Chapter 39.1
Every word Lu Yao said was clear to Yu Le, but when they came together, Yu Le struggled to immediately understand their meaning.
He slowly dismantled the sentence in his blank mind, pieced it together word by word, and read it over and over again—once, twice, several times…
He stared blankly at Lu Yao. “So what do you like?”
Lu Yao replied, “You.”
Yu Le asked again, “What about me?”
Lu Yao chuckled and pinched his cheek. “Are you dazed?”
Yu Le pressed his lips together and continued to gaze at him intently.
Lu Yao accommodated him, saying, “I like you.”
Yu Le’s heart skipped a beat.
Lu Yao added, “I like you. Lu Yao likes Yu Le. Is it clear now?”
Yu Le swallowed hard, his heart pounding wildly.
“Ah.”
His gaze darted around, and after a moment, he said “Ah” again.
Like a fish, Yu Le would occasionally surface and make bubbles when he was unclear about something, exposing his confusion and anxiety, while trying to force a mature and composed demeanor.
His internal contradictions were apparent, but he didn’t realize that, to Lu Yao, he was endearing and likable even in his confusion.
Lu Yao couldn’t resist teasing him. “What does ‘Ah’ mean?”
Yu Le, with his head feeling like it was on fire, scratched at a spot on the wall, having rubbed off some of the plaster. “It means I understand. What else could it mean…”
Lu Yao asked, “And then?”
Yu Le looked up at the ceiling, then at the radio, his breath uneven. “What’s next? Is today some special day…”
“Well, maybe it’s an auspicious day for confessions.”
Lu Yao took full advantage of his position, observing every slight change in Yu Le’s expression. He subtly smiled, “Seems like all the confessions have converged on this day.”
“That’s different!”
Yu Le immediately retorted. After meeting Lu Yao’s gaze, his assertiveness diminished, and he lowered his voice to emphasize, “It’s different.”
Lu Yao didn’t ask what was different. He could see Yu Le’s struggle and hesitation, the internal battle he was undergoing.
But he knew Yu Le’s personality—he couldn’t hide anything and liked to lay everything out clearly. So Lu Yao patiently waited, knowing Yu Le would eventually ask for his help.
However, help came sooner than expected.
The inn’s front door downstairs was banging loudly. Uncle An and two other elders shouted anxiously, “Little Lu! Little Lu! There’s a landslide at the sand flat! Several people are buried! It seems one of the young men staying at your inn is also buried!”
This announcement shattered the fragile barrier of nervous anticipation.
Hearing “several people buried,” Yu Le’s eyes widened in terror. Lu Yao quickly rubbed his numb face and said, “It’s okay. I’ll go check. Wait for me to return.”
Lu Yao quickly left the room.
Yu Le was left alone, taking deep breaths, wiping his face with both hands to suppress his complicated emotions, and then ran outside.
Lu Yao first went to the third floor. Originally, there were four people, but now only three remained, missing Zhou Fei.
Downstairs, they all heard Uncle An’s shouts. Chen Fa said, “Zhou Fei was packing his things in the room this afternoon, and I haven’t seen him since.”
Guan Zheng frankly stated that after the fight, Zhou Fei had not left his room.
Wang Wenyan pointed out, “He probably didn’t want to leave at this crucial moment, and thought he’d finish his mountain survey and collect all the data before heading back to Xuan City.”
This was the most likely scenario.
Knowing who was missing, Lu Yao immediately left the inn and headed to the scene of the incident.
Yu Le and the others wanted to follow, but Lu Yao sent them back midway. “Go back. You won’t be able to help.”
“Wait for me.”
He told Yu Le softly, “The rain has stopped. There’s no danger in the mountains. The rescue team is on its way. Don’t worry.”
Yu Le obediently went back, but Lu Yao didn’t return that night.
Yu Le stayed awake until past midnight, finally falling asleep as his worries turned into dreams.
When Lu Yao finally asked him, Yu Le impatiently confessed, “I like you too! I like you so much! Can we be together right now!”
Just as his burgeoning affection was waiting for a response, he was woken up by shouting outside.
A sudden shock of wakefulness hit him, and it was barely dawn outside.
There was movement in the hallway. Yu Le quickly jumped out of bed and opened the door, catching Lu Yao just as he was heading downstairs after a shower.
“Why are you up so early?” Lu Yao’s hair was still damp.
“You didn’t come back, and I couldn’t sleep well,” Yu Le said. “How is it? Were people rescued?”
Lu Yao replied, “Everyone was rescued. They’re unconscious, but they’re not in immediate danger.”
Yu Le sighed in relief. “Where are you going now?”
Lu Yao said, “I’m heading to the fire station.”
Yu Le nodded, looking down at Lu Yao’s hand, hesitant to speak. Finally, he just softly said, “I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Lu Yao walked a few steps forward, then turned back to see Yu Le still standing by the door, looking at him.
In his white, soft pajamas, with somewhat disheveled hair and clean, gentle eyes, Yu Le looked like a sleepy kitten insisting on seeing its owner off at the door.
Lu Yao, who knew many of his employees had cats, understood the sentiment now. He had never kept a pet, so he didn’t fully grasp the feeling before, but now he seemed to understand.
He changed direction, strode back to Yu Le, and wrapped him in a firm hug.
Yu Le was enveloped by his scent, feeling a bit dizzy. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve been busy all night and am exhausted. I need to recharge.”
Lu Yao buried his face in Yu Le’s neck, taking a gentle breath, then let go. “I’ll be back soon.”
As dawn broke, Yu Le realized not only Zhou Fei but also Guan Zheng had left due to injuries.
Though he knew he shouldn’t feel relieved, Yu Le couldn’t help but feel a small sense of relief. At least, there would be no more awkward encounters.
Breakfast consisted of congee with side dishes and meat-filled buns. Yu Le absentmindedly stirred the congee, waiting for it to cool.
Throughout the night, his mind had been filled with Lu Yao’s straightforward “I like you.”
It was a bit sudden, a bit bewildering, a bit confusing, but not overwhelmingly surprising. More than anything, it was an indescribable emotion stirring within him.
It felt like countless balloons inflating in his stomach, bursting, and their sweet, sticky remains spreading over the inner walls, seeping into his very being.
He knew it—he liked Lu Yao too, deeply.
He didn’t know when it began, only that by the time he realized it, his feelings had grown into a towering tree with roots spreading deep and wide. Uprooting it was no longer possible.
But compared to Lu Yao’s feelings, his…
