Chapter 23
Lu Yao watched him quietly.
The face before him, so exquisitely delicate it could be called a work of art, was enveloped in a soft, hazy glow under the gentle lighting.
Pale skin revealed a hint of delicate red, with the corners of his mouth slightly pursed, eyes lowered with a seductive and docile curve. His pupils gleamed with amber light, a mix of obedient, dazed, hesitant, bold, and… an overflowing expression of himself.
Some thoughts cannot be hidden once they arise; some ideas cannot be suppressed once they take root.
Lu Yao broke the thread, reversed Yu Le’s hand, and pulled him up.
There was a table behind them. After stepping back a half-step, Yu Le’s lower back was pressed against it. His right hand, wrapped in red thread, was held by Lu Yao, leaving him to support himself with his left hand on the edge of the table.
Lu Yao was very close to him, even closer than when he helped him dry his hands under the eaves that day.
In their tangled breaths, he suddenly felt like a rabbit that had forgotten its boundaries and was carelessly hopping into the territory of a lone wolf.
To be carried back to the wolf’s den, to be licked on the white fur of his belly, to be devoured when the wolf was extremely hungry.
And the bigger problem was that he didn’t resist at all.
“Hmm.” Lu Yao lowered his head, patiently unwinding the red thread tangled around Yu Le’s fingers. “You handle alcohol well.”
Aside from being overly clingy when drunk, there were no other issues.
Oh yes, and being prone to tears.
His voice was between that of a youth and an adult—clean, transparent.
When pushed to the peak of consciousness, it became raw and sticky, mingled with a weak, crying tone, like a newborn beast that couldn’t open its eyes yet. It was pure yet lustful, with each ending note like a small hook, pulling one’s reason off balance.
He lowered his eyelids, concealing the turbulent dark colors in his eyes with his long lashes.
Lu Yao’s fingers slowly wound around the red thread between Yu Le’s fingers. Each touch of his fingertips made Yu Le’s fingertips tremble uncontrollably.
A few times, he thought that the large, calloused hand would press into his finger gaps, touching his palm, making his heartbeat race up to his throat.
But every time the red thread unwound from his fingers, that hand would retreat, as if intentionally teasing him, making him restless and uneasy.
Until the red thread was completely unwound, just as that hand seemed about to withdraw, Yu Le, for some inexplicable reason, instinctively grasped his fingertips quickly.
“Lu Yao.” Yu Le called him softly, but after calling, he didn’t know what to say.
Lu Yao let him hold on and responded softly, “Hmm, I’m here.”
The sound of rain outside suddenly grew louder, the pattering drowned out much of the song’s trailing notes, leaving only a faint “…representing my heart.”
With the flame extinguished, the warmth in Yu Le’s chest had quietly cooled, his throat bobbing up and down, slowly relaxing his grip. “It’s raining.”
Lu Yao, it’s raining.
Lu Yao smiled silently, withdrew his hand, and patted his head. “Yu Le, get some rest.”
After leaving Yu Le’s room and returning to his own, Lu Yao didn’t pause for even a second. He took some clean clothes and went back into the bathroom for the second time that night.
Half an hour later, he emerged barefoot from the bathroom, which had no warmth at all. Leaning lazily against the wall by the corridor, he lifted the window with the back of his hand and looked towards the room diagonally across.
The room had already turned off the lights and was completely dark, indicating that the person was likely asleep.
But the person who should have been asleep long ago was now pressing his ears tightly, face buried in the gap between two pillows, his head steaming and his chest burning.
“This is a private inn, a guesthouse, not a short-stay room, nor a couple’s hotel you’ve rented out.”
Lu Yao stood before Chen Fa with a tone devoid of emotion. “It’s fine to be in a relationship, but remember not to disturb others.”
Chen Fa nodded expressionlessly. The door behind him opened, revealing Wang Wenyin in a small tank top, leaning lazily against the doorframe, her slightly curled long hair cascading down her back.
“Boss Lu, why so… traditional?”
Wang Wenyin smiled coquettishly, “We’re staying in our own room, so it shouldn’t be disturbing anyone, right? Who knew this house was so poorly soundproofed.”
Her nonchalant attitude made Lu Yao’s expression darken slightly, “Whether it’s disturbing or not is not up to you. If there’s a next time, I wouldn’t mind throwing you out of the guesthouse in the middle of the night.”
His gaze, indifferent and unfazed, passed over Wang Wenyin. “If you don’t believe me, feel free to test it.”
Wang Wenyin shrugged nonchalantly and said nothing.
Lu Yao turned and walked downstairs. Wang Wenyin watched his retreating figure disappear around the corner of the stairs, then glanced at Chen Fa, snorted, adjusted the fallen strap of her tank top, and returned to her room.
When Lu Yao reached downstairs, he immediately saw Yu Le standing under a tree, looking up as if he was watching something.
He softened his expression, changed direction, and walked over. “What are you looking at?”
Yu Le had actually forgotten what he was looking at. He was just staring at the tree full of flowers and had inadvertently spaced out.
As soon as Lu Yao spoke, Yu Le snapped back to reality. Embarrassed to admit he had been spacing out, he pulled out the large yellow cat that had been dozing on the tree as a distraction.
“Look, the Da Huang cat seems to be stuck and can’t get down.”
Da Huang: “…”
Lu Yao: “…”
Shuicai: “…”
Lu Yao: “Don’t worry, it won’t be stuck. It can get down.”
“Really?” Yu Le mumbled. “But I saw it try to jump down several times without success. Maybe each cat is different; it seems especially timid today.”
Lu Yao, with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, said, “Alright, let’s just assume it’s particularly timid today. What do you plan to do to rescue it? Carry it down?”
Yu Le assessed the distance and realized it was beyond his reach. He reluctantly said, “Never mind, I’m not tall enough. Do you have one of those household step ladders, the kind people use to change light bulbs?”
He tried to demonstrate with his hands.
Lu Yao: “We only have a bamboo ladder, and Sister Zhao borrowed it a few days ago.”
Yu Le replied, “Oh, then I guess—”
Lu Yao: “Would you like another type of ladder?”
“?” Yu Le’s voice faltered. “What other ladder?”
Without answering, Lu Yao suddenly bent down and picked him up.
Caught off guard, Yu Le was startled and quickly clung to Lu Yao’s neck, fearing he might fall. “What are you doing?!”
“Giving you a boost,” Lu Yao said, patting his knees. “Open your eyes.”
Once assured there was no risk of falling face-first, Yu Le slowly straightened up and opened his eyes, seeing the tree’s locust flowers from a peculiar angle.
It was like someone who had been looking up at fireworks from the ground suddenly found themselves flying into the fireworks with a drone. Surrounded by the lush, dense tree shade and cascading white flowers, he was enveloped in a verdant and spectacular sight.
Da Huang was asleep on the thickest branch. Hearing the commotion, it lazily opened its eyes, seemed unsurprised by the sudden intrusion, and soon closed its eyes again to continue sleeping, its tail dangling and swaying gently.
Looking down, Yu Le was astonished to find himself comfortably seated on Lu Yao’s shoulder.
So this ladder is… this one?
Lu Yao’s shoulder was broader and sturdier than Yu Le had expected. Despite being a slim, tall guy at 1.8 meters, Lu Yao lifted him with ease, and Yu Le sat securely without worrying about falling.
This person really refreshed his understanding of his capabilities!
The combination of silent, powerful dominance and overwhelming security made Yu Le’s heart race, leaving him momentarily at a loss.
He shifted awkwardly, and an embarrassing thought popped into his head—this was the second time he had been on Lu Yao’s shoulder.
As for the first time, it was… hard to describe!
Lu Yao reminded him at the right moment: “What are you spacing out for? Aren’t you going to rescue Da Huang?”
“Oh, right.” Yu Le shook his head, exhaled, and silently apologized in his heart, steeling himself to “rescue” the comfortably sleeping cat.
Sorry, little kitty, for disturbing your peaceful dream. Next time you come to my room, I’ll return the favor.
Wang Wenyin, who had finished tidying up after her shower, saw Chen Fa waiting at the door and smiled as she walked over, effortlessly lifting her arm to embrace him.
In the gentle breeze, she smiled up at him and lightly hooked her finger around his collar. “The mountain is so much better than the city, don’t you think? The rain last night was so light, and the wind is so refreshing.”
In the next moment, her hand was gently grasped.
She was stunned, then quickly pulled back with a frown, looking at the man before her with displeasure.
“Wenyin, tone it down,” Chen Fa said.
Wang Wenyin, feigning ignorance, asked, “Tone down what?”
Chen Fa replied, “You know what.”
Wang Wenyin’s face darkened. “What, Chen Fa, are you really scared of him?”
Chen Fa remained patient. “Wenyin, this isn’t our territory. We shouldn’t be too unruly.”
Wang Wenyin retorted, “What exactly did I do that’s so unruly?”
Chen Fa remained silent, standing his ground.
Wang Wenyin scrutinized him for a few seconds, seeing he wasn’t joking. She withdrew her hand coldly and said, “Get lost.”
Useless man.
Chen Fa gave her a deep look, said nothing, and turned to leave.
Wang Wenyin smirked, grabbed a cigarette from the cabinet, lit it, and sat by the railing. She exhaled a smoke ring, glancing down to see Yu Le sitting on Lu Yao’s shoulder, carrying the orange cat down.
She raised an eyebrow, lightly weighing the cigarette between her fingers, her gaze sliding over Lu Yao’s shoulder inch by inch as if admiring a fine painting.
The air carried a faint smell of disinfectant. She recalled the stern, cold look Lu Yao had given earlier, chuckled softly, and rested her arm as she looked downstairs again.
Now, that’s what a real man looks like.
After Yu Le set the cat down, Lu Yao let him down and removed a leaf from Yu Le’s head. “Da Huang seems to want to thank you.”
Yu Le felt secure with his feet on the ground and looked at the cat in his arms, which was wagging its tail and staring at him blankly.
He forced a smile. “Yes.”
Indeed, the cat seemed almost ready to swipe at him in gratitude.
“Boss Lu~”
A crisp voice came from above, and both Yu Le and Lu Yao looked up.
Wang Wenyin let out a languid smoke ring, smiling with charm. “You look great in black~”
Her eyes and tone carried a teasing lightness, but Lu Yao appeared unfazed.
To him, this lively display evoked no reaction—he might as well have been looking at a stone or a piece of wood.
But Yu Le was thrown off balance.
He hugged Da Huang tightly, struggling with an inexplicable surge of anger.
“Lu Yao,” he said, his voice tinged with emotion.
“Hm?” Lu Yao turned his attention to him.
Yu Le’s face was stern. “Where’s Da Huang’s nail clipper? It nearly scratched me.”
“It’s at the counter. I’ll get it,” Lu Yao said, turning to head to the hall. Halfway down the corridor, his collar was lightly tugged. He turned around to see Yu Le, carrying Da Huang, following him.
He somewhat enjoyed the sensation of having a little tail trailing behind him and smiled. “No need to follow. Just wait in the courtyard—”
“I don’t like the way she looks at you,” Yu Le said, his displeasure evident.
Lu Yao’s smile froze, and he slowly suppressed it. “What do you mean?”
At this point, Yu Le’s irritation was plain to see. His own emotions were out of control, leaving him oblivious to the subtle changes in Lu Yao’s gaze.
“I don’t like the way she looks at you!”
Wang Wenyin’s gaze was blatant, like a cat eyeing a plate of delicious meat, undeterred by the presence of its owner and eager to pounce when the opportunity arose.
It was as if she saw Lu Yao as one of those men who would easily succumb to her charms with just a flick of her finger.
For whatever reason, it greatly unsettled him.
