Chapter 85 "So... Che, don't bother yourself with insignificant people."
"That photo..." Lin Che's voice still had a nasal tone, but she looked up at Lu Yu stubbornly.
Lu Yu looked down at him, a knowing yet playful smile on his lips, and his fingertips gently brushed the corners of his moist eyes. "I deleted it."
"What photo is it?" Lin Che asked, already having a vague guess in her mind.
"It's a photo of you and Zhou Xuran in the supermarket." Lu Yu's tone was very calm. "It was taken very cleverly. It looks quite realistic when you blink."
"But..." Lu Yu chuckled, "I've seen this kind of filming technique since I was a kid, when I saw my uncle being framed for 'affair' by my aunt using the same method."
His fingers gently tangled in Lin Che's soft black hair. "Angle, misalignment, capturing a moment... an old trick. When I received it, I only took a glance and knew it was meant to provoke."
He pinched the back of Lin Che's neck, and said soothingly, "If I, Lu Yu, didn't even have this much discernment, I would have been gnawed to pieces long ago. Not to mention..."
Lu Yu's voice dropped, his gaze fixed on Lin Che. "I know Lin Che's character better than anyone. Even if he wanted to run away, he would just stand before me and say, 'Lu Yu, I'm done with you.' He would never resort to such despicable tactics."
Lin Che's heart was hit hard by Lu Yu's last firm words.
He knew Lu Yu's pride, and he understood even more clearly that behind this "clarity" was Lu Yu's unreserved trust in his character. This trust was more touching than any love words.
"Then you..." Lin Che's voice was a little tense. He wanted to ask Lu Yu how he felt when he saw the photo, but when the words came to his lips, he felt that the answer was about to come out.
Lu Yu seemed to see through his thoughts.
He tightened his arms, embedding Lin Che deeper into his embrace. His chin rested on the top of his head, and his voice muffled, "...I am angry."
Lu Yu admitted frankly, "But I'm not mad at you, Che."
He pulled away slightly, "I am angry. There are people within my protection who openly want to hurt you. I can't even imagine how you managed to get through this."
Lin Che did not answer, but buried her face deeply in Lu Yu's neck, greedily absorbing the unique cedar scent that belonged to Lu Yu.
"Bridge... now that we've crossed it..." Lu Yu tightened his arms, embedding the person in his arms deeper into his bones and blood, "... then you will be mine forever."
"Lu Yu..."
"Hmm?" Lu Yu responded in a low voice, his palm still stroking Lin Che's back from time to time.
Lin Che took a deep breath and raised his head, his eyes meeting Lu Yu's deep eyes.
“Lin family…” Lin Che paused, as if weighing his words, “Recent events…is it you?”
He didn't specify what "something" was, but they both knew it. The Lin family had recently suffered a series of heavy losses, with core projects being intercepted one after another, the capital chain on the verge of collapse, and long-time partners defecting. Lin Zhenbang was as anxious as an ant on the hot pot, and the entire family was shaky.
Lu Yu looked into Lin Che's eyes. There was no accusation or pleasure in those beautiful eyes, only a pure desire for confirmation and a hint of... worry? Lu Yu's fingertips gently stroked the corners of Lin Che's eyes, wiping away the lingering moisture.
He didn't answer immediately, but threw the question back, his tone calm: "Do you wish I had done it?"
Lin Che was slightly startled, then shook her head gently but firmly: "I don't want it."
He pursed his lips, "Even though... they treated me like that, but I... I don't want you to get those things on your hands because of me."
The corners of Lu Yu's lips seemed to move upwards in a very slight arc, with a kind of understanding and...almost imperceptible relief.
His Ache always has a soft heart, and he still has this pure kindness even towards those who have hurt him.
"At the beginning, I did think about it..." Lu Yu paused, lowered his head and touched Lin Che's forehead with his nose in an intimate manner, "But... later I felt it was unnecessary."
"Isn't that necessary?" Lin Che looked at him in confusion.
"Yeah." Lu Yu's voice returned to its previous calm. "Lin Zhenbang is greedy, short-sighted, and self-willed. He's been at the helm of the Lin Group for so many years, not because of his ability, but because he was lucky. He caught the right opportunity and relied on the resources and connections left by your mother to barely keep it going. Over the years, in order to expand rapidly and satisfy his selfish desires, he has already planted countless hidden dangers - illegal guarantees, financial fraud, and investment projects are even more filthy."
Lu Yu's tone was filled with the indifference of someone who saw through everything. "When the wall falls, everyone pushes it down. When the Lin Group shows signs of decline, those he has offended, the partners who have been blinded by his false prosperity, and even those who have long been dissatisfied within his own ranks, will all be eager to pounce on him and tear him apart. There is no need for me to do it myself, I just need to..."
He paused. "Just a gentle push at a critical juncture, or... just standing by and watching the fuse they lit themselves burn out. What do you call that?"
The corners of Lu Yu's mouth curled up into a cold arc. He looked into Lin Che's eyes and slowly uttered four words:
“You reap what you sow.”
What Lin Che saw in Lu Yu's eyes was the confidence of a superior.
Every word and sentence was like a sharp scalpel, dissecting the rotten inside of the Lin family thoroughly.
Therefore, the Lin family's fate was not a sudden disaster, but the inevitable result of their accumulated greed and stupidity.
Perhaps what Lu Yu did was simply to remove the pillar that should not have existed in the first place and was barely supporting the dilapidated building at the right time.
Lin Che looked into Lu Yu's eyes and suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
Those shadows of the past, the pain of being exploited and sacrificed, seemed to have been completely cut off and left behind by Lu Yu's conclusion that "you reap what you sow."
He no longer had to bear the hatred towards the Lin family, nor did he have to worry about Lu Yu being tainted by dust because of him.
Seeing the gradually clear and relieved look in Lin Che's eyes, the last trace of haze in Lu Yu's heart about the topic of the Lin family also dissipated.
He tightened his arms, pressing the man tightly back into his embrace, resting his chin on the top of his head, "So... Che, don't bother yourself with insignificant people."
"I just want you to be...happier...happier..." Lu Yu kissed the top of Lin Che's head, his low voice filled with an almost devout prayer, "I will be...satisfied."
The root of everything, the pain and anxiety that once kept Lin Che awake at night and felt like a lump in his throat, now seemed so small and distant.
They could no longer shake him.
Because Lu Yu is here.
Lu Yu's love is here.
Lin Che stretched out her hand, and with a barely perceptible tremor, she caressed Lu Yu's chiseled cheek with her fingertips.
So this is what it means - love can overcome all difficulties.
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