin Che's hand.
Lin Che subconsciously took the cup, the warm touch bringing him back to his senses. He lowered his head and took a small sip, his eyes still darting back and forth between Lu Yu and Song Wan, trying to make sense of the situation.
Song Wanzhi's brows softened unconsciously as she looked at Lin Che. The heavy emotion she had just felt had dissipated a lot, leaving only helplessness and a hint of warmth.
She sighed and softened her tone: "It really has nothing to do with Ayu, it's just me... I think of that child Jinshu, and I feel a little sad."
As she spoke, she subconsciously glanced at Lu Yu'an, who was looking at them curiously with his eyes wide open, and swallowed the name "Jiang Tingyun".
Lin Che understood now, and a blush of embarrassment flashed across his face. He remembered that he had just "domestic violence" against Lu Yu without saying a word, and in front of Song Wanzhi and An An... He immediately turned to look at Lu Yu's arm, where he had hit him.
"Um...does it hurt?" Lin Che's voice trailed off, a touch of guilt and annoyance lingering in his voice. He hadn't held back much strength that time.
Lu Yu looked down at Lin Che's guilty face and couldn't help but want to tease him. He leaned over and whispered in Lin Che's ear, "My wife was hurt by the beating, but she didn't dare to say it hurt."
Lu Yu's inappropriate words seemed to be wrapped in a hot breath and that extremely intimate name, like a spark carrying a tiny electric current, instantly igniting Lin Che's nerve endings.
"boom--!"
An uncontrollable heat wave suddenly exploded from deep within Lin Che's neck, rapidly spreading upwards like a prairie fire!
Lin Che felt his head buzz, and all his thoughts were shattered by the sudden embarrassment. He suddenly looked up, his eyes wide open as he stared at Lu Yu, who was standing so close. "You...!" He opened his mouth, but only a breath came out.
He subconsciously tried to pull his hand out of Lu Yu's tightly clenched palm, and leaned back slightly to try to distance himself from the overly scorching distance. The hand holding the water cup was trembling slightly.
Seeing him like this, Lu Yu's smile deepened, his mischievous taste deeply satisfied. Instead of letting go, he gripped Lin Che's hand even tighter, his fingertips gently caressing the inside of his slightly cool wrist, as if soothing a livid cat.
"Cough!" A clear cough broke the silent current in the space.
Song Wanzhi took in the two people's little movements, the almost uncontrollable smile on Lu Yu's face, and Lin Che's embarrassment that turned red in an instant.
As someone who has been through it, what else doesn't she understand?
The worry I had just felt had completely vanished, leaving only a feeling of helplessness that was both angry and amusing.
"You two!" Song Wanzhi's voice was filled with an obvious smile, "An An is still here! Be careful of the impact!"
Her reminder made Lin Che feel even more embarrassed, and he wanted to bury his face in Lu Yu's coat. He looked away in panic, not daring to look at Lu Yu, nor at Song Wanzhi, and even less at An An, who was standing next to him with a look of bewildered curiosity. He could only stare at the water cup in his hand, as if it had suddenly sprouted a flower.
Lu Yu'an opened his big round eyes, looking at this and that. Although he didn't quite understand what was going on, he could feel that the atmosphere seemed to be less serious, and his little face relaxed.
Song Wanzhi picked up her teacup and took a sip. The warm tea seemed to soothe her mood.
However, when she put down the teacup, her eyes swept across the wind and snow outside the window, and she thought of another thing that was hanging in her mind. The smile on her face faded a little, and was stained with a layer of worry.
"Ayu," Song Wanzhi's voice softened, her eyes fixed on Lu Yu, "There's one more thing...your uncle called this morning."
As soon as the word "uncle" came out, the air in the living room, which had just warmed up, seemed to freeze for a moment.
Lu Yu's eyes, which were originally filled with smiles, suddenly turned cold. He stopped rubbing the thumb on Lin Che's wrist. Although he did not withdraw his thumb immediately, the strength and temperature seemed to carry a subtle tension.
Lin Che also immediately pulled himself out of his embarrassment. He keenly caught the change in Lu Yu's aura and the heaviness in Song Wanzhi's tone. He subconsciously held Lu Yu's hand with his backhand.
Song Wanzhi paused, as if weighing her words. She subconsciously avoided Lu Yu's sharp gaze and looked at the steam rising from the coffee table. "He said...your aunt and Lu Chi came back with him."
Lu Yu remained very calm the entire time, and he didn't show any unexpected reaction, as if he had already expected it.
Song Wanzhi's fingers unconsciously adjusted the tassels of her shawl. "He said on the phone... that he's been back for a few days. Your uncle wants to... have a family reunion." Her voice softened, her embarrassment evident. "He said... that we might have dinner together at the old house tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? At the old house?" Lu Yu repeated, his tone still calm, but his bottomless black eyes narrowed slightly. The living room was so quiet that one could hear the sound of snowflakes falling on the window frame outside, and the subtle sound of An An gently fiddling with the pony.
Song Wanzhi looked at her son, who looked unreliable, and felt even more uneasy. She asked tentatively, "Ayu, what do you think of this...? I haven't told your dad yet, for fear that his blood pressure will rise again. This dinner... are we going or not? Your uncle..."
She didn't say anything more, but her unspoken meaning was clear—what Lu Shengheng had done back then was truly chilling. He had suddenly returned with his wife and children, and had even requested a dinner at the old house. What was he up to?
Lu Yu was silent.
He didn't answer immediately, his gaze fixed solemnly on a certain point in the void. The hand resting on Lin Che's wrist, its fingertips unconsciously pressing gently on the pulse on the inside of Lin Che's wrist, as if feeling the steady beat, or perhaps pondering a balance.
Lin Che could clearly feel that the temperature of Lu Yu's palm seemed to be a little lower than before. He sat quietly, without interrupting, but just shook Lu Yu's hand more tightly.
After a while, Lu Yu slowly raised his eyes and refocused his gaze on his mother's face, "You agreed?" His voice was low and no emotion could be heard.
Song Wanzhi felt a little uneasy. "He's my elder, after all. And with that being said, and under the pretext of 'family reunion'... I couldn't find a good reason to refuse." She sighed. "Besides, Lu Chi... is also a member of the Lu family, after all. I haven't seen him in so many years..."
The corners of Lu Yu's mouth pressed down slightly, forming an extremely cold and hard arc.
"Family?" he repeated in a low voice, a barely audible hint of sarcasm in his tone, so quick it felt like an illusion. He lowered his head, his gaze fixed on Lu Yu'an, who was nestled beside him, fiddling with the buttons of his shirt with his tiny hands. The little fellow was completely oblivious to the undercurrent between the adults.
Lu Yu stretched out his free hand and tidied An An's messy hair with a natural, almost gentle touch. Then, he looked back at his mother.
"Got it." His voice returned to its usual calmness, without a trace of emotion. "The time and place are set. Let me know. I'll be there on time tomorrow."
He didn't say "we", he just said "I".
Song Wanzhi opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but looking at Lu Yu's bottomless eyes, she finally nodded, with worry hidden in her eyes even deeper: "Okay...Okay, I'll tell you when the time comes."
Lin Che's heart sank, he knew Lu Yu too well.
Behind this calm response, there is no acceptance at all, but the deepest vigilance and the impending storm.
The slight tension in Lu Yu's hand on his wrist never disappeared.
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