Chapter 90 "Who let you in?"
The next day was the weekend, Lin Che didn't have to go to the hospital, and Lu Yu'an slept next to Song Wanzhi last night.
Thick curtains blocked out the white world outside. Lin Che was sunken in the soft quilt, feeling deep sleepy.
He lay on his side with most of his face buried in the pillow, his thick eyelashes casting quiet shadows under his eyes.
Perhaps because he felt cold, he subconsciously leaned towards the heat source next to him. Not only did he almost get into Lu Yu's arms, but one of his legs also pressed against Lu Yu's waist and abdomen.
What was even more domineering was that one of his arms also reached across and firmly pressed down on Lu Yu's hand that was placed at his side, using the slender and powerful fingers as a hand warmer and holding them tightly in his arms.
Lu Yu was already awake. He leaned against the headboard, a soft pillow behind him, a thin laptop on his lap. The light from the screen reflected on his chiseled profile, making him appear calm and focused. He was wearing wireless headphones and speaking in a low voice to Cheng Yi on the other end of the phone.
"...Okay, let's optimize the data model to ensure everything is foolproof. Keep an eye on the project progress first, and I'll deal with the details on Monday." His voice was very low, with the hoarseness of just waking up and his usual calmness, making sure not to disturb the person sleeping next to him.
Lin Che seemed to be disturbed by the low whispers. His thick eyelashes trembled a few times, and his brows unconsciously knitted together, as if he had been disturbed by something.
The leg that was pressing on Lu Yu rubbed it in dissatisfaction, and then the arm that was originally holding Lu Yu's hand raised up, with a little bit of grumpiness as if being woken up, and patted Lu Yu's chin lightly and a little confusedly.
The action was soft and it looked more like a coquettish protest than a beating.
Lu Yu's reaction was incredibly fast. He tilted his head almost instinctively, and at the same time, his free left hand rose naturally, precisely intercepting Lin Che's "attack" wrist in mid-air. Without a moment's pause, he pulled the slightly cool hand to his lips, and pressed a soft kiss to the warm palm with a natural touch.
"Go to sleep." Lu Yu lowered his voice and said briefly, "That's it," to the other end of the headset before ending the call. He took off his headset and placed his computer on the bedside table with a gentle movement.
After he finished all this, he lowered his head, his deep gaze falling on Lin Che's face, who was still half asleep in his arms. The hand he had kissed seemed to calm down a little, and he held it in his palm to keep it warm.
Lin Che was soothed by the gentle kiss and the sudden cessation of voices. His furrowed brows relaxed, and he seemed ready to drift off to sleep again. But he still felt insufficiently warm. He arched his back restlessly in Lu Yu's embrace, resting his forehead against the crook of his neck, mumbling vaguely, "Lu Yu... I'm cold..."
The voice was filled with a strong sense of sleepiness, soft and dependent, like a feather gently scratching Lu Yu's heart.
Lu Yu's eyes instantly softened into a warm lake, and he sighed silently, filled with endless indulgence. He carefully pulled the hand that was pressed against Lin Che's, stretched his numb fingers, and then lifted the blanket on his side. With a long arm, he pulled the person wrapped in the blanket and complaining of cold into his arms even tighter.
He wrapped him tightly with his body warmth, gently nuzzling his chin against the top of Lin Che's soft head. His deep voice carried a soothing power: "You won't feel cold if you hold me. Go to sleep, I'm here."
Lin Che finally found the most comfortable heat source, let out a satisfied sigh, rubbed her cheek against his neck, and then completely stopped moving, falling asleep again.
However, this tranquility did not last long.
Outside the door, there were a few extremely light, hesitant footsteps, which stopped at the bedroom door. Then, there were several even lighter knocks on the door, almost as if afraid of disturbing something: "Knock... knock... knock..."
The sound was soft, but still audible in the silent room.
Lin Che seemed to stir in Lu Yu's arms, his brows unconsciously furrowed, and he murmured a little in dissatisfaction. Lu Yu immediately tightened his arms and patted his back soothingly.
The knocking stopped. The person outside seemed to hesitate for a moment, then gave up, and the footsteps quietly moved away.
Almost at the same time, the screen of Lu Yu's mobile phone on the bedside table lit up, and the faint blue light was particularly dazzling in the dim room.
Lu Yu gently turned sideways, carefully adjusting his position to rest Lin Che's head more securely on his chest, ensuring he wouldn't wake him. Then he stretched out his arm and silently retrieved the phone.
The light from the screen illuminated his deep eyes and tightly pursed lips. He swiped the screen and saw a message from Song Wanzhi:
Mom: Ayu, are you awake? Lu Chi and the others...will be home in about an hour.
Lu Yu's gaze darkened, the light from his phone screen reflecting a cold, hard gleam in his eyes. His knuckles tightened slightly around the phone, then slowly loosened, regaining his usual composure. He didn't reply, simply locking the screen and returning the phone to its bedside table.
The room returned to darkness, with only the light from the snow filtering in through the window casting a blurry shadow through the gaps in the curtains.
Lu Yu lowered his head and gently rubbed his chin against the top of Lin Che's soft head. The person in his arms was still sleeping soundly. Lu Yu maintained this posture and looked at Lin Che quietly for a long time. His deep eyes traced the outline of Lin Che's sleeping body, from the slightly furrowed brow to the straight nose, and then to the relaxed, slightly parted lips.
Time passes by every second.
Finally, Lu Yu calculated the time very slowly and with extreme caution, he began to withdraw from Lin Che's embrace.
He first very slowly pulled out the arm that Lin Che had been resting on. Lin Che hummed in dissatisfaction in his sleep and unconsciously rubbed his arm. Lu Yu immediately stopped and waited patiently for him to calm down again.
Then, he carefully freed himself from the "confinement" of Lin Che's legs and arms, bit by bit. Every tiny movement was accompanied by Lin Che's subtle uneasiness and twisting, and Lu Yu would stop and gently stroke his back or arms with his palm until he calmed down again.
The process was slow and difficult, and all his attention was focused on not waking Lin Che.
When his body finally left the warm bed, a chill immediately hit him. But he didn't care. He just stood by the bed and took a last deep look at the person who was still sleeping soundly on the bed.
Lin Che seemed to sense the disappearance of the heat source. He unconsciously frowned in his sleep and curled up subconsciously. One of his hands unconsciously reached towards the place where Lu Yu had just lain, grasping the empty bed sheet in vain.
Lu Yu's heart was gripped by that unconscious action.
He bent down and leaned closer, his warm breath brushing Lin Che's hair, and a kiss landed very gently on Lin Che's brow.
"Be good, sleep a little longer." His voice was very low, with the hoarseness that is unique to waking up in the morning.
Lu Yu left the room and walked to the cloakroom, casually pulling a fine, pure white shirt from the hanger and slipping it on. He wore no tie, and even the top two buttons were casually undone, revealing a well-defined collarbone and a faint Adam's apple. His cuffs were neatly folded upward, revealing his muscular forearms, the smooth lines of his muscles appearing particularly sharp in the morning light.
He went into the bathroom and quickly washed his face with cold water and brushed his teeth, water droplets rolling down his chiseled jawline and onto his open collar.
He faced the mirror, raised his hand and casually, even roughly, pushed back the slightly damp hair on his forehead, revealing his full, smooth forehead and his deep eyes.
Without the obstruction of hair, the advantages of his face were displayed without reservation - three-dimensional brow bones, a high nose bridge, and thin lips tightly pressed into a cold and hard straight line.
His wet hair was slightly messy from being tousled by him, with a few unruly strands tumbling down his temples. This, far from diminishing his refinement, instead added a wild, aggressive handsomeness. It was a strength and coldness that came from the bones, unadulterated and unpretentious.
Before leaving, Lu Yu confirmed again that Lin Che did not kick the quilt, then he opened the bedroom door and walked out.
The atmosphere in the living room downstairs froze the moment Lu Yu's footsteps appeared at the stairs.
Song Wanzhi sat on the main sofa, her back straight and a proper smile on her face, but her hands on her knees were slightly clenched. Her eyes immediately turned to the stairs, with a subtle hint of nervousness and anticipation.
Opposite her, two people were sitting on the sofa.
Lu Chi's mother, Qi Yingzhi, wore a perfectly tailored champagne-colored suit, her makeup meticulously applied, her hair meticulously pulled back, and a standard, impeccable smile on her face. It seemed welded to her face, but her eyes held no warmth, only a shrewd scrutiny and a hint of tension, though she tried hard to conceal it. Her well-maintained hands, their nails painted a pale pink, lay elegantly folded in her lap.
Sitting next to her was Lu Chi, who seemed even more calm than the calmness her mother deliberately created.
Lu Chi is only two years younger than Lu Yu. He has been known for being arrogant since he was a child. Only his cousin Lu Yu can hold some weight in his eyes.
Qi Yingzhi watched Lu Yu walk down the stairs, her smile deepened a little, and her voice was deliberately soft and familiar: "Ayu, good morning. Did we wake you up? We just arrived, and Sister Wanzhi said you might still be resting." She deliberately emphasized "just arrived" and "Sister Wanzhi", trying to create a sense of closeness and the boundary between host and guest.
Lu Yu did not respond immediately. He walked straight to the kitchen, took out the milk from the refrigerator, poured it into the thermostat, set the temperature, pressed the start button, and estimated the time Lin Che would get up so that he could drink the hot milk first.
Then he turned around and took out the blueberry lava toast that Lin Che had been talking about wanting to eat last night from the refrigerator, and slowly fried a perfect poached egg.
Qi Yingzhi and Lu Chi, who were left out, sat on the sofa and watched Lu Yu do all this slowly before turning around.
Lu Yu leaned casually against the doorframe leading to the restaurant, his posture relaxed yet carrying an invisible sense of oppression. His Adam's apple moved slightly beneath the open collar of his shirt. His cold gaze lingered briefly on Qi Yingzhi's carefully groomed face, with undisguised indifference, before landing with great weight on Lu Chi.
The look was as if assessing the value of an unpleasant object.
The air seemed to be sucked out, leaving only the regular and harsh "clicking" sound of the lighter in Lu Chi's hand.
Lu Chi met Lu Yu's gaze, and instead of dodging, the smile on his lips deepened with a hint of amusement.
He didn't say anything, but continued to play with the lighter, as if saying: What can you do to me?
Song Wanzhi felt her palms sweating, and she tried to ease the atmosphere: "Ayu, Xiao Chi and his mother came to..." She wanted to say "to come and take a look", or "to pay New Year's greetings", but when the words came to her lips, she couldn't say them because of her son's cold aura and Lu Chi's provocative "calmness".
"Who let you in?" Lu Yu finally spoke. His voice was low and steady, and no emotion could be heard from it. However, it was like an ice cone that pierced the false image of harmony that Qi Yingzhi deliberately maintained.
His eyes did not leave Lu Chi, as if these words were thrown directly at him, "I don't seem to have invited anyone."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com