Chapter 25.1
The well water used only half a bucket. Most of the lychees were haphazardly piled in the basket without removing the branches. Only a few were cleaned and trimmed, their vibrant red skins rolling together in a wooden basin.
But the small stool beside the basin was already empty.
When Lu Yao arrived at the “scene of the incident,” Yu Le was sitting on the stairs, tightly holding Shui Cai, with his face buried between Shui Cai’s neck and his own arm, making it hard for anyone to see his expression.
“Which foot hurts?”
Lu Yao knelt down in front of Yu Le, gently touching his awkwardly positioned left leg.
“Is it this one?”
Yu Le mumbled a response, ending with a muffled addition, “My ankle hurts.”
Zhao Xiaosong, tearfully following behind, didn’t dare to speak and just kept wiping his tears.
Yu Le’s ankle was slender, and Lu Yao could easily hold it in one hand. He applied a bit more pressure while checking the injury, making Yu Le flinch with pain.
“Luckily, it’s just a sprain, no damage to the bones.”
He released his hand and, holding Yu Le in the same position, carried him easily. “I’ll take you back to your room first.”
Away from Da Huang, Yu Le quickly clung to Lu Yao’s neck, seamlessly transitioning from hiding his face in Da Huang’s back to Lu Yao’s neck.
His pale face briefly flashed before Lu Yao’s eyes, with his eyes and nose red, his eyelashes stuck together in clumps, soaked with tears.
Lu Yao patted his back comfortingly. Just as he took a step, Zhao Xiaosong tugged at his shirt from behind.
With a tear-streaked face, the child sniffled and asked, “Boss, is Yu Le okay?”
This was probably the difference between older boys and younger ones—one knew how to cry without being seen, while the other cried out loudly for everyone to notice.
“He’s fine.”
Recalling what Zhao Xiaosong had said when he came running down, Lu Yao quickly added, “Don’t worry. Your Yu Le’s leg isn’t broken, so you don’t need to pay for compensation.”
“Pfft.” The person being carried couldn’t hold back, crying and laughing at the same time. He wiped his eyes on Lu Yao’s chest, smearing tears all over.
Lu Yao carefully placed Yu Le on the bed and said, “Wait here. Don’t move your foot.”
Lu Yao went downstairs and then back up, preparing a small basin of water in the bathroom of Yu Le’s room, adding ice cubes, and then throwing in a towel. He carried the basin back to the room and set it down on the nearby floor.
Yu Le lay on the bed without moving, but when Lu Yao wasn’t looking, he quietly pulled a pillow over his face.
Lu Yao sat by the bed, placing Yu Le’s injured foot on his lap. He applied the ice-cold towel and then looked up, reaching to lift the pillow.
“Is anyone there?”
Yu Le replied, “No.”
Lu Yao asked, “Still crying?”
Yu Le pulled the pillow down again, his face flushed from crying. Though his complexion looked better, his voice was still not quite recovered, “You’re rushing me to stop crying too?”
Lu Yao flipped the towel over. “Mainly because you’re crying and he’s crying, and I can’t calm both of you down.”
Yu Le, feeling frustrated, scratched his head, “What am I supposed to calm down? I’m not a child.”
Lu Yao watched him, not speaking, but his eyes clearly conveyed a message: Crying and hiding your face isn’t something an adult does?
Yu Le said, “…Don’t I have any pride?”
Lu Yao responded casually, “I’ve never seen you cry like this before.”
“When did you see—”
“…”
“…”
In an instant, Yu Le fell silent. Lu Yao, for once speaking before thinking, also froze after his words.
After a while, Lu Yao frowned, wanting to apologize, but Yu Le had already retreated into his shell, pulling the pillow back over his face.
“You’ve never seen me like this.”
Yu Le gripped the pillow, his knuckles turning pink. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten. The lights were off that night.”
…
Yu Le’s leg was still sore, and in the afternoon, Lu Yao brought up the meal he had prepared for him.
In the evening, after Yu Le had managed to stand on one leg with strong willpower and take a shower, Lu Yao came to check on his injury again. This time, instead of ice, he applied heat.
Before that, Lu Yao placed a plate of chilled lychees on Yu Le’s nightstand.
Next, Lu Yao took responsibility for applying heat to Yu Le’s foot, while Yu Le enjoyed lychees, leaning against the headboard.
The lychees were cold and sweet, and Yu Le couldn’t stop after eating just one.
“Is Uncle Xiaosong’s orchard on a mountain?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Lu Yao placed a pillow on his own lap and then positioned Yu Le’s left leg on it. “But it’s on another mountain, seventy kilometers away from here.”
“That mountain must get a lot of sunlight. The fruit is so sweet,” Yu Le said, peeling a lychee and offering it to Lu Yao.
“Want to try?”
Lu Yao took the white lychee into his mouth, but Yu Le didn’t immediately pull his hand away. Instead, he held his palm out in front of Lu Yao.
Lu Yao looked at him questioningly.
Yu Le asked, “Do you not spit out the seeds?”
Lu Yao squeezed Yu Le’s hand and then used the trash can to dispose of the seeds.
Yu Le wrinkled his nose and mumbled, “Why? I don’t mind.”
Lu Yao smiled but didn’t answer. After a while, he removed the towel and asked, “Does it still hurt?”
“A little, but it’s okay.”
Lu Yao asked, “Can you put any weight on it?”
“Probably.”
Yu Le wasn’t sure; he was afraid to move as it might hurt.
But since Lu Yao asked, he carefully tried moving his foot slightly, tapping Lu Yao’s chest lightly with the ball of his foot.
“Like this?”
His tone was hopeful and sincere.
Lu Yao’s breath hitched, and he instinctively held Yu Le’s ankle, his gaze locking onto Yu Le.
Yu Le, freshly showered with damp hair and wearing the softest, cleanest clothes, was sitting defenselessly on the edge of the bed. His right hand held a small handful of lychee shells, not yet discarded. He looked peaceful and relaxed from head to toe.
With the purest of intentions, he was doing something that stirred emotions deeply.
Lu Yao’s palm was very warm. Yu Le fought the urge to pull his foot back, suddenly feeling the situation grow awkward.
It was odd; it wasn’t a particularly sensitive area, but it was a place no one else had touched. Being held like this made him feel somewhat… uneasy.
Especially since it was Lu Yao.
“What’s wrong?”
Yu Le tightened his grip on the lychee shells, his throat tightening inexplicably under Lu Yao’s gaze. “Is it serious? Maybe I should go to the hospital…?”
Noting Yu Le’s anxiety, Lu Yao relaxed his grip and looked away, saying, “No, it’s not necessary.”
After applying the treatment, Lu Yao carefully spread the medicine on the sprained area. “Just answer my questions; no need to demonstrate. During the recovery period, try not to put any weight on that foot.”
“Okay.”
Yu Le finally threw the shells into the trash can. His hand had left faint impressions from gripping the pillow tightly. “You should stay in your room for the next couple of days and avoid moving around.”
Lu Yao placed Yu Le’s foot back on the bed, still propped up with a pillow underneath. “Keep the injury elevated to help with blood circulation.”
“If you want to do something or eat something, just let me know. I’ll take care of it. Since your legs are inconvenient, don’t risk injuring yourself further.”
Yu Le straightened up and saluted him, “Understood, clear and acknowledged. I will obey, thank you, Boss Lu.”
Lu Yao corrected him, “Wrong hand. It’s the right hand.”
Yu Le: “…”
The four college students got busy with their practice reports.
Since none of them wanted to go into each other’s rooms and there were no tables or chairs in the courtyard, they decided to carry their laptops into the main hall and work at the table behind the screen.
As Lu Yao walked into the hall in the afternoon, four pairs of eyes turned to look at him.
Lu Yao glanced at them and asked, “What’s up?”
Guan Zheng stared back at his computer in silence, Chen Fa maintained his usual indifferent expression, Zhou Fei didn’t dare to speak, and only Wang Wenyan, with her arms crossed, had a smile with unclear intentions.
“Where’s Yu Le?” she asked, looking behind him.
Lu Yao returned to the counter and started his computer. “What do you need him for?”
Wang Wenyan said, “I’m not looking for him, just curious. It’s been half a day and he still hasn’t come down.”
Lu Yao gave her a cold glance. “It’s best if you don’t talk nonsense in front of me.”
Wang Wenyan tilted her head. “But you came out of his room in the middle of the night. Zhou Fei saw it clearly.”
Zhou Fei panicked, “Wang Wenyan! How could you!”
It was supposed to be kept quiet!
Wang Wenyan replied, “How? Wasn’t it meant to be known?”
Zhou Fei, sweating nervously, glanced at Lu Yao to see if he was angry. Seeing no sign of it, he secretly sighed in relief and shot a fierce look at Wang Wenyan, remaining silent.
So foolish and cowardly.
Wang Wenyan sneered and looked at Lu Yao. “It’s nothing, Boss Lu. It’s normal for young people to be impulsive. But keeping someone cooped up in a room all day is indeed a bit boring. People need to get some fresh air, don’t they?”
Lu Yao remained silent, his gaze lowered as if in thought. After a while, he actually walked towards the back yard.
Wang Wenyan watched Lu Yao leave thoughtfully, then turned to Guan Zheng and raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say Yu Le was just an ordinary guest like us?”
Guan Zheng gave her a cold look. “What does it have to do with you?”
Wang Wenyan smiled, tapping her fingernail on the table. “Of course it matters. When a man you’re interested in suddenly loses his appeal…”
Guan Zheng laughed sarcastically. “Ha! As if anyone’s interested in you. When has Boss Lu ever paid attention to you? Stop deluding yourself and being disgusting.”
“Hmm, true.” Wang Wenyan poured herself a cup of tea. “No serious man would notice me. Isn’t that right, Chen Fa?”
Chen Fa glanced at her but didn’t respond.
With Lu Yao not present, Zhou Fei decided to settle scores. “Stop talking and don’t reveal me. Wang Wenyan, are you crazy or what?!”
“You said it, but did I agree?” Wang Wenyan glared at him. “If it’s the truth, what’s there to deny? Or did you embellish it?”
Zhou Fei, feeling guilty, said, “I didn’t. Lu Yao did come out of Yu Le’s room in the middle of the night. They must have—”
Bang!
Guan Zheng slammed his hand on the table, startling Zhou Fei.
Zhou Fei, “What the heck! Are you crazy? Biting people everywhere.”
Guan Zheng, “Keep your mouth clean and stop talking nonsense!”
Zhou Fei, “I haven’t said anything. Besides, I didn’t mention you. What’s it to you?”
Guan Zheng stood up angrily. “Say one more word and we’ll fight!”
Zhou Fei had been disciplined by Lu Yao before and wasn’t afraid of Guan Zheng, but with Lu Yao present, he just sneered and muttered, “Who wants to fight with you? I’m not bored.”
Guan Zheng, “Then shut your damn mouth!”
Just then, Lu Yao appeared at the door, carrying Yu Le.
Guan Zheng’s angry expression froze instantly.
No, he looked like he had been drenched and then immediately thrown into the Arctic Circle, frozen solid.
Zhou Fei also turned around, letting out a short laugh and giving Guan Zheng a provocative glance, feeling quite smug.
Wang Wenyan raised her eyebrows.
Yu Le was completely unaware of their varied expressions. As soon as he noticed people in the hall, he started whispering in Lu Yao’s ear, insisting that Lu Yao put him down.
As a man, how could he be carried like a princess in public?!
It was fine if it was just the two of them.
Lu Yao said, “You can’t walk on your foot. I’ll let you down soon.”
Yu Le protested, “I still have one foot to hop on!”
Lu Yao replied, “It’s too dangerous.”
Yu Le argued, “What danger is there on flat ground? Didn’t you jump around as a kid?”
Lu Yao: “…”
“Lu Yao!”
Yu Le pressed his finger into Lu Yao’s neck, feeling the stares from behind the screen like needles in his back.
“Acting cute won’t help.” Lu Yao pinched his arm. “Behave.”
Yu Le, incredulous, widened his eyes. “I—” His voice grew louder, and he quickly adjusted to a softer tone.
“I’m not acting cute!”
Lu Yao said, “Okay.”
Yu Le: “You’re being so perfunctory. I can tell!”
Lu Yao: “No.”
Yu Le: “…”
Yu Le: “Hurry, let me down.”
Lu Yao: “Mm.”
Yu Le: “…”
Yu Le: “Mm?”
Yu Le: “Is that it? Why don’t you let me down?”
Yu Le ground his teeth, feeling like he wanted to bite Lu Yao.
…On second thought, he’d better not; he wouldn’t be able to bite.
He slumped on Lu Yao’s shoulder.
Since everyone saw it anyway, there was no difference between being seen for a second or a minute. He wasn’t familiar with those people, and once he left Daiwa Town, everyone would go their separate ways…
