“You—why aren’t you asleep yet!”
Luo Ying leaned against the wall to change his shoes, his voice soft and uncertain, a little flustered.
“Waiting for you to come back.”
Lu Rang set down the magazine and walked toward the entrance.
Luo Ying stood frozen in place, having assumed Lu Rang would be fast asleep by the time he got home.
Facing the dark room, he had already prepared how to console himself, only to run into this scene.
“Why wait for me? It’s already so late.”
Lu Rang came over, wrapping one arm around Luo Ying’s waist, leaning in close until his nose nearly brushed Luo Ying’s lips.
Luo Ying felt a bit shy from the intimate gesture at such close range. He turned his face away, only to have Lu Rang gently grasp his chin.
“Had some foreign liquor?”
Lu Rang’s voice was magnetic. He gave Luo Ying a light kiss on the lips, brief and restrained.
“Looks like you had quite a bit.”
Lu Rang released him and stepped back.
The velvet satin robe he wore had a luxurious texture, its hem swaying with his movements as he walked away.
Luo Ying tilted his head, watching Lu Rang’s retreating figure. How strange.
He had waited up so late specifically for him, yet didn’t interrogate him or ask where he had been or who he drank with.
So, what was he waiting up for if not to sleep? It didn’t make sense.
Whatever—it was better this way, saving him the trouble of explaining.
Remembering that another month was about to pass and it was time for his salary, Luo Ying slipped on his slippers and hurried after him. Lu Rang was already in the kitchen preparing a late-night snack.
He stood in front of Lu Rang, separated by the kitchen counter, and stretched out his hand, palm open.
Lu Rang frowned slightly, a look of confusion in his eyes.
Luo Ying lifted his face, his outstretched hand curling slightly, rubbing his thumb and index finger together. “Boss, salary.”
A flash of understanding crossed Lu Rang’s eyes. He curved his lips, holding back a smile. “Got it. I’ll transfer it tomorrow.”
Luo Ying pouted, thinking how easy it was to ask for his pay from Lu Rang.
The thought of another five million soon hitting his account instantly dissolved the frustration he had been holding onto all day.
He leaned forward onto the counter, propping his chin on both hands, blinking his bright eyes. His tender red lips pursed slightly as he put on a deliberately charming, coquettish look and tossed it toward Lu Rang.
“Lu Rang, have you been happy during this time we’ve been dating?”
Lu Rang gladly accepted Luo Ying’s flirtatious glance, placing a large hand on his fluffy head and ruffling his hair. “Of course.”
“Then…”
Under the counter, Luo Ying’s foot nudged Lu Rang’s leg, hinting at something more.
Lu Rang raised an eyebrow subtly. “Hmm?”
Luo Ying grinned and negotiated, “Then can I get a raise?”
Lu Rang asked, “How much do you want?”
Seeing how straightforward he was, Luo Ying, who had brought it up, felt a bit embarrassed. “You decide.”
“Alright.”
The built-in microwave emitted a crisp ding. Lu Rang turned and took out a bowl of light vegetable porridge.
He placed the bowl in front of Luo Ying. “Have some. I made it for you.”
“I prepared it earlier, thinking you’d be back sooner. It went cold, so I reheated it for you.”
“Be careful, it’s hot.”
Luo Ying had always had a habit: if he drank past midnight at a gathering, he needed a bowl of porridge before bed to settle his stomach, or he’d feel uncomfortable the next morning.
He stared at the porridge in the ceramic bowl—white, with vegetable leaves and shredded meat mixed in. It looked light and soothing.
He hadn’t expected Lu Rang to remember this habit of his.
Huh? Wait.
Why had Lu Rang prepared it ahead of time?
How did he know Luo Ying had gone drinking before he even came back?
Luo Ying raised his eyes. “How did you know…”
Lu Rang smiled, as if holding all the cards. “Do you know whose club you went to?”
“Huh? Whose?”
Still confused, Luo Ying then heard Lu Rang casually utter two words. “Mine.”
Lu Rang explained, “I happened to go there to check the accounts in the evening and saw you and Xie Yunyu.”
Luo Ying suddenly realized that Lu Rang’s business ventures were truly extensive. The money he had earned from Lu Rang had ultimately flowed right back into Lu Rang’s pocket.
“No wonder the manager sent us so much wine. I thought it was a VIP perk.”
“Is that so?”
Seeing that Luo Ying hadn’t touched the porridge, Lu Rang scooped a spoonful, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to Luo Ying’s lips to feed him.
Luo Ying opened his mouth to take a sip of the porridge, mumbling indistinctly, “Yeah, we didn’t finish it. I had it stored.”
“I was worried you might drink too much, so I specifically asked him to look after you.”
The manager probably mistook Luo Ying for one of Lu Rang’s business partners in the entertainment industry.
He likely thought Lu Rang’s “look after” meant sending more wine to enhance the customer experience.
Luo Ying chewed on the shredded meat. “He might have misunderstood.”
As his teeth moved, a sharp pain shot through his mouth, and Luo Ying let out a soft “hiss.”
Lu Rang set down the bowl, concerned. “What’s wrong?”
The sudden pain stimulated Luo Ying’s tear ducts, causing tears to well up in his eyes, glistening and dampening his lashes.
“I accidentally bit myself.”
He pouted pitifully, trying to show Lu Rang the spot he had bitten.
Lu Rang quickly grabbed a tissue and gently wiped away the blood that had seeped out.
Once the bleeding stopped, Lu Rang fetched a mouthwash from the medicine cabinet to prevent ulcers.
After going through the whole process, the porridge was no longer an option. Helplessly, Luo Ying was dragged by Lu Rang to the bathroom for a shower.
When he came out after showering, Lu Rang wasn’t in the bedroom.
Through the floor-to-ceiling glass, Luo Ying saw the light on in the study at the corner of the upper floor.
He was probably working.
It seemed Lu Rang managed two companies.
One was his family business, and the other was the entertainment company he had founded himself.
Whenever work related to the family business was involved, Lu Rang would handle it in the study.
Luo Ying wouldn’t disturb him upstairs unless necessary.
But what work could he possibly be doing so late at night? Shouldn’t he be sleeping?
After hesitating for a while downstairs, Luo Ying finally decided to go upstairs and urge him to sleep.
Upstairs, the study door was slightly ajar, and Lu Rang seemed to be on the phone with someone.
“What photo? That one? He took it himself back then.”
“It’s still my screensaver and wallpaper. I never changed it.”
“Why would I be afraid of anyone seeing it? If they see it, they see it.”
“He’s long forgotten about the past. Why would I go ask him why we broke up? To torture myself?”
“…Of course, I’ve thought about marrying him.”
“A substitute? Luo Ying is just being presumptuous.”
“Why are you asking so many questions? We’ll talk more when you return to the country.”
Luo Ying stood outside the study door, hearing everything clearly.
Lu Rang was talking about his first love with someone else.
His photo with his first love was still his phone wallpaper, unchanged all these years—unlike what Ye Xirong had said, “probably deleted long ago.”
He wasn’t even afraid that Luo Ying might see their photo someday or that Luo Ying would feel uncomfortable about it.
They might still be in contact, and Lu Rang was so cautious that he didn’t even dare ask why he had been dumped.
Most importantly, he had even thought about marrying that first love!
And as for Luo Ying himself, in Lu Rang’s eyes, he was nothing more than a presumptuous substitute.
Light seeped through the slightly ajar door of the study. Luo Ying shifted to the side, retreating into the shadows to avoid the beam of light.
At that moment, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what he was feeling, only that his chest felt uncomfortably tight.
Luo Ying had always adhered to the principle of focusing solely on making money and keeping things physical rather than emotional.
But hearing those words spoken aloud still left him with a lingering sense of displeasure.
Situations like this were all too familiar to Luo Ying from the dramas he’d watched.
As the stand-in, the character would storm into the room in a rage, demanding to know why their patron had insulted them, leading to a messy breakup.
But then again, in those dramas, the patron only offered five hundred thousand a year—no wonder the stand-in would break things off.
Luo Ying, on the other hand, was earning fifty million a month from Lu Rang.
If you weren’t enthusiastic about making money, something was wrong with your head.
Who in their right mind would turn down fifty million a month?
Luo Xiaohe had once said that when dealing with someone who could bring you immense benefits, it was wise to tolerate their words and actions to a reasonable extent.
Fine.
On second thought, Luo Ying had to admit that Lu Rang’s assessment wasn’t entirely wrong.
He really was quite self-righteous.
He’d been that way since childhood—proud and never one to humble himself.
Faint sounds of rummaging came from the study, and Luo Ying no longer felt like urging Lu Rang to get to bed early.
Before heading downstairs, he glared angrily at the study door.
Stay up as late as you want! I’m going to sleep!
As the night grew later, the effects of the alcohol helped Luo Ying fall asleep quickly.
In his half-asleep state, he thought he heard the sound of the bedroom door lock turning.
The mattress dipped slightly, and a corner of the blanket was gently lifted.
A warm body pressed against Luo Ying’s back.
He murmured and shifted, only to be pulled closer as Lu Rang wrapped an arm around his waist, drawing him into an embrace.
A firm chest pressed against his back through the thin fabric of his pajamas.
Even in his sleep, Luo Ying couldn’t resist opposing Lu Rang.
Irritated, he shook off the hand around his waist and turned away.
Lu Rang moved closer again, holding him tight.
Luo Ying squirmed unhappily but couldn’t break free. Frowning, he finally gave in and let it be.