Lu Lin brushed aside the stray hairs on his forehead, her voice so gentle it could melt spring water, "Go to sleep, I'll help you get dressed later."
Yan Heqing gripped the bed sheet tightly with her fingers, then quickly loosened them.
Instead of answering, he pulled Lu Lin down and sat on him.
"This time it's my turn." Before Lu Lin could speak, he lowered his head and whispered the last three words in Lu Lin's ear, " Uncle Lu."
An overwhelming sense of numbness swept over Lu Lin, instantly consuming the last vestiges of his reason.
The sound of silver bells rang until dawn.
Yan Heqing woke up first.
Or perhaps he was pretending to be asleep the whole time.
The blackout curtains were drawn, blocking out the bright sunlight from the bedroom and plunging it into quiet darkness. Once you get used to the darkness, you can only see the person in front of you clearly when you're close by.
Yan Heqing raised his hand, not wanting to wake Lu Lin. His fingertips were about a centimeter away from Lu Lin's face, slowly tracing his features—eyes, bridge of the nose...
He sketched for an unknown amount of time, until he could still picture Lu Lin's appearance in his mind even with his eyes closed. Only then did he withdraw his hand, tilt his head back, and place a light kiss on Lu Lin's lips.
Sweet dreams.
Yan Heqing left the bedroom quietly.
In the darkness, Lu Lin slowly opened his eyes.
A moment later, he heard the door close softly.
He noticed something was off about Yan Heqing from the day of the Lu Family banquet.
He had to go deal with his creditors again, and didn't want him to come along.
Lu Lin picked up his phone and dialed a number.
"Stay with him and protect him."
His expression was calm. "There's no need to report what happened today. Your only responsibility is to ensure his safety."
I hung up the phone.
*
Yan Heqing only turned on the camera after arriving at the gate of Beijing University.
Sure enough, Lu Muchi called soon after.
" Qingqing, you're just awake? I'm out!" He was breathing heavily, probably having run quite a distance. "I'm hailing a taxi to your place—we'll meet at a shop. I've got a taxi, hurry over."
He gave an address.
Just in case Yan Heqing hadn't remembered, he repeated, "It's the Cloudtop Café on Yinjin Road."
Yan Heqing hung up the phone.
He knows this coffee shop very well.
Last autumn, at four o'clock in the afternoon, he almost signed that death warrant.
It's almost four o'clock now.
He looked up at the sky.
The difference was that it was pouring rain that day, but today the sun was shining brightly. Yan Heqing closed his eyes and felt the sunshine for a while, and soon a taxi slowly stopped in front of him.
He opened the car door and got in, " Cloudtop Café on Yinjin Road."
The driver responded and stepped on the gas to merge into the traffic.
Yan Shengbing followed the taxi for almost an hour before it finally stopped. Lu Muchi got out and rushed into the coffee shop. Yan Shengbing nervously swallowed, having waited so long, and finally Lu Muchi came out alone.
His hands were shaking, and he dialed the number several times before he finally succeeded.
Cheng Jian quickly replied, "It worked?"
Yan Shengbing kept licking his lips. "No, he went into the coffee shop."
Cheng Jian cursed, "Hold on tight, we must succeed today!"
"Boss Cheng..." Yan Shengbing's legs were trembling, "I'm so nervous..."
The phone was then handed to Zhao Weifang, who laughed and said, "What's the rush? We've got five million in hand. Drink some wine, drink a lot, get your blood alcohol concentration high so they can't trace you, understand?"
Yan Shengbing looked at the liquor Zhao Weifang had prepared for him in advance—a bottle of baijiu costing several thousand yuan! His cloudy eyes lit up. He said "Hey, hey" a few times, put down his phone, and reached for the bottle with trembling hands. He grabbed the bottle, bit off the cap, took a sip, and immediately felt intoxicated. He smacked his lips in satisfaction and drank one sip after another.
Just as Yan Shengbing started cursing and swearing after drinking, a taxi stopped across the street.
Yan Heqing glanced around.
It didn't take long to spot Yan Shengbing's car.
He knew the license plate number.
Yan Heqing calmly entered the coffee shop without revealing his expression.
Lu Muchi deliberately chose a table by the window, which he saw as soon as Yan Heqing got out of the taxi. He stared intently at the entrance, and when Yan Heqing came in, the waiter led him over.
Lu Muchi had already straightened his clothes many times, but when Yan Heqing walked towards him, he still nervously tugged at his collar again.
He jumped out of the window, still wearing a black suit.
On the day of the family banquet, Yan Heqing wore something similar.
Yan Heqing was almost there, and Lu Muchi quickly got up and pulled out the chair opposite him, his gaze fixed on Yan Heqing. "Order drinks first."
Yan Heqing sat down, and before the waiter could arrive, Lu Muchi handed him the menu.
Yan Heqing didn't take it, but politely told the waiter, "One black coffee."
Lu Muchi quickly added, "This Black Forest cake is also good."
Yan Heqing didn't respond, and Lu Muchi 'd made a fool of himself, ignored the waiter as he returned to his seat and ordered, "Two black coffees."
As soon as the waiter left, Lu Muchi eagerly asked, "What was the meaning of that video you filmed?"
He stared intently, not wanting to miss a single expression on Yan Heqing's face. Just then, his gaze froze, fixed on Yan Heqing's left earlobe. There was a small, barely noticeable mark, darker in color than the rest of the earlobe.
Lu Muchi's breathing suddenly became shallow.
He does this all the time, and he knows all too well that it's definitely not a mosquito bite!
Yan Heqing also noticed Lu Muchi's gaze. He remained calm; he had noticed the mark on his left ear while washing up, and after thinking for a moment, he didn't cover it up. He ignored Lu Muchi and calmly replied, "I'm just reminding you to stay away from me in the future."
He paused, waiting for the waiter to put down the coffee, before continuing, "I'm getting married to your uncle next month..."
"Don't mention him!" Lu Muchi shouted out without warning.
The waiter walked away very quickly.
Yan Heqing smiled, her expression even somewhat serene. "He is my legal husband, why wouldn't I mention him?"
Yan Heqing's answer shattered Lu Muchi's illusions once again. He clenched his fists, "I don't believe you've never had feelings for me!"