He Was Moved

After changing her shoes, Lin Lizhu went to the kitchen to get busy.

Gu Yuechen came to the kitchen doorway and stared foolishly at his mother's back.

Yu Yaochen walked over to Gu Yuechen's side and asked in confusion, "Why are you standing here? Do you want to go upstairs with me?"

His hint was obvious. He wanted to continue what had been interrupted.

Gu Yuechen turned his eyes and glanced at Yu Yaochen.

With Lin Lizhu here, how could he possibly continue sleeping with Yu Yaochen?

Forget sleeping together—even holding hands was out of the question.

"Can I stay for dinner tonight?" Gu Yuechen wanted to try Lin Lizhu's cooking.

"Of course." Yu Yaochen was delighted that Gu Yuechen could stay, since it meant he might have a chance to keep him overnight.

Gu Yuechen smiled faintly and continued looking at Lin Lizhu's back.

This was a scene he had often dreamed of over the past twenty-plus years.

Now, it had finally come true.

Lin Lizhu had just put the food from the bags into the refrigerator when she turned around and saw the two of them standing in the doorway. She could not help but laugh.

"Are you hungry?" Lin Lizhu tied on her apron as she spoke. "I'll make you some dessert first, just to tide you over."

Gu Yuechen did not want Lin Lizhu to work so hard, but he could not bear to turn down such a good opportunity.

"Okay." Gu Yuechen gave an obedient smile. "Thank you, Auntie Lin."

"Yuechen, let's go upstairs first." Yu Yaochen draped an arm around Gu Yuechen's shoulders. "Once Auntie is done, she'll bring it up."

Sensing Yu Yaochen's closeness, Gu Yuechen frowned deeply and immediately used a little force to pull Yu Yaochen's arm away.

Yu Yaochen froze for a moment but made no further move.

"Can't I sit in the living room?"

He did not want to go upstairs. If he went up, he would not be able to see Lin Lizhu.

Yu Yaochen looked regretful. "All right, let's sit on the sofa."

Once they sat down, Yu Yaochen immediately tried to hold Gu Yuechen's hand, but Gu Yuechen dodged him.

"Auntie Lin will see."

Gu Yuechen was a little angry. Yu Yaochen was especially annoying. Would he die if he went without holding hands for a while?

"Auntie is very tight-lipped. She won't say anything carelessly."

More importantly, Lin Lizhu belonged to the Yu Household. She had worked there for so long that she would not casually leak information.

Besides, there was not much time left before the surgery. As long as he brought up breaking off the engagement with his parents, the Yu Household's servants would all know about it.

So he believed Lin Lizhu would find out sooner or later and had not thought there was any need to hide it.

"Still no." Gu Yuechen's tone was firm. "I don't like doing these things in front of outsiders."

Yu Yaochen realized that he was unhappy and did not make any more moves.

"Yuechen, can you stay overnight tonight?" Yu Yaochen said. "My mother is going to the hospital tomorrow. I have to accompany her during the day, and I might be there until late. I may not have time to pick you up after work. We haven't seen each other in too long. I'll miss you very much."

Gu Yuechen fell into thought.

Yu Yaochen's mother would be having surgery soon, and there were not many days left before the engagement was called off.

By then, he would have to break up with Yu Yaochen unilaterally. Seeing Lin Lizhu again would become difficult.

"Where do you sleep at night?"

"It depends. Maybe at the Yu Household, maybe here."

Gu Yuechen looked back toward the kitchen and saw Lin Lizhu busy at work, with no time to come out into the living room.

So he leaned over and hooked his arm around Yu Yaochen's, then affectionately rubbed his head against Yu Yaochen's neck.

"Can I come here for dinner every day?" Gu Yuechen said. "You don't need to come pick me up specially. I can take the bus here as soon as I get off work."

"That would be too hard on you." Yu Yaochen's gaze was gentle, his eyes smiling. "How about after my mother's surgery, I pick you up from work every day?"

"No, that's too long." Gu Yuechen raised his face and pretended to be dissatisfied. "Do you not want me to come keep you company?"

"Of course not. I'm just afraid you'll be too tired."

"I won't be." To make Yu Yaochen agree, Gu Yuechen took the initiative to hold his hand. "I just want to see you every day and eat with you. If it gets too late, I'll consider staying overnight."

"Really?" Yu Yaochen's eyes lit up.

He had often tried to persuade Gu Yuechen to stay with him before, but Gu Yuechen had refused no matter what, so he could only let it go.

Yu Yaochen really liked the feeling of holding Gu Yuechen while they slept.

Especially when he opened his eyes the next morning and saw his lover's face, it made Yu Yaochen feel very happy.

"Mm. So you can accompany your mother during the day and accompany me at night. Is that okay?"

Yu Yaochen curved his lips into a smile and clasped Gu Yuechen's hand in return.

"Okay."

Having achieved his goal, Gu Yuechen did not forget to add one more thing.

"Have Auntie Lin come over every evening. I've had no mother since I was little, and Auntie Lin feels especially familiar and comforting to me. I want to try more of her cooking."

Hearing this, Yu Yaochen could not help feeling heartbroken over Gu Yuechen's circumstances.

He lowered his head and kissed the top of Gu Yuechen's head.

"If you like her, then once we live together, I'll have Auntie Lin come work as a live-in housekeeper. That way, it'll also be easier for her to take care of your grandmother."

Gu Yuechen's breath caught.

That was too tempting. He had nearly nodded and agreed.

If he stayed with Yu Yaochen, he would be able to see Lin Lizhu every day. That did seem like a pretty good choice.

But he did not like Yu Yaochen. Kissing him or sleeping with him both made him feel disgusted.

Forget it. He would have a chance to acknowledge Lin Lizhu in the future.

He did not need Yu Yaochen's help.

"Let's talk about it later." Gu Yuechen used that ambiguous answer again.

Yu Yaochen had agreed, so there was no need for him to keep holding onto him. He pulled free from Yu Yaochen's hand and moved farther away.

"By the way, can I ask you something?"

Yu Yaochen nodded. "Go ahead."

"Auntie Lin..." Gu Yuechen paused, then asked with difficulty, "Does she have any children?"

"No." Yu Yaochen answered honestly. "I heard she's never been married."

"Never married?" Gu Yuechen asked in surprise.

Could it be that, just as the people in the countryside had said, he really was a child of questionable origins?

Was he the child of a mistress, which was why she had not wanted to raise him?

Gu Yuechen did not want to speculate about Lin Lizhu that way. It was probably just a misunderstanding.

There were many people in those days who never registered their marriages. It should have been normal. Perhaps she simply could not afford to raise him.

Even if he really had been born from an affair, there would have been no reason to abandon both him and his grandmother. She should have used him to keep the man's heart.

The pet hospital's lobby had a television installed so customers could pass the time while waiting in line.

He worked at the front desk and could see the television whenever he looked up, so he had seen melodramatic plots like that before.

"She came to work at the Yu Household when I was two or three years old," Yu Yaochen said. "She spent most of her time at the Yu Household and worked very diligently, so she probably didn't have a family."

"And I heard from the butler that her relatives passed away long ago, leaving her all alone." Yu Yaochen sighed. "She's quite pitiful too."