Lu Yanxi was alone at the moment.
He had already sent the accompanying teachers and leaders back earlier. In fact, even without Lu Shuang waving to him, his gaze had long been fixed in this direction.
Naturally, he also caught Yu Zhi’s cautious glance.
The girl’s eyes held clear disbelief, a momentary panic, and many complicated emotions. But because she quickly lowered her head again, it was impossible to discern more.
Yet without a doubt, his presence had caused her considerable turmoil.
Lu Yanxi couldn’t quite pinpoint his exact feelings. From the very beginning, the moment he saw the stockings in the car—under normal circumstances, regardless of the reason, Yu Zhi would never have been allowed to stay at the Lu residence.
But not only had he let her stay, now he had inexplicably appeared here.
It seemed…
It seemed as if it were all for this moment—to witness her flustered state and find peace of mind for himself.
Yes, peace of mind.
When Yu Zhi first arrived at the Lu residence, she hadn’t been this afraid of him. Back then, it was Lu Shuang who feared him. The girl hardly dared to speak at home, and Lu Yanxi found it quite troublesome.
He had little to talk about with a high school student. He couldn’t ignore her, but he also couldn’t be too strict with a girl who was already sensitive.
Naturally, communication felt awkward and constrained.
This situation changed after Yu Zhi appeared.
“Mr. Lu,” she once deliberately stopped him, “if… you can spare some time from work, would you like to have dinner with Xiao Shuang this weekend?”
Lu Yanxi didn’t answer immediately. He stared at Yu Zhi for a while. Under his scrutinizing gaze, the girl remained composed, not appearing to have any ulterior motives.
So after a moment of silence, Lu Yanxi replied, “If I’m there, she’ll feel even more uncomfortable.”
This wasn’t a lie. He had eaten with Lu Shuang before, and the result was that Lu Shuang didn’t even dare to pick up food at the table. Since then, he rarely ate at home.
“But the initial discomfort has to be overcome eventually. Building relationships between people always requires a beginning and a process,” the girl thought for a moment and tentatively asked, “Or… if it’s not too presumptuous, could I join as well?”
She had overstepped.
Even so, Lu Yanxi could tell that she overstepped because she genuinely cared about Lu Shuang.
In the end, Lu Yanxi agreed.
Sure enough, with Yu Zhi—who wasn’t afraid of him—acting as a buffer, Lu Shuang became noticeably more at ease. At the dining table, Yu Zhi did most of the talking at first, discussing studies with Lu Shuang, sharing stories from her own high school days. Sometimes, with just a glance from Yu Zhi, Lu Yanxi knew it was his turn to speak.
Later, Lu Shuang began to talk more, while Yu Zhi mostly played the role of a responder.
And of course, there was Lu Yanxi.
The man gradually grew accustomed to such meals, to listening to them talk at the table. His communication with Lu Shuang slowly increased as well.
Until today, Lu Shuang even dared to act spoiled with him, and he could discipline her without hesitation.
When he thanked Yu Zhi, she simply smiled and said, “It’s because you genuinely care for Xiao Shuang, Mr. Lu. All external methods are merely supplementary. She’s willing to trust you because she feels true familial affection.”
It was precisely because he had seen her candid and fearless demeanor that the moment she began to distance herself, Lu Yanxi noticed it immediately.
She would no longer stay to eat, no longer smile at him, no longer initiate conversation, and certainly not engage in any unnecessary talk or eye contact.
By that time, Lu Shuang had already been able to communicate with him without going through Yu Zhi.
Having accomplished her mission and gracefully withdrawn, Lu Yanxi should have praised her for knowing her place. Yet in reality, from that moment on… Lu Yanxi felt as if a hidden fire was burning inside him.
There were no visible flames, but in the unseen moments after Yu Zhi avoided his gaze each time, it smoldered, leaving him suffocated and restless.
If she had continued to be affectionate, he might have remained oblivious. But she had abruptly changed her attitude.
Was it because he had done something wrong? Did she dislike him now?
Lu Yanxi had considered many possibilities, until he finally—belatedly—realized the girl’s feelings.
So that was it… so that was it.
At that moment, what flashed through his heart was actually relief… and reassurance.
Yes, reassurance.
“Uncle, why are you here? You didn’t even tell me.” Lu Shuang had already walked over first.
Yu Zhi remained standing where she was.
Listening to Lu Shuang’s slightly joyful voice, the annoyance she had felt upon seeing someone she didn’t want to see gradually dissipated a little.
To be fair, given how busy Lu Yanxi was, the surprise and gratitude Lu Shuang felt at his visit were genuine. This was a good thing.
It was also Yu Zhi’s original goal.
So why should she bring the annoyance from that inexplicable plotline into reality now?
The plotline was the plotline, reality was reality.
After reminding herself of this once more, Yu Zhi’s mindset had calmed considerably.
Yes, this was a good thing. She should be happy for Lu Shuang.
“To give you a surprise.”
Yu Zhi heard the man speak in a calm tone. When she looked up, she noticed his gaze had landed on her. After a brief moment of eye contact, he shifted his attention back to Lu Shuang.
“Congratulations on first place.”
“You saw? I told you, when it comes to running, I’m unstoppable. Uncle, does first place come with a reward?”
“Only if it’s first place in an exam.”
“Come on.”
While they were talking, Yu Zhi naturally noticed her jacket draped over the man’s right arm. She froze for a full two seconds, her mind racing through countless possibilities.
So why exactly was her jacket in his hand?
Lu Yanxi seemed to immediately notice her gaze and looked over. “Teacher Yu, is this your jacket?”
“Ah, yes.”
Yu Zhi stepped forward, intending to take it back quickly, but the man showed no sign of handing it over. Instead, he explained calmly, “Your jacket fell on the ground earlier and got stepped on, so I didn’t leave it there.”
“Thank you, Mr. Lu.” Actually, it wouldn’t have mattered if it had fallen, but saying that would sound ungrateful. “I’ll take it myself.”
This time, Yu Zhi reached out and grabbed the jacket, but she couldn’t pull it away.
The man’s arm bent slightly inward, trapping the jacket, and his long, slender fingers pinched the corner of the fabric.
“Aren’t you still going to take photos? I’m not leaving, so I’ll hold it for you,” Lu Yanxi said.
Yu Zhi met his gaze—still calm, yet carrying an inexplicable intensity.
“Yeah, yeah,” Lu Shuang chimed in from the side. “Teacher Yu, it’s inconvenient for you to hold your jacket. Don’t worry, just let Uncle hold it. He has nothing else to do anyway.”
Fine, fine.
Yu Zhi comforted herself, thinking, look, Lu Shuang now completely treats Lu Yanxi as one of her own, ordering him around—good, that’s good. As she thought this, she slowly withdrew her hand.
She tightened her grip on the camera in her hand.
Lu Shuang and her classmates were waiting, so Yu Zhi couldn’t dwell on it any longer. After exchanging a few brief words with Lu Yanxi, she headed to the other side.
But the black suit jacket draped over the man’s arm seemed to have become Yu Zhi’s lifeline. With her lifeline held in someone else’s grasp, she felt restless all over, unable to resist stealing glances from time to time.
Lu Yanxi stood quietly, his demeanor somewhat distinct amidst the youthful energy of the playground.
Every time Yu Zhi looked over, she felt as though he had precisely caught her gaze, forcing her to restrain herself from looking again.
How vexing.
Speaking of the Lu family matter, Yu Zhi had meddled a bit too much back then.
She was young at the time—emotional, idealistic, impulsive, spirited, and overflowing with sympathy.
When she first met Lu Shuang, the girl’s uncommunicative demeanor made Yu Zhi think she had encountered a difficult rich family’s young miss.
It was only later that she realized it was Lu Shuang’s insecurity and inferiority complex at play, making her reluctant to speak.
That child… before returning to the Lu family, she truly hadn’t had it easy.
Not long after her adoptive parents took her in, they had a biological child of their own. From then on, they treated her as the household laborer, a servant to attend to their son, and their son saw her as someone to bully.
She had never experienced familial affection, had never met her biological parents, and only heard from her adoptive parents that she had been abandoned.
That was until the Lu family appeared.
Yearning yet timid—no matter how strong she seemed, in the eyes of adults, she was still just a child.
Back then, Yu Zhi hadn’t even spoken much with Lu Yanxi, but she could see how much the Lu family cared for Lu Shuang.
And so, the naive and foolish university student charged ahead without a second thought.
Now, Yu Zhi was no longer naive, but perhaps she was still foolish, for she didn’t regret it much. Thinking back to her second visit to the Lu family, the juice she loved already prepared on the table, and the quiet girl stealing glances at her, she felt that if given the chance, she might still charge ahead.
“Senior.”
A sudden voice interrupted Yu Zhi’s thoughts. She turned to see a tall, handsome boy standing beside her.
Hmm? She didn’t recognize him.
He smiled at her puzzled expression. “Senior, I was the one doing the high jump earlier. I heard from Lu Shuang that you took all the photos. Could I take a look?”
Oh, the high jumper. Now that he mentioned it, Yu Zhi remembered. Lu Shuang had indeed dragged her over to take a couple of photos earlier, saying the most handsome guy was among them.
“There should be some, right?”
As she spoke, Yu Zhi lowered her head and scrolled through the photos on her camera.
“Is this you?”
Quite photogenic.
Just as the boy leaned in to look, she had already handed the camera over. He paused, then withdrew his hand.
Unlike the others earlier, his eyes showed no amazement at the photos. He quickly flipped through a couple before looking up and smiling at her.
“Senior, your photos are really nice. Could you send them to me?”
“I’ll send them all to Lu Shuang later. You can ask her for them.”
“Actually, senior…” Seeing that beating around the bush wasn’t working, the boy decided to be direct. “I just want your contact information, is that okay?”
He probably knew he had a handsome face, flashing his signature smile again.
But Yu Zhi was quite… immune to this level.
“Sorry, it’s not very convenient.”
The boy’s smile faltered slightly. From his expression, Yu Zhi could already tell he was likely thinking—”A handsome guy like me wants to add you, an ordinary girl, and you’re not even willing?”
Hah.
But the other quickly composed himself. “Why? Actually, I…”
Yu Zhi quickly interrupted, “Sorry, I don’t like younger guys. I prefer someone older than me.”
And little bro, are you even an adult yet?
The boy was about to say something else, his lips just parting when he suddenly closed them again, his gaze shifting behind Yu Zhi.
Curious, Yu Zhi turned around and saw Lu Yanxi, who had been standing like a statue on the other side earlier, had somehow come over.
“Xiao Yu,” the man began, dropping the “teacher” from the address, “could you take a photo of me and Xiao Shuang?”
“Of course.” Yu Zhi immediately agreed, then quickly glanced at her coat. “Since you’re taking a photo together, I’ll hold my own coat.”
This time, Lu Yanxi finally didn’t insist.
But before handing it to her, he raised his hand and patted it again, just as he had when he first picked it up. The gesture was so natural it almost seemed like there was something between them.
“There’s still a footprint. Should I take it back to clean it, and you can pick it up next time?”
“No need, no need.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Yu Zhi noticed the boy who had been brimming with confidence just moments ago suddenly deflated, his face stiffening and his hands and feet fumbling awkwardly.
She guessed Lu Yanxi’s unusual behavior was because he had noticed the situation here and was lending a hand.
But dear heavens, aren’t you even more terrifying than that underage little bro?
Author’s Note:
Typing until now, completely burnt out.