Chapter 38

I only did all sorts of naughty things with you in a dream.

Of course, she would never have dared say that aloud. Even running the words through her head made her feel ashamed. She raised her book to hide her face as class began, while he lowered his eyes to his book.

His profile was cool and distant.

Who could have imagined that his sweat had dripped onto her belly last night?

Lin Yu covered her face.

Stop thinking about it.

Seriously, stop thinking about it.

Chapter 38

After tossing and turning in bed for a while, Lin Yu remembered that she had forgotten to give Jiang Zao the High-Hanging Moon she had bought for her. High-Hanging Moon was a type of succulent, a greenhouse plant that was very easy to keep alive. After buying it, she had put it on the little balcony. Lin Yu got up, opened the sliding door, and went outside. Holding her phone upright, she took a picture of the row of High-Hanging Moon plants.

The combination of creamy white and pale blue, with a touch of gray at the tips, was beautiful.

After taking the picture, Lin Yu opened WeChat and discovered that Jiang Zao had sent her a message last night. At that time...

Lin Yu pressed her lips together and sent Jiang Zao the picture, her face red.

Jiang Zao replied quickly: I knew I'd forgotten something. So that was it.

Lin Yu: Shall I bring it over this afternoon?

Jiang Zao: No, no, no. Keep it at your place for now. Once I've finished getting everything sorted here, I'll come pick it up.

Lin Yu: Okay. What else do you need to sort out?

Jiang Zao: Hehe, I'm planning to redecorate and make a nice backdrop for livestreaming.

Lin Yu: Sounds good. Do you need my help?

Jiang Zao: No, I'll take my time with it.

Lin Yu sent a nodding sticker, then tilted her head to look at the High-Hanging Moon plants in the cold wind. They weren't affected by it at all. No wonder so many people bought them. Their shape also made them look like little people. Lin Yu squatted down to observe them and reached out to touch their pointed tips.

The phone against her chest vibrated.

Lin Yu took it out.

The chat with Jiang Zao was still open. Jiang Zao had sent her a hug sticker.

Lin Yu sent one back.

The little balcony was still rather cold, and the wind howled. After squatting there for a while, Lin Yu got up and went back into her room. She closed the sliding door and the curtains, and it immediately became much warmer.

There was a hidden door in the walk-in closet, behind which Lin Yu kept some old things from her student days. On a whim, she went through it. After buying her apartment and moving out, Lin Yu had taken quite a few things with her. What remained here were odds and ends, such as the Christmas cards she and Jiang Zao had exchanged, a simple pencil sketch of a bus, and the character "礼" she had written in the bottom corner of a book during evening study.

A person's state of mind could change.

In the past, seeing things associated with him had left a slight bitter ache. Now, seeing them again, she felt a little sweetness instead. Even her fingertips felt warm as they traced the character "礼."

So gaining something only to lose it was a terrible thing.

All she could do was try her best not to lose it, and try her best to adjust herself.

After touching the character "礼" again, Lin Yu closed the notebook, left the hidden room, and returned to her bedroom. As soon as she came out, her mother called to her from the stairs, telling her to come down for lunch and build Lego with her that afternoon.

Lin Yu called back in acknowledgment.

When she was home, as long as her parents were off work, her mother rarely let her stay in her room without coming downstairs, much less during the New Year holiday. Before going down, Lin Yu changed out of her outfit. As she took off her sweater, its hem brushed over her belly, and she flinched. She remembered again how it had felt when his hand slipped inside.

Lin Yu hurriedly picked up the sweater she meant to change into and put it on.

She chose another skirt, smoothed it down after putting it on, and then went downstairs.

After lunch, her father read the newspaper in an armchair while Lin Yu and her mother built Lego in the small sitting room. School was on holiday until the fourteenth day of the New Year, while Lin Yu's shop would reopen on the eighth, so there weren't many chances left for mother and daughter to build Lego together like this. Zhong Lixin patiently taught Lin Yu a few things about dealing with people and conducting herself.

She also asked how Lin Yu planned to run the shop after the New Year.

The economy had been on a downturn these past two years, and stability was the most important thing. She told Lin Yu not to rush into expanding.

Lin Yu nodded and said she didn't have the energy to expand the shop, nor did she have any plans to open a branch for the time being.

Zhong Lixin nodded.

She put the last Lego piece in place and said, "If a person can do one thing well in their lifetime, that's already pretty good."

Lin Yu said, "Mm."

After dinner, Lin Yu returned to her room, took her pajamas, and went to shower, washing away the soft, languid feeling all over her body. Only then did she notice the hickey on her neck. After being covered all day, its color had grown darker. Blushing, Lin Yu took some concealer and covered it up again herself. When she was done, she returned to bed. Her phone rang, and she picked it up to look.

A message came from the black profile picture: Are you free tomorrow?

Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat, and she replied: Yes. What is it?

Black profile picture: Is there anywhere you want to go?

Lin Yu: There are traffic jams in so many places over New Year... but there are lots of places I'd like to go, too.

Chen Lüli chuckled: I'll pick you up tomorrow. If you don't have anything in mind, I'll make the plans?

Lin Yu: Okay.

She replied extremely quickly.

Chen Lüli's eyes held a smile.

He hadn't seen how eager Lin Yu was, but he could sense it from how quickly she replied to his messages.

After confirming that they would meet tomorrow, Lin Yu planned to go to sleep early that night, but her fluctuating mood kept her tossing and turning for a while. Fortunately, she slept well in the latter half of the night. Early the next morning, Lin Yu got up to look for something to wear. She picked through the clothes in her walk-in closet and chose a long, fitted beige dress with a light brown coat, leaving her slightly wavy hair loose.

She put on a little makeup primer and lip balm. When she went downstairs for breakfast, she told her parents she was going out with a friend today.

Zhong Lixin ladled some porridge for her and didn't ask what kind of friend.

Lin Yu had gone to school here and had quite a few classmates and friends. Seeing that her mother hadn't asked, she breathed a sigh of relief and drank her porridge.

A little over ten minutes later.

A message came from the black profile picture: I'm here.

Seeing it, Lin Yu went upstairs to get her bag, came back down to say goodbye to her parents, and went out. As soon as she left the residential complex, she spotted the black Brute parked there. Chen Lüli stood beside it, and when he saw her come out, he opened the car door for her.

Lin Yu's eyes curved into a smile as she walked toward him.

"Have you had breakfast?" she asked softly.

Chen Lüli looked at her beautiful face so early in the morning and replied, "I have. What about you?"

Lin Yu smiled sweetly. "I've eaten too."

Chen Lüli looked at her for a few seconds, then lightly slipped an arm around her waist and guided her into the car.

When he came close, Lin Yu's face grew a little warm. She bent down and sat inside. Chen Lüli pulled the seat belt across her, his face very close to hers, and Lin Yu carefully traced his handsome features with her eyes.

Chen Lüli could feel her gaze. He lifted his eyes and glanced at her, and their gazes collided. Lin Yu started and blinked. A flicker of amusement passed through Chen Lüli's eyes. "What are you looking at?"

Lin Yu shook her head. "Nothing."

Chen Lüli gazed steadily at her for a few seconds, then moved away from the seat and closed the car door for her.

Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

She held tight to the bag in her hands.

Chen Lüli returned to the driver's seat and started the car, but instead of backing up, he drove forward, up the slope leading to the mountaintop park they had visited before. The trees there were lush, their branches hanging low. The black Brute stopped, and Chen Lüli unfastened his seat belt and rested his elbow on the center console. Turning to look at her, he called, "Lin Yu."

Lin Yu looked up. "Huh?"

The word had barely left her mouth when the man leaned toward her, cupped the back of her neck with his large hand, and drew her forward, sealing her red lips with his.

Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat. The next second, she closed her eyes. Their lips and tongues entwined, gently and slowly, but when her tongue touched his, he deepened the kiss, making Lin Yu involuntarily reach out and clutch his collar. Chen Lüli felt her fingertips and took her hand in his other one, guiding it to undo his collar.

His action made Lin Yu's heart pound.

H-he-he's so good at this.

And why did kissing make her arch her body without even thinking? After a long while, Lin Yu's eyes were hazy and watery. Chen Lüli drew back a little and said against her lips, "Let's go."

Lin Yu stared at him and blinked, her eyes full of moisture.

Chen Lüli smiled, kissed the tip of her nose, and returned to his seat.

Lin Yu saw the collar he had guided her to undo. Chen Lüli started the car with one hand and leisurely buttoned it back up with the other, his well-defined knuckles especially attractive.

Lin Yu pressed her lips together, leaned against the center console, and moved closer to ask, "Why did you undo your collar just now?"

Chen Lüli had already backed the car out. The black Brute made a U-turn, and when he heard her, he turned to glance at her. "I was hot."

Lin Yu pressed her lips together. "So kissing me made you hot, huh?"

Chen Lüli looked at her for a few seconds and narrowed his eyes. "Very hot."

Lin Yu's ears turned bright red in an instant, and she sat back. She was no match for him.

Chen Lüli nearly laughed in exasperation.

He asked, "Lin Yu, what else do you want to ask?"

Lin Yu leaned against the back of her seat, her ears red, and didn't answer.

Chen Lüli drove down the mountain, descending all the way to a flat main road. The black car sped along it like a phantom, its windows pitch-black, hiding the scene inside from view.

In a low, languid voice, Chen Lüli said, "I felt it as soon as I touched the tip of your tongue."

Lin Yu almost went "ahhh" like Jiang Zao, but she didn't know how, and she was too embarrassed to do it. Blushing, she merely said, "I won't ask anymore, so don't answer."

Chen Lüli chuckled.

He said nothing more to tease her.

The black Brute drove into the city, taking the roads through the old district. Lin Yu even spotted her own shop. Looking at the traffic light ahead, she asked, "Where are we going?"

Chen Lüli said, "To the office."

"Oh."

She asked, "Didn't your company take any time off for New Year this year?"

Chen Lüli said, "The AI team got time off, and so did the other game departments. Extreme Survival and the marketing department didn't."

"Oh, I see." Lin Yu nodded.

Chen Lüli glanced at her as the black Brute drove into the underground parking garage of Genesis Tower. Work hadn't resumed yet, so the garage was quieter than usual. Chen Lüli found a space and parked.

Lin Yu unfastened her seat belt and followed him out of the car.

Chen Lüli locked the car, came over, and took her hand.

Lin Yu's fingertips curled as she felt the warmth of his palm. She pressed her lips together and followed him, holding back that pounding of her heart as they entered the elevator. Chen Lüli swiped his card and pressed a button, then turned to look at her. "Work hasn't resumed, and there's hardly anyone here. We can hold hands, right?"