CH 44

the little war between lu ye and lu mingming ended with the intervention of qi yanbai.

soon, under the persuasion of teacher qi, lu mingming forgave her childish uncle and happily held qi yanbai’s hand, running to the other side of the living room to paint together.

“he’s really nice to you.” after finishing her drink and placing the glass on the table, lu wenyu walked out from behind the kitchen counter and stood beside lu ye, glancing at the big and small figures in the living room who were arranging art supplies to get ready to paint. she sighed and said, “i was worried that you would only encounter bad luck in your life, but i didn’t expect you to meet someone who truly cares about you.”

“well, things can turn around, and i haven’t always been unlucky,” lu ye smiled and said, “but he’s indeed too gentle. sometimes i think, in the training center, there are all sorts of people, reasonable and unreasonable—i worry he might be at a disadvantage.”

“i think you’re worrying too much,” lu wenyu raised an eyebrow, hinting at something, and said, “i think he is quite capable of handling things on his own. as a parent, i’d rather entrust my child to an gentle yet independent teacher than one who would deceive parents for the sake of work.”

lu ye gave her a helpless glance and said, “i hope all parents are as open-minded as you.”

“alright, stop with the idle talk.”

saying this, lu wenyu playfully punched lu ye’s shoulder, then went through a small storage room next to the kitchen door and threw a brand new apron on lu ye. she ordered, “no slacking off, come and help.”

lu wenyu’s business had grown, but she still retained the habit of working side by side with lu ye, just like when they relied on each other when they were young.

lu ye sighed in resignation and followed lu wenyu into the kitchen. as he entered, he couldn’t help but glance back. he saw that qi yanbai had already set up the easel for lu mingming and was now kneeling by the side, carefully selecting the paint tubes to use.

it seemed like his gaze had caught qi yanbai’s attention. qi yanbai instinctively turned his head, and their eyes met in mid-air.

leaning against the door frame, lu ye smiled at him, then gestured with a nod towards lu mingming behind him, silently mouthing, “good luck.”

qi yanbai nodded and exchanged a warm smile with him through their silent communication. then, he lowered his head, took out his phone from his pocket, and openly messaged lu ye while sitting beside lu mingming.

“what is your sister’s impression of me?” qi yanbai asked. “did i come across as too stiff?”

the moment the message was sent, lu ye’s phone vibrated in his pocket. he raised an eyebrow, took out his phone, unlocked it, and glanced at it. instead of replying immediately, he subconsciously looked at qi yanbai’s expression again.

qi yanbai indeed seemed troubled. he stared at the phone screen, his brows unconsciously furrowing slightly. his whole posture was tense, like a bowstring about to be drawn to its limit.

the phone hadn’t had time to go dark yet, and the screen was still on the chat interface between qi yanbai and lu ye. lu mingming didn’t intend to invade her teacher’s privacy, but with just one glance, she saw the opening line that said, (sister).

“teacher qi, are you worried about my mom?” lu mingming blinked and looked at him earnestly, attempting to reassure him. “don’t worry, my mom won’t dislike you. she really likes you.”

qi yanbai seemed comforted by her words. he smiled, reached out to ruffle her hair, and then locked the screen of his phone, placing it on the coffee table nearby.

it’s strange, qi yanbai thought.

compared to the other students’ parents, gaining lu wenyu’s favor was actually quite easy. qi yanbai was well aware of the image he had in lu wenyu’s eyes—he was first lu mingming’s teacher, and then “lu ye’s boyfriend.” as long as he played these two roles correctly, he could easily win lu wenyu’s favor and support.

qi yanbai should have been well-versed in this, but he inexplicably felt a slight lack of confidence in this unfamiliar and intimate environment.

lu ye found qi yanbai’s unconscious nervousness quite adorable and couldn’t resist adjusting his angle slightly. he discreetly took a picture of qi yanbai.

the subtle sound of the camera’s shutter caught qi yanbai’s attention. he turned to look at lu ye, suddenly realizing that his series of actions had been observed by lu ye. feeling embarrassed, he pursed his lips and lowered his head, a faint blush creeping up his ears.

“do i look silly?” qi yanbai’s message appeared on the screen shortly after.

“cute,” lu ye replied.

qi yanbai had a thin skin and rarely received such straightforward teasing from lu ye. his pale pink ears deepened in color, and his gaze became elusive. even when he felt lu ye’s gaze on him, he didn’t look back.

lu ye admired qi yanbai’s bashfulness for a while, couldn’t help but chuckle, and didn’t want to tease him any further. instead, replied.

“if you don’t like it, i can delete it?” lu ye asked.

unexpectedly, qi yanbai shook his head and typed out another response.

“no don’t,” qi yanbai said. “hold on to it.”

he thought for a moment, perhaps worried that his words sounded too stiff or like he was sulking, so he added another sentence.

“i don’t mind.”

when he typed this, he looked back at lu ye with a soft gaze, and lu ye couldn’t help but feel a bit soft-hearted as he tapped on his phone.