There were so many people that the air felt suffocating and thin.
Chu Ziyu was having a great time, while Xie Yunjie had already slipped away to call his wife somewhere. Yan Heqing and Lu Lin walked slowly through the crowd. After a while, Lu Lin said, "It's time to soak in the hot springs."
Yan Heqing is still in school, and this trip will only last one day. He will return to the capital tomorrow, and he hasn't even had a chance to soak in the hot springs, which is the most important thing for him.
Yan Heqing nodded, and the two of them went back to the villa along another road in the opposite direction of the crowd.
It took about ten minutes to get from the hotel to the villa. The surroundings gradually quieted down. Neither of them spoke. When they arrived at the villa, Lu Lin was about to go to the large hot spring when Yan Heqing called out to him, "Let's soak together."
Lu Lin stopped, turned around, his dark eyes as deep as ink, and gazed intently into Yan Heqing's eyes.
"Don't tempt me." He gave Yan Heqing another chance to change his mind. "Only you, I can't resist temptation."
Restraint stems from love, and so does desire.
A faint light flickered in Yan Heqing's eyes. After a moment, he stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and kissed Lu Lin's cheek. "I do."
The hot spring water washed over his chest as Yan Heqing's back pressed against the stone wall, being gently kissed by Lu Lin.
He tilted his head back, his slender neck tracing a graceful arc. In his misty vision, all he could see were countless red flowers above him, swaying and falling like a grand rain of blossoms.
In the end, Lu Lin carried him back to his room.
Sinking into the soft mattress, Yan Heqing Hezhi drifted back into slumber. He pulled a box from under his pillow. "I brought this this time."
Lu Lin's eyes were deep, his Adam's apple bobbed violently a few times, and he chuckled softly. He took the box, lowered his head, and kissed Yan Heqing's eyes. "Although the texture is nice, it's not my size."
Yan Heqing's earlobes suddenly turned red.
He didn't know any of this; he just grabbed a box randomly.
This made Yan Heqing feel a little ashamed. He turned his head away, looking at the light and shadow cast by the desk lamp, but his voice remained calm, "No, it's okay if you don't need it."
Lu Lin smiled, released him, picked up his coat from the floor, took out a box similar to the one he was holding, opened it, returned to the bed, gently turned Yan Heqing's face, and placed a feather-like kiss on his forehead, filled with unspoken tenderness, "If you can't stand it, just say so."
Yan Heqing couldn't remember if he had said anything at the end.
He didn't feel too uncomfortable.
He woke up the next day, feeling refreshed. Lu Lin had cleaned him up, and he only felt a little sore. He had to be careful when moving around than usual. His clean clothes were already folded next to his pillow. He had just changed when there was a noise outside the door. A moment later, Lu Lin pushed the door open and came in.
Seeing that he was awake, Lu Lin brought over a glass of water and a few pills.
"You have a slight fever, take some medicine." Lu Lin handed him water and touched his forehead; it wasn't so hot anymore.
Yan Heqing swallowed the medicine, and the water was at just the right temperature. He took a few sips, then tilted his head back and drank the rest.
Only then did a hint of something intimate appear on his neck; Lu Lin had kissed his neck for a long time yesterday.
Lu Lin felt a pang of regret. He stroked the red spots on his smooth skin with his thumb and asked, "Want some more?"
Yan Heqing nodded, and after finishing his drink, he tried to get out of bed, Lu Lin pressed him back down, saying, "Rest a little longer."
Yan Heqing thought for a moment. In his current state, if he rushed back, he wouldn't have the strength to do experiments in the afternoon. Although he wasn't as uncomfortable as he had imagined, he really couldn't stand for long and had difficulty concentrating, so he lay back down.
"What would you like to eat?" Lu Lin paused. "Preferably something liquid."
It was at this moment that Yan Heqing's cheeks flushed slightly. He turned over, his back to Lu Lin, and said, "Sweet porridge."
Chapter 103
The medicine contained a sleeping pill, and Yan Heqing fell asleep again as soon as he lay down.
He gradually felt a warm sensation all over his body, and he realized that he had started to have a fever. However, he was unable to open his eyes and succumbed to the warm feeling, falling into a deep sleep.
Lu Lin brought back the porridge, which he had cooked himself with brown sugar and glutinous rice. He pushed open the door and saw Yan Heqing sleeping soundly with his chin buried in the blanket. So he didn't come in, closed the door, and left silently.
The weather turned cooler today, the sun was nowhere to be seen, and there was even a slight drizzle in the air. Lu Lin walked out of the house and sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, lost in thought.
Only now did he have time to think about Yan Heqing's physical reaction last night.
There was a sense of awkwardness and discomfort, no stress, and relaxed muscles all over the body; these reactions did not seem like a past trauma.
Was he mistaken?
Or perhaps--
Something far more serious than physical harm.
A bitter taste rose in Lu Lin's mouth. Even without seeing the whole picture, he could already sense Yan Heqing's bitterness.
Just how much suffering will that person endure?
Last night's intimate encounter made his thoughts clearer, and his heartache for Yan Heqing was as endless as the seabed he had dived into.
"What are you thinking about so intently?" Xie Yunjie saw Lu Lin Lu Lin the door. After knocking on the gate for a while and receiving no response, he couldn't help but push the door open and come in.
Lu Lin composed himself. "It's nothing."
Xie Yunjie stopped asking and sat down beside him. "Did you stay here last night?"
It's normal for couples to be intimate, but when it comes to Lu Lin, he either doesn't cross that line at all, or if he does, it's for life.
Xie Yunjie was shocked.
Although he was aware of Lu Lin's special feelings for Yan Heqing, he never expected that Lu Lin had already included Yan Heqing in his future plans.
But upon closer reflection, it all seems so perfectly natural.
There's only one Yan Heqing in thirty years who could make Lu Lin's heart flutter; who else could it be but him?
Xie Yunjie was even less surprised to hear about the couple's wedding date in a few days. Then another question popped into his head, "Does Uncle know about this?"
Xie Yunjie visited Lu Ruchan once, and he wasn't worried that she would object, but the Lu Family patriarch was definitely against it.
Lu Lin said calmly, "Ignore him."
Xie Yunjie chuckled, "It has to be you again." He laughed, "And the child, how about we adopt him?"
Lu Lin had thought about this issue. He had witnessed Yan Heqing's meticulous care for the children at the orphanage. The inability of two men to have children was a real and practical problem.