Chapter 22.2
A crack was left open in the window, and the morning light streamed in, cutting through the doorway into a narrow beam that fell precisely on Lu Yao’s palm.
Yu Le looked down and then suddenly felt the beam on his nose. The fine dust dancing in the light and the fuzz of his nose became extremely clear and vivid, stirring something within him.
When his hand rested on Lu Yao’s palm, Lu Yao’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if a small kitten named “Le Le” was stretching lazily on his heart.
Yu Le habitually shook the pen before signing, writing “Yu Le” for the thousandth time, now for the first time on the palm of another person.
He examined it closely, his handwriting slowing down, suddenly feeling a difficult-to-describe emotion.
Usually, signatures are on drawings, indicating the work belongs to him.
Now, it seemed as if, just like those drawings, he had marked this person with his signature.
The last stroke was a bit shaky. The person holding the pen, distracted, brought it to the end. Just as he was about to stop, the hand imprinted with his name suddenly tightened, fingers curling in a grip.
The pen fell to the ground with a thud.
Yu Le’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly snapped back to reality, wide-eyed, looking up at Lu Yao, “W-What’s wrong?”
Embarrassed, he almost bit his tongue.
Lu Yao’s fingers slowly relaxed, and he closed his eyes, “It feels like a bug flew into my eye.”
A bug in your eye, really?!
Yu Le didn’t care about anything else and immediately pulled his hand away to pry at Lu Yao’s eyes, “Left side, right side? Or both sides? It’s okay, let me see.”
Lu Yao didn’t bend down, so Yu Le had to stand on tiptoe.
After checking the left side and finding nothing, just as he touched the right eyelid, Lu Yao suddenly leaned back, resting against the windowsill.
Yu Le, caught off guard, was pulled forward, bracing himself on Lu Yao’s shoulder and ending up pressed into his embrace.
Lu Yao opened his eyes. Those eyes were deep, like a misty late night or a deep forest illuminated by fireflies. They were the gentlest trap, silently pulling one into a daze.
Just one look made Yu Le feel disarmed, in chaos, while his heart fluttered with enchantment.
If he were to fall into this trap, he would become a feast that someone would obsess over.
The first light of dawn slanted across Yu Le’s back, merging with the wall behind Lu Yao to create a strange space where they were isolated, feeling each other’s presence and touch.
Yu Le suddenly recalled what the little girl had whispered in his ear yesterday. She said they were lovers, and that Lu Yao’s gaze when looking at him was as tender as a mint candy melted in honey.
Yu Le felt like he was walking on clouds, unsteady and unable to keep his balance.
“What’s wrong?”
Lu Yao, with his fingers bent, lightly brushed the corner of Yu Le’s eye with the back of his hand and asked softly, his voice tinged with a slight huskiness.
Yu Le’s tightened fingers felt a tingling sensation that spread quickly through his body with his blood. “There’s clearly no bug in your eye, only…”
Lu Yao brushed his forehead with his fingers, his voice even softer: “Only what?”
Only, only me.
Yu Le’s breath became ragged, the answer he was guided towards lingered on his lips, about to be spoken aloud under Lu Yao’s subtle influence—
“Little Lu, are you there? Sister Zhao needs your help!”
Like a balloon that had expanded to its limit and suddenly burst, all the indescribable emotions dissipated instantly.
Footsteps approached. Yu Le snapped back to reality, quickly releasing the fabric he had been clutching on Lu Yao’s shoulder and straightened up.
“Let’s go outside first.”
Lu Yao’s expression returned to normal. “It’s very dusty in here; I don’t want you to inhale it.”
Yu Le, still unsettled, nodded distractedly and walked out, his sketches now crumpled in his hand, no longer viewable.
Lu Yao watched as Yu Le, with disheveled steps, disappeared from sight, then looked down at his palm where the ink had dried, and suddenly smiled.
He closed his eyes, leaning back against the window, holding his hand up to the light. The name “Yu Le” was gently imprinted on his lips.
Yu Le felt as though Lu Yao had secretly taken root in his heart. No matter what he was doing, his thoughts always drifted towards Lu Yao, and when Lu Yao was within his line of sight, his gaze would shift to him.
It was somewhat sudden but not entirely unexpected. It felt more like a long-term accumulation. He was just slow to realize it until today.
He wasn’t sure if it was a good trend or a bad one, but he thought, being inexplicably so clingy couldn’t be a good thing.
A locust flower fell onto his drawing paper, and he absentmindedly brushed it off, only for it to fall into the palette, its white petals against a green base looking quite lovely.
The paper depicted a blurred small-town landscape, with a few strokes outlining a scene that floated lightly. The trees and mountain mist were ethereal, much like his current mood—hazy and difficult to define.
He was absentmindedly chewing on his pencil, while the person upstairs was also lost in thought, each enjoying their own view, undisturbed by the other.
Suddenly, a raindrop landed in the palette, causing ripples that disturbed the locust flower.
Soon, another drop fell squarely on Yu Le’s nose, startling him back to reality.
Summer rain is like a child’s tears, arriving suddenly without any time for preparation. The large, dense canopy of the locust tree sheltered him from most of the rain, but it didn’t take long for the ground outside to be drenched by the torrential downpour.
A summer shower!
Yu Le finally snapped back to his senses, hurriedly starting to pack up his things.
Guan Zheng, who had been watching Yu Le, was also startled and rushed downstairs to help Yu Le move his things to the eaves.
Fortunately, they were quick, and only their shoulders got a little wet, without getting completely soaked.
“Thank you,” Yu Le said, brushing the water off his head. “What a coincidence you came down just now. Finished with your work and came out for some fresh air?”
Guan Zheng, unable to admit that he had been watching Yu Le from upstairs, touched his nose and replied vaguely, “Something like that.”
Yu Le poured out the paint, cleaned the palette, and took his sketchbook upstairs, with Guan Zheng following closely behind.
Lu Yao returned with items from outside, his shirt damp from the heavy rain.
He put the groceries in the fridge and, turning around, saw Yu Le entering his room with Guan Zheng following closely behind.
When the two figures disappeared behind the door, Lu Yao looked away, took a bottle of water, closed the fridge, and returned to the eaves. He skillfully picked a flower from the small potted plant, summoned the drowsy Shui Cai from the corner, placed the flower in its mouth, patted its head, and then gave its rear a gentle tap.
Shui Cai, being a smart dog and having learned from previous experience, immediately understood Lu Yao’s meaning. It wagged its tail and quickly ran upstairs.
Yu Le didn’t realize Guan Zheng was following him. He was startled when he turned around, “Bro, why are you walking so silently?”
Guan Zheng thought for a moment and pointed to his slippers, “Maybe it’s because the soles are foam.”
The items on the cabinet were a bit disorganized. As Yu Le tidied up, he asked Guan Zheng, “What’s up? Looking for something?”
Guan Zheng hesitated, unable to answer immediately.
He had followed Yu Le upstairs on a whim, forgetting that he needed to go back to his own room on the next floor. So he ended up in Yu Le’s room by mistake…
But he certainly couldn’t say that.
He cleared his throat and quickly tried to cover up, “Actually, I was wondering if it’s okay for me to come up here and talk when it’s raining and I can’t go outside. I’m really tired of running into Zhou Fei and the others on the first floor; it’s affecting my mood. I thought this place might be quieter.”
“Oh,” Yu Le understood. Based on the events of the past few days, he could empathize with Guan Zheng’s situation and said, “Sure, feel free to come by whenever.”
Guan Zheng was surprised by Yu Le’s easy acceptance. Just as he was about to speak, the door, which was slightly ajar, suddenly opened by itself.
Thinking it was just the wind, both of them turned their heads to look. Lowering their gaze, they saw a yellow-haired shepherd dog with a ball of embroidery in its mouth, wagging its tail as it trotted in and circled around Yu Le’s feet.
Yu Le let out a frustrated sigh, “Goodness, how did you…”
He had intended to scold the dog for causing trouble again, but as he spoke, he suddenly noticed a small gleam in his eyes.
Taking the flower from Shui Cai’s mouth, he left a note for the still-dazed Guan Zheng saying, “I have something to attend to downstairs” and quickly went back downstairs.
The rain poured down loudly, playing a chaotic symphony on the leaves of the trees in the courtyard.
As Yu Le stepped out of the hallway, he saw, as expected, the person he had been thinking about standing under the eaves, washing his hands with the eaves water.
Yu Le glanced at him, then up at the sky. Driven by a random curiosity, he reached out to try the eaves water himself. But just as he got his hands soaked, he was called, “What are you doing? Come here.”
Yu Le shook his hands and walked over to Lu Yao, who was now taking off his damp shirt in front of him.
“…”
The words Yu Le had wanted to say were stuck in his throat.
Lu Yao gestured with his hand, “Give me your hands.”
Yu Le felt as if an invisible seal had been placed on his soul, making him obediently extend one hand to Lu Yao.
Lu Yao said, “The other one too.”
Yu Le handed over both hands, as submissive as a puppy.
Lu Yao took the flower from Yu Le’s hands, easily holding both of Yu Le’s wrists with one hand, and patiently dried his hands with the shirt he had removed.
“Don’t use water from the eaves to wash your hands,” Lu Yao said as if teaching a child, “It will cause blisters if you don’t have calluses.”
Yu Le didn’t understand or care about the blisters. His attention was completely captivated by Lu Yao.
Such a strong visual impact.
His eyes couldn’t help but drift over Lu Yao’s broad shoulders, smoothly muscled arms, and well-defined abs…
Despite the cool, damp surroundings from the rain, Yu Le felt as though his entire body was enveloped by the intense heat emanating from Lu Yao, making him dry-mouthed and breathing cautiously.
His chin was suddenly lifted gently.
“Spacing out?” Lu Yao’s tone was playful, relaxed, and lazy.
Yu Le forced himself to look away and awkwardly glanced at the flowers in the corner.
“No, right, um… why does Shui Cai keep bothering Little Pink? It’s already pulled out one flower today and almost did the same to Little Pink.”
“It’s not Shui Cai,” Lu Yao said, not letting a dog take the blame for him, “It’s me who’s been messing with it.”
Yu Le was confused, “You? Why?”
Lu Yao replied, “Because I wanted you to come down.”
Yu Le didn’t see the connection, “You could just call me.”
Lu Yao explained, “I was tired just coming back and didn’t feel like speaking.”
“…”
Yu Le felt exasperated on behalf of Little Pink, “So, you take it out on Little Pink because you’re too lazy to talk?”
Lu Yao nodded, “Yes, you’re right.”
Yu Le forgot to pull his hands back. Lu Yao didn’t remind him, and they stayed like that, neither pulling away nor loosening their grip.
Yu Le muttered to himself about how Lu Yao could be so shameless, “Next time don’t mess with it. Or just get another pot, don’t always pick on Little Pink. Why did you want me to come down?”
Lu Yao casually provided an excuse, “I need to verify the information of the guest, but I have things to do and can’t leave. I was hoping you could help.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Yu Le agreed readily, “It’s the computer at the front desk, right?”
Lu Yao confirmed, “Yes, the password is nine eights.”
“Okay,” Yu Le was about to leave when he realized his hands were still being held. He awkwardly cleared his throat and withdrew his hands, avoiding looking at Lu Yao’s body, “I’ll go do it now and let you know when I’m done.”
Once he was in the front hall and confirmed that Lu Yao was out of sight, he raised his hand and fanned his face vigorously. At the front desk, he couldn’t help but check his wrists.
It wasn’t that big, was it?
Why did Lu Yao’s hand seem so large?
Yu Le felt that he might have been overly stimulated, not just by the size of the hand.
It could also be due to the strong visual impact, which led him to sketch Lu Yao’s figure repeatedly on his pad later that night while he lay on his bed, with his mind blank.
Lu Yao’s bare torso, looking down to wipe his hands.
When he came back to his senses and stared at the drawing of Lu Yao, his ears burned with embarrassment.
This was a nightmare!
He quickly turned off the pad and set it aside, getting up to pick a piece of fabric to distract himself.
He measured and cut the fabric, and just as he was looking for thread, a loud thud came from outside.
It sounded like something had slammed into the door, accompanied by hurried, panicked gasps, and a faint, cat-like wail.
Yu Le’s first reaction was to think that Da Huang had knocked something over and hurt itself. He started to go outside but heard the noise again, now with more urgency.
Yu Le halted abruptly.
This time, he realized the noise wasn’t from Da Huang but from Wang Wenyan.
The guesthouse had a traditional wooden structure, with poor soundproofing. On quiet nights without rain, the sounds from upstairs and downstairs were clearly audible…
Yu Le’s ears and face flushed red as he quietly rubbed his cheeks and retreated.
When Lu Yao knocked on his door, holding a pair of earplugs, Yu Le was already feeling frustrated, about to make some paper wads to stuff in his ears.
He marveled at how Lu Yao could come down the corridor with such composure.
“Just bear with it tonight,” Lu Yao handed him the earplugs. “I’ll talk to them tomorrow.”
Yu Le was tempted to ask how he planned to address it but decided against it. The atmosphere was already awkward enough; he didn’t want to add to it.
Seeing the scraps of fabric on Yu Le’s desk, Lu Yao asked, “What are you making?”
Yu Le, feeling guilty about his sudden diversion, even considered checking if his pad was turned off. “Nothing much. Just bored, so I’m sewing some random things.”
Both of them were present in this rather uncomfortable scene…
Yu Le never thought such an extreme social embarrassment would happen to him.
And it was with Lu Yao.
Lu Yao seemed intent on staying and watching Yu Le sew, not in a hurry to leave.
Yu Le felt so awkward that he forgot what he was doing and just wanted to find something to occupy his hands to avoid looking so out of place.
Meanwhile, the sounds of low laughter, urging, or intimate phrases between lovers intermittently reached his ears.
Without a doubt, Lu Yao heard them too.
Yu Le picked out a tangled thread, took a deep breath, and tried to block out the noise, struggling to stay calm and collected while slowly untangling the thread from his fingers.
“This is a sewing machine?” Lu Yao touched the small machine on the desk.
“Yeah,” Yu Le glanced at him while keeping his head down, “It’s portable. It’s convenient to bring along when you’re traveling—”
Yu Le stopped abruptly.
This was not the time for casual conversation.
The thread became even more tangled, a true reflection of his current state of mind.
One moment, it was tumultuous; the next, it was eerily silent, with only the sound of Lu Yao’s breathing being audible.
His back was stiff, and his fingertips trembled. He didn’t even dare to turn around, afraid that the person behind him would hear the pounding of his heart.
Lu Yao watched him quietly, standing under the light, with his ears red and almost translucent.
The branches in the courtyard seemed to sway with longing, the tree tops trembling in a sudden storm, and after the commotion, the praises filled with seductive smiles fell into their ears.
Lu Yao remained impassive, but the area of his focus turned a deeper, more vivid shade of red.
Yu Le was lost in his thoughts when the man’s voice came through, unexpectedly merging with the memory of Lu Yao’s voice whispering in his ear.
Rough, husky, with an insatiable desire, so sensual it almost numbed his entire body…
The involuntary memory added a layer of bewilderment to Yu Le’s previously simple embarrassment.
“Don’t pull too much, or it will become a knot.”
The voice in his head, filled with a different emotion, sounded like a thunderclap, causing Yu Le to jerk, and the thread fell to the ground with a thud.
His heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly bent down to pick it up.
The thread had rolled to Lu Yao’s feet. Both of them bent down simultaneously, but Lu Yao was quicker to grab the thread, resulting in Yu Le inadvertently holding onto Lu Yao’s hand instead.
With only a short distance between them, the warm breath from Lu Yao’s nose brushed against Yu Le’s neck, seeping through his pores, making him feel both ticklish and hot.
Scenes that had been blurred by alcohol suddenly became vivid in his mind: neon-lit nights, a dimly lit room, scattered clothes…
The impact of the new memory was overwhelming, crashing back and forth in his mind.
Yu Le was overwhelmed by sudden emotions, losing his rationality. He didn’t release Lu Yao’s hand but instead gripped it tighter.
Lu Yao looked up, silently observing him.
“Lu Yao.”
Yu Le’s eyes widened slightly, lost in a daze, and looked into Lu Yao’s dark eyes with some confusion. His voice was softer than his heartbeat.
“About that night, I think I remember something…”
