CH 98

lu wenyu built her career from scratch and had a no-nonsense, decisive style. she had even ranked in the top three of the “parents to pay attention to” list at a training center, making her an intimidating character.

fortunately, she had no interest in meddling in her younger brother’s choice of a partner. during the entire meal, qi yanbai ate nervously, fearing that his imagination might come true. however, everything went smoothly, and the atmosphere at the dinner table remained peaceful. lu wenyu’s attitude towards him also appeared natural and relaxed, just like during the chinese new year.

“how do you feel now? are you more at ease?”

after finishing their meal, lu ye helped clear the table. when he placed the dishes in front of qi yanbai, he paused for a moment. then, he bent down while stacking the plates, lowered his voice, and whispered in his ear.

“i didn’t say anything to her; lu ye said. “don’t be so tense; you look exhausted.”

although qi yanbai could already tell that lu wenyu’s attitude remained friendly, having lu ye’s assurance made him feel lighter in his heart. his tense shoulders instantly relaxed slightly, as if he were a small animal returning to its safe nest, shaking off all the tension as soon as he entered the door.

his expressions, which now revealed his emotions much more clearly, were far more lively than when he carried the burden of being “teacher qi.” lu ye couldn’t help but smile and look at him for a moment before standing up, lightly pinching his shoulder before finally carrying the dishes and leisurely walking into the kitchen.

not far away upstairs, lu wenyu was arranging the wine tools. she had a high vantage point and a keen eye, and her eyes took in every detail of their interaction. she raised an eyebrow, intrigued by what she saw, and observed them for a while. she continued to watch until lu ye disappeared from her sight while carrying the dishes. only then did she lean against the railing, smile at qi yanbai, and call out to him.

“teacher qi.”

qi yanbai looked up at the sound and saw lu wenyu leaning against the railing, shaking two empty wine glasses in her hand. she asked if he wanted to come up for a drink.

qi yanbai had a low alcohol tolerance. last time, he had nearly revealed everything after just two glasses of wine. given his current anxiety, he was afraid that he might say something he shouldn’t if he got tipsy.

he didn’t dare to drink with lu wenyu, but he still went upstairs.

“happy birthday, sister,” qi yanbai said. “i didn’t have time to prepare a gift for you; i apologize.”

“it’s okay, as long as ye bought one, it counts for both of you,” lu wenyu said, tilting her head and gesturing towards lu ye in the wine cellar. she smiled and continued, “but what about you two? have you finally made up? no more quarrels?”

pointing out a quarrel between lovers in front of others was always embarrassing. qi yanbai felt a bit awkward, pursed his lips, and nodded gently, saying, “yes… we’ve made up.”

“that’s good,” lu wenyu teased. “next time you have a fight, don’t involve others. you both even involved mingming and i never heard the end of it. she kept crying that her uncle was leaving.”

upon hearing this, qi yanbai felt even more guilty. he had caused concern not only between himself and lu ye but also with lu wenyu and mingming, which was unfair to them.

“it’s my fault. i’m not mature enough, which is why i had a lot of conflicts with ye,” qi yanbai took responsibility and apologized, saying, “i’m sorry for making you and mingming worry. it’s really my fault.”

“oh, it’s okay,” lu wenyu waved it off and casually said, “he’s a formal employee with a position. it’s not that easy to change departments. that excuse to deceive children is acceptable, but it’s too amateurish to deceive adults.”

qi yanbai: “…”

as a deceived “adult,” qi yanbai’s face stiffened for a moment, and then he furrowed his brows, wondering, “position?”

as soon as he said this, lu wenyu belatedly realized what she had said and couldn’t help but look at him affectionately. she thought, “poor teacher qi, you really don’t understand the situation. that’s why you were fooled by lu ye for so long.”

“in any case,” lu wenyu couldn’t help but chuckle, realizing she had accidentally spilled the beans. so, she redirected the conversation, instructing him, “i can’t explain it clearly; you can go and ask lu ye.”

when qi yanbai went downstairs, lu ye had already finished washing his hands and returned to the room. the door to his room was half-open, emitting a narrow strip of light.

when qi yanbai pushed the door open and saw lu ye’s back, the strange feeling in his heart vanished instantly, leaving him without any inclination to probe further. at that moment, he accepted the fact that he was the only adult besides lu mingming who had been deceived by this lie.

“why did you come to hide here?” qi yanbai said as he walked into the room. “i’ve been looking for you for a while.”

once inside the room, qi yanbai noticed several half-packed suitcases. some of them were placed side by side against the wall, and two were already open, sitting wide open in the middle of the floor. a quick glance revealed that they contained lu ye’s personal clothing.

“so, you moved in here with your sister?” qi yanbai suddenly understood what was going on. he walked over to lu ye, habitually reached out and embraced him, leaning on him while letting out a long sigh of relief. he said, “you really startled me back then.”

lu ye turned around, allowing qi yanbai to lean against his chest. he smiled and asked, “did you really think i was leaving for good?”

“of course, i thought you were going to break up with me for real at that time,” qi yanbai said, closing his eyes and nuzzling lu ye’s chest with his face. he whispered softly, “you played your part so convincingly; it was hard not to believe it.”

bringing up this topic, qi yanbai suddenly had an idea. his gaze swept over the suitcases by the wall, and his mind began to work. he couldn’t help but hold lu ye tighter and gently rub against him.

“by the way, ye ge,” qi yanbai said, “you should move back.”

“move back to where?” lu ye asked knowingly. “across the hall?”

qi yanbai responded with a “yes” and whispered, “i’ve been keeping an eye on that house, and it hasn’t been rented out yet. since you’re not mad at me anymore, why don’t you move back? what do you think?”

“i’m not moving back,” lu ye said with a smile. “the rent is too high, and i can’t afford it.”

that statement was obviously nonsense. lu ye had a decent salary, lived a frugal lifestyle without indulging in excesses, and aside from his daily expenses, he might buy a few packs of cigarettes a month. there was no way he couldn’t afford the rent.

qi yanbai thought he was just in a playful mood and didn’t really want to move back so easily. he didn’t get upset at the response and, instead, changed his approach, attempting to persuade him.

“how about staying at my place? i can cover the rent.”

lu ye couldn’t help but laugh at qi yanbai’s ability to adapt to different situations. he pushed qi yanbai’s shoulder playfully, creating a bit of distance between them while still smiling.

“you’re not even going to ask where my money went?” lu ye teased, amused by qi yanbai’s flexible nature.

qi yanbai looked at lu ye blankly for a moment, paused for a few seconds, and then remembered to play along. he quickly asked, “so, where did your money go?”

lu ye chuckled and, after putting out the last cigarette, reached into the crack between the sides of the suitcase. from inside, he retrieved a bunch of keys and casually tossed them into qi yanbai’s lap.

qi yanbai instinctively caught the keys and, when he looked down, he saw a bunch of them, one red and six blue, all covered in dusty white tape, giving them a very crude appearance.

“what’s this?” qi yanbai asked, “house keys?”

“yes,” lu ye said after taking the last puff of his cigarette. he crushed the cigarette butt and continued, “it’s a ninety-square-meter apartment by the river—not far from where we officially became a couple.”